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An aspect of a Holy Cross Study Abroad experience that most students in a non-English speaking country find integral to their experience is the home stay living arrangement. This living arrangement grants a student an unparalleled opportunity to gain an intricate knowledge of the country’s language and culture; in addition, the home stay living arrangement also provides a social network that serves as a foundation for integrating oneself in the local community. In this living situation, the student literally becomes a member of a family; it’s an extremely tight bond that one creates for an entire academic year. For students studying abroad in English-speaking countries, the living situation is quite different. We’re all housed in university accommodation, which is absolutely fine considering the fact that we already possess an intricate knowledge of the language and culture (there are so many times, though, that I’m convinced that Americans and Britons speak a completely different language). Our knowledge of the language serves as our entry into the local community, so the home stay living arrangement isn’t really a necessity. There are times, however, that I have been quite envious of the living situation that my friends studying abroad in non-English speaking countries enjoy. Now, I’m not exactly a homebody (okay, okay, so I did cry on Freshmen move-in day. But my parents will attest that I ran through security and jumped on my plane here. They’re waiting for the day that I call and ask if it’s absolutely necessary that I return), but there are days that I think it’d be nice to have that familial atmosphere. Granted, the students have kind of replicated that atmosphere in our university housing, just like at Holy Cross, but it is quite different (and sometimes difficult) knowing that your family is about 4,000 miles away from you.

This is why I’m quite glad that I joined my Latin coach’s dance studio. The people that I’ve met through Rubies Dance Centre have (almost overnight) become my family. From the first competition that I danced with Neil’s school, all of the people were extremely welcoming. There was no need for an introduction; in fact, I think I was introduced and known as, “the Yank that Neil teaches at Oxford” (at least it’s unique…?). Although I was so nervous on that day (see the post below), they all made me feel right at home and were encouraging despite my nerves. Every time that I’ve seen them since, they’ve all been the most generous people, despite the many jokes that they’ll crank out about Americans (hey, I’m usually there adding in my own social commentaries. Sometimes I join in making fun of Americans; sometimes I make fun of British people. I mean, have you seen Sequence Dancing? It’s basically like right out of a Jane Austen novel. You cannot get more stereotypical British than that.). The familial atmosphere with which they’ve provided me this year can only be encapsulated by my birthday weekend. On the actual day of my birthday (which was Friday, in case you didn’t read the post below), I was fine. I talked to my parents, sister (who is now a college graduate! Congrats, Caitie!), uncles, aunts, and grandmother. I also spent the day with Jess, Jo, and Denise (who are some dance friends), who made a picnic lunch for me. On Saturday, however, I started to feel a bit homesick. For those of you who have been following this blog, you know that I haven’t felt homesick at all this year (well, okay, I did on Thanksgiving. And I’m sure that my parents love reading that line…). But there was something about spending my 21st birthday away from my family that just made me homesick. However, those feelings of homesickness that I had on Saturday dissipated on today when I had my dance lesson in London. During our break, Corrine and Neil stepped outside. We continued talking about how terribly we had all done the Foxtrot routine (yeah…it was bad). All of a sudden, Corrine and Neil came back in the room and Corrine was carrying a birthday cake. But wait – it gets better. Not only did they sing “Happy Birthday” to me in British accents (believe me, it makes it so much better), but Alex (Corrine’s son) made the cake in the shape of the American flag. It even had 49 stars (I told Alex to not worry about that minor detail; the Carolinas finally settled their differences and merged into one state). And please remember that Neil even took time from our class so that this could happen (that’s big for Neil. As in…Red Sox winning in 2004 big). It  was just so perfect, especially considering how I was feeling on Saturday.

So, yes, my year abroad has been a bit atypical due to all the dancing with which I’ve been involved. Don’t worry, Mom and Dad, you haven’t been replaced. But, thanks to the people at Rubies, it’s been a fantastic year that honestly has felt like home away from home.

Happy birthday to me! I celebrated my big 21st birthday over this weekend. Although turning 21 doesn’t provide any legal benefits in England, 21 is still a huge birthday here (it’s kind of like the American Sweet Sixteen). When my British friends discovered that I would be turning 21, they all took it upon themselves to make sure that I had a fantastic weekend. And, I must admit, I really did! On Friday, three of my ballroom dance friends from Rubies (Jo, Jess, and Denise) surprised me with a picnic in Christ Church meadows. Then the Americans took over – I went out to dinner with Carrie, Margaret, and Lorna (okay, Lorna isn’t American, but we’ve basically adopted her). Then the Brits took over again – Yszi and I went out to G&D’s, which is an ice cream parlour in Oxford. Needless to say, I think I gained about five pounds in just one day!

