she flies on her own wings

A New York Minute

2010-10-11T11:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday marked my three month anniversary of working at Starbucks. Yikes. Has it really been that long that I have been struggling to uphold my personal composure while chasing Starbucks' proverbial mermaid tail? Well there is no denying that its true. Four months in New York, three months at Starbucks, and one day (today) at The Broadway League -- which I will get to after some catching up.

So, I realize that it has been a while since my last post, and those who have read my Oxford blog knew to expect that. However, I will update you all on my life in a brief but witty blog post because I know you don't want to read pages about my life, and I don't want to write them.

With that being said, I spent the month of June working for The Culture Project on Twin Spirits which featured Sting (who I did get to meet). It was fun, I did a lot of work for very little pay but I gained a bunch of experience (both good and bad). After June ended, I started at Starbucks, thanks to my roommate Sean for getting me the job.

And I hated it. At first.

Starbucks, to me, represented everything that corporate coffee had done wrong. And there was a good deal of corporate bullshit. But it pays the bills. And it gave me something to do during the rest of the summer.

And I did spend the rest of the summer working at Starbucks to try to get my feet planted more firmly on the ground and hanging out with my roommates. We had adventures every now and then, namely having too much tequila one night, and Anne coming to visit. I got to see a number of shows (mostly at the benevolence of Geoffrey and the nice people who comped him tickets at the Broadway League), among them A Life in the Theater (with Patrick Stewart and T.R. Knight - both very nice), American Idiot (with a Billie Joe Armstrong talkback), and tonight I am seeing La Bete (with David Hyde Pierce - supposedly very good).

And while this life seems very glamorous -- and at times it is -- I also spend much of my time in an almost thankless job where I become invisible under my Starbucks baseball cap. Not to mention the crude and surprising things that men across the city (on the streets and elsewhere, even in the workplace) say to me. Among my favorites: "Oh Baby, I would wait for you" or "I will give you a check for a million dollars to spend the weekend with me" or "I want to bottle your voice so I can listen to it all the time" or when the bus driver (THE BUS DRIVER!!!! of a full bus) honked at me as I crossed the street in front of him. Most of the time I just smile and shrug it off. It comes with the territory of being a pretty girl in a big city. But sometimes it wears on me, particularly when I feel like there are no gentlemen around. This certainly isn't the Midwest.

I had a few weeks where I really missed my friends. Where I missed being able to go to Bagel Boy and run into someone to have lunch with. Or being able to call up Tracie to eat ice cream, watch a J.Lo movie, and drink red wine when I am having a bad day. Don't get me wrong, living with Sean and Geoff is great almost all the time, but I miss that certain understanding that longtime friendship builds (and that we are starting to develop). I have to remember that they too had all this history and friendships that they left behind, that we all had lives before we had each other and before we had New York.

And what a city we do have. New York is full of endless possibilities and each day that I step into the city, I never know what exactly will happen. For example:

The other day I was leaving Starbucks to go and meet Anne Hamilton (who I will introduce later) and took the bus from 55th to 42nd Street along Fifth Ave. stopping right in front of the grandeur New York Public Library. True to form, there were people outside on the sidewalk supporting and trying to gain supporters for something. The first guy I saw had this epic mustache talking to a group of tweens. His shirt read International Children support. I kept walking. The next guy, a little ways down the street caught my eye. As he showed me his pearly whites, he also rolled up his short sleeves to show me his impressive muscles. He shouted at me, "You better not ignore me, don't walk past me." At this point I was next to him and said, "Alright, well, I am in a hurry so can you walk with me?" And he turned and took my hand and we walked hand-in-hand down the block. He introduced himself as Jamie and I introduced myself and answered his question that I was headed to the theater. No, not as an actress, though. He told me he was out there to save babies in Africa. I told him that was nice but I had to go. So I turned away to go down the street. Moments later, I hear him shout "I LOVE YOU!" after me. I, and several others around me, turn to see him blow me a kiss and shout it again. I couldn't help but smile and blow him a kiss back. After all, he was very good looking.

Sometimes, you never know what is going to happen. In New York, that is all the time.

And what I didn't see coming with a Communications Internship at The Broadway League (you know, those people who put on the Tonys and essentially run Broadway) and being part of two reading for plays that Anne Hamilton wrote. Anne, was introduced to me by Sean, and she told me all about Dramaturgy (which I am interested in getting started in) and invited me to be part of these readings.

I went from not having so much to do, to having a lot. Which just proves that anything can change in a New York Minute.

And now, as I sit here and munch on my delicious New York Roast Beef Sandwich, I can only imagine what the next few months will bring. All I know is that I am headed to DC to see the Stewart-Colbert rally and have a crazy Halloween and then share some turkey with NY friends and save up to buy a plane ticket home for Christmas.

A Love Letter to Gotham

2010-06-16T11:57:00.001-07:00

I am quickly approaching the end of my third week in the city and it already seems like I have been here far longer. As I stroll the streets in the Village or catch a train at Queensboro (or for those of you across the pond: Queensbourogh) Plaza, I feel like I have belonged here my whole life. The culture and uniquities (that's right, I made up that word) of the city seep into every part of my life here. Yesterday, as I ate lunch with my colleagues at the Culture Project, we talked about where we went to high school. One went to a French High School on the Upper East Side of NY (I didn't even know such places existed), one was a block away from the beach and went surfing for PE class, and I told them of my roots back in SD and they were shocked and awed that such stereotypical high schools existed.. at least those outside the realm of Gossip Girl. This conversation sparked a comparison of my complex, yet simple roots, and now this tangled and beautiful web of a city I now call home.

