Rowing on the Isis and Other Traditional Oxford Things

Wow! The time is still just flying by here, and I feel like I am filling every possible second with something! There is so much I want to do, but with the busy eight week term that Oxford has, I am quickly realizing that I will just need to start saving up money for another trip to Europe!

This week, as the second week of tutorials is proving to be my first real challenge. Earlier today I submitted my first paper (it was on Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility) for my primary tutorial to my tutor. I spent Wednesday through Saturday reading the book, and then Saturday through today writing the paper. It felt good to get the first one under my belt!

The bad news is, paper number two, which is on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, is due (technically) tomorrow night! I didn’t get a chance to start the reading for this tute until yesterday and today, as it wasn’t assigned to me until Saturday afternoon! Needless to say, I have not yet started this paper, and I am a little anxious about getting it done! Although, my tutors are both very reasonable and so my tutor understood that the assignment was late in coming and I may need the extra night!

Outside the front of the Bodleian.

I did get to do some work this past week in the Bodleian, Oxford University’s library which basically has every book ever published. I had to call up a book from the stacks for reading, which means that someone went down into the tunnels full of books below the streets of Oxford to fetch the book for me! It was definitely an experience just finding my way around the Bod (short for Bodleian) and learning how the system works! It was suggested to me by a Stonehill friend to do work in the Radcliffe Camera, so I sat there to read the book I called up. It’s frustrating to get the books I want sometimes because so many other students are taking out the same books I want from my college library and the English Faculty Library, and then the Bod isn’t a lending library. Here are two pictures of the Bod, I am hoping to get a chance to take some better ones soon!

Besides doing work I obviously want to soak up everything else that Oxford has to offer! So I decided to try my hand at rowing. It’s really challenging! Last weekend we had a meeting about the basics of rowing at the Worcester Boat House and also grilled up some hamburgers. It was a beautiful day, and it was so lovely to be along the Isis (which is what the part of the Thames that runs through Oxford is called). This week we had a “tank session,” which means we went to the university gym and learned the technique while sitting in a concrete “boat” in the middle of the pool and rowing with oars with holes in them. This weekend was our first outing on the river, and it was pretty stressful! While they have been teaching us the things we need to know step by step, I didn’t yet know all the terminology that the cox called out! So I was so confused about when I was supposed to row! Then my technique in mastering the legs, body, arms, then arms, body, legs movement with each row is not very good…so I was finding it difficult to keep the rhythm with the rest of my boat. Anyway, besides the fact that I need some practice, it was really fun to row and be on the River! Here are a couple pictures from the roof of Worcester’s Boat House:

Some of the more experienced Worcester boys getting ready for an outing.

This weekend was also Matriculation, which is the ceremony that all the first year students who are here for their whole time (sadly it doesn’t include us visiting students) go through to enter into University. From what my friends were telling me, the ceremony is pretty short, they say some things in Latin, and then you are officially a student at Oxford! I didn’t get a chance to get any pictures, so I am going to steal one from some friends to show you. They all have to dress in “subfusc,” which is the black bottoms, white top, black ribbon for girls, white bow tie for boys, and their academic gowns. These gowns are what I also have to wear when I go to formal hall for dinner. There are larger and fancier gowns that you get once you become a scholar, if you do really well in your studies. So if you aren’t thinking Harry Potter yet, start thinking it! Also, they have to carry their mortar boards with them, but not wear them, because if they wear them before graduating they will be fined!

Well, that was a long study break for me, and now I should get back to reading Shakespeare!

Cheers!

OMG! I Can't Believe I'm at Oxford!

YAY! We’re finally here! After submitting my application a year ago, getting accepted 6 months ago, planning all summer, packing for the past month, spending the weekend in London, and one of the most nervous bus rides of my life, I cannot believe that I am finally here to study for a couple months! Worcester College is absolutely beautiful! As soon as pushed though through the antique, large wooden doors, dragging my two suitcases and backpack, I was stunned to walk into a stone arch entryway and overlook the luscious green grass surrounded by the prettiest old ivy-covered buildings on each side. This Main Quad is a lot smaller than the one we have at Stonehill and you aren’t allowed to walk on it, but I can see why! Throughout this blog post I’ll provide you with pictures of our campus, most of which I took on a sunny, morning stroll the other day.

