Catch Me I'm Falling (Reprise)

About 4 months ago, I was on a train from Freiburg, Germany to Interlaken, Switzerland to jump out of a plane. I was listening to the Next to Normal soundtrack, and the song “Catch Me I’m Falling” comes on my iPod. I listened to that song over and over, letting the lyrics and melodies consume me. I knew that that show would be on the top of my list to see when I came to New York in January.

Tonight, I found myself in line for a lottery—selling off a right to buy a seat for $25. Though my name was called, enough people won that we were able to go see it as a group. I ended up with my theater prof, and she was lucky enough to nab two seats, front row center. I spent most of the show looking straight up, like sitting too close to the screen in the theater. In this show there are just 6 cast members, and being able to see their tears and the spit fly out of their mouths when they spat out their lines always makes it seem even more real. These people are sweating and crying in front of you and you can’t stop the tears either.

Next to Normal is one of the rare shows that has the second act get better than the first. The songs I fell in love with made so much more in context (as did Catch Me I’m Falling). The depth of the characters grew immensely, and the acting was so BELIEVABLE. It felt so real. I know I will go see that show again.

Now, this weekend I saw 5 shows. My favorites were Ragtime and Next to Normal, but my favorite experience of all was the last two minutes of “Hair”. The a cappella version of “Let The Sunshine In” was simply stunning and set up the ending so well. Then, at the end, the cast invited us up on the stage after the bows: “Do you want to go dance?” I said, “YEAH!” So there I was, at the front of the stage, surrounded by the cast and some of the audience. The band was roaring the reprises and we’re all singing along. The audience is still full. I look up at the lights, feel their warmth. I see the back of the house and feel what it would be like to project all the way. I turn around and see the set, the flyhouse, the curtains, backstage. I look down at the edge of the stage, the front row, the floorboards. And as the songs were ending and the people started to leave, I looked at Wes and said, “This is what it’s like to be on a Broadway stage.”

I want to follow that dream. I want to sing, and act, and move people like the cast of Next to Normal. It might not be about the money, but it would be incredibly fun. I’m going to try to make it, and I’m going to do what I love.

Oh, and I’ve been eating tons of cheesecake.

Stuck.

7 floors, 9 people, a keyboard. I was actually thinking when we were passing the 4th floor if I would ever be stuck in an elevator. And as the elevator leveled off at the seventh floor, the doors took longer to open than usual. Then we realized that they weren't going to open. We pressed buttons and rang the alarm and ended up calling the building manager. It was warm, someone was hyperventilating and Josh S. decided to bounce up and down a little.

A few minutes passed by and a savior started yelling in from the other side. He told us to push the doors open from the inside. Now just before this, Josh S. told everyone that the doors weighed about 3,000 pounds. To my surprise, the doors opened without much force, so it looked like we were truly buff strong men. As soon as the inside doors were opened, we realized that the elevator stopped about a foot short of the floor. The repair man tried using a crowbar and screwdriver to pry the door open, but the door wouldn't budge. So, we had to shut the doors and reach on the outside door to trip a black button that unlocked the doors. After about 10 minutes, we were out. Who would you want to be stuck in an elevator with? I was happy it was my friends and my professors. Josh S. and I climbed out of the elevator first and helped everyone up. Welcome to NYCAMS!

Just another job for Superboy. Speaking of that, I am going to try rushing for Next to Normal tomorrow! Wes, David, Maddie and I saw Ragtime tonight. Wow. Definitely one of the top 3 shows I have ever seen. A massive cast, hugely talented, wonderful music and a poignant look at how minorities and immigrants were treated in the early 1900's. Thank you cast and crew for bringing this powerful story to life.

my first day in Lamor-Plage,/Lorient, France

Pulling into the La Paix college campus brought on a massive wave of nervousness and excitement. Our coach rolled in just as classes were ending, so many students stared at us passing by, this large group of Americans. Our group is spending this week in Lorient, which is a large port/harbor town on the west coast of France. We are also spending the week in homestays, so all 28 of us are split up at night. We arrive in front of the office, and all of us give a great cheer. Through the window, we see the American flag hanging on the wall. This place instantly felt like home and that we were welcomed.

We pulled our bags off the coach and realized that we were being matched up with our families in the parking lot right away. They were waiting for us, and the French professor would call off our names and bring us to our family. It dawned on me that there was no briefing time. I felt the urge to say good bye to my friends. I know that I will see them tomorrow, but it was odd, just leaving them all of a sudden, pulling us all in different directions.

