Hit (on) by bikes and prostitutes: the Amsterdam Adventure

After a very uneventful July 4^th (as, shockingly, the Brits don’t celebrate that great American holiday commemorating our freedom from England), we headed off for a holiday in Amsterdam! I had heard so much about Amsterdam’s beauty and ‘interesting’ culture, that I thought we had to check it out. So, we hopped on a 45-minute plane ride to arrive in Holland/Netherlands to get in touch with our inner Dutch.

Day 1: And the hits just keep on comin’

The first thing we noticed about this city the second we hopped off the train was the zillions of bikes chained to anything that looked immobile around town. I mean, there were even bikes chained to railings dangling over canals. Unreal. I thought Oxford had a lot of bikes until I saw Amsterdam. Total number of bikes in this city: 750,000. Total number of times a bike grazed/hit us during our 4 day stay: approximately 324… give or take a few dozen, depending on whether you count the times, during our bike ride on Day 3, that we actually hit each other.

The second thing we noticed was the beautiful canals. Each street was incredibly picturesque, with boats meandering up and down the waterways, cute iron-clad bridges crossing the canals, and thousands of narrow 3-story houses built in the 1500’s side-by-side with colorful shutters and blooming flowers on the balconies.

And, finally, the third thing we noticed was, yes, you guessed it, the Red Light District. The only time I’ve seen anywhere near that many tanned, made-up, bikini-clad women in high heels (with curiously, unnaturally large boobage) was during Spring Break in Miami. Each street contained a different type of woman (young/old, thin/curvy, blonde/brunette, varying skin tones, ethnicities, and attractiveness), or I guess I should say, different type of woman or man, as Will informed me that the ladies that I saw in what I termed the ‘tall, muscular woman’ section, were actually men.

In addition to the ladies, we noticed a ton of porn shows, sex shops, and interesting looking ‘coffee’ houses. I can’t describe the things the owners of these various establishments said in order to entice us to enter, as their sales pitches are wholly inappropriate for blogging (and, not to mention, my naïve ears), so I’ll just have to leave that to your imagination. I’ll just say that they were graphically descriptive of the services that they were peddling, so much so that I was freaked out and scurried quickly by any such shops whilst pretending not to understand English.

Also, it was quite bizarre to wander the pretty canals of the city and smell someone smoking marijuana at literally all hours. Breakfast, lunch, dinner time – it didn’t matter; we couldn’t walk five feet without a whiff of the gange. In fact, one strange tourist named Adam, who we had unluckily asked to take our picture on a pretty canal, and who we were fairly certain had recently eaten at one of those special coffeehouses, even begged us to take some of whatever substance he was smoking because, to quote Adam, he wanted ‘to share the love with you good people.’ It’s nice to get a compliment like that, even from a high tourist wearing a fanny-pack that had trouble remembering his last name. Even in his Amsterdamy haze, he was able to recognize greatness. That’s right Adam, we are good people. You can keep your bizarre pocket full of unidentifiable and clearly too-strong intoxicants though. We’re good.

After checking into our amazing hotel (The Pulitzer, which was actually 25 canal homes combined to form one massive, and beautiful, hotel right on a main canal), eating a fab Thai lunch, and experiencing Dutch culture via seeing bikes, canals, prostitutes, porn shops, and what we’re hoping was just pot, we headed to some of Amsterdam’s historical landmarks. For our first day, we chose to go to the Anne Frank House, where the Frank family hid during World War II. Walking in the small area that all eight people lived in, hearing the voices of Anne’s father and her friend describing seeing her in a concentration camp after the family’s hiding space was found, and seeing Anne’s actual diaries was incredibly moving. She became a real person to me, instead of just a character in a story that I read in grade school. It was haunting and terrifying to think of what happened to her. We are blessed to have her diary as a constant reminder of that past.

Day 2: Hup Holland Hup!

