Saint Plays: Directing vs. Acting

The production that I was working on recently finished just in time for me to come home for half of my spring break! I was the Assistant Director and Set Designer, which means I helped the Director analyze the script so the actors could understand it, and helped her add movement to the words to make the story make sense. I also helped think of ideas of what environment would be best to tell the story in, by being Assistant Set Designer.

Here's the set with the actors and director below:

The bathtub was a huge part of the play, it was used as a bathtub, a car, and a jail cell!

I really love being on the artistic team of a play, much more than I ever loved acting. (Tutu this is for you! :) I am able to participate in making a piece of living art, instead of following directions and trying to do my best on my performance. I love reading a script and thinking of ideas of how it can be expressed on stage and with what materials, resources, colors, images. It has become my entry way into the theatre world since I changed my major/life path. I may still pursue some acting in the future, but this has been so artistically rewarding and fulfilling, I'm going to keep with this for a while!

Good Exhaustion

Being home has been a complete whirlwind! I've worked 30+ hours in a week and a half (I know its not much but getting up early and having responsibilities even after just a short break is hard!) I've gone to the beach with my grandparents and Fortner cousins for 2 days, gone to the So Pas Farmer's Market, seen 2 plays, reunited with friends and more family and made my first summer pie! It was tart because I made it with fresh berries, but it was still yummy! And...the top crust was inspired by the Martha Stewart Valentine's Day issue last year!

Today I also hung out with Becca, Niko and a surprise appearance by our old friend Ryan! It was a truly ideal summer day and I loved every minute of it.

It ended with Stitch and Pitch (the Dodger game where we knit!). This is my little panda friend that I'm making for my friend Amanda's birthday 3 days after mine...in one week!!!!!!

Even though I have not been this exhausted in at least 5-6 months, it feels so good to know that I have people to love (and therefore spend time with) and people who love me enough to spend time with me. I think this is the worthwhile exhaustion.

P.S.-I'm reading Sula by Toni Morrison, which is beautifully written, as always. Next up: An Abundance of Katherines by John Green and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (7) by J. K. Rowling. I am so excited to get to read soon...after all the newness of being home wears off! These are easily my 3 favorite authors of all time!

Patagonia Adventures

Glacier Perito Moreno, El Calafate in the provincia Santa Cruz, Argentina

Patagonia is the general term for the south of Argentina that actually occupies the majority of the country. Patagonia is known because of the sport clothes store in the U.S. The logo is based on a mountain in El Chaltén that we would have seen on Day 2 if there wasn't so much fog!!!

My facebook album is finally complete and you can see it here, even if you don't have one! Its really hard for me to pick the best pictures and put them here, so check it out!

The whole weekend was a well needed break from the city life. It was so nice just to chill for a couple days and explore new things and not have to worry about how many pages of theory I have to read! Now I'm back to the grind and missing that peaceful place! I loved remembering what its really like to be a traveler, finding a hostel to live in with your stuff on your back and constantly meeting other travelers with the same passion for discovering the world as you.

I wish it weren't true, but I'm hooked on seeing the world. My next points of travel: India, Ireland, Greece, Finland, Finland, Finland. More practically, I'm going to the city Rosario next weekend with the program.

I hope you like the pictures! I simply can't explain the wonder we experienced there!

Don't Worry, Be Happy!

So apparently there was some widespread worry about my safety this weekend while I was traveling in the south of Argentina.

I'm home and incredibly happy. In short this weekend was one of the most magical weekends of my life up to now.

I can't wait to share with you more details and epic pictures tomorrow. Special shout out to everyone that helped make this trip possible, especially Tutu, Auntie Cristina, Nana&Papa, Gramsey and my incredibly supportive muther and popper doodle. I feel so honored and loved to have been able to experience this weekend and that people worried about me while I was even farther away than I already am.

My friends always make fun of me when I say this but, what did I do to deserve this love? I just think I got lucky enough to be given such a beautiful family filled with love and support. So, thank you, and get ready for some majestic glacier pictures.

