Iffley Village

The other day I was a little stressed from my dissertation and I followed my father's advice and went cycling. I had heard that a few minute cycle ride from Donnington bridge is a quaint little village named Iffley Village. It is a small village just outside of Oxford and is quintessentially English. The Thames goes through it so it is a nice cycle ride/ walk. The best bit is that it is picturesque!

Along the main road of the village.

The secret garden

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Oxford in Snow

So, we had one day of snow in Oxford. Which was extremely exciting, and everything was absolutely picturesque. We went to the RadCam (Radcliffe Camera) around 11pm, and there were a few people who had the same idea. There were snowball fights, and pictures being taken. The snow lasted until the next day but was mostly melted by 2pm.

St. Mary's

Radcliffe Camera

High Street 

All Soul's College

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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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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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Belfast, N. Ireland, UK

My friends and I were only in this city for 20 minutes because of the bus we rented was running low on time. Ireland and N. Ireland are both essentially religious factions; Ireland is mostly Catholic while N. Ireland is Protestant. The Troubles refers to the 3 decades of violence between the two, which still carries on today. I was even told before I left the U.S for Ireland to be careful in Belfast. I found out that the Troubles left such an impact on ordinary townspeople of N.Ireland that it was likened to London following the Blitz. 

The landscape surrounding the city was absolutely breathtaking, unfortunately all the pictures came out horrible. The name Belfast originates from the Irish Béal Feirsde, which means 'river mouth of the ford'. This city is known for its architecture, love of the arts and culture. It is one of the most visited cities of the U.K and recently opened a major attraction called Titanic Belfast, memorializing the location of the building of Titanic.

Some advice- Bring some British pounds with you because we all forgot it and didn't realize that N. Ireland is part of the U.K.

Titanic Memorial

20 minutes was not enough time to see the city and its sites. It although was enough time for us to get scared in broad daylight. I would like to go back again and perhaps that experience is only a one time thing. 

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London Part 4: Tower of London Parte Deux

That is the extent of my knowledge of French. Well not entirely true I could find the nearest restroom and such if need be, and that would be the extent of my French. Luckily I speak Spanish, so I could get by okay in a French speaking area.

This is the final installment of my Tower of London posts. As I have said before it is a HUGE location and is best known for its bloody past and its ghosts (if you believe in that sort of thing). There is one thing I loved about the location is that they have actors who reenact scenes that give light into the ToL's past. There was one which was an argument between a constable and a coin-maker, from what I recall from memory they used speech that is best associated with Middle English but wasn't pure Middle English. I am sure this is to ensure that the public understands them. For my readers who are unaware of Middle English, the best example I can give is Shakespeare for the usage of thou and thy and the suffix -est for verbs. 

Moving on to the best part: the pictures!

The White Tower- I mentioned this in the last post. It was the most fortified portion of the castle and is where the King lived. It contains the Royal Armoury, which you can see the armour of past knights and Kings.

Armour of King Henry VIII. I think he was overcompensating for something. Hmmmm

Yes that's a dragon.

Some were imprisoned in this tower, those imprisoned made use of their time by carving into the stone walls. There was even a prisoner who wrote a book that was published in the 1600's. One was imprisoned because he was thought to be a sorcerer, he made use of his time by  carving a astronomical clock that can be seen below.

Hugh Draper of Bristol who was thought to be a sorcerer carved this clock into the wall of his cell.

A diagram that showed the Tower of London during the time of the Peasant's Revolt in 1381.

Another tower that held prisoners during the 16th-17th centuries but its original use was as a guards tower.

The carving within the Broad Arrow Tower that was by a Catholic priest.

The famous Bloody tower. This where the 'little princes' were murdered. I remember watching an episode on the Discovery Channel as a child that spoke of these 2 princes and how they had recovered their bones. This is the reason why it is called the Bloody Tower because they are believed to have been murdered in this tower by their uncle. It was also used for imprisonment of other folks.

 Well that concludes this portion of the Tower of London. I would love to go back and explore some more!

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The Southern preps guide to packing for 6 weeks of Ireland's summer

Now to let you guys know my personal style is more preppy but in a southern sense.  Southerners are known for being very colourful with their outfits. The best example I can think of is Lilly Pulitzer, most of my items from her are not clothing but accessories because I like Tommy and RL for clothing. This is what I packed and wish I packed for the trip. It was an archaeology field school so my clothing options were limited and I wore certain clothes for the site and others for outings. Perhaps I'll do a post on what to bring for an archaeology site. I had to bring the large suitcase so I could have clothes to where for different occasions when not on site but the non-site clothes I brought would have fit into a carry-on.

I also brought a backpack with me which I carried on the plane. I had 2 shirts, a weeks worth of undergarments, some basic toiletries, and pair of shorts. I did this just in case my luggage got lost and I still had some clothes with me to get by until I could get it back. I learned that part through a friend's experience whose luggage got lost when en route to Italy.

I had brought 4 pairs with me. The boots I wore for site and some of the hiking I did around. Since they were bulky I wore them on the plane and a pair of Sperry in my backpack's bottle pockets.

I brought 2 swimsuits because the condo had a pool and I was planning trips to places where I could go swimming in the Lakes/Oceans. For Glendalough, Fowey, Tintagel.

2 AE Artist jeans, Adidas shorts, Yoga pants, AE shorts. I also wore the Adidas and Yoga for sleeping.

4 Button-up shirts; they're classic and in style no matter where you are in the world

A sweater, I also brought a raincoat with me.

4 regular shirts that are for nice dinners and lounging around

All in all I chose clothes that I could mix and match and make different outfits with, so I chose the colours to be blue, white and pink. All of which I could mix together and jeans, yoga pants go with everything. Don't forget your sunglasses, I brought wayfarers and aviators with Lilly Pulitzer croakies. 

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