Nearly finished!

I've finished my last two essays for the term; it's a crazy feeling!  I can't believe Michaelmas went by so quickly.. I'm going to have to get used to going back to 14 week semesters when I return to Bryn Mawr.  These 8 week stints fly by!  I have my last two tutorials about the essays tomorrow and then I'm officially done.  I'm leaving on my European adventure this coming Sunday, so I won't be updating as often, though I'll strive to still stay connected!  I promise to take lots of pictures throughout, given that I just bought 24 AA batteries to do the trick!

I have an interview for the Truman Scholarship at 3:45pm today via Skype with one of the deans and a council of professors from Bryn Mawr today.  I'm hopeful that I'll get picked to be one of the 4 students representing Bryn Mawr in the national scholarship!  The Truman essentially will pay for the last year of my undergraduate education and much of my graduate education, given that I devote myself to serving the public sphere after graduation.  It's a pretty broad scholarship, so you can basically mold your future into whatever you see fit as long as it serves the greater public.  I would really love to work in the field of rehabilitation after brain injury, be it traumatic, stroke, etc.  My essay revolved around the necessity for a neuropsychologist to facilitate conversations between patients, their families and the insurance companies about the necessity of full rehabilitation programs following trauma.  From a personal standpoint, I know that rehabilitation is often cut short by the insurance companies; the cost of the expensive occupational and physical therapy then falls to the family, which in turn often doesn't allow for all of the benefits of a good (and undoubtedly expensive) rehab program.  I want to work to overcome this problem and to facilitate the best rehab program for each patient so that the optimal level of recovery is achieved.  So, crossing my fingers about this interview.. damn internet connection better pull through and not disconnect me!

Here's a few random pictures to illustrate my last week or so at Oxford!  Oh, and we got a dusting of snow the other night... people went a bit insane.  Apparently this November was the coldest in 200 years here.  Figures that cold weather would follow me to a moderately temperate area.  Just my luck.

Sabrina's 21st birthday was "AMERICAN" themed, so naturally I went as Sarah Palin.

Following our huge homemade Christmas meal with friends!

Sabrina's 21st birthday.. with a half-eaten book of spells Harry Potter cake!

A rather hilarious photo at our Christmas-themed college BOP (basically, college-sponsored party)


And, if you're interested in seeing one of the races from Christ Church, here are the novice B boys kicking Wadham College's butt (I'm the cox wearing red) -- hopefully everyone can see this!:
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=723006057903&subj=1418130018

CHEERS and happy 25 days left until Christmas!