EMA Meeting in Brussels: A table full of people from around the globe!

The European Commission has once again "hooked" me up with some free travel and international excitement. I was invited to represent the North American chapter of Erasmus Mundus alumni at an annual meeting in Brussels this past weekend. The meeting was for the Erasmus Mundus Student & Alumni Association (EMA) and we discussed everything from Chapter development to the goals and mission of the Association. Friday we met in the Madou Tower of the European Commission and I even had the pleasure of meeting the man, Vito Borrelli, a European Commission staff member who has been instrumental in the development of the Erasmus Mundus program. Here are a few moments to remember:

On Friday, I was in a packed elevator in the EC building and a European said, "The capacity says 16 people." Then, another European replied, "That means 16 Europeans and only 5 Americans." I tried to think of something witty on the spot and failed miserably as all I could muster up was a small laugh. Stereotypes are everywhere and unfortunately, there is some truth to this particular stereotype.

But, on a positive note as I was eating the delicious chocolate mousse at the Saturday dinner I looked around the dinner table and realized these are the moments I miss the most about living back in the U.S.: a table full of people from around the globe. I sat with my friends from Australia, Portugal, Pakistan, China, and Thailand. Dinner conversation just does not get any better than that!

Bath: The Spa City.

My last day trip! I wanted to experience the UNESCO World Heritage City where 2,000 years ago the Romans bathed themselves in natural hot thermal waters. I decided to make it an academic trip, so I scheduled an interview with a professor at the University of Bath and spent an additional three hours exploring the beautiful city of Bath. Built on hills, in the horizon you can see the countryside and the unique architecture of Bath. The Neo-classical circular buildings you see in the photo are houses and quite the trend in Bath property with the famous Circus and the Royal Crescent. The biggest score of the day was the 5pound vegetarian lunch, mushroom and lentil madras, and hot tea that I ate at the local pub, the Porter Pub. That is the one of the things I do love about the UK, you are always guaranteed a hearty, hot meal at the local pub and little did I know that this particular pub was voted one of the top 100 veggie eats in the UK.

Even though it was rainy and windy, Bath was definitely one of my favorite day trips outside of Oxford...the city, unique architecture, the hilly landscape all captured my heart.

Christmas in London & a Movie Ticket for $16.50.

Ahhhh, London is all lit-up and looking glamorous for the holiday season. I decided to take a 2-day trip to London before my English adventure quickly becomes a memory of yesterday. The first night, besides getting busted at Whole Foods, I walked from Notting Hill to Oxford Circus while sugar plum fairies danced in my head. The streets were vibrant with people, decorations, lights, Christmas markets, and Belgium waffles (yes, I admit to eating one). I came home that night to the Bayswater Inn with quite the Christmas buzz... The next day I enjoyed my morning in Kensington and Hyde Park and then met Kristen, a fellow HEEM alumna, for tea at the posh Liberty department store. After a long catch-up we saw Christmas Carol, the 3D movie, in Leicester Square. It was an expensive movie, but worth it, a student ticket was £9 ($16.50)...youch.

I have come to love London...it always feels so alive! Plus, I simply take pleasure in the fact that you can find peace and tranquility in the numerous parks intuitively set right smack in the middle of the city life. What brilliant city planners!

HOLY Whole Foods!

After my last visit to London and the pure excitement I shared with everyone concerning my visit to the small SOHO Whole Foods, I received many comments from friends that I needed to visit the "mack-daddy" Whole Foods in London. So, the first destination on my list was the Kensington Whole Foods.

All I have to say is WOW!

An escalator. Three stories. A bread department to die for. Wine. Incredible produce section.

I only bought two things, but I was there for roughly two hours walking the aisles and soaking in the sights and smells. I heard a lot of North American accents. Not surprising. And, there were numerous Thanksgiving reminders posted throughout the store. Not surprising. Oh, yeah and I got BUSTED for taking these photos. Not surprising.

Living abroad...or even living in a different region of your own country...you get homesick for those little things that remind you of home. Whole Foods is one of those visceral experiences that takes me "Home" to Boulder, Colorado. I guess you could say I am missing home...it has been 7 months.

UGA House in Oxford!

