Day 160 Part 4: Worth It?

After telling people about my ridiculous adventures in London trying to see Coriolanus, the most common question is: 'Was it worth it?'

It's a fair question. £70. 27 hours on a bus. 21 hours in three queues, with half of those hours in the cold and rain. Less than ten hours of sleep in three days. All that to see one play.

When I went to queue for Richard II, I woke up at 5:00am and arrived at the Barbican just before 7. As I walked up to the theatre, more than a little tired, I remember thinking that I had reached my limit- waking up at 5:00 would be the most I'd do to see a play.

Yeah, right.

Now, after going far past what I ever thought I'd do to see a play, the question of 'is it worth it' is a little tricky. Richard II was definitely worth waking up at 5:00am, but could Coriolanus possibly be worth the time and money I invested in it?

Strictly speaking, I don't think it was 'worth it.' Had I known what it would take to see the show, I definitely wouldn't have done it. As much as I absolutely loved the performance, I don't think any three hours are worth what I 'paid' for Coriolanus.

But still... I'm glad I went. In the same way that I enjoyed walking through London in the dark and wet, I somehow liked standing in a queue at 2:30am. Somehow, the utter insanity and discomfort of the situation made it into a positive experience. It was just so unlike anything I'd done before, or hopefully will ever do again.

After all, that's why I went. When am I going to get the chance to see Tom Hiddleston live in Shakespeare again? When can I just take off and go to London for two days? When can I be part of the insanity that is West End theatre queues?

Maybe it wasn't worth it. Maybe I was more than a little crazy to go. But it was an experience, one I won't forget any time soon. So, am I glad I went? Absolutely.

P. S. I promise that this is the last time I'll post about Coriolanus. I also half-promise that I'll start posting about my Europe trip soon. I've decided I'll just edit a half dozen photos from each location, rather than waiting until I've sorted through all 2000 pics. So maybe I'll get them up only a month late?

Day 146: Back in the UK... and Queuing

(The proper British experience- a queue)

I'm currently sitting in the Barbican theatre in a queue of far too many people, waiting for tickets to David Tennant's Richard II. My friends Hannah and Molly are probably at the Domar Warehouse (a smaller theatre in the West End) queuing for tickets for Tom Hiddleston's Coriolanus. If all goes well, I should get to see both today, one matinee and one evening. At very least I'll get to see Richard II, since I'm currently person forty in the queue, and they have sixty day seats.

All this theatre madness means, of course, that I'm back in the UK. London, specifically. It's fantastic to be back here, to have all the signs in English, to hear the British accents, and to be in a semi-familiar city. I may not have spent much time in London, but I definitely know it better than Budapest!

The strangest thing, actually, has been the language. It's been almost as jolting as when I got home from my Quebec trip- I was so used to hearing another language all around me, to not being able to read signs, and to speaking slowly when asking for directions from a local. Getting back to all-English was an unexpected shock. 

It's also funny how London feels so homey. As soon as I got off the plane, almost literally as my toe hit the tarmack, I felt like I was back where I belonged. The little happy voice started chattering in my head, and I immediately began talking in a British accent. I picked up a bit of an accent over Christmas, lost it while travelling, but as soon as I got back to England, even before talking to a single British person, my accent was back. 

I'm in London until Monday afternoon, hanging out with Hannah and Molly at this really posh flat in Chelsea, a nice area in west London. It's been great to see my friends again and I love getting to visit London with some other people. Hannah is also into rather different things than I am, so we're going to a lot of different places than where I went last time. If this was my first time in London I'd be disappointed that we weren't going to the famous sights, like Big Ben and the London Eye, but since I've been here before it's nice to see new stuff. 

This queue is ridiculous. It's now 9:30, which means I've been here for over two and a half hours. There are likely about twice as many people behind me as ahead, meaning that there are about 120 people waiting for day seats... about twice as many as there are seats. I have no idea why people near the end are still here. I suppose it is the last day the play is showing, so they're probably just holding on to the vain hope that someone will return a ticket. Still, it's another hour until the box office opens, meaning they'll probably be waiting for nearly two hours still only to be disappointed.

(Later note: I got tickets to Richard II! Unfortunately, we didn't get Coriolanus tickets, but I probably would have picked David Tennant over Tom Hiddleston, if push really came to shove. As I post this, it's the interval between the two acts of Richard II, so I have seen David Tennant! So much excitement!)

Day 9: Priorities

There are at least two of these in St. Andrew's

As an exchange student, there’re an awful lot of things I’m trying to fit into one short year. If there’s one thing that Fresher’s Week, with all its insane busyness, has shown me, it’s that I’m really going to have to decide on what is important to me this year, because I certainly can’t do everything.

Firstly, I want to enjoy St. Andrew’s as a place. It’s an absolutely gorgeous little town, with beautiful beaches, cute shops, and so many picturesque walks. I definitely can’t neglect the sights right here.

Secondly, I have to take advantage of all St. Andrew’s has to offer as a university. There are at least five societies that I’d like to join, and I’m beginning to realize I simply won’t have time to be an active member of them all. The Christian Union (and affiliated CMAD- Christian Music and Drama) takes priority, but there are also the busy Mermaids, who put on numerous theatre shows a year, the Dance Society, Inklight (the writing society), the Gilbert and Sullivan society, and the Doctor Who society. Who knows… this year could even be the perfect year to take up something completely new, like fencing!

Frencing demo this afternoon. Might get to try it myself
on Monday!

Of course, I’d like to have a social life. I’ll probably spend time with most of my friends in society get-togethers, but I assume that as I get to know people better I’ll spend more time with them outside of organized events. The other Bobby Jones scholars, for instance, aren’t in any of the societies that I am, but I imagine that plenty of hangouts will occur.

Then, I want to travel. I want to see more of Scotland, more of the UK, more of Europe… Yes, St. Andrew’s is a wonderful place, but it’s also a stepping stone to so many other wonderful places. Travel may require a fair bit of both time and money, but I’d be stupid to not take advantage of this opportunity to see so many new cities and countries.

Random church-- old building are
EVERYWHERE around here.

Finally, I do actually need to study. I met another exchange student today who’s in the wonderful position of having her courses transfer as pass or fail, so her marks really don’t matter. Unfortunately for me, I’ll have to forward transcripts directly from St. Andrew’s for all my graduate applications, meaning that my marks here have to be good if I’d like a shot at a sizable scholarship for my MA and PhD.

Right now I feel energized and excited for all the possibilities, but soon it’s going to be time to prioritize and to cut down. I’d like to think that I can do everything, but in reality, that’s not an option. Sadly, I’m going to have to pick and choose.

I guess this is a good problem to have. Yes, it’ll be sad to give up certain societies I wanted to join, or places I wanted to go. But, in the end, I’ll be left with just the best of the best.

I’m ready for an unforgettable year.

Not sure if it's socially acceptable to just take photos of people's houses, but it was just so cute!

Little pathway that winds near my house

Flowers growing out of the stone wall

Artsy sunshine

More flowers!

The roofs of St. Andrew's