Where Am I Going

Hello friends! How are you? Thank you for coming back to my blog! For all of you who do not know me, my name is Ryan and it is a pleasure to be able to write for you today.

Ryan B. Hebert (ME) as The Phantom of The Opera (2016)

For all of you who do know me, I am alive, I swear to god, I am alive. I am now in my SECOND week of college, and I have to say, I am surviving quite nicely. Take a peek at a photo I took the other day on 9/11

University Hall in the mid afternoon on 9/11

I used a special filter to create the image, and I'm proud that I was able to take such a nice shot of the Quad, the area in the center of campus, and University Hall, the dorm in which I currently reside. I am loving my living arrangement. If you are a prospective college student, looking at DePaul as a serious option, then I recommend, University Hall, the the most social and inviting dorm on campus. Not to mention that there is a wide array of students that live in this dorm. From Business majors to Theatre Majors, this hall does not disappoint! While elevator use is limited to move in and move out days, the stairs make a great work out at any point in the day. The Air Conditioning in the building is also just divine. If you were wondering whether this building was too hot or not, it is actually too cold sometimes. As a fan of not sweating, this is the ideal building for me. 

I live in a dorm room with one other person. His name is Robert, and he's a pretty cool guy. He is a film major at DePaul University. He is as nerdy as nerdy can get, and his side of the room is littered in posters from so many different movies and games, it's awesome. Robert is very easy going, and does not really bother me or anybody else at all. He is a great guy, through and through, and he has almost any tool you need. He actually rents out his tools to kids on our floor. LOL. 

The room itself is spacious and nice. I'm on the fourth floor and I have a fantastic view of the gorgeous quad outside my window. There are two individual closets for each roommate. Wow is all I can say. There is no need for a bureau because the closet is so big.

Now besides the dorm, you might be wondering how The Theatre School @ DePaul University is. If you are not familiar with The Theatre School, it is a conservatory, within a University. I am currently a BFA Theatre Arts Student, and my classes include, Intro to Production with Ernie Nolan, Script Analysis with Rachel Shtier and History of Dramatic Literature with Brian McKnight. Each teacher has their own style, and they are all working professionals in Chicago.

Let me first talk about Ernie Nolan. I mean, what a guy. I've had a couple classes with this guy, and I already love him. His upbeat and enthusiastic attitude engages any student in the classroom. Ernie starts off each class with something called "Hot Topics". He invites people to talk about current and upcoming events in the theatre world, from Playbill.com, Chris Jones in the Chicago Tribune, and in the New York Times theatre section. Each Sunday and Tuesday night, I go onto these sites and find a couple big theatre stories that are going around at the moment. For example, I just found out that the new musical, "Groundhog Day" will be going to the August Wilson Theater, after the Jersey Boys musical closes their show. I will hopefully get to talk about that in class tomorrow. 

Now for class with Rachel. When I first encountered Rachel, I thought that I was going to be back in a high school classroom again. The teacher shushing students, telling them to follow everything she says, just caring about her own ideals. I was wrong. As the class went on, on the first day, I found myself being pulled into the discussion/argument that was taking place in class. At the end of the class I found that I actually enjoyed the class, and that it was not like high school at all. 

Finally, I have a class with someone I never expected to meet in my life. Brian McKnight. A teacher who has no filter, and for good reason. This is a man who has been diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer, twice in his life, and has had various doctors give up on him. Yet he has escaped death, and keeps on living to this day! He is a middle aged man, and he is a character. He does not beat around the bush, and he is extremely intelligent. He loves to use Star Wars metaphors in class, and never stops moving when he is lecturing. His slideshows are intriguing and he is a very fair and considerate teacher. He knows what being a student is like, and so he assigns work accordingly as a teacher. I love this guy.

Overall, college classes all give a syllabus with the homework lined out for the next 10 weeks. It makes me happy to know that I could get a head start if  I wanted to. My organization skills from high school have prepared me for college, and my time management skills have also made me ready for college. I know I am ready for college because I'm currently in my second week of it. I am surviving. I am living. I am adulting, as some could say. I have ordered Insomnia cookies when I feel like it, and I have even gone to some college parties too.

To finish off this post, I want to give a little update on my wonderful and loving girlfriend, Izzy. She and I are still together and making it work. I have probably cried more than her so far, and I miss her very much, I rely on her so much that sometimes I ask myself how to do something and I take for granted that Izzy would usually help me with that. I miss her so much, and it hurts me to not be able to see her in person at least once a week. I went from spending an entire summer with this beautiful girl, to Skyping and phone calls. I've actually been asking myself what I want to do next summer. I want a great job, but part of me also wants to do another show in Goffstown, NH. I miss that community of people. They took me in, and accepted me for who I was. I guess I need to get in contact with my friend Andy, and ask him about it. I want to do it, but I need a good and progressive job for my career in theatre.

Thank you for reading my post today, I really appreciate it! Be sure to share this with your family and friends and send me any questions if you have any. I love you all, and tah tah for now.

Ryan B. Hebert