Stocked, locked, and blinged! I live in a POSH three-story Victorian house in Oxford. The rugs alone cost more than the car I drive. The house has all the amenities (and more): computers, chandeliers (to swing from), a big screen TV, a movie collection, travel books, a library with over 2,000 books, a beautiful garden that is tended to every week, games, and even a towel rack warmer in my bathroom. Yeah, pretty posh! So, it is no wonder I get sucked into the house and sometimes do not leave until lunch. Everything I need is here!

The house was bought by the UGA Foundation (a private company that raises money for the University) and the University of Georgia leases the house from the Foundation. The 9,987 square foot house was originally built in the late 1800's and while most of it was renovated there are a few things that have been preserved such as some of the wallpaper, the fireplace mantels, and some of the wood floor in the kitchen.

Faculty Don's Party

Everyone loves a good party! On Thursday, we hosted a reception for the Oxford faculty dons who work with the University of Georgia study abroad program. This meant that the alcohol ban in the common areas of the house were temporarily lifted and there was a lot of preparation to be done. This was the one big party that James and I was responsible for planning. The students helped buy, prepare, and of course eat the food. I must say the smorgasbord of American and British food was a great success...we prepared fruit trays, veggie trays, meat trays, a cheese platter, an antipasti platter, and we made banana bread, zucchini bread, guacamole, deviled eggs. A few extra special items were added to the mix: Belgium chocolates, fancy English biscuits, and a birthday cake for Katie. The mood was quite festive!

Dinner for Royalty!

There are benefits to this Oxford gig. Sure, I have to live with 31 undergraduate students, but I also get to live for free in a beautiful Victorian house, meet weekly with a faculty don while working on my research agenda, and eat for free at Keble College. This blog entry is dedicated to my daily routine surrounding FOOD.




B-fast: I don't know the time...because normally I am still asleep.
Lunch: 12:30-1:45 p.m.
Dinner: 7 p.m. (prompt)
Saturday/Sundays brunch is served: 11:45-12:15

B-fast/Lunch: I work within the confines of the food schedule as much as I can. I normally skip breakfast because I LOVE lazy mornings, do not particularly enjoy fried eggs and baked beans for breakfast, and normally do not eat until 10 a.m. Hence, the reason I over stack my lunch tray with the pre-packaged breakfast cereal and bananas that usually make their way into my bag, not my stomach. While lunch is an informal buffet-style meal, dinner is always a big "to-do" and you must book ahead on-line for every dinner you attend.

Dinner: Everyone wears a special black gown to the dining hall that is unique to Oxford. Then, you are seated at the long tables according to how many courses you have booked. Usually, I choose three courses (soup, entree, and dessert/fruit). Once the students are seated, the faculty dons parade to the front of the dining hall wherein they sit at the high table (it is actually on a platform). Then, the head don slams down the gavel and everyone stands for Latin grace. Again, the gavel slams down and we all sit, awkwardly working with our neighbors to scoot the long bench in closer to the table. Soup and a roll is served and always delicious...I have not had a bad soup yet! A large dish of potatoes and some sort of veggie is placed in the middle of the tables for all to enjoy. Entrees are served and everyone digs in. Dessert follows closely behind which is either the menu dessert or fruit, you choose. While the ritual of dinner is unique, it can get a little monotonous. I feel like I may be on my way to gaining a "freshmen fifteen" with the amount of food I am eating, but I am a "starving student" and free food is free food. Here is a sampling of the Sunday (formal) dinners:

Citrus and celeriac timbale with a walnut dressing
Roast supreme of chicken,
sage and onion stuffing, bacon roll and chipolata
v. Chunky lentil, onion and chestnut loaf
Roast potatoes
Assorted root vegetables
Caramelised mandarin cheesecake or fresh fruit

Char grilled vegetable terrine with a
black olive and tarragon dressing
Roast pork with an apple compote
v. Stilton, apple and sage crepes with a redcurrant and juniper sauce
Roasted potatoes
Chervil glazed carrots and broccoli
Cherry pie with vanilla cream or fresh fruit

Where I Study!

