Mar 24 Bal de l'X... I'm done with the semester!

I officially finished the academic semester two days ago, with the passing of my final exam (I think I will end up passing the physics classes I was worrying about... spiral learning does work I guess!).

But first, a word on attending a fancy ball in France.

Exams!

Sorry for the lull in posts recently. I’m in exam week (yes already!).

I just finished my first exam, giving me time/motivation to finally write another blog post.

In chronological order, here are somethings that happened the past few weeks

Banquet Asterix

One of the awesome things here at Polytechnique are the interesting/sometimes bizarre/grand but overall great student events that happen here. 

For example, last week, we had a the Banquet Asterix. (Asterix is a very popular comic book hero; every child reads them)

Bad quality I know. Just use your imagination

Oxford

St. Paul's Cathedral, London, at dusk

To all readers of my blog,

You've been an wonderful audience, but I have officially stopped writing this blog for personal reasons.

Bonne journée!








Just kidding! I’m hoping that this joke will help make up for my not having blogged in more than 10 days.

I’ve been back in France for a week now, but I haven’t had the chance to write about Oxford, my last, and favorite, stop in England. Full of old buildings (which I’m not going to write about), and interesting people (which I will write about).

At the request/advice of several readers, I’m writing (somewhat) shorter blog posts now. Hopefully more frequent.

I stayed with a family friend, Tyler. We went to different high schools, but our parents know each other very well. Tyler and his roommate Orlando both went to West Point, and are at Oxford for a year as Rotary Ambassadorial scholars. They study African studies and Global Policy and Governance, respectively, so it was a good break from all the technical minded people I’ve been hanging around recently (or rather, the past 4 years; yes, Oliners, you’re well-rounded, too, but it’s not quite the same!).

Me and Orlando. In case you’re wondering, the London-Paris overnight express did exist before the Chunnel, with the help of train ferries!

Tyler was not there, but he and Orlando generously let me stay at their (very well equipped) apartment in Oxford.

Read on... First up, the atheist priest.