On our second day, besides enjoying some killer room service and a stellar meal in Amsterdam’s shopping district at Café PC, we went to what is now one of my favorite museums: the Van Gogh Museum. He is probably my favorite painter, and this museum had some of my favorite, and quite famous, pieces, like Sunflowers, Irises, Almond Blossom, and Pink Peach Trees. I spent hours staring at these beautiful paintings, imagining him painting them, and hearing the stories of his tortured and interesting life. Lovely afternoon.

Then, the main event: after the museum, we stumbled upon a huge field where they were going to play the Netherlands v. Uruguay game on an enormous screen. So, we got some huge, inflatable orange hats, some Heineken, and some orange shirts and plopped ourselves down in the middle of the field to prepare for the big game. We had no idea what we were in for. It turned out that the field, Museumplein, was the place to watch the game. 80,000 Dutch streamed on to the field, and it was happy mayhem hours before the game even started. CNN was there to capture the madness, and Will and I were even filmed by a Dutch TV crew who, I think, due to our bright orange accouterments, assumed we were Dutch. On the stage under the screen was a famous Dutch singer belting out traditional Dutch tunes and people (including these two Americans) were all jumping around, dancing, kicking soccer balls (I mean, footballs) in the air, running with Holland flags, and blowing on vuvuzelas ‘til their faces turned blue. The girls next to us painted my face with red, white, and blue stripes – like the Dutch (and American, ha!) flag, and I was cheering like I was a die-hard Dutchman, only I had no clue what anyone was saying. That didn’t matter though, because football, like love, is the universal language. When the Netherlands scored that first goal, everyone started screaming like they had won the lotto, no matter what language they spoke. It was unreal. And, ‘we’ won the game. Day 2 Amsterdam : total success.

I'm so Dutch. Look at me blend.

Day 3: suicidal bicycling

After a quick jog through the canals and an amazing breakfast at a canal café, we took our lives into our own hands (and into the hands of 750,000 other Dutch bicyclers) and rented bikes to cruise around town. The amount of cars, motorcycles, and other bicycles that came within centimeters of launching me into a canal, made me want to simultaneously vomit and pee myself. Bicyclers are much more aggressive than they are in Oxford, and the rental bike was way heavier than my Henry, so I was slightly terrified and just tried to keep my eyes on the road, the cars, and the direction Will was taking so that I wouldn’t lose him – but the canals, clouds of pot smoke, and flashes of boob were totally distracting. After I hopped off that bike, I needed some ice cream and shopping to recover (or so I convinced Will – creative avoidance of diet and shopping ban eh? I know. To quote fanny-pack Adam, I’m good.) Despite the near injuries and near soiling myself, however, I still managed to have a fantastically fun time touring the city on my Dutch Henry. We cycled in the beautiful park, Vondelpark, like NYC’s Central Park, and checked out the Flower Market and some street performances, including a great violinist. It really was an amazing way to see the city. And then we capped off the day watching the Spain v. Germany game in a cool neighborhood restaurant with some locals. What a blast.

Day 4: Dutch apple pie and Dutch ovens

After apple pancakes and an English breakfast (we must have been homesick, eh?), we took a leisurely canal cruise to see the city from another angle. It was very nice and peaceful to tour the city by boat after the stressful attempt at extreme city biking, Dutch style. We relaxed, ate a ton of ice cream and Dutch apple pie, and pondered things like whether they called a Dutch Oven a ‘Dutch Oven,’ or just an ‘Oven.’ Solving world dilemmas we were. It was a lovely end to a lovely trip. We had such a great time in that beautiful city, enjoying its history and culture. Aside from nearly being launched into a canal and accidentally entering a sex shop while looking for underwear (I had run out, so Will sent me into a shop to get more, but when the cheapest pair of underwear was 91 euros, I realized it wasn’t normal underwear or your average lingerie shop), it was the perfect travel experience.

Dear Time: Will you please stop already?!

