By Shona Babayemi

Illyria is the kind of place where you wash up on the banks of a river, battle the roaring sun, pretend to be someone you’re not, eat and drink your fill of cakes and ale, and immediately get involved in an elaborate love triangle. Wait, I’m mistaken – that’s San Antonio. 

The five of us are incredibly lucky to have the city in our hands for the week! 

We start with the warmest welcome from Dr. Kimberly Fonzo, who greeted us at the airport alongside Gabby, our amazing stage manager for the week. However, I think they were there to catch our jaws before they hit the ground at how mind-blowingly different this state is to anywhere else we’ve been so far. “What country, friends, is this?” feels very apt as we predictably gawp at the size of everything and head to UTSA on the most extensive concrete highway you have ever seen, all to arrive at UTSA and a car park the size of a football field. 

The first stop is with Dr. Xiaoyi Zhang. Dr. Zhang gets a special mention as Tilly and I had the utmost pleasure of working with her students over the week. She is not only absolutely brilliant, not only a Twelfth Night fan, not only Notre Dame alumni, but also saw the AFTLS production of Much Ado About Nothing in 2009! You can imagine we had a lot to talk about, the only thing interrupting our conversation was an important date with a pair of cowboy boots desperate to come home with us. As well as all of the touristy tourist stuff one must do when in a city like SAN AN. First stop was the Alamo. A conflicting experience and – diplomatically – I would say requires less attention than it deserves. 

The Alamo, to even the most ardent history buffs, may fail to fill the cowboy boots of curiosity, but gosh does it make you revere the Mexican origins of San Antonio and interrogate its Spanish colonial past. The art scene, with murals and galleries showcasing Mexican-inspired art. The traditional mariachi music with UTSA sporting their very own mariachi band! The folklore, dance, food, music and essence of Mexico sings loudly even in the dead of night as the city hums with warmth long after the sun takes its last bow. The river walk is gorgeous and the food is fantastic – especially the varying Latin American cuisines, but there is always room for BBQ… dost thou think, because thou art full of food, there shall be no more brisket and big red?

We leave with our hearts and bellies full and bursting big with the love of San Antonio. Thank you for having us.