A Season of Discovery

I can hardly believe I have been here for a month already. The time has gone by so quickly. My days are quickly filled with reading for hours, walking for miles (but actually), occasionally attending debates, lectures, and so forth, rowing practice and exploring the city. Since I've neglected my blog and have left you all in the dark for so long, I will show you some of the highlights of this month rather than explaining all the nitty, gritty details.

                                             My wonderful flat mates in front of our home.

St. Frideswide Church, where I attend Sunday mornings

     Oxford is a University that consists of several colleges. I am a part of Hertford College, where I have access to the library, can dine in college, and participate in social functions (including rowing). The three pictures above are from around the courtyard of Hertford College.

Hertford College Chapel

In case you haven't already picked up on it, I have joined the Hertford College rowing team. In this picture is the Thames, where all of the colleges row. It's about a ten minute walk down this beautiful path to get to the boathouse where we have practice every day.

A typical day in the Bodlian Library complete with my favorite seat and the book my primary tutorial is based around.

The Oxford Union hosts speakers throughout the week and debates every Thursday night. Last week, Sir Patrick Stewart (from Star Trek), UN Ambassador John Bolton, and Julian Assange via Skype (WikiLeaks founder) all spoke at the union. Weekly debates have centered around gay rights, the American dream, and tonight Israel being a force of good. Depicted is UN ambassador John Bolton.

Although it's beginning to warm up already, it snowed for a couple of days last week. Living in California all my life, I've never really experienced fresh snow and the joy of unique, intricate, little snowflakes falling on me as I walk into town. Definitely something I enjoy.

Yesterday, a friend and I had some time to kill, so we went up to St. Mary's tower, overlooking Oxford.  Above you can begin to get a sense of the exquisite view. Time and time again, I am blown away by all this city has to offer. This last month hasn't been easy by any means, but I am enjoying ever moment of it. I'm being stretched in ways I never would have imagined. My worldview is being broadened, and I'm wrestling with issues that I haven't quite figured out. Every day, my mind is challenged to the point of exhaustion, and the more I learn, the more I realize that I really don't know anything at all. It's in this season that I get to figure out for myself who I am, who God is, how the world works, and what my role in it might be. 

Let the Studying Begin

This week has been a whirlwind. When attempting to reflect on all that has happened, not much comes to mind, but I know as soon as I get going, I will be unable to stop. Regardless, here are some highlights.

To start off the week, we went to visit Oxford Castle. This castle is so old that by the 14th century, it had no military use because of its poor condition. After the Civil Wars around the 18th century, the remnants of this old, rustic tower were converted into a prison. In the earliest stages of the prison, hundreds of prisoners were enclosed in a tiny room amidst rampant disease, bodily waste, rats and insects, having to huddle together to keep warm during the cold seasons. The tour guide then took us through the periods of reform- where prisoners were allowed to carry buckets of water up a steep incline of unforgiving stairs (believe me, I felt like I was going to trip and fall down while walking up) in order that they might have a place to use the bathroom to individual cells consisting of only a metal bed, a small bucket of water, and a window unprotected of the cold. This might sound cheesy, but I couldn't help thinking of Jean Valjean in Les Mis. My heart ached for those throughout history who have lived only to suffer, who have been victims of poverty, who have been reduced to "stealing" a crumb of bread only to be treated as less than human, dying the most humiliating deaths either by disease or public hanging. Oh, the world we live in.

On Tuesday, I met with my tutor, followed shortly after by being given access to the Bodlian Library. Let me explain the tutorial system used here at Oxford University. There are no classes, and tutors are the equivalent of professors. On Monday, we met with our academic advisor, who looks over what we wish to study and arranges a tutor (a highly qualified doctorate scholar) to meet with you one on one either weekly (if it is your primary tutorial) or biweekly (if it is your secondary tutorial). The tutors typically structure their tutorial by giving you a prompt along with an intensive reading list each meeting. You then have to read aloud your 7-10 page essay upon the next meeting, where they thoroughly critique your analysis. For my comparative politics tutorial (my secondary tutorial), I have to analyze the validity of Michael Foley's "Rise of the British Presidency", which focuses on Margret Thatcher's seizing of the British premiership. My primary tutorial is on developing political systems. However, my tutor is currently in Canada, so we will not begin meeting until 3rd week (the last week of January). I have been e-mailing her though and have already received my reading assignment which I am really excited to start getting into- Society, State, and Market: A Guide to Competing Theories on Development.

Also on Tuesday, we had our welcome dinner at Jesus College (yes, this is a real college), a very formal and traditional event. The beginning consisted of brief mingling followed by a full course, extravagant dinner. One would think that the dessert was last... but not here. After the sherry trifle (I learned how to spell it), biscuits and cheese were served. When the food finally stopped coming, it was time for the toasts. Apparently, all of us had to make a little speech to something, in which we all echoed "to Oxford" (or whatever the person speaking toasted to). This went on until everyone had finished.

The rest has been less eventful but altogether thrilling. It takes about 20+ minutes to walk into the city center from my flat. My feet and legs ache by the end of the day only to be ready to be used more the next morning. I spent a couple of days walking around, finding myself thoroughly lost, and randomly discovering the coolest, little places. The Bodlian Libraries are a series of exquisite buildings housing at least one copy of every book published in England. It is not a lending library, so one must do all the reading in the facilities. When signing up for membership, one must repeat an oath promising to do no harm to the libraries and to not take any books out. They don't mess around. As my flatmate said, "It smells like knowledge when you walk in." I've spent several days there already and found that staying all day getting lost in a book (one that you were assigned to read) isn't the worst thing in the world.

