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...

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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...

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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),...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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Good news!

So I have  got some great news. I have a full-time job now, and I cannot post as frequently anymore. I will try to every Wednesday though. I read this post called "Don't date a girl who travels" https://medium.com/better-humans/802c49b9141c  At first, I thought it would demean girls like me, who don't settle, and are somewhat nomadic (for lack of a better word). As I read it, I began to agree with it, so many guys I have dated tried to get me to settle down with them. Apparently, I have a 'wanderlust', to those who don't know what it is, it means the impulse or desire to always travel or move around. Although...

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Saving Goals

Just about everywhere there are bloggers giving out financial advice on how to save for the new year. Prices are inflating rapidly while pay is remaining quite stagnant, unfortunately. So saving is becoming more difficult since more of your hard earned money is going to pay for your commodities, but because of this, it is a time when saving is crucial. Saving for that rainy day when your windshield wipers stop working when it is pouring rain (true story, that happened to me, was not fun). Although I met a cute guy but that is besides...

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10 things that I have realized about post-grad life

See lets talk about the life of a post-grad. My friends and I have talked about it and we came to the same conclusion. Life after college is not so fantastic, at least not what we expected. 1. It is boring, like really boring. I have answered the question, "So, what are you doing with your life now?" with "I am writing," which is not a lie, it's just editing old papers and making sure my little anecdotes are under 140 characters. Although I am learning how to write well, so that is a plus. Perhaps I can write the next great American...

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St. Augustine - Fountain of Youth Part 2

Since the site is an archaeological site important to both European and Native American history, there is a mix of the two in the park. The front of the site is dedicated to the 'Fountain of Youth' and the lifestyle of the Timucuan Indians at the time of the Spaniards initial landing. Towards the back of the site, there is evidence of the excavation and the location of where the Spaniards had set up camp. A canoe The Timucuan village.  Excavations of the area showed evidence about the lifestyles of the inhabitants....

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St. Augustine - Fountain of Youth Part1

No trip to St. Augustine is complete without a visit to the Fountain of Youth. One of the main reasons Ponce de Leon first came to Florida, to search for this legendary spring that has been recounted in many legends for thousands of years. I first visited the site when I was 14, and I drank a cup of the 'miraculous' spring waters.  I no longer look adolescent -Thank the Lord - it is safe to say that the mythical Fountain of Youth is still undiscovered. Anyways, the site is where the Spanish first landed in Florida, and where they...

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