Fashion Fast Forward

Something that I am easily slipping into is the tutorial system. My tutors are both very kind and easy going, which has come as a nice surprise since I was expecting them to be complete ogres, more or less. I have loved reading and writing about subjects that fascinate me. I just recently turned in my first few papers with great enthusiasm. It is refreshing to feel passionately about a subject and have the resources to develop that passion into a respectable thesis. The pieces I have been studying so far include: A Tale of Two Cities, Wuthering Heights, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It, and Twelfth Night. All excellent!

 We have a lot of free time to use we see fit. So some days I sleep in until 10 a.m. and then spend 7 hours in the library, and other days I wake up at 8 a.m. and walk around the city. It’s potentially a dangerous set up, but very freeing! No matter what schedule I set up for the day, I try and walk a different way through the city as often as possible. This often leads through quaint markets, where families run stands that peddle fruits and vegetables, or through cobblestone alleyways marked by ancient archways. I think I am beginning to perfect, as it’s called, the Oxford march. Which basically is just walking with extreme purpose at super human speed. It’s getting a lot colder, so this functions as a way to keep the blood from freezing in your veins, as well as a way to cross the city more quickly and get where your going. I am discovering quickly that I am most definitely a city girl.

Since being here brushing elbows with the locals, I have been impressed by the fierce fashion sense of the majority of people here. Most people my age adhere to a hipster-esque look, with a good dose of androgyny thrown in…something that is growing on my style at an almost alarming rate…meaning I really dig it. Although, most of the guys here look as though they put as much time into piecing an outfit together and mussing their hair as any girl, so maybe that’s not such a bad thing? Either way, the weather means that a plain t-shirt and jeans outfit is never an option. Inevitably keeping warm involves piling on coats, scarves, hats, and boots of various colors and textures, which is fashionable by default, lucky for them! Anyone who knows me could guess my deep appreciation and belief of fashion as a form of artistic expression. So all of that to say, just another element of this place that speaks to my heart!

Pass the salt please?

Oxford is a place steeped in longstanding tradition. While there are far too many locked doors and rules for my taste, I can have respect for the customs. The sacredness to which the British hold every day occurrences is very different than anything I have ever experienced in America.

The first time I ate in college for dinner made me feel like I should have taken an etiquette class before attending. St. Catz is known for being more informal than most other colleges, meaning we don’t have to wear our academic gowns to formal dinners. Students file in to long tables and wait until the fellows (professors, who are required to wear academic gowns) enter the room. We are then expected to stand and be quiet while the fellows approach the High Table, located at the front of the room, which is horizontal to our vertical tables. They stand behind their chairs until a gavel is struck, signifying it is acceptable to sit down again. Then, to my great amusement, people in bow ties served a three-course meal. The food was decently delicious, considering my flat mates and I have been practically living off pasta for the past few weeks. Each place setting even had multiple sets of silverware, which to me is always the fancy indicator telling me I should be sitting up straighter. There were also rules about when it was alright to begin eating, and whether or not you could borrow anything off your neighboring table. My friend and I sat next to some students who were nice enough to give us a crash course in what to expect. Really it was all a matter of common sense and courtesy, but the fact that everyone knew and followed these rules was what I found interesting. 

Another surprising thing is the elitism involved in much of the policies. Meaning you can’t go into other people’s colleges to eat, unless you are invited, you can’t use their libraries, and I think you just get looked at strangely if you are in their common rooms. The lucky thing I have found though, is that whenever I am confused about one or more rules, I just say I am a visiting student and people take pity. However polite have been, there is still a definite feeling of isolation. This is sad for me because I was expecting to be much more integrated into the community. Of course, it has only been 3 weeks and these kinds of things take time, but I had expected it to be slightly different. It’s all simply a matter of adjustment though and I have been accepting it as a challenge that will be worth the energy to overcome.

'ello mate!

Things that don’t make me feel at home:

1)   The driving is insane here!

The streets are very narrow because the city is so old, therefore the driving situation is very compacted. There are nothing but tiny European cars her,e and then their exact opposites: the gigantic double-decker buses that I am convinced are going to take out everything in their path, but they somehow seem to miraculously make every turn. Add to this the fact that they are driving on the opposite side of the road than I am used to, so I am often caught off guard and given quite a fright. 

Side note: the old people here put me to shame. They no doubt, have been traversing the length of this city longer than some of the buildings have been standing. Also, cars park half kind-of-crooked-like-it-might-have-been-an-accident-we’re-going-with on the pavement (sidewalk) and half on the side of the road.

2)   Stores closing at 5pm.

Because we are very far north, it gets dark ridiculously early. So when the sun goes down (at 5pm, more or less) almost all stores close. The Oxford night life is definitely alive and well…surprisingly, I mean I guess I should have expected it of any college town, it’s just a funny combination…but as for all of the normal stores, they are shut up tight and home early for supper.

Things that make me feel at home:

1)   Hearing absolutely anyone with an American accent.

There have been multiple times so far where, either I have been approached, or have approached someone once I have heard them talking. This works out well, especially when it is study abroad students from other programs. There is an instant connection most times because we feel linked together in this foreign land.

2)   American music.

