Giants Causeway Collage

After sitting here in the library for more than an hour trying to write about my travels through Ireland and the UK, I have come to the conclusion that no matter what I create, it simply won’t encompass the joy I had while backpacking alone through Dublin, Galway, Belfast, Edinburgh, Newcastle, and London. I’m trying to write a story with a beginning middle and end that embodies everything I did, but I continue to churn out the same old monotonous crap that becomes tedious to write and uneventful to read. With that being said, in short, the major attractions I visited in chronological order were: The Guinness Factory, Phoenix Park, Aran Islands, Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge, Giant’s Causeway, Black Taxi Tour, Holyrood Park, Angel of The North, London Tower, Churchill’s War Room, The British Museum, The London Eye, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Shakespeare city walk, and The Harry Potter Studio. Out of everything I cited above, if I had to pick my top three it would be the Black Taxi Tour in Belfast, Churchill War Room, and The London Tower.  I will refrain from going into any detail about these places because specific information is available online. I will say though that I highly recommend googling the Protestant and Catholic conflict in Northern Ireland if you don’t know about because Belfast was one of my favorite cities. I will briefly discuss this later as one of the plays I saw was based off this war.

Belfast Wall

Lets get to the good stuff. One of the Perks about traveling on your own is that you don’t have to please anyone, but yourself. The only quarrels you have are internally. There is no need to compromise and in the end you’re holding the reins and making the decisions. It’s a liberating feeling, especially when you’re abroad and somewhat out of your comfort zone. Don’t get me wrong, I loved every moment traveling with a group of friends, but they’re your security and you always can rely on them. It’s a doubled edged sword and fortunately, I was able to experience both. I met so many different people while on my own because I was forced to talk to whomever was in my hostel, the bar, etc. That was the best part about traveling solo. In the rest of this post, I will talk about the plays I saw and my audition for the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University.

Abbey Theatre in Dublin: Drum Belly, By Richard Dormer

The Abbey Theatre is Irelands national theatre. It first opened its doors in 1904 and was founded by W.B Yeats and Lady Augusta Gregory. The Playwright Richard Dormer trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. This was perhaps my second favorite play. At first it was strange watching a play in Ireland about the gangsters in New York, but quickly became captured by entire production. The soundtrack was phenomenal featuring The Stooges, which brought you back to the time when man first landed on the moon in 1969. I have posted a link to the soundtrack and a review below.

Drum Belly Soundtrack   Drum Belly Review

Lyric Theatre In Belfast: Love, Billy, by Graham Reid

The strife between Catholics Nationalists and Protestants Unionist dates to the late 1960s to 1998, but sporadic violence still exists. To simply put it, Unionists and Loyalists generally want Northern Ireland to remain within the United Kingdom while Irish Nationalists and Republicans want a United Ireland free of UK rule. During the Black Taxi tour a Catholic man who lived through the war drove us around to various sites and gave his opinion on the matter. Of course he was biased and it was hard not to agree with him after hearing his personal stories and especially knowing history of past British colonization. The story is about a man who disappears from Belfast and returns home to his family after 25 years without any communication.

Love, Billy Review

Newcastle University Theatre Society

This was by far one the cooler performances I went to because the plays were written by students, preformed by students, and directed by students. They were preformed in a cozy black box theatre with very few props, basic lighting and sound. I was really impressed and I left the theatre feeling motivated.

NUTS Theatre

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London: The Tempest, by William Shakespeare

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre

The First Globe was built in 1599 and burnt down in 1613. A Year after a second Globe was constructed, but was torn down in 1942. Recently, A modern reconstruction of the Globe, named “Shakespeare’s Globe ”, opened in 1997.  This was by far the best play I saw in Europe. It was one of those special shows where you just knew that it was a bomb performance by observing the satisfaction on each actor’s face during the applause. They had so much fun and kept the audience engaged by interacting with them during the show. I was in the pit, about three rows back, and you couldn’t have asked for better weather. I have heard and seen movies featuring The Globe, but it was surreal being there. I felt as if I was back in the 1600s watching a show.

