Y2-12: Weeks 24 & 25, Pirandello and Encore 2016 auditions!

It’s now Easter break which means I actually have some free time to update the blog…

On Monday the 24^th I attended a PoLIS lecture titled ‘The Politics of Migration’ concerning the refugee crisis. It was quite interesting and there were speakers from other Universities also taking part, in person or via Skype. It was interesting to see what they had to say and the comparison between what is going on now and other fluxes in the past, I just wished it had been longer! That afternoon I skipped bootcamp because I was feeling under the weather and I thought it would do me good to go back home and rest. Joel and Amélie had not been feeling great and I really didn’t want to get ill, so better be safe than sorry. Fortunately, I managed to avoid falling ill.

On Tuesday we met up to discuss and plan our Italian Culture presentation on Sei personaggi in cerca d’autore by Luigi Pirandello. It was a very demanding group presentation and it took lots of time and many meetings and reading, but I think we did quite well. Because the group was so large and the topics intertwined, we had a bit of trouble splitting the themes amongst us but we managed in the end! After class I was meant to meet Anny to talk about Siena but she was ill so we had to postpone it. Instead, I bought some carrot cake (bloody cravings!) and did some work at home. Beryl came over to check the shower because the water wasn’t flowing properly and managed to solve it. And afterwards I chatted with Lara on Skype. It was only meant to be a short conversation but we ended up talking until quite late. And adding Antonio to the conversation didn’t help.

Women's Day chocolates provided by Joel :)

The next morning, I came downstairs and there was a massive leak in the toilet’s ceiling. The night before it had rained a lot and the water had managed to creep through the cracks and was falling relentlessly. Beryl had left her scarf behind the day before so she was coming over anyway, which was fortunate. I ventured into town despite the rain and did some shopping, sifted through my things to set aside stuff to take home and then did some more work. Beryl came over in the afternoon and by that time the water had dried, but we’ll have someone come and look into it soon. And then at night I skyped with Sara.

On Thursday I had a résumé test for French, which did not go amazingly well but I did what I could. I’ll just have to work harder next time. And on Friday we met again for the presentation and I stayed in the Library after class to finish homework. It honestly forces me to be efficient to go to the Library on the Friday because otherwise I’d get home and do nothing with the excuse of it being weekend… In the night, I decided to watch ‘The True Cost’. It is a very enlightening and thought-provoking documentary film about the consequences of the fast fashion industry, and I think everybody should watch it. Here is the trailer in case you are interested (and you should be): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaGp5_Sfbss

During the weekend I didn’t do much aside from working and studying. I had to prepare my part for the Pirandello presentation and try to get the write-up done too so I wouldn’t have to do it after the actual presentation (basically, getting anything I could done before the holidays), did some reading for the French history seminar, checked into my Easter flights and got the bus ticket… I also had to review for the guided essay exam on Friday for French, and since I hadn’t done great on the one before, I was really adamant on getting this one right. On Sunday it was the Bath Half and the day was sunny and lovely. I would have loved to go and cheer but sadly I had other priorities.

On Monday week 25 I met up with the girls for the Pirandello presentation and had a run through, sorted out a problem with one girl dropping out. It annoyed me though because she could’ve said so earlier but at least we managed to deal with it and sort it out asap. Then after class I headed to Lime Tree with Emily and Jess because there was a joint Politics and MLES Peer Mentoring even with free drinks and pizza. My mentees couldn’t make it because they had a lesson clash but I had a nice time chatting with Nina and Sarah. Then afterwards I went to Bootcamp. We did a 25’ cardio circuit with no breaks which was really intense but made me feel accomplished afterwards. And then while I was heading to take a shower I found out that the audition details for Encore had gone out. Encore is the last BUSMS show of the week at the end of April and I definitely wanted to get involved so I decided to audition this time so I could get a chance to be select chorus on some songs, and not only the really crowded ones. The two songs for my range that I could do were ‘You’ve Got A Friend’ (Carole King Musical) and ‘All That Jazz’ from Chicago. And the auditions were on Wednesday and Thursday so I didn’t really have much time… After my shower I met with Vidushi, Amélie, Bego and David at Parade for dinner. Missed them curly fries and chicken burger! It was great to meet up with them before we started leaving for the break, as we all left on different days.

On Tuesday evening I skyped Sara again to help her out with her Erasmus interviews and practiced the songs. Eventually I decided to stick with the King one because even though I love and know ‘All That Jazz’, there were a few high notes I couldn’t really reach, so I basically learnt the other song in half a day. On Wednesday morning I got up early and packed, and then recorded my video audition (was going to audition in person, but the slot I had was taken down because there was no free rooms to audition in, and I couldn’t make any other times, so video it was). To be fair, my voice isn’t great but I’m pretty happy with my audition. I’ve been cast as select chorus for ‘Does Your Mother Know’ (Mamma Mia) and ‘It Must Be Believed To Be Seen’ (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), and ideally I would also do open chorus for ‘America’ (West  Side Story) and ‘Masquerade’ (The Phantom of the Opera), but will depend on the time I have for rehearsals. I’m so excited for Encore and can’t wait for rehearsals to start after the break! That means I have to work hard during the holidays but I’m motivated because I really want to do the show!

