Staycation

The past month and a half was covered in a haze of word documents and film clips. In the past two weeks, I have submitted an 8,000 word case study, two 2,000 word essays, two dance DVDs, and six reports. Throughout this time, my flatmate, Rachel, graciously took on the role of guardian angel of sanity keeping – frequently taking breaks with me, going for walks, coffee, or food shopping.

One weekend, when I was going particularly stir crazy, we had an impromptu “staycation”, venturing around my neighborhood in New Cross. We had coffee on the porch, at Goldsmiths Garden Café Bar. We hit up the dinner deal for under 5 quid at Thailand. We chatted over lattes at Chinwag and La Boulangerie, and had a traditional English breakfast at Goldsmiths Café, before one of my 8 hour stints in the library. I had Indian spiced pumpkin and delicious mango lassi at Nouvelle Spice, and nachos on Cinco de Mayo at The Old Haberdasher.

Latte at Goldsmiths Garden Cafe

Latte at Chinwag

Mango lassi at Nouvelle Spice

The best part of going out in New Cross is how affordable everywhere is compared to other parts of London. We filled our tummies with fresh food, sharing and sampling different dishes each place we went. We both agreed that our favorite café is The London Particular. It has the most flavorful food and competes with Chinwag for best coffee.

Here is the website: http://www.thelondonparticular.co.uk/

A few days ago, I submitted my last pieces of work, and all I’m left with is anticlimactic exhaustion. I finished my placement, child skills lectures, experiential group, and supervision. Now, until the end of June, we have a variety of guest lecturers and mini lecture series. Last night, course members trickled into the pub and collapsed in the comfy couch corner, eyes glazed over without even touching a drink.

supervision group

half the members of my course

Fruit & Yogurt Season Haiku

Tangy breezes float

past creamy blossoms sprung from

juicy buds dip in

Peer Led Movement

Life’s gotten in the way a bit of me keeping up to date about my peer led movement class. However, as I am procrastinating delving into the inevitable unpacking process, it seems reasonable to document the past term now.

There were a few other lovely classes in my first term, including various massage tutorials and a candle lighting vigil for those who had passed during the year and hopes for the New Year.

Our first class of last term was a Scaravelli inspired yoga class. The teachers trained in this technique are few and far between, and for the most part, European. I’m just lucky that one of them is on my course. We worked with gravity and on freeing our breath, to gain a sense of lightness.

Next, we had a Jacques Lecoq physical theatre class. We embodied seasons, water, fire and the journey of Giovanni Fusetti’s Neutral Mask. I found it exhausting, but enlightening, finding my way through new and different movement states.

There was also a Greek dancing class, co-taught by girls from Greece and Cyprus. They chose to teach us a dance from “Zorba the Greek”, aptly portrayed by this flash mob. I loved it.

A common theme in many of the classes was playing children’s games. We use these games with our clients and in our practice, so it’s useful and fun to share movement games from different cultures. I must say that my favorite has been musical chairs. I’ve prided myself on my ability to dominate at this sport, since I was a four year-old (Yes, I have deemed it a sport – Olympics 2016, here we come!). The victory over my course mates was made much sweeter, by candy, party poppers, and other glorious prizes.

We spent the first half of that session learning sign language. It’s unfortunate that sign language is different in the UK than America, because I walked away from that class capable of singing children songs with my hands, as well as signing an array of offensive terms.

In case it seems like I could not be less mature, I assure you, I can. One of my favorite classes was taught by a course mate who performs as a character at children parties on the weekends. She taught us how to make balloon sculptures.

This is Melvin. I made him.

Don't mess with Melvin, because I can make swords too, and I will not hesitate to defend him.

I'm not the only proud balloon sculptor.

On a slightly more serious note, the highlight of the term, for me, was the final class: an improvisation session based on everyday actions of our choosing, and partner contact improv. After an hour of experimentation, we came together for a twenty minute group improvisation, mixing elements from earlier in the class with unique interactions, organically forming between dancers. The special and uplifting afterglow clung to me for the next few days.

The Irish

I will always hold Paddy’s Day close to my heart. When I was young, it meant green breakfasts, followed by school celebrations, frosted with green sugar. Paddy’s Day brought shamrock crafts, leprechaun gifts, a house decorated in glimmering Irish pride, and an impressive display of cards, from distant family, spilling over the living room table. In my teens, this slowly morphed into a filling breakfast, with steaming, creamy coffee; followed by a day at school, sporting a “Kiss me I’m Irish” badge; ending at the barre, desperately trying to hide a tiny hint of green somewhere over my leotard and tights, usually a shiny shamrock sticker or temporary tattoo. In college, I ended up at a different type of bar. My roommate would make breakfast, and we would get dressed together; first the green shamrock tights, then the orange shirt and green shorts that say “Irish Bum” on the back, held up by green suspenders, made more epic by an Irish flag cape, and topped with an “Irish Princess” crown, which occasionally got swapped for a leprechaun hat. We donned our green beads and badges through the streets of campus, meeting up with friends at different locations, and ended back on our porch, barbecuing dinner and laughing about the day, whilst wiping off the sweet remnants of Guinness chocolate cupcakes with Irish cream icing, from our lips and hands.

