The End of Summer Approacheth

Oxford marches closer! I've finished my summer internships, enjoyed a great camping trip through the national parks of Utah with my father, and am now staring at the reality that I'll be leaving home in a little over ten days' time.

I won't actually arrive in the UK until October 3; the American Association of Rhodes Scholars hosts a Bon Voyage Weekend in Washington, DC for all American Rhodies (and some of their international peers who happen to be stateside) over the last weekend/last few days before departing to Oxford in September and October. The American Rhodes scholars used to head over to the UK via boat, actually, when the Queen Elizabeth II (or Queen Mary, I can't remember which) would transport everyone over the open seas of the Atlantic Ocean to England. I admit I wish this tradition were still in place, simply because it sounds so neat to make a transatlantic voyage, but it stopped after the oil crises of the 1970s collided with some major renovation to the ship. Around a decade ago, the AARS instilled this Bon Voyage Weekend on the pre-Oxford agenda to try to recreate that sense of unity, bonding, and community among the American Rhodes class before they share in many overseas experiences together. I haven't seen this year's exact schedule yet, but it sounds like we will be paying a visit to the White House, the Capitol, the British Embassy, and a few private homes around the DC area over the course of the five days. This truly exceeds any experience I've ever had, and I'm so very excited to get started!

Next on my to-do list is accumulating more "weather appropriate" clothes for Oxford, being sure I have everything together and organized, bidding goodbye to my family and some friends in New Mexico, and doing some pre-Oxford reading. This experience has hovered on the horizon for so long now, I can't believe I'm about to make it a reality. Here's to making the most of every second, from Bon Voyage Weekend to the experiences beyond.