So, 9th and 10th week are here. To quote our friend Mark, OMAG. Where, oh where, has the time gone? We're just having too much fun. I know, now you feel really sorry for us, right? So let's see, what have we been up to... besides working on my dissertation (yes, both of us are actually doing schoolwork whilst here), I went to an end of the year dinner for those of us who are 'going down' (i.e. leaving Linacre this year. funny phraseology, eh?) and then had to entertain myself for the weekend since Will went on a 'boys trip' (which I was assured involved no bachelor-party-esque hired entertainment) to Devon. Here is a picture of him with his boys below. My mind was at ease when I saw this one:

Yes, they are playing poker, in a hot-tub, on a homemade inflatable poker table. Boys, I think you may have discovered a void in the market for floating poker tables. So, whilst Will played golf and hot-tub poker with the dudes, I kept myself busy by rowing, punting, watching World Cup, clubbing with the crew at Kukui, managing to roll in nettles whilst in the lawn, covering myself with hydrocortisone to dull the pain, and having brunch with my girl Jeanne, not necessarily in that order. It was quite the weekend.

Once Will was back, we spent each night doing fun Britishy activities. On Monday, we went to dinner and a movie with our friend Anna -- everytime Russell Brand spoke, I laughed til I peed.

On Tuesday, we went to a Rotary BBQ outside of Bicester with the whole Rotary Club of Bicester. Aside from embarrasing myself by eating my weight in cheese, biscuits, and pudding (a British, and less-fatty-sounding, way of saying 'dessert' ... actually, little sidenote on that terminology and how it thwarted my attempt to eat myself stupid: when I went up to the dessert table, and was trying to figure out which nine desserts I'd sample and strategically cram into my dessert bowl, I had a very 'who's on first?' moment with the host. 'Oh, is this pudding?' I said to my host, pointing to a liquid-looking substance. 'Yes, it's pudding', was the response, so I promptly decided that it would be choice #1 of 9 and scooped it into my bowl as the base layer. Then, however, after I had strategically piled 5 other desserts on top of it that I thought might compliment each other, and was eyeing something chocolately, I was like 'Wait, is this pudding?' and he was like, 'Yes, that's pudding.' And I was like, 'You mean, this is pudding.' And he was like 'Um, yes, that is pudding.' SO, long story short, they were all 'pudding.' They were British 'pudding' (i.e. dessert), but they were most definitely not American pudding (i.e. liquidy vanilla/chocolate goodness). Result: a base layer of key lime pie filling, and 8 desserts piled on top of it that were not meant to be served a la lime. Big limey eww.)

On Wednesday, we went into London. I conducted interviews with trainee solicitors at the London office of Freshfields' (a huge international law firm, 24,000 lawyers, 28 offices around the world) for my dissertation on legal education. It was incredibly interesting to see the enormous office in the middle of London's legal district. They set me up in a conference room with white glove catering service. (Literally, a cart pushed by someone wearing a tux-like uniform rolled by every 10 minutes with fresh coffee and cookies.) It was first-class all the way. All the people I interviewed (which I met through my lawyer friends in Miami, shockingly -- it's such a small world) were incredibly nice and made me feel so welcome. Don't get scared mom, but I could actually see myself working there. In addition to conducting interviews that day, we wandered around the city, checking out what it would be like to live there. It is just so huge, and there is just so much going on -- you could never be bored. We had a lovely Pho lunch with a couple that we know from Linacre, Sean and Anne, and had a fantastic homecooked Italian meal by another couple that we know from UCL, Mary and Fin. They made London feel like home. What a fantastic day.

On Thursday, we headed to the countryside for yet another fantastic dinner party and homecooked meal by my friend Jennifer who is on my course at Oxford. She lives in a 500 year-old house with an 81 year-old adorable landlady named Sally who had so much spunk and personality, and so many stories to share, that we spent the entire night gabbing and laughing with her. She didn't act a day older than me and fit right in with all of us 'kids.' I hope I'm just like Sally in my 80's! In addition to hearing Sally's stories about her time with Orlando Bloom (she basically knows everyone in the UK) and the ghosts that haunt the house, stuffing our faces with Jennifer's delicious mexican food and Guinness chocolate cake, line dancing, playing Sally's antique piano, and wandering around the beautiful gardens and house with endless staircases and hidden hallways, we just talked and laughed the night away. It was one of the most memorable nights we've had in Oxford. Thanks to Jennifer and Sally!

