Encontrarme en St. Louis

If it wasn't official before, it is now. I'm re-learning and actually hoping to master Spanish while on tour. Besides being a hobby to take up, I'm finding that I speak a good deal of Spanglish and use a lot of charades to communicate with many of the performers who speak Spanish on a daily basis. Many performers who know English still choose to speak Spanish as well, so learning to speak Spanish is not only helpful, but a great way to get to know people here. So many individuals are willing to pass on their skills - and what better way to learn than from native speakers. My Spanish books arrived yesterday, and I've got a multitude of willing teachers at the arena every day :)

Since we arrived in St. Louis, I visited the iconic "Arch" and FINALLY made it to a Hard Rock Cafe. Hey bucket list.

Random stuff that makes me feel cool:

1. Besides getting my first "individual" insurance card in the mail the other day and the fact that I'm racking in quite the lot of company stuff (Ringling Bros clothes and jacket, random circus paraphernalia, a company computer etc), I'm feeling quite grown up. Now to convince them I need a company car …

2. I recently acquired a TV a DVD player in exchange for paying for someone's dinner. In the circus, apparently it is considered rude by many performers to accept money for gifts. You simply exchange for food or a favor etc. Winning.

3. Everyone believes in making the train more "homey." I've had offers from other performers/crew to come customize my tile flooring, to put carpeting in my car etc etc. Its actually kind of amazing to see what people have done to customize their train cars.

Lastly, cross your fingers. Until now, I have not had internet in my train car (and only have internet access while at work). I ordered what will hopefully be my ticket to unlimited train internet (Wifi device that I'm hoping is as good as some of the people here say it is).

Maybe next time, I'll be able to post from the comfort of my own train quarters. :)

Until then … and until Cleveland … Adios!

Group photo opp at the top

The gorgeous views of St. Louis

It's pretty high up ...

Views from the top

Downtown STL

This is the tiny spaceship like elevator you ride up to the top in.... kinda creepy.

Overlooks quite a bit

Denver: Home Away From Home

Sometimes I feel like people don't believe me when I say I work for the circus. Sometimes I don't believe it myself. To adequately convey life on the circus, I honestly feel like you need to come out and visit. Therefore I've inviting you all to do so. I'll give you the VIP treatment: backstage pass, free ticket to the show, tour of the train - you can even ride on the train with me if you dare :)

Ok, I was in Denver for 2 weeks!

Here's some Denver highlights:

In Denver, I got to see some of my first real PR Events. I went to several in-studio interviews ( pictures below) at local TV stations.

 


 I worked an early morning PR event at the arena solo (and of course took pictures accordingly - see below).

I even got to attend a national PR event put on by our corporate office while in Denver, called the Boss Clown Debate at Barnum Elementary School (a circus play on the political debates that were in Denver last week). The kids at the elementary school loved it, and I have to admit, I was a kid at heart again too. What a blast. My favorite part was that we brought our own "secret service" (aka our promoter who is always dressed to impress and eagerly willing to fill the suit and shades look).

I also took a "field trip" to a train museum in Golden, Colorado that was having a huge Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey exhibit. I have to admit that its weird seeing my home showcased behind glass, museum-style, but alas - living on a  train is kind of ridiculous. Lots of pictures below.

 

The BEST part about Denver was seeing old friends. It was great to see so many familiar faces at the shows! I also loved hitting up local restaurants and getting some home cooked meals. What a blessing! Thanks for all who made it our to see me. It was awesome!

Beyond that, I:
- mastered the Denver light rail
- discovered the hard and sketchy way that the Denver train yard is almost completely surrounded by fences. Remember how to get in and out or its gonna be a long night
- have realized what a luxury having a car and a dishwasher is. Take advantage people.


I've been getting to know some of the most fascinating and wonderful people on the world, having conversations I never thought I'd have (i.e. the words/ phrases "elephant bath time", "tiger practice", "dragon segways", "hair hanging act", "watch out for those motorcycles" etc are commonplace), and laughing an insane amount. Living on the circus is incredibly hard, but you can't take yourself too seriously. I mean … come on.

I could write a novel about all the crazy things I've seen and experienced in the mere 3 weeks I've been here, but I'll wrap up with some fun circus facts:


1. A "train run" is when the train is moving from city to city. It can take days to get to the next city. While on a train run, showers are locked to conserve water. Plan accordingly. ;)

2. The train is essentially its own moving community. We have everything from the "Pie Car' (basically a restaurant in the middle of the train), maintenance staff, and even themed areas/neighborhoods of the train. For example, the end of the train where most of our Shaolin troupe reside is affectionately known as Chinatown.

3. In most cities, we have an "Animal Walk In" and an "Animal Walk Out" where I literally help escort our elephants and horses down the main roads of downtown to get them from the train to the arena and vice versa. The term "roadblock" gets a whole new meaning when the circus is in town.


Ok, well spoiler alert: I'm already in St. Louis, MO and have crossed a couple things off the bucket list … but thats the next post. :)