Graduation from Oxford University

I finished my degree in 2015 but I attended my graduation in March 2016. This is a late update but I had been on a several year hiatus. Now, graduation is a little different than in the U.S. It is a bit more ceremonial and retains many of its original proceedings, particularly that is all in Latin. Now I don't know about you but I don't know much Latin and I imagine it was the same for most of the audience.

Now, for those with graduate degrees we marched with our college but the Masters and Doctorate students were presented separately.

The day was as follows:
Met at Wolfson college where I had breakfast and signed for my degree. Headed to the Sheldonian  where I was sent to wait in the Divinity School (you might recognize it from the infirmary in the Harry Potter films) along with my other college-mates as we waited to be called over for entrance. My mother was the only family member in the audience but my dad and brother watched on the televised version in the U.S.

Undergraduates receiving their degrees

Here come the graduate students :)

I think this the part where we had to agree that we deserved our degrees, along with saying some Latin words.

The Divinity school behind me. You can probably see some differences in the color of sashes. Mine meant that I received a Master of Science degree. The black and white to the left of the photo is an undergraduate degree. In the back right hand corner there is a red coat which means a DPhil (PhD).

The Radcliffe Camera behind me. This is also known by students as the Rad-Cam. I  liked to study in this building... if I could find a seat.

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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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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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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 Pre-1666 Great Fire of London

I found this video this morning. London prior to the Great Fire was recreated by 6 students enrolled at De Montfort University who studied historic accounts from the time period. It's a fly through model and focuses around the area of Pudding Lane and Thomas Farriner's bakery (where the fire began). I hope you guys enjoy!

http://londonist.com/2013/10/fly-through-17th-century-london.php
The link from where the article was found.

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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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Ghosts of Tower of London?

I was messaged by a friend who is a viewer who wanted to see my throne room pictures from the Tower of London. I decided to post them for your amusement, I had a lot more of these type of pictures of ToL but I deleted them without a  second thought. With that being said, if there are other kinds of pictures you want to see that you don't see on my posts. You may ask and I will see if I have them!

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London Part 4- Tower of London Part 1

When I  was in London I visited the Tower of London, there were a lot of tourists around, and it was unfortunate because it was difficult to take clear pictures. The entry price was pricey and it was about 18 pounds  for students; BRING YOUR STUDENT ID everywhere with you! I am going to make this into 2 parts because it is such a huge location.

Anyways it is known that the Tower of London was a symbol of oppression and many people who spoke out against the royal family were imprisoned and some never made it back out. There are many stories that say that the castle is haunted. That's right, did you know it was a castle? A castle where the monarchs lived, like Buckingham and Windsor?!  As well as housing the monarchs and jailing the dissenters the tower had other functions within the walls. It was an armory, a menagerie, a treasury, a mint factory, held public records and the crown jewels.

The first king to commence building was William the Conqueror in 1078, and it had progressive expansions throughout the next few centuries.

This cobbled area is towards the main entrance of the castle but it known as Tower Hill, which is where over 100 people were executed in a 400 year period.

Throughout the castle they had animal statues which represented the fact it was also a menagerie.

The Bell Tower

King Edward I bedchamber in St. Thomas Tower

King's thrown, took me 4 shots to get this picture. It kept coming out blurry! Was it the ghost of the King? Who knows.

The Lost Palace- in front of the White Tower (which will be discussed more in detail in another post), this was the Inmost Ward. It was a set of buildings built to serve the residence but they are gone now.

Lanthorn Tower- construction began in 1220 and possibly used as the private residence of the queen. 

Candle Tower

They had these guys all over the castle.

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