Back from the U.S., an amazing trip (to say the least). The fast-paced life in New York definitely made my return to the quiet, nothingness of Filton a reverse-shock, but a pleasant shock. I can breathe again :) I can drink tea in the middle of the day, and now I can do so in my garden! PAB and I moved flats last weekend, disassembled the furniture (pulling 100 nails out of a delicate cardboard wardrobe backing is no easy feat!), though not as trying as it sounds--we moved approximately 25 feet, down. We have moved from 77B Wallscourt Road to 77A :) A pain in the butt to move everything, carrying arm load after arm load of books, clothing and airplane models, but well worth the hassle! Last weekend was perhaps the most brilliant of the summer, weatherwise, and we made the absolute most of our new garden--dinners and tea outside, burgers on our new grill! We still haven't quite arranged the garage for the car--I tried to go inside last weekend with a broom and was chased out by spiders larger than any roaches we have in Houston--but we do have a little shed for the bikes! The flat downstairs is much bigger (still relative to English living spaces), so visitors are welcome (and now we won't have to put the table in the kitchen when we pull out the futon)! Garden parties will abound!
Last week PAB and I also had a visit from his high school friend Mathieu (not to be confused with Matthew) and his girlfriend, Audrey. I acted as official guide of Bristol and London, in French! See parents, you didn't entirely waste your money in sending me to Paris :) Our trip to London was one for the record books, we did a river tour of the Thames, walked the bridges, took an inside tour of the Queen's palace (otherwise you can only go to Buckingham by invitation!), and did the National Gallery! I felt I did Mathieu and Audrey well and London justice, they fell asleep as soon as we got back on the bus for Bristol ;)
Last week I also had my Induction ceremony for my Masters programme (busy week eh?) There are 15 students in the programme, and I am the only one not graduated from U.W.E. A little unnerving, but apparently normal in England (most students who continue their studies stay at their school). The professors all seemed nice and approachable (not always the case at Rice, as Natalie can confirm with Skura), they had wine and cheese with us after the ceremony. Free food/drink is definitely a benefit of being a student :) My first class is Monday, and I am trying to get in all of the pre-reading while desperately searching employment; already a lot more work than undergrad!
24 September 2008
08 September 2008
New York State of Mind
The Great Return to the U.S. of A., and after three months of various shades of grey--SUNSHINE! And heat, albeit unbearable at times in the New York metro and crowded streets. I had forgotten how LOUD and dirty New York is, even getting off the plane at Newark airport I knew I had entered a completely different world. Certainly not one of polite cricket matches and afternoon tea. I got onto the elevator for baggage claim smushed in between the scratchy beards of a Hasidic Jewish family and the golden chains of Harlem's finest. The doors closed to revel a giant bullet hole in the metal elevator door--it was in this moment that I felt truly back in America :) Home Sweet Home!
The streets of New York are impossible to negotiate with luggage (I seriously prefer narrow cobblestone streets in Paris to vicious, suitclad New Yorkers on their way to work). Thank god for taxis. It amuses me how the airports change their taxi rates from day-to-day (or maybe tourist-to-tourist), but once you're in the line and they give you a number, there's no haggling. The taxi brought me to the apartment in Battery Park, a "quiet" area of New York. Battery Park consists of the financial district and the ridiculously long lines for the Statue of Liberty--thankfully both tourists and businessmen tend to go home at a decent hour. The apartment has windows covering the entire Southern wall, giving us a spectacular view of the New York harbor, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and Govenor's Island; definitely a benefit of 32 story buildings ;)
New York is incredible dirty. Trash and rats are commonplace. The only thing missing is the dog poop you find in Paris and other European cities; whoever made the ridiculously high fines for picking up your dog's excrement in N.Y.--THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart (and my soles). Somehow New York's dirt just adds to the charm, a city where people are literally too busy to worry about trash and the likes. It makes the city more alive, more REAL. You see gorgeous models doing photoshoots along the harbor while trash and dead fish float in the water beneath them. I can't quite express it, but I LOVE the dirt and the chaos and even the chance encounters with the rats. It gives New York a certain vitality that Paris lacks.
