Reminiscing About the Phases of My Life and Some Lessons I’ve Learned Plane rides have become the measurement of my life, something like the markings of each chapter. Back when I was much younger, I used to look forward in time whenever I arrived at an airport. After all, I only ever went to one for something like a family vacation, and who wouldn’t look forward to something like that, right? When you’re five, there’s really not much to reminisce…
This week, I wasn’t feeling particularly inspired, so I decided to try something new—write down everything that pops into mind with no particular structure. I begin with updates on the four Catz Football teams, followed by my rather humiliating experiences trying out ballroom dancing, a very short description of the Japan Society, and to top it all off, some inspirational quotes from my roommate Clark! Be warned, if you’re reading the this in class, Clark may make you “laugh out…
How I ended up playing for four football teams at Oxford As an offering to the soccer gods, it is my pleasure to announce that I have successfully managed to join all four male football (soccer) teams at St. Catherine’s College. The undergraduate team has three teams that each have incredibly unique names: The Firsts, The Seconds, and The Thirds. I’m still getting used to this new naming system, but apparently the First team is the most competitive, the Second…
Introduction “I can feel it, we’re in New York.” I remember this quote from the movie “The Beatles” because John Lennon said this on a plane en route to America for the first time in his life, and I was watching this scene on a plane heading to Europe for the first time in my life (England via France). Unfortunately, I didn’t have the observational prowess that John had, and it wasn’t until the plane jolted to a stop on…
My study abroad experience has turned into much more abroad and a lot less study. I have completed my first Hilary term tutorials in genetics and immunology and am currently on my six-week break between terms. Immediately following the completion of my tutorials, I traveled to Madrid, where I stayed with my friend Gabi Mintz ’17 and also hung out with Bian Zheng ’17. We traveled extensively around the city, went to a dance class, took a sky tour over…
Time has been flying by at an unbelievable pace here at Oxford. Cold weather and clouds aside, Oxford has continued to prove to be an amazing adventure. Last time, I left off with my buddy Walter visiting me here, where we climbed to the top of University Church of St. Mary the Virgin, the highest point in Oxford. The tower offered awe-inspiring vistas of the University, including this view of All Souls College, home to the “hardest exam in the…
My study abroad experience has been one for the history books thus far. From the very beginning, I have been dazzled by beautiful sights and powerful moments. The first happened right in the beginning when I got to watch the sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean on my flight to London. Upon arriving in London, I made my way through customs and passed across the UK border. This was the first time I had ever stepped foot on foreign soil. Nothing…
“Alkdnasdlkfnadsl.” This delightful collection of letters characterizes almost every message I have written home thus far, and also the truly great and terrible beauty of studying abroad at Oxford. I will warn readers that this blog may be somewhat hard to follow, as the writer is still dealing with the constant screams of Oxford students in the aftermath of the JK Rowling interview, most of which sound something like the word I used above; this holds particularly true for whoever…
One of the greatest myths propagated in the modern world when it comes to cultural similarities has to be this: that the United States and the United Kingdom, with their ‘special relationship’ and a mutual appreciation for Downton Abbey and Sherlock, are quite similar. In many ways I wasn’t surprised to find that the cross-Atlantic move brought more struggles than trying to drag 6 months of my life through London Heathrow Airport after an all-day flight. I am a British…
When it comes to putting food on the table in the PI business, a good reputation is like a good fedora: absolutely indispensable. It’s not good investigator etiquette to sling mud. But I would be making a grave mistake to avoid the blame here. It was me. Let the papers—Misc, Weekly Squat, Chronicle, Helicon—know. I bit the bullet and chipped my tooth; I ran the race and tripped halfway; I made huge mistakes. My first mistake: I followed a false…