Week Seventeen: Professional

As my final week in Oxford arrived, so did final exams and many goodbyes.  As i sit writing this at the beach in Alabama I think back to the past months and how quickly they have went by and how amazing my time has been.

The last week of term saw the entire student population of Ole Miss study hard as finals where all that we had left to get through before our summer would begin.  Alot of students had 6 or more finals but luckily for myself and Sarah we only had two during finals week, and one we had taken the week before.  The final we took early was simply 30 multiple choice questions which was fairly straight forward.  Another one was a multiple choice paper made up of questions from old multiple choice tests we had taken earlier in the semester.  Thankfully we had been given our old papers to study off so the questions where oddly familiar!

Our third final was an online multiple choice test which I was able to take from the comfort of my own home, yet this still turned out to be the most difficult test, with strangely worded questions and some questions that you thought there could have been more than one answer too!  However all three tests where relatively problem free, and I was extremely happy come 5 o’clock Tuesday when all my finals where complete.

The rest of the week was spent relaxing by the pool and spending time with friends before we all had to go our separate ways.  I also had to start packing up my room into two suitcases, which was incredibly difficult!  Leaving my room in University Trials was really odd, as this had become my home for the past four months and a lot of good memories surround this campus.

The goodbyes started on Friday morning as Sarah left with her boyfriend Darren to return to Northern Ireland.  Even though I knew I would see her sooner than the rest of my friends I had to leave I was still slightly teary eyed.

The rest of my friends left at various stages over the weekend to start their travelling, or too return to their home countries or towns.  I knew this weekend was never going to be easy but it really is horrible having to say goodbye to people who have been part of your life for so long!  Some of them I may never see again, and some I know I will, but its safe to say that I have definitely made some life long friends during my time at Oxford

I am currently at my friend Ava’s beach house in Alabama where I will stay for a while before I do a bit more travelling and the take the long journey back home.  It will be lovely to see my family and friends again however I am truly gutted that my time here has ended to quickly ad I wound advise EVERYONE to experience study abroad at some stage in their lives.  You learn so much, meet so many amazing people and have some incredibly memorable experiences.

Week Sixteen: Cultural

One of my close american friends, Steph, is from Fort Worth, Texas, and this weekend she was kind enough to invite us to stay with her.  I had such an idea in my head of what Texas would be like.  Hot of course, but also full of cowboys, ranch's, and cactus.  Thankfully Texas totally lived up to my expectations!


On Friday evening when we arrive Steph took us to Cowboy which was definitely one of the highlights of my trip! I was totally blown away by this street in the middle of a city which was full of cowboys and bikers, horses and bulls!  The road was cobbled and their where cowboy shops and saloons the whole way along it! I was totally awe struck to see a place like this actually existed, and wasn't just a far fetched idea!  We spend Friday evening walking around the shops and looking around the worlds largest Honky Tonk, where there was plenty of country music and line dancing!  This was definitely a night I would not forget!

The next day we drove around the modern day downtown of Fort Worth, where we got to do some shopping, and visit the beautiful Water Gardens in the middle of the city!  On a scorning hot day is was bliss to sit under the trees in the water gardens beside the beautiful water features.  It truly was an amazing site to see.


We also went to visit Fort Worth's beautiful Botanic Gardens, where we saw the usual rose gardens and beautiful trees and lakes, along with the very unusual cactus garden! Saturday was a wonderful relaxing day as we got to see some of the nature and man made sites of Fort Worth.


As always I was also very excited to try Texan food, and was pleasantly surprised when I tried Texan BBQ beef for the first time, as normally I'm not that fond of beef.  However this food was gorgeous, and was made even nicer by the old Texan restaurant we where eating in.





On Sunday we drove into Dallas and went for a walk around the city, I also got to see the spot where President JFK was shot, and the building where his assassin stood, which was really rather chilling.


As the weekend came to an end and we started the nine hour drive back to Oxford, and finals, I realised that I had eventually found the place that I want to move to, Fort Worth, Texas.

Week Fifteen: Cultural

Every year in Oxford the 'Double Decker' Arts Festival takes place.  This is an opportunity for local artists and musicians to showcase their talents, and for local restaurants to make a lot of money!


As the weekend approached the people of Oxford made preparations for Double Decker, and on Friday and Saturday the square was blocked off from traffic as the festival took place, and floods of students and their families flooded in to witness or participate in the event.

On Friday night local bands played on a large stage in the centre of the square, followed by 'Iron and Wine' who were headlining this years event.  There was such a good atmosphere in the square of Friday night as so many people pilled into the square to see the bands.  However the atmosphere was even better on Saturday when all the stalls and food carts arrived!