Dinner Party outside the house.

It literally looks like you walked into a Jane Austen novel.

Thought I was joking about line-dancing? Nope.

Jennifer made me wear my boots!

The field right outside her home.

I've never stood in grass that high - it literally reached my waist.

On Friday, in addition to watching World Cup and hitting the Bridge, we punted! Will, one of my best girlfriends, Jeanne, and our friend Andrew all headed to the New College punts to punt ourselves down the River Cherwell whilst sipping Pimm's that was clearly not mixed with the proper proportion of Sprite. It was quite an adventure. We had an absolute blast.

Will, the master puntsman.

Showing off my punt skillz.

Me and the J.

Snyders do punt.

We thought it made perfect sense to have a race after disembarking the punt. This could have had something to do with the strength of the Pimm's and dearth of Sprite.

And, that, in a tad more than a few words, was our week.

It was packed, it was awesome, it was Oxford.

Dear Time,

Slow the hell down.

Sincerely,

The Snyders

Off to Uwanda... or was it Raganda??

It's the end of an era. Eighth Week, in addition to being the final week of my final term as an Oxford student (noooooo!), was also the week that Kev (Will's, and my, best friend over here) left for his African adventure. He's now in Uwanda, or possibly Raganda-- not even he is sure which (hence the combination Uganda/Rwanda terminology)-- on a two-month work assignment. With every end comes a new beginning though, right? (Will and I are telling ourselves this to console each other as we are still mourning the loss of Mr. James.) In a way though, Eighth Week proved this adage to be true... as one plane was about to sweep Kev off to Africa, another plane brought in my girl Aisha from America. So, we spent the week finishing up my schoolwork, attending end of the year dinners (including a formal hall and the Sports Dinner for all the Linacre athletes - yes, shockingly it does include me, the rower), attending end of the year lunches (at Kellogg College and Linacre), attending end of the year parties (including the Rubix Cube party where everyone started the night in six different colors and attempted to end the night wearing only one, making for some interesting outfits), watching Linacre's production of a Midsummer Night's Dream (which took place in the quad, right outside our dorm window), taking Aisha all around Oxford to show her its awesomeness, and tearfully saying goodbye to Kev on Kev. Thus, I give you: Eighth Week, in pictures...

We had an amazing dinner at The Trout, a fantastic restaurant out in the countryside in a seventeeth century building. It overlooked a waterfall and peacocks sauntered past us whilst we sipped Pimm's. Faaaaaaantastic.

Aish and I might have done some touristy shopping.

See if you can spot our purchases above.

Touring the city : Trinity College is just magnificent.

And, no visit to Linacre is complete without a dip in the fountain.

Rubix Cube Party... thought I was kidding about the outfits, eh?

Nope, Oxford students don't mess around with their fancy dress.

Sports Dinner:

Me, Kine (half of the stern pair in our boat), and Nicole (captain of the rowing team)

For Kev's Farewell Party, after an awesome bbq at his house, we returned to the scene of the crime (or at least the scene of WAY too many hearts games): the Vic.

A farewell lunch at The Bear a few days before he left.

(Yes, he really milked this 'leaving town' thing... dinners, lunches... you'd think he was going to Africa or something)

Not even my sad face was enough to make him stay out of Africa.

On the day Kev actually got on the bus to leave, we had yet another farewell lunch at the Turf, where we all cried and told each other how awesome we are. We're incredibly sad to see Kev go, but we know we'll see him again soon. (Soon, right Kev, right?!?) This was actually good practice for Will's departure in a few weeks. I'm going to freak out, for certain, when he leaves July 16. The only thing keeping me sane is knowing that it will be nice to get to spend a few more weeks with my new love: Oxford. Oh, Oxford... how am I ever going to let you go?! (aside from the obvious, of course, that I can no longer afford you without getting a job. minor detail. All those bop costumes really started to add up! You just can't skimp on bop though. Words to live by. You can thank me later.)

