Haven’t written in a while, but traveling seems to diminish one’s down time. Where to start? Well Spain was great, again. Stayed with my other cousins this time, and the girls are younger. A different energy you know? One day Andrea, Oana and I went to the park just to take pictures and I ended up doing cartwheels everywhere and climbing trees and being a big goofball. New Years was also a BIG THUMBS UP! My cousins Adela and Loredana rented these three little cabins with some of their friends,  there were 12 of us in total, all Romanian. So that in itself was new for me because I’ve never spent New Years with Romanians my own age. We daaaaaaaaaaaaaanced for hours. A lot of European club music but also a lot of Manele ( hard to describe, but I guess the best way to put it is ‘contemporary Romanian Gypsy music”..?). In fin, this place was stunning, it was this tiny pueblo in the mountains with some of the most incredible views I’ve ever seen. What I love about Romanian is that when it’s time to eat they don’t play around with this pizza, sandwich bullshit. It’s always heaty, grilled meats, sarmale, fresh veggies and bread bread bread.  After our  escapade was over and I returned to Parla, I enjoyed a traditional Spanish meal, three courses which naturally included paella and then Oana and I went SNOWBOARDING! WOO! What a rush! I’d been skiing before but I’d never boarded and I was by far one of the coolest sports/activities I’ve ever done. We only spent 3 or so hours on the slopes but I loved every minute of it. And then Spain came to a close and again I was exposed to the complete generosity of my family. The girls and their mom gabi insisted on giving me stuff, shoes, bags, jewelry, stuff they didn’t want or need or just wanted me to have as a memento. They’re a tremendous family, been through a lot and they’ve worked hard to creat a life for themselves in this other country and whatever they have or lack doesn’t really matter because they’re together and they unconditionally love eachother. It’s really magical to see.

So part two starts in BERLIN! Lynn came to meet me at the airport and the two of us miraculously managed to cart my massive ass luggage onto a bus, then two trains then all the way to her friend Julia’s. This bag is a beast, it’s 30kg and has wheels but they don’t really roll properly. I think getting to our home base was one of the most victorious moment of the past month. So Julia is a friend of Lynn’s who’s a singer, she’s got a band and they do a lot of funk, soul, disco covers but she also does musical theatre. So after Lynn and I grabbed a bite to eat and a couple of beers us three went to this dope Jazz club. I’ve always liked Jazz, but I think this is the first time I got to enjoy it with a roomful of musicians. It’s a totally different experience because everyone looks at it with a critical eye, as an artist and not as an audience member. Berlin is pretty fucking dope though. It’s a beautiful city, orderly, clean and all that but its also very laidback, very cool, ultra welcoming. It’s kind of like the Lower East Side of Manhattan. It’s been so good getting together with one of my friends again. I haven’t laughed so hard in months. I feel like I can be myself and be silly and artistic and energetic and passionate so much more than I ever was in Romania. I met a girl last night who’s also Romanian, but a German citizen now. And we talked about how the mentality is so different. She pointed out how in Romania if she wanted to go out with her friends and drink she would get criticized because she’s a girl. Which is true, not exclusively, but in general women are still expected to fill the traditional role of homemaker, and wife. We’re expected to be domicile and ladylike and all of that is fine and dandy and has its place but sometimes you just want to chill.

So last night, after a great day of seeing the city and hanging out with Lynn the girls and I met up with some of Julia’s friends at this great little bar. Very cool, vintage interior and they played nothing but old school hip hop. Had some drink, had some drinks bought for us, and then around…1 or 2 maybe we headed to this dance club. Great music, the atmosphere was a little odd…and the girls and I talked about this on the way home. People seemed very polite while dancing, while in NY you go to a club and you basically have to fight for your space on the floor. New York is aggressive and energetic and confrontational while Berlin is much more laid back and chill. And cool. If I could call Berlin one thing, it’d be cool.

I’m dealing with a bit of travel drama, seems like my standby flight won’t be happening as originally planned, so right now I’m a little in limbo. But things will work out. With willingness and action, they always do.

It will be Christmas Eve in approximately 20 min. This will be the first Christmas I’ve spent in Romania since I was 7. In 4 days I will be in Bucuresti, and in 6 days I will be in Madrid. Funny how this past month has passes so quickly. November dragged on like the plague, but December has just been breezing by. As much as I’m looking forward to going back to NY I have to admit I’m anxious to see what this new year will bring. Excited- anxious that is. Here’s the thing, the past couple of months have been really low key for the most part. Career-wise, I haven’t done anything earth-shattering, but I’ve learned about a different beast, about the art-scene in a different culture. I’ve seen how it breathes, what it feeds on and what it lacks. I haven’t gone on crazy adventures per-se. Yes there was the thrilling week in London, but apart from that I’ve been spending most of the time with my family.  While I could have been in New York coaching, earning money, auditioning, hopefully booking gigs, and paying bills….I was, instead, seeing my grandparents, eating, baking, sleeping, playing with my cousins, eating, taking long showers, sitting in the kitchen and chatting, speaking lots of Romanian, listening to old stories and getting fat. And I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I can do all of that New York stuff for the next 10 years if I so choose, but this, as boring and frustrating as it was at times, may not happen again for a few more years.  I have an incredible family. I haven’t always  seen that clearly, but they are so strong and generous and upstanding and I’m really proud to be one of them. Oh we have our downfalls and weaknesses and skeletons, but we push forward no matter what. 

