6 weeks in 6 sentences + pictures

1. Winter here is perpetually 40 degrees and rainy with no end in sight (still debating whether this is better than the sub-zero Chicago winter).
2. I have gotten to watch a lot of debate in the student government over tuition fee increases, and I believe this, combined with my more personal conversations with Brits, has given me a better understanding of the cultural differences here.
3. One of the reasons I wanted to come to Oxford was that I thought I would have more opportunities to play music, and I was definitely right - it is amazing the stuff I have gotten to do here, from playing in different orchestras to forming my own chamber group to performing with NU alums.
4. I went to a tea party today, so there is proof that the stereotypical afternoon tea is not dead even if Brits don't do it everyday.
5. This past weekend I had the privilege of attending the Founder's Dinner at my college, which is the fanciest event of the year complete with pre-dinner champagne and desert mints marked with the St. Anne's crest!
6. It was a lot of fun until the guest speaker from the Royal Opera spoke for over 30 minutes about Anna Nicole Smith: The Opera (he called it a masterpiece).

 I got to eat at formal hall in Christ Church (Harry Potter fans, be jealous)

This is me competing at the St. Anne's Music Competition. 

I got a scholarship for music lessons because of this!

This is Stephen Isserlis, one of the best cellists in the world, before he performed the Dvorak Cello Concerto with OUO (the orchestra I was in last term) - definitely in the top 5 concerts I've ever attended.