I’ve found myself relying more and more on my experiences as I’ve been writing this semester. It’s weird for me, since I tend to write less from “what I know” and more from research. But I think there are just some experiences that beg to be written about, and I discovered a lot of them… Continue reading Translating Experience to Fiction
Blog
Writing Abroad
Writing is something you have to make time for. I know this. What I didn’t know is how easy it is to make time for writing when you’re doing things like homework and laundry all the time…it’s much harder to make time in between traveling, eating out, and sightseeing. During the five weeks I was… Continue reading Writing Abroad
Harry Potter Pilgrimage
I have to say, there’s no better trip for Harry Potter fan than the one I just took (and I mean this in the most objective way possible). In the past five weeks, I’ve eaten breakfast and dinner in the Great Hall at Christ Church (the Inspiration for the Hogwarts Great Hall), stumbled across rooms… Continue reading Harry Potter Pilgrimage
Appreciating Oxford
Sometimes, when you’re frantically trying to write papers or study for tests, it’s easy to forget that you’re in another country. It’s something I’ve had to remind myself of many times over the past four weeks, when I’ve realized I’m becoming complacent or am complaining about what I’m doing. While I do care about my… Continue reading Appreciating Oxford
Cliffs of Dover
Yesterday my roommate and I were talking about the limited amount of time we have left in Oxford, and since we don’t have class on Wednesdays, decided to plan a day trip to Dover. Since we have first class BritRail passes, the trip really isn’t costing us anything, and we knew it would be worth… Continue reading Cliffs of Dover
For the love of Paris
Today I finally made it to Paris. It’s been almost exactly four years since I’ve been here, and I’ve spent most of those four years dreaming about coming back. I spent the day just wandering around and enjoying the city, getting familiar with the metro, and scoping out places I’d like to return to. (I… Continue reading For the love of Paris
The Lake District: A 24-hour Adventure
This weekend was an adventure. In addition to figuring out how to make a five hour trip up to the Lake District (it included three different trains and a bus), we went on two different hikes and visited William Wordsworth’s home – all within about 24 hours. We left Oxford at 9:30 Saturday morning, and made… Continue reading The Lake District: A 24-hour Adventure
All You Need is Something to Write In
I’ve been abroad for a week now, and I haven’t even attempted to do any creative writing. And yesterday, as we were walking around and exploring the city, I realized that part of this is my fault for not taking advantage of all the inspiration around me. So I bought a journal, and last night… Continue reading All You Need is Something to Write In
A Day in Christ Church
I’ve been in Oxford for about two days now, and I’m still constantly astounded by the beauty of the university and the city. Our train from Wales came in around 4 on Saturday, and the streets were flooded with tourists. It was a shock seeing it so busy, since none of us really thought… Continue reading A Day in Christ Church
Walking: A Thoreau Effort
(First, let me just say that you’d all better appreciate that pun.) Since coming to the UK, I’ve walked at least ten thousand more steps than usual. On Wednesday, we decided to walk back to Swansea University (where we’re staying in Wales) because our professor told us it was about a mile. It ended up… Continue reading Walking: A Thoreau Effort