Officially a 2nd Year!

Hello All!

Sorry for about a month of a delay in posting. More on that later...

Today, LSE released our exam results. While there is still speculation on whether these were just the exam grades or the actual final grade, I can say that I have officially advanced to the second year of the programme. 

This past academic year has pushed me harder than I ever could have imagined. I'm so proud of the work I achieved, and I'm looking forward to next year!

Now, if you excuse me...I have a dish of ice cream to eat!

Destress

After finishing my three exams back to back last Wednesday, I took Thursday off to refresh. I organized my computer files, backed up photos, and even watched a movie. I know- the movie thing is big. Sitting there for two hours and not doing anything was huge for me.

Thursday evening, I finally crossed something off my London bucket list! I got dinner in Brick Lane with some friends.  Brick Lane is famous for Indian food, and I never have made it over there! It was well worth the experience. We grabbed curry at a restaurant called Aladdin that had been named one of the best curry places by the BBC.  

After dinner, we grabbed some drinks to celebrate being 75% done with finals. 

I'm off to go study for my last test on Wednesday! 

Arm Wrestling

These girls got me through this year!

Brett and me

If you need me...

I'm currently trying to cut down on this workload:

Exam Motivation

In my sophomore year of college, my spring semester was one of the most stressful periods ever. It was the semester I quit mock trial. It was the semester that I got my heart ripped out and shattered. It was also the semester where I took some of the hardest courses ever. 

(I always was the overachiever taking 400 level courses when a sophomore.)

But, one day when I was studying for the finals, I discovered a song that had been out for awhile.  It's actually a speech set to background music...

"Everybody wear Sunscreen"

Yes, I know the song had been out for awhile. It's still an amazing song that resonates today. So, if you need a break or motivation to continue studying for exams, take a listen. And, pass it on!

Oxford Day Trip!

On Saturday, Jenny and I escaped away from the stress of schoolwork to Oxford.  We both had never been, and the trip was a task on my 101 in 1001 days list!

Paddington Bear at Paddington Station 

We grabbed a 10:30am train to Oxford. The fares were fairly cheap. I had my rail card which saves a lot of money throughout the year, but even Jenny's was not that expensive without a rail card. The journey took about an hour, and the Oxford train station is about a 10 minute walk from the city center. While we figured we had planned enough time to do everything including Blenheim Palace, we eventually decided to save Blenheim Palace for another trip up to save time traveling to there and back. 

 We spent the day wandering around the various colleges and historical buildings of the campus and the town.  We were sure to pay for the admission into the Divinity School! What I loved about the Oxford campus was that it was sprinkled throughout the city center! It was nice also seeing a real campus at the same time. I must say that I do miss having a quad made of grass (no offense, LSE).

View from the lunch table 

For lunch, we stopped at a cafe overlooking Christ Church Cathedral.  

After warming our bellies with English breakfast tea and a delicious lunch, we ventured back outside to check out Christ Church, the Great Hall, and the grounds.

For all my Harry Potter loving fans, the image below is for you:

We ended the day with trying tea at the oldest coffee house in England. We chose to get tea over coffee because we wanted to have the traditional scones and clotted cream for the afternoon snack. If you are in Oxford, be sure to check out the Grand Cafe. It's worth the wait to get a table!

Overall, the day trip was well worth it! We got to see so many of the famous Oxford buildings and planned out things we want to do the next time we sneak away from Londontown!

Have you ever been to Oxford? What are your favorite parts of the town?