1. Arrive safely in Tromso and eat "Norwegian" tacos (literally the same). Meet all of Frida's friends.
2. Go behind the scenes at Polaria Aquarium and meet quarantined animals like in Nemo! 3. Oo and aw in a 3-hour car ride to the island Dryoya and wish the rain away with hot cocoa. 4. Hike next to the blue ocean, green hillsides, red barns, and white mountains. Stuff your mouth with brown cheese and baguettes. Fall asleep with a heater and reindeer slippers. 5. Hike to an icy aqua lake at the base of the Lyngs Alps. Ice the knee for a few. Hike up to Floya to see (capture) the Midnight Sun. It's like golden hour all night long, with soft light and vibrant colors. 6. Happily pet a 3 week-old husky litter (future dog sledders). Hike Nattmalsfjellet to overlook a breathtaking fjord and facetime Mom and Dad so they can savor it too. 7. Take a load off the feet. Fill belly with fresh caught shrimp and salmon. Take Dino for a long walk. 8. Hike Brosmetinden with expansive views of the Atlantic and scattering islands. Eat at a café right next to the lapping waves. End the day with High School Musical, a commemoration of how we met. 9. Pack feverishly and head back through Helsinki and London. Happy Independence Day, USA! Day 1: Sleep.
Day 2: Stroll the city. Eat at a pub (meat pie upon meat pie). Day 3: Stroll the city. Make a list of must-do's. Attend orientation. Eat at a pub again. Day 4: Climb a church tower. Take pictures. Eat at a pub--it doesn't get old, mind you. Day 5: Find the grocery store, yay! Go to class. Start some blog posts. Day 6: Explore 1 of a bajillion libraries. Eat at a café--brie and cranberry sandwich goodness. Day 7: Explore more of the bajillion libraries. Eat at a café again (see a pattern here?). Day 8: Go to Windsor Castle. Eat a frozen pizza since your oven is finally fixed. Day 9: Find a coffee shop and read. Stumble across a spooky cemetery. Day 10: Visit a church. Get lost in a bookstore for hours. Eat lots of popcorn. Day 11: Go to class. Write an essay. Climb the same tower again because it was awesome. Day 12: Beg for bus passes. Figure out the bus passes with friends. Go to the mall. Day 13: Be in Bath for the day and see the Jane Austen Centre. Top it off with a tea party. Day 14: Go to the local rowing competition and try to blend in. When all else fails, eat ice cream. Day 15: Explore the local market and purchase a ring, a lovely find. Eat yummy Thai food. Day 16: The gem already falls off the ring and the jewelry stand is gone. Ah, crap. Day 17: Watch The Crown, best decision ever. Dine in the "Harry Potter Great Hall" with robes :D. Day 18: Watch Harry Potter and Les Mis with roommates and get inspired. Day 19: See A Midsummer Night's Dream at Bridge Theatre in London! Walk into the National Gallery. Day 20: Spend all day waltzing through the library. Okay, maybe more sitting was involved. Day 21: Recover from a cold and attempt to pay attention to your professor. Day 22: Stonehenge, Avebury, and ancient burial mound day!! Channel your inner Neolithic man. Day 23: Wake up in a hostel (safely) and go look at Buckingham Palace. Afternoon tea before class. Day 24: Sleep in and read, read, read. Think, think, think. Write, write, write. Day 25: Go see two more Shakespeare plays at the Globe Theatre in London! Modern Art Museum. Day 26: Wander the Botanical Gardens. Hit up the souvenir shops. Find a park (so many!) to read. Day 27: Lose/find yourself in the local Ashmolean Museum. Happy Father's Day! Day 28: Work day at the library. Walk along a stream filled with swans, a dreamy reality. Day 29: Medieval Literature class. Pizza party with the roomies, our go-to. Day 30: Shakespeare class. Authentic Chinese dining w/ friends. Convince self not to spend more $$. Day 31: Phantom of the Operaaaaaaa in London! Tasted a Michelin Star Japanese restaurant meal. Day 32: Visit Shakespeare's hometown, Stratford-Upon-Avon. See another play of his: As You Like It. Day 33: Immerse yourself in the Museum of Natural History. Keep walking til you can't no more. Day 34: Isle of Wight day! White cliffs, fairy gardens, and quaint sea-faring villages. Day 35: Canoe down the Thames! Watch the women's World Cup at a pub; fish and chips downed. Day 36: Inhabit the three libraries you owe your experience to for the last time. Day 37: Last class :(. Last-minute peek into science museum, including seeing Einstein's chalkboard. Day 38: Goodbye, Oxford. Next up: get on a flight to Tromso, Norway to see your awesome friend. Thank you, Oxford University, for being a space that connected with my soul, making me feel like the speaker from Eat, Pray, Love. This time though, it's just the act of loving myself since my loved ones were thousands of miles away. One of my classmates said to me, "Kelly, I love how spiritual you are. You seem to be connected with the energies of an atmosphere."
