Crrrrunch Time.doc

So the return from Finland has been an odd one. I went from six full days of excitement, mayhem, and late nights to the realization that I have so little time left in Amsterdam. It's funny how on paper it looked like I had ten full days to leisurely pack up and enjoy the city, but the reality has proven untrue. I've been trying to concentrate on the drafts of the two papers I've written but it seems like every time I sit down for revision, all I can do is browse flights for summer traveling or start organizing and cleaning the apartment for Thursday's departure. I think my brain has effectively turned off for summer, so I'll have to trick it into at least three more days of productive work before enjoying the arrival of my favourite season.

On Tuesday evening I hosted the MAIPR group over at my place for the last time. Jocelyn was heading back to Singapore in the morning so I figured it was as good a time as any to have a potluck to send her off. It was a really relaxed get together (the opposite of our adventures in Finland). We dined on dishes cobbled together from AH trips: smoked salmon and cream cheese on baguette bread, mozzarella and tomatoes, miso soup, a greek salad, and many other snacks. By 10pm the rest of the remaining members of the group made it over (Zhenya and Stu aren't in the city anymore) and we said some goodbyes to Joce. Thankfully, I'll be seeing her in September upon return to the UK. Unfortunately, there will be some more goodbyes in the coming days!

This past week I saw more theatre that I have in the last month! The Holland Festival is running and it attracts international artists to Amsterdam. On Thursday evening I was given a free ticket to I went to the house but did not enter by Heiner Goebbels. The play is a collection of four scenes using texts from T.S. Eliot, Maurice Blanchot, Samuel Beckett and Franz Kafka. The world-renowned Hilliard Ensemble sing the texts in a remarkable four part harmony in scenes devoid of plot and character but with traces of loss, grief, and depression. It was an extremely unique performance with no narrative to follow, but with a lot of intrigue nonetheless. I quite enjoyed it, but it's hard to describe.

The second performance of the festival I saw was The White Body by EA Sola. That afternoon a few of us had an informal discussion with Sola about the inspiration for the piece and her choreography process (she has been working with her dancers for over a year and a half). After a really intellectual discussion about the creation of her dance piece, I have to say that I was deeply disappointed in the performance. Not only did the wonderfully articulate themes she discussed in the afternoon not transfer successfully to the stage, but her exploration of cultural imperialism was obvious and patronizing (how many times can Coca-Cola and Marlboro cigarettes be used to stand in for a Western influence?) The dance piece contains two moments of interesting staging, but for the most part the piece has been overworked and under thought. After the show, our Professor Kati and two of her friends shared a few drinks with Dev and I. At least there is always a bar to be able to discuss the show afterwards!

The rest of this week will be spent tying up loose ends and shoving all of my accumulated items into my suitcase for the Thursday evening departure. In between I have one more city photo session scheduled with Bec, a dinner with Courtney that I hope we can fit in, an internship dinner meeting, and one final MAIPR night of drinks on Wednesday. After that, I can look forward to one night in London before hitting Canadian soil for a wonderful break with family and friends back home.

Doc's Prescription of the Day: Enjoy the Summer Solstice activities. At the very least soak up the longest day of the calendar year and welcome those summer temps.

Snapshots of the Midnight Sun.doc

You may not know it because I'm not keeping a formal counter, but this indeed marks the century point of my blogging experience. This is my 100th post. It has been a great ride so far. Instead of writing a lengthy update of life post-Finland, I'm still feeling nostalgic for those great times so I'm going to share some snapshots of the midnight sun.














After 100 posts, I am 'le tired'. But with an Amsterdam departure on the horizon (seven days and counting) you can look forward to a post or two about how much I'll miss the city this weekend.

Doc's Prescription of the Day: If I was a Doctor in Finland I think prescribing sleep related remedies would be a big part of the job. How could anyone sleep with such beautiful sunsets? Stay up late to enjoy them.

