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?

The Oxford Experience - Overview of the First Week

Entering the college (can you see the flowers already there, it's beautiful)

 So I decided that overall if I kept writing like I did, I’d have one heck of a long blog to post at the end of the month (since there’s absolutely no wifi). But basically it’s been a wild and exhilarating week (what with Germany’s win #bless and what not), therefore I really hope you guys will keep in mind the fact that it’s around 12:30 and I’ve just been woken up by 2 fire alarms in the middle of the night (both of which were false alarms).

The meadow

Oxford the city in general

Ashmolean museum

Friends i’ve made at the midsummer’s night dream street play

And just for my lovely high school friends, i’ll throw in a bit about summer program dorm struggles

So we’re starting off with Port Meadows (as I believe it’s called). The place embodies England  and the UK in one picture I swear to god, I’m not even joking; it was complete with a green vast field of endlessness and little shepherding dogs standing still amidst the swaying grass. I’d definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a place to kick back and enjoy the sunny weather during the summer, because not only is the area good for hiking, but there’s a little pond near the back where you can go rowing, punting, or even swimming with the ducks. It’s honestly such a cute little place, but it’s most definitely not a place to have a picnic if you’re as scared of bugs and other little insects as I am. But note, that if you do go to this meadow (which I highly recommend going to for a summer swim or hike), then remember to take a blanket to sit on!

Isn't this college just beautiful? (Side Note: This isn't where I stayed)

This can be found in part of the exit of the Christ Church Tours (I'll tell you about it later)

Throughout the week, I’ve had to walk to my classes (which are in another one of the Oxford colleges, Corpus Christi), and with a little bit of the city I’ve seen so far, I figured I might as well write about what I’ve seen. The city itself is the most beautiful city I’ve seen in so long; the entire city is filled with intricate carvings and designs, and quaint little buildings and cafes. The city was hustling and bustling with thousands of people trying to find their way to work or simply to visit tourist places in the city, and it was a contrasting experience to the daily life here in the suburbs where I live. Instead of quiet streets, with only a few people out at a time, the streets were loud and reasonably crowded, with people hanging around the bus stops waiting for the ever famous UK buses. But remember, while in the UK in general, be extremely careful when crossing the streets because pedestrians don’t have the right of way here. I remember the administrators from our program reminding us to “be careful on the streets” but I carelessly disregarded them, thinking, I mean how bad could it actually be? Well, now I know that the streets here are horrible. You have to actually RUN across the street and J-walk at all times because no matter how close you are to said car or bus, they still keep driving with no intention of stopping. The only thing that prevents you from an accident on the street is yourself. But despite this (and almost getting run over by a motorcycle), the city was so striking and different to look at that I could barely take my eyes off of the buildings. Every college that I’d seen was so ancient and castle-like from the exterior and well-taken care of inside that it felt a little bit surreal entering and exiting. I mean, obviously I’m the princess of Pembroke College, but seriously, everything just blew me away. Even from the moment I entered the city, my face was plastered against the bus window eagerly looking at all the beautiful architecture that’s lasted for so long.

Featuring really cool hat.

Tried to imitate the pose, did it work?

In Oxford there are 2 very well known museums: the Ashmolean Museum and the Modern Art Museum (which I have yet to attend). Along with a friend, I went exploring the museum and all the beautiful artwork showcased within it ranging from Greek and Roman sculptures to actual mummies (learning about the process of mummification was so cool) to the ancient paintings and sculptures from India, China and Japan. Although personally I find museums tolerable (I neither love museums nor hate them), I still think it was a memorable experience heading out to the Ashmolean and enjoying some of the works that are there. I especially loved the paintings from China and Japan because personally those have always been my favorites and have blown me away with the beautiful calligraphy and fantastic nature scenes. But I swear the coolest part was the x-ray of the baby that was mummified; learning about the ancient Egyptian traditions and the materials placed INSIDE of the tombs was probably the coolest part of the Ashmolean.

#tryingtofindmyman

In Oxford, Shakespeare is a really big deal, to put it lightly; Oxford was where Shakespeare stayed when he was traveling from his home in Stratford-Upon-Avon and London; this is why there are multiple Shakespeare plays performed outside in the open (obviously you still have to buy tickets, but still). Naturally, because it’s my first week in the United Kingdom, it’s practically essential to go watch some Shakespeare play, and so with a group of my friends, we headed out to the famous A Midsummer Night’s Dream. And can I just say, it was SO worth it. It was worth the cold and the long walk there; the entire night I was in stitches, laughing with the actors and at the play. Before coming here, I was neutral about Shakespeare’s works, neither loving nor hating them.  But after, I swear I’ve realized how much of a genius Shakespeare was; the actors’ interpretations of the characters were perfect. Never have I enjoyed a play so much, so whenever you go to Oxford, it’s an ABSOLUTE MUST to watch one of the Oxford Shakespeare Company’s plays! I’m sure they’re all equally amazing! But not only was the play amazing, but it was actually held in the Oxford Castle (which ironically was actually a prison)! The location is beautiful (for lack of any other words to describe it) and it’s got some really great (but also pricey) restaurants nearby, so I’d suggest going to see them! But I really wished I’d brought a jacket, because it gets cold, and if I haven’t already mentioned, the weather here is SO bipolar, I can’t even begin to describe it.

the lovely bed (with a spring that pokes me in the back)

Now for the million dollar question, that all my friends have been asking me when I’ve talked to them this week... how’s the dorm? And honestly, I actually really like my dorm. In comparison to some of my friends, who have super small little rooms, my room is reasonably big and it’s got a nice closet. The only thing I absolutely hate are the bathrooms, which were shared by practically everyone in the one building. You think they’d make more, but nope only 3 toilets were necessary. However, although I don’t have the best view and even though I don’t have a bathroom in my room, the people in my staircase were so kind and I couldn’t have asked for better friends on the floor to run to and share clothes with. Even with the small showers and cramped bathrooms, the actual college as a whole was on another level. With the spacious chapel quad, and the stained glass windows of the dining hall that looked like something straight out of Harry Potter, Pembroke was utterly beautiful. Granted, it wasn’t as great as some of the other colleges, but even after a week it still holds a special place in my heart and mind.

THE WORLD CUP GERMANY I'M SO PROUD

Although this week’s blog post is a little bit choppy and scatterbrained, I think I really like it, because it’s got all the important highlights of the week written down, and even though it’s hectic, it accurately describes my first experiences in this brand new city (brand new to me at least). My entire week’s been a little crazy what with the jet lag, the new classes, the new friends I’m making, and the excitement for what’s about to come next.

Until next time, I’ll leave you with this!