I've FINALLY been able to get some good sleep the last couple of days, and it's so frustrating that it took this long when I've been so tired and worn-out by the end of my days. My first night here I bought a fan at the nearby grocery store, and it worked great....until about 12am, when it just stopped. There must have been a wiring problem in it to begin with, but no matter what I did it would not work. Finally I figured out that if I held down the 2 and 3 button at the same time, then held the 3 button down a little longer and released the 2, it would go at, like, slight-breeze speed, which I guess is better than nothing considering it was staying in the 60s well past midnight. A couple of days ago I decided, screw it, I'm buying a new fan, and took to the Monoprix (kind of like Wal-Mart) to buy a new one. Definitely should have looked at the label closer, because what I ended up buying was a power heater - not exactly ideal in 80+ degree weather. All the more pathetic because it said "power heater" in both French AND English.... Fortunately I was able to return it, and now I have a really good fan that has caused me no problems and has been allowing me to sleep in coolness.
The last couple of days have been pretty light. There's been a lot of music-learning, since I'm learning a new part for the operetta, but otherwise there's just been coachings with my accompanist and some staging in the afternoon (not four hours, thankfully). Overall I think my singing is improving, especially with some of the breathing "tweakings" Prof. Rock gave me. I certainly don't feel like I'm struggling for breath as much, and it's helped me get the sound placed higher, which I'd been achieving pretty well before but now have an extra boost.
So this castle that I'm performing at tomorrow....I'm still not entirely sure what it looks like, but one of the program coordinators said it was called Château Valade (Vallade?). I think it's this one:
which is Château de la Valade Bourdeilles, but I'm not sure. I guess I'll find out on Saturday! We did a run-through of our pieces last night, and again, every time I get a chance to listen to the talent that's here at the program I'm in complete awe. One girl sang "Casta Diva" and it was like Callas reincarnated. VERY honored to be in a program with so many talented people.
I've been doing a pretty good job of keeping an eye on my money while I'm here, but I need to start eating better. I've just been grabbing a sandwich on my way to the conservatoire, or going out to dinner and getting portions that are too big/not as healthy as they should be. I wish that our kitchens could have been just a little better equipped. Some people have bought cheap-o cooking utensils, which is what I'll probably end up doing just so I can have SOMETHING. It just feels like a big waste when I have to do that knowing that they'll end up being tossed in the trash, especially since I'll just be throwing away this fan that I bought and a lot of other things. But one of my goals while I'm here is to lose some weight, and I've got the exercise part down (20-min hike to and from the conservatoire, with a backpack full of books, not including the walking to lunch, shopping etc., as well as crunches in the morning) so now it's time to include diet.
I've been thinking a lot about the paths I may want to take in my education/career after my undergraduate. I have a lot of work to do in the next year as far as repertoire preparation goes, but I'm also wondering if a masters degree right out of undergrad is a good way to go. There are a few people here who have gone to Europe to work and get an education, and I'm wondering if that's an option that would work for me. I could certainly use the language skills (even though I'm fluent in French and have Rosetta Stone in Italian waiting for me). I don't know....the last few days there's been an overwhelming amount of information thrown at me and I feel a bit lost in my direction at the moment. I know what I want to do, but I don't know which way would be the best for me.
Ok, time to get ready for the day and make some music. Tonight is our French 3 "class", which is more just a social with a free dinner at the conservatoire. I love knowing French :D
Are they making any videos? Can we see any of your performances (especially from inside the castle)? You rock!
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