The weekend:

Dear Mom,
So I already told Michael and Abbie a lot of this, but you very kindly let me talk to them for a bit so I'll recap for you. This weekend I've done so much!
It all started with Thursday (the real beginning of the weekend here in London). I randomly overheard a conversation between a girl named Sam and Dr. Benfell about going to the opera; she wanted to go but no one wanted to go with her. So I decided that that would be a pleasant way to spend an evening, and we went. We got first row seats in the first balcony for only 10 quid (pounds/ $20) so we could see inside the orchestra pit and everything. The only problem was that they were limited leg room seats, so we had to come up with some creative sitting techniques (crossing legs, slouching, knees up on the ledge). But I've decided that while opera obviously requires a lot of skill, it is too long for me to sit through. I did enjoy it though.
The next night, I went to a performance of Chekhov's Ivanov, which was incredible! It had an all-star cast, too. I bought the playbill so I would remember. To start: Fanny from Mansfield Park, the lady with the prominent profile in The Forsyte Saga, the drunk first mate from