I’ve left Oxford for just over three weeks now, and it still doesn’t quite feel real sometimes. When I’ve been asked about my study abroad experience by my friends and family at home, I found myself saying the same thing: it felt almost like a dream that I haven’t quite processed yet. In many ways, life in Oxford—“the city of dreaming spires”—is surreal. The storied limestone buildings, ancient colleges, iconic libraries, charming cafes, and towering Gothic spires feel very unreal indeed. Between the history of the university, the three-course formal dinners, and the charm of the English countryside, it’s an extremely easy place to romanticise. Despite how wonderful all of these things about Oxford are, my time studying abroad there was also extremely academically challenging. I spent most days in the library trying to finish what sometimes felt like an incredibly large volume of assigned readings and essays, and I missed Wellesley’s peaceful, green campus. In those times of stress in an unfamiliar city, I felt incredibly grateful for my sit spot, a pocket of tranquility across from Oxford’s most famous library. Even when I didn’t have time to stop and sit or journal, the little garden in front of the University Church was a consistent source of delight and joy for me. Whether it was bright yellow tulips in April or a wood pigeon flying by in January, I always spotted something new at my sit spot that helped me feel grounded and connected, something I will carry forward with me as I return to Wellesley. 

For my final project, I decided to make a collage that represented my time abroad using maps, brochures, receipts, and other scrap materials that I had collected in Oxford. I began with a map of Oxford that I received from my study abroad program on the day that I had arrived, and I used a pen to mark the streets and locations I had visited during my time there. Watching the blank map transform into a colorful representation of my favorite places, the people I met, and the memories I made felt symbolic of how a once unfamiliar city became my home for four months. I wanted to continue this idea throughout the rest of the collage, so I used a weaving technique I had seen online to weave the map together with a piece of decorative paper from my favorite stationery store in Oxford that I bought on my last day there. I really liked the way that the criss cross lines mimic the grid of a map, but reinterpret and warp those straight, objective lines by weaving together two pieces of paper from the beginning and end of my time abroad. I layered some cutouts and scraps of things that were highlights of my experience in Oxford, such as libraries, museums, my favorite stores, and places I got to visit. I’m really happy with the way this collage turned out, and I’m excited to hang it on my wall when I come back to Wellesley as a reminder of my time studying abroad in Oxford.