The Oxford Experience - Overview of the Fourth Week

No this isn't here just because I like emojis, it's the Modern Art Museum logo!

Oh my god. Last week at Oxford, I'm going to miss this place so much! Here's a little overview of what I did!

Botanic Gardens

Restaurants/Cafes that I actually wanted to go to

Modern Art Museum

SOUTH PARK is a must go to park, I literally stayed here for 10 minutes only but even I knew that this park is gorgeous. I'm going to miss all this endless green when I get back

I honestly cannot believe it’s the last week here. Time’s flown by so quickly, and it feels like just yesterday was the first day. The days have begun to blur by so quickly and I’m struggling to hold onto the experience because I don’t want it just to be a memory. Although I don’t regret ANY day I’ve spent here, I also happen to be wishing I did so much more, since Oxford is filled with so many things to do, and I’m ABSOLUTELY positive that once I get home, I’m doing nothing. Like literally, nothing to do there. So I’m trying to go sightseeing and spend time with my friends who I won’t be able to see in a short time.

The Lily House is quite literally my favorite

water lilies ft. cute kids from England

Speaking from experience... don't touch it LOL I MAKE THE DUMBEST MISTAKES

I wish I actually had time to get through the maze

GO TO THE BOTANIC GARDENS TO SEE PRETTY THINGS

Takin' it back to the south #triedcottonpicking and realized cotton is NASTYYYY

The Oxford Botanic Garden was such a relaxing and calm place. Not only did they have this one Lily House, with beautiful water lilies, but they had desert areas and rainforest areas (with cotton, I thought that was so cool) and even this one area with carnivorous plants. I’m not sure if we were allowed to, but me and my friend stuck our hand inside the little plants to try and trick them. (I’m not going to lie, I was peer pressured by a 17 year old and like a group of 7 year olds) There was even a little area near the river to sit down and watch the ducks and the other people punting (and possibly make fun of them like they did to us, if you see a YouTube video titled “Dumb Americans Punting” there’s a very high possibility that I’m starring in it). And there were sunflowers! (aka my favorite flowers ever).

Even though it looks super pricey, I saw some stuff for only around 3 pounds!

Okay, so unfortunately I never got to go to the Grand Cafe, which I’ve heard had the greatest High Tea experience that you can get, and to be completely honest, I REALLY wish that I’d headed out there and discovered the place a lot earlier than the last day. And if you’re extremely adventurous and LOVE TO EAT, you definitely should go to Mission Burrito (it’s ok Chipotle you will forever and always be my favorite) and do their burrito challenge (Man vs Burrito, El Triple), BUT MAKE SURE TO FAST BEFORE DOING IT, because I’m not kidding, I’ve had friends who threw up right after the challenge, and all my friends ended up crying when taking the last few bites because it was just THAT awful. And to be TOTALLY honest, I wish I’d gone to G&D’s a LOT earlier and tried their banana split because oh my god it was the best thing I’ve ever tasted in my entire life. There’s so many things that I really wanted to do, and places I wanted to go to, so make sure that you try everything you can. (Especially the pizza truck and the crepe truck, like I mentioned those are like heaven on earth).

Coolest room to ever have been built with the most powerful message

THE MODERN ART MUSEUM IS SO COOL I’M NOT GOING TO LIE. Oh my god, the one room with the words all over it, it’s so POWERFUL. All these words, all these questions being asked; just sitting down and seeing all these questions being asked, and all these statements and meaningful words was an ENLIGHTENING experience, and I HIGHLY recommend going there.

OKAY that’s practically all I did this week, because honestly I’ve been trying to spend more time with my friends this week than actually going exploring. And now, because I have to go board a plane, I say goodbye to London and the “Oxford Experience” and I swear I’m leaving behind a little piece of me in this country.

FAREWELL UK I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU WHEN I’M OLD AND WANT TO GET MARRIED I WILL DEFINITELY MOVE TO LONDON BECAUSE THE GUYS ARE SO GOOD LOOKING!

I'm going to miss quite a few people. First and foremost I'm going to miss the girls that I was hanging out with: from the girl who saved my life (from a really creepy looking bug that was trapped in my room), to the girl who literally carried all my stuff because she wanted to help me out when we were walking on the street, to the girl that made me laugh SO hard every single day, to the 2 sisters who've literally been the sweetest people to me ever, to the Southern girls (from different areas of the US ironically) making me laugh by exaggerating their accents or telling me about little really adorable Southern things and last but not least the girl who found ALL my cardigans in her room... basically all the people that've made my stay SO much more interesting, and have been nothing but helpful to me throughout.