Oh it’s been a while since I’ve updated. From the 10^th through the 14^th I was in London, spent all of the 15^th traveling back to Romania.  Yesterday recouped on sleep and baked a bit. This weekend I’ll be in Chirpar seeing my mom’s side of the family. Then comes Christmas, followed by New Years in Madrid, then a few days in Berlin with my darling Lynn and then back to Georgia to pack, see my parents and visit Amanda and then back to New York and back to work. Finally. I miss productive labor.

But let’s review London a bit eh? Oh London <3. Getting there was a bit of a pain: Woke up at 4am, showered, had a cup of coffee and got to the bus station by 5:30 to catch a 6 hour bus ride to Timisoara. Got there, grabbed an overpriced cab to the airport, where I waited 5  more hours for my flight to Munich. Brief layover and then off to Heathrow. By the time I got to Stephen’s place it was near 10pm (or midnight in Romania…quite a long day). Dumped my stuff off and headed to The Pilgrim, this fantastic pub that Stephen manages. So the night started with a bang at the Pilgrim; good spirits, good people. Everyone was super friendly, very warm and chatty. Then we went to another club, drank some more, danced a bit and finally made our way back to Stephen’s where I experienced a bit of “hospitality” New Zealand-style.  Less than 24 hours in London and life seemed good.

Day two: Had an ostrich burger for the first time, made some new friends and then went off to see Big Ben and the London Eye. Ended up going to this great little arcade with Stephen, where we bowled a bit…and I exposed just what a horrific bowler I am.  I talk a big game. There was this great little winter market set up on the West Bank with food, art, jewelry, all sorts of great stuff. So pretty. London is just a beautiful city, it has the buzz and energy of New York but its so much cleaner and bigger and more historic. Absolutely magical.  Chatted a bit with Stephen about things we actors talk about, show reels and casting websites and such.  Made our way back to the Pilgrim, hung around until closing then back home to Stephens where I passed out! I woke up in the middle of the night freezing. Why? Because some lovely Australian boy asleep on the couch decided to hog the big blanket. So we shared. Tis the season.

Day 3: Bought some muffins for Stephen and I and then we headed to Buckingham Palace. Surprisingly her Majesty was in and security was on  high alert. Had some good ol’ fashioned Fish and Chips with mushy peas for lunch and then Stephen and I parted ways and I went to Trafalgar Square to see THOM!!!!!!!

I missed Thommy, he’s such a good guy. We meandered about, and then grabbed a nice tea and had one of the best talks I’ve had in a while. Sweet man that Thom. Miss him.

After that I walked around a tad and found my way back to the Pilgrim. Had a drink, watched a very intense football match. Lots of rowdy Brits. Lots of good fun. Headed back to Steph-o’s and watched a couple of movies with the guys. A quiet night. Very good, because the next day was fun filled….

Went to Camden Town by myself (Camden Town if you’re curious is sort of like St. Mark’s Place in NY but 30X bigger). Spent a good bit of time there doing some Christmas shopping. Then I headed to Tower Bridge and walked along the river until I got to the Tower of London. My camera had died the previous day so all of the pictures documenting this are on a fun lil disposable camera which I will get to see once I’ve used it all up. That night the staff at The Pilgrim had a kickass Christmas Party and we all went to Winter Wonderland where we rode great old-school fair rides and got smashed. Cheers.

We then made our way back to Vauxhall where we decided to stop in this great gay club and drink more. Here’s a little known fact about me: I am not just an affectionate drunk, I am also an EMOTIONAL DRUNK. AKA I ended up running to Stephen and his friend Chris crying that I’d never find anyone and I’d always be alone. Oh boy.

So, to make an already long story short, the bunch of us got back to Stephens and after all was said and done I finally got to bed sometime after 2am knowing that I’d have to be in a cab to the airport in 3 hrs. That didn’t happen.

