Week #34 - Seattle, Washington

            This week was another wonderful week in the wet but still very green and gorgeous state of Washington – specifically the city of Seattle. J As it turned out, I was super lucky and was able to stay with the same host family and roommates for another week! I most definitely did a very crazy happy dance when I found that out! I could not believe I got to stay another week with such great friends and a family who I adored and was beyond comfortable with. I felt quite at home and I could not be more grateful for that.

            The weather was quite rainy this week and it made for perfect cozy nights at home with delicious dinners and great conversations. I learned a lot about my host family, The Greene’s, and also learned so many new things about my really close friends as well. I guess it just goes to show you really can always learn something new J On host family day we drove around the city to see some more spectacular views and sights, but we were dodging the down pouring rain much of the time. We sure got the true Seattle experience today as we drove through floods on the highway and did multiple rain dances! Saying goodbye is going to be super difficult tomorrow, but I do know this is a family I will definitely see again soon J

            On Monday we had a travel day, but for me and my roommates it felt super funny because we were not traveling. It was very interesting to experience getting out of normal routine. We get very used to the week-by-week moving and then for it to not happen makes you feel all out of place and stuff. We recalibrated by joining the cast in Seattle for Regional Learning later in the day. We were able to see the famous First Starbucks, Gum Wall, Space Needle, and Pikes Place Public Market by the Port of Puget Sound and even do some shopping. I also had my first intern meeting and it really made me extra excited for my internship as a cast manager intern! Both Tuesday and Wednesday we had school project presentations in classrooms and then also mini shows so we performed quite a bit this week. We had a business workshop this week, where I realized how much I have grown from 6 months ago when we did mock interviews in the same workshop. It is crazy what 6 months of experience can do for you. On Thursday I had study abroad day which was really good and we also had CI in the evening time where we all went to food banks all over the Seattle area and worked alongside community members to help others. It was a pretty cool thing and I hope it can happen more often. Friday was an internal day full of fun activities and workshops. We talked about and shared stories from our past 10 weeks together in the USA and we talked about things we had learned from the different cities and families that we stayed with. Then we moved into saying goodbye to the USA and preparing for the awesome and crazy country of Mexico! I think we are all ready for some beach time, but I am not so sure we are all truly comprehending the difference in temperature quite yet. We also had a cast meeting, which I helped lead a part of, and had helped Leslie (cast manager) plan in the prior days. Mostly, it pertained to getting to know each other on a deeper level, which I think was really good for everyone. The next workshop was a great one to transition into because it was all about giving each other feedback and helping each other to be the best we can be! The whole day was good for everyone and I think it was at a perfect time before we take off to Mexico. On Sunday we had a great show at one of the most amazing theatre UWP has performed in. I mean it was massive and the acoustics were wonderful and it was so big that you would forget where you were backstage and sometimes even get thoroughly lost in the building since there were 5 levels and a billion rooms! But the show was fantastic and there so many alumni at the show so that is always a good sing. Saying goodbye to my host family brought me to tears and that doesn’t happen with host families as much anymore so I really truly had a special connection. My session went great in the morning and I accomplished my goal of getting to know my cast mates better in that session. I get to do another one next week. Leslie is gone next week as well so I get to step up the plate and really kick butt as an intern J

It was a weird week, schedule wise, because we had host family day on Saturday (today) and then tomorrow we have our show in Seattle and then the first half of us leave to the airport so it is a very different travel day that we are not all used too. The show will be great I am sure and it is in a huge and super beautiful performing arts center that’s seats up to 3000 people. I am excited to see what tomorrow holds and I look forward to our long travel day to Mexico.

It is crazy for me to think about the fact that we are already half way done with this semester. It doesn’t feel real and it doesn’t seem realistic that we are getting be in Mexico in less than 24 hours. Mexico is a whole new world and I am super excited to be there, but knowing how Mexico is I am also prepared to be even more tired J So I guess here we go, ready or not, we are embarking on our first country transition as a cast and there is not much that can stop us now! Viva la Gente aqui vamos!!