What Lights Me Up
“I really want to make the world a better place. I love helping people. I’m helping build a house for Habitat for Humanity. I’ve also been helping my grandfather build a terrace on the back of his house. It’s kind of like I’m helping people through building.”
My Day at EXPLO
Breakfast
8:00 AM
Met some friends in the dining hall. It’s incredible - long wooden tables. High ceilings. Portraits on the walls. It’s like you're in a movie. Seriously.
Architecture, Art + Culture
Periods 1 + 2
9:00 AM
Our instructor, Jan, is great. He’s an architect. This morning, he took us on a walking tour so we could see how architects blend new architecture with century-old buildings. We practiced techniques for architectural photography and sketched building details. All of this will be added to our portfolios. Tomorrow we’ll begin working on our first design sprint.
Lunch
12:00 PM
We ended our architectural walk at the historic Covered Market — what an amazing variety of food in such a cool setting!
Trip to Oxford
Prison + Castle
1:30 PM
As part of our afternoon class, we walked over to this 1,000-year-old castle. Jan talked about the ways they built it, all without any kind of modern tools or equipment - so hard to imagine. It really reflected the values and society of a very different time in history.
Afternoon Activity
4:30 PM
After getting back from the castle, Assad, one of my advisors, organized a pick-up game of soccer (football!) on the cricket pitch at Worcester College.
Dinner
6:00 PM
There were a bunch of options, but I went with the fish and chips and a salad. Tomorrow night is high table, a formal dinner – a big Oxford tradition. We actually have to dress up. Everyone’s talking about it.
Check-In
7:15 PM
After dinner, the staff told us about the options for the night. Could go to a talk by an Oxford professor about current conflicts around the globe. Or you could see The Bluestockings, a comedy group, at the Oxford Playhouse.
Evening Event
7:30 PM
I decided to walk with my friends and my advisor Ciaran, to an outdoor venue where some local bands were playing. Everything is so close here.
