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...

National Lampoon's European Vacation, Sisti-Style

After finishing exams and saying goodbye to our visitors (and some other notable events including falling into the River Isis during rowing practice, having tea time with Jola at News Cafe, and attending a Garden Party in the Linacre quad), we prepared for the Main Event: the arrival of the Sisti's! Mom and Dad Sisti came to visit us in Oxford for a day and then took us on a European Cruise. It was the trip of a lifetime! We spent a few days in Venice and then hopped on the ship to Dubrovnik, Croatia; Kusadasi, Turkey; Corfu, Greece; and Santorini, Greece. We made so many memories on this trip that it would be impossible to detail all the stories and laughter, but here are some of the highlights, and the pictures...

Venice!

Basically, we toured around the city (after comically missing 3 different buses) and ate our weight in gelato. My favorite memories of Venice include Will dropping his (45th scoop of) gelato off his cone and my mom, worried that he would be upset (and likely feeling the affects of four glasses of Italian wine), picking the scoop up off the dirty Venetian streets and telling him 'Don't be sad! You can just eat the top.' Problem. Solver. Equally comical memory was watching my dad use unknowingly inappropriate hand gestures to question the Italian-only-speaking pastry-shop-worker about what type of filling was in the croissant he spotted. When I saw the look of utter confusion/disbelief on her face, I thought for sure the Sisti's were going to be politely escorted out of the shop. For the rest of the trip, I did all the dessert ordering for my dad. Ah, memories.

Croatia!

We walked all around this beautiful old town, and, of course, ate some gelato along the way.

After a fantastic pizza lunch (very Croatian, I know), we stopped at this cliff-side restaurant where we enjoyed some wine and the unbelievable views.

Turkey!

We took a really cool tour of Ephesus, an ancient Greek city with tons of Roman ruins. We saw the Library of Celsus (the second largest library in the world), some enormous theaters (like the Colosseum in Rome), and the remains of the Temple of Artemis (one of the Seven Wonders of the World). Oh yeah, and I rode a camel.

The next stop was Santorini, Greece. After climbing 600 feet through donkey poop (as tons of people ride donkeys up the hill instead of burning off the calories they gained from the hourly feedings on the cruise ship), we finally arrived at the city on top of the mountain. We spent the day walking around this beautiful city (and trying to rid ourselves of the poop stank).

Thought I was joking about the donkeys? oh no.

Here are 2 of about 200.

The next stop was Corfu, Greece! We took a bus tour of this beautiful island and its Achilleion Palace. Each time the bus turned a corner, we ran into another unreal view of water crashing onto the cliffs, crystal clear blue water, and sandy beaches. When people imagine paradise, it looks like Corfu.

In addition to seeing all these amazing cities, we spent time on the cruise ship laying in the sun, playing TONS of Spades, ordering 5 entrees and 6 desserts EACH for dinners (and then ordering MORE food via late-night room service), attempting to run off all those calories on the gym treadmill, playing three-card poker and roulette in the casino, watching a 70 year-old man in a fluorescent orange speedo do a pole-dance on the pool deck to win a keychain, and generally just laughing, laughing, laughing with each other. We made memories to last a lifetime, and are already looking forward to the next Sisti-Snyder adventure together.

The Italian Invasion

The weekend after my exams, we had a visitor to our Oxford pad: our good friend Nate!

Lucky for us, even though he's American, he's working in Italy for the year, and thus, came bearing AMAzing Italian treats! See below...

We had a great time introducing him to Survivor Triple Frisbee, learning new card tricks, eating gelato, pub quizzing (although I can't remember if our team name was Risky Quizness as Nate suggested or Quiztiano Renaldo as Will did - you boys will have to correct me there), listening to (and then ditching thanks to a fake emergency bathroom break) some choir music, watching him totally bite it in the middle of the night due to some loose wooden boards in the quality cot we got him...

drinking Pimms...

hitting the pubs...

touring the city...

...and just laughing. What a great weekend.

Survivor Frisbee - my new favo(u)rite game

The week after my exams, to our amazement and joy, the sun finally decided to descend upon Oxford. So, everyone in the city headed outdoors in droves. We hit the park. We watched some cricket, played some footie and flip cup, enjoyed the new flowers and pink-blossom covered trees, ate ice cream from the ice cream vans, and invented a new fabulous sporting event: survivor triple frisbee. (i.e. one person throws three frisbees simultaneously towards the rest of the group, and then in an every-man-for-himself, rugby-style, wrestling-type mosh pit, the 8 or so of us battle it out to be the last man standing with frisbee in hand. totally awesome.) It was such a great day. We even got sunburned! (There's a sentence I never thought I'd say in England.) We're really hoping that the sun decides to visit again sometime in the next few months.

Just a sampling of some of the amazing flower blooming right now...

Thought I was joking about the pink trees, eh?

Some of the crew picnic-ing and listening to Kev play guitar...

Anna and I getting pumped for Survivor Triple Frisbee...

In addition to bruising and some blood shed, our feet were permanently stained...

The Snyders before the soccer ball pummeled us.