New York City is one part Gotham, one part romantic comedy, and a pinch of crazy. Okay, maybe more than one pinch of crazy. But that just adds to the charm of it. New York holds an eclectic collection of foods, cultures, and languages. I heard a group of college boys talking in a standard American dialect the other day and it caught me a little off guard because I had become so used to hearing all kinds of languages. But its not just the diversity that gives NYC its charm, but a feeling in the city. Its like we are all in this together, that we all fight for our daily bread, generally try to help our brothers, and enjoy (or avoid) the quirks of the city. This seems like a good thing.

Well, on a less philosophical level, I have been busy! The whole first week I was here, my mom was with me. Which was great. It was really good to have my mom see the city and start to understand the fibers that draw me here. I think she really enjoyed what she saw, and especially the food we ate. For me it was good to spend the extra week with my mom, away from friends at home and friends here. (And I am not just saying that because my mom will read this... hi mom!) It was also this strange feeling of being on vacation. That whole week I didn't really feel like I lived there, but that I was visiting. With moms help, I unpacked and feel right back into the rhythm of the city. Though the rhythm has changed and picked up pace with the changes of the season. While I really did nothing but be a tourist with mom the first week, I did email the Culture Project and Brette Goldstien to say that I was now in the city and ready for action!

Culture Project wanted me that following Monday to help as a Production Assistant on their Blueprint for Accountability series which I helped work on in January. So I agreed to be a volunteer for the whole day. On Monday I arrive to a semi-frantic team, but soon help get waters from the Deli and post signs. Not the most exciting work, but it was fine. I then helped edit the run of show cues and then was assigned to help backstage during the performance. This was awesome! I loved being backstage. They had me backstage left calling entrance cues for the actors (Julianna Margulies, Mariska Hargitay, James Spader, Liev Schreiber, and Matt Dillon... they were all very nice and did a wonderful job!) The show had some hiccups, but it was directed by Fisher Stevens (of The Cove) and it was truly great to feel like I was doing important theatre (not that I haven't before, Kim) with some really well established people (those on the discussion board included, because Blueprint is like a roundtable discussion, with some documentary, and then some acting pieces). It was also awesome to meet these people and find that they are just as nervous and appreciate a thumbs up as they walk off stage as much as we do.

And so Monday passed and last week carried on. I spent some days tooling around Manhattan (and in particular the Village and Housing Works) and slept. A lot. I was so exhausted from the end of school, and graduation, and partying, and moving, that I simply had to sleep. I am mildly regretting my long hours asleep this week, as I feel the weight of my eight a.m. alarm clock that much heavier. However, last week we also had some visitors at the mansion. Oh yes, I live in a mansion, in the basement, in Astoria, Queens. But the first visitor was Michelle, long lost sister of the the Ward family, and indeed one of Karly's very good friends, and conveniently also know Geoffrey and Sean. We had a lovely night of Scrabble. The rest of the week I played roommate with Geoff and Sean's friend Craig who goes to George Mason in D.C. for his PhD in psychology, I believe. We had a marvelous time together and it was nice to adventure around the city with a new friend.

I also applied to Starbucks last week because the store that Sean works in was looking to hire, and I had heard nothing further from the Culture Project, so sent in my application and got a call right away for an interview this last Monday. I figured this job would be awesome: working with Sean, making coffee, and benefits such as only Starbucks offers for part-time employees. So, on Monday I went in for my interview and as I approached the building, I got a call and email from the Culture Project. They said that they want to hire me on for the next two and a half weeks to work as a backup and production assistant for their up coming show Twin Spirits. Twin Spirits is Sting and his wife Trudie singing Schumann songs with world famous musicians for Schumann's 200th birthday. Not to mention the champagne toast and dinner at Sting's to follow. So, I accepted and went to my Starbucks interview.

The interview went fine, and I was offered a job. I told her about the Culture Project so she wants to me to call next week and then I can start when this production is over. So, I am spending my days working at the Culture Project. Yesterday I sent letters to the likes of Alec Baldwin, Kristin Chenoweth, Renee Zellweger, and so forth. Friends of Sting's. And today, I am much less busy booking flights. However, today we made sure to tell the newly Tony-winning Scarlett Jo that she can bring her hunky hubby Ryan Reynolds to the event too.

Speaking of the Tonys, I of course watched them (while Geoff got to go to them.. looking awfully snazzy in the tux I helped him pick out!) I thought they were fun, but kind of a mess. Not only was the filming and direction of the telecast crazy but I was surprised by some of the wins (See Kim Bartling's Facebook for more information). I think that Kristin Chenoweth stole the show.

Last night I went to the Players Club, which has quite the history, and saw a reading that Sean stage managed and was written by Bill Persky and Tom Leopold of much television fame. Outside they were filming some new Kate Hudson movie (based on the novel Something Borrowed, I think) and it was a really interesting experience to see how things shut down (like Grammacy Park) and people come out of the woodwork for filming. However, I was there to see the play, which was good and quite funny. Full of Jewish jokes and an open bar... so I was a happy camper.

