New Year Will Rise Up Again

The past few days I have been getting into the swing of classes here in London.  On Monday I began my second class for the first portion of my program.  It is called Advertising in the UK and seems like it will be a great complementary course to my other marketing-centered ones.  My professor for this class is nice.  He seems very experienced in the Advertising field and seems like he will provide some great insight into the course topics.  So far in class we have mainly been focusing on the differences between advertising in the US and in the UK.  Mainly this is the difference between hot and cool selling techniques.  It is interesting to hear see examples of commercials that demonstrate the stark differences in product focus, creation style, and strategic release schedule.

Last night my friends and I began booking some weekend trips for later on in the semester.  In less than two weeks I will be going to Paris, France with my roommate Catherine and friend Brittanee.  We are looking forward to experiencing the City of Lights and visiting Versailles. Over spring break, I will be traveling to Barcelona and Madrid, Spain with five other girls from my floor.  I can't wait to be able to see all of the wonderful architecture in Barcelona and to be able to explore Madrid more completely.

Tonight, I went to see the West End production of War Horse at the New London Theatre.  The show begins on the brink of World War I when a young boy named Albert receives a foal from one of his father's drunken auction purchases. While training the horse, whom he names Joey, Albert forms a deep, lasting friendship. Once Joey is fully grown, Albert's father decides to sell the horse to the British Cavalry Unit to fight on the front lines in France.  Faced with the horrifying brutality of the war, Joey finds himself with a number of different owners on both fronts.  Albert, who cannot forget his best friend, enters the war to find and bring him home.

The New London Theatre

Picture from online of Joey and Albert

What strikes me most about this production is the amazing use of puppetry.  All of the horses in the production were puppets and each controlled by three individuals: one for the head and ears, one for the neck and front legs, and one for the back legs and tails.  It is absolutely stunning how lifelike the horses appear.  Their body language and movements were so intricate that they literally could have been real animals. Adding to the show's quality, the perfected use of lights, sound, and scenery and stunning acting by all of the characters added to the intensity of the scenes. Overall, the show was a roller coaster of emotional interactions and action that made for a great production.