So, on to January. With Kim out of the flat, and Sarah having stayed in her room for her holiday visit, the big room with the nice view was finally open, and I moved into it. Wow, what a difference. I was in the tiny room, and it was fine, but once I moved into the new room, everything opened up, literally and metaphorically. I have a big bed, two dressers, a desk, a view of Canary Wharf, and just, well, space! It's really nice.
One really great day in early January was a day spent in Camden Town. I love Camden, and I just roamed around by myself taking in all the people and spectacle of the area. Then, I shopped (a little too much). Camden Town is famous for its street markets, but I had often brushed off a majority of it because it's more suited for punks/goths/questionable types. Well, I quickly amended that view upon the discovery of quite a few vintage areas. It was Heaven for me; so many great choices of lower priced items. I got jeans, sweaters, flannels, suspenders, etc. Oh man, I got myself into trouble that day, but the sweetest sort of trouble you can get into.
Later that night, it was Arancha's birthday. She is such a sweet co-worker of mine. I traveled to her flat, and she had made lots of traditional Spanish dishes. Lovely food and company. Cumpleanos Feliz, Arancha! (Happy Birthday, Arancha-for the Spanish-impaired.)
People from Selfridges (Arancha a la izquierda...on the left)That night, I also make a new friend: Mikey. He and I have many similar interests. We quickly bonded over our wearing of the same shirt and our obvious love for the band. After the show, we walked the Camden streets, discussing the show, our views on life, religion, art, etc. It was quite nice to meet someone new and have an incredible converstaion. I haven't had that too much in London. Usually, it's just little ole' me.
That Friday, I went to a comedy club with Alex (another friend) and his friends. I had gotten dressed up for work: suspenders, bow tie, skinny jeans, and bright yellow, multicolored high-top Nikes. Needless to say, I stood out. Alex was worried about sitting in the first row for fear of being picked on. I said not to worry because I would clearly be the obvious victim, so he would be free of comedic criticism. So, we sat in the second row. The first act came out, and he immediately called out the second row for being scared of heckling. And then, as if I had a flashing light above my head, the comedian latched on to me and commented on my wardrobe. However, he never really made fun of me. Although I caused many laughs, they were not at my expense. I actually felt complimented and proud of myself. It was a great night.
The next day, after roaming London (Bank to Covent Garden to Dover Street Market to Selfridges) with Matt, I parted ways, and by pure random chance, I passed Mikey (from above) on the street. Such an odd coincidence, a true 11:11 moment. He was a girl friend, and we went to Starbucks, had more great conversation, played guitar, and came up with ideas for his band (him and the girl).
The day after that, I finally made it to the Imperial War Museum to see the Ian Fleming exhibit. It was really interesting to find out about the man behind James Bond. The show also included lots of props and costumes from the films. My dad would have loved it, but a book will have to suffice for him. Sorry, Dad! On a side note, that night I finally finished all 700+, small-fonted pages of James Joyce's Ulysses. It was a really challenging novel and somewhat boring at times, but I'm glad I have read it. Lots of inventive style, lots of surprising humor, and quite shocking with its frank, sexual language (and I don't get shocked very easily).
A week later, I saw La Clique, a more adult-oriented circus show. It was amazing! There was cabaret, strip tease, incredible acrobatics, juggling, gross-out feats of double jointedness. It's really impossible to describe. Just a wonderful night of entertainment.
The next day, I saw an equally varied theatrical performance. It was a sampling of several shows, performed at Sadler's Wells. There was ballet, modern dance, flamenco, hip-hop, you name it. I'm really intrigued by modern dance at the moment, and this was great way to see lots of different styles in one night.
Before that show, I spent the day in South Kensington, wandering through three museums: the Natural History, V & A, and Science Museum. My favorite was the Natural History museum. I saw an incredible photography exhibition (wildlife photographer of the year). The photos were breathtaking. Other highlights included a giant whale replica, an escalator that took me through the sun, a rock from Mars, lots of diamonds, and a great timeline that covered the start of the entire world (It all began 15,000 million years ago! Sorry, literalists.) The V & A was nice. However, it was a little overwhelming, and I didn't know where to start. The Science Museum might have been great, but I was pretty tired by that point, so I just casually breezed through, more focused on my growing hunger instead of scientific discoveries.
Just this past Thursday, I went to the theatre again. I saw the musical of the classic film, "Sunset Boulevard." It was very interesting/enjoyable. All of the actors played their own instruments. Rather than a large pit orchestra, everything took place in front of the audience, on the stage. It worked really well. That, and the acting/singing was incredible. I really enjoyed the show.
And now, I am at my flat. It's Saturday night, and I am no longer an employee of Offsrping. Today was my last day. It's very bittersweet. I'll miss all of my co-workers and the job, itself. Working at Selfridges was a great experience. I'm so glad the job worked (unlike my last two!). Next Saturday, we're all going to go out for drinks and have an official farewell.
So, now I have a little less than two weeks left in London. Wow, it hit me today that I have such a small amount of time left before I go back home. I'm very excited to get back to family and friend and the States in general. However, I'm going to miss London, and it might be hard to adjust at first. That's all right though because the end of this experience will lead to the beginning of another adventure. I'm not positive of what that will be just yet, but it will most likely take place in Chicago.
I have a lot planned for my final days abroad. In fact, I have booked theatre tickets for Monday-Saturday. I figure I might as well see as much as I can while I'm here, and don't worry, all of the tickets were fairly inexpensive. What am I going to see? Some highlights: Three Days of Rain, starring James Mcavoy (jealous?), Traces (another circus spectacle), a Mixed Program at the Royal Opera House, and the musical of Spring Awakening (so excited for that last one), among a few others. It should be a wonderful week of theatre, and I can't wait!
Besides theatre, I am going to see the last museums I need to see, take in a few sights I haven't seen, re-visit some favorite parks, and probably shop one last time. And then, early on Friday morning, Friday the 13th in fact, I will make my way to Heathrow, and head home. It's quite an exciting time!
(I'll add pictures/videos sometime soon...hopefully.)
