Hush Now My Baby

In grade six, I began to thin out. I was never a super skinny child; I always had a little bit of roundness to me. I wasn’t chubby - just full. Anyway, when I was twelve my metabolism decided to speed up a bit (lyk idk why...), and for six years I enjoyed eating everything in sight without gaining weight.

Then came university. Until October of my first year I had actually lost weight - but by March I had gained a freshman ten. I’m sure others had it worse, but I’m just saying that I then realized that my body was no longer immune to the world of caloric intake without consequence. Being in India for forty days helped me lose that ten pounds, but still, it woke me up... (loool)

I’d have to say that I came to this realization today at Starbucks when the cashier asked if I’d like whip on top of my coffee frap and I said “yes” without hesitation. (Side note: London has lots of Starbucks and my mom asked me if I had gotten tired of Starbucks and I laughed) So while sipping on this drink of pure deliciousity (it’s a word now - I’ve been working closely with Shakespeare for a while now and he made up tons of words), I decided that I would try to have an active goal for the summer when I returned to Canada.

So I thought to myself: heptathlon. Then I decided that I didn’t know what a heptathlon was. The same went for decathlon. And octothlon. I don’t think that last one exists. So I settled for triathlon. I forget how far each length is, actually. So I might try that. But I also thought about making up my own thlon. The Devathlon. It shall consist of the following: kayaking, forest hiking, and race walking. I might add some backwards crawl in there, too, just cause I rock at it (or I think I rock at it). Ta-dah. I just have to come up with some lengths now. I’ll do that later. But I’ve committed to the Devathlon. Stay tuned.

We just finished our first performance at the Globe toady. It was awesome! The audience really loved it. I think that perhaps knowing every facet of the play allows me to pick the mistakes out and be more critical. But I actually got to be backstage today which was awesome. I sneakily took pictures, too. It was dark so it was difficult, but I managed. Will put them up later. And I got to go onto the balcony of the Globe, too. I felt so important walking on the stage and stuff when all of the tour groups had to sit in the stalls. Muahaha. The theatre is SUCH a pretentious place. And that’s one thing that I have discovered that I really dislike during this whole experience... pretentiousness. But I guess I had better get used to that if I’m ever going to work in a theatre, and I have to be extra careful that I don’t become one of those pretentites (it’s a word now).

For my birthday on Monday I went and saw a British slapstick (oh yes, you heard me) play. So brilliant. Just wonderful. Ha. I’m not going to describe it to you because that would be tasking for me (I’ve had such a tiring day [haha imagine that being said as if by Georgette from Disney’s Oliver and Company]) and boring for you.

But my birthday made me realize how much I miss everyone. It was a little lonely and didn’t really feel like a birthday. You know that special feeling you get on the anniversary of leaving your mother’s womb? Yeah. Not there. Woo is me. Womb is me. I felt like this:

Ok, maybe not so much like I was shipping my little baby, future freer of the Jews from the enslavement of Ramses II of Egypt, off in a basket down the crocodile-infested, ship-carrying Nile River, but pretty close to it I’d say.

Also, goodbye Indian-themed blog design. Hearing “India” is starting to give me shell shock. Is it bad to joke about that? Meh, people have joked about worse things. I’ll write about my relationship with the subcontinent in a future post.

Seeing Matilda: The Musical tonight!!! And then I’m going to grab dinner from Sainsbury’s. They have these little cheesecake cups in the yogurt section that are to die for... NO DEVON. DEVATHLON. RESIST. TEMPTATION. CHEESECAKEY GOODNESS. (11:26pm update: hehe I got the last one suckers)

I’m Julia Child. Bon appétit!

Happy Meryl Streep Day

The past two days have been filled with touristy excitement. Also, I have walked a total of 37 kilometres around the city of London in the past two days. My feet are a little tired, but I’m holding up. My running shoes treat me well. I’m starting to realize what they’re singing about in “If I Could Walk 500 Miles.”

