DONE

So this happened:

Submitted!

Printed. Bound. Packaged according to University specifications (which are so complex I’m pretty sure you need a degree just to understand them). Handed in and taken off my mind.

And since this little paper is destined to spend the rest of its life here:

Where dissertations come to rest

I thought I would share the only bit that you may be interested in… the acknowledgements. Because I have a lot of people to thank and it would be a shame if those words remained hidden in a little corner of a little library on a sleepy street in Oxford.

Here they are, as they will eventually appear in my little space on that high shelf:

Seriously guys, I am so lucky to have such a wonderful support system. So as a small token of my appreciation, I would like to offer this collage of me making funny faces in multiple libraries (/cafes/trains/bouncy castles) while writing my dissertation.

It’s a glamorous process

With the exception of a few lovely study buddies, I’ve spent much of the last few months alone. But I’ve never felt lonely because of the wonderful people in my life, and for that I am incredibly grateful. Thank you thank you thank you.

Now if you’ll please excuse me, I need a drink.

Oh Oxford

With only two weeks left before I pack my bags and leave the beautiful city I’ve called home for almost a year, I’ve been thinking about how much I’ve grown to love this place. From the amazing architecture to the centuries-old traditions, there’s a lot to appreciate here, so I thought I would share some of my favourite things about this wonderful town.

1) The bikes! This city is full of them.

Here is my bike making some friends outside the library

Oxford students use their bikes for everything. Going to the grocery store that’s only ten minutes away? Take your bike, it’s better to carry things in your basket anyway. Out for a night on the town? Take your bike to avoid paying cab fare. Heading to a formal event? Definitely take your bike, your feet are going to be sore by the end of the night!

Heading to college for formal dinner

Just don’t forget your formal helmet!

2) The green space.

The parks in this city are unreal. I’ll never stop being amazed by the fact that one minute you can be standing on a bustling High Street full of cars & buses & shoppers, and three minutes later you can find yourself strolling down a peaceful river, watching cows grazing and baby ducklings learning how to swim. While the University Parks, right behind my house, are usually my first choice if I’m looking for a little bit of outdoors, I’ve also thoroughly enjoyed strolling through some of the other beautiful green spaces in this town.

University Parks in winter

and again in spring

 

Christ Church meadows from the water

Boats near Port Meadow

Yes, it’s enough to make a girl jump for joy!

Credit to Patrick, the wonderful photographer

3) The tourists.

Ok, I’ll admit this is a bit of a weird one. Sure, when I’m just trying to zip into the city centre to pick up one thing and I have to battle my way through herds of people just to get to the Tesco, I’m not loving the tourists so much. And equally, when I’m riding down a narrow lane that is completely blocked by a tour group and their first reaction is to take a picture rather than MOVE OUT OF THE WAY, I’m not so enamoured.

But, despite the complaining that I might do about these intruders, I have a confession to make: once upon a time, I was one of them. And, even worse, I was one of the worst kind. Yes, I was a member of the matching-backpack-wearing, Oxford-paraphanelia-sporting, underage-drinking-at-your-former-favourite-pub, 16-year-old-Oxford-tourist crew. It’s a good thing that I’m leaving in two weeks because upon reading this, I’m sure that half of my Oxford friends will immediately disown me.

And even though these naive summer school students give disgruntled grads another reason to grumble, I look back on that month of my life fondly. I remember the complete awe I felt when I first came to this city, and the incredible admiration I had for anyone who remotely looked like they studied and/or may have studied here once. So, if you want to come and stand outside my library in the pouring rain to try to capture a little glimpse of the authentic Oxford life, please, be my guest. Because seeing throngs of tourists outside the places that I visit every day helps me to appreciate the things that I get to experience on a daily basis.

A tour group outside the Bod

And yes, I’ll smile for your picture, as long as you please just get out of my way first.

 

 

Oh Canada

It’s no secret that I love my country.

All ready to go for Canada Day 2012

Sure it has its thorns, but you can find those anywhere. And I’m convinced that there’s something about living in a foreign country that makes you see your home through rose-coloured glasses.

So when my friend Paul asked if he could be on my blog, I figured his talents would be best put to use writing a tribute to my fair country (his qualifications for this task: an uncanny ability to list famous Canadians and a penchant for quoting Wayne Gretzky whenever possible). The poem was supposed to be written for Canada Day, but I guess you can’t trust an Englishman to remember Canada’s national holiday (they can barely remember their own…)

But now, without further ado, I (we) present:

A Poem for Canada

 

Here’s  my  ode  to  Canada,  a  place  I’ve  never  been

A  land  where  Gretzky  is  the  king,  and  people  love  The  Queen

 

I  hear  it’s  very  beautiful,  I  know  it’s  far  away

I’m  told  it’s  multicultural,  et  là  ils  parlent  français

 