On Monday, as soon as we arrived, we didn't have much time to do anything or even settle in. I met my tutor for my secondary tutorial, Dr. Elisabeth Dutton, because she is also the director of the JYA Program. The group of 16 of us Americans had lunch with Dr. Dutton before we could drop off our things in our rooms, and immediately after that we rushed along to have tea with Dr. Dutton in her office. She then gave us a quick tour of some important things around the city of Oxford, such as where to go for the best food and coffee, Blackwell’s (a popular bookstore), the Bodleian Library (the main library for all of Oxford, which has tunnels of books underneath the city!), and the ATM and grocery store. The back on campus we had just a bit of time to freshen up before drinks in the room of the JCR President, which is basically like the student body President, yes, he has three rooms that he lives in, just for the purpose of holding such social events! Next we moved along to mingling before dinner, and being served the most fancy dinner I’ve ever had! We had dinner with the Provost, Chaplain, Dean, and a couple other fellows, and the student members of the JCR (Junior Common Room), which is very different than SGA, but would be the equivalent of student government at the Hill. We had a halibut for our appetizer, duck for the main course, and a pudding for desert. They kept refilling our drinks as well, like literally would refill a splash of wine if I took a sip. After dinner, the Provost asked the JCR members to whisk us away to the college bar for some socializing with fellow British students.

During the day on Tuesday, we had lots more informational, orientation type things. I was very pleased to have my first true English afternoon tea at this cute little hotel…they had a fire going and everything! It was quite delicious, and I had a lovely conversation with one of the other JYAs, who incidentally knows someone I know at Stonehill…small world, huh? Tuesday night we got to meet all the freshers (first year students) because they all moved in on Tuesday. It was strange to see them going through exactly what I did two years ago when I was a freshman at Stonehill. They're very nice for the most part, but it is difficult to carry a super long conversation on with all of them right off the bat being American and all. Sometimes I wish I didn’t have an American accent, because I think it would be easier to mingle in and make new friends. After mingling on campus, the JCR had planned an outing to a club in Oxford, so about half of the freshers and of course a lot of the JYAs don't want to miss out on anything, so some of us went along.

The next couple days were similar, as we were doing everything, like charging our meal cards, finding our pigeon-holes (mail-boxes, I swear JK Rowling stole the idea of using owls for mail from Oxford!), and topping up my mobile phone, for the first time. It has been strange at times to try to converse with British students and make new friends. There is a culture gap between us, so at times it is hard to understand what they are talking about, because of their accent and the words they use or loud music in a club, which makes conversation very difficult. But everyone has been really nice, and with time I am sure I will get even closer with some of my new British friends! It has been easier for the Americans to stick together at times, which is ok too though because I’m also making new American friends!

I am studying Women's Literature (specifically Austen and other authors of that time), and Shakespeare (specifically focusing on his comedies). This week is officially Week One of eight. So that's when my first tutorial meeting is. I was really lucky to have my tutor tell me that I do not need to write a paper for our first meeting. I just had to read a novel (Evelina by Frances Burney, which I finished this morning!) and as many secondary sources about that time and the author as I can. Then on Tuesday I will meet with my tutor and talk one on one about it all for an hour. Otherwise, for each other meeting I will be writing about a ten page essay, and that will be the focus of discussion. My tutor for Austen is a visiting lecturer from Stanford University, and although I still have not met her in person, she seems to be very nice, she even asked me to call her Emma rather than Dr. Plaskitt! On Tuesday we are meeting in a coffee shop in Blackwell’s, the bookstore, so it should be a nice relaxed environment in which to discuss the novel. As I mentioned before, one of my tutors is Dr. Dutton, and she is my tutor for Shakespeare, but as it is my secondary I won’t be meeting with her until next week. In addition to the tutorials we can attend lectures by PhDs and Professors (who are actually higher up here in Oxford), which will help us learn more and come up with topics for our papers. Full time students are required to attend these lectures, but visiting students like me can choose to go if we would like to. I actually went to my first one this morning, and it was strange because we don’t have lectures 300 people large at Stonehill! It was about Shakespearean criticism, and I feel it was a little over my head, but its good these are just extras for us!

The work load is going to get very busy very quickly, and it basically already has! But I am trying to balance work with other activities and being able to enjoy the experience of being abroad. So I am also trying rowing. This weekend we had an introduction at Worcester College’s boat house along the Isis (and got bribed with free food!), and then I also began learning how to row in “the tank,” which is an indoor pool with a concrete “boat” in the middle of it meant to learn and practice rowing techniques. I am already quite sore in my legs and abs from holding my “back stop” position! But I don’t think I would’ve had the opportunity to row anywhere else, so this is pretty cool!

Ok, I mentioned it’s going to be a lot of work here, so I really must return to my reading! I will update on my weekly endeavors!

Cheers!

