A Belated Update

First of all, I'd like to apologize for the lack of blog posts lately. I realized that my phone will not let me log into my blog account so I cannot update from my phone while I'm out, which lately has been about 95% of the time. I've also found myself just falling asleep as soon as I get home. I come back fully intending to write a blog post and journal and instead I just pass out as soon as I sit on my bed. We've been averaging about 13 miles a day, every day plus whatever other extra stressful things we'er doing (like getting stuck in a stairwell at 11pm). So I'm sorry for that, I'm going to try and really make time for blog posts from now on.

Second, I'd like to just write a small update so you're not left with nothing.

So the theatre. We've seen lots and lots of theatre! Don Juan in Soho (starring David Tennant), Twelfth Night, Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour, The Goat or Who is Sylvia? (starring Damian Lewis), Angels in America part 1 and 2 (starring Nathan Lane and Andrew Garfield), Salome, and Julius Caesar. That's 8 plays in just 12 days! We still have to see HIR, Anatomy of a Suicide, The Play that Goes Wrong and whatever else we decide to rush tickets for.

I have to say, everything we've seen has been good but there are definitely some things that were better than others. I really loved Angels in America, Don Juan, and The Goat (it actually became one of my favorite shows and I knew nothing about it previously) but unfortunately Twelfth Night and Julius Caesar weren't my favorites. But that's a story for a whole other time. Maybe I'll start writing my own reviews on the shows we've seen.

As for the city, it is absolutely amazing. You don't realize just how big it is until you're here. I can pretty much walk to most places but there are some that are far enough that I'd rather take the bus or the tube. Most of the time if I'm traveling by tube or bus I do it with a group but there have been a few times now (during the day) that I've had to take either by my self and figure out how the routes work. I actually have found that I prefer riding in a bus than the tube. And yes, I have ridden on the top of the double deckers. It's kind of bizarre and a good way to get hurt if you're standing on the stairs waiting to get off. But you also get a really beautiful view of the city, especially if you sit in the front.

This is Shakespeare's grave but it isn't my picture because my phone decided
to delete the one I took. Cool.

We went to Stratford-upon-Avon this week to see the birthplace of Shakespeare, his grave, and other places that were relevant to his life. It's a really beautiful place and I'd love to spend more time there. It almost seems like the ideal, utopia, city. It's quite and just overall a very lovely place. The architecture is beautiful as the town is filled with Tudor style houses.

I'm having an amazing time here, I cannot believe that the London portion is over halfway done! I promise I'll be getting more photos and updates posted in the near future. Thank you for all keeping up with my travels and checking in on me! You're all awesome!

Xoxo,

Jackey

The Stairwell Fiasco

So if you have me as a friend on Facebook, you may have seen my post from a few days ago about getting stuck in the stairwell of the building where I'm living. I've had quite a few people ask about the whole story so I thought I'd share it here.

So to start it off, I had a fantastic day beforehand and was really tired by the time I returned back home. I intended on doing my laundry and getting dinner but I ended up falling asleep instead. When I woke up it was dark outside, probably around 11 o'clock. I was hungry and exhausted but I didn't want to walk to Tesco, the grocery store that's right down the street without someone to go with me. It just so happened that no one else was home yet so I decided instead to just get a sandwich from the vending machine.

When I got down to the machine, there were only three sandwiches left. My options were Egg or Ham. Well I'm allergic to egg so that's a no. I also don't eat pork products but I was hungry enough that had there not been a Chicken one behind it I would have eaten it. I decided to just buy the ham and the chicken sandwich, eat the chicken for dinner and if I was still super hungry, I'd eat the ham one later. I paid and got my sandwiches and started to walk back up the stairs.

All of a sudden, the guy mopping starts yelling "No no no! Lift lift lift!" and before I knew what was happening he unlocked the elevator and rushed me into it. I pushed the button for the first floor as I assumed it would take me up to the level I lived on. Instead, it took me to a part of the building that I am completely unfamiliar with. I walked to the end of the stairwell where there was a staircase to make my way back down to the lobby area where I knew I could get back to my room. When I got all the way down, I realized that the only door was an emergency fire exit. I assumed I was in the wrong stairwell so I walked back up to the floor I had been on to look for another set of stairs. However, when I pulled on the door, I discovered it was locked. I ran up to the next level and that was locked too. I ran up and down the stairs pulling on every door and every single one was locked. I started to have a panic attack, I felt like the walls of the dimly lit stairwell were closing in on me. In my panic I rushed to the bottom floor and pushed my way through the emergency exit setting the alarms off behind me. As soon as I reached the entrance to get back into the building, the housing manager met me to ask what happened and why I exited through the fire door. Suddenly my panic attack reached its peak. I started to bawl. There I am crying, trying to explain myself through my tears, fire alarm blaring behind me as I awkwardly hold two vending machine sandwiches, all the while a crowd is forming (mostly of my classmates who had just returned for the night, wanting to make sure I was ok) wondering what in the world was going on. The housing manager understood completely and I returned to my room where I cried in the bathroom for a half an hour and then called my mom.

It was a rough night, but I can laugh about it now as I think it's quite funny. I'm no longer embarrassed or afraid, and I thoroughly enjoyed my vending machine sandwich.

Xoxo,

Jackey

Sunrise, Sunset, and Hampton Court

The view from my seat. On the left, sunset leaving the US and on the right, Sunrise entering the UK

BEFORE YOU READ THIS, CLICK ON TITLE SO ALL IMAGES ARE VISIBLE!!!!

