The shows went so great! We performed on UCSB's campus as well as downtown on State Street in front of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art during Santa Barbara Downtown Organization's First Thursday Events. Both nights were highly successful! I got a lot of great feedback. The best thing any audience member said to me after the show was, "Thank you for doing this."
It's kind of incredible that it was, in fact, so brave to do what we did on the stage/sidewalk two days ago. I didn't realize the scope of what I was touching on. Or maybe I did, and I just refused to process it completely because I probably would have exploded with nerves. But we did something powerful out there on Thursday. We questioned society and the norms we take for granted on a physical place, a property where those norms are continually upheld. Maybe we did something brave. Maybe just a little. Maybe a lot?
Check out my university newspaper's review of the Tuesday show on campus: http://www.dailynexus.com/2011-06-02/museum-woman-art-life-inspiring-form/
She got it, and it sounded like a lot of others did, too. One step at a time :)
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
The Museum of Woman
Tomorrow night's the big show!
http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=173192126072999
http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=173192126072999
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
The Museum of Woman
This blog was originally created to serve as a connection for my friends and family while I was studying abroad with University of Virginia's Semester@Sea. Now, Fall 2009 is long gone, and so, I thought, was this blog. But as I prepare to set sail again (this time, metaphorically), I thought, why not start up my blog again? Since, after all, I am a traveler and writer. So let's do it! Watch me, read me, live vicariously through me as I traverse the world.
UPDATES. I’m graduating UC Santa Barbara in two weeks. In the last four years, a lot has happened. A lot has changed. Obviously. Ugh, I’m boring myself. The point of this lack of a story is… there is an ending to this story. I am so fortunate to have an “ending”—a culmination of my work. A senior thesis project. A performance.
Leading me to my conclusion: after a year of work on this project (and four years of work in theater), I am one week away from presenting “The Museum of Woman.” Not my first play ever produced, but the first time I truly saw a project start to finish essentially on my own. Well, not really on my own, because I have such a fantastic support system/cast/advisor, etc., but this was my idea, my concept, my original research, my play, my direction, my producing. I’m even acting in the show! So thank god this is ending in a week. And truly, thank god I have had the opportunity to create.
Check out the facebook link to the performance: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=173192126072999
After this performance, it’s off to Vegas (AGAIN), then to Greece, then almost straight to Cambodia, where I’ll be teaching English to preschoolers for 10 months. This life is a blessing! :)
UPDATES. I’m graduating UC Santa Barbara in two weeks. In the last four years, a lot has happened. A lot has changed. Obviously. Ugh, I’m boring myself. The point of this lack of a story is… there is an ending to this story. I am so fortunate to have an “ending”—a culmination of my work. A senior thesis project. A performance.
Leading me to my conclusion: after a year of work on this project (and four years of work in theater), I am one week away from presenting “The Museum of Woman.” Not my first play ever produced, but the first time I truly saw a project start to finish essentially on my own. Well, not really on my own, because I have such a fantastic support system/cast/advisor, etc., but this was my idea, my concept, my original research, my play, my direction, my producing. I’m even acting in the show! So thank god this is ending in a week. And truly, thank god I have had the opportunity to create.
Check out the facebook link to the performance: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=173192126072999
After this performance, it’s off to Vegas (AGAIN), then to Greece, then almost straight to Cambodia, where I’ll be teaching English to preschoolers for 10 months. This life is a blessing! :)
Thursday, December 24, 2009
At Home
Okay. I have been really terrible at finishing this blog. Once we wrapped up our on-ship production of "Dog Sees God," finals came in full force. Then, suddenly we were in Hawaii. Then suddenly was the Ambassador's Ball. Then suddenly I was home!
Hawaii was a blast! The first day I.... jumped out of a plane. Literally. It's called skydiving! It was THE SINGLE most amazing experience of my entire life. Scary, empowering, ridiculous, dangerous, and all together FUN! I fell through clouds and watched the waves crash over Hawaii's North Shore. I jumped out of a plane! I still think about it and cannot believe it!
The second part of Hawaii I went with my friend and his parents to the resort his parents were staying at. We enjoyed some luxury and some serious beach time. The next day we all rushed to get back to the ship, only to find that due to inclement weather, we were staying an extra day in Hawaii!!!!!! Not bad; as the rest of the country froze in a huge storm, I tanned on Waikiki Beach!
