Winding Up Classes at BADA

The last few weeks of classes at BADA went by so quickly! We went to go see The Man of Mode at RADA with our High Comedy teacher, Annabel, which was fantastic. Annabel cooked me a simple dinner before the show, so I got to pick her brain quite a bit about her career in theatre and film.

That weekend Hilary and I went to the BFI London Film Festival and saw a film called Kicks. It was a new British film, all filmed in Liverpool. The movie was about two girls who are obsessed with a football player (our soccer), to the extent that they kidnap him one night. What starts out as harmless fun turns into a life-threatening and emotional roller-coaster. We ended up sitting next to the lead male actor in the theatre, which was really cool (he wasn't quite as cute in real life). Also, the director and producers came out at the end and answered any questions from the audience. I wanted to ask how the director got the idea for some of the images in the film, but there wasn't enough time.

We also saw End Game by Samuel Beckett, which I am still processing and will probably need a few more years to make sense of.

The end of Week 8 at BADA was bustling with audition preparation. For my audition, I did the Romeo and Juliet scene with Juliet and the nurse. Cori was my scene partner. I think we worked well together because we are both hard workers and are very organized people. My audition went well, and then the last night before break we got our casts lists!

I am cast in Widows, by Ariel Dorfman. My director is Jacob Murray, who I am so excited to work with. He has such a great vision for this play, and seems enthusiastic about working with us BADA students. After the meeting, everyone went home and packed furiously, because the next day I was headed off to...Athens, Greece!

"Dahdday, Aye Wahnt to go to Brighton!"

Ok, so the three day weekend began slow. Friday I stayed in my apartment pretty much the whole day (except for sneaking out once to buy a hair straightener). I caught up on my Theatre History journal, emails, and booked hostels for our trip to Greece and Italy with the girls. We are staying in a convent for one night when we go to Rome, which should be a really interesting experience (Isa really, really wanted to). I also re-read "Tis Pity She's a Whore" by John Ford, which I am writing my paper on. It is a very interesting play about the incestual relationship of Giovanni and his sister Annabella. In the end, everyone ends up dying, but it is quite surprising who kills who. Giovanni stabs Annabella and then comes out with her heart on a dagger (great stuff, right?).

Saturday Jesse, Katie, Ashley, Isa, Hil, Cori, and I went to Brighton on the train. We got there at about 1:30pm, and had a "pasty" for lunch (pronounced "pahst-ee" not "paste-y"--it's like a pot pie, with cheese and veggies). We went to a lot of outdoor markets, antique stores, and book shops. We also went to the Brighton pier to ride the carousel! We had fun walking along the water, although it was pretty cold! The odd thing is that although it is a beach town, there was no sand! Only rocks! We got dinner at an Italian restaurant, and stayed there for like three hours! We all got drinks, appetizers, dinner, and dessert! When we were sufficiently stuffed, we went to some of the clubs in Brighton. Brighton is famous for its night life, and we experienced it to the full. We went to three different clubs, and danced the night away! We came back very early in the morning (via two coaches and a train--don't ask), and then I went right to sleep and slept for all of eternity.

On Sunday, Candace and I met up for tea and scones at Harrods. It was so fantastic to see Candace and to catch up! We talked the talk about the London scene, and swapped stories of BADA and RADA. We talked about the shows that we have seen, and surprisingly we have seen many of the same ones!

On Tuesday, we went to the Old Vic Theatre to see Inherit the Wind with Kevin Spacey! Oh man, was he fantastic! He played an old, pragmatic lawyer who was called the devil on earth by this one small, religious town. The play is based off of the Scopes-Monkey Trials. There was even a little monkey in the show who was adorable! After the show, three of my friends had drinks with Kevin Spacey at a bar close to the theatre! And to think...I was writing my paper! Ugh!

Two weeks to catch you up on!

Week 5 of BADA was a loong one. We had two makeup classes on Friday: a Shakespeare class with Ian and a Movement class with Jackie. We didn't see a show this week since we saw A Winter's Tale at Stratford. This week it was announced that one of the shows that we are doing will be Widows, by Ariel Dorfman, and directed by Jacob Murray. Murray is a Chilean playwright, and collaborated on Widows with Tony Kushner. It looks like a great play, with lots of female parts!