So, I am settling quite well into the city and city life. I am trying to get my life together to get a plane ticket to Karly's wedding, yearning for a MacBook that I don't have the means to buy, and still trying to figure most things out. But at the end of the day, I think that it is perfectly okay to have actually no idea what I am doing.

A Love Letter to Gotham

2010-06-16T11:51:00.000-07:00

Goodbye, Farewell, and Good Riddance

2010-05-07T12:02:00.000-07:00

Oh shit. Forget all those papers, presentations, and deadlines. This is the hard part. Graduation is upon us and the dreaded goodbyes are lurking nearby. As I pack my bags for New York, turn in final essays, and say good riddance to Biology, I am thinking about how I am going to say goodbye to all of this. Not only have I spent four years (well, three and a half, including my semester at Oxford) at USF, but I have lived in Sioux Falls for the last 21 years. This city is as much a part of me as my skin.

It was here that I took my first steps as a toddler, sauntered across the arena to receive my high school diploma, and will walk across the Washington Pavilion’s Great Hall stage to be granted my diploma from college. Sioux Falls has been the solid path beneath my sometimes unsteady feet.

While there are some things that I won’t miss about Sioux Falls -- namely the lovely John Morrell smell -- I am beginning to realize those things that I will miss that I have always taken for granted. One of those things is walking into Java City, Bracco, or really anywhere in Sioux Falls and running into unexpected friends. This city has become my Cheers, and it seems that everyone knows my name. I am days away from moving to a place where I can count the people I know on my fingers, and while I am excited about knitting myself a new community, I know that I am leaving a very big, loving one behind.

I will also miss things like driving with my windows down, lunch at Bagel Boy, and hula-hooping at the Falls, but it really is the people who make the place. And I have been incredibly blessed by good friends and family my whole life. Sioux Falls and USF continue to be the Mecca of these friendships.

Since I started at USF freshman year, I have met some of the most wonderful, talented, and influential people in my life. From professors to fellow students, USF’s community has filled my world with love, faith, and understanding. Even today as I stroll through the quad (even if it is missing trees), I may meet someone who adds another beautiful dimension to life at USF.

Growing up in Sioux Falls, I also have been lucky enough to have many of my High School friends come home on holidays and summers. I have been able to sew together all my friendships and to build new ones. Not to mention the perk of having my mom (and her washing machine) minutes from my dorm.

And this all sounds nice and dandy. And for the most part it was. But it was during the most trying of times that these people have stood beside me and helped me become the person that I am; without them I would not be where I am today.

So, the question is: How do I say goodbye to all of this?

I will start with the fact that this is not goodbye forever. I will return to Sioux Falls for major holidays because my family is here (blood and otherwise included). So, I can say “Farewell” and “See you when I see you” to my friends and loved ones. We can remind each other of the magic of technology: telephones, texting, facebook, twitter, skype… etc. and because of this we don’t ever have to be out of contact. I will offer up my floor in New York to any visitors, shed a few (or a river of) tears when I give final hugs, and keep Sioux Falls and USF in my heart. However, the door to my heart won’t shut after it because who knows what this wide world holds for me? And there is room enough in there for everything.

Nothing Like the Sun

2010-04-04T11:42:00.000-07:00

Well. Its Easter. I am here at work attempting to configure my life for the next 59 days until I move.

Thats right. I have set a date, as most of you know, to move to New York June 1st. I thought that it would have been a hard decision to make, and in some ways it was, but it was so simple and felt so right, that I am happy and excited as ever to move into the big apple.

Just coming back from Colorado, where I visited my lovely sister and my future brother-in-law Will, and spending this week with my best friend Sarah (back from KC on spring break), I have not exactly been productive this week. Time to get a move on! (no pun intended.)

But before then, I have a lot to do. This week I open up my senior show at USF, titled Nothing Like the Sun. (it runs Wed, Thurs, Fri... if you are interested).

It has been going well, and I am totally blessed by Jayna, who is my director, and has brought countless wisdom and humor to the show. This week was a little rough because we were on spring break/easter break and I scheduled tech day for yesterday (generally as the saturday before the show opens) and none of my crew showed up. It was a bummer, and nothing really worked for me. I did get the playbill done, but everything else was a bust. Alas, I shall prevail (I have to) and the show opens in three days.

After which I have Cinderella closely approaching. I am behind on memorization, but really have been focusing on my show which opens before Cinderella. Also, we haven't actually read through the whole script yet, which is fustrating, but I am really not too worried that everything will fall into place. It just worries me that I won't be at rehearsal this week because I have my show. The theatre gods are on my side though... I hope.

All of the sudden then, April will be over. Then May, then graduation, and then eight days and a plane ride to NYC.

It feels like I am leaving a lot behind. And I am. People, love, books. But, I hope that what New York has to offer me is so much more. It feels that way. And though no one can replace or even come close to the most amazing people I have in my life in Sioux Falls, and have befriended over the last 21 years, Oh baby its a wild world.. and I intend to find that out.

I don't have a job yet, but I do have wonderful people to live with and a hell of a lot of ambition.

Life is crazy right now. But good. Really good. And I am so blessed. And on this Easter Sunday, I want to celebrate being alive and loving every minute of it.

