Summer

I know what I am doing this summer! No more voids  of confusion and existential crises about my future! Originally I was going to go to India for two and a half months, but that is too far away, for too long, for this summer. So instead, I will be working on the RealAD show.

At NYU, there is something called the Reality Show - a musical/theatrical/spoken word piece about life as a freshman at NYU.

That tradition has been translated to NYUAD, resulting in the RealAD show.

I auditioned to be a part of this, and was cast. That means over the summer I will be in New York City, writing and creating and collaborating on this show, to be presented to the student body of NYUAD once the school year starts.

The show was amazing this year. It hit all of the right points, and some songs make me tear up, even now. We will be creating a whole new show, and we have some pretty big shoes to fill. I want for our show to have the same potency, the same relevance.

In addition to working on this show, I will be a part-time intern with Theater Mitu. (If you haven't already Google-d them, get on that! They are awesome!)

And of course, I will be having lots of crazy adventures in New York. A lot of my friends are either in the show or in NY for other internships, and that will be great.

I will be home for a bit at the beginning and end of the summer. (visiting family, hiking, seeing the spring show, visiting my old school, going to the local SCA event that I haven't missed yet, and generally immersing myself in nature and the rural life for a few weeks)

I am so pumped for this summer! This is the motivation I needed to finish all of my final papers.

<3

Namskara

India.

It is a country that, for unknown reasons, resonates with my heartbeat.

I travelled there with my Making Theater class, to study Kalaripayattu and Mohiniattum.

Again, this is an experience better told in person and around campfires. But here are some impressions, centered around the night we witnessed a performance of the forms by masters Gurukkal, Chechi, and their students.

Planned power outage.
Then the thunder.
And the lightning.
Then the rain.
The sky's opening.
To the bus.
Then to the Kalari - entered as haven, a form of sacred.
Shrine lit by flames.
Candles and incense and oil.
The scent of flowers and rain and incense.
Waiting.
Entranced by the shrine.
Not thinking, but not not thinking.
More candles. An electric light.
A decision.
The thunder booms like drums.
More candles.
Kalaripayattu as it was meant to be witnessed.
The flickering of flames and feet pounding the earth.
A sword. A shield. Sparks.
Jumping and hitting and dust.
Sharp. Real risk. But trust.
Ages and skill and sweat and power.
The thunder complimenting.
More sparks.
Swords like whips.
Raising the dust and noise and sparks.
Shiva.
A shift, to dance.
Bells and a foot tapping.
Power of feet connecting with the earth and ground.
Flames.
The shrine ever-present.
A final exit.
Thanking Shiva and the masters and the energy and the space.
Earth.
Head.
Heart.
The storm as a compliment to the power.
The fresh smell of rain.
Cleansed.

<3

I've Been Here for a While

When I saw a news heading for something that happened in the "Gulf", my mind did not immediately jump to the Gulf of Mexico.

Instead I thought of where I am now. In one of the Gulf countries.

And that got me thinking how long I have been away from 'home' for. I am using 'home' in this sense to refer to Vermont, to the States.

This semester seemed to go by so quickly, but it has felt like so much longer away from home. More permanent.

Which, in a way, I guess it is. As freshman year is drawing to a close (how did that happen?) I am facing the reality that this is my life.

I am an adult(ish).

I'm in college, trying to find/forge my own path, with all of the uncertainties and changes that brings.

In 27 days I will be 'home'. I can't wait to hug my family, my friends, my dogs, to see trees and stars again.

I just wonder how much I have changed. Because I know I have, but I also know I can't see all those differences. I hope I still fit.

<3

Only at NYUAD #2

When it rains more than normal, (and by that I mean actual rain one day, and then showers over the next week), everyone is psyched.

Walking to class is awesome because it is raining! There is weather! It does exist!

But then there are suspicions that it is not nature-made rain.

And it still doesn't matter, at least to me. Rain is rain.

<3

"Where are you from?"

"Vermont"

"That explains the Birkenstocks"

Travel Guide

This applies to all things.

<3

Fear

I am not talking about scary fears (things such as evil clowns, heights, snakes).

I am talking about quieter fears.

The realization of how far away from home I am. How distant from there.

How much I have changed.

How those changes are going to be seen.

Letting people in. Trusting.

Becoming not just comfortable, but confident in myself.

These fears aren't physically manifested. That makes them worse. I can try to hide from them, avoid them, in spite of and because I know facing them is inevitable, and moreover, a good thing. To make art, to connect, the mask has to fall.

And that leap is a fearful one.

"We try to escape the truth about ourselves, whereas here we are invited to stop and take a closer look. We are afraid of being changed into pillars of salt if we turn around, like Lot's wife." Grotowski, on the role of the theater and actor/spectator relationship.

I am in the attempt of facing these fears.

<3

Things That Might Make Responsible People Cringe Vol. 3

I am an intended theater major.

<3

Singing Sand

aka Spring Break. 

The first part of break I spent in Sama, getting ahead on work, getting caught up on various TV shows, and hanging out with my friends who were still in the tower. I also had the best meal, (after an afternoon of Settlers of Catan), since getting to Abu Dhabi courtesy of some of the lovely inhabitants of 703 - Cleo, Sachi, and Mandy (and Jordan, the honorary roommate).  What was learned from the board games is that I can be kinda competitive.  Which apparently people didn’t really know.

