At least once a day, I or one of my friends will say something along the lines of “wow… it feels like we’ve been over here for a week and simultaneously three years.” And that’s how I’m feeling as I sit here in my bed, on my last night in England, writing my final Theatre in London blog post. Over the past month I have laughed, I have cried, I have gotten lost, I have blended in,I have been challenged, and I have grown. But before I get all sappy and emotional, let me tell you a little about where we have spent the last forty-eight hours: Stratford Upon Avon.
What a quaint little town Stratford Upon Avon is. When we first got here, Shawn walked us around the entirety of the town which took…twenty minutes. So miss girl is small, but she is mighty. And she is FILLED with so much history. Stratford is where Shakespeare was born, lived for the majority of his life, and then died. Over the past two days we have gotten to see Shakespeare’s grave, birthplace, and where he lived – at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage. It has been so cool to get to stand in the places that Shakespeare stood. To walk in the gardens he walked. Today we got to visit a market in town that has been happening every weekend for the past eight hundred years. Which is just mindboggling to me. I think I’ve talked about this in a previous blog post, but being in a place that is just oozing with history is such a crazy experience because you are reminded just how fragile life is and how little time we have on this earth.
It is truly crazy to me that this time tomorrow I will be back in Arkansas. This trip has been such a great way to end my college career. I have gotten to see so many shows, and yes, enjoy them. But also get to analyze them using the tools I have learned in my undergraduate career. On a walk today, Sarah, Claire, Jade, and I were talking about the different ways we feel like this trip has made an impact on us. While yes, I think this trip has changed me, I don’t know that just by the sheer design of the trip, I have not had the time to fully process the ways that I have changed. But what I do know is this: I am an artist. I am a storyteller. It’s what I was born to do, and it’s what I will always do. No matter what hardship I go through, no matter how much change I face, I know that that is true. I am so grateful that I got to live in England with some of my best friends for a month. And learn. And grow. That is truly such a blessing and as I sit here, finishing up this blog post I am reminded that with the submission of this post, I will have officially completed a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Performance. So not only is this post goodbye to England, it is the finale of a three year long chapter of my life. I am so grateful to these people who have loved me and nurtured me. Who have held me, and uplifted me. I am forever grateful for our friendship and community with one another. May these memories last forever.
I am truly changed for good,
-R
Theatre in London U of A 