We played a game called "Mafia" in Movement class, where there is one person who sits outside the circle and picks two people to be in the mafia, one policeman, and one body guard. Then it is up to everyone in the circle, the townspeople, to determine who is in the mafia, and vote on people to die. It was confusing at first, but I finally got into it, and was even the policeman once.

We read All for Love in Theatre History, which was an adaptation on Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra. The play was really enjoyable, since I am familiar with Antony and Cleopatra.

This week we began mask work in Modern Physical, and I am finding it very difficult! It is hard not to pre-plan characters and ideas, and just let the mask inspire you, but I am working on it.

In our Friday make-up movement class, we did some intense center work which was very similar to dance and yoga. It felt really good to move and stretch all of our sore muscles, and it helped me focus my mind for the weekend.

That weekend I went to see As You Like It at The Globe, which was wonderful. It was great to go back to The Globe when I didn't have to stand and wasn't injured, and therefore enjoyed the show immensely. Touchstone, the fool, was hilarious and had this little miniature doll that looked like him that he frequently talked to. Orlando was very relaxed and natural on stage, not to mention his rugged good looks.

We also went to Borough Market before the show, where I got a delicious organic veggie burger and some chocolates. We also got to try pistachio Turkish Delight!

On Sunday, I took a ballet class at DanceWorks, near The Landward (the apartment complex where our flat is). It was a really challenging class, since I haven't taken ballet in about 2 years! I was not very good, but I got a good stretch out of it, and worked really hard. I could pretty much follow the barre exercises at the beginning, which I was very proud of.

Week 6 of BADA flew by so quickly. On Monday, Ian announced the show that he will be directing: The Arsonists by Max Frisch in a new translation by Alistair Beaton. I haven't gotten my hands on a copy yet, but I am excited for the show nonetheless.

In Monday's movement class we did deep tissue massages, which were heavenly. I also learned that our teacher, Jackie Snow, has had Ewan McGregor, Orlandon Bloom, and Daniel Craig as her students!! They all attended Guildhall, a prestigious acting school where Jackie continues to teach. She keeps in touch with "Orlando" and "Orlando's mum" and she told us all about how she at one time had a huge stack of Orlando's signature!!! Eeek! I am also such a huge fan of Ewan McGregor, and am told that I need to see the film "Trainspotting," because I hear that he is brilliant in it.

On Tuesday in Stage Fighting, we learned how to do falls. We did falls backwards, forwards, and sideways faints. It looks really cool, and it is actually really easy to do! The one down side is that on Wednesday we were all so intensely sore from squatting down that it was difficult to move.

On Tuesday night, we went to go see Enron at the Royal Court Theatre, which was about the the Texas oil company's corporate scandal and eventual downfall of Jeffrey Skilling. It was an interesting play, even though I wasn't very interested in the economic or business side of what happened. It was still entertaining, because they had a lot of visual pop culture references, such as raptors from Jurassic Park and lightsabers from Star Wars. The actors, who were all British, had nearly flawless American accents, and it was interesting to see an entirely British cast and writer portraying America. The show also utilized mulitmedia, showing powerpoints and clips of commercials and political statements.

This weekend we have a three day weekend. Hooray!! So I am excited to get a lot of stuff done and to continue to see the sights and see shows!

Photos from Bath and Stratford

Outside of Holy Trinity Church, where William Shakespeare is buried

Shakespeare's tomb with the famous inscription

Trying on a corset and skirt at the Bath Fashion Museum

William Shakepeare's Birthplace in Stratford-Upon-Avon

Bath and Stratford-Upon-Avon

My trip to Bath was wonderful! I went with my friends Isa, Meghan, Ashley, and Katie. We went to the Jane Austen Centre for tea and scones, which were deliciously delectable as was the jam and butter. We saw the Pulteney Bridge, the Fashion Museum, the Roman Baths, and the Bath Abbey. The highlight for me was the Fashion Museum: we saw authentic gloves, shoes, and clothes, and got to try on corsets and hoop skirts. The Roman Baths were interesting, but got a little bit repetitive. It also didn't seem like they were preserved very well. It was more of a tourist attraction, but it was still informative. We saw a lot of the infrastructure of the houses, and how the drainage worked. We also learned that the audio tour was narrated by one of our professors at BADA, Christopher Cook, who teaches Theatre History and Dramatic Criticism! We missed out on it, but still it is so cool to know that he did the narration!

