Last days in Oxford

July 28th 2010 was our last full day spent in Oxford, and despite the general feeling of sadness for our approaching departure, it was a day well spent and very enjoyable. We chose the right things to do to make a perfect ending to our journey so that we could experience our Oxford in its natural glory. After breakfast, the Bridgewater group walked down to St. Mary the Virgin's Cathedral located behind the Radcliffe Camera. We all had our sneakers, inhalers and hydration ready thinking we would be near dead by the time we got to the top- but it actually wasn't so bad. We went pretty early so luckily it wasn't busy with other climbers. To be honest I am not sure how so many people can access the stairwell at once, as it is extremely narrow and spiral, equipped with a climbing rope for assistance. This was reminiscent of Goodrich Castle, although I think Goodrich was a bit more challenging and daunting considering the staircases were more narrow and pitch black-exhilarating indeed. So a few levels and we were at the top of the cathedral looking down on the beautiful architecture and landscape that is Oxford, lit up by the sun breaking through the clouds. This is always fun to look down on the familiar streets and thinking of oneself in context, where you've walked before and seeing it from a different perspective. When you're on the ground you're engulfed by your surroundings, whether hills or buildings and plucking oneself out of it, you're such a small piece of the earth!

Following St. Mary's, Megg, Casey, Caitlin and I walked down High street and found ourselves a punting chauffeur. We got on a punting boat adjacent to the Botanical Gardens, and our chauffeur's name was Rachael. The weather was great and there were several other boats of people enjoying the punt. We punting through a break-off stream of the Thames, a small portion of it that runs through Oxford. There were baby ducks and geese, and even a Pimms boat that one could punt up to and order the delightful drink. We just enjoyed the scenery and the calming ride. Afterward we had a look at the Botanical gardens- one that Tolkien and Phillip Pullman were familiar with- sat under Tolkien's pine tree and saw Lyra's Bench, a bench that was featured in the Golden Compass in Lyra's world. So that was neat. Lots of interesting plants and flowers. For lunch, the four of us took Casey to the Turf tavern. Some of us had been there before, a surprising discovery considering you can't see it from the road. It is like walking into Hogsmeade and suddenly there is this huge pub with multiple rooms each bustling with poeple eating and drinking. For our last dinner, we were served a four course meal with two types of wine, Wadham water and coffee and mints. The meal was a Lamb shank with potatoes and vegetables, followed by a caramelized pear. We had had a Pimms and Sherry party with Dr. Plaskitt before this to say farewell, it was enjoyable to have met her. She took a bag of bones home with her for her dog. Our last night out, we enjoyed some drinks at the Eagle and Child and the White Horse, two of our favorite pubs.

And so the next morning we brought all of our luggage out to the Wadham courtyard as we did in the beginning and returned our keys. One last trip to Blackwell's as well, one of the best bookstores (the retailer of Knowledge) and it will all be missed. Just as it takes awhile to hit you that you have arrived somewhere, so to is it that you have left it. We drove away in the coach bus, rewinding our journey's through the English countryside, back to Heathrow airport and onto the plane. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay in England, it was such a privilege to study at Oxford University! I think that it is very important to explore the world we live in, as there is always room to learn the unexpected about the country, oneself and ones' peers. My experiences will not be left forgotten and I am appreciative to those who have aided and inspired me to seek beyond what is readily available.

The last few days were quite great. We managed to complete the square on Shakespeare plays- history, romance, tragedy, comedy. Last Thursday the 22nd's performance of Romeo and Juliet was very much enjoyed at the Said business school. It was stadium seating outdoors, and the music and costumes were quite different. Tuesday the 27th evening's performance of a Midsummer Night's Dream was also highly entertaining, with costumes from the earliest 20th century and this I would have to call my favorite. Having seen Megg's sister's performance of it, it was familiar and enjoyable to make connections.I think it was a good note to end on as well- hilarious.