A View from the Bridge

2010-02-28T13:33:00.000-08:00

As I stood there looking over the Financial district of New York, breathless on the Brooklyn bridge, I could not help but to realize that at this particular moment, my dreams were coming true. A wave of emotion flooded me, and tears were the only way I knew how to tell the world that this was happening. That life was happening. As I stood there looking over it all, I knew that this was where I belonged.

Now, clearly I already had some notion of this. I was in New York already. I had planned to walk over the Brooklyn Bridge with Geoff and I had known that something very real was about to happen. But when things all of the sudden become that clear, everything suddenly becomes simple. I had to move here.

It is now a month later. I am back in Sioux Falls, back in school, and back to wishing I was still in New York. In this time I have been enjoying my time with friends and my classes, but also with a constant itch to figure out the next step of my life. When and how am I going to move to New York?

This is not as simple of a question as I want it to be. There is money to be saved, budgets to be made, jobs to be found, correspondance and hoping that I will have a place to live when I get there. I know that none of this is going to go as smoothly as I want, but I can still hope. I find myself telling co-workers and friends about my plans and the more I think about it all, the more excited I become and the sooner I want it.

Sure, I could stay in Sioux Falls for the summer. Continue to do what I have been doing for the last 21 years. But, what are the benifits? What are the cons? Could I stand to wait just three more months?

As of now, I don't know. I could pack my bags and leave next week, but I better graduate first. And I will (don't worry mom). And then... well, June 1st is only a week after I walk. I think I could do that.

I want things to work out the way that I think they will. But regardless of when I actually move to New York, or how everything actually goes down, I know that the feeling that overwhelmed me on the Brooklyn Bridge will be back. I will be there.

Next step now: sell all my books.

I Promise, I Didn't Forget About You

2010-01-09T17:50:00.000-08:00

It has been a long time since I blogged. In fact, since I returned from my last big journey. I can only hope this month is something (anything) like what Oxford and Europe were for me. In the meantime, I have been busy with school. I felt like a zombie this whole semester: class at 8am and night rehearsals, plus two jobs. I was a zombie (and had several dreams about zombies...) However, I have returned to my self after a crazy semester (and a crazy year).

Now, dear cyberspace, I could tell you about everything that has happened to me in that time I have not blogged (Producers, Summer, Shakespeare, New (and old) friends, Vegas, Colloquium...) but I will spare you the details for now and fill you in as I deem important.

So. Here I am. My wings have brought me to the big apple: New York City. I was lucky enough to come here over fall break this year and spent a crazy week with Geoff and Sean (two interesting boys who I did Shakespeare this summer with, and then they moved to NYC) which was fantastic and I got to see the city. But now I am here to feel the city and become part of the thriving metropolis that NYC is.

I want this trip (that I have been planning since about July) to be a stepping stone for a potential move here after I graduate. I say potential only because we never know what the future may bring. I think that it is important to me to feel the city, and understand the city before I move here. So I am doing an internship with the Women's Project and with the Culture Project, as well as hanging with (and living with) the other USF students and trying to see as much as I can: of theatre and otherwise.

Things so far are going very well. Everyday I find something new that makes me fall in love with NYC more deeply. The people and the cultures here are so amazing and interesting, one can never become bored with what they find on the street. I also am enjoying having the pleasure of experiencing these other students' first times too. There is something so magical about the first time one is in New York.

Today we went to Ragtime on Broadway and afterwords went backstage with Mike McGowen who was in the cast and a USF grad. It was simply marvelous. It brought me to tears. And when we got to go backstage, and I stood on a Broadway stage for the first time I was simply speechless. My heart skipped a beat and I was torn between busting into song and dance and just simply standing there taking it all in. (Eventually I chose the later, probably for the best). All together it was a fabulous experience and worth the running around this morning.

I also feel really lucky to have friends in the city. Not only do they give me great perspective on what it is like to move here and live here, but they are also super entertaining. Its not that I don't want to spend all my time with the USF students, but to have the option of both sort of home-bases is nice. I couldn't have asked for a better situation (just maybe some more organization).

Well, cyberspace, I should finish this blog, take a look at the night, and let the wind carry me (and boy, is it cold wind!). All I know, is that I wish our stove worked in our apt (or that there was a microwave) cause I could really go for a cup of tea (thanks, England).

So I will leave with the thought that, I shall continue to fly on my own wings.

Love,

Haley

ALIS VOLAT PROPIIS

2008-11-01T20:53:00.001-07:00

Hello blog readers (if you still exist out there in the vast world of cyber-space)~

I would like to tell you about the title of my blog, because A) I want to and it means something to me B) I can't sleep and C) For (self) teaching purposes

(note: I will try my hardest not to make this sound like an essay, but it seems that is all I write, so here goes... )

When I created my blog in July, (much to my surprise, because I never thought that I would be one of those "blog people" - yet here I am typing away on the good ol' internet) I chose the title "she flies on her own wings." This was not a genius on my behalf (though I would like to claim it) but words of wisdom passed onto me by my wiser sister in the form of jewelery art.

Before we parted ways this summer, she gave me a leather bracelet that had the inscription: "Alis Volat Propiis" which would be Latin for "she flies on her own wings." Karly had this bracelet made for me by a local artist who she knew and knew would make the wonderful piece of art that I wear everyday.

I do wear it everyday for several reasons. I wear it to remind myself of the love I have for my sister and for my family and friends, the love and appreciation I have for art, as a reminder of independence and freedom, as a source of strength and wisdom, and for some sweet arm candy.

