spain pictures I: granada

our first night we found some wonderful spanish guitar under the lights of the alhambra.

the cathedral in granada was the best i've seen in spain... spanish cathedrals can tend to be a bit over-the-top ("no one is more catholic than us!"), and this one wasn't necessarily "simple," but it was all painted white, which made is spectacular.

the alhambra: yes, all it's cracked up to be.

it was really hot. spanish women all use fans, and i bought this hot red number for myself. and then posed america's next top model style over the alhambra vista. you know you would do the same... :)

bethany in one of the many courtyards of beauty.

more alhambra (obviously)... we were the first tourists in that morning, so got fantastic light without huge crowds. it pays to get up early :)

spain pictures II: sevilla

the streets of sevilla were stunning - mostly pedestrianized, with gorgeous buildings and awnings drawn between to prevent from the ridiculously hot sun.

the real alcazar, amazing - why is this not as famous as alhambra? it was a gorgeous sprawling palace, with huge gardens that had typical spanish design, which is quite similar to southern californian styles...remember how mom always said the landscape of spain is just like southern california? yeah, she's right. BUT the OC does not have the real alcazar. or the alhambra, or etc etc etc. :)

more of the alcazar.

view from the giralda (tower) of the sevilla cathedral, overlooking part of the city.

bethany and i on the terrace of our hostel, which was by far the nicest i have ever seen - so clean, great location, and breakfast included! huzzah!

spain pictures III: madrid

the highlight of madrid: el prado. the entrance.

one of ribera's stunning portraits, all lined up and greeting you when you enter the museum.

my friend bethany (on the left) took an extended layover from uganda on the way back to the US and we went down to spain together, to visit julie (on the right) who lives in madrid with her hubbie.

bethany in one of the best restaurants i have ever eaten in: a vegetarian cuisine delight in the heart of madrid. mmmmmmmm

tribute 1 (and 1.5)

these tributes i plan to do are in many sense a way to map out my life: a way to see why i am the way i am, who has influenced my decisions, thoughts, ideas etc. because like i said before, i don't believe i am an original person, but instead a culmination - and i think that is so beautiful, to think that we all share and give to one another... that no one can really claim complete autonomy and originality.

so, i'm going to work backwards in a sense:

why am i here at oxford? why am i studying african studies? ok, these questions could warrant enough posts to overload blogger, but i will begin with simple answers:

1. dr. paul kerry. it was this professor whom i first encountered freshman year in his brilliant jews and the holocaust class that gave me the initial idea to do graduate work at oxford. he was leaving mid-semester to be a research fellow at queens college in oxford, and asked if i'd like to come over for a week during thanksgiving vacation to enjoy the university and its inspiring environment. it was that trip that planted the desire to study here. enough can't be said about dr. kerry's actual belief that i could study at oxford as well: it was his faith in my intellectual capacity that made me work towards oxford in the first place. oxford seems to be this mythical impossible place where only geniuses study - now i realize that it's a university like any other, that students and faculty here are down-to-earth, kind, and wonderful. i have enjoyed this past year more than i can say, and would honestly have not been here without the help and prodding of dr. kerry.

and by the way dr. kerry was also the most inspiring academic professor i have ever had. i ended up taking 3 courses from him at byu, and all stretched my mind to places i never thought possible. i owe him a great debt for teaching me how to think. i mean truly think. my academic and personal life would in no way be as rich without his presence in my life. he never forced ideas on his students, or demanded a regime of thinking or study: but instead inspired you to find your own voice, passions, and methods of understanding the world and connections within it. connections between past and present, between individuals, between historical events and artistic expressions.... everyone should be lucky enough to be moved so much by a professor.

(1.5. dallas graham. i know this may seem random - but i was an art history major at byu, having just returned from a beautiful time in mozambique, and met up with dallas at a party in the fall of 2004. [why i went to mozambique itself warrants many other posts and tributes to come...]dallas mentioned he had minored in african studies whilst studying at byu, and recommended i do the same. it was that simple recommendation that solidified my study of africa - moved it from a personal interest to my central academic and professional focus. so thank you, dallas. i owe you a great deal.)

(p.s. photo of me taken at the alhambra in spain 3 days ago, a preview of spain posts to come...)

i've been away

sorry for the complete drop-off in blogging. i was hard-core revising for exams (well in theory), then taking exams, then playing in spain with dear friends bethany and julie.

so to start off, here are some pics from our victorious departure from the massive medieval exam schools our last day 2 weeks ago: as you can see, whilst taking exams at oxford you must wear full "sub-fusc," or gowns. at the end of exams the oxford tradition is "trashing," in which everyone throws champagne, water, flour, silly-string and other such things at the emerging students. thus the pictures:

it's also tradition to give balloons, flags etc. - so here's a pic of my good friend paul with his celebratory balloon - i thought it gave a good idea of what these ridiculous gowns look like. :) plus check out the beautiful gothic architecture of oxford in the background.

toni and me, so happy to be done with exams! i look so tired in this picture...haha, not too far off after 3 days in the exam schools. :)

peter, martin, emma, toni, anais. all lovely friends and fellow african-studies-ers.

ok, i'll post spain pics soon as well - because my goodness it was so so stunning! and i'm glad i finally had the opportunity to catch up on all the family blogs. and may i just say that sadie is so so beautiful. parker grandkids really are the cutest in the world (if i do say so myself).

an introduction

i have my first exam tomorrow, leading off 3 full days of exams that will then end my masters degree.

i'm mostly looking forward to the "blank" weeks afterwards, in which i plan to write things that are very close to me (pseudo-essays of sorts), and read more of the humanities that i sacrificed for the social sciences this past year (though i don't regret that decision).

but on the brink of what will no doubt be a splendid time in such an inspiring city as oxford, which has housed and nurtured some of the most stellar minds in history, i must first give credit to the heaps of individuals who have bit by bit crafted who i am today. i really do believe that we are all simply culminations of those around us, both intimate acquaintances and centuries-dead artists.

so as i was walking out of my room through the beautiful st. cross quad today, i realized that i want to make a bit more public the many people whom i feel have culminated in who i am today... i stand in awe of more people than i could ever recount in what i hope to be frequent blogpost tributes over the next months... but at least it's a start.

so my brief tribute today is to my dearly beloved chopin: thank you for etude opus 10 no. 3. and nocturne no. 1. and ballade no. 1. and and and and i could really go on eternally, he is truly my most played composer. there are few things which make me feel more, i mean truly completely feel and indulge in feeling to the very pit of my stomach than chopin's music. i turn to chopin in every emotion, and he always answers with flying colors. also, i find he is the perfect companion to exam-revision (which i have done much too little of, i'm afraid... especially compared to my comrades in african studies...).

so chopin, thank you a thousand times over for all the moments of transcendence you have given me.


more tributes to come, and to people i actually know personally....

chika!

so remember my friend ngozi who ginger suggested i bring dinner to? well her baby, chika (meaning "God is great" in Igbo), is absolutely beautiful and stunning. i'm in love. she and ngozi are returning to nigeria tomorrow so we had a goodbye tea for them today, and i thought i'd post a shot of her yummy little head - along with the 2-year old daughter of my professor, helene. of course she was fascinated by the baby. :)

this made me so excited to see all the yummy grandkids in such a short time! especially sadie! mmmm i can't wait to squeeze her. and speaking of, i bought my flight away from oxford (so yes it is official i am actually leaving): july 26 i arrive in the great city of salt lake. i will see and hug you all then. love you!