With all of those wonderful memories in mind, the most important Paddy’s Day, to me, was the one spent in Dublin, two years ago. I remember the anticipation during the early morning bus ride, the excitement on the streets, and all of the craic the day would bring. After that, Paddy’s became a celebration of the time I spent in Ireland: music, dance, friends and beauty of the country.

This year, one of my friends invited me to go on a pub crawl. She is from Cork, and had a group of friends visiting from Ireland, to celebrate the weekend. I was so excited to go with them and spend the day surrounded, once again, by the Irish. Instead, I spent the day surrounded by tea mugs, soup bowls, anesthetic throat spray, hot packs, cough drops, antibiotics and extra blankets. I came down with Strep throat just a few days before, and despite my best efforts, was unable to become well enough to celebrate.

I was extremely disappointed. However, I was able to reconnect with Ireland, on a different level, the prior weekend, when two of my friends from Dance UL, the intervarsity dance team I was on at University of Limerick, came to visit me. The first night, they came to New Cross, and we caught up over dinner and drinks in my favorite local pubs. The next day, we walked around Oxford Circus, Hyde Park and Piccadilly Circus. A theme/inside joke that came out of one of the dances we competed at intervarsities, to Bloc Party’s “Hunting for Witches”, was to do “The Creep”, which is a Lonely Island/Saturday Night Live reference. I say this only as a disclaimer to prepare you for the photos below.

That afternoon, we saw A Chorus Line. The cheap seats ended up being in the second row, which would have been terrible for almost any other show, but ended up being perfect for this one. I’ve seen the movie and performed the audition piece, with the Dance Ensemble of Michigan (DEMI), but I’ve never seen it live. It left me in tears.

Afterward, we picked up some pink champagne, to celebrate Rebecca’s birthday, while they got ready in the hotel, to go out for her birthday dinner and drinks. I got to play DJ, as I was not joining them for the big night out.

The next morning, we got off to a late start, meeting for brunch around London Bridge. The weather was horrid, but we made our way to the Covent Garden Market, before calling it a day and going to dinner early. We went to the Sushi Samba. I’ve been to the one in New York City, and let me tell you, this one makes it look like a T.G.I. Friday’s.

As if the glass elevator ride up wasn’t impressive enough, the view out of the restaurant was amazing, as were our sushi and cocktails.

My INCA SWIZZLE - Tequila and dry chocolate liqueur are churned with freshly squeezed lemon juice and bitters

Christelle's TONKA BEAN OLD FASHIONED - Plantation Barbados 5 year infused with the powerful spiced flavour of tonka beans from the kumaru tree in South America. Finished with star anise and Benedictine (When it was presented to her, the waiter lit the sugar cane on fire, let it burn for a bit, then flipped it over and extinguished the burnt end in the drink)

Rebecca's NINA FRESA - Ketel One vodka is shaken with freshly squeezed lime, grapefruit, rhubarb bitters and guava juice and sweetened with strawberry purée

We sipped our drinks slowly, savoring them and our last hour together, before they caught the plane home.

To my surprise, I received a text from another Dance UL friend that weekend, informing me that she would be in London and asking to meet up for coffee the next day. I spent that Monday in my placement at the primary school, bouncing my knee, counting down the minutes until I got to go meet her. We spent just a short time catching up in the Starbucks at Waterloo Station, where she was to begin her journey back home to Manchester. It was as if we had not spent a day apart. We giggled, gossiped, joked around, and talked about future travel plans. I left the station, spirits high, with a green tinted view of the world.

Changes

“That’s just the way it is! Things will never be the same,” flew out of my friend’s mouths and mine, simultaneously. This was followed by cries of our 99 problems, and Kanye’s all too relevant lines, “You know what the Midwest is? Young and restless!” The floor lit up, in flashing squares of different colors, reflecting off the mirror ceiling, in true disco fashion. This was my first proper night out since moving to London, meaning I got to dance.

This brilliant evening began with a Thai dinner at Mudmee, with Abigail and my flatmate, Veronica.

Then, Abigail and I headed back to her flat, to change and get ready for the evening. Taylor Swift, The Click Five and Carly Rae Jepsen, among others, echoed through the kitchen, in true Michigan pregaming style, while we waited for another American, Jemma, to arrive. 

Abigail’s Brazilian flatmate slipped right in and joined our conversation, sprinkled with mentions of Beyonce’s tour and Oscar parties. She brought out a box of absolutely delicious Brazilian candy that her mother had given her.

These little guys taste exactly like Nutter Butter filling, and are almost the same texture. YUM!

This snack was fitting, because we then ventured to Barrio East, for Brazilian music night, some Rick’s style stage dancing, and a delicious peach and fresh fig cocktail. I’m fairly certain this was one of the best cocktails I have ever had, if only because I got to snack on a fig. The rest was just icing on the cake.

We left to pick up my other flatmate, Alessia, then head to the Electric Showroom. We stayed here for the remainder of the night, four American girls, dancing together, with a mix of ironic and truly nostalgic appreciation for the DJ’s playlist.

