U of Oxford Matriculation Ceremony

"It is what sociologists and anthropologists call the 'rites of passage.' Today, you have become what you were not. You have matriculated as a student of the University of Oxford."- Andrew Hamilton, Vice-Chancellor

This past Saturday there was a beautiful ceremony for the Freshers (new students) of the university. We became members of the university and our names are written into a register. This means we can now participate, and take exams.  

Matriculation is one of Oxford's main traditions, previously we were only members of our own colleges (which we are a lifetime member as well). This ceremony marks the beginning of a new chapter for all of us, we become members of the university. This membership not only spans our time here but is for life. This means I will always have access to the Bodleian libraries. Although, once I graduate I will become a member of the convocation, which means I can elect the Chancellor. 

The ceremony dates back to the Middle Ages where students had to register, as was the legal requirement of the Regent Master. This register established who was a real student and who wasn't because back when the university was setting down their roots, the townsfolk were not too happy, and there were a lot of fights. Having your name on the registry allowed you the University's protection.

At Oxford we are required to wear a 'subfusc,' which is an old-school uniform. It was similar to what I used to wear in primary and high school. Although, the gown and mortar board are unique and reminds me of Harry Potter. The mortar board is similar to graduation cap in the states but it is bad luck here to put it on before you graduate, but you're required to carry it around with you every time you wear the 'subfusc.' 

We are all required to wear:

• either dark pants or a skirt with tights
• dark shoes
• a white dress shirt
• a bow tie or ribbon
• the gown
• mortar board

My day began at 7 am, I had to begin getting ready to meet at my college at 9 am. Once, my housemates and I arrived at the college, we had our breakfast. If there is one thing I will always remember from my time here is the amount of croissants I consumed. We were then lined up by height to take the fresher photo for our college, which took an obscene amount of time. I should mention now that my college is quite informal, a lot of other colleges had their students walk in two lines to the Sheldonian. My college just told us to meet at 11:45 and don't be late. After the photo, we took more pictures and headed to the Sheldonian by bus because we were running late. The entire bus was full of Wolfson members in their subfuscs headed to the theatre. Once we made it, it was time for the ceremony to begin. 

After the ceremony there is a lot of celebrating, and parties. Everyone was wearing their subfuscs until late. There were parties that the theme was to incorporate your subfusc into your costume.

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Driving in England

*Disclaimer* This is MY initial experience with English drivers and dealing with the roads in England

Hello, again.

It has been a long time since I have posted anything, I've been busy working, packing, moving and unpacking.

I have officially moved to England to complete a graduate degree  at Oxford, and the majority of my posts will be about England.

I brought a lot of things with me to England, about 110 pounds of stuff. Mostly clothes, shoes, and some toiletries. My mother came with me to help me carry everything and we decided to rent a car. Now, that has been a ride in itself and we returned the car a week early.  We rented our car from AVIS at Heathrow, the employees were very helpful and advised us to get insurance. We, thankfully, decided to get the insurance because normally we opt out of the offer. The insurance covered the regular things, like scratches and if you break down on the side of the road.

The one thing that was shocking was the tire insurance.

Now, let me tell you - that is not if your tire pops on the side of the road.

Are you ready for this?

It is if your tires get stolen! Apparently, in the UK it is normal for people to jack the cars up and steal the tires. They cost 300 pounds a piece which equates to about 500 US.

After learning that we got in the car. Now, we are accustomed to driving on the left because of the Bahamas but we are not used to the wheel on the right side.

We eventually got to Oxford, it was smooth sailing until we got to my new home. My street is so narrow, that the cars park on either side and are on the side walk. A car can drive through as long as every car is on the side walk. This little yellow Fiat did not do that and was parking a foot out into the street. This car was full of dings and scratches, the person soon moved to another street with  more space. (S)he pissed off a lot of people.

The drivers in England are quite 'safe' and aware of their surroundings, I haven't seen a car accident yet. Although, they can be inconsiderate because they hit cars and drive off from the scene without so much as a note. One thing that upset me is that people cut in front of you on the road. In the U.S it is illegal to block an intersection or street, Here, if you stop to make sure you're not blocking, someone will cut you off and get into that space you were trying to not block. That was a little dosage of culture shock.

The main mode of student transportation in Oxford is bikes, because it is cheaper than buying a bus pass. I was accustomed to riding my bike around campus in Florida and I did consider buying a bike but the vehicles get too close to the cyclists but I haven't seen a casualty. Although, I'll stick with the buses, thank you very much.

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May and June shopping haul!

There are so many sales going on right now, they are absolutely amazing. I take huge pride in my closet and my style, I love going and buying new pieces to accentuate the pieces I currently own. I do not like spending money that much but I believe in quality so I always look in the sales racks of my favorite brands.