It is amazing how simple pieces of material items serve as reminders for those thoughts and things we hold most dear. My dad-necklace does the same for me, which I also wear everyday.

In our world, we desire material justification and reminders of those ideas that come so naturally to us, yet we are so shrouded by our preoccupations that we easily forget those things most precious.

As I travel the world and come to understand more about myself, about humanity, about the world - I understand that while we do fly on our OWN wings, it is, indeed, the wind that OTHERS give us that allows us to take flight.

Thank you for giving me that possibility.
I love you.

Quietness and Quirks

2008-10-25T07:47:00.001-07:00

22 October 2008

As I walked around Oxford this morning, contemplating how I could hook up an IV of espresso straight to my veins, I noticed something weird: it was eerily quiet. For a city around the population of Sioux Falls (plus 10,000 Oxford students), this seemed out of place and could only mean one thing. Term has begun.

Its true, Oxford is now through the second week of Michaelmas Term. Seeing as though there is only 8 intense weeks per term here, this has been quite the achievement. The quietness around the town and particularly the libraries is a tell-tale sign of busy students and busy libraries. I realized just how crazy Oxford students must be this morning and last night, when I finished a paper at 1 a.m., and began my second for my tutorials this week. While the tutorial system only lets you meet with your tutor once a week, or every other week for a one-on-one class (sounds nice right?), our days are also filled with lectures, seminars, meetings, tea, and anxious scrambling through the libraries trying to read six books in two hours, so you can write papers all night. The days are busy, and the reading lists are insane. For example, I am writing a paper (2,000 words) and the required reading is around 20 books, in one week. I promise I will never complain about the amount of reading at USF again!

Even though the work load is crazy, I am enjoying every minute (or almost every minute) of it. Everyone here seems to burn with the same passion for knowledge… and caffeine. However, there is something different about the town than just the quietness of the day. I am pretty sure that Oxford may not be part of the real world, in fact there are whole Facebook groups devoted to this very idea. Though Oxford is the hub for academia, it is also a strange version of British Hollywood.

Since the beginning of October, I have seen my fair share of celebrities, and for some odd reason, this is completely normal here. Kevin Spacey (21) teaches one of my lectures, Geri Halliwell (Spice Girls) and Rodger Moore (Ex - James Bond) were in Borders the other day, Alfie Enoch (Dean Thomas in the Harry Potter films) rides his bike by me everyday, Thom Yorke (Raidohead) lives down the street from one of our houses, Patrick Stewart (X-Men and Star Trek) was in a play I saw this week, and yesterday I shared a study space with Anna Popplewell (Susan in the Chronicles of Narnia films). To some of my friends’ dismay, I didn’t get an autograph or picture, but I will see what I can do at the new Bond movie premiere in London this week.

Rolling high and writing wise here in Oxford, I am continually learning. I use my kitschy British slang everyday and always carry my umbrella in these last sunny days of fall. As the rain rolls in and late nights begin, I have moments where I miss the crisp, almost winterly air of South Dakota, but I am sure I will manage here just fine. As I take in the quiet morning, I have to return to my work, but remind myself to work hard and play hard, and keep the caffeine flowing! Cheers!

Haley

Note: Do not try an espresso IV. They are not possible… trust me.

Oxford Comma

2008-10-09T15:54:00.000-07:00

Sorry for not updating in a VERY long time! My sincerest apologies! I however have been very busy. But before the real term starts on Monday, I thought that I would update you all on my life here at Oxford.

Firstly I would like to explain that Oxford is absolutely amazing. This could very well be the most wonderful place in the world. It is the perfect mix of old and new, of quietness and bustling culture. It is only minutes away from London, or a plane ride away from the rest of Europe, made incredibly accessible thanks to Ryanair.

Classes are difficult, of course, but so enjoyable. I read around 12 books and 8 articles a week, write one or two 10 page (A4 size - larger than American size) papers, and have class and lectures to attend when not in the library. I know that it sounds like a lot, but in actuality, it is incredibly liberating. I love that I am able to study what I want and study how I want. I also enjoy that the tutorials, classic Oxford teaching, is more of a discussion between tutor and tutee, both scholars and learning from each other, rather than just lectures. I am now done with the first class of British Landscapes with Simon Schama (a la video), which is a relief and now on Monday the actual Michaelmas term begins.

Saying so, today was Freshers' Fair, where pretty much all of Oxford's clubs (which are pretty much anything under the sun) try to convince you to join by way of persuasion or bribing. It was quite the adventure, but I think in the end, I found a few things I would like to try. I am already a member of OUDS (Oxford University Dramatic Society), which is the major drama society at Oxford. I am also auditioning for the Rock-Gospel choir which should be SO much fun! I thought about doing a classical group, but I think this would be more fun, and they really REALLY wanted me to audition, they needed girls... I think. Along with that, I am going to do ballroom dancing with a few of the girls, which I am super stoked about! I also looked at the wine tasting groups and some movie stuff, as well as signing up to support the Rugby team (which means going to the matches and meeting cute rugby boys!). I also plan to go to the Wycliffe Hall male's football (soccer) team's matches, because several of our SCIO boys are on the team!

Beyond the clubs through Oxford, in just SCIO, I was elected to be on the JCR (Junior Common Room) which is a group of 6 of the 66 SCIO students that will put together social events and coordinate things for us to do all together like Halloween parties and a real American Thanksgiving.