I’ll take you through what I’ve done thus far.

-visited the exterior of the Tower of London
-St. Paul’s cathedral
-British Museum
-saw The Taming of the Shrew in Urdu at The Globe
-went to the Damien Hirst exhibit at the Tate Modern
-visited the exterior of the British Parliament buildings
-Westminster Abbey
-Buckingham Palace (sort of - it was super busy and I got fed up without getting a good look at the palace, but I’ll go back next week if I want to)
-St. James’s Park
-The National Portrait Gallery
-The National Gallery
-The Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre

It’s back to work tomorrow so that’s why I was trying to get everything in to these couple of days. Right now it is Saturday afternoon and I’m just taking a short break (and a nap maybe) before I go to see The Lion King. That’s basically what this post is going to be about, so I’ll come back when I’ve seen the show and tell you what I thought.

7 hours later...

WOOOOOOW. Just... so... amazing. I want to write a production analysis on it. I might just. Won’t post it to you guys now, but I’ll show it to my sister or something. My general feelings towards what I just saw:

At dinner I had steak. But it was called “rump steak” on the menu. So delicious. I’ve missed my carnivorous habits. But isn’t “rump” such an unattractive word? Why use it in “rump steak”? Might as well call it “ass steak.”

Also, after having my first iced tea in 44 days, I remembered how dependent I used to be on the cold drink.

I feel as if I am the only single person in London. Seriously, there are couples everywhere: interracial couples, straight couples, tall couples, gay couples, beautiful couples, some not-so-beautiful-but-probably-just-as-happy couples... and then there’s me. Alone.

lol I'm not actually that upset

 My “yesses” in England have turned into grunts of “yeh” and I don’t know why. It’s terribly distracting. It’s like in grade 8 when I would answer everything with “for sure.” I JUST CAN’T STOP.

I also find myself hesitant as of late to order smoothies. They seem like such a non-adult thing to order. That and milkshakes. But they’re just so good. So I do it anyway. And you know what Meryl would say?

 This has been a really patchy blog, mostly about the thoughts that I had during my dinner alone last night. It sounds sad but I’m perfectly happy to have alone time. Sorry that this hasn’t been some insightful blog about the struggles of Afghanistan through theatre, but I’m sure that will come later.

PS - It's Meryl Streep Day today! CELEBRATE!

Ingonyama Nengw' Enamabala

See the post below for pictures with captions of my trip to Agra to see the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort. I didn’t have the energy to post them the day I went, so they will go today along with this post.

I have reached London, England. The show has finished its seven shows in India and is moving on to the final stages. Our director said that there is still a lot of work to be done... which is true. Hopefully there will be an improvement before the show goes up in the Globe. Anyway, the nine hour flight was a typical nine hour flight: long, cramped, boring. I watched Big Miracle (the totally unpredictable one about the trapped whales) and Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol. I hadn’t seen any movies in forty days so it felt good to veg.

But London! First time in the city! Six years ago, my family and I came to England but went right from Heathrow to Oxford and then went around the southwest. But I love the city already and have only been here for about four hours. The room in the hotel I’m staying at is small, but nice. The bathroom is just down the hall. Went to bed at 7:30pm last night as a result of the four hour jet lag and am now up at 5:30am! Going to have a cup of coffee, shower, breakfast and then get started on my day.

I have the pleasure of seeing another production in this Shakespeare festival today, Pakistan’s The Taming of the Shrew in Urdu. Looking forward to seeing a show in the Globe for the first time. Other than that, I’m not too sure what is in the books for me today. The weather here is absolutely gorgeous, so that makes me not necessarily want to go into museums, but I probably will still. I walked around Southwark last night (the region of London in which I am staying) and did very well! I didn’t need my map at all, but that isn’t to say that at some points I had no idea where I was. Looking forward to many more of those moments.

