Sunday, November 26, 2017
Day in Bath (pronounced “BAUth” ) + The Best Alcoholic Drink in Town
Was up at 7:30am, put on all my winter gear—hat, scarf, and mittens—and walked in the cold morning air with Odelia to the train station, where I had a pain au chocolate and coffee and met Mabel. Sadly I spilled the coffee on my mittens and wallet in my haste to make the train and burned my finger (and later my tongue), but I couldn’t finish it anyway; I wasn’t allowed to bring it on the bus to Bath.
It was a beautiful sunny day. Bath was not too unlike Oxford:
Roman Baths: Extensive baths and major temple complex—the temple of Sulis Minerva, goddess of the sacred spring. The baths were surrounded by statues of Roman governors of the province of Britannia, as Britain was known, and of Roman emperors such as Caesar, Hadrian, and Constantine the Great. The hot springs are fed by rainwater from 10,000 years ago which rises at a rate of 1,170,000 litres a day at 46ºC. We got to try some hot spring water at the end—it tasted like mineral tea. Or rock soup.
Model of the Roman baths
Bath Abbey: A Gothic-style Anglican church founded in the 7th century, reorganized in the 10th century, and rebuilt in the 12th and 16th centuries; major restoration work was carried out in the 1860s. 
Jane Austen Centre: Didn’t have time to see the exhibition, but had a sip of delicious hot mulled wine that tasted like cranberry.
Circus: Roundabout with trees and grass in the center:
Royal Crescent: semi-circular row of houses (where nobles used to live) next to a vast green park with a group of kids in santa hats
Pulteney Bridge: Built 1774; connected the city with the newly built town of Bathwick. Designed by Robert Adam in Palladian style, it is exceptional in having shops built across its full span on both sides.
Indoor Christmas market: chocolates that don’t look like chocolate—we couldn’t resist.
Yes, those are chocolates!
Sally Lunn bun at the Parade Gardens: apparently a Bath specialty
Mulled cider is my new favorite alcoholic drink: it was warm and spicy like cranberry juice but not too spicy like mulled wine. It’s the one drink I could easily drink a glass of.
Bath Christmas Market: Wreaths decorated the wooden shops selling antique goods and food from minced pies and pudding to German sausage and British pork
Ran back to make the train on time. My burnt finger was still aching, but my stomach and heart were content.
Dinner with my college family at ASK Italian: pesto tagliatelle pasta!
Tennis team bonding: watched Love Actually, (not Love Always, which I keep saying) in Fran’s room with matcha green tea and popcorn. The quintessential British Christmas movie, kinda like Elf. It was cute and unrealistically romantic, but still cute and comic. Fell into bed at midnight
This was no doubt one of my favorite days at Oxford.
Monday, November 27, 2017
The day I decided to take pics of the library that became my second home (half joking)
Up at 5:30 for morning practice. The sun came out as we finished. It wasn’t the best practice as I hadn’t hit in over a week, but it was a good hit.
Spent the morning not working on my essay due tomorrow but sending out emails to various firms on internship opportunities that I doubt will come back. I feel like I am sending out emails, pleas for work, into a black void.
A very British lunch: sausage with cooked apples (the sausage looked funny, coiled in a spiral like a snake, but tasted very good), mashed potatoes and green beans.
Back in the library, I was determined to get my essay started, but suddenly I was so sleepy…if only I could take a quick nap…
I stayed in the library from 1-6:30pm, then went back to my room to get changed for formal hall at Merton College with Robby, Alice, and Odelia. It was good food and good conversation—we spoke in Chinese because it’s their first language and I had said I wanted to practice my Chinese.
Christmas Carols were happening at the Sheldonian Theatre (another Oxford place on my to-see list) at 9, but I had some spare time beforehand so stayed in the Radcliffe Camera where it was nice and warm. I walked along the creaking carpet and picked up a random book called Angel of Apocalypse—its pages smelled rusty and old. The carols consisted of everyone singing and a performance of Jingle Bells by the Oxford Commas, an amazing a cappella group, with Bible readings and a message mixed in, and ending with “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.”
Tuesday, November 28, 2017
When a fire alarm guides your decisions
Went to bed early last night (11:30pm), up at 7:30, had breakfast with coffee (for once), and studied in the Radcliffe Science Library for the first time.