Finlandia Summer School: Play Hard.doc

In this the second installment of the Summer School Summary (see post one below), I’ll get to the social aspect of things. Play Hard indeed.

It would be an understatement to say that we had fun this past week. I never really went to summer camp as a kid, but I’m sure children have a ball running through the forest, swimming, and doing all kinds of activities. This past week of summer school was like that…but for adults. We could stay up as long as we wanted, partake in consuming a few beverages, and socialize to our heart’s content. One of the features of graduate education is that your professors treat you like colleagues rather than students and the truth of that approach was brought home this week.

Whoever says theatre kids don’t do well at sports certainly didn’t meet our group of MAIPRs. We took part in just about everything there was to do activity wise. The first evening we played some Ultimate Frisbee while waiting for the last group of students to arrive; we played a game of soccer most days of the week; we messed around in the gym; and we even jogged a bit around the football pitch. While there wasn’t much time to fit these activities in, they provided a great way to transition from the demanding school schedule. Sometimes it got a bit competitive, but only enough to make things interesting. For me, the highlight of the sport activities was taking the rowboat out on the lake and rowing around taking photos. We went out on the water for the first three nights. Lotte and I took the boat out at 2am on Monday evening – it seemed like a good idea at the time.

In addition to sports, we had social events planned every evening. These nights usually involved heading down to the sauna, grilling food over the bonfire, and then sitting around joking and laughing the night away. You’d think that this combination would get old, but nothing could be further from the truth. On Monday and Tuesday we had sauna and bonfire nights, Wednesday we were invited to a party by the Forestry students, Thursday was chilling and sauna after our environmental theatre pieces, and Friday was our final party at “Sausage Rock.” Yeahhhh, I have no idea about the name.

With breakfast at 8am and a full schedule, you’d think we’d at least have some concern with getting a decent night’s sleep, but it obviously was not so. I’d say that the average time for bed was 3:00am. Those of us dedicated to the cause were averaging about five hours of good sleep. Part of this was the energy of being with our fellow program mates, but it was also determined by the number of hours of sunlight. By the time 11 o’clock rolled around one could see the sun was a faint glow of red; at midnight the sun had set but the sky was light blue; at 2am the sky was a blueberry colour, and by 3:30am the sun was already starting to rise. There was not one point in the week where there was no light outside – a deep powder blue is as dark as it got. It was fantastic living in this environment. You feel pretty invinsible with the sun not setting. It gives new meaning to the term “never going home.”

Part of the reason for the late nights was the feature of the week: the Finnish sauna. It put all the other saunas I’ve been in to shame. Not only was the temperature 10 -20 degrees warmer (if you’re sitting on the top level when water was added to the coals the air you breathe in is warm and soft) but the combination of the warm sauna with the cold lake was refreshing every time. Add in a few beverages and there was no need to head to bed anytime soon. It was great seeing such an international group embrace such a culturally specific tradition – our professors also joined in on some evenings and made the 3am trek home with us. Sauna, sauna, sauna was the highlight of the week.

We were sharing the conference site with fifty forestry students who spend ten weeks studying and living in the environment. We shared the dining facilities, sauna, and all the sports equipment with them. They were really interested to chat with us about what theatre students could possibly be doing in the forest (I don’t think the site gets a lot of non-biology folk) so it was great to have some other people around. On Wednesday night they invited us to their weekly party, the theme of which was “Kid’s Party.” Now, I’ve been to a few theme parties at Queen’s, but I’ve never heard of the re-creation of a children’s party being appealing for 20 somethings. I was proved wrong; it was a blast. We pieced together costumes as best as possible and joined them in the main dining room where they played great music, had some games, and even asked us to perform. I took the lead and emceed a hilarious game of Freeze Tag to involve the whole group. Fins + MAIPRs = success. They loved the game and were eager to continue.

On Friday, we had a day of reflection on the academic pursuits covered over the week and finished with a wonderful sit down dinner, a bonfire, some boating, and one more trip to the sauna. At 4:00am, as the sun was rising, the last group (professors included) sat outside around the picnic table post-sauna and chatted about the success of the week. It was really quite special.

