last day

so today is my last day of my first term of oxford. it's already over!? CRAZY.

i have a presentation to give in a few hours on democratization and citizen security in kenya, and one more essay to finish off for next week, and then i can say goodbye to dear michaelmas term. it's been an amazing 8 weeks - well, technically i've been here for 11 weeks but the term is only 8 weeks long. i've done well which is exciting - in fact i had a meeting with my dissertation adviser this week who asked me to seriously consider staying on at oxford for a dphil. she said that everyone is 'really impressed' with my work here and 'we'd love to have you stay.' ok, to have oxford tell me that is sort of exciting. i couldn't help but feel slightly complimented. and then i got a distinction on my essay this week (the equivalent of a very high "A" i guess one could say). plus my dissertation itself is running along swimmingly - my adviser thinks i'm set out to be the next barbara calloway, aka the next expert on hausa women (hausa are one of the largest ethnic groups in west africa and the main focus of my research). i don't know, we'll see...

so life is good. i'm excited to go home over Christmas and see everyone. i'm excited to go to morocco in a few days with friends from my course. and i'm very excited that i still have 2 full 8-week terms left at oxford. i'll post some more pictures of oxford soon - i must take some of magdalen college for everyone. it is stunning!

love to you all.

bath.

red-letter day

dear steph is going to have another adorable baby today...i'm thinking about you steph! love you so much and hope it all goes well and safe. :) you're the most fantastic mom ever and such an example to me. love you love you love you!

(sorry, here's the link!)

so apparently the link isn't working. so here it is again: the PhD Sociomedical Sciences at columbia. perfect. :)

and i'm in the radcliffe camera again at the moment (writing an essay: "The African Chief was an invention of Colonial rule. Discuss"), and took 2 more pictures. voila

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happiness!!

so there's a rumour floating around that elliott and ginger are gracing the UK with their presence in april...

i'm ecstatic!!!!

tell me when you get your flights! (remember, march 8 - april 20 i will be in niger)

future shmuture

today's library: the lower room of the radcliffe camera. i took pictures of the upper room last week, and here i am in the gorgeous and much more gothic-feeling lower room. it's circular as well (of course), and i don't think you can really get the sense from these pictures, but is a series of domed enclaves in an outer corridor surrounding the large central dome. all in this rustic, rough, gray stone with dark wood bookshelves and beautiful desks. heavenly!

so yesterday was my birthday. and it was easily one of my best. i have never felt such love. not only did i get so many well-wishes from people back home (thank you everyone!!), but multiple people here insisted on celebrating with me. i had a group of friends take me to lunch, another friend take me to tea, and another group take me to dinner. i didn't get in until 11:30 at night. (on a monday in 5th week - notorious for being a hellish schoolwork week - no less!) it was such a splendid and wonderful day where i felt flooded by genuine care and love from both sides of the atlantic.

and this is the thing - life is so ideal here. this past weekend i was busy getting my future sorted out in the form of PhD applications. ugh...i hate, HATE writing letters of intent. and asking for reference letters and all that goes into applications. plus i just wish i didn't have to concern myself with 'the next step.' i mean, i've basically finished the applications, i'll send them off and then can enjoy the present world of oxford again. it's a necessary evil, but it's nice that i don't have to be consumed with it. for now, all i have to say is future shmuture. :)

thank you sigur ros

one of my favorite bands ever, sigur ros, is releasing this film/music DVD set on november 5th. aka my birthday. aka sigur ros is giving me a birthday present. well, at least that's the way i see it. :) i can't wait!

p.s. mom i think you should check this out - the film is all icelandic landscape. it should be phenomenal, especially since you've been to iceland!

huzzah for built-in cameras!

i'm in the upper room of the radcliffe camera right now studying about african democracy. i wish you all could sit here with me and see how beautiful this room is! BUT... i discovered a way that you sort of can...see my laptop has a built-in camera, so i decided to take some clandestine photos. unfortunately they're pretty lame and don't do the building justice AT ALL. but they give you some idea. i'll take photos of the lower room another day, and also other libraries so you can all get the insider-perspective. :)

and p.s. - my blog is public now, you don't have to sign in to read it! huzzah again!

i live in oxford.

today was beeeeautiful in oxford. it was cold, but bright blue skies and sunny (rare for england). after picking up some books from the library, i continued riding my bike all around oxford - i just couldn't help myself. it's moments like that when i just get overwhelmed by the beauty of oxford, and have to pinch myself that i live here. i didn't have my camera on the bike ride, unfortunately, but came back and grabbed it and then went out to take some shots right around where i live. these first two are of wellington square, a beautiful park right behind my college. gorgeous, eh? the next is the street behind my college, with 18th century houses all lined up. i love the aesthetics of this street. and finally, the classic oxford shot: the radcliffe camera - one of the many libraries that i can now plop down and read in, and within a 5 minute walk from my home. this is where i have to pinch myself - that i really do live here, and really am a student here. see, the last picture is one of the many huge groups of tourists that i see roaming around the city everyday. i've never lived in such a tourist attraction - i have to admit, provo sort of flies below the tour radar. :)

hope you all have a beautiful weekend!

matriculation

so matriculation is the 900 year old traditional ceremony that marks your official induction into oxford university - they also have the same thing at cambridge and trinity college, dublin. so here are some snapshots from the day - me in my "sub fusc" robes...you never wear the hat, you just carry it - it's traditionally the hard mortar board (like the one people wear at graduation ceremonies in the US), which i'm guessing doubled as a writing surface back in the day, that's why we carried it all day? i don't know - people don't really explain, and to be honest, no one really knows anything around here. haha! even the official date of the founding of oxford is still uncertain...sometime in the 1100s.

anyway, the next 2 shots are from the inside of the sheldonian theatre, during the ceremony. the guy standing with the official get-up on is reading off things in latin about how awesome we are now that we go to oxford.



(the last picture is where i live, my college's main site with fellow st. cross members gathering for a group photo. really, i live in the most beautiful place ever...) this was a classic oxford experience...one you don't get at too many other institutions. :)