Week 3 Recap!

Well, this weather couldn’t be any better! I’ve been so lucky with the amazing mid-70s temperatures since I arrived. Out of the three weeks I’ve been here, only about three days have been rainy and cold. Those chilly days did have my mom send me quite a few sweaters, though! It’s hard to believe that it'll be really cold soon.

I’m starting to feel more comfortable in Oxford. I know my way around, can navigate the buses, and am continuing to make new friends. As long as I stick to the 2 or 2A bus, I won’t get lost!

To be honest, this week has been one of the tougher ones since I got here. I’ve felt more tired and overwhelmed with all the upcoming papers while still trying to have fun. I’ve been missing home a bit too. Although I’m still getting used to the time difference, I manage to squeeze in a phone call with my parents every day, even if it’s just for a few minutes.

A highlight of the week was a lovely dinner with a few friends at Victors. The floral decor reminded me of Lily Bloom’s flower shop from It Ends With Us. I really enjoyed having some girl time. We dressed up, hung out, talked, and laughed. It was a wonderful distraction from the craziness and the increasing homework load.

Since arriving in Europe, I’ve discovered that Thursday nights are party nights. This week, I decided to join in! It started around 8:30 PM, and my friend and I got ready in her room while listening to Taylor Swift. I hadn’t really listened to music since getting here, so it was nice to hear her voice again and to meet another hardcore Swiftie.

After getting ready, we headed down to the common room, where most of the kids from our program had gathered. We played a bunch of games, which was such a fun experience! I got to meet so many new people and even learned how to play some German card games. The vibes were great!

Around 11:15, we left for the city center (a very mini downtown) to go clubbing. It felt like a St Clare’s takeover! I had an absolute blast dancing, singing, and getting to know even more people from our program. The best part of the night was hitting up McDonald's at 2 AM. I headed out around then since I have Fridays off, but tons of the people I went with stayed until about 4 AM—and they had class the next morning! I honestly don’t know how they do it.

On Friday, my friend Sophie and I took a train up to London to meet my uncle. It was such a fun night! We had dinner in Covent Garden and then went to see Mamma Mia!!!!!!!! I was fangirling hard. It was the best!

The actors were hilarious and had amazing voices, and the costumes were fantastic. It was really cool to see the differences between the movie and the musical. For instance, Sophie’s dads don’t live on the boat, and instead of Sophie singing “Our Last Summer” with her dads, Harry sings it with Donna. Plus, Sophie and Harry perform “Thank You for the Music.” There were so many differences! It was hard not to sing along. The best part was at the end when they let us all dance and sing to "Mamma Mia," "Dancing Queen," and "Waterloo" (from the second movie). I definitely need to see it again with my mom!

After the show, my uncle took us to The Shard to see the spectacular views of London. I couldn’t believe how high we went. I think we went up 32 floors. London is massive! The Thames was much larger than I expected, and seeing Tower Bridge lit up at night was absolutely amazing.

On Saturday, my friend Sophie and I got up and headed to the British Museum. The architecture was stunning! With the name "British Museum," I was expecting it to focus solely on British history, but I was pleasantly surprised by the diversity of exhibits. They showcased Egyptian, African, Greek, Japanese history, and much more—so cool!

After that, we walked to Piccadilly Circus, Chinatown, and Camden Market—all the classic tourist spots!

I'm back in Oxford today and having a chill, productive, rainy day. I’m crossing my fingers that my student teaching begins this week.

Next week, I’ll be taking a plane to… any guesses?

Love ya!

Isa