Month: August 2008

Well, I am back on the hill! I flew back from London on Sunday, and I was able to spend some time with my family at my uncle’s house. I moved in on Monday, and began Kimball training on Tuesday. I’m pretty much all moved into my room; I still have some organization to do and all that jazz. Ashley is an RA in Wheeler this year, so our room is extremely large. That’s great, but it’s also bad because it’s just an invitation for me to be messy!

Kimball week has been going well. We’ve only had a couple of hours of meetings a day. I’ve missed the smell of the pulper…well, that’s a lie. I have missed the people with whom I work, and it’s been great to see them again. We’re all getting ready for the incoming freshmen. Our first meeting with them is on Sunday, and they’ll begin working soon after that.

Everything is really beginning to get started in the following days. My duties as a Liturgical Coordinator begin on Saturday at the Mass of the Holy Spirit. It’ll be great to be on the other side of the Mass this year. My first tour is on Monday, and it’s for some of the new faculty members. Ballroom practices start back up on Thursday, and we have our first competition in less than a month. It’s kind of scary how quickly things are starting back up.

I’m excited about this semester and everything that’s going to come with it. I’m excited about my housing situation, my amazing classes, my activities, and being back at Holy Cross in general. But, I’m also kind of hesitant about this semester as well. This semester is when I have to apply for Study Abroad, the Washington DC semester, and several internships. It’s going to be a hectic and chaotic year, but I know that it’s all going to be worth it in the end.

I’m so sorry that I haven’t been able to update as much as I wanted to during this trip. Between trying to see everything, the class, and just living in England in general, I have barely had any time to update this blog. Unfortunately, my time here at Oxford is coming to quick end. My last paper was due on Wednesday, and my last seminar was Thursday. I honestly cannot believe how quickly my time has flown. It feels like just yesterday my duffle was trudging behind me as I tried to figure out how to get to High Street to Catte Street to Holywell to Mansfield Road. It feels like I just learned how to call up books from the Bodleian stacks, or how to wrestle with the on-line databases as I searched and searched for some elusive articles. I just can’t believe that my time here is nearly over. I am quite sad to leave Oxford, honestly. This trip has really piqued my interest, and I think that I’ll be working harder than ever this semester so that I can hopefully come back here for junior year.

The actual class that I took was extremely engaging. Because of US Intelligence Communities, I knew about how the US was tackling terrorism, but this class really broadened my horizons because it was from the British perspective. I’m glad that I experienced this entire tutorial system because now I feel that I’m a stronger writer. The entire British system was quite different at first, but I’m kind of going to miss tutorials. I guess that’s why we have office hours at Holy Cross!

Speaking of Holy Cross, I’m returning this Monday to start Kimball week. It’s going to be a hectic move in day for me, but it’ll be good to get back to The Hill. I have missed my Holy Cross friends and Holy Cross itself, so I’m actually kind of glad that school is starting once again. The classes that I’m taking this semester are extremely interesting. This semester is also when I’ll apply for Study Abroad. All in all, I am quite excited for this semester and everything that it holds.

Well, I’ve got to get back to packing because my flight leaves extremely early in the morning. Until next time, when I’ll be posting from Massachusetts!

Well, another fantastic week at Oxford has come and passed. This past week our seminar covered the history of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, and we went into particular detail about the insurgency in both countries. My readings for this week bore a striking resemblance to my Modern Middle East class back in first semester, so that was definitely nice! I just returned from this week’s tutorial. The essay topic was the following: ‘What is the origin of the Iraqi insurgency?’ I took it from a historical approach, and studied the Shi’a/Sunni divide since the Ottoman Empire. It went really well, and I really enjoyed writing the paper (yes, I am aware how nerdy that last statement sounds).

This past week, I also went into London to see my cousin, Camille, who is studying at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts for the summer. It was kind of weird that we were in England at the same time; we usually see each other only at Christmastime. As we were walking around Westminster, the heavens just opened up and began to pour. Running through London in the rain isn’t exactly fun, but it sure makes a great story.

I can’t believe that I have a little more than a week left here. There’s still so much more to see! Today, between my seminar and tutorial, I went to Magdalen College, and walked around the grounds there. The grounds are absolutely gorgeous. It’s centered around a water marsh in which some deer live, and the Cherwell river runs right through the campus. Tonight, a couple of us are planning to take advantage of this beautiful weather and go punting on the river. Hopefully we won’t tip, but that might be a very real possibility!

Tomorrow, we’re headed over to Salisbury, Stonehendge, and the Vale of the White Horse. I’m so excited to see the Old Sarum section of Britain, simply because I find ancient history so fascinating. I’ll definitely have some pictures to post from that! On Sunday, I’m planning to walk down to Iffley, where there’s one of the oldest and best preserved medieval churches in all of Europe. If it rains or I don’t feel up to walking six miles both ways, Cathleen and I are planning to go see C.S. Lewis’ grave and parish church. I really can’t believe that I have to plan out my final week in Oxford. As cliché as it sounds, it feels like I just arrived. I’m excited to return to Holy Cross, but I’m also quite sad to leave this amazing city!

Every morning, breakfast is served at 8:00. I’ve become so used to waking up at that hour that my body has just adjusted to it, I suppose. This morning, I was in the middle of a deep sleep, and I woke up at 7:58 quite unexpectedly. So, huzzah for having an internal alarm clock!

This morning, it was sunny and quite refreshing outside. When I left breakfast, it was overcast and cloudy. When I was walking to the Radcliffe Camera, it began to rain. This weather change occurred within a span of thirty minutes. Welcome to England!

I had reserved a book that I need to read by Monday, and I had it delivered to the Lower Reading Room of the Radcliffe Camera. This is how the Bodleian works. You look up the book that you need; you’re lucky if it’s already on the shelves. If not, you have to request it from the stacks. The librarians find it in the stacks, send it on a cart, and deliver it to whatever reading room you so desire. I haven’t studied in the Camera yet, so I thought it’d be great to do that. I walked over to the Camera this morning, and my heart sunk. The gate was closed. Usually, the Camera is open on Saturdays, but apparently not this one. I was lucky enough to find another copy in the Social Science Library. The only problem was that I have never been in there before, so I had no idea where anything was. I eventually did find my book (it analyzes all the rhetoric and language that Saddam Hussein used to promote his Ba’thist regime. It’s really quite an interesting book; it’s kind of like linguistics meets political science.). I missed lunch at the college, so I went to the Covered Market to find some food. There’s a place (Brown’s Cafe) that has takeaway fish & chips for £4.95. When my meal was ready, the cashier/server/person asked me if I needed ketchup. I told him no, but malt vinegar and salt would be fantastic. He was really confused after that! My accent wasn’t meeting the stereotypical taste buds! My mom’s voice popped into my head, and I decided that I probably should get some fruit. At the local grocery store, apricots were on sale. So, I picked up a box and had a delectable meal of fish & chips and apricots! Afterwards, my roommate, Cathleen, and I went out for high tea again. I love the British – they give you a random and unjustified excuse to have cake in the middle of the day!

After dinner, I guess Mom’s voice wasn’t popping into my head, and I thought it’d be a great idea to go take pictures of Oxford in the rain. I might be soaking wet right now, but at least I have some amazing pictures of Oxford! Because of the rain, there’s not that much to do right now. Cathleen was an English major at Holy Cross, and she’s doing a summer tutorial on Virginia Woolf. We did a book swap – she’s reading The End of the Affair, and I’m reading Mrs. Dalloway right now. It’s really just a nice, relaxing night in this amazing city.

Hey everyone! I can’t believe it, but I’ve been in Oxford for a week now. This city is spectacular. The entire city is a medieval city trapped in modern time. Some of these buildings have been around since the 1400’s. It’s just incredible to take a walk anywhere.

Oh yes, the real reason why I’m here. The class that I’m taking is going well. There are nine of us in the class, so every day, we each have to present an article and voice our agreements and/or disagreements about it. Our seminar is very similar to a debate. Every Thursday, w

e have a “tutorial.” We bring our papers to our tutor, and he basically rips them apart in front of us. We have to debate with him and support our arguments. It’s very similar to office hours, I guess. The entire experience is just amazing, and I think that the entire tutorial process has molded me into a stronger student.

One of the most amazing experiences so far was being inducted into the Bodleian library. The Bodleian is one of the largest libraries in the world, and receives 3,000 to 5,000 books per week. The library collection is so large that one building cannot contain it. Instead, the Bodleian collection is dispersed throughout the campus. Some books are even kept in a salt mine in North Oxford because there simply  is not enough room! Studying in there for me is more of a distraction than anything else, quite honestly! Just looking up and being able to see such a vast wealth of literature is just awe-inspiring, to say the least. Before we were allowed in as “readers,” we had to swear that we would not a) bring in any food or water, b) damage the books in anyway, c) take the books out of the library (the library is reference only), and d) set fire to any of the books or the building itself. There have been threats against the library in years past, and one was nearly carried out. After we all took the oath, we were inducted into the library.

So, Oxford is going really well. I’m going to try to put up daily updates from now on to give you all a better idea of what daily life is like during Study Abroad. Until next time!

 

Colleen