I managed to jeopardize the weekend a bit with my lack of a working essay- so this was frustrating. I think the topic change threw me off slightly but I know myself and this is the type of thing to learn from. The results though were rewarding and it's been pretty great to learn under an Oxford English professor at any rate-I will remember this. Two papers for this course complete, anthropomorphism and routes of morality being the topics. Discussions over tea have been wonderful- both stimulating and inspiring. I'd like to finish the rest of some of the fantasy series we read. It was a very helpful course for posing questions and initiating discussions, it's inspired me to take a different perspective on participating in my geography and anthropology courses- one that I hadn't quite exercised before.

Monday was the White Horse as I had written about, Tuesday (27th) a few of us went back to London. This time went much more smoothly despite the running around afterward. First we walked by Buckingham palace, the Queen's quarters. We saw a pack of deep brown horses being rid by men in their red guards- not quite the changing of the guards but they were on the way to their posts. There was a stature of queen Victoria before the palace. We went to the British Museum which had quite an extensive collection. I was happy to see the Rosetta Stone and the Olduvai hand tools(thanks to the Leaky's), and the South African landscape exhibit. Megg got to meet up here with an Estonian friend, so I was quite happy for her as well : ), making global connections is a beautiful opportunity. We also attempted to run to Harrods afterward, but it was too far to go to get back to the bus in time. I'd say the day was a pretty fulfilling experience. London has so much to offer, but I've learned from all of our journeys here that the most remote and rural places are also the most vibrant. When speaking of towns, Oxford is one that will stick close to the heart, it's familiar and nostalgic, whereas I think London is so big that one remains distant from it even after repeated visits.

White Horse of Uffington

Tuesday was just grand. After breakfast in hall, Megg, Casey, Caitlin and I took a taxi from Wadham right to the base of White Horse Hill. Our cab driver's name was Richard, and he prefers the movie Babe with all the sheep over the Toy Story series. We had to drive about 45 minutes to Uffington, again one of those small, isolated places where you really realize you're in England. It was a misty day, but almost perfect for seeing the White Horse, and the sun broke through the clouds toward the end. The White Horse is a prehistoric hill figure from roughly the Bronze Age, the design of a horse cut into the ground and laid with chalk. No one knows its true purpose but it is thought to be symbolic of identity and/or carry religious value. It is the oldest chalk figure in the Vale of White Horse, where there are many other chalk figures to be found!

We took the foot path from the parking area, and walked through the hills of grazing sheep(adorable ones with black faces and white bodies), and the view was great. You could see for miles out over England, and there was a map to demonstrate what was seen in the view. Taking photos couldn't replicate what we saw, but it was beautiful. We had a look at the White Horse from several angels. It was so strange and surreal to be there standing next to it in the grass; having only seen it in pictures the distance was certainly minimized. So we went right up to the horse on the hill and walked among the carved out shapes, put our hands in the chalk, enjoyed the view...

Behind the White Horse hill we walked up another hill to the remains of Uffington Castle, from about 300Bc! It was a huge circular foundation of where a castle would have been- only just grass now and a bit of stone that can be seen under the grass. You can see the form of it underneath, the empty space and the gray sky made it eerie and exciting. Many more of the black and white sheep were grazing there, and a few brown ones. They stood on the castle mounds against the horizon and we stepped through their poop. Awesome! Also near the White Horse is Dragon Hill, where a legendary dragon was slain by Saint George. It was a hill at the base of the White Horse that had a flattened top- it was quite a hike downwards- but Megg and I remembered the technique we learned in Nicaragua, take steps sideways to make it down without falling! This was one of my favoriate excursions on the trip, it is so difficult to replicate.

On our way back to the parking lot, we found that our taxi driver, Richard decided to stay and wait for us. In all his time spent in Oxford he had never been to the White Horse, so he had a look around. He didn't even charge us extra for anything, just a really nice English man.