A week and a half ago I went to Dublin, Ireland, for a few hours with friends. We went on a Saturday night, arrived at around 7 went and ate, looked around town and Trinity college and headed to the Temple Bar area. Temple Bar is THE place to be for Dublin night life, where there are lots of "steg and hen" parties and the costumes that come along with that! It was also nice because it was Sat. night, there was a live band or musician at every pub. We finally settled down at one called Farrington's where there was this sweet Irish band. Remember the song "Galaway Gal" from P.S. I Love You (and other Irish movies) that he sings to her when they first meet... they played that song when we got there, and we danced the rest of the night to them. At around 3 am, Colby (one of the guys who came with) played guitar on the street... which is totally normal for Dublin, and played some songs from the movie ONCE (if you haven't seen it... do). Then we went back to the airport and went back home. 12 hours in Dublin, who could want more?

Last week then, was fall break. I went with a group to the Lake District of England, which is supposed to be the most beautiful part of the country. And it is. This is the home of Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter, who's work became all the more clear in light of the landscape that is there. We stayed at a small cottage in the town of Keswick on Lake Keswick. The town was super quaint, I really enjoyed it. We went to Wordsworth's Dove Cottage in Grasmere and went on a "walk" (aka hike) where we got drenched by the English rain, and ended up not going to our final destination, but it was so much fun anyways. The next day we took a boat across the lake and then climbed the mountains to go back to Keswick. I am not going to lie, the hike was a bit of a challenge (seeing that everything was slick and muddy... I may have fell...) but I am so glad that I did it. The next day while some people hiked a higher mountain, I stayed in town with friends and went to a sweet old book shop where I found a leather bound Alice in Wonderland and an ORIGINAL Peter Rabbit by Miss Potter. I was so excited about that! I think that when I come home I will have to ship some books : ) Our whole trip was accompanied by Jonathan's amazing cooking, lots of tea, and reading and journaling, plus the priceless view.

Back in Oxford the students have started to settle in, and suddenly there are 3000 more people here! I like it though, always a new face to be seen. I have started to teach a hip-hop dance workout at night in our house. I am not a very good dancer, but I am happy to teach what I know, and the girls that I do it with are great! Tomorrow I have a meeting with my tutor at a pub, his idea, and I am really looking forward to it! I am also looking forward to the weekly tea at Crick (the other house) on Sundays followed by church at St. Andrew's which I have really come to enjoy! We are finally starting to get into a grove of things.

While my house and community and Oxford and Europe is fantastic, and I am undoubtedly happy that I am here, I do have my moments of homesickness. This week is especially hard for me because it was my sister's birthday on Monday and my grandpa is getting married on Saturday (yes, my grandpa), and so my whole family is at home, but I will not be there, which is sad. Some other things are out of joint, which I wish I could be there to help sort out, but alas, I am in England. I miss my friends dearly, who love me and I love without effort. It is a hard situation here sometimes because we are all forced to be social together here, which I never had a hard time with, but I think some other people are, so they try to block people out, making it hard to be friends with them. But, I know that all of my friends' love is at home, and sending to me here, as I am sending it to them.

I am trying to remind myself daily not to be bothered by things that I can not control at home (or try not to be in control of things at home) because I don't want it to hold me back from what I am doing here. I must live in the moment, and take each as it comes.

I have been taking photos like crazy, and trying to upload what I can to facebook, so please look at them there or if you do not have a facebook, follow the links below, because I can't upload that many photos to the blog... sorry : (

Lake District:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2011199&l=a88b7&id=176001017

Dublin:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2011118&l=affcb&id=176001017

Bath and Oxford:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2011070&l=5cd52&id=176001017

Oxford and assorted other places:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2011016&l=a106b&id=176001017

Those links should work so you can see the facebook albums!

I feel a lot of the time that what I am doing is incredibly memorable and should be written down, but when I try, it is hard to find the words. I am doing the best I can though.

For some parting thoughts from George Eliot (who I just wrote a paper on...):

"It's never too late to be who you might have been"

I just have to trust myself and God to keep me on this crazy and twisty path. Keep on walking, look forward, and do it with passion.

Love.

The Absurdities of Oxford

2008-09-17T16:07:00.000-07:00

At the start of every new semester there seems to be something in the air that gets me excited for the months ahead. Across the pond, here in Oxford, that certain something is rain. England is the land of C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Harry Potter, and of course the infamous weather. The rain is not so bad, but it does have me missing those last sunny days of September in Sioux Falls before the snow sets in.

There are however, some things about the University of Oxford and the town that are, well, absurd. The first thing that stuck out to me was the opposite way that everything seems to happen. Here, not only does the traffic travel on the wrong side of the road, but all bike and walking paths do so as well. Also, on these paths, which cut through cow fields, there are lonely lampposts that make scenes from The Chronicles of Narnia seem completely normal. Likewise, inside the colleges, there are “normal” things that are entirely absurd to me. Most peculiar is what the scholars call “Oxford time.” This simply means that time runs five minutes late here, attributed to the fact that Oxford sits five minutes east of the Maritime-Greenwich line. In fact, the bells in Christ Church College (where scenes from Harry Potter were shot) ring five minutes later than the generally accepted atomic time. While that took a little getting used to, a concept that was welcome is that of “tea time.” Every day, on the hour, every hour, we stop class to have tea or coffee and recharge our brains. It is a nice bonus to the very “Englishness” of the University.

