A traveler's journal

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Blogging Abroad: Prep Week

Just 7 days. 7 short days...

Today is the official beginning of my countdown! Unofficially, I've been counting down for the past 4 months, but have refrained from actually counting down the days for both your sanity and my own.

But no longer!

Today marks one week until I hop on a plane for 20 hours, scoot across an ocean, and start living in Oxford, England for roughly 16 weeks on a semester abroad! Starting today, I have decided to blog about my time there to keep those interested souls back home updated (seems like the most efficient way of doing so).

Since I am obviously not yet in Oxford, this post is basically a prep post. This week is going to be filled with the exciting prospect of packing my entire life for the next 4 months into two suitcases before filling a 5-hour layover with friends, surviving my first international flight, and braving public transit in a foreign country. The trip alone should be exciting. Until then, though (7 DAYS!!!), my life consists of list after list: to-do lists, packing lists, shopping lists, blah blah blah... Not quite as exciting. At least I get one more week at home with the family though!

In the meantime, until things DO get a bit more exciting, here's an explanation of both my blogging plan and why exactly I'm going to England in the first place:

THE REASON: Why am I even going to England?? While most anyone who will be reading this probably already knows why, it may be best to just lay it out there for clarity's sake. I am going to England to study at Oxford University for the fall semester (or Michaelmas Term as the Brits call it). I'll be taking tutorial classes on Aesthetics, Philosophical Theology, and the British Cultural Landscape (super excited about all of them!). It is going to be a heavy course load, but even so, I am determined to find plenty of time to see the sights!

THE PLAN: Over my time in England, I will try (notice the word "try." Since I am quite possibly the worlds WORST blogger [1 year, 5 months since my last post... Oh dear...], this could prove to be the hardest part of my semester) to post a blog update about what I've done and where I've gone each week -- complete with pictures and any interesting tidbits I may have learned! If you have any ideas of places to go, things to do, or people to visit, let me know! 

For now, sit back, grab some tea, and enjoy the journey!

The road goes ever on and on,
Dani

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Long Time Coming

I noticed it's been over a year since I last posted pictures to this blog. So, I decided to post some recent pictures I've taken to end the photo drought. Here ya go!


The loading platform for the LA Metro



City Hall in Pasadena, California



Garden statue on one of the lawns at the Huntington Library


Door knocker in the Chinese section of the Huntington Library



Pebble walkway at Huntington Gardens



Huntington Pier in Huntington Beach, California



Some rock formations at Laguna Beach, California



More rock formations at Laguna Beach, California



The Mormon Rocks in San Bernardino National Forest in California



The Mormon Rocks with a stick in the foreground



LA Dodgers hat I found near the Mormon Rocks



Train tracks near the Mormon Rocks


That's the extent of my pictures for now. I'll be better about posting some more at least occasionally in the future. Hopefully a year doesn't go by between posts again...

The road goes ever on and on,
Dani
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