The coastal city of Cádiz hosts carnival or carnaval, like many other cities in Spain and around the world, for a week starting from the weekend before Ash Wednesday. While most Spanish carnavales ended on February 14th, the event in Cádiz, along with Santa Cruz de Tenerife’s equally famous carnaval, continues until the following weekend (the 18th). Cadiz’s version of carnival also distinguishes itself from other Spanish iterations through its notable focus on humour and political satire, making...

If there’s anything that defined my teenage years and early adulthood, it’s Instagram. I try as hard as I can to resist the shallow stereotypes associated with people and especially women who avidly use social media, but when the acquisition of Instagram by Facebook coincided neatly with my entry into secondary school, it’s difficult to deny the influence it’s had over the last decade of my life. We experienced in real time the development of Instagram from place where Year Sevens deposited photos as mundane as...

In a perverse way, I think I was excited for my first break up. I grew up on a cultural diet of Elle Woods turning her heartbreak into a career-defining moment, of tabloids eyeing celebrities’ post-divorce glow ups, of Taylor Swift lyrics dwelling on and romanticising her relationship mishaps until they become something iconic. I knew it would be sad, that there’d be some slamming doors and some nights cursing my ex’s name in the early hours of the morning, but I also somehow imagined breaking up...

When will I get my first period? If you’ve recently begun puberty, you might be wondering when your first period might be. Menarche (the technical term for your first period) can come at any age between around eight and around 16, and typically around two years after you first start puberty. In this article, we discuss factors which might affect when menarche comes for you, and how you can be best prepared for this important event.

Given how many people you’re likely to meet in your first few weeks at Oxford, don’t be surprised if you make a romantic connection with someone or other. Since most of us don’t know the city too well when we first get to uni, here are the top romantic places to suggest in order to seem like you’re in the know. (And even if you don’t meet anyone immediately, or don’t want to date at all, all these spots are lovely to go to with friends or even on your own!) Let’s start with the jewel in the crown...

Nestled in between the canal and the Olympic Park, the 114-year-old Dutch barge which houses most of Barge East’s dining areas is an eye-catching introduction to the Hackney Wick restaurant. However, just a couple of feet away from the water is the true star of the restaurant — Barge East’s lockdown project, a garden made up of 20 or so planters growing many of the herbs and vegetables used in the modern British menu. Despite a decade working in kitchens, head chef Stefano Camplone had no experience...

To grow up in my corner of East London, neatly pinpointed between Spitalfields Market and Brick Lane, was to grow up around second hand fashion. Second hand retail in all its forms is as prevalent on Brick Lane and its surrounds as curry houses and beigel shops, and nearly as important to the area’s identity. It is an unfortunate truth that some of Brick Lane’s recent characterisation as a thrifting haven has come at a cost to local communities, especially considering the advent of glossy chains...

There is a certain image of Oxford which lives in the mind of tourists. Dreaming spires, cobbled lanes and Brideshead Revisited filming locations all arguably contribute to the university’s other-worldly inaccessibility to prospective students, but it is also undoubtedly true that the architectural aesthetic of central Oxford is a key factor in the city’s appeal to tourists. However, a certain kind of tourist appreciates a chance to see the ‘real city’; a desire best served not by the academic paradise...

Like so many other current second year students, my Trinity term in 2020 was characterised by long, repetitive hours spent at a desk I hadn’t utilised since A-Levels, and a workload (two essays a week for the first time in my degree) which prevented me from engaging in many family activities which could potentially have broken the monotony. With this in mind, I was thrilled at the prospect of my Michaelmas 2020 – not only was there the widespread relief of returning to the irreplicable atmosphere...