On Monday we saw Judgment Day at the Almeida Theatre, which was in this quaint, beautiful neighborhood. The show was fantastic and thrilling. I got chills, which is always a good sign that the show is good. This I think is one of my favorite plays because it deals with justice and redemption...two of my favorite topics. It was about a train station master who "has always done his duty" who misses a train signal because of a woman, and the train crashes because of his mistake, killing 18 people. He and the woman lie about his mistake, and the entire town treats him like an innocent victim, but eventually the guilt of lying catches up to him, and he slowly decays and goes mad as he deals with his mistakes. The execution of the show was brilliant: there were smoke, lighting, and sound effects to simulate that a train was going by, which worked quite effectively. The actors were very seasoned, and enjoyable to watch even when there was silence on the stage.

Classes this week were also good. I performed my emotionally charged Romeo & Juliet scene with Cori on Friday, which went really well.

I learned that my High Comedy teacher, Annabel, is friends with Tim Curry and Hugh Laurie! That's pretty crazy. She was in the Rocky Horror Picture Show movie too! She is such an amazing woman, and has really high expectations for her actors.

We also had an amazing home-cooked meal on Friday from Laura, the BADA canteen chef. She made us heaps and heaps of Columbian food, which was so delicious. She is the sweetest lady, and we all call her our "BADA mom."

On Friday, we went to see "Vanya" at the Gate Theatre, which was this really small, intimate theatre. The show had only 4 actors, each very talented. This show was a new adaptation of Anton Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya." This was another psychological show, which I am discovering to be my favorite! Afterwards, I got a copy of the script, since it is a brand new play, so I am seeing a future directing project for myself perhaps!

On Saturday, we went to Stratford-Upon-Avon (about 2-2 1/2 hours North of London), where William Shakespeare was born. We saw the house that he was born in. We even saw the room where he was born! We also saw his tomb, which is inside of the beautiful Holy Trinity Church. The entire city of Stratford is very commercialized, but it is still a beautiful, quaint city of shops and memorials. We saw a print of the new painting of William Shakespeare that was recently discovered and donated to the museum.

That evening, we went to The Courtyard Theatre in Stratford-Upon-Avon to see The Winter's Tale. The show was SO FREAKIN' AWESOME! This is the play with the famous stage directions of "exit pursued by a bear," so everyone was wondering how they were going to pull that off, but they did it splendidly! The bear was this gigantic puppet engineered by two or three men, and the puppet was made out of pages of a book. The show was put on by the Royal Shakespeare Company, so they were some of the finest actors that I have ever seen. It was interesting because the production that we saw was the closing performance in a span that lasted months and months. All of the actors still had amazing energy, and gave it their all for the last time! What an amazing show! Greg Hicks who played the lead male Leontes, and Kelly Hunter, who played the lead female Hermione are coming to do a master class at BADA in a few weeks!! I am so excited!

That's all for now, folks! :-)

Some photos to share with you!

Me, Hilary, Daniel, and Hil at dinner

We are proud of our Streetcar Named Desire tickets!

Me and Becca Lynch at the National Gallery

The Globe Theatre

All of the USC BADA ladies at the Tower Bridge

Bad American accents, Fairy tale Shakespeare

A Streetcar Named Desire with Rachel Weisz was FANTASTIC!! She was so beautiful and talented and inspiring! The show was in this tiny theatre called the Donmar Warehouse, and 15 people got up at 5:30 am in order to get tickets!! It was a really fun bonding experience, but kind of messed up my sleep schedule for the rest of the weekend. Also, the actress playing Stella (Ruth Wilson) was fantastic. Stanley had a pretty bad American southern accent, but it wasn't too bad. At one point he got really angry and started slipping into a British accent, but overall the actors handled the accents pretty well.

On Monday, BADA went to the National Theatre to see All's Well that Ends Well, wich was very good as well. I'd never seen the play or read it, but I really enjoyed this interpretation. They made it very fairy tale like, with castles, shadows, woods, crazy lighting, and Tim Burton-like effects. It was a really fun show, and the actors delivered their lines so beautifully!