Just to the southwest is London, not unlike scenes from Sweeney Todd, but more modern and full of bustling culture. To the southeast is Stonehenge, the famous and mysterious rock formations, where I had an interesting conversation with a Druid priest. And here in Oxford, it is not unusual to see some of the smartest people in the world, Kevin Spacey, or the lead singer from Radiohead walking down the street.

As the semester gets going, and the real work begins in the “finest city in the world,” according to poet John Keats, I am thinking about all my fellow USFers back in the states and hope that your beginning of the year starts off well, if not as absurd as mine. Cheers!

Lessons learned while hiking in Bavaria alone...

2008-08-14T11:07:00.000-07:00

1. Never hike alone, and if you do, make sure to tell someone where you are going.
2. Know where you are going. Or at least have a vague idea.
3. Take the same trail home. Not another simply because it looks more interesting and challenging, though it is.
4. Watch out for marked and unmarked grave, especially those from the early 1600s.
5. Watch for snakes and giant spiders, neither are particularly pleasant.
6. Bring your passport, you never know when you will hike into Austria accidentally and there are scary-looking check points.
7. If lost (perhaps in Austria) look for signs, and be able to read them.
8. Watch for inconvenient waterfalls and broken bridges.
9. Wear appropriate clothes, avoid skirts.
10. Bring your camera, not only to document beauty, but also to record Blair-witch-like videos.
11. Runners on these trails will scare the hell out of you.
12. Everyone here must be much more athletic than I, though still impressed by own athletic ability of climbing around 2,000 feet up.
13. Always turn around when you know where you are.
14. Don't hike alone.

Needless to say, I miss you all very much. I have spent my days alone wandering around Kiefersfelden and the surrounding areas. Who knew that Austria was so close, and in fact you can hike right to it? I learned many a lesson on my lone journey through the woods, but it would have been better with each of you at my side.

Therefore, I extend my thanks to each of you for making my world a better place.

Love and Peace

Hale

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

2008-08-12T07:41:00.000-07:00

So, I figured out how to put up photos. To catch everyone up on the beauties of the world, here are some of my favorites:

The captions above go with the photos below. And they are out of order, but that really doesn't matter!

Enjoy!

Me and Wes after our second performance of "One"The most delicious thing I have ever eaten in Salzburg, Austria... oh man!
Kieferer See (lake)
Meadows and Mountains, and a long walk! This is the life!
Kate's rose, in our room!
Gladiators in Verona... oh my!
Outside of Innsbrook, Austria
When I got lost in Austria, not a bad place to be lost
Me and Nanette, my lovely voice teacher, on Lidernight
Me and Chapman after the performance, he is a great guy!

We went to a Bavarian Beer fest... what?
This is our small town of Kiefersfelden, where we were based, it is so beautiful!
Lake Garda in Italy. Most beautiful place in the world.
Waiting for the opera to start in Verona at the arena.
Writing on the wall at Juliet's house in Verona:
Nauschwenstiein Castle from the bridge:
On the path up to the castle. It was breath-taking
View from my window, tough, I know...
At the beerfest. People here actually wear liderhosen!
Arriving at the Castle:

This is the life.

The Bavarian Air

2008-08-11T01:35:00.000-07:00

My deepest apologizes for those of you who have anxiously been awaiting my next blog entry. All two of you who read I am sure will be enlightened by my past experiances. Seeing that I have been so busy, to sum up these past events, I will list them for your reading pleasure:

1. We left off at Nauschwenstien Castle, after that we worked.
2. I danced and sang a lot
3. Went to Hamburg
4. Stayed in the Red Light district
5. Went to a rock ballet, it was awesome
6. Worked with Stage Entertainment, it was awesome
7. Clubbing
8. Back to Kiefersfelden and classes
9. To Verona
10. Tosca, the Opera in the Colliseum
11. Shopping for Italian goods
12. Deutschfest
13. Rehearsal
14. Messing up my audition
15. Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da, life goes on baby
16. My birthday! 08-08-08
17. Polka and Fireworks
18. Our final performance, but we did it twice
19. Saying goodbye
20. Why is it easier to leave than to be left?
21. Finally a day off.

As you can imagine, there is a lot more reading in between the lines there, but that sums up all the major events off the top of my head. On the flip side, with the first month of my European adventure finshed I am very much looking forward to spending some quality time with my Mom when she comes over and we go to Italy. I espeacially liked Italy and am looking forward to going back there! And France! And then Oxford!

It seems completely unreal to me that I am not leaving with everyone else to go back to the States that we know so well. I just spend my days living each one as they come. That is the beauty of Europe, and Germany in particular, the amount of importance that they give each day.

Well, I must go make some more memories now, but do be promised that I shall continue to write and reflect. My best wishes to those cyber readers out there who's reading of my adventures make them all the more real.