Then I headed up to campus to meet up again for the presentation. We went through all the sections and came up with the conclusion and finished the loose ends that we had left. By now I was already done with the topic and just wanted to get it out of the way asap. After coming home again I took a shower and did some more work.

On Thursday there was an Erasmus exchange lunch organized by the department so that we could get into contact with students from our exchange Universities for next year. However, only Alice came over for the Italian ones and she comes from La Sapienza so she wasn’t of much use for me and my questions about Siena. However, it was still nice to get free lunch and chat with everybody – I met a Spanish girl from Malaga so was great to hear her opinion about Bath. And then right at the end one of the two people from Siena actually showed up so I managed to get his contact and should message him soon now. Then after that we had our Italian presentation. As I’ve said, it went very well – it flowed well, it raised some interesting points and was well backed up. All the hard work and time we put into it was worth it. I also managed to hand in the write up so now Pirandello is out of the way and I just have to wait for feedback. Plus the follow-up discussion was also quite interesting. Fab job girls! Then in fencing the coach couldn’t come so the session was just an hour and a half but we did some games and it was fairly intense, tons of fun though. And for Arabic later on, nearly nobody came. We were only four until Sokratis showed up a bit later. We didn’t go over much new material but we did a lot of speaking and reinforcing, which was great. I do have to study a bit over the holidays though…

On Friday my test went alright. It was hard to keep to the word and time limit but I think I managed. Another thing out of the way. After the last lecture before the holidays I headed home to finish packing and prep the stuff for the following day, as I was finally going back home. I had to wake up at 3am so I tried to go to bed early, but it took me forever to fall asleep anyway. Not used to going to sleep early any more…

So, on Saturday morning I got up at an insane hour and left everything tidy back in my room. The taxi took me right to the Airport bus stop which was actually packed – clearly the start of the holidays. I took the bus and got to the airport at around 5am. Checked in with Ryanair and went to security just in time to avoid the queue and then bought some food for the journey once inside. I pretty much had an hour to spare so I watched some YouTube and had breakfast. I met a girl from Bath Spa going to Tenerife too to visit her parents which was nice. And then after boarding, they told us the flight was an hour delayed because they were waiting for the approval to set off. So I basically spent five hours in the plane, uncomfortable and unable to get any sleep. Instead, I read Superwoobinda by Also Nove from start to finish. Once we landed I was exhausted, but happy to see everybody. Katya also came by and it was fantastic to see her again after nearly four years!  She had lunch with us and then left. I didn’t do much else yesterday. I unpacked and chilled, as expected after a really long and tiring journey.

Today I slept in and I’ve been working the rest of the day. I watched the MTTA video with my family which was great, first time I actually got to watch all the numbers and compere slots! And now I’m so pumped for Encore 2016! The weather at home is warmer than in Bath but it is pretty grey today. I’ve tried to plan my time here so I can get the work done and meet up with everybody. I’m seeing the girls on Tuesday and hope to go to the beach and surf one of these days too, let’s hope the weather improves! I’ll keep you posted!

Y2-11: Weeks 22 & 23, free hugs, Italian Cabaret and ‘Guys and Dolls’!

Hey everyone! It’s been and will be pretty hectic as I have a couple of deadlines coming up, but I’ve managed to squeeze in this post for you!

SU Officers elected for 2016/2017

On the Monday I met up with one of the MA in interpreting here at Bath to talk about my situation. My idea so far is to become an interpreter and eventually work in the European Parliament or Commission. Despite there still being a long way until that happens (I’m still on my second year of Uni and need to do an MA and have years of experience etc.), I think it is never too early to start gathering information. It was a great opportunity to clear up some questions and now I have a better idea of what direction I have to take. Had some debate over Skype with the family about it and still have a lot of research to be done but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it! I also went to boot-camp which has now become a thing. Hard work but the sore muscles mean it’s doing something!

Week 22 was Volunteering Week, organized by VTeam. Every day was dedicated to a topic such as poverty, health or environment, with various activities taking place both on and off campus. Even though I would’ve liked to help out more, I could only volunteer for a day, but I had a great time nonetheless. So, on Wednesday it was Health Day and there were a few charities on campus such as British Red Cross or the Great Western Air Ambulance. I was assigned Parade, where we were giving out free hugs to cheer people up and hopefully get them interested in the volunteering opportunities at University. Initially I was only going to do three hours but since I didn’t have much else to do, I stayed there helping out from 11am to half past 3pm. The weather was lovely and sunny despite it being a bit chilly on Parade, and I met a lot of amazing and funny people and had a great time (there were also a couple of awkward situations involving hugs and photographs but they were well handled ;) ). I really encourage everyone to give volunteering a try; I have always enjoyed my experiences! After that I popped into town to do some shopping and studied at home for the rest of the day.

