Highs and Lows

I haven't really posted in a couple weeks, due to all the busy work surrounding the move. We wrapped up work, got all our shipping together and labeled, ready to be sent off as soon as the visas are stamped. Said a tearful goodbye to our house, family, friends, and dog....Then departed for 2.5 weeks of waiting. Train to Toronto, a brief weekend of sightseeing with Sarah, including her first streetcar ride, and a day in Niagara falls. Then the train to Ottawa/Gatineau, where we are now, staying with our dear friends. Went in for the biometric scans this morning, to start a crazy day of highs and lows.

First, we get up nice and early, have breakfast, get downtown. As we are sitting in the waiting room, I realize I have left our passport sized photos for the Visa at our friends' place. They are amazing, and run back to grab them for us. Then, we find out that in fact, we needed appointments for each of us, not just one for the family. Madness ensues...John and I find a netcafe, finish their online applications (which are almost identical to the paper ones!?!), print them off. Re-schedule appointments for Wednesday morning in defeat. John recommends we go ask anyway if they can sneak us in...and they offer to do so at the end of the day. So we go have lunch....with the worst service ever (management later apologized and tried to make it right for us). Post lunch, we thought we would walk up to parliament while waiting for the call from the visa services agency. We had just reached the foot of the hill, with the flag at half mast for Mr Layton...when almost simultaneously Sarah is bitten by a wasp on her chin, and John's phone rings that the Visa Services agency are ready for us. So in a mass of crying kid and anxious parents we rushed back to the office, completed our biometrics, and sent everything off on a rush courier service to the British High Commmission.

GAH!

So now more waiting. The rush service is about 3-4 days, so hopefully we'll know by Friday whether our visas have been granted. Send positive thoughts our way, please!!

New Beginnings

In two short weeks I depart my comfortable bubble in Winnipeg and begin an amazing, terrifying, glorious adventure in London. This is exciting for many reasons, the most important of which is that I am returning to academia. Not just academia...but the pinnacle of academic work in my field (at least in my opinion). Receiving the course handbook, reading list and outline on Monday, my excitement was invigorated. The idea of having the chance to work with such amazing creators of theatre, on such brilliant works, theorizing on the contemporary performance of pieces is quite thrilling. Our initial term of Scene Study centres on Measure for Measure and The Duchess of Malfi, looking at the challenges of interpreting the play as a creator, workshopping techniques for doing so and how to actually get the thing to life on stage in a way that is insightful and new.

I am also extremely excited for the practical aspects of the course, including the study of LABAN and Alexander physical techniques, voice and the text, and others.

Basically i am just excited. More to come.