I must admit that it is nice to have a couple of days to myself. For the past six and a half weeks the company has been together every single second, so having this separation is both necessary and relaxing. I guess I’m just learning more of the truths about working in a theatre company of this sort. But in all honesty, this has been only my first real day off since April 11th when I started. Even when I went to Agra, I came back to Delhi and had work to do. *la la la la la when i get back to canada i’m sleeping for 48 hours straight*

Anyway, I’m a happy boy right now. And most of all... THE LION KING TOMORROW! (I am just so devastated that my sister won’t be with me because I know how devastated she is that she isn’t with me to see it). My you know what they say... they live in you.

INGONYAMA NENGW’ ENAMABALA
INGONYAMA NENGW’ ENAMABALA
INGONYAMA NENGW’ ENAMABALA

THEY LIIIIIIVE IN YOOOOOOOOOOOOU

My sister is so jealous right now.

Photos from the Taj Mahal

Outside the eastern gate of the Taj Mahal. Nothing in painted on any of the buildings, it’s all naturally-coloured stone. And there’s a crapload of symbolism - lots of 14s and 22s. I also look like I have a huge potbelly in this photo and I don’t know why. I’ve lost ten pounds since I’ve come to India... maybe it’s the fact that this shirt was a large so it was flowy before but now it’s just billowy. My family is probably laughing at this now... Jackson joke...

Perfectly symmetrical. (AND CAN WITHSTAND A HEAT OF ONE THOUSAND DEGREES! - Edna from the Incredibles? Anyone?)

 Me looking semi-impressed by this very impressive building.

 The fountains were on, but apparently they aren’t usually. When they’re not, it reflects the Taj Mahal beautifully.

Me with my shades. My hat is in my hand for this picture, but I would like to make it known that I did not get burnt at all that day and the UV index was 11+ and the temperature peaked at 49 degrees Celsius. My tricks? 110 SPF sunscreen. Wide-brimmed hat. Long-sleeve shirt. UVA-repellent pants (no jokes). Having a sister who has convinced you that the sun is Satan himself.

 Ok, the tour guide I had (thank Meryl I had him because otherwise I would have been so lost and unknowledgeable about the Taj Mahal) told me to kneel down for this one, but for some reason I decided to squat like this so it looks like I’m about to do a poo into one of the reflecting pools.

 Wonderful.

 All stones from all over the world... Belgium, India, Afghanistan, South Africa, etc. This thing was probably so expensive.

 Shah Jahan, the guy who built this place as a tomb for his wife, was also starting to build a black Taj Mahal across the river for himself. Unfortunately, his arshole of a son decided to imprison him before he could finish it, so that’s the foundation over there.

 One of the mosques. This is right next to the Taj Mahal, and people still come here on Fridays to pray.

Symmetrical even from the side. Even this angle is impressive. Sorry that I couldn’t take any pictures inside.

 Until next time, Taj! (Although I doubt I will ever be there again) Because I went in May, the hottest time of the year here, there were no tourists (relative to other times of the year), so seeing it was such a pleasant experience.

At Agra Fort. Notice how hot I look. (eh ladies)

 Where Shah Jahan was imprisoned and watched the Taj Mahal (in case it decided to get up and go).

Where Shah Jahan had a bath with his harlots (and then other harlots would sit in the gallery around and watch).

So that's Agra.

My Experiences in India in GIFs

When I was asked to smoke a joint with a stranger in Mumbai

When the masseuse started rubbing my posterior

Walking home at night alone in an unfamiliar city

After I yelled the ‘c word’ during audience participation

Seeing the total cost of the theatre tickets I booked for London

Eating butter naan

Trying to understand if the Indian man is nodding or shaking his head 

Drinking mango lassis

Getting an e-mail from my parents and sister
 

When I almost accidentally tooted during the most serious scene of the play during rehearsal

