This will probably be the last entry till at least Friday. I have a lot of studying to do. Also, there aren't many activities planned from here on out. So, I'm sure you will notice that the entries have been getting shorter. I've been spending every morning in class and most afternoons reading or studying. So, I'm sorry that it isn't as interesting as before, but here are my latest journal entries:

July 26, 2005
I went to class and between classes I went to the kitchen to get tea. I started learning the names of the kitchen staff. I met Ed (who’s from Oxford), Alithia (who’s from Spain), and several others also from Spain. They’re all really nice. They said that they liked the Nebraskans because we always say “Thank you” when they serve us.

After class, we had lunch. Then, I went to Debanham’s (the big department store in Oxford) to try to find a red hat. I was so excited when they had several styles of red hats to choose from and they were even reasonably priced! I bought a really nice one for £35. It’s red with a big bow and tiny black feathers. I also got a hatbox with it, which is HUGE.

After I bought the hat, I went with the guys to a sports store that was going out of business and having a clearance. I bought a pair of running shoes and some workout clothes. When we came back, I finished reading the Screwtape Letters.

After dinner, Lizzie announced that she was taking us out again. We went to Po Na Na’s. They had really great dance music and I danced ALL night long. I felt really gross when I got back to campus, so I took a shower and went to bed.

July 27, 2005
I went to class, then lunch. After lunch, Megan and I played our first game of croquet for the tournament. Unfortunately we lot. She was ready to stump out, but the girl on the other team ro-kayed her and then her partner stumped out before Megan. So, we were knocked out of the tournament.

After our croquet game, Megan and I went shopping. All the stores were having huge sales. She wanted to get something she could wear out to the bars. We went to Next which was having a clearance. I found some really cool suits that I liked, but was unable to try on because the store didn’t have any fitting rooms. I bought the suits and Megan took pictures of me, so I could send them to my parents. I wasn’t sure that I wanted to keep them. I called my dad when I got back and then sent Mom and Dad the pictures.

After I finished with that, I went to dinner and then I read my book for a while. I had started “The Jesus I Never Knew” by Philip Yancey. Later in the evening, I went down to the pub on campus and some of the guys were doing tequila shots. I joined in and had a couple shots. We sat around talking for a while, and then I took a shower and went to bed.

July 28, 2005
I woke up and went to class. Most people weren’t really paying that close of attention in class. Everyone seemed eager to go on the extended weekend. After class, I had to pack in about 15 minutes so we could walk to the bus station and get there by 1pm. Brian and I both used the backpacks provided by the program for out luggage. We hurried to the bus station. I had a hard time keeping up with Grant and Brian because their legs were so much longer than mine. The bus ride was about two hours. Brian and I talked for most of it.

We made it to the airport and checked in through security. Then, when we entered the concourse, we were looking for more information about our plane, but we couldn’t really find any. We were about two hours early, so we got sandwiches. After we ate, we checked the screen with the flight information again, but it still said “Please Wait.” We stood by the screen waiting until 40 minutes before our plane was supposed to leave. We rushed down to our gate right after the information showed up and boarded about five minutes after we got there.

Grant and Brian started joking about the “cheap” flights of Ryan Air. One of them mentioned taking out every third screw keeping the plane together. When we started to take off, the plane bounced a few times on the ground. Also, the overhead bins were shaking as if they were going to fall on us. Fun…

After we finished climbing altitudes, I fell asleep until we landed. When we arrived at the airport, we met up with Ben, Josh, Jenna and Bill. We were all staying at the same hostel, so we decided to get a taxi together. We got a large taxi and paid €5 per person. Our taxi driver was hilarious! He gave us a lesson about the Irish people and the Irish language (which included a LOT of swearing). He almost hit a woman who had been jaywalking in the middle of the street while he was driving us. He dropped us off at our hostel. It was raining out, unfortunately.

I took a shower and then we all went out to walk around. We found a nice little Irish shop and bought souvenirs. We also found a discount mall and wandered around there for a while. We were getting hungry so we got some food, then we went to find a pub because the guys wanted a Guiness from Ireland. I had some blue vodka Alco pop. It was good. We sat around talking for a while and then went back to the hostel to get some sleep.

July 29, 2005
We woke up and got some breakfast at the hostel kitchen. We had cereal and toast. After breakfast, we walked to the Guiness storehouse where we took a tour. At the end of the tour, we were given a “free” beer. I drank a little of mine and then gave the rest away. After everyone finished his or her beers, we went down to the Guiness store. I was waiting for Brian and Bill to check out. Then we tried to find everyone else, but they had disappeared.

