Homesickness But Not Really, Day 123

This past week, I’ve been getting all teary eyed at the smallest of things. It all started after I watched the movie The Notebook. I’ve watched it so, so many times and have not once cried but there I was getting all emotional as the characters recited lines I memorized long ago. Then came emails from my mom which got me all worked up, and a documentary on tv about a group of poor boys who won $200,000 scholarships to one of the most prestigious schools in the world (Harrow). I began to wonder if all these tears was a sign of the homesickness that everyone told me I’d experience. Before I left for London, I was so scared about being homesick because I did not want to look back on my year off and only remember missing home. What I summed it down to today is this: I have been getting all emotional because I am constantly reminded of how much love I have surrounding me, something that is easily forgotten when you’re miles and miles away from your home and familiar surroundings. My mom for instance-writing me the most comforting email that reminded me she could be thousands of miles away and still make me feel better about any situation. Or yesterday, my not-related-to-me-but-apart-of-my-family aunt called me and left a simple message on my phone, letting me know she missed me. Or my friends, who write epically long emails (Pona wins the award this weekend I think for possibly the longest email EVER written) to fill me in on everything. So thank you everyone, for making me cry out of happiness and reminding me how lucky I am! Oh god-now I’m crying. No, just kidding.

Today we all got dressed up to go out for breakfast (Ava laid the dress she wanted me to wear on my bed! I thought that was the sweetest) and then changed into more appropriate clothing to teach Ava to ride her bike without training wheels.

There were a few tears,

and some smiles

and about 2.5 seconds of riding on her own!

We then decorated the cake,

and frolicked in the backyard,


and did some sunbathing!
(Please note Maude’s “sunbathing” outfit).

Today the air smelt sweet (you know, that mixture of grass and earth and rain?) and I experienced that feeling of realization I get once a year that it’s spring, and the weather is only going to get warmer. It’s the smell that defines it for me and just makes me feel so excited!

xxxxx

Day 122

A few years ago when we came to visit Samantha for Christmas, I remember rounding the corner to the coffee shop and being so overwhelmed with how everything looked so British. I now walk down this road everyday and I was suddenly hit with the realization this afternoon that I no longer think twice about all the British beauty. This saddened me; the foreignness of my surroundings always felt so exciting. I think that is what's so appealing about travelling all over the world- arriving somewhere that is so different than anywhere you've been before.

It's mother's day tomorrow-we're all going out for breakfast. The girls and I made a heart shaped cake today (Ava's idea for mother's day). I plan to post photos tomorrow after they decorate it!

I am missing everyone!!

Day 118

If getting packages in the mail isn't exciting enough, I received one today in a huge spotty envelope! Made my day.

I've been busy nannying the last couple weeks, and am trying to sort out driving lessons (I passed my theory test!) Lessons are just so expensive!!

I've also been writing a lot which is nice. I'm still working on that piece I uploaded a few posts back but at the moment it's just a jumble of paragraphs-I need to sort out where exactly it's going.

I hope everyone is well and enjoying the almost-springtime weather!

The Saatchi Gallery, Day 114

Today I went to the Saatchi, a contemporary art gallery that houses young artists or international artists who have never had their art shown in the UK.

Though I wasn’t that impressed with everything being shown, there was one instillation that really stuck with me. American Servicemen and Women Who Have Died in Iraq and Afghanistan took up three huge walls of one of the gallery rooms, the whole piece spanning 40 meters. The installation is comprised of 5,213 tiny drawings of soldiers who have died in action since 2004, acting as both a tribute and a record. The artist Emily Prince was inspired by a website where families post photos of those they have lost, which she visits weekly and makes drawings for every update. The paper colour represents the soldiers’ ethnic origin, and personal details are given on each card (name, age, country of origin). If there was no picture uploaded, Emily leaves the square blank except for the personal details.

What I really got out of this piece was they way it gave each and every solider an identity. Suddenly they became more than just statistics of those lost in war; Prince has captured each person’s individuality in a tiny box, reminding us that these people have families and are mourned and cherished as individuals.

Emily Prince has stated that this project will not be complete until American involvement in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan ends. Since it began, 2,100 drawings have been added (obviously they cannot all fit in the gallery room, but are encased in bound books and boxes on display).

Emily Prince online: http://www.alloftheamericanservicemenandwomen.com

Irving Penn, Day 112

Today was pretty exciting. I woke up with the sun streaming through my window and Samantha saying, “spring is here!” And it really is! I can smell it in the air and it makes me feel so joyous!

I went to the National Portrait Gallery today where I saw an exhibit of Irving Penn’s work. It was a very memorable experience, especially because he was one of the first artists to really inspire me when I started studying photography. My first assignment in grade 11 photography was to take a roll of film of a subject in north light. My teacher had given us a lecture on Irving Penn before giving us the assignment, explaining that this natural light was the most beautiful light to use when taking photos. It was this roll of film that awakened my passion for portraits and the use of north light-I was astounded at the way it made absolutely anything look beautiful.

I remember being in awe of that first roll of film I took of Olivia using north light, for my teacher was right; the light transformed the overall mood and look of the photos. From that day on, Olivia’s bedroom (much to her displeasure) was dubbed my temporary photographic studio. Through the course of the year, Olivia (quite patiently) posed for me consistently as I experimented with this light. My teacher could see how much Irving Penn was inspiring me and began throwing all things Irving Penn my way (an old Roliflex Camera, the kind Irving Penn used to take a majority of his shots, a book of his photographs taken during his travels and a backdrop for my “studio”).

What I love about Irving Penn’s portraits is the way they capture the true nature of the person being photographed, whether this is by a simple gesture they are making or by the way they are smiling. Though he did photograph for Vogue and other high esteemed magazines, my favourite photos by Irving Penn are the ones taken of “normal” people. I poured over the book “Worlds in a Small Room” to help me with my culminating project, composed of portraits of butchers, sheep herders, electricians he had taken during his travels around the world. What amazed me about these photographs was the way the north light transformed the subjects, bathing them in a soft even glow. It revealed so much about them, allowing them to silently tell their story.


For my final culminating project at the end of grade 11, I had composed a book of photographs that explored the human body in north light, Irving Penn my chosen mentor. I became obsessed with capturing flaws of the body for I wanted to show how north light enables us to look past the flaws of a subject, things we so often get preoccupied with, and instead see the beauty these imperfections hold. I was amazed at how photography had the ability to essentially re-define beauty, turn flaws into works of art.

Seeing Irving Penn’s photos that I looked at over and over again on glossy photo books in real life today was just amazing. There was something so magical about looking at the images and knowing he had printed them himself. I can’t count how many times I thought “just stunning!” as I walked around the exhibit.

A couple of my north light photographs: