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Published: September 2nd 2008
Oxfordshire
The hours really fly by here and it is hard to keep a timely journal as we are constantly in motion. It is now Tuesday and I have not written in the past 2 days, very unlike me. On Sunday we had our orientation which was pretty basic and informational. The school seems like it will be very conducive with our many travel plans…as in NO SCHOOL LETS TRAVEL. No but seriously mom and dad, we will study and learn…while we are on the trains traveling from country to country of course. During orientation we got more familiar with a lot of the kids here and Mitch and I feel quite old but all these kids are pretty amazing. We went on a tour of Oxford and it is pretty incredible, beyond words really. You would think it would be small but it really isn’t, and our teacher who took us around shared so many interesting facts with us. There are so many pubs that incredible writers frequented, Tolkien, Lewis, Shakespeare etc, that are in the heart of Oxford. Oxford is known for having the greatest pubs in all of England, at a stunning 72. We are planning on going
to all of them, and have created a list that will be scratched out as the year goes on…pint by pint. There are so many selections of beers that you really could never run out of selection…perhaps the reason that so many of these writers were drunks. There is a church in the heart of Oxford that was built in 1100’s and Shakespeare’s godson was baptized there. There is so much history around every corner here it really is quite mind-boggling. Mitch and I are constantly in awe of the beauty that has been preserved in the cities and the countryside. I really don’t think I would want to study at any other university in Europe, Oxford is perfect. It is the ideal site for an English major, and well even a business major (probably only one with the “surname” Folks). We received our timetables and I do not have class on either Friday or Monday…same with Mitch. God is clearly smiling on us because that means more travel time and 4 day weekends. Could it get any better? That night we had our first pub experience and it was pretty funny. We went out with all the foreign kids
and even the USD clan of sorority girls. Mitch and I have fully integrated ourselves with the international kids that we are picking up on random languages…Dutch, Swedish, Italian, French...It’s pretty cool because we suck at all of them so when we got one word right everyone freaks out. We went to the Dew Drop Pub, which was adorable and just packed with people. Most of the kids from USD aren’t 21 so they had never experienced the bar life, unlike grandpa Mitch and granny Tara, so they are freaking out ordering drinks and all that. Well, Mitch, the big 22 year old, goes up to order a drink and well he they ask for his I.D. because you have to be 18 to go to a pub and order a drink. Well, he doesn’t have his I.D., neither do I. Wonderful. Here we are in Oxford at a pub with all these kids, and they are drinking their pints having a wonderful time and Mitch and I are sipping on Apple Juice. It was pretty funny. We still had great conversations and are really enjoying getting to know other people’s cultures. They are all really impressed with our trip
to Africa and the fact that we get to drive at 16. In Holland they cannot drive till 18, but can drink and smoke weed at the age of 7. Something just doesn’t seem to add up there, but maybe its just me. They are all extremely interested in our elections and are constantly probing us for insight into Obama and Mccain. As most of you probably know, Mitch and I know pretty much jack shit about politics, but we just don’t want to get absolutely killed in taxes so we push for the Republicans. I have never really been that interested in politics, but all these foreign kids constantly questioning me has made me realize I am extremely ignorant in such an important part of life. So, I am working on it, and so far I have realized that the Republican VP looks like Wonderwoman and her daughter is pregnant. I don’t know how useful that information is. One thing that I was pretty surprised about when we got to Oxford is the amount of walking one must to do in order to get from one point to the next. For instance, our dorm, Logan House, is about a
30 minute walk to school and an additional 30 minute walk into the Town Center. There is one major road that runs through Oxford called Bardwell Road and everything sort of branches of it. There are adorable cottages and flats lining the road and small pathways leading into the countryside that are a lush green often weaving in and out of the rivers and ponds. It is quite beautiful. There are not many cars, as the majority of people are usually riding bikes everywhere. It is a quaint yet bustling town. Once you make your way into the town center there are cobble stone streets branching out every which way. Wonderful, old buildings line the cobble stone roads and often in the alleys lies some of the oldest pubs in all of England…diamonds in the rough. They are incredible with their stone walls and ancient wooden floors that are all home to some of the greatest beers in all of Europe. There are many universities inside of Oxford, and the one that is seen in Harry Potter is located right here in the town center. It is just amazing, truly inspiring. I get chills walking through the old buildings and
churches with their hand-made walls. It truly is an English majors heaven as it is home to the biggest library in all of England. It has a copy of every single English book EVER published in the world. I mean every single one. The library is very difficult to get into unless you are a member of one of the most prestigious universities which are St. Johns or ChristChurch. The library is shaped like a dome with a pinnacle at the top, the beauty of it is that it goes for miles underground, literally miles stretching around Oxford. They just recently switched to a computer system for retrieving books as before there were small metal tubes that were dropped down into the basements for small dwarfs to scuttle around in the dark and retrieve. It is just unbelievable, and I have a hard time describing it because it is just not explainable. I truly understand now where some of these writers received their inspiration, Oxford is like magic and makes one want to read, invent, explore…anything and everything.
The Start of the Week...
On Monday we started classes, but the majority of them were cancelled because some of the teachers
were in Egypt looking at a rare specimen of moss and missed the flight back…for some reason I just don’t see that happening in the States. So, we took the day to explore and I went running through the countryside. It was perfect, just what I wanted. However, I did run through a patch of nettles which felt like a thousand darts were thrust into my leg. Quite a rush, won’t be doing that again. I saw some soccer fields and I felt a desire to play…something I have not felt in a long while. I am hoping Mitch will come and run with me some days, but I am not sure those chicken legs of his will hold up. We shall see. After running and lunch, Mitch and I headed into Summertown (between our dorm and Oxford) and set-up bike rentals. We are renting a tandem bike with matching helmets and bells for the next 10 weeks…just kidding, but we are getting bikes, just not tandem. There is no way I could not get a bike here as I am just itching to get out there and go through the countryside with my camera and my sidekick. We want
to go to the wishing wells and the castles that lay on the outskirts of Oxford, about a 8 or 10 mile bike ride each way. Perhaps I can burn a bit of those pastries and pies off with because this tea time thing is killing me. Mitch has become a tea fanatic and I find him stealing tea bags from the cafeteria constantly. I think the rain and chill is getting to him as all he wants to do is drink tea. I am a fan though because he makes me a cup as well. It is quite relaxing here and I am loving this English life. We went to a pub again on Tuesday night, one of the most famous pubs in all of Oxford called the Trout Inn. It was so very awesome. It was basically a small cottage in the hills right on a river. There was a great area to sit in the backyard of the pub where there was a river with this adorable little bridge. It was quite romantic despite it being a bit chilly. Our whole school came and we all had a blast as we learned more about each other. It is hard for many of the Europeans to understand Mitch and I’s relationship as it is Christ based and not physically based. Hopefully we can maybe influence them in a positive manner. The night was excellent, and Mitch and I are so thankful to be here and be alive. This is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity and we are so blessed yet so very thankful…we cannot wait for what each day is going to bring. God is good…so good.
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kelli beth
non-member comment
i LOVE your blog! it sounds like you and mitch are having an incredible time. i love you SO much and am SO proud of you!!!