England vs. U.S.A.

Well, this is it, folks. This is what my entire study abroad experience comes down to: tonight's World Cup match, showing at 7:30pm here. The immense showdown. The big kahuna.

I'm just kidding, I couldn't care less.

I don't think I've ever watched a soccer game in full before, and I would be perfectly happy if it stayed that way....

But isn't this such a weird coincidence? Is it just me, or have there been lots of "the special relationship" related events this year? And what exactly is this special relationship? All year I've been trying to piece it out...

It was coined by Churchill (I think?) and has been used by politicians on both sides of the Atlantic ever since. What's interesting to me, however, is the trickle-down effect it has on the relationships between actual people... not saying that politicians aren't people... well, maybe I am.

When I first got here, I thought the relationship was pretty simple. I thought they were all the stereotypically well-spoken and intelligent ones, and I was the stereotypically outgoing and friendly one.... and we all thought the other was incredibly charming. But now that I've been here for a while, and developed really strong friendships, it's easier to see why these politicians stick with the word "special" over any other more descriptive adjective.

I never once thought of myself as patriotic in any way before I came here, but now I find myself defending America fairly frequently. And being from California puts me in an weird position, as it is often considered by Americans, Californians, and most citizens of the world, to not really be a part of the U.S. But, as much as I hate to admit this, it is. And as furious as I get over *sigh* many, many things in the States.... Arizona's immigration law, the ignorant idiots I lived with in the dorms freshman year, that vomit-inducing horror of an organization known as the Tea Party, or anything that comes out of South Carolina... I still only really fit in America. And no matter how much I love it here, how long I live here, and how much my accent changes, I will always be the American.

So maybe I will cheer for America tonight. We'll probably lose. And then my friends will have yet another reason to tease me. But I don't care... because I'd rather be teased for my accent, Americanisms, and my country's inability to play soccer by these wonderful people than never have met them at all.

Go U.S.A?

I get the news I need on the weather report....

There's a house across the river....

Dear blog,

Two exams down and one to go. The next one is in three weeks, so I feel like maybe I should be allowed to take a little break and not revise at all today. Instead, I went to Tesco, did some laundry, cleaned my room... and I just realized that none of that is really relaxing. Oh well... a bunch of my friends finish on June 5th, so I can start having fun then.

I had my Shakespeare exam on Wednesday and my Devolutionary British Fiction exam yesterday, followed by hot chocolate then Pimm's and Doctor Who at Sarah's house. It's nice being able to watch Doctor Who with someone... some of those episodes can be terrifying! And thank God Sarah watches TV like I do... which is basically yelling at the TV, thinking the people in it can hear you. I think that comes from movie theaters in Berkeley.... what is it about movie theaters there that makes the audience so fun? University students probably...

Recently I've let myself accept the fact that it's okay to be happy in England while still missing home. I get little flashes of places or memories every once in a while and get little pangs of homesickness. Today, I had a flash of REI, the one on San Pablo, and got homesick. Why REI??? I also really miss Berkeley food. Turkish Kitchen, Chaat Cafe, all sushi restaurants, Bicurious Garden (as Eyal calls it), Cheeseboard, Gregoire's, Chaam, basically anything on Shattuck. But for now, I need to appreciate the last month (crap!) I have in England because I know that the second I go back to Berkeley, I'm going to want to come back.

I'm compiling a list of books I want to read this summer. Here's what I have so far:
- 1982, Janine by Alasdair Gray
- Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky (need to keep up with my law-school-bound sister)
- The Closed Circle by Jonathan Coe (sequel to a book I read for class this year)
- Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
- Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby
- Choke by Chuck Palahniuk
- Born to Run by Christopher McDougall (thanks, Clare!)
- Fool by Christopher Moore
- Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace

Okay, I understand that it would be impossible to read all of those this summer.... but I'll still try.

Aaaaand now there is a goose outside my window. I am officially scared out of my mind. They've gotten more vicious since they had babies. I'm gonna go now and try to close the window without getting attacked.... I will leave you with some beautiful artwork by Yas:

Pimm's and Shakespeare...

I haven't written on this for a while for two reasons: One, because I've been stressed with Shakespeare related events and a 5,000 word essay. Two, because I have gained a new audience... some of my WONDERFUL FRIENDS here happened to find this blog and think it's really funny to quote it back to me in what they think is my accent. I've tried to write a new post in the past few days, but I always end up just hearing the words I type spoken in the horrible American accents they do. Yes, horrible... especially you Lawrence, Clare, Alon, and Josh. (There. Now you've been mentioned in my blog.)


