First days at Oxford

As Bilbo did before me, I sit down at this table and ask, "Where to begin?"

I think the easiest place to begin is with an excuse. You may have noticed that I arrived in England on Thursday. You may have noticed (as my dad did) that not a single word has been posted on this blog since that time. The explanation is very simple: I discovered that I had a Greek assignment due on Friday.

While I was able to get the deadline fudged a little bit, this means that (in between traveling, jet-lagging, and walking around Oxford) my free time has been spent learning the beginnings of ancient Greek.  Having finished my late assignment, however, I finally have some time to devote to this poor, empty blog!

Learning how to write Greek is oddly satisfying.  And really hard.

First things first: arrival! While I won't go exhaustively through every detail, arrival was a blur: a mix of excitement and the sensory deadening that comes after a nine-hour flight. I could see the same sort of feeling in the faces of my fellow travelers (there were twenty-three of us in all, plus Dr. Reese).

When we finally got through passport security (which was the real trick; customs had apparently shut down for the day, because the place was deserted and we just walked through), we arrived at our bus stop.  We only waited two or three minutes before the bus arrived; then we were off!

Everything was green and growing, which is especially nice, coming from western Texas. Tori, an English major friend of mine, was the only other person sitting near the back of the bus; we chatted in the amiable and slightly slap-happy style of slightly drunk friends (weariness, in this case, taking the place of alcohol). Everything we saw was inspiring; from the first English duck, to the vines covering the road exchanges, to the harvested wheat on the English countryside.

We should make our highways look like this.

It was nice to see a familiar sight.

After a little over an hour's journey, we arrived in Oxford. I was surprised by how compact the city was; although we avoided the city center, everything looked carefully tucked together, cozy and almost rural.

Another thing the U.S. should adopt is the Oxfordian street-sign.

The view from my window on Canterbury Lane.  You can see the bus in the corner of the frame.

The house where we are staying was built in the 1800s. When we arrived, I (along with the other four men on the trip) carried my bags up to the third floor.  (Incidentally, this is referred to as the second floor here in England; the ground floor is essentially floor zero.) The house itself is beautiful:

After we arrived, we were given some time to rest and unpack.  The rest of the day was relatively uneventful; we went on several walks, one of which was guided, down to the northern side of Oxford's city center, including the magnificent main building of the Bodleian Library.  (This particular library is the second-biggest library in the U.K., and receives a copy of every single book published in England.) Because I was still drinking in the sights, I didn't take many pictures. Those will have to wait until I get to Sunday's events.

One of the buildings across from the Bodleian. I have no idea what it is - probably a college - but it's beautiful.

Rambling.

The next day was simultaneously uneventful and full of activity.  From nine to twelve we had orientation in an old Quaker Meeting House, where several of my classes are being held. (This meeting house is three doors down from the famous Eagle and Child, where the Inklings used to meet, and was also the site of C. S. Lewis's marriage.)  Once we finished orientation (which was interrupted by a tea break, one English custom I particularly enjoy) our group dispersed to various activities, among them being lunch and groceries.

Afterwards, four of the five English majors on the trip walked to North Parade Avenue, where we embarked on a religious experience.  There is a sandwich shop there, entitled On the Hoof, so beloved by our study abroad groups that the proprietor immediately knew that we were from ACU.  Three of the four of us got one particular sandwich—chicken, melted cheddar cheese, and cranberries—named after one of our professors at ACU, the famous "Cole Bennett."  It was delicious.

Wow, I'm hungry now.

We took our sandwiches to the gorgeous University Parks, the sprawling walkways and gardens kept up by the University of Oxford.  That particular day was the only sunny day that we've had so far, so we sure picked a good day to go rambling. The temperature was in the very pleasant mid-seventy range all day.

Saturday and Sunday, however, things really picked up—indeed, I walked over ten miles and saw most of east-central Oxford.  Those stories, however, will have to wait until the morning.  I want to get up by eight o'clock tomorrow, and it's already well past my ideal bedtime.

Until then, I hope you've enjoyed the pictures.  More pictures—and hopefully, a few poems—will be heading your way later this week!