Goodbye Milwaukee, Hello Vegas, Goodbye Vegas, Hello Virginia!

So, i think the title captures my life for the last couple of weeks - it has been a whirlwind!!! It has been a time full of highs and lows, and a definite rollercoaster ride but i survived it and am now here in a rather humid and thunderstormy Virginia! I have got to say, i NEVER pictured myself being here when i first set off for America last August, but this really does feel like the right place to be and the right thing to do. Beginnings are always daunting, and endings are always horrible, but America is where i should be right now, and, as always, i am loving almost every minute of it!

Mine and Janine's last photo before i left for the airport

So, as predicted, leaving Milwaukee was TOUGH but unlike most people, i do feel like i got some sort of closure on that section of my life. The last week in Milwaukee was a crazy whirlwind of attempting to pack all my stuff into one suitcase, getting my hair cut, and trying to absorb as much of Milwaukee and see as many people as physically possible! I spent time hanging out at peoples houses (or people hanging out at the dorms - poor them!), getting ice cream from Cold Stones (one of my favourite places!) and going out and having fun in the evenings. Then, i had an awesome 'leaving' night out on Friday night with (almost) all of my most favourite people - we went to Alterra, and then to The Black Rose and then downtown. It was a slightly drunken night but very much fun - it made me wish so hard that i had more time to hang out with these people, but leaving was inevitable. I don't want to relive the goodbyes - they were constant and sometimes very emotional, and it got to the point where i just didn't want to say any more, as everyone knows that your friendship afterwards will never be the same again. But, its over now, and as much as saying goodbye hurts, I am still glad that i spent that time with the people i did, and i will never forget the fun we all had! On Saturday night, whilst everyone else left, i spent the night at Janine's house - we went to Bayshore where i bought shorts, and ate mexican food, and met up with John and Emily and their 'crazy about British people' friend by the lake front which was so much fun. And then, in the morning, i left Milwaukee for good. I was sad on the plane, but it felt like closure. And i know that i will keep in touch with the people i want to keep in touch with, and that we will meet again one day. It all feels like some surreal dream that i stepped into and i am left thinking 'did that really happen???' but i am so glad that it did!

James, Jack, Jess and Myself at the Grand Canyon

So then it was time to go with Jess, James and Jack to VEGAS!!!!!!!! I was initially a little apprehensive about going, but i am SO glad i did - it was an amazing vacation, and just what i needed! We did some awesome things - a night out in bars and clubs on the Sunday, looking at all the amazing hotels (and the fountain show and the pirate show!) and going to see Cirque de Soleil on Monday, riding in a red convertable Mustang, going to the grand canyon and doing the sky walk, seeing the Hoover Dam, having dinner at a revolving restaurant 106 floors in the air looking over the lights of Vegas on Tuesday, even more Hotel viewing and watching the boys do the 'sky jump' on Wednesday - it was AWESOME - definitely the kind of vacation people dream about!! We had very little sleep but that made it even better - it has definitely been my favourite vacation in a VERY long time. Memories to treasure, lol :-) The only bad thing was i got conjunctivitus in one of my eyes, which made it watery and stingy and sore, but, after ignoring it for two days or so, it went almost away, which meant no expensive doctors treatment, yay (and it's all better now :-) )! It didn't impact on my experience too much! I was glad that leaving Vegas wasn't difficult though (although overnight flights are DEF not my thing!) - i am so done with difficult goodbyes for the minute!

So then it was onwards to Virginia, the next part of my American adventure, a part that i never thought would exist! I arrived at Roanoke airport after little to no sleep, and after a two hour drive, was thrown straight into the Stage Management side of things, which was wonderful! Here i am kind of sharing a room, kind of not (my area is the walk through area to a room off to the side, so although the sleeping area isn't the same, we still share a door!) - luckily, i am used to the lack of privacy after this year! Everything here has felt like a wierd dream - the weather is humid which is affecting my hair BIG TIME, and there are bugs and lots of thunder storms and just about everything i am scared of lives here, eeek! But it is very beautiful, and the landscape reminds me of the UK :-) And, as always, i love SM-ing (although i think i am missing doing charity work again... i will have to start up some good old volunteering when i return to the UK!). Not having a car is going to be interesting, as we are in the middle of nowhere, but hopefully i will find ways round things, i am pretty adaptable! As always, a new place is going to take a little bit of time to get used to, but i can tell that this is going to be a very comfortable summer and i am going to like it a lot here :-) I just can't wait to get properly into things!!

Anyway, that is all for now - i will update again soon!

Ciao ragazzi xxx

Close the the end of my Milwaukee experience

Hanna, Meghan and Me by the Giant Bubble in Chicago!

So, the end is now so near - i have a week left here, then i have to leave Milwaukee for good. I can't even lie and say that this is bittersweet because it is not - i am so sad to leave. It seems crazy to leave a place that i love so much, a place that makes me so happy, but it is something that has to happen. I still have a couple of months left in America, and i have that to be thankful for, and the fact that i was given this wonderful experience in the first place. I just don't know how to say goodbye.

Things are brilliant at the moment. Sweetest Swing closed on 2nd May, which was really sad due to the fabulous cast and crew team that made me feel so welcome. I got some wonderful gifts, including snoopy socks, 'cheese puffs and a box of wine,' and some lovely chocolates (along side the more than 60 dollars worth of opening night gifts... thank you so much!)! I ended up enjoying the whole backstage experience, and the routine of doing 20 shows of the same thing was pretty fantastic too - i can so see myself doing this professionally in the future, if i am good enough. It is more difficult to do in the UK, but maybe i'll live here permenantly at some point... who knows. But anyway, Sweetest Swing being over does mean, however, that i have got a lot more time back, which is wonderful! I am enjoying the social side of things, getting my assignments done at the last minute, because i know what is more important in life now!