Then came the realities of ship life, yet again. Finals and boredom and PACKING to go HOME! It all started to get really sad as we realized the voyage was truly coming to and end. I tried to spend as little time studying and packing as possible (haha) and focused on spending time with my friends who live on the far-far-away East Coast.
We all had a great final farewell in the Ambassador's Ball. The food was great and it was nice to see all my friends dress up and look their best. And Obama never came to the ship. We had no guest speaker at all, much to our dismay and disappointment!
So now I've been home for over a week and have had time to reflect on all my experiences. I don't have much desire to draw upon all these in some grand, conclusive entry that will sum up everything of the last 4 months in some cute little phrase. In fact, that would just be dumbing-down what have been some of the most important, influential, great, exciting experiences of my life. But notice I said SOME. Not all of the best things in my life have been on this voyage. I am going to make sure of that. This semester is only the beginning, a chapter in my life. Now, its time for the next chapter, and I can only hope I will have as many great adventures in this chapter as I have had in the last one.
Hawaii was a blast! The first day I.... jumped out of a plane. Literally. It's called skydiving! It was THE SINGLE most amazing experience of my entire life. Scary, empowering, ridiculous, dangerous, and all together FUN! I fell through clouds and watched the waves crash over Hawaii's North Shore. I jumped out of a plane! I still think about it and cannot believe it!
The second part of Hawaii I went with my friend and his parents to the resort his parents were staying at. We enjoyed some luxury and some serious beach time. The next day we all rushed to get back to the ship, only to find that due to inclement weather, we were staying an extra day in Hawaii!!!!!! Not bad; as the rest of the country froze in a huge storm, I tanned on Waikiki Beach!
Then came the realities of ship life, yet again. Finals and boredom and PACKING to go HOME! It all started to get really sad as we realized the voyage was truly coming to and end. I tried to spend as little time studying and packing as possible (haha) and focused on spending time with my friends who live on the far-far-away East Coast.
We all had a great final farewell in the Ambassador's Ball. The food was great and it was nice to see all my friends dress up and look their best. And Obama never came to the ship. We had no guest speaker at all, much to our dismay and disappointment!
So now I've been home for over a week and have had time to reflect on all my experiences. I don't have much desire to draw upon all these in some grand, conclusive entry that will sum up everything of the last 4 months in some cute little phrase. In fact, that would just be dumbing-down what have been some of the most important, influential, great, exciting experiences of my life. But notice I said SOME. Not all of the best things in my life have been on this voyage. I am going to make sure of that. This semester is only the beginning, a chapter in my life. Now, its time for the next chapter, and I can only hope I will have as many great adventures in this chapter as I have had in the last one.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Dog Sees God
Just a side note on ship happenings: the play I have been working on since we left Mauritius finally went up last night to a packed house! My friends and I performed Bert V. Royal's "Dog Sees God." It was a success and I am very proud of the impact we made on the ship community!
Can't wait to be done with finals, have my cell phone, and be home! Two weeks!
Can't wait to be done with finals, have my cell phone, and be home! Two weeks!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
The Second Half of Japan
The last two days in Kobe, Japan have been among the best days of my entire Semester at Sea experience. I signed up to do a home-stay through a company called HIPPO. Tami, her husband, her son, who was eighteen, and her daughter, Kumiko, who was fifteen, were my hosts. Even though I had been hoping to be staying with a family with young children because I love Japanese babies, it was a fantastic experience to talk to Kumiko who was around the same age as me. The most exciting element of my host family was that Tami is quite the world traveler! In fact, she has been to Long Beach, California! She knew all about the Queen Mary and in fact had been aboard it when she was nineteen and did a home-stay in Orange County! What a happy accident that she would end up having been to Southern California.
Tami and Kumiko picked me up from the ship and we went to lunch at a traditional Japanese restaurant. Then, we went to a sake museum. We happened to be in the area of Tami’s parents, so we paid them a surprise visit! They served us tea and a dessert they called cream cake. It was so rewarding for me and also for the parents to try and communicate with me in English. I was surprised that they spoke English, as most elderly Japanese do not. The most interesting part of our visit to the parents’ home was seeing the way that Japanese families interact. In America, if you visited your grandparents, you most likely would hug them when you entered their home. In Japan, there was no sentiment or exchange of affection, even between the mother and daughter. This is very typical of Japanese culture.