Cheerio

mažas pasaulis

Small world-

So at Wadham there are these cleaners called scouts, who come by each morning and take away the trash and give you new towels and that sort. We used to have this woman named Avril, but recently another woman has been working in our staircase instead. I was coming out of my room the other day and overheard Casey and the scout talking, and Casey says- oh Frances's heritage is Lithuanian....WHAT? How exciting, our scout is Lithuanian and I had no idea! Her name is Dzeneta (I'm assuming and hope this is the correct spelling, pronounced like the English Jen-etta, J's in Lithuanian sound like a y). So she lives outside of Kaunas and I hope to befriend her, because one can never have enough Lithuanian friends and connections! She was saying how her English wasn't very good ( I would argue against this) and that she speaks just Lithuanian at home. She is far from home though, and since the language isn't common here I hoped it was somewhat heart-warming? to hear one's own language unexpectedly. My own skills are so minimal but now we have the entire hallway of BSC students saying Labas Rytas when we see her. I speak English and pretty much only English (unfortunately) at the moment, and I'm in England where they speak English; I'm less distanced from my own culture in that sense. So I would imagine it would mean something different for Dzeneta. I told her I'm traveling to Lithuania next summer...

Stratford-Upon-Avon

Tuesday July 20th BSC and Westwood groups took a bus to Stratford-Upon-Avon, home of Shakespeare's birthplace and burial. The first thing we did was eat at the Black Swan pub, also known as the Dirty Duck- it has a two-faced restaurant sign. The pub used to be a place where people would go after seeing the nearby plays in the theater and adjourn for a drink or two. There were quotes on the walls from Shakespeare's plays and multiple rooms. Afterward, the BSC group walked down the street to the Holy Trinity church, where Shakespeare is buried. We had took it upon ourselves to purchase a bouquet of red roses and place them on his grave, and sure enough we were allowed to do this. The guard had said "go for it," and we were all quite pleased. He was buried inside the church with his grave marked as

"Good frend and jesus sake forbare,
to digg the dvst encloased here.
Blesse be y man that spares y stones
And cvrse be he y moves my bones"!

So the red roses lay o n his grave for some time, and perhaps they are still there! Afterward, we went toward the middle of town, a street busy with people and small gift shops- and Shakespeare's house. This was interesting, the house was set up as it would have looked in each room, and a few people were inside dressed in the attire appropriate for Shakespeare's time to answer any questions. Then followed the gift shop and bookshop, and a bus ride back to Oxford!

London

Saturday July 17th was a day in London with the entire BSC and Westwood group there. Each group split and did separate visits until we met again in the evening at Shakespeare's Globe Theater. There is so much in London that I did feel rushed through it (some of the circumstances were not in the majority's favor I might say) like an animal tourist so that I should like to return. I would like to get to the British Museum and see the Rosetta Stone. So we arrived and bought tickets for the hop on hop off transportation (which is also narrated for tourists) and made an entire route through the city. From the bus we saw Big Ben, the parliament building, the Eye and drove over the tower bridge (not London Bridge) over the River Thames. We as in Megg, Casey, Caitlin, Heather and Jen visited Westminster Abbey, which was beautiful and crammed with tombs of famous kings including Edward the Confessor, Richard II (not the lionhearted Richard), Henry III, I believe and some others, as well as the tomb of Geoffrey Chaucer, but I don't know that he's actually in there (Megg says it is speculated). An interesting part was the Poet's Corner in honor of some of England's well-known poets and literary writers- Shakespeare and Lewis Carroll I recognized, but there were many more either in name on plaques or in sculpture.

We also went to the London Tower, also known as Her Majesty's Royal Power and Fortress. This is where the crown jewels are and was a refuge for some monarchs- but we didn't get to explore much. Our group was shuffled into a guided tour and suddenly it was time to go, but it was a pretty interesting place. I felt bad for Casey because she really wanted to see the crown jewels!!