Today we packed up and left the site at 10am, stopped through Helsinki and returned to Amsterdam. It was really tough to come to terms with the idea that the week was over. Twenty-nine of us embarked on this crazy program for the first time and five full days just doesn’t seem long enough to be the only time when we’re all congregated together. It was really difficult to part ways, and really brought home for me just how privileged I am to be having such a perspective changing opportunity. The week was the best of 2009 and is something I’ll remember for years to come.

Some pictures of the Finnish sunset coming soon…

Doc’s Prescription of the Day: It’s a Finnish tradition to fashion a bundle of birch branches into a whip like structure and hit yourself with it in the sauna. They say it opens up pores, but to me it felt like I was hitting myself with tree branches. At the same time, when in Finland...

Finlandia Summer School: Work Hard.doc

In these two summer school installments I’m splitting the week into work hard and play hard posts – way too much to mention for one entry.

It’s impossible to summarize these past six days in a blog post – it was one of the best weeks of my life. No overstatement. It would be like blogging about graduation from high school, convocation night from Queens, Cuba reading week 2007, or the magic that was the last year at UofT. What I will do is narrate the week’s activities to give you an idea how much it has affected me. I’m currently on the bus ride from Tampere to Helsinki so it seems like the best time to look back.

To preface, you’d be hard pressed to find another MA like this one. Twenty-nine students from over twenty countries study performance and theatre at four different universities in three different countries with staff from over twelve nations. That in itself is staggered. The week in the Finnish forest was the very first time this group has been brought together in one place. Not only was it important to meet the one third of the students we haven’t studied with at our two sites, but to have everyone in one room (who you’ve heard about or befriended on facebook) was a little overwhelming. At the core of the experience is the international feature of the gathering; every continent was represented. Having generally lived in places where diversity is poor at best, the program has inspired an international awareness and appreciation of intercultural exchange.

The trip from Amsterdam to Helsinki was a lot of fun. One look at the group and you could tell the energy and adrenaline was flowing. We met up with the Finnish students in Tampere (where I met two of the other Canadians I hadn’t studied with). It was super exciting to see Lotte again. Of all the students in the program she reminds me most of friends back home (more to come on our adventures…).  The conference centre had all the amenities: four saunas on-site, a boathouse, football pitch, volleyball court, bonfire and grilling pits, and a fully serviced dining room. I have to take a moment and mention the dining schedule – breakfast, lunch, coffee and cake, dinner, evening snacks, and a packed fridge for 3am post-sauna chat. I ate the whole week, and I’m not apologizing for it. On the Sunday night the Warwick group was the last to arrive to complete the MAIPR circle. Tory and I were reunited in the absolutely chaotic kitchen. It was to be the start of an amazing week.

Monday was the kick-off of our jam-packed schedule. Breakfast each day was at eight in the morning and the last official session ended at 8 in the evening when we were left to our own devices. The academic chunks of the week were split into lectures, dissertation meetings, poster sessions, and student-led sessions. I won’t spend precise space blogging about boring details, but all of the academic content was well thought out and beneficial since we’re in the process of formulating our dissertation topics. It was valuable to have access to all the professors and to share ideas with fellow students. On that morning, I spoke at the first gathering on behalf of the student committee – the events we scheduled for that week couldn’t have gone any better.

All the student led-sessions were well received: Dev from India led us through an acting workshop; Helen from Russia led a session on contact body improv; Lonneke from the Netherlands and Jocelyn from Singapore taught belly-dancing for the girls; our professor Kati from Germany instructed on the waltz; and I lead improv games at our party with the Forestry students (more on that later). The feature of these sessions was that it provided a space for young international practioners to share their skills and learn from one another.