The Tempest Review 

Trafalgar Studios in London: The Hothouse, by Harold Pinter

When I saw a Pinter production was being shown in London, I immediately told myself I had to go.  His plays call for British accents and what better place to hear genuine accents then London. Harry Melling, who plays Harry Potter’s spoiled bully cousin Dudley Durstley, was in the Cast, which was good for a laugh, and he was quite good. The hothouse is a dark exploration of Kafkaesque incarceration and torture during a 1982 interview. The play is set in some mysteriously undefined institution referred to as a sanatorium and the patients are all administered numbers by which they are called by.

The Hothouse Review

St. Martin’s Theatre: The Mousetrap, by Agatha Christie

The Mousetrap was first presented on the November 25^th 1952 at the Ambassadors Theatre and later moved to St. Martin’s Theatre in 1974. It is the longest running play running for more than 60 years. This is another play that you know about and therefore I had to see it. I’m officially apart of the Mousetrap initiative and am not allowed to reveal the mousetrap secret.

Mousetrap Review  

Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University

Last Monday, I had an audition with the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University in NYC. The three-year MFA program combines student directors, playwrights, and actors and teaches them the Stanislavski System and The Method.  There are two main reasons I applied for this school; one, being that they’re the best at what they do, which is teaching the Stanislavski Method and secondly, directors, playwrights, and actors are able to work together. It would be a fantastic opportunity, but if I don’t get in then I move on to Plan B and keep working.  As for the audition, I thought it went well given the circumstances. My scene partner and I had two hours to rehearse and I was a bit rusty after being abroad for five months. I was so amped up during the monologue that I forgot to slow down and I missed the moments where I could have paused and taken my time. I can’t beat myself up over it because at the end of the day I learned something and I know my faith will guide me in the right direction.  I hear back next week and the odds aren’t in my favor, but I commemorate myself for going for something I want. It’s funny how life works, two years ago I was foolishly considering dropping out of school, and now I have done a complete 180 and I’m applying for my masters.

I go back to Blacksburg this summer to finish my marketing degree and to work on my video that documents our travels in Kenya. My last summer in Blacksburg… hard to believe, but I’m smirking now because this is just the beginning.

A Few Goals for the Summer:

• Improve my golf game
• Get into the bowling 250 club. My high is a 246.
• Do a sunrise hike
• Officially graduate
• Improve editing skills in Final Cut Pro
• Work on a new monologue
• Blog once a week
• Work on leg strength: Improve dead-lift and squat (form+weight)

This is a short interview that briefly explains how the students at Bambakofi Academy taught me what true happiness really is. I’m forever thankful and whenever I’m down I can think of the people I met and that image will always bring a smile to my face.

This is without a doubt the most extreme thing I’ve ever done. Will have more videos up later this week from my travels to Kenya.

Thank you Mom and Dad.

Doing the Goldeneye jump today.

Reblogged from Africa - News and Analysis:

Reblogged from Africa - News and Analysis:

Outside Sangrada

La Sagrada Roof
“Photo Credit Wikipedia”

Day 1: We checked into St. Christophers Hostel around noon and the AC Milan vs. Barcelona game was that day so the guys and I went to the Nike Store. They all bought official Barcelona jerseys with Messi on the back. I’ll admit it, they were dope, but I wasn’t going to the game so I bought a Barcelona hat instead. That night, we went to a local bar to watch the game. There was a group of 15 of us and we ended up getting front row seats on picnic like benches in front of the big screen projector. It was perfect and Barca ended up winning 4-0, which made for an unreal atmosphere. Fans were drinking, singing, chanting, and embracing each other’s company.

Day 2: It was pouring down rain the entire day. I made the most out of it and went to the Picasso Museum and then took the subway to La Sagrada Familia. I loved the Picasso Museum and remember feeling very inspired after seeing his work. It just goes to show what humans are capable of if they work hard and dedicate their whole life to something. La Sagrada has been my favorite cathedral so far. Poney up the Euro and go inside, it’s magnificent and unlike any cathedral I have been to in Europe. Antoni Gaudi outdid himself and his influence is seen throughout all of Barcelona. I didn’t get to see his other works in the city, which I regret, but If you like the weird different “Gaudi” style, visit his other famous sites such as, Park Guell and La Pedrera.