I guess it's official now. Zac's claim that I'm a hippie has been verified. A Christian literature scholar hippie, mind you. I wrote this in my journal on the last day: "Had to say goodbye to my libraries today. To be in the same room as Plato, Chaucer, and the heart of education itself, not to mention all the scholars who are studying them, is a feeling I'll probably never feel again. The rooms pulsate with history, influence, and human capability. Maybe I romanticize, but I've accepted that element in me." Last of all, thank you Mom and Dad for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime. You bless me over and over again. It's surprising to see how easily it is to succumb to habits--both bad and good--or new cultural spheres. The quotation marks aren't in the same spot on the British keyboard oddly. I found it hard to type quickly. Guess what? I typed on an American keyboard today and I struggled. Where is that dang quotation mark again, my fingers seemed to ask.
As a friendly tip to anyone traveling to this area, remember that if you would like to buy a croissant for your walk to class, you say "take away" and not "to go." Go ahead and say that with a British accent aloud right now and you'll feel as adorably uppity as it sounds here. Maybe I'll start trying it back home and see if it catches on. I like the ring to it. You might be pleased to hear that I walk on the left side of the sidewalk finally, just in time to go home, right? Which side do they walk on in Norway? I'll keep you updated. Now, when I see someone wearing jeans and maybe a Hollister sweatshirt walking on the right side of the 'footpath,' I shake my head and utter, "ignorant American." Fun fact: there are a lot of forbidden grasses on the Oxford campus. My classmates accidentally walked across one the first day of class. Big oops because the old white men, also known as the college porters who seem to appear out of nowhere, quickly jostled after them to get off my lawn. We did learn our lesson that day and have appreciated the nicely kept blades of grasses ever since. The teeny-tiny rebel in me wants to walk on these forbidden patches just once before I leave. I'll keep you updated. I realized that one of the reasons why I find myself drawn to Oxford as a whole is that the buildings aren't so starkly human. Nature has been swallowing up the architecture for hundreds of years. There are vines slithering up the stones, flowers rejuvenating above doorways, untouched leaves sprouting from sidewalk cracks, canyon-like curves made from innumerable rainfalls along the cobblestones.
Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to use a working toilet back in the United States, but it is refreshing to be among reused, reduced, and recycled construction rather than brand-spanking-new walls all the time. Zac brings me back to reality, as he always does, when he reminds me that the purpose of tearing down and building back up is to create sustainable places that have a smaller carbon footprint. I guess I could admit he has the possibility of being right, but I may never give him that satisfaction. I still love the inefficient stained glass windows, what can I say! |
Greetings!I'm Kelly! I like to find beauty in what might seem mundane to us over time and bring to life what we experience each day. Check out the About Me tab for an additional look at who I am. Archives
July 2019
Taking an image, freezing a moment, reveals how rich reality truly is. |