Without a doubt, the feature of the “work” side of the week was the practical explorations we did in the Finnish Forests. Our instuctors, Baz Kershaw from the UK and Mark Fleischman from South Africa, lead us through three hours of practical work a day both in studio and in the forest that led to the creation of site-specific environmental theatre. In my group was Courtney from the States, Lotte from the UK, Hetta from Finland, Olga from Russia, and Joao (my roommate for the week) from Portugal. We created a ten minute piece that explored the invisible environmental cycles of the earth’s atmosphere that regulate weather patterns. It was a bit abstract, but we drew from our surroundings in the dense forest to conceptualize the piece. The performances from the five groups on the Thursday evening (attended by around fifty spectators) took place in the forest and showcased the results of our “practice as research” explorations.  It was one of the most organic theatre experiences I’ve had. I look forward to utilizing some of these techniques in future work.

Our daily schedule was mapped out for the whole week, but the work was never too taxing. I think it was because we were finally all in one room together that a common purpose developed. Near the end of the week we discussed post-MAIPR options and it was comforting to hear that my friends are just as clueless and open to possibilities as I am about where the degree can take me.

Doc’s Prescription of the Day: Spending a tranquil moment out on the lake in a boat at 2am is a great way to reflect. We went on many a row.

Reaching the Finnish Line.doc

This whole week has been a bit of a blur. Each day I've had a grocery list of items to complete before tomorrow's hotly anticipated departure. They have requested us to bring a large collection of items to complete the summer school academic and practical tasks (alongside all of our clothes) so I've been running around the city looking for really specific 'objects.' It feels somewhat like we're making a soup with really exotic ingredients. Thankfully, I have found everything I need (hopefully) and have completed my science fair type poster and am ready to leave tomorrow at noon.

Originally, I did my poster up on the computer to be printed as one document. Unfortunately, I wasn't prepared to shell out for the printing costs. I'm curious what the P&CC charged for a colour A1 on semi-gloss; I'm sure it wasn't anywhere close to the 30 - 60 Euros I was quoted. Instead I took one of my large maps of Amsterdam and used that as my base. It'll add a really creative dimension to my presentation. Also, while everyone maneuvers their rolled up posters through customs, I can fold mine safely into my carry on. Sometimes I don't give myself enough credit. I'm patting myself on the back. And the 30 Euros I saved on printing can be spent on duty free...cologne.

Alongside my school supplies I'm bringing some of the following items: a Canadian frisbee, Dentyne Ice, a trashy magazine, my ipod, my laptop, a clown nose, and a blow up beach ball. Summer Camp anyone?!?

Things I am most looking forward to in Finland:

1. The first time all of the students in the program are together. We've been studying for eight months and have, at most, only met two thirds of the group. Thirty theatre students together in the Finnish Forest should be interesting to say the least. I will record all stories.

2. There are four saunas onsite, two of which are right on the lake. I'll be the last one out.

3. There is a beach volleyball court. After a summer of beach volleyball in Prescott, and playing on the UofT Drama Centre team, I'm looking forward to playing a game or two again. I hope the MAIPRs like competition.

4. The stats I read on the web say that we should expect 19 hours of sunlight while in Finland. The sun rises just before 4am and sets after eleven. I'm really interested to see how this feels. I think it will mean late nights, and early mornings are scheduled so I'm prepped for little sleep.

5. Traveling in Europe sometimes doesn't feel like you're on vacation because you usually have so much to see. There is nothing to see in the Finnish forest except wildlife and the lake. It should feel like a real vacation even if there is a full schedule every day.

My task this afternoon is to pack. We're heading out tonight because Zhenya from Russia isn't coming back to Amsterdam, so it'll be one more night with the mobility crew. I think I'll be digitally MIA all of next week but will provide full updates when I arrive back in Amsterdam. Here is the link to the conference centre: Hyytiälä Forestry Field Station. I'm happy to be returning back to the North after the visit to Sweden last year. Best Wishes to Canada!

Doc's Prescription of the Day: If I had it in my power to prescribe 20 hours of sunlight, I would. It is still of course the month with the most sunshine, so enjoy it.