Say What Karaoke?

Tonight was such fun and great night! We all came together in the common room for Karaoke night! At first people were being shy about doing karaoke, but before too long everyone broke out of their shells and were singing songs! This was such a great activity, and it was really great to be able to see the bonds that had formed over the last two weeks! The RA's Johnny and Alex were the first to really dive into the karaoke~~ But everyone was all for watching as you can see!

After a little pestering from us, We were able to get Dean Hammoud, Dr. Moore, and Dr. Miraflor to help Anna and I sing "Say A Little Prayer" it was so much fun, and great to get to share a karaoke song with the Faculty! One of my favorite moments yet! People started to get brave and at one point we had a HUGE group singing Poker Face by Lady GaGa with Dr. Ryan! He was such a great sport up there singing along with all of us. Dr. Ryan also sang another song

with these great girls, and Look, there is Kelly

right next to him! Some other fun things of the night were Tony Arrington and Charles Nguyen singing a duet to a Katy Perry song! They really hammed it up, and enjoyed themselves!

Big Thanks to the Faculty for coming up with such a fun activity for us to all enjoy together, and another Big Thanks to our amazing RA's for the two weeks here for pulling it off and having fun right along side us!!

Dinner with Dr. Ryan

Last night a group of students went to eat Thai food with Mr. C and we were pleasently surprised when we were joined by Dr. Miraflor and Dr. Ryan. We all enjoyed sitting and talking about our experiences here in Englad and listening to their stories. It is really great to get to spend time like that with the president of our school and our professors because it helps us realize how much they care about us and how hard they worked to make this experience amazing for each and every one of us. It has truly been a once in a lifetime experience that I am very honored to have been a part of.

Group 8

Today was our last day of class and also our day to present. We could all feel the nerves rising within our bodies, but we prevailed! Overall the presentation went well, and now the burden is no longer on our shoulders. I really enjoyed meeting the other ladies in our group, and they were easy to work with. Everyone was responsible and contributed a good amount of time toward the project. I hope to keep touch and remain friends after this trip. It's sad that the trip is almost over, but hopefully this won't be the last time we see each other.

On last Saturday, our "free day" I decided to go to Wimbledon and watch some tennis. I have always wanted to go to a major tennis tournament, and I figured this trip was the perfect opportunity. Not knowing exactly what to do or exactly where to go, I eventually found my way there in the early afternoon. According to the people in the queue (line) early afternoon means very late. I found out that there were no more tickets to the main matches, but only ground tickets to merely get into the park. Despite my disappointment I was so determined to get in, I waited the full 5 hours. Here is a picture of me inside on Wimbledon hill. This is where people who don't have tickets to the main matches sit and watch on the HUGE television screen. I got to see the end of my favorite player, Rafael Nadal, and after, England's favorite Andy Murray play! In my opinion, it was well worth the wait, and a free Saturday well spent!

Boat Trip

Yesterday a group of us went on a boat ride to Abingdon. Although small, it was a pleasant experience. To think that just a 20 minute drive down Abingdon road, you will find yourself in a small, quiet town, that to me, is quite different than Oxford. I was told that the building you see in the picture is belongs to Hertford crewing team. I thought it was interesting that there were so many of these types of buildings along the river. It just shows how different the competitive sports are here, as opposed to home. When we got to Abingdon, me and a few other girls did a little shopping, including some book stores. We all bought a book to read on our way back home. I am glad I went on this trip, I think it was a wonderful experience!

So far a lot of my time has been devoted to refining my group project. Working with the members of my group has been a great experience. I feel that we all bring a different aspect and personality to the atmosphere of the group, but we all possess the drive and dedication to ensure that we perform our presentation to the best of our ability. We're all a little anxious but we're prepared and I have full faith that we'll pull together as a team, as we have been doing from the start, and do a great job tomorrow.

The highlight of week one for me was being able to visit London and see so many historical places that I never dreamed I would be standing right in front of. It is truly a blessing to be able to experience this with other students who can also appreciate the beauty of it all. I was able to see the guards at Buckingham Palace, go into the church at Westminster Abbey, and stand right in front of Big Ben. Touring the Florence Nightingale museum was also an amazing and inspiring experience. I was truly humbled to see what she had to go through and how far nursing has come due to her efforts. I can only hope to touch a fraction of the lives that she's touched by being the best nurse I can be. There were so many beautiful places in London, the architecture and the culture are simply amazing. I was reminded a lot of New York because of the mix of cultures and how busy it was.