I felt like I was able to concentrate better here, maybe because it was a new environment, or because my paper was due that day. But even when I felt focused my mind still wandered—I wonder if our attention spans really are getting shorter and shorter due to technology and social media, and if so, how much that would impact our productivity in the workplace!
Went to Career Services to get some interview advice and practice, then got a chicken panini at a nearby cafe and was back an hour later for a career appointment on general career and networking advice that wasn’t as helpful—basically, use LinkedIn and find connections. I learned that networking is more about the connections of your connections than your connections themselves.
Then back to the Radcliffe Science Library to finish my essay.
I stayed until the fire alarm went off (it wasn’t siren-y loud, so everyone stayed in their seats for about a minute, watching each other, before realizing we were supposed to get up and leave), then didn’t want to waste time standing there so walked back to Catz. It was getting dark and I thought it was 6, but I looked at my laptop and it was still 3 in the afternoon! Stayed in the social science library for the next 3 hours until dinner, where I had chicken breast with rice and cauliflower/broccoli and ate with a group of visiting students.
Finished my last essay of the term in my room! Though I could not focus. 5 hours later, I was still not nearly done. However, I did consume multiple cups of matcha green tea, a clementine, grapes, two mint chocolates, a turkish delight, and two biscotti cookies. I think all the calories my brain was burning off trying to finish this essay justifies the calorie intake.
Wednesday, November 29, 2017
Last essay, last tennis match (a W!), and last crew date of the term
Finished my last essay of the term this morning! I knew it wasn’t my best essay but was past the point of caring enough to do something about it.
After turning it in, I grabbed my tennis racket (which Inda kindly lent to me for the term), walked to Sainsbury’s for a sandwich and banana and Eat Natural granola bars (really delicious almond and apricot and coconut bars with yogurt coating), and was soon riding a taxi to Abingdon to play our last match of the term against Exeter University.
Unlike the first match I played against Exeter (away game, so a 3-hour drive away), we had 3 courts instead of 2 so we were done in 3 hours, which was really fast. I won both my singles and doubles, though it was tight in the 2nd set, but so glad we won, as it could’ve easily gone the other way. I realized I can play doubles and hit my shots, I just need to relax and play like it didn’t matter.
That afternoon I felt the most at ease I’ve felt all term, with essays done and all. I was free! Was back by 4 and had a couple hours to chill, during which I researched spring internships to apply to and met an MIT professor over Skype to talk about doing research; it was a very friendly, relaxing conversation, not like an interview at all, which was nice for a change.
I was pretty tired, but I already said I would go to a crew date at At Thai with mens fencing. Besides, it was the last one of the term. I had ribs and sweet potato fries at the dining hall earlier, and the food at At Thai was very overpriced: £15 for yummy but not very much Thai food. I didn’t talk much, but one guy kept trying to put pennies into my water (I didn’t drink wine, and had even less taste for penny-flavored water). Annabel wanted me to get the full sconce experience, so made up a sconce for me, banging her fork on a wine bottle to get everyone’s attention and announcing, “I sconce anyone who’s had sex on the roof of the Rad Cam.” On my cue, I stood up and drank from my glass of water. It’s impossible to get to the roof so it was clearly a joke, but I don’t think it was that obvious. People were impressed. I felt awkward.
Everyone went to Park End afterwards, and I walked over with the group to say goodbye to the tennis team, but didn’t go inside (super tired + super long line to get in). I don’t like saying goodbye, and couldn’t help but get a little emotional when I told the team how meeting the team really enhanced my Oxford experience and how I will miss them, not knowing if I’ll ever see them again.
I stopped by Odelia’s room and we saw the first hour of The Holiday, one of her favorite rom coms, until 1 in the morning.
Thursday, November 30, 2017
Last IR tutorial, Ashmolean Museum, lots of mulled wine and minced pies, and a wonderful Christmas dinner
Finally explored some of Oxford today after my last International Relations tutorial. Had a cranberry pasty, walked around the Gloucester Green Market, and went to the Ashmolean Museum, the world’s first university museum (first built 1678-83).