Five days later, Alessia moved out of my flat, to a new place in North London. She threw lots of gifts my way, including a pink yoga mat, as she crammed her possessions into a suitcase and garbage bags. The new resident is scheduled to move in this week. Her name is Rachel and she is a fellow DMP trainee. I adore her and am very much looking forward to her settling in.

The day after Alessia moved out, I had a meeting with my clinical supervisor, to go over my proposed outline and bibliography for my Mid-Course Case Study. The meeting went really well, but left me with a million new topics that I want/need to research, specifically: mirror neurons and movement, empathy and the brain, and shadow movement. It’s no coincidence that I chose this specific client for my paper, due to the strong influence of hormonal and chemical factors affecting the case. I could go into the intricacies of how I became fascinated by motor control, neurology, physiology, and biological psychology, while at Michigan, but I prefer to just use the term, “That’s my shit!” and move on. Either way, now that I have been launched into this project, I have a lot of reading, writing, and dance filming to do before the end of May.

The next day, I started working with a new client. I now have two individual clients, and a group of four.

A lot has changed in the past week, and my focus in the course has shifted a bit. It’s somewhat reassuring that I am finally finding my footing and able to start putting some words and research together in my own case study. Every time I find evidence supporting my work, I have this little voice in my head exclaim, “Oh my gosh! I’m actually doing something!” It’s a start, anyway.

Chinese New Year: The Food Edition

Our gracious Chinese New Year hostess, Natascha, has given me permission to use some of the photos she took of the wonderful food she prepared. This is by no means an exhaustive list of dishes served at the feast, but they are some of my favorites.

 These chunks of meat were in about 4 inch squares. I was concerned about eating them with my spoon (the only cutlery I brought), but they flaked apart quite easily. We had to share one between a few people, because they were so big. This was labeled "Blessed With Propitious And Peace."

This fried prawn dish was very sweet, and included pineapple and lychee. I couldn't help but compare it to the "Rainbow Shrimp" at Gourmet Garden (my family's Chinese restaurant of choice in Ann Arbor), except it was a lot better, because it wasn't dripping in a thick sauce.

These are our dumplings! It was labeled "Plentiful Treasures."

 I honestly have no idea what this was. It was like a soft, slightly sweet cake/patty. It was labeled "Good Luck For Whole Family."

 These are some incredibly yummy vegetables with krab stick. It was labeled "To Your Long Life."

Again, I am not certain what this was, but it was fishy and delicious.

I really wish that I had access to more photos and information about this food. But, to be honest, not knowing what I was going to get was part of the fun. Each dish was unique in flavor and presentation, and all of them left me wanting more. My course mates and I are still talking about Natascha's excellent culinary skills, weeks later. She truly is fabulous.

Chinese New Year

While my American friends and family were celebrating Pączki Day and Fat Tuesday, I was celebrating Chinese New Year. An international student from Taiwan, also my group therapy co-facilitator, invited my whole course, among others, to attend a workshop that she and her flat mates held in my building’s common room.

We began with a dumpling tutorial:

1. place the pork and chive filling in the center
2. dip your fingers in water and wet the perimeter
3. fold in half and squeeze

This was fun for a second, but turned into a chore as soon as the second batch of meat filled containers were placed on the table. There was a plate with a few plastic wrapped pence, to include in the "lucky" dumplings. This was a nice idea in whimsical theory, but I was terrified that I would end up with a lucky dumpling later and shatter at least one of my teeth. 

Eventually, my course mates and I decided to call it a day on the dumpling front and move on to paper cutting crafts. We began by making red paper designs. These are to hang in the window to scare away the monster, who is afraid of red, so it does not come and eat people (this is what I gathered from the story, anyway). In reality, we made red snowflakes, and hung them on the wall.

However, they were nowhere near as beautiful and intricate as the one made by the hosts prior to the workshop. Here is a prime example of their work:

We then moved on to making paper mobiles of the Chinese character for "Spring", because the New Year symbolizes the beginning of spring. I'm not sure why this was so difficult for me, and I mostly felt like a complete idiot, frequently asking for help. Geometry and exactness are not my strong suits. However, I was thrilled with the end result.

                                             

Next, I tried my hand at calligraphy. We were supposed to also learn the character for Spring... but I asked to learn the character for "dinosaur". Unfortunately, "dragon" was the closest I could get. I thoroughly enjoyed the activity, none the less.

By the time I had finished, it was time for food! 

This was only the first round of food. There were two more table fulls afterward. It was amazing to have real, traditional Chinese food. Everything tasted absolutely incredible. My favorite dishes ended up being ginger vegetables, but the beef soup and barbecue pork were both fabulous. And, of course, I got a dumpling with a coin in it. I suppose part of the luck included my own dental safety.

After dinner, Natascha handed out envelopes filled with "lucky coins" for the new year. My envelope had the symbol for "wealth" on it and had a chocolate "hug" coin inside. That pretty much summed up my experience of the evening. It was a fun, sweet, cultural hug of an event.