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre was the best part of the day! Casey, Megg, Caitlin, Jen and I managed to eat dinner at Pizza Express which was across from the theater and though it was a relatively sophisticated restaurant, we were surprised to order and eat margarita pizzas with basil within a 20 minute time span and get to the theater in time for the gift shop! After the gift shop we received our tickets and found our designated doorways to enter the theater. The front of the theater is made of a glass doorway, but when you go inside it connects to the theater replicated how it looked in Shakespeare's time ( it burned down on June 29th in 1613) and was rebuilt twice since then but it still looks the same. Note the picture, the stage was at the back, with an open pit in front (for the peasants) and rows of balcony seats in a circular pattern around the stage and open space (for the nobility). Most of us were in the first row of seats through door 4, but Caitlin had a seat on the opposite side on the second or third balcony. I was not familiar with the plot of Henry IV ( I admit all I have read in the past are King Lear and Romeo and Juliet) but it was really exciting to experience the performance- something the English have been doing at this theatre for centuries in his honor. Clearly more than the English perform his plays today but what I mean is that reenacting them in his theatre is such a tradition and it is not going to die off any time soon. I enjoyed the performance and the actors and music were great, I enjoyed the costumes and the simplicity of stage setting changes as well. So having seen the Tempest and Henry IV, and looking forward to seeing a Midsummer Knight's Dream at the Bodleian (performers from from the Globe), I am thinking I am inspired to read a bit more of Shakespeare's plays sometime soon as I would like to be more familiar!

Goodrich Castle

My apologies for everyone waiting in anticipation for my next exciting update, it has been such a busy week. We went to a few more places and worked on our papers. For my first paper I chose to write about the use of anthropomorphism in fantasy literature! I thought that this was pretty interesting so I chose a few characters from the Magician's Nephew, The Horse and His Boy, by C.S. Lewis, as well as Phillip Pullman's the Golden Compass. Each authors view of animals and imbuing humanlike characteristics were different...C.S.Lewis having heavy Christian elements and Pullman being the opposite, the role of animals in the plots were essential but conveyed with different motives. So that was fun.

Wednesday July 14th
After breakfast Megg and I went out for a walk around Oxford with the intentions of getting coffee and looking for a post office to send our post cards. At the end of Broad street we turned left unto what I think is Cornmarket street, it is a slightly more commercial street with no cars but shops and people walk and reminds me of a similar space in Lyon. So we walked down this road and kept going and stumbled upon Alice's Shoppe, a small narrow gift shop that Alice Lidell used to go to buy sugar across from Christ Church. This was the most adorable gift shop and was filled to the brim with all kinds of Alice things- mad hatter tea in little top hats, pins, magnets, clocks (Megg got the White Rabbit) aprons, chess sets- everything! I got one of those pens where you turn it and and image floats by...I have been collecting pens..and pins! So this was a really great discovery. Afterward we walked through one of the college pathways and found Merton College where Tolkien went and Magdalen College where Oscar wild attended.

Thursday July 15th
I think that besides the first weekend trip to Wales, Thursday was one of the most exciting or fulfilling days- resulting in the good kind of exhaustion. Since plans were changed for the entire group the following week, Megg and I decided to use Thursday as the day to get to Goodrich Castle instead. Having family heritage associated with it, Megg was hoping someday to reclaim her castle ruins, but the journey seemed impossible. We managed to figure out the multipart travel route though and basically took a pilgrimage to the heart of England. We took an almost 2 hour train from Oxford to Hereford (where the Mappa Mundi is that we didn't have time to see), then managed to find the bus route to Ross-on-Wye, and from there we were lucky enough to get a ride on a shuttle that stops at Goodrich Castle lane. This last ride and the following hour was the best part of the day. It was compressed into such a short amount of time compared to the travel but it turned out to be a rich experience that was incredibly worth it. It was kind of neat to have made the trip on our own separate from the BSC group and visit a place so far a way. And it really did feel far away as this castle sits on top of a hill in the heart of England and it was regal.