mASSage

Today, I went to a mall in Delhi to get a new power adapter (mine punked out about a week ago). On the way there in the auto rickshaw, the guy drove me for ten minutes for 50 Rupees (about 93 cents). Upon leaving the auto rickshaw, he looked at me in the eye and said: "this is a good price." I tried tipping him as well but he refused. But what a nice guy, because on the way back (it was much shorter due to a large road division that he didn't have to circumnavigate this time) the new auto rickshaw driver tried charging me 100 Rupees (about $1.86). I stood my ground and got the price to 50 Rupees. No fooling this naive white guy! Anyway, upon looking at the Rupee worth in CAD I feel like a huge Scrooge, but I guess he was being dishonest in terms of being an Indian rickshaw driver, so I don't feel too guilty. I probably would have given him the 100 Rupees had he not of tried to rip me off... for less than a dollar... ok, I seem like the bad guy here, but it was a big moment for me!

On blogger.com, you can see a little chart with how many views you get. My views peaked with a picture post (what a lovely alliteration that was) and have kind of flat-lined since, but on Wednesday you are going to get some glorious pictures of Agra. I wish we were staying in Delhi for more than 3 days because it would be wonderful to travel the city, but I can so see myself regretting coming to India, having the chance to see the Taj Mahal (no matter how overrated some people may think it is).

Also, I just want to put it out there that I don't like souvenirs. Maybe I just don't like stressing out about finding something to represent my time in a foreign place, but I find that pictures are my souvenirs. And is it weird that I don't like myself in pictures of the places I go? If I want to remember something the way I experienced it, why would I want to see myself in front of it? That's not how I saw it. I'm not totally against the idea of people in pictures, I just don't like stressing out about "making the memory" as opposed to "recording the memory." You know what I mean? Maybe not, that was a lot of rambling.

I also got a massage yesterday. I asked for just my back, but I guess I now know why they call it a mASSage (I've used that line on my sister and my parents already, and I'm sure other people have used it before). Should I not have prefaced my massage with "THIS IS MY FIRST MASSAGE!" Did the Indian masseuse take advantage of me because of this? I should have seen this coming when They asked to take off my pants! Anyway, I was uncomfortable with this for the first couple minutes but then stopped when I realized that I had a plane ride later that day and I would eventually appreciate it. Anyway, I could write a play on this experience (and I might just).

Ok I just Googled this and other people had had the same experience. I guess that's sort of the starting place for your back.

I feel another GIF post coming up... "My Experiences in India in GIFs." Expect this on Thursday.

Me Living Life

There’s not been much to blog about today, other than that we’re now on tour and tonight is the first performance at the University of Pune. A dingy auditorium, but it will be a wonderful contrast for the Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai which is apparently amazing. I will post pictures of all the theatres when done.

I’m also going to take a day trip to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. I figure that this will probably be the only time I’ll ever be in India, so I might as well see it. I think it costs about 95.00 CAD for the taxi for the day, and I have enough leftover INR to cover that costs plus a bit. Why not, right?

Anyway, that will make for a fun photo blog. The drive there is long, but I really like being in cars. I like moving for some reason, provides me with a lot of comfort. Probably stems from my HATRED of waiting.

I’ve also booked my ticket to The Lion King in London. Also going to see One Man, Two Guvnors (a comedy) on my birthday, Matilda: The Musical sometime... and then Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew performed in Urdu (one of the other thirty-six plays of this entire program that we are part of), and then of course our very own The Comedy of Errors. And for one of the performances for The Comedy of Errors, I’ll be backstage. At the Globe theatre. AAH.

SO MUCH THEATRE. But whatevs. Also going to do some super touristy stuff (museums, landmarks) and some green walks (meaning that I’ll go to parks and stuff, not get high and then walk - but when in Europe, right?). I’m going to be so broke, mainly cause London is expensive. This is me living life though.

Goodbye Bangalore

Today, I am off to Pune. The past weekend we had our first three shows in Bangalore; the first was meh, the two the next night were better. Hope for the future! I was up in the lighting booth for the show making sure all the cues were on time. It was an important job, which I was excited about! Wow, that last sentence was very simple. I think I’m just tired. But I should get used to this because in the next ten days we have four performances in three cities all across India, so it’s going to get crazy! After thirty days at Nrityagram, we’re off.

