11th Year

It feels like just yesterday I was writing my back to school post ans today I write my end of school review. It's odd how time flies when you look back, but in the moment it can inch by. That is exactly how this year felt for me. In the moment it felt long and slow, with not much excitement, but looking back it flew by faster than I could have imagined. This year felt very different from 9th and 10th for there was a real sense that we were older. I suppose being the second oldest class comes with several things: bigger assignments, college work, and of course a bit more respect.

The year as a whole was pretty good, although I can't say it was the most eventful year. Our classes were good, but there were only a few real standout courses. There were many classes, like Dante's Inferno, which were simply not my cup of tea. I enjoyed the botany and cell biology blocks, as well as bookbinding, atomic theory, and music history. Our trip to Catalina was full of good things and bad. Looking back I had a great time, but then again, there were many things that kept the trip from being anywhere near perfect. But the truth is, I think trips like that are what we'll remember as a class. The things that were awful, will be the things that make us smile.

The King Stag was another experience, that at the time, wasn't what really what I was looking for. More than anything it taught me lessons about acting that you can only learn first hand. Like, for example, not to get to attached to a certain way of playing a part, fate often has other plans for you. This became brutally apparent when I lost my voice the day of the show and had to have someone dub my lines until I could speak in a fairly normal, albeit rather low, voice.

I loved being with My, Liz, and Ventana this year. It's been lovely having picnics on the grass and laughing. It was nice to spend more time with Armand as well, for although he can be super annoying, we'll always have a good time together. I became good friends with Oscar this year. We sat next to eachother in German class and we had to many laughs to count. I'll miss not having German next year, hopefully I can continue to speak the language, because I really love it! It was also fun getting to make our heads in Clay class, I made Twiggy.

One thing that I think was really amazing about this year, was that fact that our class has bonded so much over this past year. Make no mistake, we still get in a ton of arguments, but when we agree on something, we stick to it. Spirit Week is the perfect example of this. We did so much better than before, and I'm so proud of what we accomplished as a whole. We did lots of really fun things, like go bowling as a class. As scary as it is to think, we're the senior class now and I really believe that we're ready. This year was almost a transition and "training" year for us. And though I'm terrified at the thought that I'll be getting a rose next year at the rose cerimony, I can't help but be excited at the same time. I doubt I'll ever feel totally ready, but this is the next best thing.

When Spetember rolls around I'm glad I wont be alone up on that stage, but instead I'll be surrounded by 20 others feeling the same way as I do. Until that day comes I'll enjoy summer and the memories I have from this past year. Everything after that will be about the future.

Memories of 2009

It seems like just yesterday I was sitting at my desk writing last years end of the year post. This year has speed by and yet was also rather long. I can't say it was the best year, but it wasn't the worst either. I've decided that instead of going into a long summary of the year, I'll merely mention the things I really enjoyed. This way, I can look back and remember the good and forget the not so good.
I suppose the year began, in a way, with the performance of Pippin. It was such a grand experience to be a part of, and it changed the way I see musicals. Before Pippin, I hated musicals and didn't want to be a part of one, and after I was craving for more. It is very different from normal theater and I'm not saying I like it more. I suppose it is a build up of nerves, a bigger inhale before stepping out onto the stage and a bigger round of applause when the certain falls. I learned a lot doing that play.
The daddy daughter dance was fun as always, I'm so happy its almost here once again! And prom was fun as well, although I'm still not sure whether it is my cup of tea or not. I suppose I have two more years to find out.
And with that, the school year came to its close. With promises of laughter and seeing each other once again we were launched into glorious summer vacation. In my case, that meant climbing aboard a plane to Ecuador. That was one of those trips that while you're there you often miss home and the little things we take advantage of here, but at the same realize what a wonderful time you're having. For example, staying in the amazon was amazing. I don't think I'll ever forget that even with all the troubles we encountered. It was so amazing to be around such a source of green and vitality. It makes you feel more alive. After all it is considered to be the lungs of the planet, so I suppose its natural to feel so wonderful there. People talk about how there can be no good without bad, this trip was a perfect example. It was great at some times and not so much at others. One thing I must say, the food was very very good. The potato soup, wow.
Once we returned, it was off to Comic Con. Those three days contained some of my favorite moments of this year. Being there with friends like My and Mary was such a blast! I can't imagine having more fun then I had with those two. Meeting the writers of Lost and getting to go to the Lost panel are two memories I will cherish forever. I'm not kidding, seeing that panel was utterly unbelievable. In fact it was definitely one of my top three things of 2009. It may sound weird to feel this way about a TV series, but I suppose its more than that. It's about being part of the world that is Lost, because for anyone who really loves Lost, that was history. Yes, it may just be an hour long talk, but it was the last of its kind. There will never ever be a Lost panel again, and although I may be totally obsessed My, who has never watched the show, will tell you it was pretty fun to be a part of.
Two Gentlemen of Verona was an interesting and educational experience. I got a leading girl in a Shakespeare play which hasn't happened since second grade. I got to play alongside Ventana in a role that I think related a lot to me at the time I was playing it. Although I wasn't always super happy, I think it was a great experience. I can't wait for next summer to do it all over again.
I set an odd record this year for longest postponement of a birthday party. My birthday is the end of January and I finally had a party in August, more than six months later. I don't know what that says about me, but it definitely says something.
School began again, bringing the perks of eleventh grade, a new play and the Catalina trip. I won't go into the trip to much, but I will say that snorkeling in the kelp forests was such an awesome experience. I had such a blast and it was so breathtaking in that world beneath the waves.
The rest of the year had flown by in a flurry of play rehearsals, German exams and weird revelations. I've also been taking a ton of pictures and discovered just how much I love photography, I've improved so much since last year. I hope the same is true for 2010.