In Oxford, the libraries are amazing, with the Gothic architecture, low lighting, high ceilings, stained glass windows, and stacks upon stacks of books. It feels special to read/study in one of the Oxford libraries, as not everyone has access. Libraries are not open to the public and you must show a Bodleian student card (a student ID) to gain entrance. I have access to the Keble College library (first two photos), the Education library (middle phot0), and the Bodleian libraries.

Of course, I have my favorite reading spots: (1) in the Education library in a comfy modern chair next to a big picture window overlooking a quaint courtyard garden in the Education Department complex, and (2) in the Radcliffe Camera (last two photos) I like to sit in one of the old wooden chairs next to the picture window looking out to the spectacular University Church of St. Marys. Don't be surprised by the enormous cow bell they ring 15 minutes before closing...it can be a real scare! As I am sure you can imagine, these two study spots are prime real estate and in order to secure them I must arrive early. Most libraries are "reader" libraries, meaning you cannot check out books you must read the book inside the library. Luckily, I can check out books from the Education and Keble library.



The Bodleian library is one of the most famous libraries in the world, known for both its expansive book collection and the spectacular medieval buildings. Since 1602, scholars have been reading in the Bodleian. Over 12 million books make up the collection and you can only imagine how storing the book is quite the challenge. Most of the books are stored underneath the Bodleian complex in the "stacks", hence the reason it may take up to four hours to retrieve a book. To request a book, you make an online request and a confirmation gives you an approximate time when you can pick up your book from a "reading room"...normally it will take anywhere from 2-4 hours. Now, for those books that are not frequently used it may take longer to retrieve, as those books are not located in the "stacks" they are stored in an old salt mine in Cheshire, approximately 150 miles northwest of Oxford.

The Social Network: A Friend of a Friend!

When I lived in Colorado, my friend Jessie was the queen of the hip Denver social scene...she was always planning parties, outings, and introducing people to each other. Well, the other day I received an email:

"Hello, I am a friend of Jessie's from Denver and she suggested that we connect. I've just started on a Walkabout around the world and it sounds like you are also on an international adventure! I'm currently in the UK, staying with a friend up in the country, but I think that we're going to head into Oxford this weekend. Any chance you will be around and available to meet up for tea or a cocktail? Any friend of Jessie's has got to be super fun, plus I'd love to hear about your adventures!"

It is true...any friend of Jessie's is worth meeting. So, we met up last Sunday and enjoyed an afternoon in Oxford, sipping tea, eating scones, and touring the City of Spires. There is something to be said about the power of a social network, the Colorado connection, and meeting others who possess the same adventurous thirst. These natural networks make for good conversation! We talked about traveling and how each of us have ended up living/traveling internationally. These connections with like-minded adventurous women always inspire me to keep adventuring, keep my eyes open, and continue taking a BIG bite out of life. Happy Sojourns, Annie & Ashley!

A Trip to Sheffield, England.

I have had the great fortune of meeting a great group of higher education professors from the University of Sheffield. The connection stems from when I lived in Oslo. I met a researcher, Vassiliki, who was conducting research in Oslo for her Oxford postgrad and we have kept in touch ever since. When I knew I was living in Oxford I contacted her again, we met for a delicious Lebanese lunch, and she asked me to present to Dublin. While in Dublin I mentioned that I would like to tour the University of Sheffield campus and before I knew it I had an invitation to visit, an interview set up for the hedda blog, and I was asked to make another presentation on "Some Transatlantic Observations on English/European Higher Education." The amazing world of international connections!



The trip to Sheffield was another great academic opportunity and the professors were the most gracious hosts. They put me up at the Rutland Hotel *see photo below* and the room was rather funky with the panoramic black and white photo of the couple laying on the beach. The post-industrial city of Sheffield has a real university feel to it, as there are three universities in the city, including a medical school. Very different from the posh Oxford.

Beads of Sweat Trickle Down My Face...Now, THIS is Traveling!

