I guess I'll do one of those, "My Year In Review" things

I'm going to go back ever so slightly here though, take it back to around Christmas last year until now rather than almost new year.  Around Christmas last year I was packing my life up and trying to tie up any loose ends in my life in California.  Have you ever tried that?  I mean, have you ever thought about what you'd have to do to leave your country for an unknown length of time?  It's a bit overwhelming, I packed up my life and moved to the UK within two months of finding out I was going.  In retrospect I wish I had had more time to see my friends individually and I probably should have seen my grandparents.

Christmas last year was strange and oddly calm.  Rather than looking forward to presents I just hoped no one would get me anything I would have to leave behind.  I must say I was truly touched by the presents I got from two of my friends specifically.  They showed me that there were people who truly knew me and would sincerely miss me when I was gone.  Those three presents are in the room with me now here in London and they remind me I am loved (Tardis biscuit tin, The Big Book of Muppet Crafts and a tea mug that my friend has a match to so we can drink tea together).  I spent much of Christmas trying not to cry actually, from being scared or from how much I was going to miss everyone.  I knew that the minute I cried my parents would lose it, this was hard enough on them as it is.  It was great to see the friends I did see in December.  Our last Dnd session stands out to me, times I won't soon forget.  Then I saw Rockapella again, I got to tell them why I won't be seeing them as often.  They were so happy for me but I couldn't help but be sad when I left (and now as I type) the things we take for granted because they're so available.  Now I might be able to see them if I can get over to Germany when they're there, but I won't see them every year, maybe not even every other year.  They've been a part of my life for over half of my life and they are very dear to me, they always make me happy no matter what's going on.  I love them, and I don't mean as a band, I love them as people - as Scott said, they've watched me grow up.  They've given me so much, they don't have to, all they have to do is be cordial and sign my ticket or whatever but they care and have been so good to me, made me feel so special. 

Then I had the most awesome going away party!  I don't think I've ever held a party that was so well attended.  And of course only the coolest people were invited (if you weren't invited it was clearly an oversight).  Normally I don't go in for large parties, I value my friends and want to be able to pay real attention to them and not have to flit about being hostess - so when each person came in I sort of cornered them in the kitchen to be sure to get some one on one time.  Even people who were only able stop by for a minute, it made me feel so amazingly loved and so thankful for all my blessings.  It was also gratifying to see that Americans could take to apple pie served the British way, hot custard makes everything better (except maybe fish fingers).

Then I moved 6000 miles away.

I moved to an island I'd never stepped foot on into a house full of people I didn't know.  I'd mentioned before that every mile closer to Cardiff I felt that much closer to my doom.  It's funny what fear can do to you, how something that's merely a mental exercise can put you in knots.  I moved to Cardiff and everything was fine, I liked the people I lived with, I like my classmates, I liked my school, my instructors, Cardiff itself and these wonderful things they call seasons.  For seven months I was mostly too busy to be homesick (I did have a couple mild bouts) immersed in a world of theatre and meeting lots and lots of new people which of course helped a bit with my shyness.  I worked on some shows, went to sometimes hilarious lectures (thanks Andy) and got to work with some amazing people whom I cherish.

And just seven months after I moved in I moved out.  Suddenly I was living for a month in Edinburgh, once again in a place I'd never been only this time living with people I knew.  The Fringe is an amazing beast and I really want to work it this coming year.  It was the most difficult placement I've had, I felt alienated from the crew, it was an emotionally difficult time but a brilliant time as well. To be part of something like that, to experience a city overrun with theatre, where what I do isn't a novelty... I think that's part of it.  When I lived in Cardiff I was a novelty, not many Americans in Wales it seems.  Everyone I met, be it at a bar or college, wanted to know all about California and why on earth I'd leave LA county to come to Wales.  Seven months of the same five questions.  Even when I visited Claremont I was a novelty, "For a Limited Time Only - Liz Carr," only in Claremont at least they knew me, I repeated myself a great deal but I didn't have to explain who I was.  At the Fringe what I did was normal and where I'm from was hardly out of the ordinary.

Home to visit, three weeks with those I hold most dear.  My dear friends, I stand amazed at how blessed I have been.

Moved to another city I didn't know, but at least I'd been here.  Moved in once again with people I didn't know but I did know they were Christians so that helped.  This is the first time I've gotten to choose where to live.  London has so many accents I'd say that a lot of people hear I have an accent but don't really attach it to America, several times I've said something and compared it to my country and people ask where's that.  I less British accents than any other really - maybe that's because I live in that kind of neighborhood.  I've been trying to meet new people and have now joined two knitting groups.  The second one is with a group of ladies from Steph's church and they're fantastic.  They keep apologizing for being beginners but what I want are people I can talk to, it makes no difference to me how long they've knitted.

Christmas.  There are moment where I hate a large section of Christmas songs; I'll Be Home for Christmas, Merry Christmas Darling, Home for the Holidays and the like.  There's a Rockapella CD I couldn't listen to because they are all like that, torture.  I decorated my room and all but Christmas on your own just isn't awesome in any way.  And the season starts so early and goes on and on.  But I had the blessing of being invited to north Wales to stay with Sian's family for Christmas!  Took the train into Chester and they picked me up and took me straight to my first panto!