The entire square was covered in stalls selling paintings, sculptures, clothes, quilts, jewellery and almost anything creative imaginable.  I really loved seeing so much local art work, and it was a fantastic opportunity for local artists to advertise, and for mothers who made crafts on the side to make some money.  Almost every restaurant in Oxford also had a food cart and I tried my first ever Snow Cone! 


On Sunday I went to Memphis to visit my Aunt and Uncle as they had came over for a holiday, and they took me to Graceland.  A place I had been desperate to go to since I found out I was going to Ole Miss.  I was able to tour Elvis' house, his trophy room, his cars, his private jet (called the Lisa Marie) and visit many more Elvis exhibits.  I was absolutely astounded as I was the place where he lived, and sadly his grave, which was covered in flowers.  It was also incredible to see what fellow Musicians had said about him, from Katy Perry and Justin Timberlake, to Bon Jovi, Trisha Yearwood and Joan Jett.  He was truly respected by Musicians from all era's and genres and he truly did change the future of Music, and especially the future of Music in Memphis.

Graceland was definitely a wonderful cultural experience as Elvis was such a big part of American history, and of the history of the South.  Music is such an important part of Southern Culture, as you can see by the Music filled weekend I had.  This weekend was the perfect opportunity for me to experience what music and art means to the people of the south and their culture.

Week Fourteen: Personal

Each year in the Grove at Ole Miss they host a free concert, and this year the artists where to be Craig Morgan and Gavin DeGraw.  This caused a lot of excitement all week as the free concert was normally one of the best events of the spring semester.  So as classes and work continued during the week, everyone was rushing to get everything complete so they could enjoy the upcoming weekend.

When Friday finally arrived the grove was full of life as the stage was sat up and eager fans lay on the grass in the sun, determined to be right beside the stage.  However, unfortunately at 8 o'clock, half an hour before the concert was due to start it started to rain, or rather the heavens opened!  Yet as they say the show must go on! About 400 crazy students, including myself put on our coats and boots and set of to the grove to see the concert, which turned out to be an extremely good night despite ending up absolutely drenched!  


I had never heard of Craig Morgan before but he turned out to be a very talented country singer who I really enjoyed seeing.  But the highlight of the night was definitely getting to see Gavin DeGraw live, who I have loved since he first wrote the theme song for One Tree Hill.  Halfway through his performance however, the rain got so heavy that the power cut out and Gavin was ushered off stage.  Yet he did not let this stop him putting on a show, and sure enough he came back on just so he could sing some of his biggest hits which he knew his fans wanted to hear.  It really was a brilliant night, and I definitely think Stran should look into having their own free concert!


This weekend I also went to A- Jax for food, which is famous for its southern for.  Although I had tried southern food before I was told numerous times that I HAD to go to A- Jax, and I must agree the food was amazing! I tried fried pickles, meatloaf, southern fried steak and many other famous southern dishes, all of which tasted absolutely amazing!  I would definitely recommend A- Jax to anyone wanting a true southern experience.




In conclusion I had a really lovely week at Ole Miss, its nice to know that despite all the work that myself and my peers have to complete that we still have time to enjoy what Ole Miss has to offer, and to experience the Southern way of life!   

Week Thirteen: Professional

After the Easter weekend I realised I only had a month left in Oxford and a lot of work and tests to complete before I left. The next few weeks are going to be the busiest yet, with finals, essays, and unit plans.


As I arrived back in Oxford on Monday night, extremely tired after the madness of easter, and with a lot of unpacking and washing to do, I had to start straight into revision for an online test on assessment.  Although an online test may seem easier, they are actually quite difficult, as the questions are often worded in a confusing way, so that sometimes it seems like there is more than one answer.  However I have become accustomed to them over my weeks at Ole Miss, and the more you do the better results you tend to get.


This week I have also had to start working on my Notebook for my Introduction to Special Needs class.  I am lucky to have had some experience already in this field which makes the work for the class easier.  However for this class we are required to put together a notebook of the 13 categories of special needs recognised by IDEA, 2004, an American law passed to protect the rights and needs of many individuals with special needs.  These include: Autism, Deaf- Blind, Developmentally delayed, Emotional disability, hearing impairment, language or speech impairment, intellectual disability, multiple disabilities, orthopaedic impairment, other health impairment (including ADHD), specific learning disability, traumatic brain injury and visually impaired.


For this Notebook we had to put together class notes on each of the areas and come up with two additional strategies for each area.  We then had to organise it so that it is the correct order and place it in a binder.  The idea is that we will always have this folder with us.  As we get older and gain more experience with children with different needs, we will have strategies and knowledge of how to deal with them, and we will be able to add to the folder as we gain experience.


