By zelenkal
Even though most of us GW students are still occupied with the mid-term exams and paper submissions, it is essential to have a little bit of time for fun. Last Thursday after school a few of us decided to relax. We launched out to see our very first theater performance in Washington. However, it was not us, but our books and laptops, who had the mental rest. What we saw was a powerful and disturbing experience worth the discomposure one faces when reading Toni Morrison's novels. A three-hour long play called The Convert has left us awestruck. The story followed a young girl, whose life was marked by an acceptance of Christian faith to the detriment of her family and traditions linked to it. The play certainly employed all the criticism and metaphors we are familiar with from reading Heart of Darkness or A Passage to India, yet it offers a perspective of the oppressed, which makes it more intensive. I need to say that it certainly motivated me to find out about other performances here in DC.
This play was recommended to me two weeks before by one of my professors, but I could not go that particular day. However, I got lucky. As soon as I heard that exchange students are welcome to come for free, I RSVP'd. Before coming here, I was prepared to arrange and finance my own life in terms of concerts, performances, etc. Nevertheless, I have found myself deciding between events offered by the organizations and communities in GW a few times – something that would have never happened in my home university. Therefore, I am just hoping that I will have enough time to take advantage of the many opportunities and enjoy them fully. I am really enjoying the possibility of decision here at GW - you always have the option to be independent and self-contained as well as to attend events in group when you usually meet both friends and new people.
In spite of all these keen comments, I admit that I need a rest. One is never ready for the mid-term exam period to come I guess. Having four days until Spring Break is causing my motivation to decrease. In my mind, I am already flying to the destination (Chicago) I have dreamed of so long. The excitement is probably equal to the sensation I had experienced prior to my departure here in January. Do you remember the times when all the famous scenes from movies like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Dr. Strangelove, or Homeland keep you up all night? Well, right now it has been John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd driving the Bluesmobile, real estate agents confused by Alec Baldwin in Glengarry Glen Ross, Courthouse Place and its famous press room – be it for the presence of Carl Sandburg or Billy Wilder's hilarious comedy The Front Page. This time, I see myself wandering around Chicago, having The Snatch soundtrack playing in my head. Hopefully the weather is with me.