It could be seen from the bus driving toward it, and Megg and I were dropped off in a very small, isolated town. Once off the bus, we had to run up the hill to make the best of time and a realization came over us that we were actually in the middle of England...of England! And it is this part of the country that extends into Wales that has been most beautiful to gaze upon.
The castle is made up of this magnificent red sandstone and is made up of several additions. The keep is the oldest part from about the 10th century, and the rest from the next 2 or 3 subsequent centuries. Megg and I charged through the castle and managed to get into almost all of the rooms, hallways, latrines, dungeons and stairwells in the next hour (and run back and catch the shuttle). One stairway was a spiral and it was so narrow and dark that a rope was added in so that visitors wouldn't fall- and the rope was made use of very well. What is also funny is that this castle was attacked by the Roaring Meg- a giant cannon during the English Civil war. A mote was also dug around the foot of the castle, all grown in with grass, and the giant mounds of red sandstone the castle sat on were weathered from the waters that had once been there. Literally this sandstone was red which made for a pretty awesome castle, and all of Ross-on-Wye was deposited with the sandstone because you could see mounds of it naturally or carved into structures coming out of the town. Exploring with speed was really fun, and I was glad my friend could visit a family-related place as i got to do this in Wales- and it is something really to be cherished! I love doing things like this.

Stonehenge and Old Sarum!

Tuesday was an open day, so Megg, Casey, Caitlin, Heather, Jen and I took ourselves to Salisbury. We managed to figure out the train routes from the Oxford railway and took several stops, Reading, Baskingstoke, and Salisbury. From here, we took a narrated Stonehenge tour, which included Old Sarum and admission to the Cathedral. We sat on the top level, front row of the hop on hop off so that when the bus rounded the corners it looked as though we were running over people. Approaching Stonehenge was interesting because I was happy to hear the intercom voice remind us to appreciate the surrounding landscape rather than thinking of Stonehenge as a single entity or monument. It embodies what Stonehenge is and those responsible for erecting it- the multiple parts of Stonehenge also includes many burial mounds that are quite distant from the prehistoric monument, And the Landscape was very beautiful dotted with sheep and shades of green, and the typical English weather. It was pretty crowded, it is set up so that people walk around the stones on a designated pathway and listen to the audio guide or appreciate it in your own way. I would imagine that the experience would have been much more spiritual in the absence of people, but it was awesome in every way that was possible to us. Imagine stumbling up upon that a few centuries ago...

Next the bus dropped us off at Old Sarum, the ruins of a site that initiated the development of Salisbury the town. This site was inhabited over 5000 years ago, and it wasn't until the 10th or 11th century that the fort was constructed, along with a chapel. Much of it was destroyed by a storm, so that much of what is left today is a bit more than the foundation plan in some areas, and great walls in others- such as the latrine pits (quite magnificent)! It was located up on a hill, and we let ourselves in by gate, as to not let the grazing sheep out into the road. The last stop brought us to the center of Salisbury, and we walked a few blocks to the Gothic style Salisbury Cathedral, very beautiful. Inside is crazy with the great halls that lead down to the alter, and several tombs decorated with the sculpture of the person. To our surprise and amazement we discovered discovered in the last few minutes of our stay that the Magna Carta was residing there in the cathedral! It is the Great Charter of 1215 and was designed to limit the power of King John of England, and lead to later changes in the workings of English constitutional law.

