Me time

I love exploring on my own and doing my own thing on this trip sometimes so that I have a chance to reflect on myself, and I what it is that I came here to do in the first place. So this morning, I slept in a little bit, got myself out of bed, and went for a short jog around Clive Booth Hall. I ended up finding this gorgeous little park where it was so quiet and serene that I decided to take off my headphones and give myself a chance to actually think for the first time on this trip. I feel like we're always either on the go, or chatting with someone every moment of this trip from the second we wake up, until the moment we go to sleep.

The fact that Oxford is a city also makes it pretty hard to actually get inside your own head and get back in touch with your true self, which is exactly why I needed today to be a "me" day. I went into town by myself, and am sitting at Starbucks just starting some school work and getting myself organized before I have to go back to my flat and get on with my day. When leaving starbucks to go back to Clive Booth Hall, I realized that one of my favorite parts about living in the city is the fact that there are performers all over the place, and although they do it for a little bit of extra change, a lot of them are performing just for the joy of doing something that they love. There were some singers on the side of the road today that were singing American songs, another trio was playing the guitar and a stand up piano instrument that are very popular in Italy ( I am not sure the name of it exactly) but I could have sat there and listened to them for hours on end. Sometimes you see street performers in the U.S., but I feel like it's so different here because they are so much more talented and actually passionate about what they do, so much so that they are willing to perform for free for anyone that is willing to listen. 

For some odd reason, it has taken me the three weeks that we have been here so far for it to actually hit me that I am going to be spending four months of my life here in Oxford where my close friends and family are thousands of miles away. It's definitely bittersweet, but I would not trade it for the world. I know that I have so many opportunities and experiences that lie ahead, that I know this time is going to fly by much faster than I expect it to. I am going to try to soak up every moment of it, go to every English pub, store, historical site, etc. that I can so that I am able to truly get a feel for what it is like to be a Brit.