Here's lookin' at you...

The Rad Cam.

The hundreds of narrow, secret passages and lanes. (This one leads to Pembroke...see the wooden door?)

The cobblestones.

The meadow.

Living HERE...

...with these girls.

Don't worry. This isn't the inevitable "What I Learned From Studying Abroad and How It Changed My Life" post. That comes in the next couple of days. For now, I want to celebrate what has quite possibly been one of the best years of my life with a list of my Top Ten Oxford Favorite Moments/Experiences/Things I Wanted to Share, in no particular order:

1) Pembroke College. Walking into Chapel Quad every day: in the morning, afternoon, evening, and night; in the rain, snow, and sunshine; with friends, family, or by myself. I delight in stopping, just for a moment, especially when I'm alone, to look up at the stone walls and remember for one second the feeling I had so many months ago when I walked through the arched opening for the first time and saw the Quad. I don't think it will ever, ever grow commonplace in my eyes, and I'm already anticipating that the desktop photo on my laptop for much of senior year will have to be some view of the beauty that is Pembroke College. (I'm going to cheat, and tag the Rad Cam, pictured at the very top of this post, onto this...I have the same sense of wonderment when I look at the Cam; it's definitely my favorite building in Oxford).

2) Pembroke Spirit. I love Tufts. I loved SAAS (my high school). I love rooting for my friends' sports teams and for the Mariners (sometimes). But no cheering I've done in the past has even come close to the enthusiasm and excitement of that in Summer VIIIs ("Summer Eights"). Two of my good friends and staircase-mates, Lydia and Margot, were both in the first women's boat for Pembroke, and I went down to the river to watch them every day, Wednesday through Saturday. In order to do well in Summer VIIIs, a boat must "bump," or catch, the boat in front of them, for the boats have a staggered start along the river depending on how they placed last year. Sometimes it's a direct hit; sometimes the cox of the boat will concede the bump. Either way, it's incredibly exciting, and the goal is always for a boat to bump four days in a row. Extremely rare--for not only are you trying to bump, but you're trying to avoid being bumped. And the Pembroke women were AMAZING. On Saturday, with three bumps under their belts and one to go, the pressure was on. It was raining, but the banks of the river were packed. Bri and I walked down closer to the starting line and waited anxiously; I couldn't believe how vicariously nervous I was. As the race started, the first update over the loudspeaker declared that Pembroke was closing on the boat in front of them! As soon as the girls came into view, we ran alongside them, screaming "GO PEMBROKE! GO PEMBROKE!" It was clear that our boat had their rivals; the bump was imminent. I don't think I've ever been so excited while watching a sporting event, and I almost felt like crying when the cox of the boat conceded and Pembroke got its fourth bump in a row. This is what school spirit feels like.

3) The Pub Culture. I didn't expect to enjoy pubs so much, but from this latest one, which Bri and I tried last week, to old favorites like this or this, I've really enjoyed the social scene in Oxford's pubs. I've never been much of a clubber; I think I prefer the talkative atmosphere in pubs and bars more. There's something so traditional about grabbing a drink with a friend, or a group of friends, sitting around a table or perched on a stool, laughing and sharing your news. I also discovered that pubs were wonderful places to bring visitors: Tufts friends, family members, old Seattle friends...all seemed to appreciate the charms of Oxford's pubs.

4) Formal Hall. Sadly, I almost forgot this one, because we haven't had a "real" formal hall since February. The Hall at Pembroke is under construction, and so we've eaten in a temporary hall this spring. But thinking back to the first two terms: three times a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays), we dressed up, put on our robes, and went to formal. The candles were lit; the portraits on the walls looked unsmilingly down upon as we were served three courses (and wine on Sundays!); and the atmosphere in general evoked many a Harry Potter reference. I loved the chance to sit, with people whom I might not normally dine, and just chat for 90 minutes. It was a forced break from essay-writing, a new cultural experience, and a quintessential Oxford tradition.

5) The cobblestones. A love-hate relationship. Quaint and adorable, but slippery when wet, painful when wearing flats, and a general nuisance for cyclists.

6) Christ Church Meadow, pictured above. If you haven't been reading my blog this year, then you've missed copious references to the meadow--whether punting, running, rowing on the river, or just hanging out in the sunshine. Pembroke is 45 seconds away, so I usually walk/run through the meadow at least once a day. I ran there today and was struck, like one is on a Saturday in Central Park, by the wide range of people in the meadow. There were the ubiquitous tour groups (German, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, French...they all talk about Harry Potter and Alice in Wonderland), the families with young children holding drippy ice lollies (popsicles), and the usual suspects. See, there are a few odd characters who "live" in the meadow. When I'm running laps at 9 a.m., or even earlier, at 8 or 7, the same homeless, drunk, incredibly cheerful man is always feeding the ducks. He always says "Good morning!" and though I have my iPod earbuds in, I smile and say hello. At first, I remember being a little creeped out--because, after all, it's a little unorthodox to drink beer and feed ducks at 8 a.m.--but I realized, after talking to other runners, that the man is always there. It's his place. And then there's the fragile old women, who might be a little crazy, but very quietly so. She sits on a bench on the other side of the meadow, with huge sheets of butcher paper across her lap, making the most detailed, extensive drawings of trees. I like that I've been here long enough to recognize these regulars.

7) Ben's Cookies. If you haven't had one, I'm sorry. Try and fix that soon.

8) Staircase 15. I certainly don't think I would have loved Oxford as much as I did if I hadn't loved my staircase. Margot, Lydia, Bri, Vivien, Evie, and me. Just six of us! First of all, when will I ever live in a college dorm with six people? Only at Oxford. And even at Pembroke, our staircase is definitely one of the smaller ones (if not the smallest). I love how our doors are usually open--unless it's exams, of course--and how we had so many teas together in the first term, and how I can shout up through my ceiling to Bri, directly above me (usually in reference to a trip we're planning), and how we all know each other's goings-ons because you can tell whenever someone leaves or comes home. I love it.

9) Words I learned which non-Oxfordians might not know. Essay-crisis (a definitive state of essay disrepair, sinking in a certain number of hours before essay is due). Massive lad. Chunder (and Gap Yeah). Pidge (pigeon hole = mail slot). Plodge (porter's lodge). Bop (party, usually with a theme). Battels (bills). That's only the beginning...

10) Wearing robes. To dinner. To exams. And the fact that the uniform underneath is called sub-fusc (sub-fusk). Enough said.

Whew. I don't think I even came close to listing everything I love, but this is getting ridiculously long, and I still have to do some packing tonight.