The Future

I know that this title makes it seem like I've had some existential awakening, and I now I have everything figured out. But I don't. Basically, I just picked the most pretentious title I could think of, and I’m taking it from there.

Now that I’m back home in snowy, poorly-dressed, Trump-land ‘Murica, it’s like I keep expecting that I’m going to return to Oxford, but who knows? Maybe it’s because I’m looking into applying to return for a Masters program, but I’m not that naïve, and I know there are a lot of obstacles in the way of realizing this plan. (Or maybe it’s because I’m just SO happy that I can finally eat Lays ridged potato chips again. Seriously UK, your chip/crisp game is WEAK.)

I think that I’m just going to use the rest of this post to make a stream-of-consciousness list. This isn’t necessarily a positive list, nor is it a negative one. The items on it might not have much in common, or they might. They might contain a secret message. I don’t really know. That’s up to you to decide.

Airplane, air, wind, cold, England.

Translation: ENGLAND IS COLD

Gondola, construction, Xanax, Ryan Lochte, Lochte, Ryan

Translation: I need to pick better heroes

Train, tube, ointment, cream, ice, Santa, Christmas, Tree

Translation: I’ve never celebrated Christmas, and it’s really messed me up.

Okay, maybe this is getting too dark. I want to go out on a more positive note.

Thank you to my IES Abroad Oxford family (Except for my roommate cuz he knows what he did.) for always being there and for laughing at all my jokes, even when they were only “quite” funny*.

Thank you to all of the people who would make negative comments when I would wear sneakers. Seriously, you are the true heroes.

Thank you to the IES Abroad blog team for choosing me as the Oxford blogger. (Update: I checked with everyone else in my program, and literally no one else applied.)

Thank you to all my enemies. You keep me humble.

Thank you to my tutors—both in London and Oxford. You are all so intelligent, and I can only hope to one day be as good at something as y’all are at teaching. (And, in one (known?) case, also writing erotica.)

Thank you to the IES Abroad London Academic Program Manager, who is seriously the most luminous person I’ve ever met.

Thank you to the visiting students here. I didn’t get to know that many of you well, but a lot of you were going through the same issues I was, and I'm so thankful that there was always someone to talk to if I needed it.

Thank you to the British guy who came up to me at 4 a.m. on election night when he could see that I was visibly upset to find Trump leading to tell me that Trump was going to win and to get over it. Seriously, I hate you. You are literally the worst. And I don’t get over things. One time I had a bad flight with United, and I still tweet about it to do this day. I wish you luck.

In contrast, thank you to the nice Brits here. You guys were so kind to me, and I was so moved to see how sad you guys were on the last night of term when I said goodbye. (The Brits are notoriously a very cold people, so that’s really an accomplishment.)

Thank you to St. Catz, and especially the Visiting Students director and administrator. You did so much to make us feel welcome, and I’ve heard that most of the other Oxford colleges don’t make nearly that effort.

Thank you to anyone who made it through any part of this “blog.” I hope that if you are considering applying to Oxford, I’ve helped to alleviate some of your concerns or worries. 

I’m going to leave you now with a couple of inspirational quotes:

“Don’t hate the playa, hate the game.” –EVERYONE WHO MATTERS

“How happy is the blameless vestal’s lot! The world forgetting, by the world forgot. Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind! Each pray’r accepted, and each wish resign’d.”–Alexander Pope

“I love tests.” –Amy from Gone Girl

“T.T.F.N. Ta ta for now.”–Tigger

*That’s a joke in itself, because in England, they use the word “quite” when they want to describe something mediocre! Like all of said roommate’s essays. Burn.