P.S. The food is really yummy, and I have a really really nice room with my own bathroom and everything! Have a look:

A Weekend in London Town

The past week and a half have been pretty non-stop for me, but I think it is high time that I take a few moments out of my suddenly busy life to update you all! This post will focus on my time in London for my study abroad provider’s Orientation, and the next will fill you in on what my life is like in Oxford!

First of all, my mom wouldn't let me leave home without taking a million pictures to document every moment, so here I am with all my luggage, ready to go! Right about now I was thinking: wait, this weighs as much as me, how am I supposed to carry all this? Anyway, I flew out of Newark, New Jersey last Wednesday night, and I was nervous because I don’t fly much, but I flew with the group flight provided by my study abroad provider so it was really easy! I actually ran into the other student from Stonehill, Alana Landano, going to Worcester with me at the airport, and then also met about 28 other American students going to a couple different colleges at Oxford. So I really wasn’t alone at all! We sat in a big group and chatted, until it was time to board. I somehow ended up with a seat on the plane next to Alana, so it was nice for us to be together (and now she is living on the floor above me, so it is still nice to have someone familiar from home to freak out and complain and stress with!) Anyway, I was in the very middle of the place at the way back, in between Alana and my first British friend, Steve, an older man coming back from visiting family who moved to the US. He was friendly, chatty, and helpful! It was nice. Landing in London, arriving at the hotel and just being there for the first day was so crazy; it was still so surreal to me! It wasn’t until I took a moment to really take in my surroundings that I noticed that cars were being driven on the wrong side of the road! And as silly as this sounds, it was the one thing that made me realize I wasn’t in American anymore! Even now, after being here for a little over a week, it’s the little things that are different that are actually tough to get used to.

For our London Orientation we all stayed in the same hotel and actually had a lot of free time to go exploring! There was one day when we heard from all sorts of people about academics, safety, the political scene in Britain, etc. One night we also got to go to the theater as a group, I can now say I have been to the theater in London! All of that information was really helpful, but I was itching to see some iconic London tourist-y things! My new friends and I were able to set out on our own for the majority of Saturday and Sunday and we went everywhere! We saw: Big Ben, Parliament, the London Eye, walked along the Thames, enjoyed the Tate Modern for a couple hours, the Globe Theater, the London Bridge, the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, and of course the coolest and most expensive department store ever: Harrod’s. The pictures throughout this blog post show all these tourist moments. I also already started on my adventure of trying new things and tried Japanese food and Indian food in one day!

Being in London was really exciting at times, but at others I was feeling pretty homesick. This is especially because with the exception of Alana I was surrounded by completely new people, and in a completely new place. I was also living out of two suitcases in a VERY small hotel room with an even smaller shower. I was getting very, very anxious to get settled in up at Oxford, and I was hoping the accommodations would be nicer and that the water would taste better!

Another difficult part of the London Orientation for me was that I was constantly questioning myself and my intelligence because the group of American students on the program with me are all so intelligent and I feel like they all have had more experience traveling, or living!, in Europe and/or the UK before. This is my first time overseas…EVER! I kept reminding myself though that these are the type of people that I would like to surround myself with, and I learned a lot from being around them for even just a couple days. What is also really cool is that the group of American students was so diverse. There are students who were born in Finland, China, Korea, Georgia the country, and Georgia the state, and they live everywhere from California to Texas to Arkansas and go to colleges such as Vassar, Bowdoin, Wesleyan, Wake Forest, Duke, Brandeis, Harvard, and Carleton. The picture below is of Alana and I and the girls I spent the most time with in London: Maria, Rebecca, and Tiina; with one of the street performers along the Thames.

In the end, I was really glad to have a couple days to overcome jet lag, settle into life in the UK, and just see a lot of the city of London before going up to Oxford. I am planning on going back to London for at least one more weekend organized by my study abroad provider for some more city fun! But at the end of the weekend, I was just really anxious to settle into my room at Oxford and FINALLY get the semester started!

Cheers!

P.S. I have learned that “cheers” can mean hello, goodbye, thank you, or be what you say before a toast, as we would use the term. But there may be more uses out there…

Hello from London!!!

Cheers!



I am sitting in an internet cafe in London, and just wanted to say a quick hello! Being in London is great so far; we are here for a general Orientation with my study abroad provider before going up to Oxford.. I am still working on getting completely over the jet lag, but it's not as bad as I would have thought. Last night we got to go to the theater, and this afternoon I am going sightseeing with a couple new friends to see all of the iconic London places!



I have to run, but I will write more and add pictures after Monday when I am settled in at Worcester College with my own computer!