I rewarded myself throughout the day (what for, I don’t know) of the first performance with lassis. Three lassis, zero regrets. You can get them for about 50 rupees, which is about a dollar. Less than, actually. Everything in India is so cheap, so I think I’m going to miss it as we continue, especially in London where the air costs about a dollar to breathe.

Also, the heat up to this point hasn’t been so bad, but I am not looking forward to the next ten days weather-wise. I suspect it will be hot and uncomfortable. This being said, we’re staying in nice hotels the entire time (as to avoid the sketchier alternatives) so the air conditioning will be nice. And a pool. I want to swim. Although I somehow doubt that the chlorinetopia that will be the pool at the hotels will be nowhere near as refreshing as a lake in Ontario. Not Lake Ontario (ha... that’s a different story...).

My trusty alarm clock that has traveled with me to countless countries has officially died. It was going a little screwy though, because if you pressed the snooze button it just made the flatline noise until you reset it so there was no sleeping in, and the date was getting all messy... she blinked her last second sometime early in the morning, though. I will now resort to my watch or iPod for an alarm. I bet you’re glad you just read that thrilling paragraph on my clock troubles.

Anyway, I’m off to catch a plane ride across India to Pune for three days, then a bus ride to Mumbai for three days, and then another plane ride to Delhi for four days, and then to England for a blissful two weeks. Then Germany for another two, and then... I’ll keep what I’m doing after a secret for now.

Speaking of England, thanks to all the great suggestions I’m getting!! Anymore nightlife ideas? I don’t mean that I’m going to go clubbing (is it called clubbing in England?), but for the majority of our time in London we’re rehearsing and performing.

My birthday actually occurs during our stay in London! It’s going to be odd. I’m going to order my first legal drink as if I was in Canada even though I am already legal in England. It’s going to be a curious arrangement. But birthday plans thus far look like rehearsal at the National Theatre during the day, then The Lion King at night. I’ve decided that that’s the one musical I want to see and I know that it will be an amazing way to end my birthday.

First real hot shower in thirty days tomorrow!

Stories

Two years ago, a man was confronted in Kabul. He was asked, “why do you let your wife sell herself on television? Why do you let her be an actress?” He responded, “I am not going to stop my wife from doing what she loves.” Days later, a knock came at the man’s door. He was shot dead.

His wife is an actress in this play.

There’s one scene at the end of the play where there is a lot of crying. It’s hard to cry on stage on demand, and seeing these Afghan actors continually do so kind of makes you wonder what events in their lives they use to trigger the tears. Or if it’s just an instinct; they know that there has been tragedy in the past, and that’s enough to make them cry.

A thirty-two-year-old actress here already has seven children (six girls and one boy), but her husband keeps jumping her because he wants another male. Oh, and she came here three months pregnant and had a miscarriage a couple of weeks ago.

One of the actors is also puppeteer. He was once putting on a show for children when the Taliban came in and demanded that it was stopped. The actor told the Taliban officials that the performance adhered to Islamic values, imploring them to watch. So they did, and they enjoyed it apparently. Isn’t that an odd image? Taliban members attentively watching a children’s puppet show?

The family of another actor is really spread across the world: in Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada. They all went to those countries as refugees. I cannot imagine being separated that far from my family.

Another actress here (twenty-one and already married) took one of the Indian greeting cards she received upon her arrival and put it on her wall. The card was decorated with Hindu gods. In the first few days here, one of the actors (who has since dropped out of the project due to serious psychological problems) started spreading the rumour that she was worshipping Hindu gods. Then just recently this sort of came back up in conversation, perhaps just as a joke, but it started to get spread that she was becoming a Christian. She was terrified.

And rightly so, because being a Christian in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is extremely dangerous. And the rumour simply wasn’t true. But if that somehow carried through to when they returned to Afghanistan, it could have some seriously tragic consequences.

