Wednesday Morning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6I6aqtOtHs

I'm having a lazy Wednesday and loving every single minute of it.  This is one of those days we all dream of but never really do. Let me explain. I opened my eyes at 11:30, stumbled out of bed, made my coffee and organized a plate full of goodies including old aged gouda from Amsterdam, Serrano ham, and a bowl full of yogurt. I then hurried back to bed, grabbed the book Let's Pretend it Never Happened written by Jenny Lawson (thanks Ardra) and pulled the covers over my body and just slumped into the most comfortable position ever with two pillows behind my back and duvet over my legs. I would like to point out that today I used my Christmas mug for my coffee, and for some reason my bevvy tastes noticeably better. Actually this is not true. I just wanted to make myself feel better because I bought these mugs for my room mate and I and they cost 2.50 each. But, they are utterly adorable and have cute Reindeer on them. Our Christmas table would not be the same without them.

The good Samaritan that drove us to the airport!

The truth is I need to have a chill out day because this past weekend was just crazy. My room mate and I packed the smallest bags you ever did see and headed to London. We were flying out of Leipzig Halle airport and our dear old friend offered us a ride to the flughafen. About 20 minutes into our journey, our friend announces that she loves to drive fast and wishes she had a better car. She hits the accelerator, and literally two seconds later the car is sputtering and the hood has smoke coming out of it. We pull off as soon as we can, and it is clear to all of us that we are not going anywhere and that this car is completely dead. Well, that's when the adventure started. Katya started asking everyone at the pit stop if they would mind giving us a ride to the airport in Leizpig. We first asked the police officers and they were so nice, but unfortunately Leipzig was not part of their jurisdiction. We asked a couple of people and then started getting desperate. Katya wondered over to the truck area, and I drew the line there and pulled her back. Just when we thought all was lost, a lovely middle aged man drove up in his Mercedes, parked beside us and lit up a cigarette. Thank god for smokers I say! Anyway, we asked him and he agreed. Long story short we scored a free ride to Leipzig in a pimped out Mercedes. What happened to our friend? Well, I'm not going to lie. She got a pretty shit end of the stick. she was stranded there for almost 3 hours.  Katya and I felt really badly about leaving her there, but we figured if we were in her shoes we would want our friends to go and have fun. I am happy to report that her car was able to be fixed and that all is well.

So our London adventures included catching up with Naughty Natalie. I have not seen Natalie since our days working together at Harvey Nichols seven years ago. She now has two babies, and is working at MAC cosmetics as a fantastic make up artist. We danced the night away in Oxford Circus at a swanky joint called the Marketplace.  I'm going to say that it felt so good to be in a big city. I was not the only person of colour in the streets. Actually Katya said she felt really awkward when we first got to the club because she was one of the only white people there. It was nice to see that she was able to experience how it sometimes feels being the outsider. I know it's all so trivial when people say it's only skin colour, but believe you me it can feel strange when everyone around you keeps staring at you because you look different, and NO this is not in my head it really does happen. Ok, enough about that. I forgot to mention that I was in dim sum heaven in China town not only did I order har gow but also was a complete sloth and got half a crispy duck, and a sweet corn soup. I was in a food coma for quite some time. Come to think of it, Katya and I never stopped eating on this trip. I was surrounded by amazing pastries, macaroons, and other glutenous foods all weekend long. It was worth all the calories though. I love Magdeburg, but if you are a foody like me, you really need to go to Berlin to get the choice.

On Sunday Katya and I woke up early and hit the town. We ended up at the Embankment and saw Westminster Abbey (one of my all time favourite places in London.) At 12:30 p.m the beautiful and lovely PJ Harris came from Leeds to hang out. We worked together last summer and formed a friendship like no other. PJ introduced us to this awesome little french bistro called Belgo Central and it was a gem of a place. It only cost 7.95 for a full meal and a glass of house wine. I ordered the mussels and was not disappointed at all. We had a lovely meal and talked and talked and then walked around Covent Garden, and passed by the Royal Opera House.  During the entire time there I wanted to move back. I miss London so much. I miss my life there, I miss the adventure of coming out of a tube station and feeling lost but excited at the same time, I miss working in a country that speaks my language. I could totally see myself back there at some point. I made a promise to myself that I would apply for some jobs there when I see them.

So today I am chilling and relaxing and shooting some b balls outside of the school.... just joking only Will Smith can do that. But seriously, just relaxing. I have an audition tomorrow at the theater. It's kind of a big one so I'm just taking it easy today and going to cuddle up next to my book and eat some cheese and drink some coffee and tea and rest. It is freezing in Magdeburg at the moment. Totally freezing. Oh, I forgot to say that I met a really nice man in the theater. He is from Germany and I am giving him English lessons in return for German ones. We had our first lesson yesterday. So far, so good. We plan on meeting once a week and I think this will really help me with my German vocabulary. I think if there is one piece of advice I could give to fellow opera singers it is make the most of your opportunities. It is so easy to get bogged down with how hard it is to learn a new language, or how lost you can feel being so far away from home. But, I think it is important to connect with your surroundings and find your footing through community living. I've tried to do this and so far I think it's working.

And now back to reading and there might be a slight chance of an afternoon nap.
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