We walked back towards the hostel and stopped at an Italian place along the way for lunch. The food was really good! Although, Brian and Bill ordered the house red wine and it apparently was awful. We finished eating and walked back to the hostel. It was raining and Bill was sick. Also, Brian and I were very tired so we all took a nap. After our nap, Aaron cooked dinner in the hotel kitchen (which was huge). We had spaghetti and garlic bread which was all very good. After dinner, we sat around and talked for a while, then I went with Bill and brain to a pub down the street. They each had a beer and I had a Bacardi Breezer (Lime). We came back fairly early and I went to bed.

July 30, 2005
We slept in until 9. When we woke up Grand and Jenna were already gone. They went to Galway (which was a 5-hour drive away). Bill was really sick, so we went to the pharmacy to get him some medicine. Brittany went with us to finish her souvenir shopping. After we finished shopping we went to get lunch. We went to Eddie Rocket’s which was a ‘50s-style American diner. The food was really good. I was really tired and Bill was sick so we decided to see a movie in the afternoon. Brian and Brittany went to tour a castle. Bill and I saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (which was AWESOME!). Then, we were both tired, so we went back to the hostel so we could each take a nap. We woke up when Brian and Brittany came back. We left with them, Dave and Austin to hang out for the evening. We ended up seeing another movie: Wedding Crashers (which is hilarious – lots of quotables).

We went to a pub after the movie. I tried a beer that one of the guys had and I actually didn’t mind it! I got a coaster with the name of the beer, but I can’t recall it now. From there, we went to the Temple Bar area. It was PACKED with people. Hardly and of the bars would let anyone in because they were filled to capacity. We decided to go to Dave and Austin’s hotel to get a drink there. We got there and it was pretty full as well. Bill said he wasn’t feeling well and wanted to go back to the hostel. I was tired, so I walked back with him.

We arrived at the hotel and found a guy from the Nebraska at Oxford program drunk and arguing with the woman at the front desk. He was being very rued and I didn’t want to claim him, but I felt bad for the woman at the front desk. He had lost his key and wanted another one. He was insisting that he had a reservation under his name. I managed to straighten things out and the woman found his reservation under his friend’s name. He got a new card but continued to make a nuisance of himself. Bill tried to get him to go up to his room so he wouldn’t get kicked out of the hostel, but he picked a fight with Bill so I separated them and took bill back to our hostel room. I found out later that the guy did get kicked out of the hostel. We listened to the yelling between him and the woman at the front desk for a while. Then I drifted off to sleep.

July 31, 2005
We woke up, packed and checked out of the hostel. We put our luggage in the luggage room for storage before we left for the airport. The key for the luggage room was attached to a very heavy chain and a stuffed lamb. It was cute…but funny. Brittany, Dave, Austin, Brian, Bill and I walked to the mall to get some lunch. We ate and then walked around for a while.

Brian and I left to get our luggage and head to the airport. He was worried about making it on time, so we took a taxi, which was expensive! I had to get more money at the airport to pay the driver.

We had plenty of time before our plane so we sat and waited. We got on the plane and flew back to London. We had 40 minutes till our bus arrived to take us back to Oxford. Grant and Brian wanted food, so we went to find some. I wasn’t feeling well, so I didn’t eat much. We took the bus back to Oxford and I went to bed. I was so tired and not feeling very well. I woke up in the night when Megan came in, but other than that, I slept well.

August 1, 2005
I woke up and went to class where Dr. Holmes announced that the Dean, Cynthia Milligan, had arrived along with her son. She was here to observe and speak with the students for a few days. Her son didn’t seem very pleased to be there and almost every time I saw him, he seemed ticked off.

After classes, Megan and I went through our souvenirs and packed them away. Then we went to listen to the Baroness Scott talk about her position in the House of Lords. It was very interesting. After that, we had dinner and I read for a while. They started a movie in the common room and I went to see what movie they were playing. It was “Love Actually” so I decided to stay and watch the movie. I wrote postcards during the movie, and then I went to bed.