Finally, we made our way home. Tami’s home was at the top of a hill with spectacular views of Osaka. The winding roads up to the house reminded me of Northern California. My bedroom was a very traditional Japanese room, complete with wood walls and sliding doors and a mat to sleep on. The second I saw my mat, covered in thick blankets, I passed out asleep until dinner. And what a dinner it was! Cooked salmon, broccoli, sushi, edaname, and... octopus balls! No, it’s not what you’re thinking! Octopus balls are fried dough balls with octopus in the center. Let’s just say I wouldn’t eat them again.
At dinner, we were joined by Tami’s husband and son. The father is in the international oil business, so his English was very good. I enjoyed talking to him about the parts of America he’d seen, his opinion on the future of politics in Asia, especially involving China, and his dreams for his children. He wants them to be open to new cultures and new ideas and that is why he and his wife are so happy to have guests from all over the world. But Kumiko was getting mad at her father because she wanted to talk to me alone, so I excused myself and went back to the game room to hang out with Kumiko. She showed me pictures of all her friends and then taught me this awesome video game. It is like Guitar Hero, but instead of playing the guitar, the player plays a taiko drum! It was so much fun even though I was horrible at the game.
I slept like a baby and woke up to a fabulous breakfast prepared by Tami. Tami is not a housewife by choice (her dream is to teach English, but, as she shared, her husband prefers that she stays at home), but she sure is an excellent cook. We watched Japanese housewife tv programs until we left for Tami’s friend’s house.
It was a grand gathering of Tami and her girlfriends, all members of the home-stay HIPPO program, all hosting other Semester at Sea students. We learned calligraphy and origami with several Japanese housewives and their children. Then, most importantly, we ate! It was a potluck unrivaled! The most exciting part of the whole day was when Pero, our host, decided to put on music while we ate. She put on The Beatles! I just about died. There I was, eating potluck in a Japanese home, listening to I Want to Hold Your Hand. Some things are truly, truly universal, I guess.
After eating and drinking some delicious Hawaiian coffee (LOL), our group headed to a Buddhist temple. The air is so crisp in the cool Japan winter, and the cherry blossom tree-leaves are all a striking red-orange. No matter where one looks, the scenery is breath-taking.
Sadly, it was time to say goodbye to our new friends. But, I truly know that I will stay in touch with my host family. It was not just that they were friendly and hospitable—it was so much more. Here were people, half way across the world, who shared the same ideals that I will strive to achieve in my everyday life. They want to experience new cultures. They want to try new foods, learn new languages. They want to meet new people. They travel the world in hopes of better themselves and others. They take their children to Paris, opening their eyes to the world outside the oft-culturally-isolated Japan. These are the kind of people I want to surround myself with. And, happily, for the last two days, I did.
Well, this is just about it. In this I mean that I will be visiting no more foreign countries. Spain, Morocco, Ghana, South Africa, Mauritius, India, Vietnam, China, and now, finally, Japan. Our next stop is Hawaii. US territory. Home. Home? I can’t wait to use my cell phone and go to Starbucks and use US dollars. At the same time, I don’t want this semester to end.
Tami and Kumiko picked me up from the ship and we went to lunch at a traditional Japanese restaurant. Then, we went to a sake museum. We happened to be in the area of Tami’s parents, so we paid them a surprise visit! They served us tea and a dessert they called cream cake. It was so rewarding for me and also for the parents to try and communicate with me in English. I was surprised that they spoke English, as most elderly Japanese do not. The most interesting part of our visit to the parents’ home was seeing the way that Japanese families interact. In America, if you visited your grandparents, you most likely would hug them when you entered their home. In Japan, there was no sentiment or exchange of affection, even between the mother and daughter. This is very typical of Japanese culture.
Finally, we made our way home. Tami’s home was at the top of a hill with spectacular views of Osaka. The winding roads up to the house reminded me of Northern California. My bedroom was a very traditional Japanese room, complete with wood walls and sliding doors and a mat to sleep on. The second I saw my mat, covered in thick blankets, I passed out asleep until dinner. And what a dinner it was! Cooked salmon, broccoli, sushi, edaname, and... octopus balls! No, it’s not what you’re thinking! Octopus balls are fried dough balls with octopus in the center. Let’s just say I wouldn’t eat them again.