I try to listen to the BBC radio every morning when I get ready, and the other day I heard “Sweet Home Alabama”. I actually find that song terribly annoying, but this time I ended up singing it all day. I am also obviously not from Alabama, which furthers the irony…oh well. I have actually been quite surprised at the amount of American music and references to American history and culture I have encountered. It’s all over the place!

It’s unfortunately been a little difficult to meet British students. Myself and the other people in my program are still “The Americans”, meaning we’re not quite to the integration phase yet. It’s been wonderful that within our group we all get along so well! And realistically we are coming in during the middle of their year and only staying for a few months, so it will be difficult to really make friends. I am thinking about joining a choir or some kind of extracurricular activity to fill up my time (sarcasm) and hopefully make some friends though!

Another very exciting extra curricular activity I am looking forward to is the Student Union. This is the University established debate society. Meaning, there are staged debates about once a week in which a topic is proposed, ex. “This House believes that: “Marriage is an Outdated Practice”, “We (England) Should Throw out the Alternative Vote”, “We (England) Should Make News First, Then Report It,” “The Right to Unrestricted Abortion”, etc., and then leading scholars in the field come to represent the opposition and proponent positions. This is a huge opportunity I am very much looking forward to attending often!  

Hermione Granger

I am in a relationship with the libraries here. I simply cannot get enough. Every shelf, every bound work, down to each page, and each line is made up of phrases masterfully woven together and crafted to express the utmost in eloquence of human thought. The power of the written word never ceases to amaze me.

The Bodleian library is the main research library of Oxford. The Bod is a legal depository library, which means it is mandated by law to receive a copy of every book published in the UK. There are almost 21 miles of underground storage that run below Oxford for the Bodlian, so the city is quite literally founded upon academics.

My favorite place to read so far has been the Radcliff camera. It is a completely circular building, of which the top floor opens up into a huge domed ceiling. I love being in this library, though I have been overwhelmed with the obvious fact that there is so much in the world I don’t know.

Sadly there is no way I will ever be able to scratch the surface of the amount of reading I would want to do, but I did vow to myself that from now on I need to stop wasting valuable time watching TV when I could be reading. Thank you Hermione Granger.

On that note, I am barely containing my excitement that many Oxford sites have been used as scenes in Harry Potter. So I’m basically attending Hogwarts…so cool! So far I’ve seen what was used as the Great Hall, the infirmary, a few staircase scenes, and other random snippets of architecture that obviously inspired scenes in Harry Potter.

Don’t worry though family, I am actually studying notable works of literature! My primary tutorial is 19^th century novels (first of which will be on A Tale of Two Cities), and my secondary tutorial will be on Shakespeare (first of which will be a comparative look at Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer’s Night Dream). I haven’t technically started either of these yet, but I have my first primary meeting this Tuesday and my first secondary meeting on the 27^th. The workload is intimidating to say the least, but I am interested in the reading I have done so far, and eager to learn through fire.

Week 1…successful!

Beginnings

It’s finally here…Oxford. Known for being a place of exceptional academics and dreaming spires, I feel as though I have actually stumbled into a fairy tale. It is with out a doubt, the most awe-inspiring place I have ever been.

After much anticipation and trepidation, it is slowly starting to settle in that I am living in England for the next three months. The road getting here was uncertain and rough in places. I mean that literally…My 150 lbs of luggage and I were probably the most comical sight to ever pathetically stumble through the Heathrow airport. I definitely over packed.

On the bright side, my obvious need of assistance opened the door for some good old-fashioned British hospitality. Before I had even left the airport, granted it took me almost two hours, I had at least three quality conversations. This blew me away, since I had been told numerous times to expect a less than friendly experience with European strangers.

Soon after, I was on a bus headed toward Oxford. The hour it took to drive from London to Oxford was filled with unbelievable sights. It was mesmerizing to watch the endless rolling hills and meadows pass out side my window. Now I know where they got the color for the Crayola green crayon from.

 Looking at the scenery made me feel as though if I closed my eyes, I would be easily transported back to the times of Pride and Prejudice when landscapes were still untouched and dirtied by human construction. It’s no wonder so much classic literature comes from this part of the world. Even the most mundane of ideas could be transformed into a masterpiece if provided with the same background for inspiration.

The weather has been unusually cooperative for this time of year, thankfully! It has barely rained, and while definitely beyond California comfortable, the temperature has been bearable. I am living in a house on the very southern end of the city with seven other flat mates. Being thrown into an unfamiliar country has sped up our getting to know each other process and amplified our time together, so that we already feel like a family. Our house is four stories, adorable, fully furnished, and a heck of a long walk away from anything. 

That’s the other thing about Oxford, you walk at least six miles every day. Which can be less than enjoyable when the sun goes down at 4 pm, but it has forced us to know the ins and outs of the city where we are living. For me, every nook and cranny is something to be discovered and explored, so every walk is an experience. (Talk to me in a month, and we’ll see if I’m still gushing, but for now it’s enjoyable.)

It’s hard to believe it has only been a week since boarding a plane. It’s been a whirlwind, but as of now, I am officially settled in and beyond happy in the beginning stages of my great adventure. Thanks for the overwhelming support, I’ll be in touch!