Por fin las fotos de Mendoza!

Here was my favorite picture of the weekend. So much love in such a beautiful place!

Here's our raft--we're wearing bathing suits, then wet suits, then those blue shirts, then the life vests, boots, and helmets. Extreme gear for extreme sports! Our Argentine friend Romina is in the front with Sylvie!
This is when Sylvie fell out of the raft. We were playing a "game" where we had to shift our weight from the different sides of the raft to stay aloft in the mini waterfall. So "fun".
Look at our backdrop. Gorgeous.
The group. We were so lucky that we got to fit in all our activities in one weekend.
I'm glad this weekend is going to be more of a break, since my mind has been so filled with class picking. So happy that's over. Get ready for the pictures from Uruguay on Sunday!

Homework Session

Niall and I went to the park by the famous cemetery (2 blocks away from my house) to do homework. Here is the view of the park:

Here is the Hotel Alvear (1 block away from my house) that has a store called ARITA. So silly that I have a Rita too!

Dad-is this the same type of tree as the one at Holy Family? I think it is because those little mini red mushroom looking thingys fall from it. There are tons of these huge amazing trees in the park--and I love that no one grooms them, they are left to grow freely!

This is the type of homework I get excited for. While Niall read the book we have to read for our mandatory Spanish class, I drew his hand.

Unfortunately the drawing below isn't mine, but I bought a post card of it. This artist (a local selling her goods at the weekly art fair) gave me a little deal (cause I bought 3) and a kiss goodbye! Her art was so beautiful and her pencil work very soft and delicate. I loved what she did with the watercolor in the back and the addition of some color to the traditional black and white drawings! Don't worry Mom and Dad--I'll give you one to add to the Wall of Fame in the kitchen.

Still picking my classes. I'm hesitant to pick hard ones because they're in Spanish! Oh well, that's what I'm here for...to challenge myself! We'll see how it goes...

Teatro Ciego and Easter in a Box

Last night the crew and I went to see a play put on by the Teatro Ciego (Blind Theatre) company. It was called "La Isla Desierta" and it was truly a magnificent theatrical experience. We entered the big venue filled with anticipation of the unknown when two people introduced themselves and told us to form single filed lines of 10 people and put our hands on the shoulders of the person in front of us, so that we could be lead into the completely dark theatre.

When I say dark, I mean dark. You opened your eyes and closed them and could not tell the difference. It was exhilarating, scary and thoroughly entertaining. The play started with sounds of typewriters coming from all different parts of the room. None of us had any idea how the room was set up until the lights came on at the end of the show, and so the fact that the sound was coming from all angles of the room was overwhelmingly mysterious and awesome. The sounds and smells they created throughout the show were so realistic.

It was a beautiful introduction to new theatrical possibility--darkness and all that entails for the audience: the anticipatory nervousness, the automatic trust you must put in the performers, and the opportunity to let your imagination soar as you create the visual pictures on your own. I also loved the idea of adding a Smell Designer into the crew of a show. My love for theatre and happiness that I changed my major grow with every production I see!

Yesterday, I went to the Centro Postal Internacional to pick up a package I received! It was Easter in a Box from my dad's side of the family! Gabby knit me that adorable Easter egg, my aunt Pam collected yummy things and most importantly CHUNKY PEANUT BUTTER!
This was the makings of my first sandwich. It was delicious, it make me feel at home and I loved it. Thank you Aunt Pam and Patti and Nana&Papa and Ally and Gabby and everyone who helped pick all the yummies in this box. I opened it and felt really loved, even though you all are 6.000 millas away. Thank you so much I'm so lucky to have you all!

Senior Housing

The most beautiful thing happened today. Rachel and I became neighbors for the entirety of our Senior Years. Its like sleepovers everynight with boundaries and lots of closet space. What more could anyone ask for? I have my own bathroom and own mini kitchen. This is the building I lived in sophomore year that's only 6 blocks away from school, one block away from the best super market I've ever been in, and literally on top of a Chipotle and a Subway stop. Perfection. If you wanna come visit me, you should come and just stay in MY apartment with me!