At dinner, we were joined by Tami’s husband and son. The father is in the international oil business, so his English was very good. I enjoyed talking to him about the parts of America he’d seen, his opinion on the future of politics in Asia, especially involving China, and his dreams for his children. He wants them to be open to new cultures and new ideas and that is why he and his wife are so happy to have guests from all over the world. But Kumiko was getting mad at her father because she wanted to talk to me alone, so I excused myself and went back to the game room to hang out with Kumiko. She showed me pictures of all her friends and then taught me this awesome video game. It is like Guitar Hero, but instead of playing the guitar, the player plays a taiko drum! It was so much fun even though I was horrible at the game.
I slept like a baby and woke up to a fabulous breakfast prepared by Tami. Tami is not a housewife by choice (her dream is to teach English, but, as she shared, her husband prefers that she stays at home), but she sure is an excellent cook. We watched Japanese housewife tv programs until we left for Tami’s friend’s house.
It was a grand gathering of Tami and her girlfriends, all members of the home-stay HIPPO program, all hosting other Semester at Sea students. We learned calligraphy and origami with several Japanese housewives and their children. Then, most importantly, we ate! It was a potluck unrivaled! The most exciting part of the whole day was when Pero, our host, decided to put on music while we ate. She put on The Beatles! I just about died. There I was, eating potluck in a Japanese home, listening to I Want to Hold Your Hand. Some things are truly, truly universal, I guess.
After eating and drinking some delicious Hawaiian coffee (LOL), our group headed to a Buddhist temple. The air is so crisp in the cool Japan winter, and the cherry blossom tree-leaves are all a striking red-orange. No matter where one looks, the scenery is breath-taking.
Sadly, it was time to say goodbye to our new friends. But, I truly know that I will stay in touch with my host family. It was not just that they were friendly and hospitable—it was so much more. Here were people, half way across the world, who shared the same ideals that I will strive to achieve in my everyday life. They want to experience new cultures. They want to try new foods, learn new languages. They want to meet new people. They travel the world in hopes of better themselves and others. They take their children to Paris, opening their eyes to the world outside the oft-culturally-isolated Japan. These are the kind of people I want to surround myself with. And, happily, for the last two days, I did.
Well, this is just about it. In this I mean that I will be visiting no more foreign countries. Spain, Morocco, Ghana, South Africa, Mauritius, India, Vietnam, China, and now, finally, Japan. Our next stop is Hawaii. US territory. Home. Home? I can’t wait to use my cell phone and go to Starbucks and use US dollars. At the same time, I don’t want this semester to end.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
The First Half of Japan
Day 1: The ship docked in Yokohama, a small city about a half an hour outside of Tokyo. The MV Explorer was greeted by taiko drummers on the dock, celebrating our arrival! Despite my having previously been to Tokyo, I could not resist its beckoning; the moment the ship was cleared I hopped on the subway towards Tokyo Tower. My friends were thankful I had been to Japan before and had a limited but valuable knowledge of navigating the subway system... which certainly isn't easy. Rebecca and I never made it up Tokyo Tower 3 years ago when we visited Japan, so I was eager to see it the second time around. After some spectacular views of the city 150m up, followed by a pleasant lunch, we hopped back on the train towards Harajuku in all its funky glory. It was heartwarming to return to Harajuku, one of my favorite places on earth, and also rewarding to see my friends see it for the first time. We found a shop where everything was 100yen (about $1) and explored the hip, goth, rocker, girlie, everything shops throughout the city. Sunday is the big day for the cos-players to come out, and since we were there on Friday, I only saw a few kids in their full regalia. But Harajuku could be completely empty and its funky alt vibes would still penetrate.
We went back onto the train and headed to my favorite district in Tokyo, Shibuya. We walked the busiest intersection in the entire world, saw the nine-story shopping mall, and ate at a sushi bar! Shibuya is like a clean and more glamorous Manhattan… on steroids. Ashley, Jules and I went bowling at this crazy eight-story arcade and we had a blast watching the locals hang out. We took the train back to the ship, exhausted in the way that only a city like Tokyo can exhaust you.
Day 2: Waking up on the ship would seem to be the same every morning, no matter what country the ship is docked in at that very moment. But waking up in Japan, you can FEEL it. You know you are in the home of samurais, emperors, harajuku girls, capsule hotels, sushi, geishas, intrinsic peace, sky-high buildings, compacted living spaces, and sake. A few girls who were headed to hostels in Tokyo joined Jules and I for lunch (sushi for me, of course) at Shibuya Station. Then, Jules and I hopped on another train bound for Asakusa, another district of Tokyo. We saw the beautiful temple that I had visited years before. We shopped more than we should of, and I joyfully indulged in a green-tea soft serve!
