Wow. Tomorrow, I return from England to the United States, and within a month or so, I will be starting my last semester of my undergraduate career. Time flew by. It does not feel like I got off a plane in Heathrow less than four months ago, eager and excited to start my Oxford experience. It feels like yesterday. Or a lifetime ago.
It feels like a lifetime ago because the cold no longer startles me when I open the door. I walk to town and my feet don't hurt. I know where I am going. I occasionally ignore Christchurch as I walk by. I know the colloquialisms. I get asked for directions and annoyed by tourists.
It feels like yesterday because I am still amazed by the beauty of this city. It feels like everything that is, in reality, older than my country is actually a brand-new thing. I'm still amazed by how good Ben's Cookies actually are (look them up. it will make you jealous).
However, I think the truth of the matter is that I am not the same person I was when I arrived. In that sense, I have lived a lifetime here, compressed into four beautiful, stressful, fun-filled months. I learned more about myself than I could have ever imagined, and I am eternally grateful for this experience.
I loved getting to know all the students in the OPUS program, but my housemates, plus one, deserve a shout-out. The seven of us who lived in 224 have laughed, and cried, and made infinite jokes to relieve the stress and remember that the craziness will end. I am so glad to have spent this time with them (and the eighth person, Mary Grace, who pretended she lived with us). Everything, from the endless cups of tea to the cobblestone streets, will live on with this new me who is going back. It's going to be a great ride. Christine, Brooke, Amanda, Emily, Julia, Charlie, and MG: You guys are the best. I re-wrote a thing for ya'll
One hundred forty-eight thousand three hundred minutes
One hundred forty-eight thousand three hundred chances to learn
One hundred forty-eight thousand three hundred minutes
how do you measure a term?
In skylights, in sunsets,
In card games and cups of hot tea
In walking, and cooking, in reading to write
1One hundred forty-eight thousand three hundred minutes
how do you measure a term in our lives?
How about love?
How about love?
How about love?
Measure in love.
One hundred forty-eight thousand three hundred minutes
One hundred forty-eight thousand three hundred words life to read
One hundred forty-eight thousand three hundred minutes
How do you give four months meaning?
In the way that we cooked,
The things that we tried
The hurts that we took
And the places we smiled
It's time now, to move out
For our stories to begin
Let's celebrate
Michaelmas as told by friends!
Remember the love,
Measure your life,
Measure your life in love.
I love you, Oxford. It's been a heck of a ride.