Brie Does Britain: Final Countdown!

Cue dramatic music!

T-7 days until my return to the fatherland. Very, very strange. In the meantime, I intend to live it up with my British friends (and Americans!) and hopefully finish up this last essay tonight so I have nothing else to worry about for the rest of the week. I've acquired a new carry-on suitcase and still have my massive suitcase that I came over with, and yet I cannot think of how all of my stuff is going to FEASIBLY fit into those and my backpack (which I am determined to convince the airline is a 'personal item'). I think I'll have to make a trip to the thrift store right before I leave in order to get rid of last minute items.. yipes.

I'm slowly but surely coming to terms with returning to the states and eventually back to Bryn Mawr for my final year of university. It's an odd thought that I only have one more year, but an exciting one as well. I've got a lot on my plate for this summer in terms of preparation: scholarship applications, signing up and taking the GRE, doing some part-time work to make money, applying to graduate schools and in general just sorting out my life for this coming year. I want to have a viable plan for the Crew team because I feel like the team is often unprepared coming into the season, so I want to have a running goal list for September. I also need to start contacting international Red Cross organizations and creating a goal timeline for International relations on the National Youth Council, which will be taking up a fair amount of time. I'm being flown out to San Francisco in late July to meet with my fellow NYC members, which I'm very excited about (minus the plane thing). I also intend to get back into my workout/healthy regime, as I've gone off the deep-end in England!

England has decided to grace our last week with a whole lot of rain. That part I surely won't miss... I need a little sunshine back in my life. I'm sure I'll be regretting this last statement having been home for about 2 weeks and sweating in the humidity.

--

In other, less depressing news - these last few weeks are exam weeks for the students of Oxford, mostly the first years (who are taking their prelims) and the finalists (who are taking their last exams). The finalists get absolutely TRASHED after their last exam... which entails ketchup, beans, confetti, etc. The first years get off a bit easier, seeing as they don't want to ruin their subfusc just yet. Yes, I said subfucs --> all Oxford students MUST sit exams in full suit and subfusc attire.

My good friend Scott, a first year, after completing his prelims in Biochemistry

Note the red carnation in the picture. You wear a carnation for each day of exams to signify how close you are to being done: a white carnation for the first, a pink carnation for the middle exams and a red carnation for the final exam. Quite fitting! Maybe I'll bring that tradition back to Bryn Mawr...

We also celebrated Anne's birthday last week. Since it was her big 21, Hannah and I decided to concoct a very creative cake for her. Seeing as Anne really loves the phrase "let's open up a can of woopass" we decided that making two cakes shaped like CANS of WOOPASS would be entirely fitting. Oh yes... we went there.