With only a few more hours remaining until we had to be back on the ship, Jules and I hit Shinjuku. Shinjuku is like Las Vegas, New York, Hong Kong, and Shibuya, with Harajuku flair... and then some! It is insane, filled with shops, neon lights and lots and lots of pachinko! Pachinko is this insane Japanese pin-ball slot machine gambling game and the center of its culture lies in Shinjuku. After some hilarious photos in one of those Japanese photo booths, Jules and I found ourselves at a restaurant that promised everything on the menu was only 270yen (less than $3 per dish and drink)! We had to walk upstairs to the restaurant, and when we finally got there, we saw that each table was individually separated by bars! It was like you were eating dinner in a cage! You ordered your food on an electronic menu—it was very futuristic and surreal. Luckily, one of the waitresses spoke Japanese, as the electronic menu was certainly not legible to us. The most exciting dish I ate was fried octopus, with all eight tentacles still attached! We spent way too long in the restaurant, impulsively ordering more food and drinks with the logic that everything was less than $3! It was a blast, but we had to high-tail it back to Yokohama because the ship was leaving!
It was refreshing to not feel compelled to buy souvenirs, as I already bought cheesy Japan t-shirts and the like the last time I was in Tokyo. It was spectacular to return to a country and find it comfortingly the same yet excitingly changed. It makes me long to re-visit even more countries! You know, like Spain, Morocco, Ghana, South Africa, Mauritius, India, Vietnam and China!
Now, I am back on the ship for today. We reach Kobe tomorrow, where I will be meeting my host family for my overnight home-stay. I can’t wait to experience the reality of Japanese home life!
We went back onto the train and headed to my favorite district in Tokyo, Shibuya. We walked the busiest intersection in the entire world, saw the nine-story shopping mall, and ate at a sushi bar! Shibuya is like a clean and more glamorous Manhattan… on steroids. Ashley, Jules and I went bowling at this crazy eight-story arcade and we had a blast watching the locals hang out. We took the train back to the ship, exhausted in the way that only a city like Tokyo can exhaust you.
Day 2: Waking up on the ship would seem to be the same every morning, no matter what country the ship is docked in at that very moment. But waking up in Japan, you can FEEL it. You know you are in the home of samurais, emperors, harajuku girls, capsule hotels, sushi, geishas, intrinsic peace, sky-high buildings, compacted living spaces, and sake. A few girls who were headed to hostels in Tokyo joined Jules and I for lunch (sushi for me, of course) at Shibuya Station. Then, Jules and I hopped on another train bound for Asakusa, another district of Tokyo. We saw the beautiful temple that I had visited years before. We shopped more than we should of, and I joyfully indulged in a green-tea soft serve!
With only a few more hours remaining until we had to be back on the ship, Jules and I hit Shinjuku. Shinjuku is like Las Vegas, New York, Hong Kong, and Shibuya, with Harajuku flair... and then some! It is insane, filled with shops, neon lights and lots and lots of pachinko! Pachinko is this insane Japanese pin-ball slot machine gambling game and the center of its culture lies in Shinjuku. After some hilarious photos in one of those Japanese photo booths, Jules and I found ourselves at a restaurant that promised everything on the menu was only 270yen (less than $3 per dish and drink)! We had to walk upstairs to the restaurant, and when we finally got there, we saw that each table was individually separated by bars! It was like you were eating dinner in a cage! You ordered your food on an electronic menu—it was very futuristic and surreal. Luckily, one of the waitresses spoke Japanese, as the electronic menu was certainly not legible to us. The most exciting dish I ate was fried octopus, with all eight tentacles still attached! We spent way too long in the restaurant, impulsively ordering more food and drinks with the logic that everything was less than $3! It was a blast, but we had to high-tail it back to Yokohama because the ship was leaving!
It was refreshing to not feel compelled to buy souvenirs, as I already bought cheesy Japan t-shirts and the like the last time I was in Tokyo. It was spectacular to return to a country and find it comfortingly the same yet excitingly changed. It makes me long to re-visit even more countries! You know, like Spain, Morocco, Ghana, South Africa, Mauritius, India, Vietnam and China!
Now, I am back on the ship for today. We reach Kobe tomorrow, where I will be meeting my host family for my overnight home-stay. I can’t wait to experience the reality of Japanese home life!
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