okay, wow! there's so much to tell everyone. please excuse my choppy way of telling you all what has been going on here. i was just looking at the last e-mail i sent to everyone, and there's so much that's happened since then! i originally wanted to wait for more things to happen to write about, but it seems that the longer i waited, the harder it was to get to a computer to write about it all. (hense the internet cafe!)

so, i guess we can start with the classes. those are going very well. we have them on tuesday, wednesday, and thursday (if there isn't another show or masterclass we happen to go to during that time). there is a lot of discussion about the culture of england, and once everyone starts traveling, i'm sure the discussions will become even more fun, based on all of the places people will be headed.  speaking of which, paris happens on friday! i can't wait. i'll be sure to wave to you all from the eiffel tower! we've also been doing a lot of reading (and yes, i have been reading a lot - ryan, you'd be impressed).

we've also had a couple of visits to the royal academy of music, where we witnessed a voice masterclass (i miss singing!), and a lecture about myth and authenticity in music - both highly 'intellectually stimulating' if you will. one of the more enjoyable classes was an acting class where we went to kensington gardens for the second half of class and did some observational writing. witnessing and writing down the smallest details that we would notice about certain people we were observing. it's amazing how interesting a person can be!

in terms of shows, i belive i'm up to about 15 or so: the postman always rings twice (val kilmer), stomp, as you like it, twelfth night, the producers, women of locherby, the big life, richard ii (with kevin spacey), fame, the woman in black, hair, bloody sunday, what the butler saw, the tempest, and history boys...i think that's all of them - not to mention the ones that haven't happened yet or the...well yeah, the ones that haven't happened yet. people have asked me what my favorite was, and i can't really say. the acting in twelfth night was brilliant, but then so was it in the women of locherby; and fame blew me away - but hair was good too. it's just no good asking me...they're all good (in their own ways of course). i love the amount of shows we have been seeing. it's so interesting to be watching how other people act.

as for things that have happened since i last e-mailed, i did finally book my flight to dublin! i'm so excited about going - every different shade of green! florence and pisa have also been added to the list! (don't worry, i'm sure i'll send e-mails about that as well)...actually, i don't think i mentioned before where all i have decided and booked going - berlin, prague, florence, pisa, dublin, rome, paris / disneyland, and some trips to cities in england, scotland, and wales. it all starts (the traveling) this weekend.

as for trips we have already taken, you already know about stratford, but we have taken a trip to stonehenge and bath. stonehenge had nothing around it, but bath was unbelieveably beautiful! and probably is where i had one of my more memorable experiences: the roman baths! i remember learning about the romans in school and not getting enough. they were truly brilliant! it's such an amazing site to see. we also saw the costume museum which was delightful. and speaking of delightful, i had good english tea for the first time since i've been here. irish breakfast is what i had, i believe...i definitely recommend it.

back home, in london, i have done some traveling of my own, getting acquainted with the city. to name a few: i have seen things like buckingham palace (which was another one of my favorites), st. paul's cathedral (523 steps to the top dome! - so cool!), tower bridge, the theater museum, diagon alley (all you hp fans), the market, kensington park, and hyde park. i have also seen so many different areas of the city, and have done other things as well, such as going inside the city hall building. it's shaped like an egg...but the architecture was amazing. i have also been to many different churches in the city - both for services and sight-seeing. i love how old everything is here. two of my favorites are the westminster cathedral and the immaculate conception (which is a jesuit church located in mayfair).

it's been getting colder here, and the feeling of fall is all around. i love it. leaves falling, sweaters, breath in the air (only on one occasion, but still), and...well...just fall...my favorite. other interesting tidbits would be the food. it's expensive, but we are in the city. farther out, it becomes more reasonable. we hit a deal the other day for a steak, fries, a salad, and drink for £5.49 - which is about 10 us dollars. however, i've learned to never eat at a chinese buffet. i might just have to wait until i can have my panda express back in the states. three floors of what was supposed to be the finest chinese gourmet. the bottom floor was the £4.50 buffet, the top floor was the £7.90 buffet (more options), and the middle floor was a more expensive set meal. so after sitting at a table in the basement with dirty dishes from the last table on it for ten minutes, we decide to go upstairs, where we learn (all after paying) that they bring the food out in big rubbermaid tubs, it all looked the same anyway, and was bad, hair in the food, and the kicker - no crab rangoon ---- just kidding - we had to clean off our plates to use them again. yes, dump and rinse. hmmm...sound shady to you? anyway, that's our chinese story, and we're sticking to it.

and really, i think that's about it. i think i hit all of the bases. i will write again soon.

love you all, kyle

Kyle's Sept. 10 email