Throughout this year I've had friendships disappear completely, new ones arise, tears and tantrums, a new love of singing, several shocks and inspiration from a source I would never have expected. It's been quite a ride and I find myself hoping for a little bit of a break, but alas breaks never come when you could use them.
And I suppose with that it is time to wish a fond farewell to 2009. I suppose that is why I've never liked New Years, because of saying goodbye and knowing that it'll never be here again. I'll look back at this year and smile as well I breath a sigh of relief knowing that its over. Its been a year to grow and learn and I believe next year will be as well. I think this year has shown me that I need to take chances and not do what I always do and hide away from them. And with that, I bid you adieu 2009.

Bonjour 2010!

Catalina Trip

A couple of weeks ago my class and I went on a trip to Catalina. None of us were sure how the trip would be since the class above us didn’t have good things to say from their trip last year. We arrived at school at 6:45 in the morning and piled into the bus. Off we went. My and I chattered in the back of the bus, until and argument between Claudia and Armand grew so loud that we were forced to move.

Upon arriving in Long Beach at the port where the Queen Mary is docked, we all got out and waited for the boat to arrive. I was very excited since I haven’t really been on a boat before. At first the ride was really fun. The ocean had some huge swells so we rocked around and it felt rather like an adventure at sea. But after some time, my stomach got the better of me and I had to stay at the back of the boat, looking out over the sea. It felt so nice to have the ocean air on my face. In two hours we arrived at Two Harbors in Catalina where we met our “guides” Laura and Shannon. We ate a quick lunch then hiked to Cherry Cove where we were going to stay.

The beach at Cherry Cove was very nice, with little or no waves and sea shell speckled sand.
Everything seemed wonderful until we heard about the many restrictions we had on our stay there. No walking anywhere without a chaperon (yes, that includes the restroom), no sitting on the beach, four minute showers, no tea in the mornings, etc. We walked to where our “tents” where located. I shared a tent with My. It felt rather like an army or prison camp. With the army green tents and showers that needed a button to be pushed at all times for the water to flow. But we made the best of what we had.

We had a small snorkel which was really neat. Although it wasn’t as colorful as the oceans of Hawaii you still saw some neat creatures like swell sharks and garibaldi fish (which happens to be our state marine fish).
The worst thing about the trip would be the food, no doubt about it. Everything seemed pre-made and microwavable, the only vegetable being iceberg lettuce in salad. Ventana and I both had major problems with the food, and in the end the chief didn’t seem to happy with us.

On the second day we had an algae and sea animals workshop. I loved learning about the types of algae and some of the fish were really neat, especially the octopus. We saw some really cool things and learned a lot. We then played “Cherry Cove Jeopardy” which my team won! In the afternoon we went on a kayak which I enjoyed tremendously. It took me a while to get the paddling right, but by the end, I was pretty good. We played a fun game that was rather like ocean soccer. I had a blast.

The third day was our day trip. This meant we woke up slightly earlier and packed lunches and towels and sunglasses into our kayaks. We kayaked around the coast till we got to this lovely little beach covered in sea shells. We ate lunch there and then went snorkeling out by the large rock. It was an amazing snorkel because of all the kelp growing underwater. It was like a different world. The plants would sway and move in their own wind. There were many little fish and pelicans on the rock above. I had an amazing time. It might just be my favorite part of the entire trip. I didn’t want to get out of the water!
Once we got back to camp we were exhausted but found out we had a night snorkel to do that night. So once it got dark (and cold) we headed back to the beach and got backing into our wet (and cold) wet suits. It was pretty miserable, I must say. The snorkel was neat, but it wasn’t amazing. We saw most of the same things as in the day. The best part was probably the bioluminescence that glowed in the water when you turned the lights out. I was absolutely freezing once we got out. I thought I shower would warm me up, but all it did was make my hair extra wet. It was a long cold wet night and I woke up feeling not great.

I decided not to go on the last snorkel because I was already feeling weird and I knew if I put that wet wet suit on again that would be the end of me. So My, who was also sick, and I relaxed on the beach while most of the class went snorkeling. (underwater pictures from that snorkel are thanks to Elizabeth)
That afternoon we went looking in tide pools which was really fun. Joey Gilmore and I went on a search for crabs to catch for the octopus, but we weren’t in luck. Shannon (our guide) found a shed skin from a lobster which we put in Philip's shoe as a surprise for later.

That night was “dress up night” but since we didn’t have many clothes we made do with odd bits here and there. I was a candy sixties girl, while ventana was a lion and My a eighties fitness instructor. It was really fun seeing what everyone did with their normal clothes. And to make it all even better dinner that night was actually good.

On the morning of the last day, we packed up all our stuff and set out on a ridge hike. The hike had an amazing view, but was super hard. I found myself in the back almost the whole time, talking with Hannah about lemonade and soup, two things we were craving. We were all happy once we saw the boat pull into the harbor.
In all it was a good trip, but not an amazing one. It had it's bad points, but then again, isn't that true with every trip?