University of Dayton - MyLife

Less-Than-Typical Birthday

My good friend Angela's birthday was this past weekend, and in celebration we went out on the town. However, not in the usual sense. I received an email from her saying, "We, the girls of 324, have always wanted to partake in more cultural events and my birthday is next weekend so we figured, why not?", followed by a link to La Traviata tickets, an opera that was being shown in downtown Dayton.

I actually didn't have to waitress that night, and am always interested in trying something new, so I instantly told her to count me in! So did seven other friends, making a fun group of nine girls. Soon after we found the perfect offer through a UD email--get tickets for $15.00 with a $10.00 refund that include round-trip transportation and pre-show hors d'oeuvres. Add in some fun dresses, and we had the perfect plans for a fun birthday night!

The Opera was at the Schuster Center, a beautiful building downtown. Getting all dressed up, being in this building, and seeing the show made us feel pretty classy...almost like we weren't in Dayton, because the atmosphere and crowd were so different than our typical campus surroundings. We tried our best to be mature and elegant, and I think we did pretty well!

I haven't had much theatre exposure and had never been to an opera before, so I didn?t know what to expect. The show was lengthy, and I would not have survived without the English translations projected on an overhead screen, but overall it provided an enjoyable experience. It had a good plot and a decent amount of humor, which I appreciated. However, regardless of my thoughts on the performance, I felt it was simply good for us to get out, try something different, and gain a little cultural understanding.

At the end of the night as I chatted with Ang, I thanked her for inviting me and for setting up the outing. Being an adventurous and outgoing individual, I also let her know that I feel like I can learn a lot from her. I appreciate her willingness to explore and am glad she went for the less-than-typical birthday celebration!

Oct 26, 2009 9:36 PM Permalink