In  Canada,  the  men  are  men,  tough  with  nerves  of  steel

They  all  know  how  to  fell  a  tree  and  kill  a  baby  seal

 

From  Avril  to  Pam  Anderson,  the  girls  are  very  cute

I  love  the  way  that  they  say  ‘eh’  and  how  they  say  ‘aboot’

 

Of  sexy  singing  superstars,  this  country  has  no  lack:

Carly  Rae,  Michael  Bublé,  the  guys  from  Nickelback

 

Bryan  Adams,  K  D  Lang,  Alanis  Morissette

Justin  Beiber,  BNL,  I  haven’t  finished  yet

 

Joni  Mitchel,  Neil  Young,  the  list  goes  on  and  on

Of  course  it  would  be  incomplete  without  Celine  Dion

 

Canada’s  a  country  punching  well  above  its  weight

In  terms  of  size,  it’s  number  two,  but  number  one  for  great

 

It’s  fun  and  friendly,  free  and  fair,  a  country  in  its  prime

It’s  kind  of  like  America,  without  the  violent  crime

 

In  this  divine  democracy,  delightful  people  dwell

So  far  not  one  Canadian  was  ever  sent  to  hell

 

Yes,  everyone  is  perfect  in  this  friendly  fairytale

I  know  ‘cos  I’ve  been  told  so  by  miss  L____  F______-­‐S___

 

And  if  she  lets  me  on  her  lake  and  lends  me  her  canoe

O  Canada  O  Canada  I’ll  stand  on  guard  for  you

 

O  Canada,  close  to  my  heart  despite  being  far  away

I  know  we’ll  be  together  soon,  won’t  that  be  awesome  eh?

Little Mementos

In a little pocket at the back of my agenda I keep small reminders of my adventures. It’s not a systematic habit of mine – these things are just as likely to get lost in a jacket pocket or discovered two years later at the bottom of a purse. But sometimes I get the urge to save these tiny pieces of paper, so I stash them away in the pocket for re-discovery at a later date.

Today I decided my agenda was getting a bit too bulky so I cleaned my little pocket out. Here is what I found…

The Oxford Collection

The programme and some photo booth photos from my college’s Ball, and an invitation to the dinner for graduating students.

The Amsterdam Collection

Transportation tickets from Amsterdam (for when I wasn’t getting chauffeured around on the back of my dear friend’s bicycle) and a ticket for a most excellent dance party.

The London Collection

A ticket for Matilda the Musical (my birthday present), a Barclay bike code from our London reunion day, my visitors pass to the Parliamentary archives (in the Palace of Westminster! the perks of being a grad student…) and my ticket to Westminster Abbey.

The Paris Collection

Admissions to many Parisian sites from my class field trip this past February (yet another perk of being a grad student – with easy access to continental Europe!)

The Scotland Collection

And a postcard from a certain-special-someone who keeps me coming back to Edinburgh every once in a while.

Opening that little pocket was a pleasant surprise today. I had completely forgotten about all of the goodies I had stored in there. And what a great reminder of the adventures I’ve had this year: Oxford – Amsterdam – London – Paris – Edinburgh. I can’t wait to see what’s next…

Playing Hooky

I’ve been playing hooky.

Although there’s nowhere I actually have to be when I’m in Oxford, I tend to keep myself on a pretty tight schedule during the ‘work’ week. But two weeks ago I traded my school bag for a suitcase full of summer dresses, hopped on a plane to Canada and spent a blissful nine days at the lake.

Look at all the summer dresses!

And I’d say it was a pretty good trade.

Instead of reading journal articles & policy documents, I made it through all three books in the Hunger Games series.

Instead of enduring through English rain, I soaked up every last bit of Canadian sunshine.

Sunset at Muldrew

Instead of spending time in the library, I spent some time with some wonderful people.

Me & Nana, Me & Mama, Me & Poppa

… and some more wonderful people*…

Me & babysister, me & Captain Canada, and me & Kay

I hung out with my dog. I ate food that tastes like home. I took in every sunset I could. I spent an extra-long time in the lake. I lived in bathing suits & summer dresses. I snapped a billion pictures. I sang along to albums for which I know every lyric by heart. I took looong naps. I played countless card games.

Essentially, I milked those nine days for all they were worth.

Amen

As my flight landed in Toronto, a flight attendant’s voice came over the speaker – Thanks for joining us today. If you’re just beginning your vacation, we wish you a safe trip. If you’re returning home, we hope you’ll choose us for another vacation soon.

But it seems that I got the best of both worlds –  I got to have a vacation, at home.

___________________________________________________________________________

*while I did get to see many wonderful people, I know I missed a lot of you too. There were actually only three people in Canada who knew of my trip before I landed, as it was a surprise for my mother. But I do look forward to catching up with everyone when I come back for longer!