On Friday we got our marks from the January exams. They went alright. I’m quite happy with my results, but I must say I can feel the raise of the bar from first year. Marking has got tougher but I’m still managing to get good grades.

I’d say the weekend of Week 22 was pretty efficient. I binge watched ‘Orange is the New Black’, finishing the first season and starting the second. I swear, this series is hilarious and it’s becoming a bit of an addiction... And I did some work: cooking, reading for my Italian presentation due in two weeks, Erasmus research… The Erasmus thing involves so much paperwork! And I also struggled to find the unit catalogue of the University of Siena, but in the end we managed to find it and I have now narrowed down my preferences. I will be meeting with the Year Abroad Officer next Tuesday to discuss my options, and I will also be meeting up with some fourth years who spent their year abroad there. The more info, the better!

On Saturday I also skyped Sara, my Italian tandem exchange partner from Parma. She seems really nice and we had a nice long chat about films and literature and England, until the connection got so bad we had to wrap it up. Apparently it was snowing heavily in Siena, while here it has been grey and cold all week (it actually snowed a bit last Friday, but it didn’t set).

I started Week 23 by finally getting round to skyping Sofia, who is au-pairing in Utrecht. It was lovely to have a chat with her and catch up. Hopefully I’ll manage to visit her before I leave in the summer, but it will depend on my exam dates and I’m not too sure I’ll be able to fit it in. She had been on a short tour around Italy and gave me some tips and recommendations of where to go and stay. Great for next year! I also skyped Tami in the evening, who in turn is au-pairing in Dublin. I think I will definitely be meeting her before I leave, be it in Dublin or in London, but we’ll see as again it depends on my dates. It was also great to catch up with her! And, honestly, I can’t remember the last time I’ve used Skype so much!

On Tuesday we met up with Adalgisa to discuss the seminar presentations about Sei personaggi in cerca d’autore and arranged to meet again on Thursday, just our group, to split the work and plan the skeleton of our presentation. The hard thing is that we are quite a large group and so splitting up the topics was a bit complicated. I am doing my part on Pirandello’s play within a play idea and have so far finished up with my research. Tomorrow I will organize the content properly for our next meeting on Tuesday so I can also start my write-up. Honestly, so many things going on! I also watched some Orange is the New Black on Tuesday night. Oh, and I got a job as Student Ambassador during the June Open Days. My first actual paid job, only for two days right before leaving Bath, but it should be good experience. Basically, I will be showing people around and helping with directions, setting up the day etc. Promoting the University, who wouldn’t like to study in Bath?

The two cool things that have happened this week, since I’ve spent most of my time studying, reading and researching (and I think it will be like this for a while still), have been the Italian Cabaret and ‘Guys and Dolls’.

On Friday the 4^th the Italian department organized a soirée in Claverton Rooms for the Italianists. It was great! They set up tables and decorated the place really nicely. The girls and I got a table, ordered some wine and had a great night. They had prepared a show, presented by a fourth year and Max, one of my mentees (who did amazingly by the way!), with different numbers ranging from songs to sketches and the like. There was also pizza during the interlude and a dessert competition. The cake that won was amazing! They had sketched the map of Italy on the icing and stuck little flags with pictures of monuments from the different cities- impressive! Dulcie, another one of my mentees, danced La Tarantella and did a great job! Another one of the numbers that I liked was a sketch about English people travelling to Italy. And the best part of the night, a sketch by the teachers! It was a fabulous and hilarious surprise. We all enjoyed it and laughed so much! After the show was finished they played some Italian music but half the people had already left by then. Only two other girls and I remained as representatives of the second year… I left around midnight, once it had finished. I really had a lovely night.

And, finally, last night I went to the closing night of ‘Guys and Dolls’. The BUSMS team had been working on the show for five weeks and all the hard work was worth it because the show was amazing. Here is a sneak peak of the rehearsals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pS9W2UMz-fc Three of the four nights sold out and with reason. There is so much talent in there and I had so much fun watching the show. Managed to get there with enough time to get a good seat and ended up sitting next to the choreographer, director and assistant director ;) I had never seen the musical before but I really enjoyed watching everybody have a great time and a couple of songs got stuck in my head afterwards! My idea was to leave after the show, but as it was the last night, the show afterparty in Fountain was after de-rink. I told myself I’d only go for a bit, but I ended up staying a lot longer than I intended… Don’t really regret it though. I had a nice night dancing with Roberta and the others, and got a little jealous I wasn’t part of GnD! Hopefully I will be able to join Encore, but will have to see how I fit that with my degree – shows are amazing but rehearsals take a lot of time! Congrats everybody involved in the show!

So, I am now wrapped in my blanket with my hot-water bottle on a gloomy and cold Sunday afternoon. I have actually managed to do a lot of work even though I came back at 3am yesterday and have been a bit of a zombie today. Thank God, because I have an exam this week and another exam and two deadlines the week after. Fortunately, then I will get Easter break and will get the chance to chill at home in the sun for a bit (not that it means I won’t have work to do there too though…). So, next post will come up during the holidays. Stay tuned for that!