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.