I have officially arrived in London! With the attacks that have been going on I want to let everyone know that I am just fine, everyone on the trip is all good, and we're looking forward to a fantastic 3 weeks! That being said, we will still continue to remain highly aware of our surroundings.

But I'm here, and I'm going to be honest with you, my flight was not great. I was on an 8 hour flight from Chicago to London and I didn't sleep a wink. Leaving at 6:20pm meant that, with the time difference, I'd be arriving at about 8am in London but it would feel like 2am to me. Now, I've never been sick on an airplane before so I was quite surprised when we took off and I felt like I was spinning. I didn't bring any Dramamine with me but I figured it would just go away once we took off and started flying a bit. Nope. The cabin looked and felt like it was spinning for a full 8 hours. I tried to sleep but it just wasn't working out and the dizzy feeling was starting to make me nauseous. I decided to just close my eyes and rest as much as I could until I could get off of the plane. After doing our activities for the day I finally hit the wall. I almost fell asleep at lunch and ended up sleeping on the bus between the restaurant and our housing.

Yes, I took this photo and I'm very proud of i

Even though I was absolutely exhausted, it didn't prevent me from being able to wander around Hampton Court Palace. The beautiful palace owned by King Henry VIII was almost like a maze (it actually had a hedge maze but we got lost enough inside the palace itself). The whole thing is surrounded by beautiful gardens and ponds with ducks, fish, and swans. Inside, it's almost as if the whole thing were a tiny, private village. The king even had his own resident chocolate maker who had a chocolate shop and kitchen basically right outside the king's bedroom. The walls are lined with extravagant tapestries, paintings, sculptures, and magnificent frescos on the ceiling of each grand staircase. We learned that the grand hall in Hampton Court is one of only two remaining places left that Shakespeare performed his own work. We got the opportunity to walk through that room and stand where he did. It was really quite a cool experience. One of the things that I found absolutely fascinating was the fact that there was so much detail put into things that would most likely go unnoticed. Things like engraved door locks, busts high up in the walls of the courtyards and monograms engraved on the corners of the outside of the building overlooking the gardens. It was  quite a spectacular place to visit, I only wish we had more time there as we didn't get to really see everything the palace had to offer.

A view from a peephole cut into a hedge

So even though I'm so completely exhausted, it was still a fantastic way to start out my time in Europe. Cheers to the first day in London!

Xoxo,

Jackey

Hartford Players Don Freidemann Memorial Scholarship

I'd like to say thank you to the Hartford Players who awarded me one of the $1500 Don Freidemann Memorial Scholarships. Half of this scholarship will be applied to my summer study abroad tuition and the other half will be put toward my first semester of the 2017/18 year. Your considerate contribution toward my education is greatly appreciated. You're helping me to achieve my dreams and to gain more experience in my field before I graduate.

Wisconsin State Study Abroad Initiative Grant

I was recently notified that I have been awarded an SSAI Grant for the amount of $888.57 to be put toward my Theatre in London trip! SSAI Grants come from a special initiative of  the Wisconsin State Legislature and are designed to expand the international experience of Wisconsin students through study abroad. Eligibility for this grant is based on in-state residency, academic standing, and financial need. I am very thankful for all of the awards and donations I have received in the last 3 months and am excited to begin my journey abroad!

Xoxo,

Jackey

Isabelle Stelmahoske Theatre in London Scholarship

Thank you so much to the representatives of the Isabelle Stelmahoske Theatre in London Scholarship for awarding me with a $500 scholarship to be put toward my tuition for the Theatre in London trip. This really helps to relieve some of the financial burden that accompanies studying abroad. I am so grateful for your contribution toward my education!


Xoxo,

Jackey

Welcome to Postcards from Prague

Hello All!

Welcome to my blog, Postcards from Prague! This is where I will be posting updates about my study abroad trip to London and Prague. Once I've arrived in Europe, I'll will be posting at least two times a week with pictures and stories from my travels. Until then I'll post updates as they come!

So first of all, a little bit about me:

I'm Jackey, I am a 2012 graduate of Hartford Union High School and am now a BFA Musical Theatre major at the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point. I am currently a junior in my program but, as a transfer student, this is my fifth year of college.

This summer I will be studying abroad in London, England as a part of the Theatre in London study abroad trip through UWSP. The Theatre in London trip focuses on "expanding your knowledge of drama and theatre from Shakespeare to contemporary writers by reading and viewing plays, engaging in post-show talk backs, and immersing yourself in the culture of London...". While there, I will attend lectures and 7-9 professional productions. We also get to tour Stratford-upon-Avon, where Shakespeare was born and theaters such as the Globe and the Royal National Theatre. I will be spending the the majority of the month of June here.

In March, I was also accepted to study with the Prague Shakespeare Company for their summer Shakespeare intensive in the Czech Republic. While in Prague we will be studying detailed voice, text and speech work, hand to hand and armed stage combat, puppetry, mask, clowning, Baroque dance, and more. The faculty consists of professional master teachers from around the world including graduates from Julliard and professionals from the Royal Shakespeare Company.

I am currently raising funds to pay for the tuition, if you are interested in donating you can find my GoFundMe at www.gofundme.com/prague-shakespeare-intensive-fund where there is also more detailed information about how my time in Prague will be spent and other current updates.

Feel free to comment and browse around the blog, I know there isn't much up right now but I'm hoping to have everything fully functioning soon!

Xoxo,

Jackey