August 2, 2005
I went to class and then handed in my postcards to be mailed. Lucinda looked shocked at the number but said that they would be mailed soon. After that, I went to Debanham’s to buy a strapless bra to go with my dress for the horse races. Megan went with me to Next where I returned a bunch of the clothes I had purchased the week before. Then, we went to the grocery store and the pharmacy. When we got back, I hurried to change before our soccer game against the Duke exchange program at New College. It was a lot of fun! They had quite a few less players than we had, so some of our guys played on their team. However, we still won: 4—2.

I took a shower when we got back, then went to dinner. We walked outside to see Macbeth, which was interesting. They had a lot of people playing more than one role in the play, so it was kind of confusing. I enjoyed it though. When I got back, I read for a while, and then went to bed.

August 3, 2005
I went to class. Dr. Horsewood took almost an hour of his class explaining the various things about going to the horse races. He talked about the track, betting, what to wear, the horses, etc. We had lunch and then all the girls left to get ready. I tried to find a slip to wear under my dress, but I couldn’t find one to buy so I borrowed one from the girl next door. I wore my cherry dress, red shoes, my new red hat, and took my red purse with me.

We left for Epsom and the ride was really long and jerky. I almost got motion sickness because I was trying to read. I gave up and took a nap. We arrived and had our tickets for the Queen’s Stand, which had several bars inside, and it’s own section for betting and looking at the horses in the paddock. I bet on one race and lost £2 but other than that, I just had a great time by the paddock and watching the races. There were quite a few girl jockeys, which surprised me. The horses were simply beautiful and the races were fun to watch.

The food was rather expensive, but I had a good time. I drank a glass of Pimms later in the evening. On the ride back, I read poetry. When we got back, I showered, checked my e-mail and went to bed.

August 4, 2005
I had class and then a group of us went o the set for a movie called “The Cat’s Paw” because they needed extras and asked us to be in it. We sat around for a long time and it was really boring. However, I got a lot of reading done, which was good.

We got off the set late and went to have dinner elsewhere. When we got back to campus, I checked my e-mail, cleaned up my room, showered and went to bed.

August 5, 2005
I woke up and was feeling really bad. I went to breakfast, then class, which was really boring. I had lunch and then took a nap because I wasn’t feeling well. After my nap, I went running with Brian. I took a shower and then went to dinner. It was Lizzie’s Disco Night so everyone went out to The G Bar. I had a lot of fun dancing, but came home around 12:30am because I wasn’t feeling all that well and wanted sleep.

August 6, 2005
I slept in till about 10am. Then I checked my e-mail and looked up the address of the Eagle and Child where C.S. Lewis and JRR Tolkien used to meet every night and talk.

I took a shower and went to lunch. I was still not feeling well, so I took a nap. I had dinner after my nap and then studied for awhile with Megan and Dave. We all walked to the Eagle and Child and talked there for about an hour. We came back and I went to bed around 11pm.

August 7, 2005
I woke up and went to breakfast. The bus left for Thorpe Park (an amusement park) at 9am. We got there around 11 and went in. I stayed with Amber, Megan, Burke, Ben, Aaron and Brian for most of the day. We went on all the rolloercoasters and then Amber and I went on a couple of other rides. It was a fun day and I was finally feeling better and getting over my cold. Megan and I bought a MegaBucket at the Sweet Shop full of candy. We had dinner when we got back to Mansfield. After dinner, I realized I couldn’t find my camera cable, so I called my parents. I did my laundry after I got off the phone. Then, Brian came by and we walked to McDonalds where I got a McFlurry. When we got back, I showered and went to bed.

I've finally finished my two exams. I hope that both of them went well. I've spent most of the week studying, so there's nothing really to say about it. I'm bringing home lots of chocolate and souvenirs and I look forward to seeing everyone when I get home.

I'm not on British airways, so I'll still be arriving on time and I look forward to seeing you all in the weeks following. I hope you've enjoyed the constant updates. I've still got lots of pictures and such that I plan on putting in a scrap book...which I have no idea when I'll have time to work on or how I'm going to pay for the supplies, but that's a worry for another day.

Thanks for reading and I'll see you all soon! Tonight I'm going out and I'm going to have a lot of fun!

I took a bunch of panorama pictures with my camera and I spliced them together this morning with the software that came with the camera and they look so awesome!!!

Kassel Cityscape:

These are prague cityscapes:

Dachau Concentration Camp:

Florence Cityscape:

I also have some really sweet videos! Check on Flickr for my uploaded photos. Click here to see all the uploaded photos so far. I only have the panoramas up from Europe so far, but there will be more coming and I'll be posting a few videos that I took on the trip. They're fun!