Day 105: Cheers, Oxford!

I have no pictures of this day. I remember, I woke up early to turn in stuff to Carol at the OPUS office and then I got my stuff from 9 Alexandria and walked all the way to the bus stop. I rode the bus and then waited a long time at Heathrow, anxious to get to my flight. If I can't be in Oxford, I might as well be at home.

I know I'm finishing up the chronicles of my Oxford adventure more or less 2 years later. I didn't think this would even happen. However, when I saw that I had all the pictures for it still (besides lacking one for my last day), I decided to just write as much as I could. I didn't even put that much thought into what I wrote. But then, this is a blog so deal with it. Haha.

I guess, if you're reading this, you're planning on going to Oxford or even studying abroad. All I can say is that you should do it. I have already graduated college for a little more than a month now but this Oxford experience is one of the things that I always keep on looking back to.

I am not the same person who entered CUA 4 years ago and one of the reasons is this experience. Venturing off to Oxford when I was 19 going on 20 has shaped me a lot. I grew up and I realized a lot of things about myself and about the world. I appreciate the people around me more and I opened my eyes to the reality of life.

The world is more than just the place I am in right now and it is worth exploring. The more you learn about the world around you, the more you learn about yourself. Sometimes, being exposed to an unfamiliar place makes us discover something within us that we never thought was there. Seeing things that you are not accustomed to, experiencing things that you could have only imagined...these things, how you see them, perceive them, react to them...they strengthen and mold you as a person. I can't imagine being at this moment in time without this 105 day adventure. I really can't. I was truly blessed to have been able to be given the chance to take advantage of this opportunity.

Another thing I also realized about being abroad is that being away is as much fun as being back home. I fell in love with Europe and England. However, I will always come back to where my family is. That is where home is. I may establish myself somewhere else but my roots will always be where they are. As happy as I am traveling everywhere by myself and experiencing everything by myself, I do hope that next time I do get to travel with them so that we can all have this experience together. This brings me to my last point.

Looking back now, especially at my Barcelona trip, I realized that even though traveling by yourself is enjoyable and rewarding, traveling with other people will always be better. I can share with you all of my experiences but it doesn't feel quite real because I was the only one who was there. Even though the pictures and my memories can verify it, it can never quite justify it like when other people are there to share it with you. I do recommend traveling by yourself at some point in your life. There's nothing more liberating than that. However, I don't think it's something that you'd want for every single adventure in your life. It's just much better when you have someone who you can reminisce with.

And with that, I officially end this blog.

Cheers!

Day 104: Last Night in Oxford

Joanne and Debra left early this day to go to London to spend the day going around before their flight tomorrow. I spent the day cleaning the house and wrapping up last minute stuff then Jeff and I met up at the Turf Tavern for dinner and drinks.

It was a bittersweet night. After dinner, he and I walked around a bit. It was really hard to believe that we were leaving. The adventure felt like it never happened.

It was definitely a life changing experience. I wouldn't have traded it for anything.

Day 103: Pub Quiz

I think, this was Debra, Joanne, Suzanna, Jeffrey and I in Far from the Madding Crowd. We got to experience a Pub Quiz. We were not really very good at it because the questions were very British...

Day 102: Bye bye Barca!

Only photo I have of this day is the lobby of my hotel. Shows you how bitter I am to be leaving.

Day 101: Souvenir Shopping

It was my last full day in Barcelona so I spent the day souvenir shopping and just walking around the city once last time.

I visited the place called Casa Colomina and bought Torrones from this which is something that's popular in Spain during the Christmas season.

Day 100: Las Ramblas

I started the day with Churros con Chocolate then I headed to Las Ramblas.

Las Ramblas is a long street that has an assortment of vendors and entertainment. It ranges from animals to food to clothing.

Yes, I spent my whole day there. I remember wandering around the nooks and crannies and going into the boqueria pictured above. I remember having such a sense of nostalgia because it reminded me of the markets in the Philippines that my family and I used to go to.

I also had one of the best meals I had in Barcelona which is from this restaurant called Elisabets. I had paella for starters then carne magra con tomate y cebolla plus postre (dessert) and bebida (wine) for 10.75 euros. Can you imagine? Funny thing to is that once I ordered the paella, everyone ordered it as well because they saw that it was freshly cooked and not microwaved.

I also saw a nativity scene that just took my breath away.

Day 99: Bario Gotico

This was the day I explored Bario Gotico.

It was the feast of the Immaculate Conception as well so the whole of Barcelona, I think, was off work. There were so many people around!

I went to mass at the Cathedral and ended up hearing mass from the Cardinal. I also had a 3 course meal lunch.

If there's something I remember in Barcelona, I remember spending about 10-12 euro for a 3 course meal lunch that fills me up until dinner time. No wonder tapas and bebidas are the usual fare during dinner.

I just spend this day wandering around Bario Gotico. I love gothic architecture which was why I remember just falling in love with Barcelona even more this day. I also remember visiting the Picasso Museum this day.

Day 98: The Tourist Bus (Barcelona Day 2)

Picture taken from Parc Guell

This was the day when I fell in love with Barcelona and Gaudi.

I saw so much this day since I rode the red tourist bus in order to get a feel of what I should see. I just remember being so happy and in awe. Barcelona was BEAUTIFUL. It was amazing and I really felt at home there. I remember being so in love with the place. Looking at the pictures just take me back to how I felt that moment. It sounds sappy, yes, but browsing through it just made me so nostalgic.

Day 97: Barcelona Day 1

My first day in Barcelona was spent in Placa Catalunya. I checked in my hotel (Hotel Catalonia Princesa located at the Bario Gotico near the Arc de Triomf).