Sangrada Familia Altar

Day 3: I walked around by myself this day. I wanted to rent a moped, but when I arrived at the rental place it was closed. I was annoyed because it took me an hour to find the place, but was content with just walking around. I sat in a plaza for a couple hours right by the water and had pizza and beer. I walked along the water for a while and then went on the Transbordador gondola ride. It was a convenient way to get from the beach to Montjuïc and provided unreal views. I would consider this a tourist trap because I thought it was overpriced and you can get a similarish view from the top of La Sagrada.

In short,  that was my Barcelona trip. One of my top three cities I have been to so far. If you study abroad Barcelona is a must go destination.

Reblogged from Africa - News and Analysis:

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AL JAZEERA

In the slums of Kenya, "changaa" is a popular alcoholic drink, and brewing the grog is a source of livelihood for many.

Changaa, which literally means "kill me quickly", has a high alcohol content. But it's often adulterated with other more poisonous compounds, including jet fuel and embalming fluid, to speed up the fermentation process.

In 2010, an estimated 100 people…

Read more… 345 more words

My friend Kramer and I spent the first three days of our ten-day break in Seville. We flew out Friday morning, which required us to leave Thursday night for the Milan Airport because the Italian trains stop running at 1:00AM.  Although it was a bit of an inconvenience waiting in the airport, it was our only option since the cheaper flights are usually early in the morning.

We touched down just after nine and made it to our hostel, “The Living Roof”  about an hour later. They had a very friendly staff and it’s in a great location. The rooms were meager in size, but the shower was elegant and our room was situated on top of the roof. Technically, I guess you could say we had a penthouse suite.  Overall, a good price for the amenities and I would recommend it, but I’m sure there are other fine accommodations in Seville.

Metropal Parasol Collage

My favorite day in Seville was on Saturday. I went on a “free” walking tour and my tour guide was awesome, his name was Rafael and he did a great job not only showing us the city, but keeping us entertained while still teaching the history of Seville.  We first learned about the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See, better known as Seville Cathedra. It’s the largest gothic church in the world and the fourth largest cathedral in the world. As a student, it only costs three Euro to enter and the views inside as well from the top of the Giralda Tower is absolutely worth it. There are only 17 steps to get to the top of the tower because it consists of a series of 35 gently inclined ramps. The sultan ordered to build theses ramps instead of steps so the muezzin could ride a horse to the top in order to recite prayer five times a day. Other sites that I saw during my stay were the Torre del Oro, Metropal Parasol, Plaza de toros de la Real Maestranza de Caballería, Alcazar de Sevilla, and the Plaza de Espana.  Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace and II: Attack of the Clones were both filmed at the Plaza de Espana and I walked over the bridge R2D2 wheeled over in the video below!

Plaza de Espana
“Photo Credit Wikipedia”

After three hours of walking around the city, Rafael, others, and myself went to a local tapas restaurant called Ochos Huevos. I had a grande beer, vegetables, and a Spanish style omelet.  The food was cheap and filling. By that time, it was almost six and I had a ticket to the local flamenco show. Upon arrival, I ordered a glass of sangria and enjoyed a night of dance and music. Later that evening, I met back up with friends that I had met earlier from the bar crawl, which Rafael was sponsoring.  It was a blast. I have never spoken that much Spanish in my entire life. The entire bar was littered with students from Mexico and Puerto Rico and I knew then that it was my destiny to speak as much Spanish as I could remember from my studies. I surprised myself on how much I recalled. I felt as if I had been transported back to my high school Spanish desk with Senor Valez and the verbs and nouns that I once knew magically surfaced from the prefrontal cortex of my brain.  This one beautiful girl named Ana spoke to me in Spanish for most of the night. She was from Mexico and spoke excellent English; she was basically my personal tutor for the night. Really cool girl and I was lucky enough to share a kiss with her. I wish her all the best wherever she is.

On Monday, Kramer and I went to Ronda, which is a small city outside of Seville. The sights were absolutely stunning, seriously, drop dead gorgeous and defiantly worth a day trip if you’re staying in Granada or Seville and its only about a two-hour train ride. The pictures below only justify why I want to hike the Camino de Santiago once my abroad program ends.

Panoramic of Ronda Spain

Ronda Spain Collage

Check back tomorrow to read about my time in Barcelona and Florence.