T.J.Maxx - I suppose I am a 'Maxxinista,' or whatever. My local store has been amazing recently because they are starting to bring in a load of preppy brands: Lilly Pulitzer (just accessories, not clothing unfortunately), Tommy H, Ralph L, Vineyard Vines, Kate Spade.

Shorts - Fifty Street; 2 travel wallets - Ivanka Trump and Kate Spade

Pink Narcissus- Lilly Pulitzer store in my town.

The Brielle dress, I finally bought it and  I am happy. I've already planned what shoes and bags I will use with it.

Look AT the detail to this Havana top. I do not need to wear a statement necklace.
Absolutely gorgeous, and it is silk. SO worth the money.

Banana Republic-  I am honestly not a huge fan of this brand but they had a nice sale where if you spend over $100 you get $50 off. I, of course, took advantage of it. Luckily for me they had a bunch of sweaters on sale, which I need for England. I also picked up a couple of belts to accentuate my waist. Since I have learned from the best aka, my momma. I chose already marked down items and made sure they calculated to just over $100 and then when I got to the register I let the savings commence. I spent $55 for 3 sweaters and 2 belts, which average all of my purchases to about $10 a piece. SCORE!

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10 ways to use your gap year to its full potential

'I'm not sure what I'll do, but -well, I want to go places and see people. 

I want my mind to grow. I want to where things happen

on a big scale.

-F. Scott Fitzgerald

Much like the poem by Robert Frost where he detailed the fork in the roads that we find on lifes journey. Many graduates take the road that lead to a career right after their graduation, some already have plans to attend graduate school soon after, others are unsure and they stand at that fork not knowing which way to go. Perhaps, it isn't a fork, but another path to choose. I chose the latter, I stood  at that fork unsure of what I wished for in the immediate future. Although I did not have any plans for the immediate future, I have spent my gap year making plans and trying out new things. New paths opened up for me, and I learned new things -things I wouldn't have learned if I took the other 2 paths.
This list is the things I have been doing to during my gap year to make sure it is a year of achievement and new experiences.


1. Travel - There are hidden gems all over the world, and you can find them if you search for them. The best part is that some are in your own backyard.

2. Craft - Now, Pinterest is a huge site that caters to this hobby. I've always loved to craft and paint, but during my undergrad I did not have a lot of time to do those things. I can now take the time.

3. Plan my future - To a certain extent. I have recently been thinking of what I want to do for the rest of my life. So far everything is falling into place and I couldn't be more excited.

4. Start an adult job - I have recently come across the opportunity of a career that could open doors for me. So we'll see where that goes.

*phew I have to come up with more?!?!*

5. Apply for graduate school

6. Realize you have to pay for graduate school

7. Start saving for graduate school

8. Realize that I luckily have one of those adult jobs

9. Make lists

10. Catch up on some sleep lost during the undergraduate years.

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Technology

I love Technology.

As some of you may know I am pursuing a specialty of Archaeology when I head to graduate school. I just received my first letter of acceptance, now I really need to start saving my money. Anyway, The Centre for Metropolitan History and Museum of London Archaeology created a detailed map of London as it was in 1746.

They used John Rocque's map of 1746 London and georeferenced (placing the image in its correct location by determining its features) it. They then overlaid it onto the current map of London on Google.

You can travel London as though you were in 1746 and the best part is that you can see differences of then and now by moving the 'Streetview'. The differences include showing the modern roads. The industrial revolution and the onset of the technological age have rendered London to grow exponentially.

Site I have gained my information from: 

http://usvsth3m.com/post/77080517628/1746-map-of-london-now-available-as-an-incredibly

http://www.locatinglondon.org/index.html

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Culture

One of my favourite things about American culture is that it is okay to fail because you tried. There is a lot of pressure put on trying new things, new career paths, new hobbies. All in favour of the saying, "you miss 100% of the chances you don't take." Motivation is huge part of American culture, to be better than who you were yesterday, to build yourself up, make yourself into something. One of great things about this ideal is that you can always wipe the dust off and get back up. There is no secret to success, no one route, there are many routes, many different ways that you can climb that ladder. None are easy.

The point is keep trying, and if you don't succeed you try again. If you realize it isn't for you, try something else. Life is a game and we keep playing to get an outcome we want.

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San Sebastian Winery- St. Augustine, Fl

So it has been a while since I updated and I apologize for that but I have been working a lot.

My last post on St. Augustine will be about a wine tasting. Just outside the historic district is a distillery. It is free for a tour and wine tasting, given that you are of age, of course. They had periodic tours and a movie about the distilling process is first shown and then a mini tour of the location with the final stop being the tasting. We tasted about 10 different wines, port and sherry. I can see why it is a free tour because after the tasting you want to buy at least half the flavours. My mom and I ended up buying 2 bottles of port, a sherry and a red wine. All were the most delicious of all the samples.

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