As soon as my plane landed, I felt adrenaline rush through my system. This was my first time traveling by myself. Even though I am capable of using the Spanish language (namely Castellano), Barcelona speaks Catalan so I wasn't exactly confident. I hailed a cab and he took me to my hotel.

I checked in and then I crashed. When I woke up, I got my map and walked from the hotel to the Placa Catalunya.

Placa Cataluna became the center of my adventures in Barcelona. This was always my starting point. I remember I went to the tourist center and bought a 2 day tourist bus ticket. I decided that this was the best thing to do in order to see Barcelona. I was still deciding whether or not I was going to go to Granada as I planned even though I don't know how I was going to get there (my hotel reservation was even only for 3 days and I was planning to be in Spain for 6).

I walked around Placa Catalunya and some streets here and there and I realized that I wanted to stay in Barcelona all 6 days. When I got back to my hotel, I extended my stay and then rested.

Day 96: Oxford Castle Christmas Market and Last Minute Trips

I remember this day. The reason I remember it is because I got the winter gloves I have now from the market and I booked a flight to Barcelona 8 hours before I'm suppose to leave Oxford in order to make it.

I really wanted to go to Spain but I didn't think it was going to happen because 1. I'm the only one who really wanted to go and 2. This was around the time when the Madrid airport strike happened. However,when I sat at Greens Cafe that day after walking around the Christmas Market to book my flight to Barcelona.

When I came home, I told Debra and Joanne and they were all surprised that I was leaving. So I packed quickly for my trip and then slept.

Day 95: Almost to the End

The pictures I have on file depict my room and my luggage so I think I started packing and putting things away this day.

Day 94: Souvenir Shopping and Pizza Hut

This was the day when Suzanna, Jeff and I decided to go shopping for souvenirs. We were all getting ready for our final trips and so this was the last night that the three of us can have dinner together. Suzanna, I think was headed to Slovenia the next day and I was planning a trip to Barcelona while Jeff is meeting with his sister to go to Rome.

Suzanna left Jeff and I midway through shopping because she needed to finish up her laundry for Slovenia. He and I continued shopping and by dinner time, I decided that I was craving wings so I chose to go to Pizza Hut for dinner. Suzanna met up with us and both of them (including the waiter) was amazed by how much I ate that night. I ate a lot. It's still a running joke how much wings I can eat on top of pizza and spaghetti...

Day 93: The Sheldonian

One of the things I wanted to do before I left Oxford was to see a concert at the Sheldonian and I was able to do just that. I remember enjoying the show. However, I don't exactly remember what the concert was about. This is what I get for not writing the blog entry as soon as I experienced it.

I remember, thought, that there was a guy outside who was trying to get rid of a free ticket. He was dressed in his tux and he was saying he doesn't need it anymore. I remember wondering what his story was and discussing it with Suzanna and Joanne....

Day 92: Stratford-Upon-Avon

Joanne and I went to Stratford-Upon-Avon this day. I remember we got up really early in the morning to go to the train station and head to Stratford. When we got there, we grabbed breakfast because the museum was still pretty much closed. Afterwards we walked around the town a bit then finally went in Shakespeare's house, walked some more to New Place then to Anne Hathaway's house. We also saw Shakespeare's grave in Holy Trinity Church.

Stratford-Upon-Avon is quaint. It really had the English town feel to it (just like Bath and Oxford) but quieter. So glad we were able to make this trip. :]

Day 91: College Hopping (The 7 Colleges Adventure)

Jeffrey and I decided we were going to go and/or sneak into the colleges that we weren't affiliated with so we did just that. We went through 7 colleges in spite of the cold weather and the snow. Totally worth it though. They were just so pretty. I need to ask Jeffrey which exactly were the ones we visited because I don't remember anymore but the adventure was well worth it. (It was so hard to decide which photo to use for this!)

Day 90: Postcards and Tea (?)

I don't remember what this picture meant so I'm not even going to try.

Day 89: My first Starbucks in England

I remember feeling very guilty because I caved in...but not guilty enough to regret it. Walking down to my flat from the city with this hot cup of Starbucks = pleasant.

Day 88: Of Carols and Snow

I remember that as I took this picture of carolers on the street, there was a light snow falling down...

Day 87: Light Night

Light Night: The night when all the Christmas lights turn on in Oxford and the Christmas Bazaar is kicked off.

I honestly don't remember much. All I remember is that Oxford was gorgeous that night and I was genuinely happy. Looking at the pictures of the night just brings back a smile on my face. There was a lot of things going on and it was definitely an experience. Christmas is my favorite holiday and this night kicked it off wonderfully. (I also remember getting excited because I thought it was snowing but it was just fake snow from the Oxford Castle)

Day 86: Nontraditional, Mismatch Thanksgiving Dinner

I'd be the first to tell you that I don't celebrate Thanksgiving or rather, I don't celebrate the typical Thanksgiving. However, 9 Alexandria decided to host a Thanksgiving potluck for CUA and because we were in Oxford, I think it was a unspoken agreement to celebrate a very nontraditional Thanksgiving feast as well. It went well enough, I think. But all I remember is being happy that we were all fed. I guess that's a good thing right?

Before this dinner, however, I was suppose to have a tutorial. The only thing was that Alex stood me up. Apparently, he was called for some rowing competition training or whatever. I have no hard feelings. It was just really funny to me that I ended up waiting at the SBS only to find out that I wasn't waiting for anything. Goes to show that my tutors are human beings too.