In which I am confused as to how term is already over

The last bit of term just flew by. I just don't understand how tonight is the last dinner in hall for Michaelmas term. It's just weird.

Laura came to visit on last Saturday! I unabashedly used her visit as an excuse to check some things off my Oxford sightseeing checklist. We climbed to the top of the tower of the University Church of St. Mary the Virgin and then had a snack in the cafe in its vaults. On Sunday morning, we went to a cafe I had been wanting to try and I ate a bagel for the first time in the past two months. It was wonderful.

Saturday night was the "Anything but Clothes" Bop in the bar. Laura and I wrapped ourselves in Thanksgiving tablecloths (thanks Mama!) which fascinated people. The actual holiday of Thanksgiving is bizarre to the Brits but they sure love the various Thanksgiving paraphernalia.
Quick tangent:
I gave away my fold-out turkeys to people who I knew would get a kick out of them (Afra, Jarrai and Louise). Judging by their reactions, you would have thought I had handed them 100 pounds. They all thought they were the most magical things they had ever seen, which I thought was hilarious. You can just never know which parts of your native culture are the best until you transplant them somewhere else.

Anyways, the Bop was great fun. I luckily brought along Elena's roll of duct tape and spent a good part of the night helping various people patch up their outfits.

The Advent choral service was Sunday evening and it went superbly well. The chapel was jam-packed with people, there were lit candles all along the walls and on the altar, and everyone else held a candle as well. It was probably one of the most beautiful environments I've ever sung in. After the service, the choir went to the bar, then went to hall to sing grace (to the tune of Away in a Manger) at the fancy Christmas dinner, back to the bar, back to dinner to sing carols, back to the bar, back to hall, back to the bar and then back to hall for our own private Christmas dinner. It was a great time, though I was not familiar with all the carols we were singing. "Oh Little Town of Bethlehem" was set to a different tune which was weird.

On Tuesday, I went to see Sandra Day O'Connor speak. She was here to give one of Brasenose's Law Society lectures or something but it was free so we went. Luckily there was a question and answer session wherein she got to demonstrate how she is one of the sassiest justices to ever sit on the Supreme Court.

I had my last tutorial (on World War I) on Wednesday and since then I've just been hanging around. I packed everything up today and put my extra stuff in storage this afternoon. I somehow have accumulated a lot of stuff - I packed up my big suitcase and also a plastic box. Oy. I am literally in disbelief that tomorrow I am leaving Keble for over a month. I am crushed to have to say goodbye to the Dartmouth kids since they're only here for this term, but I am also glad to not have to say goodbye to all the Brits. Not looking forward to having to do it in June.

My Plans For the Next Ten Days:
Train to London, 2 PM 12/5
Staying with Zoe Larkins
Museum-ing to my heart's delight (Tate Modern, National Gallery, British Museum, Imperial War Museum, Natural History Museum, Victoria and Albert)
Kate Rusby's Christmas Concert
Staying with Lily Lowell
St. Paul's
Westminster Abbey
Eurostar to Paris, 8 PM 12/8
Staying with Laura and Aurora and their host family
Hot chocolate at Angelina's
Laura's art history class at the Louvre
Eurostar back to London, 4 PM 12/12
Staying with Shayna
Chocolate Festival
Flight to Portland, via Minneapolis 2 PM, 12/14
HOME.