With all of my travels, you would think that I double check all travel plans and logistics to ensure a smooth voyage. Well, I must admit there are still times when I just take my travel skills for granted and/or my mind is elsewhere. The rationalization for this shameful, yet hilarious, travel story is probably a combination of not paying attention to the details and being entrenched with academic endeavors. But, before you read on, just know these types of travel stories make me feel alive. Crazy, but true! Here is the context of this story: I was invited to the University of Sheffield to make a presentation, conduct an interview for the hedda blog, and tour the campus. So, here is the story of catching the train to Sheffield:

12:05 All is good! Leave the UGA House and hop on the bus to the town centre.
12:11 Arrive in town centre. Walk in the drizzle, stop in at Taylor’s to buy a takeaway chicken pesto Panini.
12:16 Walk leisurely to train station.
12:28 Arrive at the train station, sit down, put my umbrella away, take out my train tickets. Read the tickets and realize I never printed out the e-ticket…all I printed out was the lousy itinerary. “An email containing your e-ticket will be sent to your email address.” Oh, bloody hell!
12:30 Begin freaking out! Get in ticket line.
12:35 I ask the woman if I can ride the train with just the itinerary. I know the answer, but think that if I put on the naive foreigner act, she may help me out. NOPE! She says I MUST print out the e-ticket and there is no where to print in the train station.
12:37 I run to the tourist office and she tells me the closest Internet café is about 10 minutes away. AHHHHH!
12:40 I RUN!!! Here is the visual: one hand dragging my little roller behind me, the other hand tightly holding onto the umbrella while my backpack bounces up and down on my back.
12:45 I arrive at Coffee Republic and artfully cut line to ask if I can jump on the Internet and print something quickly. She sees the sweat on my brows and proclaims, “30 minutes is 1 pound 50 pence.” I pay the lady, run up the stairs, and sit at the computer closest to the printer. As my email inbox slowly loads, I try to catch my breath as beads of sweat trickle down my face.
12:46 The magical e-ticket prints, as the angels in my head sing a sweet melody. I tell the gentlemen next to me to feel free to use the remaining time on my computer and then I bolt down the stairs!
12:48 I RUNNNNNNNNNNNN and think to myself..."damn, I am out of aerobic shape!" I have less than 20 minutes to catch the train.
12:53 Arrive at the train station…and navigate my way to platform 2.
12:55 AHHHHH, with 10 minutes to spare, I sit down on a bench, take off my coat, wipe the sweat from my head, and begin laughing. Now, this is traveling!!
13:02 The train arrives. I board, find my seat, highly consider stripping down to fully Monty, and let out a sigh of relief.
13:05 Train leaves, to Sheffield I go!
15:46 Arrive Sheffield, climb into a black cabbie *see top 3 photos*.

A Dental Experience in the U.K.

Unlike the U.S., the U.K. offers a publicly funded health care option for all human beings residing or even visiting the U.K. Woohoo, for human rights! The National Health Service (NHS) also offers dental care, Studental. Being a U.S. graduate student, I do not have dental insurance and therefore pay an arm and a leg (and sometimes a tooth) to visit the dentist every six months. Yes, every six months, the American culture values teeth...hence the reason we are vain when it comes to dental care. So, I jumped at the chance to get my teeth cleaned for a cheaper rate, despite the stereotypes about British having bad teeth. Of course, it turns out I needed a cavity filled too. Here is what I paid:

x-ray/check-up-£16.50 ($27)
teeth cleaning- £33.00 ($55)

cavity filling- £29.00 ($48)

So, for less than what I would have paid in the U.S. for a check-up/cleaning, I even got a cavity filled. Lucky me! Now, I can say I have bad dental work in the UK, Belgium, and Finland. I am going to have an international grill before I know it.

My review: The clinic was high-tech, sparkling clean, with no wait. The dentist and hygienist were very professional, knowledgeable (because I asked them about 20 questions out of curiosity), and skilled with drills and such. They even gave me a few samples of sensitive toothpaste. Highly recommended!

Summertown Wine Café

Throughout my travels and living abroad, I have discovered one thing that makes me feel at home: finding a special little place that caters to my thirst (tea and wine) while offering a warm environment with natural lighting. In Tampere, Finland this was Wayne's Coffee and Mercado Negro in Aveiro, Portugal. In Oxford, I have found the perfect little spot...the Summertown Wine Café:

• Free wifi.
• £2 happy hour glasses of wine (5-7 p.m.)
• A hearty teapot of Earl Grey tea with a little ginger biscuit.
• Comfy seating.
• Plenty of natural lighting.
• Candles in the evening.