It unraveled a little something like this:

I wake up. “Davis what time is it?” “7:30” “Are you kidding?! My flight left an hour ago! SHIT!” Lots of scrambling, looking for articles of clothing, I run into Stephen’s room…” Stephen I missed my flight! Can I use your laptop to find another?” “Whaaa…oh yeah, yeah course you can”. I run to find another flight. Book it. ‘Stephen can I stay here another night?” “Yeah cours ya can love’ “Thanks”

I go back to sleep. The next night I sing some drunken Karaoke, play a terrible game of pool and say a loving goodbye to London and all it’s glory. Left Vauxhall at 12:30am, took a bus and got to the airport around 2:30am where I lingered in a zombie-like state until 7:30am that morning when my flight back to Romania left. I WAS NOT missing this flight. Got to Cluj, and waited for the next bus to Sibiu, 4 hours later I was home.

Rough travels, but wouldn’t trade it for the world. <3 London.

I’m seriously crushing in Kid Cudi.

Family’s great right? My little cousin is 4 and a half and just started playing soccer. He comes home one night, sweaty, red-faced and goes “Iulia! I made two goals! I’m the best player!” Kids are great because they don’t understand limits, all they see is what they want, to them failure is not an option. He’s a great example.

Going to London on Saturday. PUMPED! PUMPED! PUMPED!

I randomly started thinking about New Years resolutions tonight. Not that I ever keep any but I think this one is worth the effort; one of my NY’s resolutions is to go out every weekend, even if it’s just grabbing a beer with friends. It doesn’t have to be grand, or expensive or last all night, but it’s important to make time for friends and to let go a little. I’m not saying this because I’m an expert, but because I know what my weak points are and I’m trying to work on it. So to all my friends take this as an invite to kick my ass a little bit and help me get out of the house. Ya heard!?

I’ve been helping my aunt bake a bit here and there. I’ve got a bulk of new recipes which is good because I’d like to cook more. I’ve always enjoyed it, I just haven’t always had the occasion. Well occasion or no, it’s happening, at least for the sake of pure enjoyment.

You know when you’re in acting school and they drill into you this notion of acting impulsively? That doesn’t always work out in real life. But I suppose that also depends on your perspective…

Here’s what happened: I’d been hoping to go to London and figuring out housing arrangements, dates, etc. So today I was looking at flights and there was a flight from Sibiu (my hometown) to London for $200. Sweet, right!? But I didn’t get it right away because I still hadn’t heard about where I was staying and whether I’d have to get a hostel. In any case, I decided to procrastinate briefly and go have lunch. Within the hour I came back and those tickets were gone. Fuck. So I start searching and find a flight for later that week from Timisoara to London for $200, and I think “ok I’m not going to pass this up again” So I booked the flight and found a really good cheap hostel AND a knowledgeable tour guide. What could go wrong? A fair bit apparently. You see driving to Timisoara takes somewhere over 8 hours round trip…not because it’s incredibly far but because THERE ARE NO HIGHWAYS and all the roads are a mess. Which is a fuck ton of gas money and unfair to ask my uncle or anyone to make that kind of drive just for a whim of mine. So then we start exploring trains and busses, most of which either didn’t have a route or they arrived way after my flight left (resolution,  the best option is to arrive in Timisoara 5 hours early….I’ll deal). And then the conversation turned to “you have to tell your dad” and “why didn’t you ask before buying your flight?”

Because I saw a window of opportunity and I jumped. I missed the first one, I didn’t want to miss the second. And I didn’t realize transportation was that complicated in this country. I’m not in Europe often so if I can go to London for $200 I’m going to take it.

You know whenever I call my dad for advice now, we’ll talk but he’ll ultimately tell me that I’m an adult and I need to make my own choices. Very well, I’ve done that, but now I get chastised for it. Go figure.

I really just feel bad for causing any undue stress on my family, that’s certainly never my goal. But I have to get away and see something else for my sake. It’s in those moments when I feel stuck that I have to do something, and I would rather travel than pick up a smoking habit.

Sometimes when you go somewhere you expect to see something or someone, to find  or to discover…and sometimes you have no expectations. I came here hoping I’d find something…I had no clue what that thing was but I hoped it would recharge my batteries and reignite my love for theatre. Today I realized what that was.

At first I thought it was my family, specifically my aunt and uncle. My aunt is more of a big sister, we’ll sit and talk about stuff for hours and she’s helped open my eyes a lot, just in reminding me what it means to be a moral, giving person and to not compromise.

However, when it comes to my career, Adriana has been my blessing in disguise. She’s the ballet/movement teacher I mentioned before. She’s only 26 or so, and is working on her doctorate, and aside from teaching movement for actors she also teacher Theatre theory and styles. She’s been letting me assist with her 1^st year class and I’ve learned a lot in turn. Today she was telling me about this accident she had a couple of years ago, that prevented her from dancing for 6 months (which for a ballerina is torture). And we were also talking about how when you’re in school  you have this community of artists that you can go to and work with and build together, and once you’re out in the world so much of that disappears. She was saying how that first year after graduating was rough, she went through a lot, questioned everything, didn’t really know if what direction to take her career….sound a little like yours truly ;)? The conclusion is that you have to keep going, even in solitude….even if it’s just you practicing plies alone at a barre for three hours, you have to keep on because there’s no other option. Look I’ve heard this talk before, and Adriana was certainly not trying to lecture me, but it somehow lands when you see yourself in the situation.