This notebook has been incredibly time consuming yet worthwhile as we will always have it to refer to whenever we need to.  This class had been extremely educational and I have thoroughly enjoyed it.  Although I had a basic knowledge of children with SEN, I now feel that I know a lot more about how to teach and provide for these children.

Week Twelve: Cultural

As the Easter weekend approached, I spent my days studying for tests, and trying to get as much work as possible done so that I could go away for the weekend with Ava and Sarah.  Thankfully all this work provided as a necessary distraction at this difficult time.

I was really excited when the end of class on thursday arrived, as this meant we would leave for Ava's beach house in Gulf Shores, Alabama, where I would spend my first ever american easter.  We arrived late that night and went straight to bed.  On Good Friday we walked around some of the tourist areas of Gulf Shores, including a few souvenir shops, and the famous Lambert's Cafe, where the waiters throw hot bread roles at you while you are eating, and play practical jokes on you to keep you entertained!  In the end we where given that many rolls, and other free side dishes, that we took away about 5 to-go boxes!

The majority of the weekend was spent relaxing by the beach which was something we all needed, after a busy few weeks.  However on Sunday morning we caught the ferry from Gulf Shore across the bay to the city of Mobile where Ava is from.  We then made our way to her Aunt Michelle's house for our first traditional American Easter.

I was extremely excited about spending Easter Sunday with Ava's family, as Americans make a far bigger deal out of Easter than we do.  At home I'll get given a few easter eggs from close family, however here the children believe in the Easter Bunny the way they believe in Santa Claus, which I personally believe is a lovely idea.  The children wake up on Easter Sunday to find an Easter basket that has been left by the Bunny, and lots of little eggs hidden in their gardens for them to find as well!  I loved the idea of being a child for a day and participating in these wonderful traditional events, and was extremely grateful for the opportunity to do so.

When we arrived in Mobile, Ava's Mum had made baskets for me and Sarah as well as her own three children, which contained an teddy rabbit, flip-flops, jewellery, and lots of chocolate! We then had a beautiful easter lunch of honey roasted ham, homemade bread rolls, potato salad, green bean casserole, cupcakes and Key-Lime Pie (a typical dessert for this part of the country).  After we had eaten as much as we possibly could, we where allowed out into the garden, where the adults had hidden over 150 eggs for us to find!  It was definitely one of the most exciting afternoons as we all raced around like children, trying to find as many eggs as possible, and if we where lucky we might even find the golden egg!

This weekend I was truly spoilt by Ava's family, and it has made me really appreciate the wonderful friends I have made and how well I am looked after.  It was also a wonderful cultural experience to celebrate easter with an american family.  However unfortunately Good Friday is the only holiday the Americans get at easter, so it was back to Oxford for class on Monday.

Week Eleven: Personal

Everyday this week has been about 30 degrees, meaning that almost everyone brought their assignments and revision to the swimming pool to complete, yet with the heat it was hard to concentrate on much.  The days are slowly getting longer and considerably hotter, and there is much more to do around Oxford, including lovely walks during the warm evenings through the forest and trails that surround where we live.  The semester seems to be flying by before I'm even aware of it, and days are being spent trying to both study and fit in as much other things as we possibly can, as we have all just realised how little time we have left!


On Friday one of my close American friends Ava hosted a dinner party, where she prepared a number of Southern dishes, my favourite being her own recipe for buffalo chicken mac and cheese!  The food out here is something that I absolutely adore, so I was delighted at the opportunity to experience some home cooking from a native southerner.  This was also a brilliant opportunity to spend time with numerous international students and American students, who we have become friends with over the past few months.


Being away from home for such a long time was never going to be easy, yet the idea of leaving our new home and returning to the UK is equally frightening.  Personally I have hardly been homesick at all, with too many new experiences to preoccupy myself with, however when I woke on Sunday morning I got the news that my granny had passed away.  This was probably one of the most difficult things I have had to hear, made worse by the fact that I am miles away from home.  I have no doubt that the next few days are going to be extremely difficult, yet at a time like this I am comforted by the amazing friends I have made while I have been studying here.  With the absence of my real family, my new friends are truly like my family over here, and they are doing their best to look after me during this difficult time.


The week ahead brings yet another 3 tests, and much more work to be doing, which hopefully will be a welcome distraction during this time.  There is no doubt that being away from home was always going to be hard at times, and I'm sure all students studying abroad will agree with me that there are parts of home we miss, yet with only a few weeks left, we truly have to continue to make the most of our time here.