Then I departed for the school trip around the Seven Emirates and Oman.

The first day we drove to Qasr al Sarab, which is a resort in the middle of the desert in Abu Dhabi about 15Km (~9Mi) away from Saudi Arabia. On the drive there, which involved going through the desert for quite a chunk of time, I kept thinking about spaces that humans are not meant to be- places that are so sacred and removed that the environment itself repels humans and our interfering ways.

Once there, we made the sand sing. I don’t know how, and I don’t want to know. Some things should stay a wonder.

Then we drove what was supposed to be a 5-hour drive. It was 7. I got just enough sleep to be awake when we got to the hotel. Later the same day, we got up for breakfast. And there was pork. Now, I don’t actually really like pork. But absence makes the heart grow fonder. Or hungrier.

Next we went to Oman and took a tour of the Wadi. The driver of our car was awesome, and we were blasting Rihanna, driving through the mountains.

Songs have memories with them. Up until this point, “All Star” was associated with Destination Imagination, our first competition, which consisted of a complicated mixture of baking soda and vinegar that we didn’t test beforehand and almost ended very badly. Now it has that, but also memories of dusty rocky roads, music, and friends.

That night Sachi (go VT!), Cleo, and I walked the beach. I love the ocean. And we didn’t go into the sketchy but interesting looking building site that was lit as though by embers.

Our hotel was really fancy. Too fancy for my sensibility.  But it was a last minute switch due to overbooking, and thought provoking.

The following day was the dhow cruise, except, unlike the last one I went on, this was the area that might be considered ‘dangerous’ – we were 50Km (~30Mi) from Iran. And we saw smuggling/pirate ships (that is what we were told, and it makes a better story, so I’m sticking to it). There were also dolphins who swam with our boat.

Later in the evening was perhaps the most remarkable part of the trip. We met with an Emirati youth group, who took us dune bashing (our car got stuck), cooked a traditional meal, and built a campfire. It was a rare glimpse into a life we usually don’t get to see.

But it was late. And I take that to be the reason my journaling about the trip dropped off after that point.

The final day was the Ajman Stud farm. I was homesick as soon as the smell of hay and horses hit my nose. The horses were beautiful.

After a meal, we made it back to Sama, to go to classes the next day.

Spring Break 2012

<3

Spring

Usually Abu Dhabi is a weatherless place. Though, I have to give it credit- there has been rain (what I might actually call rain) a couple times in the past few weeks. We will ignore the fact that some of it might have been man-made.

But spring, spring is a feeling. And I was shocked to find that feeling existed even in the UAE.

It is something in the air. An awakening. Energy.

You can just feel in your heart and breath that winter (in whatever form) is leaving, blending to summer.

<3

Only at NYUAD #1

The teams that were mentioned at our first pep rally:

Dragonboating
Football (i.e. soccer)
Cricket
Ping-Pong

Go Desert Falcons!

<3

16 Hour Days

Ah, Tuesday. Except for everyone reading this in a different country, my Tuesday feels like your Wednesday.

And every week it is at least 16 hours long.

Let's review, shall we? I am in the middle of this day right now.

7AM: Wake Up
8:15AM: Making Theater (Sama)

The thing is, class ends at 11:00AM. And it is in Sama. And it is a physical theater class, so my speed in order to get to the next meeting in Sama is pretty hectic. My brain and heart also do not like making the transition from Making Theater to Electra Street.

11:30AM: Electra Street Meeting (DTC)
3:00PM: Office Hours (not every week)
6:30PM: Dinner Meeting (not every week)
8:00PM: Rehearsal
9:00PM: Mandatory Movie for Class

The movie ends at 11, and is every Tuesday.

Which means I will be awake from 7-11 every Tuesday. 16 hours. At least.

Yay 16 hour days!

<3

Elton John in Abu Dhabi!

I have always had a love/hate relationship with Elton John.

Hate, because my mom loved him. When I was younger, parental approval of a band/TV show/book instantly made it less appealing.

Love, because there was some invisible turning point where I stopped disliking his music on principle, and actually started listening to it.

Since then, he has been, and is, one of my favorite performers.

So when I heard he was coming to Abu Dhabi, I had to go see him. I was on my computer the minute the tickets came out, because if I were in the states, he would be sold out within the hour.

Not so much in Abu Dhabi.

That had its advantages. We got to the concert fairly early, and there was no one really there at that time. Which means we got right at the barrier between the Gold section and the plebian section (ours).

He started with “The One”, a song I hadn’t really heard before, then moved on to “Sixty Years On”, which held a lot of power because he had just turned 65. (And was another song I didn't recognize. Though I have 11 of his albums on my iPod, I haven't listened to all of them). 

Very soon after was “Your Song”. Easily one of my favorites (Along with “Sacrifice”, and “Rocket Man”, which has so much more meaning to me now after living in Abu Dhabi for college).

He played classics, and some new songs as well. Partway through the concert Ray Cooper joined him on drums, and then his encore (just him and his piano) was “Crocodile Rock” and finally, “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”.

It was a beautiful night. My eyes may not have been dry, especially during “Your Song” and “Rocket Man”, and the next day my voice was gone from singing and cheering.

<3

P.S. If this sounds very schoolgirl fan-ish, it is because it is.