Photographs of the trip so far can be seen here. Also there are some (or many) from Nicaragua 2009. I'll make a small connection, England is a large consumer of coffee (and tea), much of it comes from small farms such as the ones pictured here. Fair Trade in England seems more like common sense rather than a special brew of the day or a rare, packaged coffee and state of mind that is harder to find in the U.S. Also in England, mostly every facility uses organic dairy, and free range meats, eggs and dairy- it's labeled and apparent to all (and even the water bottles have positive messages on them such as drink to nourish your brain).

a Day in Wales

Saturday the entire group took a coach for a day in Wales (Cymru in Welsh)! Having some portion of Welsh heritage (however this may be measured) it was really exciting to be in the country. We went to two medieval castles and an abbey, and a little town called Abergyvenny. The ride there was reminiscent of driving through the countryside of France and Nicaragua, though entirely different. The fields and hills are so green and covered with sheep and cows, spotted with small brick houses, and the driving was a bit of a ride. In Wales, the coach driver took us down really narrow, single-lane streets that were designated for both ways of traffic, so that upon reaching a corner the driver would honk the coach horn as a warning. In addition, the hedges were so high that we were unable to see where we were going (in Nicaragua, the driving consists of two lanes, but much honking at passing into the other lane as one pleases so that the flow of traffic goes at ones own pace)!

The first visit was Tintern Abbey (Abaty Tyndyrn), a Cistercian foundation built over a period from the 12th century to the 16th. And this was an isolated establishment where monks would devote themselves to god and keep care of the sick (there was an infirmary). The abbey was magnificent in size with impressive architecture. The castles and the abbey were all located in Monmouthshire, bordering England in the south. The abbey was surrounded by hills of deep green...can I mention again this vibrant color? What grand vocabulary! Next we stopped at Cheptow castle, built over a period starting in 1067 to the 17th century! It is a pretty extensive castle that rests on the edge of a cliff looking over the water and constructed for battle. The enjoyment of Welsh history through architectural remains was exemplified by the good humor Sir Goodrich, the noble. After convincing the entire BSC group to sport chain-mail and woven headdresses as good sirs and fair maidens, the party arrived at the royal castle of Raglan, and a ceremony was held in the court for the knighting of sir Megg and Sir Casey. The knights and ladies explored the remains of the exquisite castle via imaginary steeds and trotting to the sounds of coconuts. I thought it was a great way to embellish in one's surroundings.

We ended up in Abergyvenny, which was nice but I was left wondering what Monmouth could have offered, considering that it was the original plan of action to go there. The best part of the day however was when Megg spotted the White Horse of Uffington out the window. We were on the was back to Wadham when she spotted it off in the distance, a white chalk figure carved into the grass from the Bronze Age. And it was indeed the Uffington horse. Turns out there are several other white horses in England (realizing thankfully that the one featured in the latest Robin Hood was representing one of the others), the one located on the hills of Uffington is the oldest in the country. So that was really neat, I think our group will still attempt to see it on foot and up close, but now at least I can say that I saw it with my own eyes.

Today the group went to the Pitt-Rivers Museum: a free museum of anthropology and archaeology. It is just a few blocks from Wadham and it was great! Outside was a new exhibit "Ghost Forest,"brought to us by Angela Palmer; a number of gigantic tree stumps and roots from Ghana, Africa. The trees come from forests exploited for commercial use, but each tree also has a special meaning, name and purpose whether in nature, utilitarian or spiritually. Inside I also got to see some of the Aboriginal Australian landscape paintings that I had written about in an anthropology paper. Also exhibits on primates, dinosaurs, cultural materials and objects such as shrunken heads, painted eggs from Romania and the Czech Republic and the Dodo bird!

Bears become Readers

Wednesday was our first day of Oxford Fantasists, and it went pretty well. The style of the course is discussion-based and the group of 6 from Bridgewater gathers around a table in a small classroom. Dr. Plaskitt meets us there on the scheduled days at 3, and we each start a small discussion based off some of the questions. First day we went over Tolkien's essay on Faerie stories and a few of the short stories such as Bluebeard and Rumpelstiltskin. It was interesting! Earlier in the day we had breakfast in hall, each of the grand tables lined with pots of tea and coffee, toast racks, and a line leading up to buffet breakfast: croissants, two types of eggs, baked beans (!), roasted tomatoes, fruit, yogurts, cereals....and as soon as you're finished eating someone is by to whisk your plate away and refill the toast trays.