I'm going to miss the people in my neuropsych. and molecular med. class who just made half my day, from the inside jokes with my friends, to the crazy London trips, to the last day where I sat with some of my classmates as we were telling our goodbyes.

I'm going to miss my teachers for all this knowledge that they've bestowed upon me and for doing their best to teach us, even if they had better things to do.

I'm going to miss the crazy crowded streets and that maniac drivers that don't stop for anyone.

I'm going to miss actually having something to do every single day.

I'm going to miss the exhaustion at the end of the day from all the walking and stairs climbing.

I'm going to even miss the cramped little bathrooms.

This trip has honestly been life-changing and has made me realize SO many things about people from so many countries, and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to go to the UK and live with them.

The Oxford Experience - Overview of the Third Week

Hi guys! So we're on the third week! Here's a short little overview of what I'm going to be talking about during this blog post! Hope you like it!

Harry Potter sites in Oxford

Restaurants/Trucks/Stores that you MUST go to

King Lear (the play I went to)/As You Like it (the other play I went to)

Blackwells

The Charity Fashion Show

New College is Best College

Do you ever have that feeling when you realize how quickly time has passed? I think this week, it finally hit me that I’m  more than halfway done with this entire experience and honestly, that’s a bit scary. I’ve made so many new friends and I’ve enjoyed myself so much during this trip, I can’t even express how much I love the friends that I’ve already made here. Now that I’ve finally gotten use to the whole “Oxford experience” it’s hard to imagine not being a part of it. (Note: I’m not necessarily saying that I’d LOVE to come back here, because while Oxford is an amazing school with amazing things to do around campus, but it’s so expensive. Honestly, as a college student I’d be tempted by so many cafes that I’d probably be broke by the end of a week) . And because of this realization that everything’s ending so quickly, I think I went into overdrive this week and tried to do as much as I possibly could. While it might seem like I’m not doing anything, it’s important to keep in mind that I’m trying to do homework (like I mean that’s the REAL reason I’m here, everything else is just a huge plus, kind of like the Switzerland flag)  and hang out with friends at the same time so obviously I’m not going to be going sightseeing every day.

Stained glass windows have always been the most gorgeous pieces of history. 

One of the series that’s inspired me SO much as a child and has made me fall in love with actors, avidly watch movies to the point where my mom wouldn’t even ask what movie I wanted to watch because she’d know, that made me cry and laugh all in one sitting, and that made me sad when I realized that Hogwarts FORGOT to send me letter (I’m still waiting for it) is, obviously, Harry Potter. In fact I still remember pulling out all the movies when me and my dad head out to Tahoe every winter. So OBVIOUSLY I was going to take advantage of the fact that Oxford played an important role in the sets of the Harry Potter movies. Price was NO matter (love you mom, you’re a real blessing), but I absolutely HAD to see these places while here.

no big deal, just casually chilling in the hall that HARRY POTTER WAS BASED OFF OF

Christ Church Dining Hall: I actually wouldn’t recommend going to the Dining Hall itself, because it’s a bit difficult to see how it’s the same thing as in Harry Potter, but there’s also THE STAIRCASE from the first movie (ah they were so young and cute :’)) and I honestly do think the staircase was worth it. It’s amazing to see your childhood become real life, and I think those are the emotions that hit me when I got to see the place where Draco and Harry first decided to become enemies. Not only that, but Christ Church is SUCH a beautiful college, the view reminds you of somewhere that the Queen could probably live.

Quite literally the coolest library I will ever have been in

The Bodleian Library  (and the infirmary which was on the bottom floor): THIS IS A MUST. Not only was the Harry Potter library here, but it was also super interesting. This library itself made me WANT to go Oxford just to be able to go and sit in it. The books are so ancient and the actual library is an amazing place to just sit and study for upcoming exams. Not only that, but they overall have around 12 million books in their possession, which means more books for the students ;D (OH AND ON A TOTAL SIDE NOTE, you can see the place where Ron had his dance lessons with McGonagall, and personally I remember being in stitches when I read this part of the books)

I love this college so much #NewCollege

Hi, Buckingham Palace called, they need the gate from New College!

New College (THE TREE WHERE DRACO MALFOY SAT OMG I CAN’T GET OVER IT): Well, I got in for free, since I went with my Neuropsychology class, so I’m not sure how much it actually costs. But this college is somewhere I’d actually want to go because it’s SO beautiful and majestic, and I swear it gives off this queen-ish aura. Whether to curl up under a tree or in the middle of a park and read or to go and visit the tree where Draco Malfoy was transformed into a ferret, I’d definitely give this place a 10/10.