'Bob's Your Uncle!' (no dad, not you)

Nothing could quite match the madness of Summer Eights (and the numerous celebration dinners, happy hours, and parties afterwards), so 6th and 7th weeks were just a tad quieter. We still managed to fill them with tons of Oxfordy activities. Let's see... I went to a BBQ at Kellogg college where they had a -- drum roll please -- bouncehouse! (Which, they call a Bouncey Castle - hilarious, right?) It was fantastic. Embarrassing picture to follow.

Yes, it was me and the children in the 'bouncey castle'. Not that I cared. There was no way I was missing that - children or floral dress notwithstanding.

I also went punting this week with some friends from Linacre. Punting is basically pushing a boat through the water with a big, long stick. Sounds simple? Au contraire. I don't know whether it was the weight of the stick or the Pimm's that we were drinking (a punting tradition and absolute necessity for any real punt outing - it consists of Pimm's, sprite which they call 'lemonade', mint, fruit and even vegetables like cucumber), but I basically spun the boat in circles, as my friends laughed. We traveled approximately 20 feet in the hour of punting. Quite the journey. I so can't wait to do it again!!!

We also had a few BBQ's with our friends in this gorgeous weather. We played a little 'Things' again, where this time the funniest category "Things Americans can't say" prompted responses like Bicester, aluminum, oregano (yes, all of these words have either silent letters or accents on different syllables making them sound like words in a foreign language), and the best (albeit saddest) response: 'goodbye.'

After the debate over correct pronunciation of words, we also learned some new vocabulary: Big Girl's Blouse (wimp), Billy no-mates (friendless person), and Bob's Your Uncle! (you've got it!) As you can see, we only made it to the B's. I have tried to assimilate these words into my everyday speak, but it's tough to yell out 'Bob's Your Uncle!' everytime Team Quiztiano Renaldo gets a question right at quiz night. (The fact that Bob's my DAD doesn't help either.) I feared sounding like the bizarre girl in the pub and ending up a Billy-no-mates. (See how I slipped that in? Didn't see that one comin', did ya?! skillz.)

Also interestingly, I came to the realization that calling someone a Benedict Arnold over here doesn't quite mean the same thing. When I called one of our British buds that, I thought I was calling them a traitor -- they thanked me for calling them a hero. Interesting how two quite similar people can interpret something in two quite opposite ways -- makes you think. Benedict Arnold, the hero -- I didn't see that one comin'.

Let's see - other cool things these weeks. Saw Sex and The City II with ten girlfriends from Linacre -- sooo fun to have ladies night! (even for a horrendous movie) Went to Linacre's final bop - the Carnival Bop! (It was a fantastic night with my friends. People are starting to move out of the dorms already, so I'm trying to cherish every last minute with my closest friends before they go.) Attended more rowing dinners, lunches at different colleges like Green Templeton, pub nights at the Turf, card playing at the Vic, bops at Green, cricket matches in the parks, and, of course, football (aka soccer) watching for the World Cup. Watching England v USA in England with a bunch of Brits was an absolute blast. (especially since we didn't lose!) How are we ever going to leave this place?! I got a memo this week with details about 'going down', which means, leaving Linacre. I think they're going to have to drag me outta here, up or down or sideways, kicking and screaming. This shouldn't be tough though, as I'm a total Big Girl's Blouse. (zing!)

boaties and rotary's

Week 5 was again, craziness! It started off with a trip to the Rotary Club of Windsor, where I met some lovely Rotarians and gave a presentation about Miami and my future plans. (see pic below) It was a great afternoon.