Yesterday was a very full day, but great. It started off with the flea market on Gloucester Green which had tables of antiques, oddities and collections (such as U.S. nickels), artwork, clothing and so forth. Next we stopped for a quick lunch at Boots and took it back to the dormitories to get ready for the Bodleian Library. An honorable experience I could call it as we were to become admitted to the library as one of its readers, which is done by taking an oath. The initiation took place in a magnificent building which I learned was a Parliament room. The hall is lined with pews made of a dark wood, with the individual arm rests at the top row, leading up to a somewhat daunting post and chair (looking almost like a thrown) where the head of parliament would sit (which uses a more specific vocabulary word I'm sure). The director of admissions gave us a history of the Bodleian and described the several library buildings and the extensive works we now have at our finger tips- the library is reference only, meaning that you can only have access to the books if you are a reader and while you are inside the library walls. It was also a heads up to get a move on with our essay sources!

After the initiation ceremony the BSC group went outside, through an arch and the Radcliffe Camera was revealed to us- this is the architecturally well-known library building for its circular form and dome top. The Radcliffe was surrounded by the cobblestone, black iron gates, the St. Mary the Virgin Cathedral behind it (this will be climbed), as well as the walls and college buildings of the university. This was fun to see after reading the Golden Compass for our class, some of which was set at Oxford University, and then seeing it in the movie (which was not very good but it's always neat to visit such places)...a real place that an author took to another level with his imagination.

After this we strolled on Broad street a bit, and used our new Bodliean reader cards for a discount at the college store, we (the BSC group) purchased Oxford sweatshirts and tshirts and some souvenirs for the family, mine is a burgundy/plum-purple:) We also went to Ben's Cookies, a cookie stand in the covered market with a warm variety and delightful organic milk. For the evening, the same group (most of us are either seniors at BSC and some graduate students) went to The Eagle and Child pub, known for its meeting place of Tolkien and C.S.Lewis for fantasy discussions, many themes in which were disagreed upon. And each had a round of English beers of course. And finally, on return to Wadham we attended the college's performance of the Tempest, one of Shakespeare's last significant plays I think. I am not familiar with the plot and Shakespeare in general, but it was really an enjoyable performance. It took place outside on the grass and the chairs were lined in rows in the shape of a circle, so that the stage was in the middle and lit with torches. These were basically tiki torches that repel insects- or attempt to do so but it set the mood. There were a small number of actors- all very talented and funny who also sang, accompanied by just a few props and instruments. This lessened the distance between the performers and the viewers- in thought and actuality.