Once in history.... Malfoy turned into a ferret. 

I really want to play the organ now thanks to this.

Pitt Rivers Museum (remember the heads???): I went here the first week I got back and I didn’t really know it was relevant to Harry Potter, but now that I’m looking back on it.... If you like museums, then you should definitely go! You can see shrunken skulls! (That’s literally the extent of my knowledge about this museum)

Every time I look at Adam and Eve it kills me. (Note: Madonna is the all veggie pizza)

Hummus or humous, you take your pic

Cafe Nero is actually so good, it's the Starbucks of UK (even though they have a Starbucks)

Grocery store food has never looked so good

How do you actually drink this?

So while you’re here, you might ask, WHERE DO I EAT? (I can confirm, because that’s literally the biggest adventure of all). Never fear, Super Ipsita is here (literally)! I’d honestly recommend the PIZZA TRUCK (I believe it’s called Artisan Pizza or Pizza Artisan or something like that) which is outside Pembroke every night from 7 in the evening! Despite the long wait, the pizza was so mouthwatering and delicious that I almost cried. (Oh and the names of the pizzas are really punny, so that’s a plus!) If you like your meat, then make sure to hit up McCoy’s, the kebab truck (please don’t be like this one kid who said kuh-bAb, remember it’s kuh-baHb) because I’ve heard some really great things about the truck from my friend. While we’re speaking of trucks, the first place you should probably go if you come from a tiny little city like I do is go to.... the CREPE TRUCK. Oh my god, the crepe truck was heavenly, Nutella crepes are honestly the most mouth-watering/lovely/EPIC sight I’ve ever laid my eyes on. But you really can’t survive on pizza, kebabs and crepes for an entire month can you? (Well... if you were trying to put on 200 pounds, this is the way to go). If you’re sort of indecisive about your food, you can head to the covered market, where there are multiple restaurants to go to (personally my favorite was Sasi’s Thai, because of their cheap and delicious Thai ice tea), but there are other cafes and restaurants to go to if you just don’t like Thai food. They even have this GREAT milkshake stand, MooMoo’s, where you can get practically anything made into a milkshake (I’d recommend taking your Ben’s Cookies and making them into a milkshake). I also have to give a shoutout to Formosan (or whatever the milk tea place is ACTUALLY called) because when it was pouring outside they provided shelter, wifi and a drink (and they have this cute little tea room, oh my god, coming from the milk tea hub of the Bay Area this was like a little blessing).

Sasi's! I'm honestly addicted to Thai iced tea.

Old Tom's (I'm not even sure what the rest of the name is)

One of the greatest places, in my opinion, in Oxford was.... Blackwells, the ever-famous bookstore. I’m not even kidding, the amount of books there ASTOUNDED me (can’t compare to Barnes and Nobles), and they were even selling cute geeky book shirts (I personally wanted the Great Gatsby one). Honestly, I could probably live in there; they have all the essentials: food and books. Although they didn’t have my favorite book, Gone with the Wind, I did find my other favorite, To Kill a Mockingbird, and I curled up in the reading area with a cup of hot chocolate, and I swear it was the best experience of my life.

New College has the cutest little flowers ever.

Also to get a little bit out of the status quo of life in California, I participated in a charity in the program that helped to support The Book Bus, which is a charity that helps to deliver books to underprivileged children in South America, Africa and Asia. Personally, I couldn’t imagine life without some of my favorite books, and as one of my new friends said (and this is a direct quote) “I know that without Harry Potter, I’d probably be much less of a nerd and I’d probably have gone outside more.” (PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS TOTAL SARCASM SHE’S THE BIGGEST HARRY POTTER FAN I’VE EVER MET) Because of the important role that books have played in my life, I was extra-inspired and devoted to the charity, and I wanted to do my best to aid the cause by winning the fashion show. Although we didn’t win, we ended up with third place, and to be honest, the feeling was pretty dang amazing. And I can confirm that even though we didn’t win, the designer of this dress is going to end up famous, because even though she just worked with a stapler and a couple of books, she created an amazing Project Runway worthy dress.

THE DRESS from the fashion show! #modelstatus

Once again I bid y’all (I have southern friends okay, this has now become a thing) farewell. Until next week!

The Oxford Experience - Overview of the Second Week

Guess where I went? Isn't it beautiful? I kind of wish my mom was there, because she's the photographer in the family; so I'm warning you to excuse the ugly pictures!