There is always something going on in New York. Every night, every day, a street performance, a show, a movie premier. In less than one week I have been to a latin jazz performance, flamenco dancing, an Indie movie festival...And I am sure that I missed a 100 other things in my down time. The quality of the free entertainment (all of those aforementioned were FREE by the way!) in New York is incredible. The flamenco dancing in particular is something I would have gladly paid to see in Houston. The dancers (7 luscious Latin boys) had been performing together since childhood. There dancing infused flamenco, hiphop, acrobatics and ballet. The flamenco gives it drama (like watching a Spanish soap opera to music), the ballet gives it grace and the hiphop gives it a little edge and spunk. As if it wasn't enough to be multi-genre talented dancers, each of the 7 boys played an instrument. After finishing their pirouettes and back flips they would pick up their flute/cello/violin/drum/keyboard and show us all what pure, raw talent is. One even played the flute while doing flamenco. It's almost as if impressing New Yorkers requires multiple talents--Ah, we've seen a celloist before, but not one that can do flamenco!
I still have 5 days left. I am trying to squeeze in as many performances (hopefully a musical) as I can, reap the benefits of a big city. But, ridiculous as it may sound, I will be happy to go back to Bristol, to my little love nest in Filton where it is quiet and peaceful, where I can think and I don't feel compelled to go out every night and sacrifice my precious sleep. New York is more of a novelty for me; I will definitely be back, but certainly never for good.
The streets of New York are impossible to negotiate with luggage (I seriously prefer narrow cobblestone streets in Paris to vicious, suitclad New Yorkers on their way to work). Thank god for taxis. It amuses me how the airports change their taxi rates from day-to-day (or maybe tourist-to-tourist), but once you're in the line and they give you a number, there's no haggling. The taxi brought me to the apartment in Battery Park, a "quiet" area of New York. Battery Park consists of the financial district and the ridiculously long lines for the Statue of Liberty--thankfully both tourists and businessmen tend to go home at a decent hour. The apartment has windows covering the entire Southern wall, giving us a spectacular view of the New York harbor, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and Govenor's Island; definitely a benefit of 32 story buildings ;)
New York is incredible dirty. Trash and rats are commonplace. The only thing missing is the dog poop you find in Paris and other European cities; whoever made the ridiculously high fines for picking up your dog's excrement in N.Y.--THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart (and my soles). Somehow New York's dirt just adds to the charm, a city where people are literally too busy to worry about trash and the likes. It makes the city more alive, more REAL. You see gorgeous models doing photoshoots along the harbor while trash and dead fish float in the water beneath them. I can't quite express it, but I LOVE the dirt and the chaos and even the chance encounters with the rats. It gives New York a certain vitality that Paris lacks.
There is always something going on in New York. Every night, every day, a street performance, a show, a movie premier. In less than one week I have been to a latin jazz performance, flamenco dancing, an Indie movie festival...And I am sure that I missed a 100 other things in my down time. The quality of the free entertainment (all of those aforementioned were FREE by the way!) in New York is incredible. The flamenco dancing in particular is something I would have gladly paid to see in Houston. The dancers (7 luscious Latin boys) had been performing together since childhood. There dancing infused flamenco, hiphop, acrobatics and ballet. The flamenco gives it drama (like watching a Spanish soap opera to music), the ballet gives it grace and the hiphop gives it a little edge and spunk. As if it wasn't enough to be multi-genre talented dancers, each of the 7 boys played an instrument. After finishing their pirouettes and back flips they would pick up their flute/cello/violin/drum/keyboard and show us all what pure, raw talent is. One even played the flute while doing flamenco. It's almost as if impressing New Yorkers requires multiple talents--Ah, we've seen a celloist before, but not one that can do flamenco!
I still have 5 days left. I am trying to squeeze in as many performances (hopefully a musical) as I can, reap the benefits of a big city. But, ridiculous as it may sound, I will be happy to go back to Bristol, to my little love nest in Filton where it is quiet and peaceful, where I can think and I don't feel compelled to go out every night and sacrifice my precious sleep. New York is more of a novelty for me; I will definitely be back, but certainly never for good.
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