Mendoza

This beautiful weekend began slightly late, because Retiro (the bus terminal of BA) was packed completely full of people waiting for their delayed Micros (buses). We finally arrived to our silly hostel on Thursday afternoon, rested and had an amazing dinner at a "super fancy" restaurant named "Azafrán".

I ordered "Petit Filet" and it was delicious. It had bleu cheese and yummy sauces/flavors, which is rare to find in Argentine cuisine!

The next day we got busy. We were transported to Las Termas Cachueta on the outskirts of the city of Mendoza. We were in the Andes Mountains at hot springs. It was beautiful and looked like this:

Before we actually got in the termas, we went rafting. I would call it white water rafting, but there weren't many waves, so I feel like that would be an over-statement. It was still eventful and at times scary...some people did fall overboard! We had amazing tour guides, full gear (see below :), and one of the guides took lots of awesome action photos, that I will post soon! We had a great time and it was a really packed adventerous day compared to our last vacation!

While we were rafting we met a really nice porteña named Romina. She's super funny and her mom and aunt were so sweet they watched our stuff for us while we swam in the termas! She lives not too far from Niall so we're going to hang out with her a lot!

That night we were so pooped that we just chilled in the hostel, drinking some wine and telling silly Harry Potter jokes (our usual activities). The next day we woke up bright and early again to start our adventure in Maipú--a city on the outskirts of Mendoza that has lots of beautiful bodegas (wineries/vineyards). We rented bikes from a company called "bikes and wines" (see the logo below! Ate the "Biker Menú" at a magical restaurant and had a blast.

Below is Bodega Di Tommasino 1849!

After another packed day, this time we were starving and craving some Mexican Food! We went to a restaurant called "Cielito Lindo" and I was on cloud nine with the decor and familiar smells. This was as close to an Easter dinner as I got, and it was pretty nice! Check out our Fajita bar...

This was the really gorgeous church I spent Easter morning in. It was so peaceful and the art inside was incredible. Dad and Mom--you would've died for that mosaic behind the altar.

I missed being with people that celebrate Easter, but lots of things were the same, I ate chocolate and was with lots of people I love! This was an amazing weekend, but now that classes have started, I've got to do my work and choose which I'm going to stick with (ahhh decisions!!!) Hopefully I'll have a clearer idea of what to chose after this week. Off to art class!

Villa Gesell

I just got home from a magical weekend at the beach with my 7 MAPS (Mejores Amigos Para Siempre) or BFFS. We got on a 6 hour bus ride at 1:30am Thursday night and arrived to Villa Gesell the next morning. We checked into our hotel, napped and spent a glorious day at the beach.

Sylvie and Niall summarized the weekend perfectly: Sylvie called it the "Self-Esteem boosting weekend", since all everyone could say was how lucky we were to have found each other, how happy we were to be together and how beautiful/hot everyone looked all weekend (esp. you Kara, you pirate nouveau you!). Niall kept saying we were an "Octet" and we were!

I don't remember a time where I have felt more happy to be me, happy to be in my own skin, and happy to be where I was, when I was there. Villa Gesell has been added to my small list of happy-places, amongst my Grandma's house and Helsinki, Finland!

Empanadas on the beach!

Cuddle buddies for life.

Our view from our hotel window. The octet stayed in 2 quadruple rooms, for A$200/night (less than US$60!!!) There was a pool, medialunas in the morning (croissants), and TV's in the rooms.
Here are the 7 girls (Niall took the picture!). I will never forget what an awesome time we all spent together!

Even though I had a truly beautiful weekend with all of these new friends, I do terribly miss all of my readers, some watching from above, some in CA and some in NY. I'm so grateful to the internet so that I can still feel connected to all of you, because without the love and support I feel from all of you everyday, I could never have felt so confident or happy this weekend!