A day trip to Oxford

Me and my housemates have been saying we wanted to visit Oxford since first year and so in our final week of third year we finally went. We all said we wish we’d have gone earlier so we know to go back because it was beautiful. It’s definitely a perfect day trip destination and one I hope to return to.

We went without really having a plan, we’d asked a few friends who lived in or had been to Oxford for recommendations and went from there.

Art Cafe – before we really got stuck into any sight seeing we decided to go for lunch and came across a cute cafe. After checking out the extensive menu we decided to give it a go. Their menu had everything you could want for breakfast and lunch and after much deliberation I went with ‘The Sexy Brazilian’ panini and a Chai Latte. They were delicious and the panini really filled me up meaning I didn’t get a chance to try their yummy looking cake. The place itself was pretty with art work all over the walls and a cosy, intimate feeling throughout. I would 100% recommend this place!

Ashmolean Museum – this was something that had been recommended to us so we thought it was something we should check out. It was so lovely, there was a mixture of art, artefacts and textiles to look at. As a history student, I do love a museum and this was definitely one I’d recommend checking out. We spent a good couple of hours in there and you could spend a lot more if you wanted to.

Sight seeing – the whole town was just so pretty. We walked the streets and checked out the stunning university buildings. We all made sure to get a picture outside of the Radcliffe Camera building as I feel it’s a must when you visit Oxford. I think if I went again I’d definitely want to check out some more of the colleges but there’s only so much you can do in a day.

Shopping – who doesn’t love a bit of shopping. There were a few stores we don’t have in Reading so we had to check them out. I ended up buying myself a ring from & Other Stories as a graduation present; I wanted something that I could always keep as a memory. I also recommend the Blackwell’s bookshop, it’s huge and has got such a variety of books. I ended up getting Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid which I can’t wait to start reading and an amazingly spacious tote bag. It’s a very good place to do some browsing and a bit of shopping.

Overall it was such a lovely day out and one I would 100% do again.

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What I’ve been up to

So in my last blog post I spoke about how I’ve rebranded my blog. I have taken a good bit of time off as I’ve been busy with university and other things. Also, I feel with the lockdowns I’ve felt uninspired to write but as the restrictions being to lift, I’m getting a lot more excited for the future. I feel I have the motivation to be creative again.

The big thing is university! I’m so close to graduating now and it all seems a bit surreal. All my assignments are done and I now only have my dissertation and exams to go. All is going well and I’m so close to my dissertation being finished, which is crazy as I’ve been working on it for so long. This year due to COVID all exams are online so that’s a bit strange but its the same as last year and hopefully having the time pressure removed will make them a little less stressful.

I have also been reading more, particularly non-fiction and watching more documentaries which is something I’ve loved. I have really enjoying leaning new things and definitely want to consume more. I will be making more posts about things I’ve learnt from these things and whether I think they’re worth it.

It has been difficult to get involved with things at university but I’ve still been trying. I have been getting involved with the debate society which has been great. It’s given me something to look forward to outside of my studies and allowed me to meet new people and make friends. I would recommend joining new societies even if you feel its a little late in your university career. I’ve also been continuing with the university newspaper which has been a bit different this year but still great fun.

I’m looking forward making the most of the last few months at university before I graduate.

Welcome back

As you may be able to tell my blog as changed since I last posted. I’ve decided to reinvent Student Life and Beyond as Eden Emily Blogs. I feel this creates something more personal and allows me to talk about so much more than being a student.

As you may know from my previous posts, I will be graduating in the summer and will therefore not be a student anymore. Though I want to document the rest of my student experience, I want to be able to use this blog to talk about many other lifestyle elements.

Of course, I will continue talking about student life and how I am navigating it, giving you all my top tips. That’s where this blog began and is something I want to keep at the heart.

I also want to post more book reviews. Before I mainly focused on fiction but I have realised there is a whole world of non-fiction out there. I have really enjoyed learning new things and just gaining a wider perspective on society through reading. I’ve also been watching more documentaries for the same reason. I feel they inspire me and make me want to consume more which I can then share with you.

This brings me on to another thing I’d like to share. I’m on a mission to be more sustainable. A lot of the documentaries I have been viewing have made me change my outlook on life and pushed me to want to be more sustainable. I know I won’t be perfect but I want to share the journey.

I also want to just share other thoughts on life, write posts about what I’m up to, what I’m enjoying and how life is in general. I feel this rebrand will help me step out of the student bubble and into a wider world.

As you may be able to see I have two new tabs on my home page! Lifestyle is everything related to my life that I don’t feel comes under the Uni Life category and New Things is everything I do that is something new to me. I’ve decided as the lockdown restrictions ease, I want to try doing new things, maybe push myself out of my comfort zone and this is the perfect place to document them.