The first session of class went by rather slowly, as we learned about the anatomy of the spine, and then applied it to some relaxation exercises. I will admit, I did fall asleep during one of them because it was a little TOO relaxing.
During our two hour break, Maggie and I went to the bookstore of the University called Waterstone's and ate our packed sandwiches. Afterwards, we had so much time that we decided we would try and explore the local area. We didn't stray too far, just because of the fear of getting lost and being late to class (which would cost us buying lunch for everyone.) Although we didn't go too far, and although it did start to rain, it helped give us a greater understanding of our surrounding area as well as what part of the city we were staying in.
During our second session of class, Antonio had us play a game, very similar to the "You" game, but instead we had to point at someone as a way of asking them if they would give up their spot in the circle. That person then had to say yes in a sincere way, and then find someone to ask if they could take their spot so that they would not be without a spot. As we continued on with the exercise, Antonio made us reply to people's requests with enthusiastic "yes"'s that were similar to that of when your favorite sports team scores a point. He then paused us to point out how easy it was to be generous. Each of us sincerely wanted to give up our spot to another person, because we knew that we could turn around and someone would give up their spot for us. He mentioned how different it would be if we didn't know if the person would say yes. It would probably hold us back, make us more nervous and more intimidated. He talked about how we live in a world so full of nos and how not only on this trip, but in life, we should just start saying yes and see where it takes us. Day two, and yet another very insightful and wise comment made by Antonio. I'm starting to like this guy!
After this exercise, we then did a few different communication exercises, finally ending with an exercise that required us to stand in an outer circle and an inner circle. We had to face the person in the outer circle and maintain eye contact with them; lips parted and breathing deeply. Antonio then began to talk about what we saw in this person, if we remembered the first time we met them and the first time we actually had a first impression on them. After a few moments, the inner circle (where I was) was told to step to the left so that we were facing a new person in the outer circle. This went on for about 6 other people, but each person we maintained eye contact with, we were told to look at them in a different light. One person we had to think about what their hopes and dreams were; another, we had to wonder what their fears were; and another, we had to think about what kind of love they held in their heart. It was extremely awkward and intimate to stare into someone's eyes without looking away for minutes on end, but at the same time, I feel like I have come to know my classmates very well. We all let our walls down to try and make this the best experience possible. And through this exercise, I felt like people were letting me into their deepest and darkest secrets, even though they weren't saying a word. Amazing how things work like that, huh?
After class, Maggie and I grocery-shopped so that we could cook dinner in our fabulous little apartment and booked the trip to the London Eye tomorrow (yay!) (and technically today haha). We then went out with a group of people to a club over in Picadilly Circus, which is the Times Square of London. Being a New Yorker, I can tell you that it was a pretty close combination of Times Square and 5th Avenue with the bright billboards and the very high-end stores. The club we went to was pretty big and definitely catered to an older scene, but we had fun dancing with our classmates and watching all of the British people dance to ALL AMERICAN music. Kinda funny, but also great. It is now 1:00 am and it is time for bed to prepare for a full day of Londontown exploring without any class interruptions.
Until next time!!
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