I want to go get my masters. For a while I questioned whether I needed it or even wanted it, but now I realize it’s the right choice for me. I’m going to wait a bit, pay off some loans before taking on another expense, but it’ll happen.

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving! I had spaghetti for dinner last night…rebel ;)

There are stray dogs everywhere, one followed me home the other night, gave it some food….I hope it comes back.

I saw a Romanian version of Neil Simon’s Star Spangled Girl two nights ago. It was good, funny, but some of the lines lost some humor in translation. That’s the thing, languages are nuanced, and direct translations don’t always have the same effect.

London is in my near future and I’m PUMPED! Better brush up on my British slang.

December starts next week. Has anyone realized that? Time flies when you’re limbo.

I’ve enjoyed this movement class with Adriana so much. Not only because I get to teach and share a bit, but because as an actor I love movement. I’ve been bringing in various Suzuki and Viewpoints exercises and Adriana’s a big fan of Grotowski (which was largely influenced by eastern movement styles). It’s been nice having someone you can have that kind of understanding with. Brianna would like her.

Fuck I miss yogaaaaaaa!

I’ve talked about how there’s a generational divide that is plaguing Americans. Well it’s worse in Romania. Romanian culture is very rich and specific. It is shaped by geography, history and religion; everything from the food we eat, to the music we make, to the traditional way people would dress in a village. This kind of culture only exists here. And that in turn has shaped mentalities, belief systems, education and public opinion. Family is of utmost importance, and traditional family structures are maintained in many places with the husband as the principle earner and the wife attending to household duties. Boys are loved and praised and girls are expected to be beautiful, smart and “good”. Hospitality is essential and to a point serves as a sign of honor and prosperity. That more you can do for your guests the better off you must be. Honor and pride are everything. You basically live for your name and your reputation and every member of your family should be a positive contribution. Of course everyone has black sheep or shadows of shame in their family. Holidays and traditions are respected, and weddings might as well be holidays. Traditionally, they were a celebration for the whole village, so elopements were completely out of the question. Life was about marrying, procreating and living a just, healthy and full life. And then communism came along and instilled a new set of values: disinterest in work, meager livings, and patience. So those are building blocks. And now we’ve got this new youth that seems utterly obsessed with money, beauty and fame.  Honestly I have not seen so many beautiful girls in one place as I have in Romania. But with that beauty comes a reputation stained with chain smoking, gold digging, and backstabbing. The moral code of tradition has been erased by the promise of easy money. 

First snow day :D. Well…not really, more like first frost day.

I HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THIS SHOW! Felii is a one woman show written, directed and starring Ofelia Popeii one of the company actresses at Teatrul National Radu Stanca. The story revolves around the death of a senator, and Ofelia plays multiple women in this man’s life: his deranged wife, his drug-addicted daughter, his crazy mother, his housekeeper/lover, and his pedicurist who he’s been giving money to for her daughter’s medication. The set is this big decaying wall that looked like a page out of a journal, covered in lines that the various women spoke throughout the show. All along the wall were doors that opened into kitchens, bedrooms, closets, hospital rooms, press conferences, you name it. And she seamlessly flowed out through one door  and in through another switching characters. The principle character was his wife who progressively lost her mind as the funeral proceedings,  his husband’s homely mistress, her suicidal daughter and the media began pushing in on her. There was one brilliant moment where there was a dialogue between the senator’s wife and mother with no costume changes, just a bit of lighting and the vocal and physical prowess of this woman. It was dramatically moving,  full of comic joy and ease, and LOADS of inspiration. BRILLIANT. Absolutely one of the most influential pieces of theatre I’ve ever seen, and by far one of the most talented actresses.

Before leaving NY, I was talking to Cate Smit about it and she had mentioned how a friend of hers went to Africa for a few months and came back and wrote a one man show about it. She suggested I do the same. I liked the idea, but wasn’t exactly sold on a one-woman show. But after tonight, not only do I think it’s a good direction, but I also have ideas about plot and structure. Thank you Felii!

I realized that when I have the luxury of cable, I like to have the TV on while I’m doing other stuff. Know what I watch? Digi Sport….or it’s American equivalent ESPN!  You never know when I might walk by and catch a glimpse of the game, and there is just something about studly guys chasing victory like a bunch of Titans that puts me in a good mood.