These things that go on and the stories that are told makes me want to speak Dari so much so that I can actually talk to these people. A couple speak English, but I’m not about to ask them to have a completely translated conversation about their lives.

The BBC is filming a documentary on this project. I’ll probably start to learn things that I didn’t know when I watch it... which is odd and a little backwards, but it shows either how important language is coming into a situation like this while wanting to know the people you’re working with.

Really makes you think “O Canada,” eh?

Mousehunt

One thing that I categorically cannot handle is the cockroach. And it just so happens that I just spotted a large cockroach, about three inches long, in my room. After a desperate attempt to kill it with a shoe, it skittered into an opening below a shelf which I have now blocked off, as pictured below.

I don’t think that it will be able to emerge from there anytime soon. At least not for the next five nights that I’m here. And I know, I know, where there’s one there’s bound to be others, but in the twenty-seven days I’ve been here that’s the first I have seen. So blah.

My adversity to cockroaches stems from daycare when I was probably four or five. We were watching the movie Mousehunt, and as you might remember, near the beginning this guy is in a restaurant with his family, eats his food, then starts to feel funny. Then he pukes up the pink liquid and dozens of cockroaches come out with it. Disgusting, right? Anyway, I distinctly remember being horrified at this and I think that’s why it got turned off. I’m sure it’s a funny movie.

But you can see how that would be scarring for a child, right? And I just carry that fear with me to this day. I remember my mom and dad telling me once that some apartments in Toronto have cockroaches in them, which I still don’t doubt, and I just remember thinking to myself, “I am so happy that I don’t have to deal with that.”

False. But I don’t think anyone likes the idea of a cockroach crawling on them in the middle of the night. Luckily I have a mosquito net that will probably keep anything out (I just have to do another thorough check of my bedsheets). Spiders and bugs and newts I can deal with, but not so much the cockroaches.

I know that this hasn’t been the most culturally-prevalent blog post, but I promise that I have something coming. I just don’t think it would be appropriate to post the other thing that’s on my mind with a cockroach post.

UPDATE (9:40pm) : OH SWEET GESUNDHEIT THERE’S ANOTHER.

UPDATE (9:46pm) : FORGIVE ME MOTHER NATURE.

UPDATE (9:47pm) : It’s dead. It was Devon in the hut with the shoe. I had to, I’m sorry. There’s a reason why people have cockroach baths on Fear Factor. Please hope that I make it through the night.

UPDATE (9:50pm) : I CAN HEAR THE ONE I TRAPPED TRYING TO OMG OMG IT’S FREE IT ESCAPED MY ALCATRAZ IT’S BIGGER THAN THE LAST SHIT SHIT SHIT OK I’M GOING OUTSIDE OF MY NET

UPDATE (10:09pm) : Number of cockroaches sighted: 4. Number of cockroaches dead: 3. One came to my window and then decided to leave. I also have a finger injury due to a particularly forceful shoe whack. Oh, and they have wings. You hear the flutter and you know one is somewhere. I am considerably stressed out now.

UPDATE (10:15pm) : Killed another. Going to turn out my lights and super tuck my mosquito net and check my sheets again and hope that no more come in. Good night.

UPDATE (6:32am) : I survived. Heard flutters of them when I turned my lights out. I'm officially scarred for life.

They're ugly-looking things.

King Devon

I just found out that when I reach London, we have THREE days off to do whatever we like.

Any suggestions?

Here are my initial reactions:

1) Find Adele. Make her serenade me.
2) Do my best Austin Powers impersonation (in full dress, of course).
3) Seduce the Queen. Marry her. Usurp her. Become King of England.
4) Audition for a musical as an ensemble member. Step out of the chorus and steal the show. Become a star.
5) Eat crumpets and drink tea.
6) Run around screaming “London Bridge is falling down!”

I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited...

No, but seriously, please suggest something to me via Facebook timeline or message or comment.