Hi everyone! So these are some of the things that I'd managed to do during the second week I got here, since I was just about getting used to being in the most beautiful city of all time!

Ceilidh

Yoga (first time ever woo)

TRIP TO LONDON (Disclaimer: SO AMAZING I CANNOT, WHAT A BEAUTIFUL CITY WITH BEAUTIFUL STORES AND PEOPLE)

Quidditch

Punting!

My cotton candy addiction (it’s so bad, I ate 8 cotton candies in under an hour)

Look, doesn't that look EXACTLY like me? But in all seriousness I actually did this dance so be proud of me, it was such a tiring experience (but so worth it).

For those who don’t know exactly what the ceilidh is, to be honest, even after the experience, neither do I. It’s basically a traditional Scottish dance that was so utterly confusing and tiring, but SO fun. The entire night was spent dancing away and making new friends, and actually sweating. I swear after this dance, I learned what true exhaustion was for the first time. If I wasn’t drinking water, I was thinking about it. There was absolutely no point in time where I wasn’t moving during those 2 or 3 hours; I was either dancing, or walking towards water. But even though I actually cannot dance, I still think that the experience was SO worth it.

Went to London and became more Indian... JK BUT I GOT THIS DONE while I was eating cotton candy #8

During the program I was open to such new experiences (like having my first apple pie, oh my goodness), but I swear, my first Quidditch game and yoga lesson are experiences to be remembered. I remember my first time reading about Quidditch and lamenting because it’s literally the only sport I’ve ever been interested in and with my luck, it’s fictional. But Quidditch was brought to life with 2 soccer balls, volleyballs, some broken broomsticks, a tennis ball in a yellow sock, and spirited hearts. With our battle cry of “Wit and measure is man’s greatest treasure” my Ravenclaw team charged, and in the process of scoring goals and avoiding dodgeballs, I made some amazing friends along the way. Along with my friends that I made at the Quidditch game, we went punting to truly experience the UK at its finest. But I can honestly say now that I hate punting with a passion. Long story short, instead of enjoying a nice trip down the river, we went aimlessly in circles for an hour and I literally had to hop onto land and DRAG the boat back to shore because we were going NOWHERE. Like actually, 3 people (me and my 2 friends) tried punting (the stick is so heavy) before at one point we actually had to call someone to help us back to shore.   However, despite the tragic experience, at least I was able to say that I’d gone punting and had come back alive, WITHOUT falling in (I’m not kidding, one of my friends actually fell IN the river during her own experience punting). Not only did I go punting and play quidditch, but I also had my first yoga lesson. Looking back, although it was my first time doing yoga, it is most definitely not going to be my last. It was the most relaxing experience I’ve ever had and by the end of the hour, my limbs felt thoroughly relaxed, but exercised at the same time.

The Science Museum is actually the coolest place I've been in in SO long.

BUCKINGHAM PALACE HOLY I WAS IN THE VICINITY OF THE QUEEN AND PRINCE GEORGE OH MY

Right across from the Buckingham palace! Isn't it beautiful?

HIS HAT IS SO FUZZY I WANT ONE

And for my favorite part about the ENTIRE program: the trip to LONDON. Words cannot describe how beautiful London is, with the Big Ben, the London Eye, Westminster Abbey, once again (can’t stress this one enough) the LONDON EYE, and the Buckingham Palace with the royal guards. In 4 hours, I managed to go to all of these places (in the BLISTERING heat, it was around 100 degrees out that day) and get ice cream. Even though my muscles were SCREAMING by the end of the day and I was about to pass out from exhaustion, I don’t regret ANYTHING about that trip. I literally can’t even find the words to describe how much I loved the trip. My only tip for you, my lovely readers, is to get utterly and THOROUGHLY lost in London, and only then will you truly be able to enjoy it.

With these lovely pictures of my experience in London, I’ll bid you adieu. Until next week :*

This was actually the greatest thing I've ever seen.

THE BIG BEN IS SO BEAUTIFUL OH MY GOD

Westminster Abbey is probably the most beautiful building I've ever seen.

Like actually? Look at those windows and then look me in the eye and say you've seen better!

For the first time in forever..... THERE ARE NO CARS FOR A SPLIT MOMENT!

It looks so cool to be going up the London Eye. 

The London Eye casts a shadow on the world of the London-ians. 

The Big Ben from the London Eye

Almost at the top!

Hi there's a big blob blocking the London Eye, do you think we could photoshop it out?