The end of the semester is fast approaching; one month from now we will be returning to the States. Reflecting on the semester so far, there is so much to be thankful for. I am thankful for 24 amazing students who I have watched grow and thrive in Oxford. I am thankful for Tara, my lifelong companion who has brought great joy to our family for over 28 years and has been so fun to share time with in Oxford. I am thankful for reconnecting to places where I have been before, and discovering unexpected treasures in places I have seen for the first time. I am thankful for Jacque’s capable leadership in Oxford, and the opportunity that ACU Study Abroad has given me to teach in Oxford this Fall. I am thankful for my kids back home who have taken care of our pets, dealt with some frustrating repair issues, and kept my parents company during an especially difficult time. I am thankful to return home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I am also thankful for the days ahead, our last month in Oxford. Beyond the weekly coursework, we still have so much to do. This weekend our group travels to London for a weekend of exploration. Next week will be Thanksgiving break. Students will be traveling all over; Tara and I will be journeying to Dublin, our first time in Ireland. The following week we have a day trip to Portsmouth scheduled. For me, this Thursday is momentous. I am planning to hike the last 10 miles of my Thames River Ramble. It’s hard to believe the ramble is almost over. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s hard to believe the semester is almost over too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Return home<\/a>…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yesterday our Study Abroad group enjoyed a lovely early Thanksgiving meal together. It has become a Study Abroad tradition, prompted primarily by the fact that most of us are traveling during the Thanksgiving holiday. Our plans went slightly awry when Jacque sent me a message in the morning that she tested positive for Covid. Her […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":454,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","WB4WB4WP_MODE":"","WB4WP_PAGE_SCRIPTS":"","WB4WP_PAGE_STYLES":"","WB4WP_PAGE_FONTS":"","WB4WP_PAGE_HEADER":"","WB4WP_PAGE_FOOTER":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[68,70],"tags":[10,11,71],"class_list":["post-455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-oxford","category-thanksgiving","tag-oxford","tag-study-abroad","tag-thanksgiving"],"yoast_head":"\n