My first pantomime.  I'd been looking forward to it since January, seeing this cultural experience.  The only things I knew were either from hints from British friends or allusions to it on Monty Python.  What I wasn't prepared for was how talented the cast was.  It seems it's not enough for you to be a talented actor and singer, you also had to  be able to do a prat fall, play a musical instrument or three.  I swear all but three can play a saxophone it seems.  It was Sleeping Beauty (my favourite Disney princess) and we called the Dame "Taffy" (if you don't know what a Dame is you should look it up) and the kids in the audience shouted things at the stage and waved sticks with blinking lights inside (a bit like a colour changing light saber with no handle).  It was lovely, I look forward to seeing another next Christmas. 

The Woottons were just as lovely to me this time as the last time I visited.  Once again I slept in a big lovely bed in a room with a great view of the hills.  They do their Christmas stuff on Christmas eve and we went to Sian's Aunt's house and everyone made me feel at home.  We exchanged presents and had dinner and Guinness and it was divine.  Then Christmas day we had roast dinner and crackers (not the food) and then I had a fantastic nap.  Boxing day saw me building lego with Sian's nephews and the family likes me so much they've already invited me to two further family functions.  It's nice to be appreciated.

Now I'm home, I have a cold, but I look back on all my blessings and I couldn't even count them.  It would take ages and even then I'm sure I'd miss some - to have so many blessing I could forget one, I am truly grateful.  How great is our God, sing with me...

Unemployment

The placement at the Almeida was phenomenal.  I had so much fun running all over London, and going through pages and pages of research on things that are perfectly normal back in California.  Laura, Annique and Helen were all perfectly lovely and I look forward to visiting them on a matinee day.  The rest of the cast and crew were also great and I am so glad I was blessed enough to meet them.  On press night the lovely stage management team got me flowers and a poster signed by the cast.  It's funny, I got BIllie Piper's autograph and I didn't even have to ask for it - she still doesn't know I'm a Who fan.  She is also incredibly sweet, just so personable it would have been hard to feel nervous talking to her.  And after press night I found another example of chivalry in the form of a gentleman noticing I was looking for something and he walked me to the bus stop, sweet guy.

Now I'm unemployed and BORED!  Bored and broke, not the best combo, so I can go to any of the amazing free museums as long as I don't mind the walk.  So first I did the closest, The Imperial War Museum, which I wanted to see anyway.  Now however the museums I haven't seen are a two and a half hour walk away.  Don't get me wrong I've already done it once to see the Natural History Museum, but it's hard to convince myself to make it a regular thing.  I need to go out though, not knowing many people in London I end up home a great deal of the time and I need out.  My knitting has greatly benefited by this inactivity.  So far I finished a blanket I started a year ago, started and finished a Christmas Wreath, started my first pair of socks and made great progress in my K9 bag.

I haven't done nothing during this time though.  I found a church which makes me very happy.  It's great to be able to go somewhere and worship God each week, and I've met a couple people there as well.  Oh, and I went and saw Piff the Magic Dragon in Cardiff!  It was a cold, blustery day in Cardiff, raining on and off but it was great to see the place all done up for Christmas.  I also took the opportunity to rearrange some of the stuff in my storage unit.  Soon there shouldn't be anything in there anymore.  Piff was opening for The Pajama Men whom I had never heard of.  Needless to say he was great, I was apparently the only person in the audience who had seen him before and he carried that off in his slightly grumpy, understated way.  It was super weird though, I was sitting in a row entirely by myself - every other row was full.  It was quite strange.  Mr. Piffles was as majestic as ever, despite missing his entry cue, and read minds and cuddled with the audience participants to perfection.  The Pajama Men, how do I describe them?  When they first started I thought to myself, "What have I gotten myself into?"  They do these sketches that at first seem to be unrelated, from hospital scenes to aliens to time travel to cowboys, but then you begin to see how they fit and by the end you find yourself actually caring - don't ask me how they do it.  It was a bit dirtier in patches than I generally go for, but I must admit I enjoyed the show in all it's ridiculousness.  And I'm a bit partial to time travel anyway as most of you know.  Afterwards I gathered my courage and told Piff (cunningly disguised in roughly human form) how much I enjoyed his show and that I had seen him previously at the fringe.  I'm pretty sure it all came out in a rush, but hey, I was nervous.  Then he let me give Mr. Piffles a scratch, softest chihuahua I've ever met (and obviously the cutest - sorry Diamond!).   I think I did rather well considering my shyness, I feel pretty good about it.

I am going to north Wales for Christmas to stay with Sian again and I am super grateful as I'm finding Christmas time a bit hard being so far away from the people I love.  That means you guys and I wish I could be with you now.  I know that it's an amazing blessing to have this opportunity to be here and experience London and I know I'll find work, but knowing that this is where I need to be doesn't make me miss you guys any less. Think I'll watch Muppet Christmas Carol now.