Classes this week were great! We are rehearsing The Relapse by John Vanbrugh in High Comedy, and Romeo & Juliet in Acting Shakespeare (I am Juliet--hooray)! We read and discussed 'Tis Pity She's a Whore by John Ford in Theatre History, which was surprisingly a good play. It's all about a brother who is in love with his sister, and trying to handle these feelings, but just ends up lusting after her. In Modern Physical, we did this exercise in which we had to confess our love to someone in the class in 7 different layers of tension, meaning moving through different emotional states. It was really intense!!!! We also sang a lot of songs, and played games where we had to speak (or do our best imitation) in other languages, like German, Spanish, Japanese, and French. We have this one game, "the frog game," which is so much fun, and I won the round! You basically start of clapping and snapping and the first person says "one frog," second person says, "two eyes," then "four legs," then "kir-plunk." Then "two frogs," "four eyes," "eight legs," "kir-plunk," "kir-plunk." I was so excited to win the round! Voice class has been really amazing too. We have done a lot of work on relaxation and breathing, and learning the mechanics of the throat and voice. In Movement, we did this game where you think of a person in the group, and then everyone in the group asks you a question (such as, "If this person were an animal, what would they be?" or "If this person were a section of the newspaper, which would they be?," or like what kind of shoe, ice cream flavor, musical instrument, etc.). Then you have to guess who it is. Surprisingly, it made a lot of sense when you finally figured out who it was.

So classes are going well, but the work is piling up! Also, things in our apartment are much better. They repaired our washing machine finally, and so I could do laundry! I also cooked a lot this week: we made delicious chicken and leeks, and I made a chicken caesar salad.

I am going to Bath on Sunday with Isa, Meghan, Ashley, and Katie, and I am super excited! We are also planning on going to Greece and Italy for the mid-term break. So many things to do, so little time!

My favourite picture by far

Arrival at BADA

Ok, so I have been here for for two weeks now! It is so hard to believe! I left Dulles Airport on Thursday, September 3 and arrived at London Heathrow Airport on Friday, September 4th. I was supposed to meet up with my roommate Amanda, but we couldn't find each other! It was really crazy and stressful, because we had this elaborately drawn up plan to page each other, skype call each other, and meet in certain locations, but it didn't work out at all! I still found my way from the Terminal to the Heathrow Central and took the Heathrow Connect to Paddington Station. From there I took a black taxi cab to the BADA gates on Gloucester Gate (which I think I tipped entirely too much for).

Carolyn was eagerly awaiting us to greet us, then they whisked us away to the Wilde room (all of BADA's rooms are named after famous playwrights: Wilde, Wycherley, Beckett, Congreve) where they took our picture (hideous, might I add after two nights of no sleep), made copies of our important documents, and gave us an orientation packet. Then we boarded a bus that took us to our housing, and mingled with people all along the way.

We reached our housing apartments, called the Landward, and unpacked what we could. Then we went out for food (since we were all starving). I had a falafel sandwich which was quite good, and then we walked around a little bit, buying phones (or mobiles, rather) and such. Then we went to the pub on Friday night and met everyone.

Saturday we hung out and had a huge group dinner. Sunday we had a bus (or coach, rather) tour of London with Nigel our very British tour guide and our driver "Hahrrry." We saw Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the Tower Bridge, Little Ben, the Key Gardens, Hyde Park, Piccadily, the place which was used for filming Gringotts in Harry Potter, the London Eye, the changing of the guards, and many, many, many more places! Then we had a lunch and BADA orientation, and met Stewie the landlord of the Landward (whew! try saying that ten times fast). We learned a lot that day, and were really exhausted.

Monday was the first day of classes, which luckily for my group (Group B!) didn't start until 11:15 because our first class was cancelled (I, being responsible--and hungry, went to the grocery store). We had Acting Shakespeare, Voice, and Movement that day, and then right after class, we went to The National Theatre to see Lolita with Brian Cox! The show was amazing. Cox set a wonderful example of specificity with sound and movement that was enviable.

Then on Tuesday, Group B was lucky not to have class until 12:15. However, I went for a run with a friend, and (stupidly) did not warm up enough and strained a muscle tendon on my Achilles tendon! I didn't know it at the time...I found out what was hurting so much on Friday when I went to the hospital! Anyway, Tuesday we had Stage Fighting and Acting Shakespeare, then we were off to The Globe Theatre to see Troilus and Cressida, which was good despite the fact that we were standing, and I was in a lot of pain due to my Achilles tendon!