There were galleries on artifacts, history, and geography in Japan, Egypt, Europe, Southeast Asia, India, medieval England. Saw brilliant pottery and learned that until 1500 real gold was widely used in pictures from Italy. This sounds weird but I missed reading textbooks and learning about the history of these countries.
Japanese teahouse
Ashmolean Museum
Farewell drinks in Naomi’s office for visiting students: a festive setting with Christmas lights, mulled wine (red wine with various spices, served hot), and minced pies (sweet pies with dried fruits and spices)—so delicious! I don’t like the taste of wine but I easily drank a glass of this mulled wine…and felt lightheaded and dizzy shortly afterwards. Naomi, the Director of Studies for Visiting Students, was so sweet and said her farewell speech, saying how lovely it was to have us here and how welcome we are to come back and visit. We chatted a bit and then were off.
Christmas dinner at formal hall: Had some good conversation with Odelia and Mabel, and met two grad students who were sitting next to us. It’s always nice meeting new people, even if during the second to last day of term.
prawn cocktail
Christmas pudding (tasted like mulled wine with spices and dates)
Then attended Catz carols at Harris Manchester Chapel, though I had to stand in the back because all the seats were taken.
Afterwards we all headed to the Master’s Lodgings for more minced pies and mulled wine and conversation. I was the last one to leave the house—I wanted to sign the Master’s book with the fancy fountain pen—I think the Master wanted me to get on just a little faster.
The last event of the night was a Christmas party hosted by Tyler, Jake, and Sam in their rooms: there was (no surprise) minced pies and mulled wine (as you probably figured by now, mulled wine and minced pies are Christmas traditions). I couldn’t eat anymore…but I did have some chocolates. It was fun talking with people, said some goodbyes. I cannot believe the term has come to an end.
Friday, December 1, 2017
Last full day at Oxford—more exploring! And more goodbyes
Had breakfast with Kamya, and that was when we said our goodbyes.
Had an hour to kill before the Natural History Museum opened, so went inside the Bodleian (Weston) library and looked at the exhibits.
Natural History Museum: there were skulls and a grizzly bear to touch and bones and a cute aardvark—all of which reminded me of biology class. There was a cool neuroscience exhibit on the brain; I learned that male human brains are on average 10% larger than female brains.
The Pitts River Museum had objects and artifacts from every country except Luxembourg (I don’t know why Luxembourg of all places), from xylophones and smoking pipes to woven baskets and writing utensils.
Had my last tutorial in development economics after lunch on whether experimental methods can be universalized. Our tutor brought donuts with raspberry filling in the middle, and Jan and I had an interesting discussion. Then we stayed another hour to listen in on Julia and Matthias’s tutorial after us. Two hours is a bit long for me, but I gained insight from hearing other people present their perspective on this topic.
Walked to Westgate mall afterward (and ran into Kavi and Zohal on the way!), looking for a fall coat. Thought Uniqlo would have cheap coats; nope, they were £90, and on sale too. Saw a nice one at H&M but I thought £80 was still a bit much. Then went into a store called Next and found a black one that fit me and felt warm and cozy for £62. I felt like this was the one, and bought it. I was happy with my new purchase and wore it to formal hall (my last hall) that night.
Went to formal hall with visiting students from Hong Kong: Clara, Edward, and Phoebe. It was a fun time full of conversation and laughter, though I think I ate too much: the three-course meal consisted of an appetizer of soup, a main course of beef stew, roasted potatoes, and peas, and a rather filling dessert of pudding.
At 9:30 I walked with Odelia to Woodstock Rd, where the visiting students living there were hosting a house party, aka a farewell party. An otherwise long 35 min walk seemed much shorter when walking with a friend. That was one of the funnest parties all term. It was quite sad at the end though, when we took a group picture (including pics with Matthias’s polaroid camera) and had our hugs and said our farewells—some were nice meeting you, some were I’ll miss you but we’ll definitely see each other again in the future, and some were see you tomorrow! Odelia and I took a cab home, reminiscing on how much fun the night had been.
Walked a total of 9.5 miles today! In my staircase, I “stopped by” Clara and Phoebe’s room and then Edward and Myles’s room to say goodbye.
Bed at 2:30. Cannot believe the term is over, and cannot believe I am leaving for Scotland tomorrow! Will pack tomorrow.
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