Now I’ve only spent about 2 or 3 hours learning French these past few weeks. Thankfully, I was matched with a family that all spoke English very well. Monsieur Salaun works as a teacher at the prison preparing inmates for going back in to society (especially workplace skills). Madame Salaun is actually from Dominica in the West Indies and is a private English tutor that works out of home. As we were driving back, Monsieur Salaun and I discussed the global economic crisis, unemployment and just generalities about their region and my background. It made me at ease that he was able to speak English so well. I do find myself pausing to ask myself, “is what I’m about to say going to make sense?” So I attempt to not use slang and make it easy to understand.

The family lives on a renovated farm that has been turned into a few residences. Before we went home, however, Mr. Salaun took me into the center of their small town to buy bread. Bread to the French, as far as I can understand it, is as important as water on the table. It is served at every meal and it is only served as a baguette. So, we walked into the bakery and he bought 2 baguettes – they were warm; fresh out of the oven. He gave me a quick tour around the town (opposite side of the harbor as Lorient) and told me used to be a large fishing port, but now relies on tourism in the summer months as it has good sailing and beaches. In fact, they actually have a small house that they rent out in the summer… which I found out, was where I would be spending my week!

Right now, I am sitting in the Salaun guest house and I feel like a king. It has a large great room with a TV, fireplace, dining table and kitchen all open. Then, up the stairs there are 2 bedrooms and a bathroom. On this trip, we have run the gamut as far as accommodation is concerned. Some really beautiful hotels, some hole in the wall hostels, but mostly just basic, clean beds. But either way, they are shared with at least 1, sometimes 2 or 3 other people. I have a big room, a really big bed and my own bathroom all to myself. I have a place to kick up my feet and it feels just like home. I’m waiting for Madame Salaun to finish her English lessons, and then I’m going over to their house to eat dinner.

Right now, I couldn’t be more thrilled to spend this week learning and living with this family.

They have a son, Matthieu (goes by Matt, and we’re already Facebook friends) who is a year younger than me. He attends college nearby and is studying International Business. I’ve met him only briefly, but it sounds like he’s going to show me around some more tomorrow. Plus, Armistice Day is on the 11^th, (similar to our 4^th of July) so it is a big holiday and we’re all going to attend a military celebration.

The only bummer about this week is Registration. I have a lot of credits so technically I register with the Seniors. Unfortunately, that means today at 8:30 PM. That’s 3:30 AM here in France. It is a frustrating ordeal nonetheless to organize the classes you are going to take, but this is an added challenge. We did have the option of emailing our schedules in, but I just want to know that it is done and if something goes wrong, I want to be able to fix it or change my classes myself. My family has internet access, so it should work out brilliantly.

On a final note, today is the 20^th anniversary of the Berlin wall coming down. I am watching (in French) the celebrations going on in Berlin on TVv. Several of the presidents and prime ministers of the EU nations are in attendance. Angela Murkel of Germany and Gordon Brown from England were the ones I recognized (and at least understood somewhat)

Go up to the clerk at the gas station, the post office, the grocery store. Say hello and ask them politely for help. They oblige, because it is their job and they will help. You find what you need or are taken care of and you say thanks, have a good day or just goodbye. Say hello to your roommate at breakfast then say hey again in passing in the hallway after lunch. American greetings are simple, often obligatory and even empty. When we ask “how are you” , it’s often just out of routine to be nice to others.

In France, when I kept hearing ‘Bonjour’, I just assumed it was just another word for hello. What I learned was that ‘bonjour’ has a deeper meaning than that. The meaning of people when they say that word is, “I want to start a relationship with you today”. So, that is why, once you’ve “bonjoured” someone, you don’t need to say it again. The relationship has already started for the day. You do it the first time you see someone, even if it’s walking in to a store or a restaurant. You have to be prepared to receive or initiate the bonjour so that you can conduct business or continue the relationship. It seems to carry so much more meaning. I want to start my relationship with you today.

Our week here in France has been spent having all our regular business classes, but also learning about French culture, language and seeing historical sites here. We are literally 100 meters from the beach here, so it’s easy to run down to the ocean and try to see England across the channel. Also, we’re living in the Normandy region, which is where the famous battle for Normandy and D-Day took place during World War II. I had the opportunity to visit Omaha beach and several key battleground sites.

Walking into the museum of the American forces during the battle for Normandy was harrowing enough, listening to how the soldiers bravely fought for our country. But what was more sobering was going outside to visit the memorial cemetery. There are over 10,000 soldiers buried here; all the graves are pointed toward America. Walking along and reading the names and states where these brave men rest now made me realize how much I have to be thankful for. These people stood up against one of the greatest superpowers in the world to ensure that the free world stayed free.

On the way out, I stopped to read the memorial wall of soldiers who were never found after the battle. The wall is considerably long, I believe with over 1,000 names just from the Normandy battle, lasting about 1,000 days. The wall says something like this: “Here are the names of the soldiers who lie in arms known only to God”