Wednesday we had Acting High Comedy, Movement, Theatre History (Dr. Faustus this week), and Modern Physical. I LOVE the Modern Physical teacher, Mick, so much. He is just so hilarious and plays the most entertaining games with us.

Thursday we had Acting High Comedy, Voice, Modern Physical, and Dramatic Criticism (where we discuss the plays that we have seen thus far). Friday we had Acting Shakespeare and then our make-up High Comedy class.

Before our make-up class, I had an exciting trip to the St. Charles Hospital in London. My Achilles tendon was still bothering me, so with the persuasion of the BADA faculty, I had it looked at just in case. On the way to the hospital in Carolyn's car (sitting in what felt like the driver's side), she gave me a tour of Kensington Park, Notting Hill, Portobello Square, and many more beautiful London neighborhoods. At the hospital, we went to the Minor Injuries Unit, and then waited a bit before seeing the receptionist. She had to ask me a lot of questions, one of which was my religion, which I thought was really odd. Then the doctor saw me and I was fine, just needed Ibuprofen and rest.

The week was exhausting, but really fun. I unwound during the weekend by going to the pub on Friday with friends. Saturday we went to the National Gallery (with Becca Lynch, visiting!!). We barely scratched the surface with all of the artwork there; definitely a place we need to go back to. Then we bought tickets to go see The 39 Steps for the following Thursday. Sunday I did a lot of homework and reading and then went to the Thames (pronounced "Tems") River Festival. We got Brazilian churros (filled with caramel) and watched the fireworks. The fireworks were by far the best fireworks display that I have ever seen (including DC fireworks on the 4th). And then we went home on the Tube and slept!

Monday began early since we did in fact have 9:00 am High Comedy. This week our group really started meshing well, and getting to know each other much better.

Highlights of this week were: Monday night seeing Mother Courage and her Children at the National Theatre with Fiona Shaw and Harry Melling (Harry Potter's Aunt Petunia and Dudley Dursely, respectively); Tuesday morning tutorial with Susannah...she had some powerful insights about the industry in LA...Wednesday night watching Notting Hill with friends, and Thursday night going to see The 39 Steps at the adorable Criterion Theatre with my friend Daniel. The show was very funny, lighthearted...good, clean fun as I would say!

Also, on Friday, we had a master class with Brian Cox. I got to ask him a question! I was really proud of myself for speaking up! He talked a lot about what the role of Humbert Humbert in Lolita was like for him, as well as some of his film and television roles. I really respect him as an actor, and I think it is so electric to have a room full of artists comparing tricks in the same room. Forget broomsticks and wands, we are magical on our own!!!!

Off to bed for me for now, since I will be getting up at 5:00 am tomorrow in pursuit of A Streetcar Named Desire tickets with Rachel Weisz...wish me luck!

Pilates in London

After going through the Power Pilates Certification weekend this summer in Bethesda, MD, my instructor told me that there is a partnering studio in London! She is good friends with the owner, Holly Murray. The studio, called Pi Studios, is located in Battersea Square, London.

Here is a link to the website. I will definitely have to check it out while I am there! Practice my pilates technique AND my British accent!! It's a win-win situation! :-)

http://www.authenticpilates.co.uk/findingpi.html

3 DAYS UNTIL DEPARTURE!!!!

I got a little excited....

I got a little excited and tried on my winter clothes :-)

Crumpets, scones..wait what's the difference?

OK. So crumpets are more like bread (or English muffins to be precise) and scones are more like cake, usually sweet with fruit and nuts or chocolate. That is the consensus I have reached from google. It's a little sad that I felt the need to google this, but I thought it an important part of my research! Don't you agree? Also started salivating at a white chocolate cherry scone recipe. Umm, yeah. Sounds amazing!

In other news...I have successfully found a rain coat that has a zip out lining so that I can adjust from warmer days to wet, damp winter times! According to Ellen Haun (another wonderful BADA alum willing to share her experiences with me--THANK YOU ELLEN!), it did not rain all that much during last fall's semester. Hmm...sounds like I might be over-prepared with my rain coat, boots, and umbrella. Is there such a thing as overprepared? Not in my book there's not!