This week was dominated, however, by Summer Eights -- THE biggest intercollegiate rowing competition in Oxford. (AND, the only time it is acceptable to leave the house wearing nothing but spandex.) Four days of racing, 13 boats on the water at a time, 1.5 boat lengths apart from each other, attempting to 'bump' (let's be honest, RAM) the boat in front of them to move their boat up a position in the rankings. Despite the rain, soreness, and law-related jokes (as law firms like Morrison Foerster and Jones Day sponsored this regatta - so picture things like 'MoFo' and 'every day is a jones day' blasting from the announcers on loud speakers), the event was an absolute BLAST for rowers and spectators alike.

My boat (with two of my dearest friends, Kine and Jeanne) started off as the second boat in Division 4. On the first day of racing, we bumped Hertford's boat (which was just plain AWESOME!) So, we moved up a notch to the first boat in Division 4. This also made us the 'sandwich' boat, which meant we would row in TWO divisions that day. We were in the highest boat in Division 4 (since we bumped Hertford from that spot), and the lowest in Division 3. So, to move up to Division 3, we HAD to bump the boat in front of us during that second race. We couldn't catch them though, so that meant we rowed in TWO races, 2,000 meters each, for the next two race days.... the first race trying to make sure the boat behind us didn't bump us (since there was no one for us to catch and relieve us of the pain of rowing all 2,000 meters at full race pace), and the second race desperately trying (after rowing a full 2,000 meters already, mind you) to catch the boat in front of us in Division 3, so that we could move up and leave Division 4 (and sandwich boat status) behind. Well, after three days of this, on that fourth day, we were so worn out that we got bumped, back to Division 4, right where we started! It was wildly fun, and we held Linacre's position in the race for next year (your position is determined by years and years of past racing!) What a wonderful memory. I will truly miss rowing when we head back to the States. I'm a total 'boatie' at heart.

Check out the Gator hat! Gotta represent!

My girls: Human Metronome, Lieutenant, and Engine Room.

Our boat - I'm in Seat 7.

Stern Pair : me and Kine.

(A Beer Boat - where they were more concerned with costume and beer than actual rowing...)

Our boat with our cox, Ken.

Post-Race Pic.

A champagne shower to celebrate the last race!

To see part of our first race, check out the video footage, courtesy of Will...

Only in Oxford - Battle in the Park!

We've been hitting the park almost on a daily basis as the weather has just been unbelievably perfect! We're talking sunny, 70 degrees, cool breeze -- total heaven! (We're going to DIE when we return to the sweltering heat of August in Miami.)

So, we jog, play frisbee (and survivor-triple-frisbee), tennis (we got a tennis membership for the Oxford parks - awesome!), watch cricket, hang out, aaaaaaaaaand, wait for it, watch students dressed in full body armor and metal hats engaging in battle via swords and shields. No, I am not joking. See videographic evidence below. Only in Oxford. It was too priceless not to share.

Just your average day of croquet

Woah have we been busy! Term-time (we're in the last of three 8-week terms during which you have classes, which is deceptive since we don't actually have classes this term, yet, alas, it is still called Trinity 'Term' -- typical confusing Oxford terminology) is always jam-packed full of events. So let's see, during third week, we did a little, what I like to call, Extreme Bowling.

Yes, Will is blindfolded. Each frame involved a different challenging twist on how you had to bowl -- backwards, with ball in the other hand, and, the piece de resistance, blindfolded. And yes, there were balls thrown into lanes other than our own. Good times.

I also danced at my first Ceilidh, a traditional Scottish social gathering where you do coordinated dances almost like line-dancing. My personal favorite was the one where I got spun in circles, and was airborne, until I started to feel a little nauseous. Again, good times.

I went to an exchange dinner at Lincoln College, where the buildings are ancient and the libraries look like this:

Unreal, right? The Lincoln college kids study in a Harry Potter film set. I also played my first game of croquet, where I was a natural, of course. (That may be a slight exaggeration, but there is no video footage, so I feel like I can take some liberty with this one. The only evidence to the contrary is a picture where I'm swinging the stick like a golf club. However, I maintain that would be a much more efficient way of croqueting. You just can't get a big power hit by swinging it between your legs. Especially when in heels.)

