My Travel Adventures

Reflecting on my last term at Oxford, I think I spent it well. Perhaps I should have started studying for my exams later, as I was barely even going through the motions in the last two weeks, but at least I felt confident in my answers. I took exams in two subjects: the International Relations of East Asia and Russian International Relations and Foreign Policy. I revised for the first in the usual way: I read through my notes until I was absolutely sick of them, and I copied the most important points onto a word document. Realising that I had learned practically nothing about Southeast Asia during the Cold War, I also studied a few Wikipedia pages and boiled them down into digestible bullet points. Finally, I prepared a few paragraphs of definitions that I could copy straight onto the online exam (which is perfectly within exam regulations).   

Little photographic evidence exists of my second Michaelmas term at Oxford, for it was a dark time. Both my electives for the entire year took place this term, on top of which I had to complete my PhD applications. Autumn’s only saving grace was that, by a massive stroke of luck, one of my electives clashed with a course seminar that I consequently – and with sorrows overflowing – had to forego.

A few days in bright and hot California made my return to Britain very pleasant. No longer would I have to put on sunscreen just to go outside, nor would I have to strategise how to stay in the shade on my walks. It occurs to me, however, that for a country that constantly has to deal with rain, the UK does not do so very well. My bus to Oxford was delayed by a quarter of an hour, and it arrived at least half an hour later than it should have. It reminded me of my arrival in Oxford two months ago, when major delays had been caused by a heatwave. Clearly, the dysfunctionality of UK traffic is chronic, and the weather is just an excuse. Whether it be heat, rain, or snow, there is always some (usually only slightly) inclement weather condition that throws a wrench into theoretically perfect timetables.