Unfortunately, I have come down with an ugly cold, which has put a damper on the weekend. I briefly grew homesick, wanting to be cared for, but quickly realized where I was again. In spite of adjusting to the insanely cold weather and the intense academics, I am in England. And the adventure is just beginning.

Learning a New Language

This first weekend in Oxford has resulted in a plethora of new information. Friday was our orientation day, which consisted of all 53 OPUS (study abroad program name) students learning about Oxford academics, British politics and culture, how to survive in the city, important dates, as well as other odds and ends. Saturday was spent resting inside and bonding with roommates. Today, however, was a bit more eventful. Danni and I woke up this morning to attend St. Frideswide, a modern Anglo-Catholic church right around the corner from our flat. The inside of the church is absolutely exquisite. The service was liturgical in style and surprisingly quite enjoyable. Although we were not super familiar with the procedures, Danni and I did our best to follow along. The most interesting part of it all, however, was after the service when the church members proceeded to fellowship with one another over shots of cheri (I think that's how you spell it). Ha! Don't see that too often in the states. After church, we met the rest of the APU students and our APU contact for lunch, followed by a brief introduction meeting, and a tour of the city.

One of the most entertaining parts so far, besides seeing the beautiful buildings and such, has been attempting to learn a new language. The irony here of course is that this really isn't a new language at all. Here is a list of a few of the things I have learned this weekend.

1. Dodgy is the British equivalent of the American word for Sketchy.
2. Trolleys are shopping carts, not busses that you take to get between East and West campus.
3. Pavement is a sidewalk; a street is both the sidewalk and road.
4. A quid is slang for a pound just as a buck is slang for a dollar.
5. A free house is a pub; pubs are where people go to discuss current events, unlike American clubs.
6. Drop me a line basically means to send me an e-mail.
7. A pigeon hold is a mail box.
8. Biscuits are cookies or crackers.
9. "Are you happy with that?" is a question of comprehension rather than of mood status.
10. Something that is dear is used describe something that is expensive.
11. A hangover sale refers to the remnants of the season prior.
12. To look at actually means to study closely, not just to glance over.
13. "Not week" is the week before tutorials (classes) begin.
14. Plasters are bandaids.
15. The bathroom is either the toilet or the loo.

Also, jaywalking isn't a thing, and grocery stores are incredibly confusing.

The Arrival

I have now officially spent an entire day in England: a country flowing with rich history, culture, and beautiful accents. Everywhere you turn, a detailed brick building, a historic castle, a quaint little river, or a colorful pub makes itself known through the vibrancy and life of the city of Oxford. If it is not obvious enough, it did not take me long to fall in love with this place. Now let me backtrack and tell you more starting with my arrival.

In anticipation for my departure, nerves and excitement for what would soon be made it increasingly difficult to sleep the entire week before. I figured my lack of sleep would be good, however; maybe then I would be able to sleep on my overnight plane ride. Ha! That was a funny thought. As the plane ride commenced, my nerves were suddenly replaced with a sense of peace. Yet, the excitement still refrained my body from resting. I sat in the middle of two pretty incredible women. One on my left was a 24 year old Swedish woman who had already worked for a company in Sweden, South Africa, Singapore, New York, California, and was now on her way to London to work there for a couple of months. The one on my right was an older Indian woman who was born in West Africa, grew up in London, and now lives with her family in California, working as the regional manager for CVS stores in Southern California. Unfortunately, she was on her way to London for her mother's funeral. Both women were very friendly. They gave me a lot of beneficial traveling tips as well as a little taste of what to expect in England. How I enjoy little moments like this. Two very different people who have experienced so much of this world, and I had the opportunity to learn just a bit from both of them. What a blessing.

The flight landed at 9:45 am in London, which is about 2:45 am California time. Although I had still not received any sleep, I was no longer nervous about finding my way to Oxford. I knew what I had to do. I quickly and smoothly went through Customs, headed down to luggage claim where I immediately spotted both of my bags. Finding the Central Bus Station was a little bit trickier, but with a little help, I made it there just in time for the bus driver to take my bags, hop on board, pay my fee, and head to Oxford. I imagine it took about an hour before we arrived. Meanwhile, I was captivated by the countryside. When we arrived. I walked with all my luggage a block away to the taxi rink. Though I had no clue if I was going the right way, I kept walking and quickly found a taxi. I hopped in and had the taxi driver take me to Hertford College (which just so happens to be my college), where I would pick up my housing package. While doing so, a man and his daughter who had been traveling the entire day grew weary and asked the taxi driver if they could ride along. I said it was no problem, so we all piled in. They were going to Tesco's (a grocery store) in the city center (downtown area) where their car was parked, which was kind of on the way the taxi driver said. Later, we realized they were looking for another Tesco's, so the taxi driver said he would take the young lady (me) home first. I chatted with them, and they were very nice. I did, though, in the back of my mind think, "I hope he doesn't charge me for this extra driving around the city." We finally arrived at my new flat (apartment), and as I was trying to pay, the man and his daughter insisted that they would take care of it. Another little blessing.

My flat consist of four bedrooms (three rooms upstairs, one downstairs), two bathrooms upstairs (one with shower, one without), a common area, and a kitchen (fully equipped). I share the flat with three other girls, meaning we all get our own room. One of my roommates, Danni happens to be from APU as well. She is the other "sophomore" who snuck into the Oxford program with me as a "junior". The second is from George Mason University, and the third is from James Madison University. They are all pretty great.  Three more little blessings.

The rest of the day consisted of exploring the city a bit with Danni, mainly in search of food, and knocking out from about 6:00 pm (England time) to 7:30 am.

Bottom line: God is good. This place is great. And I am looking forward to an incredible semester.