Now that Julius Caesar is over and my paper has been handed in (Shit, I can hear their accents now....), I feel like I can breathe again. I don't have much to report though, but I do have some videos to share from Sonnets and Scenes, if you check my photos. I'm uploading them right now. My friend Clare and I (mentioned twice, Clare!) directed three scenes from A Midsummer Night's Dream, and they're pretty damn good if I do say so myself. Unfortunately, two of the scenes are ridiculously long, so I could only record a part of them. I also recorded some of my favorites from the day, including Yas doing a mix of Ophelia and Hamlet speeches, James performing two sonnets, and Josh doing the opening to Richard III. Unfortunately, I didn't get to record everything I liked (Much Ado, I love you), mainly because I had my first Pimm's (delicious English sangria) and wasn't exactly on top form.

I'm also uploading my pictures from Amsterdam, since I completely forgot to do that.

Off to the lyyybreee to do some research.

Should be writing my essay, but instead...

I'll tell you about a game I learned today called Bulldog.

I'll start off by saying that the cast and crew of Caesar have been working from the wee small hours of the morning until late at night trying to get this play together. I woke up at six in the morning today. ME! Needless to say, there are times when we need to go play outside in the sunshine... yes! Sunshine in England! Who knew?

So today, after a little game of Duck-Duck-Goose, someone mentioned Bulldog, to which I replied, "What's that?" The directors then ordered everyone to go on this massive grass field and asked, "Who wants to go first?" I enthusiastically volunteered, and did not take into account the fact that nobody else did. Lesson of the day: don't volunteer for something before you know what you're doing.

I stood in the middle of the field while TEN boys rushed at me and I had to TACKLE one of them in order to get them on my team. Did not go so well. Someone had to join me out of pity.

Also, I'm really out of shape, so I couldn't run very fast. However, I turned out to be really good at grabbing someone and holding on until another stronger teammate could tackle them.

Let's just say, I emailed my mom today asking her how to get grass stains out of my clothes.

What a beautiful dream that could flash on the screen in a blink of an eye and be gone from me...

I got back from my trip to Amsterdam late two nights ago and was up at 7am the next morning and this morning for all day Julius Caesar rehearsals. Also I have a cold. Definition of a rude awakening.

Thankfully, I hate flying... so I took a train to Brussels and then a bus with Leah to Amsterdam. No volcano was gonna mess with my trip.

Amsterdam is my new favorite place in the universe. Okay, well it's tied with sitting on a hammock, overlooking a forest in the Dominican Republic. It's my new favorite city definitely.


It was so beautiful and sunny out almost every day... On Saturday, we walked around the Jordaan and everyone was out on their little front stoops, playing with their families and their dogs, or reading, or smoking a pipe, etc.... and they were picnicking on their boats with their friends with some wine and food... it looked just like a movie. Leah and I are trying to find a way to move there.

Also, Dutch people are amazing. They are so sweet and were never rude when we asked for directions or got confused or needed to be directed to the nearest "shnack bar" for some potato oorlag.

Favorite moments: Van Gogh Museum, tagging along on a walking tour led by an Australian local, sitting in Vondel Park whilst listening to Lauryn Hill, Indonesian food... there are so many more, I'm just too sleepy and stuffy to think of them.

One of my favorite songs kept running through my head while I was there... probably because it's about Amsterdam and Anne Frank.



Some of the lyrics are:

What a curious life
We have found here tonight
There is music that sounds from the street
There are lights in the clouds
Anna's ghost all around
Hear her voice as it's rolling and ringing through me
Soft and sweet
How the notes all bend and reach above the trees

Just some random thoughts...

Why can't I do an English accent? I've been here for more than six months, all but two of my friends are English, during term time I'm with said English friends for hours a day... what the hell?? All of them can do American accents! Granted, they sound WAY too nasally, and it seems like they learn American accents by watching the Hills, or the OC, or Laguna Beach... not everyone in the States speaks like a Valley girl, thank you very much. But they're still better than I am. Is it just because American movies and TV pervade popular culture here, so they hear the accent all the time? Do we really sound THAT nasally?

And sometimes, when my friends want a laugh, they ask me to do an English accent... and I end up sounding like an idiot and possibly insulting them. All I can do is the "Chah-lay" from the Charlie Bit Me youtube video. I actually do that really well.

I'm just really upset by this whole thing, though.

You know how a lot of times in movies the villains or antagonists are played by English actors? Yeah I didn't notice that either.  Kind of pisses some English people off, actually. The theory is that Hollywood likes sophisticated villains, and what spells sophistication better than English accents? Ready for a list? Here we go...
- Die Hard
- Mission Impossible 2
- Matilda
- Mrs. Doubtfire 
- Rush Hour
- The Rocky Horror Picture Show
- North by Northwest
- Jumanji
There are many more, I just can't think of them. In TV shows, too. In Friends, Ross' horrible wife who makes him stay away from Rachel is English (ooooh my flatmates hate that).

So why can't I do the accent yet? I've picked up the intonation (as Bethy will tell you), and some words and phrases, but I can't get the BLOODY ACCENT.

Teehee.