Star Girl

I don't know about you, but I like to read. I read a lot of plays nowadays, but in the past it was books. Fantasy/fiction stuff, like Artemis Fowl and of course, Harry Potter. One of the books I read was something called Star Girl.

The protagonist was a boy. I bet you didn't guess that.

I think a lot of my choices have been sort of like Star Girl. She seemingly enjoys hanging out with protagonist dude, but then she runs away, gets lost in her own world, returns when he least expects it. At the time, I thought, "gosh, how independent and cool is she?" but upon reflection, she was just a girl, afraid of commitment and of losing herself.

I Didn't Forget about You

I know this blog is late. It's getting later and later each week! However, that does not mean I have a dearth of experiences or that I don't feel like sharing. The wifi is poor on here, so everything is a tad more of a struggle. However, last Tuesday, yes, Tuesday, I wrote a little something about my time in Stockholm that I will share with you in a moment.

It's been a tough transition to ship life. Constantly trying to find the balance between sharing my time with my castmates and getting some time alone, or at least away from them (soz guys, you know I love you). Over the past week, some things have transpired to make me reassess how to enhance my time away. First things first, I've attended some outstanding museums. This past week, Sharifa, Simon and I ventured to the Moderna Museet i.e. The Museum of Modern Art in Stockholm. We had a fantastic time there, seeing works by Picasso, Dali and Andy Warhol. A lot of the rooms had interactive art, where we'd have an awesome time walking through sand, or pretending to get caught in a swinging fan, or having a mist bath.

Last I was in Stockholm, I suggested to the group that I might go to some decadent Swedish castle, or maybe the Skansen (an outdoor museum) while it was still warmish. It was -3 celsius that day, but Karis and I ventured out to the Skansen. We saw owls, moose, ducks, reindeer, wolverines, seals and otters. We saw mice, rats, guinea pigs, goats, a peacock, and a type of toad that's scientific name is "Bufa bufa". I'll probably never forget that one :) 

So regardless of what others on my ship are doing, I'm making it a mission to go out every day and explore what there is to explore. The ship only offers so much, the city offers a slew of new experiences and encounters, vintage shopping, and so many joyous dogs.

Oh God, the dogs. They're adorable, often dressed similarly to their owners.

So I guess this is a good segue into what I wrote last week, when walking alone in Stockholm, processing the people and my surroundings...

Stockholm today

The young boy who stopped to wave at the homeless man. The tot using a pine twig as a toy plane. The sole beer bottle, centered on a bench, shining in the sun. The dirty white dog having a tinkle that reflected the afternoon's rays. The lady with sherbet orange hair passing the middle-aged man on a bike of the same color. The tween girl with cheeks as pink as her puffer jacket. The two laughing boys, one smaller with glasses, fighting over a scooter. The octogenarian draped on a bench, seemingly pooped from shopping. The elderly man holding his granddaughter's hand in his right and a bunch of yellowed maples in his left. The pair of twenty-somethings wearing sophisticated wool coats over their adidas warm-up gear. The dog poop that I mistook for manure. The infant boy who played peekaboo with me beneath his father's elbow. He stuck his tongue out and so did I.

The fact that the photos I took don't encapsulate the violet of the plant or the serenity of the pink clouds. The fact that no photo could capture how comfortable I felt in a city I don't know, with a language I don't know and people I don't know.

But hey, these people have the closest features to Dr. Seuss sketches that I've ever seen.

Oh the Places You'll Go.

The Most Exciting Thing on the Ship

You could argue from my posts that my favourite ship-past-time is eating. You could argue that I enjoy performance most of all, as it is my chosen career! However, what we've discovered of late is the local ping pong table.

I've always been into ping pong; it's one of the best features of my parents' house, used at every party (either authentically or as a beer pong table). I've found that Simon is an avid racket sport competitor, and we've made our competitions a highly anticipated occasion. We've now spent a handful of hours in that little box of a room, alarming passersby with our enthusiasm (i.e. screams, fits, racket throwing). Ollie and I have also developed a goofier version of the game, and we are grateful that nobody has caught us as our antics are in full swing, excuse the pun.

Before I break, I just want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving in advance. The cast has agreed to go out for dinner in between shows, and all have claimed that this is "my day". I really appreciate that they've jumped on board (again, excuse the pun), but I think, regardless of nationality, we all have things to be thankful for. I am definitely, positively, 100% grateful about this whole experience.

Let the adventures keep coming!

Also, if you want the visuals from my week, I've become a much better instagrammer. If you've got the app, please follow me on hears_who :)