Also Harry-Potter-ish, my friends and I had brunch at Christ Church College, in the dining hall where they actually did film Harry Potter. Very cool.

In addition to pub quizzing at the Royal Oak, juggling lessons, a Graduate College Bar Crawl (and late night visit to the Purple Turtle), and multiple BBQ's (because the weather is SO amazing right now - sunny and 70's in England - who knew?!), we also fit in a trip to Blenheim Palace with the Rotary Club. It is a stunning monumental country house (interestingly, where Winston Churchill was born) and the current home of the Duke of Marlborough. We toured the interior and beautiful garden grounds and met the Duke's daughter, Lady Henrietta Spencer Churchill, who told us a little bit about the history of the place. What a great day.

Will and the Palace.

Snyders do Blenheim.

Me at the entrance.

Also this week, we celebrated our second anniversary! We went to the neatest restaurant in Oxford, the Old Parsonage, saw a movie, went for ice cream, and walked all around this beautiful city. Oxford was a great place to spend our special day -- it made it very memorable. I hope this won't be our only anniversary in Oxford...

What a Ball!

About an hour after we got back from the cruise, I hopped into my party dress to attend the Jesus-Somerville College Paparazzi Ball with my friends. Going to a Ball during your time at Oxford is one of those things that people told me I HAD to experience, and now I see why. There were four different stages of live bands playing at all hours (everything from hip-hop to jazz to classical string quartets), six different food stations with food from various restaurants (as well as a dessert room complete with chocolate fondue and champagne fountains), a casino, laser tag, a 3-D show, a room for dress-mending in case you ripped off your sequins on the dance floor(s), and, of course, tables upon tables filled with glasses full of champagne, mixed liquor fruity drinks, beer, and cider, just waiting for you to sashay by and grab. It was sensory overload at its best. The best part about it though, was getting dressed up with my girlfriends and spending a fancy night out together laughing and enjoying a very Oxfordian tradition.

The girls sipping champagne before the Ball...

The craziness didn't stop there though. The next morning after the Ball, Will and I took off for the Abingdon Rotary Club's Dragon Boat Racing Charity Event! In between cooking-up burgers and bacon to sell to the hundreds of spectators, we raced in the dragon-shaped boats against 30 other crews from around Oxfordshire. With 16 to a boat, needless to say it got a bit hectic. At one point, I was laughing so hard I couldn't row. Between the team costumes (from teams like Blazing Paddles, In Denile, and The Drag Ones - you can imagine what that team wore) to the waves of freezing water that I watched douse everyone in the boat, you couldn't help but laugh. I was wet, frozen, and smelled of ground burger beef, but I had a fantastic time.

Will and Tom on the grill...

After the racing and burger grilling, we walked through the park with our buddies Kev, Anna, and Mark, and played some serious games of Pooh Sticks. If you're thinking Winnie the Pooh, you're right. They actually play Winnie the Pooh's Pooh Sticks here (where everyone drops a stick off the bridge and sees whose stick comes out first on the other side of the bridge) for charity events and just general weekend amusement. I know it may sound silly to the uninformed, but trust me, Pooh Sticks can provide hours of solid entertainment. Since I haven't managed to actually win a game yet (which I attribute solely to highly unpredictable, shifting, English water-currents), I'm working on perfecting my stick selection strategerie. Kev, Anna, Mark, and Will -- consider yourselves warned.

Finally, this week (which is actually Third Week of Trinity Term, since I was on the cruise for the first two weeks of term!), I attended lectures by The Most Reverend Desmond Tutu (the Nobel Peace Prize winner, among other things) as well as Malcolm Gladwell (my favorite author) and went to Formal Hall with my girlfriends (see below).

Even without classes, this term has been busy! I'm really looking forward to just enjoying and soaking up every minute of this final term at Oxford. I'd give anything to be able to slow down time right now. I'm just having such a ball...