So I have taken the plunge and gone and accepted my place in Leiden. After a very long thinking session I decided that the opportunity was far too huge to turn down. You have probably guessed by now that I am an Oxford fanatic. I dream of Oxford, when I visit I fall into a different world, and at the end of my trips I never want to go home. Oxford is the most inspiring place in the world for me, and that is one of the main reasons why I have chosen the Europaeum MA. The masters sees me spend my first semester in Leiden, the second at the Sorbonne in Paris and my last semester at Oxford University. My main love in life is travel and combining this with my love of college, I think I have come out the better side of choosing a masters. Of course I am extremely nervous. This is really big for me, I may be nearly a quarter of a century old but I have never lived away from home (that brief sojourn in Hyannis does not count). I am nervous about moving three times in one year, I am nervous about what life will be like in the Netherlands and France. I am worried the MA will be too hard! However I am ready to take that chance and am the most excited I have been in a very long time. Of course I am over-romanticising everything, day dreaming of walks along the Seine, baguette in one hand, crepe in the other, of cycling beside tulip fields and of living in my favourite city in the world - Oxford. I know there will obviously be huge hurdles to jump, but it is definitely going to be worth it. The big move happens August 24th and the day my Orientation Week starts! It all sounds super exciting and I am looking forward to meeting new people and settling in in Leiden! My classes don't start until September 7th so I am taking a little holiday to Oxford from the 30th of August to September 5th! The main reason for this little trip is my impending visit to HIGHCLERE CASTLE (finally)! I booked the tickets months ago and I wasn't going to miss visiting for anything!!! So life lately has been hectic, we just celebrated our first year of Michaella's. It has been a very hard, exhausting and extremely rewarding year helping set up my mom's business.
Attending: PIXIES, Arcade Fire & Ham Sandwich in Marley Park. I have loved the Pixies since before I can remember so getting to see my favourite band play again after 9 years was unreal. They played Velouria, my favourite song which made it all the better! They played an unreal set with most of my favourites in there, like Wave of Mutilation, Hey and Where is My Mind?. The highlight was running across a field of thousands screaming 'FRANK, BLACK FRANCIS, I LOVE YOU' when I noticed a golf buggy carrying the band behind the gates. Sometimes I am such a fangirl.
Arcade Fire put on an impressive show as well, I liked their little intro especially!
Reading: Re-reading Harry Potter
Watching: I am watching Morse from the beginning again, which is great spotting all the little place
s I visit whilst in Oxford.
Bill Cunningham New York - watching this again because who doesn't need a little inspiration from this genius
Listening to: Bleachers! So addicted to Rollercoaster, it reminds me of the 80s
Visiting: National Botanic Gardens, so lovely, post coming soon.