en Voyage du Temps

In half an hour we are to arrive at Hall for the 8:15am breakfast. Wadham college is stunning with its architecture, stained glass windows, and formal processions of things- a bit intimidating I might add!
So yesterday and the day before that was an exhausting, drawn out occasion meshed into unknown hours of packing, traffic, airtravel, and becoming situated here at the college. The flight was a much better experience than the last overnight trip to France, but lack of sleep and jet-lag are inevitable. It was funny because my best friend (and colleague), her dad flies for American Airlines and knows the captain- so just before take off he made a special welcome to Megg and Frances! I enjoyed looking out the window- passing over the northern coast of the U.S. as the sun was setting and just a few short hours later the sunrise just before passing over Ireland, Wales, England. I like looking at the layout of grasses and farm fields from above, and figuring out what objects are there when the plane gets closer. I spotted a star pattern cut into the grass and hoped to satisfy my hope to see the White Horse of Uffington even though we weren't flying over Oxfordshire...
We took a mini bus, driving on the left side to Oxford, passing what I hope were fields of lavender and meadows with cows, sheep and horses and a softer side of commerce. Rather than the deliberate or obvious advertisements of specific fast food or gas stations, highway signs were marked here with simple symbols of bed, gas pump, soda cup. Getting off the highway, we entered the town of Oxford and were driven through the streets toward the university. (Oxford University by the way is made up of many individual colleges- including ours; Wadham College) Many of the houses here are smaller, made of brick or stone with little windows and red or brown roofs (not quite like what you might see in photos of the Baltic region), each walled in. Buildings with vines and flowers are especially adorable. The flow of traffic feels different, and there is special attention for bikers who have their own portion of the road.
At the college the luggage was unloaded and we made our way through the arched doorway to the Wadham courtyard, and received our room keys and a map. Friends Megg and Caitlin and a graduate woman are on the top floor, located by staircase with individual rooms. Each has a common room with a desk, chairs, tea* table and a separate bedroom with a closet and sink. Everyone has a different view from the windows that look out onto the college grounds, very nice! We had a few hours to unpack and "relax," although this was very hard to do. A few of us went into the town in search of a bite to eat and drink but I felt delirious with fatigue and sort of stumbled about the place. Not quite sure what the buildings are made of but many of the college buildings and churches and made of a warm, golden stone. We ended up at Mortin's for a cheaper lunch of baguette sandwiches, I got one with mozzarella and sundried tomatoes and a Celtic Spring water. I also learned to ask for "still" water instead of just bottled water to clarify not wanting any bubbles.
Later on all of us met in one of the courtyard for a welcoming Pimms party to initiate the summer program and to meet our tutor/professor, Dr. Emma Plaskett. (the course is Oxford Fantasists, reading some of the works of Oxford alum like Tolkien, Wilde and C.S. Lewis!) She seemed very nice and looking forward to the class. Most of the students on the trip are English majors but I think I'll be alright, intimidated yes but my background in anthropology and geography will come in handy somewhere. We will have two papers to write so I can incorporate a topic of interest from my own perspective. Pimms is a common alcoholic drink here (not like the beer though but something I would like) with oranges, cucumber, mint and fruit base it could be orange or mango- delicious! Before this we also had had an orientation meeting with Dr. Jadwiga Smith and Mrs. Brachman about the schedule. A few time changes were made but we'll work around this to hopefully do some separate travel from the group.
After the Pimms party we had dinner in the great Hall, with long tables lined in rows, candles, portraits and stained glass windows of family crests or crests of some sort. Dinner was served in courses (you might notice I like talking about food), first a roll of bread and dinner salad, next an entree of tuna steak (Surprise!) and potatoes, and an awesome desert. The desert was a bowl of fresh strawberries and raspberries and a sweet cream to pour over it. It was a consistency a cross between cream (such as half and half...) and yogurt that made a simple and delicious desert. That was nice to have after the tuna steak, I normally do not eat or like seafood but I think that will be encountered here more than once on the trip and it wasn't horrible. Breakfast the following morning was also good, in general the ingredients or standards of food quality seems to be higher.
Following breakfast our BSC professors took us on a walking guide through the town, it was nice to see it in a less tired state, but I have yet to go back again and stop into a few places and see a few buildings such as the Radcliffe camera and the Ashmolean Museum. We saw much of the Bodleian library and theaters, the covered market again and an old pub where Tolkien and C.S. Lewis would meet and talk. It is a very nice, walkable town and it is so pretty with all of the buildings (made of this mysterious stone), cobble-stone (if you call it that) sidewalks, and old houses. It must really be something to just live here in a town that's been animated with people for hundreds of years, there's a lot of thought put into how things run today...here. Megg said something funny to me earlier, that this is one of those places that we feel like we should whisper while you are in that place, not just out of respect but there is a certain element of perhaps sacredness or something.

to Oxford!

Tomorrow marks the beginning of my third international adventure, this time to England. I wanted to keep a journal to celebrate the experiences of traveling abroad and to make connections with previous trips. I've been to France and Nicaragua through school, and I'm excited to reflect on these and share new thoughts on people and places. I will be participating in the Bridgewater-at-Oxford program; taking an English course and traveling within England and a day in Wales.