I definitely want to see a play each night. I feel as if this is going to be a theatrical experience, I want it to be a truly theatrical experience. But maybe I’ll want a break from theatre. Probably not. I’m thinking one musical and one non-musical. I am really, REALLY trying to like musicals. In general, I loathe them. It’s not that I’ve seen many, but I’ve seen plenty of clips of them and I could write an essay on why I don’t enjoy them. It’s ok for other people to, but it’s just not my style of theatre. Exception for The Lion King.

What touristy stuff should I do? I think it is going to be able to hit up the exterior of a lot of places, but where should I spend time to go inside? I think the National Gallery for sure... I want to find King Henry VIII’s portrait and those of his wives and also the Elgin Marbles.

While you guys are thinking of what I should do for my first two days, I’ll tell you some good news.

Over drinks with the director, I managed to squeeze Meryl Streep into the conversation. She loves her, too. Thinks she’s the best. For those of you who know me, I’m sure you know how happy it makes me to know that my boss likes my idol/hero/soulmate.

You don’t want to know the results of those who have responded negatively to Meryl Streep. I’m not kidding. There have been two instances. We’ll save that for another time.

Nrityagram

So I was sitting there in this bar and this guy came up to me and he said, “my life stinks.” And I saw his gold credit card and I saw the way that he was looking at people across the room and I looked at his face, and you know what a good-looking face, I just said, “dude - your perspective on life sucks.”

Ok those were just the lyrics to a Mika song, but I needed an interesting way to open the blog. When I told someone that I was going to India, she told me to go to her if I needed any ideas of places to go... unfortunately, I couldn’t take her up on her offer. I’m not sightseeing or touring, so I would hate to have a checklist of attractions staring at me unchecked. Ergo, this blog is dedicated to photos of the dance village/school at which we are staying for a month.

This is our rehearsal room where we spend most of the hours of the day.

The floor leaves a distinct red colour on the soles of your feet... known as “Nrityagram Feet.”

A little owl that decided to visit us... he was hurt and couldn’t fly so someone here kept him for a few days until he was better. Affectionately named “Mr. Boom” (boom is Dari Persian for owl).

The bed in my hut. Big bed. Luxurious, really.

My shower and bucket.

This is where they were filming the Bollywood Avatar about a ten minute walk away. We went to see how it was going and this was on the walk back after they had packed up.

One of the actors, Abdul Haq, following the text during rehearsal.

During a scene read-through.

As above.

This is a great scene. Come to the Globe May 30th and 31st to see it.

They grow all of the food we eat here at Nrityagram. So much green.

The courtyard that leads to the houses of Nrityagram’s owner and her family.

Path leading down to our lunch area.

My hut! Comes with minimal salamanders, cathedral ceiling, and refreshingly cool shower water!

The entrance to a performance space they are in the process of making. This was a few seconds before I accidentally awoke about a dozen bats from their slumber.

A view of the space.

This place is quite idyllic in one sense of the word.

The amphitheatre! We hold run-throughs here to emulate what it will be like in the Globe (sort of).

We run them at 5:00pm, when it is just starting to cool down and when the sun doesn’t want to eat you alive.

A great place, really. I wish my university had one of these.

The main eating/living area. The actors and members of the production team live in the rooms here. Just the musicians and myself are 2 minutes away in the huts.

Not really sure what this is.

Sorry, I want to take every opportunity to show off and stress how lush this place is. I feel like I’m in the Great Valley.

Where we eat our lunches.

It looks less hot than it actually is. But in all honesty, the heat isn’t that bad our here in the country.

So there are the long-awaited pictures. I’m sorry that I didn’t put them up sooner, but I’m not entirely sorry. I’m busy and would have liked to get them up earlier, but this way I kept you in suspense, right? I don’t blame you for wanting some though, pictures are the best way to get an idea of the experience... and I wish I was sharing this experience with someone I knew from home. It feels selfish to be doing this myself. Ok. This is going to take a bit to upload, so I’ll start now.