... and the break begins

Hello all,

So, Michaelmas is finally officially over.  It's safe to say that it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life thus far, and thank goodness that I have another two terms here.  While it was only 2 months, it seems to have flown by -- literally, when I try to think of specific moments, it all becomes a blur.  The blur, however, isn't a bad thing; I think it was caused by the fact that there were so many fantastic moments with fantastic people that they all seem to congeal together.  This is much preferred to what could've been a long, drawn-out stay in a country that I'm unfamiliar with.  As you can probably tell from all of my previous blog posts, this is obviously not the case -- in short, England and Oxford rock (well, aside from them utterly wrecking my immune system.  That's another story entirely).

It was so interesting seeing all of my first year friends depart on their first break away from University.  It made me reminisce back to the time that I first left Bryn Mawr to head home for the holidays.  So much has changed since then!  Granted, I've always been sort of a rogue and never homesick... but nonetheless, I've always appreciated the change of scenery and being home with family.  This year will mark the first time that I won't be spending Christmas with my family or even in the states, but I'm very excited.  Watching everyone leave, I once again realized the deep connection that is made over only the short time of a term... from my slightly visitor viewpoint, it's awesome to watch the emotions come out.  It makes me appreciate the necessity of friendship and great people to make University such a rewarding, worthwhile experience.  I feel like this is such an integral part of education, especially at a challenging school like Oxford (or Bryn Mawr), where the academics push you to your absolute breaking point... and yet there's always those key people to fall back on.  It was nice witnessing this in another country and with new people.  Wishing all of you St. Anners a lovely break with lots of relaxation (or as much as these tutors allow!).

I'm leaving at 4:00am from the bus station to Gatwick airport, then departing at 9:30am for Athens, Greece!  My friend Sara and I are traveling together on this lovely journey, so it'll be nice having a fellow visiting student to share the experience with.  We've booked some great hostels that cater to students, so meeting people shouldn't be a problem.. I'm rather excited to see the different places that our fellow roommates are from!  I'm also extremely excited to see Steph (my good friend from Bryn Mawr, who is studying abroad in Athens), even though she visited me at Oxford only 2 weeks ago... but nonetheless, new scenery and a great tour guide!  I'm quite sure the experience will be memorable, as will the rest of the trip.  I'll try to update periodically at each destination if we have a reliable internet connection, but I doubt that pictures will be up much before the 21st of December, which is when I return to England.  After that date, I'm aimlessly wandering about London, couch-surfing in friends homes, spending Christmas with a fellow rower/friend, hopefully meeting up with my dine-with-me ladies in London and then returning to Oxford for the telethon and rowing camp!

I don't expect to be sleeping much during this break, as you can tell.

Next post should be from Greece, or Rome!

Christmas in Oxford