And for some ending thoughts:

"The soul of a journey is liberty, perfect liberty, to think, feel, do just as one pleases." ~ William Hazlitt

I Went to a Fairy Tale Today

2008-07-20T13:56:00.000-07:00

So, today I had quite the adventure. We went to Nauchwenstien Castle in Germany today, which is the ideal castle on which Walt Disney based Cinderella's castle. It was unbelievable. Simply breathtaking. Please see the photos that I posted on Facebook, but even those don't do it justice. It also required quite a hike up the mountain, which achieves on of my goals:

1. Hike an Alp. Check.

I also achieved:

2. Go to a Deutschfest. Check. (We went to the Barvarian fest last night, where we drank huge beers, danced, talked with people in Liderhosen, and had an awesome time).
3. Drink (lots of) German beer. Check.
4. Have a bar maid bring me beer. Check.
5. Go to a Castle. Check.
6. Have a conversation in German. Check.

It has been very good. I find that life here moves very fast, yet it feels as though you are standing still enjoying every moment. The bad things don't seem to matter so much, and the good things seem to last much longer.

The singing/dancing thing is going fine, I just have a lot of work to do... work that I am willing to put in. Also, the photography is amazing - if I remember to save my pictures (I lost about 100 today... sad).

In other news, I am missing everyone back home... and they should let me know when I can call them. I still don't have an address, but I barely have time to ask with all of the things we are doing.

I feel a very strong need to paint, to create.

With love,

Haley

"What would life be like if we had no courage to attempt anything?" ~ Vincent Van Gogh

Ich Bin American.

2008-07-19T05:41:00.001-07:00

Well, I have arrived in Germany. It is AMAZING! The Deutsch have such a great perspective on life, they seem to appreciate it and make the most of each moment. In Kifersfelden everybody rides their bike (Karly you would love it) and from 12 noon until 2 they take what is kind of like a siesta time. Everything shuts down and the town goes quiet, it is great. The food is wonderful, and it comes in very large quantities. The people are so nice, and really willing to listen to our bad German and speak much better English with us. The work is hard (may I repeat that I am not a ballerina) but so rewarding and fun. It is great to be here with people who love doing the same things that I love.

One thing I learned about travel is to always wear comfortable, running shoes. I ran across the MSP airport to catch my plane to Amsterdam. I made it, but it was quite the experiance. I find that you find the most helpful people when you do not expect them.

I miss everyone at home, but there are some truly amazing people here.

Tomorrow we go to the Fairy Tale Castle deep in the Alps, it will seem dream-like I assume. And then we go to Hamburg this next week. Look on my facebook for pictures!

Love, Haley

“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes "Awww!” ~ Jack Kerouac

May the Road Rise to Meet You

2008-06-03T15:03:00.000-07:00

June 3, 2008
5:20 pm CST

As the summer begins, I feel a bit of closure. When spring happens it is supposed to be a time of rebirth and renewal. For me, particularly this year, things are coming to an end. It is good though, because I believe that all ends are beginings. I suppose that is how it goes, seeing that I am also particularly fond of Shakespeare and that is how all of his great plays end (and begin). I feel like I am closing my time at USF (at least for some time) that I am closing up cleaning out my life (i.e. cleaning my files and clothes) and cleaning up burnt bridges. I feel the urge to make sure my past is in line to make the path to my future clearer. Dealing with the past is never fun, givin, but having it be part of the present is not fun either. So, alls well that ends well, I suppose.

I purchased my tickets for my plane ride to Munich and back home. It sort of makes this all real. I am absolutly leaving no matter what. Also, Mom and I talked about going to Italy before we go to France, which is so exciting! I have always wanted to go to Italy and to speak Italian, so I am picking up the language along with German (who dosen't want to speak four languages?) before I leave and while I will be there. Oxford is also becoming more of a reality. I finally got in all my confirmation sheets and I got my BIG (Basic Information Guide) to guide me though my travel there. It is still hard to wrap my mind around. I will be living a completely different life for six months, but I will still be completely me.

I am missing my sister, who moved to Colorado, and feel for her (not just becasue I know she will read this) but becasue there is something very beautiful, but very painful about being lonely. She knows people love her, they are just not close at hand. I say this with full awareness that soon I will probably be feeling the same why somewhere half way around the world. I know I will miss my friends and family, but I also know this is where I need to be. World activist Racheal Corrie has a quote in her book Let Me Stand Alone that reads, "Let me stand on the edge of the world and look at it honestly, alone." Able to discover the world, and discover yourself.

The thought for the day has always sat close to my heart. It is a Gaelic Blessing from Ireland:

May the road rise ot meet you,
may the wind be always at your back,
may the sun shine warm on your face,
the rain fall softly on your fields;
and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of his hand.

The Start of Something Good

2008-05-28T20:05:00.000-07:00

May 28, 2008
10:20pm CST

Well. Blogging. The new way of keeping a journal I suppose, but this way it is visible to everyone. Easy to connect and talk with each other.

Okay, for those who don't know, I am going to Germany (just outside of Munich) for the International Performing Arts Institute (IPAI) to study musical theater from July 17 - August 10. After that, I plan to travel around western Europe (mostly France) until I go to Oxford in England for the fall semester until December 13. At Oxford I will study Shakespeare and Modern Literature as well as exploring the great wide world. I am so excited and completely blessed to be doing this, and I am still having a hard time believing that I actually leave in a little over a month!

So, I will be blogging and posting pictures/videos (you can also check my facebook) while I am away. Mostly for documentation and my mom's sake, but also because I want to stay in touch and I want to write everyday (though we all know this won't happen). Updates to come in the future, but probably not for a while, or until I leave. All I am doing now is packing and doing paperwork.

To leave you with a thought for the day:

"If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness and fears." ~ Cesare Pavese