I also got an adapter from the apple store for my computer (be prepared to spend about $40 for this, but you might be able to find a cheaper one on the internet. The one I got is also for Japan, China, Korea, Australia, and Hong Kong, so maybe one of my friends will buy it off of me when I am done).

I'm excited to travel in style!! Watch out London, here I come!

Light at the end of the tunnel

We finally figured out our visas!! Except all along this monstrous calamity, they should have just told me that I didn't have to do any of the catastrophic things they were asking me to do. Go to the US consulate? Get "biometrics" done...what the heck are biometrics anyway? Like finerprints, DNA samples, they probably were going to make me pee in a cup. And we all know how I looove peeing in a cup. Anyway, I am now free from all scary uniformed-people-stealing-my-DNA-and-treating-me-like-a-criminal transactions!

All I have to do is get an official transcript, an acceptance letter from USC, one from BADA, and have proof that I have a plane ticket there and back (they don't allow you to stay for more than 6 months on the student visitor visa, which is what I am doing. Oh, and you can't work. Darn. I was really planning on working while taking 8 hours of class every day, travelling, watching theatre, shopping, and ummm breathing--only when there is time!!!!!)

I also finally got a chance to talk to Lauren Snare, recent BADA alum (THANK YOU, THANK YOU LAUREN). She helped me out so much with what to expect from each class, where I am going to be living, where to eat, where to shop, and what to pack).

I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Finally. It's about time :-)

Just b/c we are going to have to get used to seeing it!!!!!!!

http://www.badaonline.com/index.html

British Airways flight

So i did a little research on baggage for my flight. Here is the link to the British Airways checked baggage policies:

http://www.britishairways.com/travel/bagchk/public/en_us

Research!

So excited that BADA people are already friending me on facebook! Getting super excited. It seems like a small program this year. I count 46 people on the email list. That's like 15 people per group, because I think they divide us into three groups. I wonder what show we'll be doing??

Started researching Heathrow airport. It's the largest international airport in the world! Amanda and I plan on meeting up somewhere...but where is the question? Here is a link to maps of the airport:
http://www.heathrowairport.com/portal/page/Heathrow%5EGeneral%5EAirport+information%5EAirport+maps/d5acad5e773f3110VgnVCM10000036821c0a____/448c6a4c7f1b0010VgnVCM200000357e120a____/

Stalkerbook and everything in between (if there is anything)

Glad to see that Amanda started a facebook group for our class at BADA! And we also got an email list, so we can know everyone's name. Still waiting for financial aid and housing info (but I must be patient!!)

Also, I set up my skype account, so I can talk to everyone!! My name is RachDramaCutie, so find me on skype! If you don't have it, you can download it for free so that we can keep in touch!!

I'm getting excited and nervous too! I feel a little unprepared, but I am working on it!! Hopefully I will order my guidebook soon, and try and plan trips for our weeklong adventure!

Suggestions from Alex (insert snooty French accent here)

Alex from work is from Paris, France. His suggestions of places to go in Europe:

Barcelona
Paris
Rome
Amsterdam

Thoughts? I kind of want to go to Greece myself...the beautiful sights, the clear blue waters, the little Greek villas, the tan men...ok I'm daydreaming quite a bit!

Luck o' the Irish

A man came into work today from Ireland. He told me to definitely visit the west coast of Ireland. He also told me that Ireland does not like to be associated with the UK, based on many, many years of fighting. On a side note, he had an awesome accent!! Hehe I <3>

Welcome to My Blog/The Application Process

First of all, WELCOME TO MY BLOG!!! I hope to keep you entertained with funny anecdotes and hilarious photos as I travel around London and Europe!

I will be in London attending the British American Drama Academy for the fall semester of my Junior Year at USC! I will be there from September 4th, 2009-December 21st, 2009.

The British American Drama Academy is a school associated with Sarah Lawrence College. So for all future applicants, make sure that you are filling out the right applications! Stop by the USC Office of Overseas Studies to make sure that you are doing everything correctly! You must apply to BOTH BADA and USC!! Don't forget to do one and not the other. You also must interview with the Office of Overseas Studies, and then audition for BADA. For our audition, they required a classical Shakespeare monologue, and one contemporary monologue, and also a song. Be prepared with questions to ask them after your audition, too! Go in knowing your stuff! Good luck to future BADA applicants, and I hope this blog helps you prepare!! WELCOME :-)