Liat in Oxford

Wow! I cannot believe that it's been over eight weeks since I first arrived in England. This term went so quickly and so slowly at the same time. The last week in Oxford was incredible! I finished up my final paper which took a really long time because it was twenty pages long :0 It was about the changes in museums over time and how they can adapt to society's future needs. Then I did my final presentation for my Medieval Art class which was about the stained glass in the Merton College Chapel here in Oxford. Once I had those done I was free to hang out with my friend Rachel from Skidmore and her boyfriend, Adam, who came to visit for four days. It was so fun to have them with me! I got to show them around Oxford including a guided tour of the Bodleian library and high tea. I also got to bring them to some Hertford events like the dance (which we call a bop) and the Women's day formal (though Adam couldn't join for that). And don't worry everyone, of course I showed them all my favorite eats around Oxford; it was so fun to eat some yummy food before I left!
Leela, Yasmin and I had a very chill weekend and it was really nice to enjoy Oxford without any work to do. Right now I am at Jordana's house and I fly out to Germany very early tomorrow morning. I'm meeting my friend Anna there who was an exchange student in my high school for one year. Because of COVID, I haven't seen her for two years, so I'm really excited to be reunited with her! After that, I'm heading to Barcelona and Lisbon both with my friend Jenny from high school. Then I get to see Rachel and Adam again when I visit them in Dublin. I'll take a break in London with Jordana after that before going to Scotland with Yasmin and Leela. Then my mom and Adina will come visit which I am so excited about!!!
I'll try to update this again during the break from my travels
Hope everyone is well!!

Last weekend, I went into London and got to hang out with Jordana and Maddie again! My amazing parents got us tickets to Les Misèrables which is my all time FAVORITE musical. It was so incredible!!!! I was basically breathless the whole time. The next day we went to the National Gallery which was absolutely gorgeous (architecturally and artistically). Jordana loved seeing the Georges Seurat paintings and I got to teach her a little about Medieval and Renaissance art (aka she put up with me standing there analyzing the art). Then we just had a chill night and next day!

This week was pretty quiet. Work is starting to ramp up as I have my regular once-weekly paper due this week but on top of that I have a longer paper for my bi-weekly tutorial. Not sure if I mentioned this already but my tutors are extremely nice and helpful. They genuinely just want their students to succeed and learn; this also could be why I haven't gotten grades yet because they really care more about comprehension than getting an A.
Last night I went with some friends to see a local production of Sweeney Todd and we went to a really amazing Chinese restaurant; a tiny hole in the wall place but delicious food. The intermission is called the interval here and the theaters have full bars so it's really a big deal to go out, get a drink, and socialize during the interval.
Now I'm in the upper reading room of the Bodleian library grinding out some work so I will get back to that but looking forward to tomorrow night when hopefully Yasmine, Leela (my two closest friends here), and I will get to go out after a weekend of working!
Cheers!!!

Hello all!
I'm starting to settle in nicely to my life at Oxford. It's definitely really overwhelming walking into this beautiful city knowing that I'm going to make it my own; I feel like I just want to be adjusted right this moment. I keep reminding my self (with help from family and friends) that this is all part of the process and everything will come in time. The good thing is that I really like the friends I have made here and as I said, it is so amazingly beautiful! I've mostly been hanging out with other visiting students. We eat together at hall (the dining hall) every day and do other things together like go out on the weekends.
Classes started this week so everyone is so stressed! It is really different because I only have one hour of class weekly and an extra hour every other week. I'm really just working on essays and that's what I do every day at the library between meals. It's a really interesting system because it is going to feel like an absolute sprint for 8 weeks but then I get a large 6 week break to travel Europe which is really exciting!
That's all for now Thanks for following along.

P.S. The pictures I post aren't showing up with the text I think so you have to find the gallery to look at them!

After a journey that felt like ages, I landed at Heathrow and took the Tube to Bounds Green where Jordana picked me up and we walked to her house. I was obviously exhausted that night and I can never remember being so excited to sleep. As tired as I was, I couldn't believe that I slept til noon the next day! I hoisted myself up and took the train out to Russell Square where I went to the British Museum which was beautiful...and free! Later in the day, I came home and Jordana took me out for delicious Indian food and my first pub!
Today I went to the Sherlock Holmes Museum which was tiny but pretty interesting (I didn't realize that people actually think he was a real person? I thought we all just agreed he was fictitious). Then Jordana met me for yummy pizza - they had a cheese free pizza with garlic right on the menu which is perfect for me! And then we went to South London to see the famous sights of London: Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and Parliament.
I have found that people are so nice here! And it has been such a pleasure learning about a new culture and seeing all the diversity here in London. Tomorrow I am heading to Oxford by train to move in at the same time as my fellow Visiting Students. I have had a blast with Jordana and am so grateful to her for showing me the ropes and being so welcoming; I will definitely be back!
PS shout out to Maddie, Jordana's dog for being adorable and also welcoming!