I have been out drinking with people a couple of times since i last updated: on Jess's Birthday we had a fabulous day of eating chinese and then playing 'Pub Golf' on Water Street, which was rather drunken for everyone but a lot of fun, despite the fact i didn't follow the rules...! Then i went out also on Thursday, this time down North Avenue, popping into Lineve's birthday party - that night we went to a couple of nice places, then one crowded not-so-nice place - but i still survived, yay! Mainly, i have been spending lots of time hanging out with Jaclyn, Luke and Meghan, chilling at whoevers house, or getting Italian food, or going to the beach. It has been wonderful, and i am going to miss them so much when i have to go home. One evening a group of us had dinner together in the Gasthouse (me, Luke, Janine, John, Emily, Mark, Eric) and then a couple of us went to see Hayfever, which Jess was in, which was more than awesome, and made me laugh a lot! Despite it's problems, i like the theatre department here :-) I wish the theatre department at Kent and the theatre department here could join - then it would be perfect! Jess and I went to Noodles a few days ago for a impromptu off campus meal (where she discovered her ambition at the moment is to be a travel agent), and then yesterday michelle, her friend, and me and Jess went to Culver's and sat in our pyjama's there for three hours, which was pretty fabulous! The same day, the Brits (minus James, plus Michelle!) went to Cafe Hollander for dinner, where i had friday fish fry for the first time here! All in all, it has been a lot of fun, and i am going to have to find this side of things when i go home, otherwise i will be very sad.

Today has been another awesome day: Myself, Meghan and her roomate Hanna went to Chicago for the day. We drove down (road trip!) and then got the metra in the rest of the way. Chicago is a beautiful beautiful city and i love it! We went to Navy Pier, and Millenium Park, and for a long wander around the city and the theatre district, and we ate real Chicago deep base pizza which was delicious! It was a day full of lovely memories, one of the best i have spent since i have been here. I know i am repeating myself, but i am going to miss this so much. I will have to start doing more random roadtrips from Canterbury!

On a more academic note, classes have now finished!! I have one (practical - forum theatre yuck) final, and two more papers in (one of them a huge research document, the other a little research paper) and then my time at UWM is done!! My directing scene, in the end, went awesome, despite my actors getting nervous and skipping a whole bunch of linea (they covered it well!) - i got some brilliant feedback, everyone laughed, and i got full marks so i was very happy with that! I'd like to do some more directing in the future, i do really enjoy it - i have learnt a lot with directing this year, so maybe i can put it into practice next year :-) I am going to miss my directing class, they were awesome and we all got on so well! The rest of my classes ended without event really - Participatory doesn't end until Monday, but thats it. It feels like the end of an era. Myself and Jess have organised a beach picnic for our final friday, which is when everyone will say goodbye and have the last bout of fun and games! Until then i have a fun packed week, so its all going to be very exciting - i just can't believe it is over already :-(

So the plan afterwards is still to go to Vegas for a few days (ooo exciting! I can't wait to see it, and the grand canyon too!) and then to get an overnight flight to Virginia, where i will be Stage Managing 'Alice in Wonderland' for the next couple of months, near the blue ridge mountains, where the pace of life is hopefully quite slow! I won't know anyone there, so i think it will be a refreshing experience! During that, hopefully i will have time to pop to Washington D.C for a couple of days. Then, straight after, i am going to try and spend a couple of days in New York, even if i am on my own, because i will be gutted if i don't see it. Maybe i will find someone to come with me? Then Spain for a week, and then it is all over, and back to the monotony of working and yucky stuff like that. It will be okay, i will make it be okay, and it's not like i have nothing to look forward to, but i think I may have a tough time adjusting initially.

To end this (possibly) last Milwaukee entry, i wanted to list my favourite memories from this year - the ones that i want to keep with me for the rest of my life:

- The run of 'What I did Last Summer' with Colin and Meredith, play scripts, gossiping, starburst bracelets and our collection of Ogs!

- The moment when i got the last cue right in Paradise, standing my ground, and all the cast celebration and eating out that went on.

- Blackout Saturday before we all went home for Christmas, with the gift of the best hat in the world.

- Eating Beaver Tails in Ottawa, and going on busses and seeing Alison, and the houses of Parliament, and home cooked food, and walking the dog, and all the museums, and eating pick and mix and feeling totally happy.

- The moment when our Storytelling group cracked our devised 'lost' performance

- Coffee/hot chocolate/cooking dates with Meghan.

- Laughing with Katie in our room, especially about 'the letter' but mainly about her crazy stories!

- When Sally (actor) got the arms going in different directions thing and she was so, so excited, and i was so happy i had finally taught someone something :-)

- Seeing my actors perform my scene in front of an audience who laughed and laughed.

- The dressing room banter, white pyjamas and moving numerous white blocks lots of times!

- Singing 'I don't wanna miss a thing' at the top of our lungs whilst driving home from an epic day in Chicago - to start our journey and end our journey. It was our song, and totally right for the day. Amazing.

- Seeing the snow for the first time.

- The GLACURH conference, complete with chants and programs, and teeming with inspiration.

I am sure in the next week i will find more to add to this - these are just a few of the highlights. Ahhhh America, you have been everything i expected and wanted and even so much more than that. Next time i update i hope to be in Virginia, starting a new adventure. So until then-

Ciao ragazzi xxx