Earlier on in the day, I had some time to meander around Oxford (I did study in the Bodleian, so I didn’t take the entire day off). As I munched on a white chocolate cookie from Ben’s (I think food pretty much controls my life in Oxford), I thought about what I was doing last year. On my 20th birthday, I could only think of one thing – my upcoming year abroad at Oxford. All of my gifts centered around Oxford and England (seriously. I received a laptop case, an umbrella, a trench coat, and rain boots). Now, a year later, I asked myself, “Has this year lived up to my expectations?” Now, I’m going to save this all for one of my last posts from Oxford. But the very short (and pithy) answer is yes. In terms of academics and personal life, this year abroad has exceeded my expectations. Although it didn’t turn out quite like I thought it would, my entire year abroad has been such a fantastic experience. As we begin 5th week (What?! Where is this term going?!), I realize that I have been blessed with so many amazing academic opportunities this year, and I’ve also been able to grow so much as a person. Again, I’ll elaborate on this all as I’m leaving England on August 2nd (that’s 71 days from now. But we don’t talk about that!).This is just a taste of the entry that you all can expect.

Now moving on to something far less poetic – guess what I’m doing next Friday? I’m going to visit Pevensey, England, which is where William the Conqueror landed. Then I’m going to hike to Battle, which is where (you guessed it) the Battle of Hastings was fought. I know, I know. This is probably the best birthday present to myself!

Until next time!

As you can see from all the other bloggers’ recent posts, classes and finals at Holy Cross are now finished. However, I’m still in the middle of my term. It’s kind of weird to see my friends posting on each others’ facebooks about their summer plans. Don’t get me wrong – I am not complaining at all! I adore my tutorials this term (would you expect anything else at this point?), and I’ve attended some fascinating lectures. This term, my primary tutorial is Medieval Female Mystical Literature with Lucinda Rumsey. For the past three weeks, I’ve studied Margery Kempe, who was a lay female mystic in the 14th century. This week, I’m studying how Margery’s conception of Catholicism contrasts with the strain found in Ancrene Wisse, which isn’t a mystical text. Rather, it’s an earlier text (12-13th century) that serves as an instruction manual for three anchoritic sisters. I’m extremely excited to approach Ancrene Wisse in this fashion, since I analyzed just the manuscripts of the text last term with Ralph and I didn’t engage in the actual text. After this week, I’ll be shifting my focus onto Julian of Norwich (!!!). I’m excited for this part of my tutorial since part of my Senior thesis (more on that below) concerns Julian of Norwich. For my final essay, I’m compiling all the essays that I wrote over the term and presenting a mini-dissertation to Lucinda about everything that I learned over the term. Exciting, right?!?! As for my secondary, I’m taking another course on British Medieval History with Hugh Doherty. However, I’m now dealing with a time period for which we have more than two sources. Excellent! I’m focusing on 1066-1215. For my first essay, Hugh had me argue which of the Norman kings had the least legitimate claim to the throne of England. For my second essay, I had to argue whether or not “the anarchy” was still an apt description of Stephen’s reign. For my third essay, I’m debating who benefited the most from Henry II’s reforms – his subjects or himself. I’ve really enjoyed exploring the more historical aspects of this period and the linear approach that I’ve taken to it has provided a fluid timeline of how England’s government grew and changed. In first term, I focused on how England went from a Roman province to a Germanic feudal (anachronistic, I know…) system of multiple and warring kings. Now I’m focusing on the rise of the monarchy and the middle political class. It’s absolutely fascinating!

As for dancing…wow. It’s been an incredible couple of weeks. On the 9th, I danced in the National Qualifiers. The National Championships are held over Thanksgiving Break, and my mom said she would consider allowing me to return to England for my Thanksgiving Break if I qualified. Well…I won the Latin section. I’m returning to England to compete in the National Championships in November! This weekend, Oxford hosted the 37th Annual Varsity Match against Cambridge University. This is a really different type of competition. You have the A-Team, which is comprised of the team’s best 9 couples, the B-Team, which is comprised of the team’s next best 9 couples, and then the Beginners’ Team. There are various open events, as well. Sam and I were the reserves for the B-Team, and we almost had to dance at that level. In the end, though, we competed just at the Beginners’ level. Oxford did extremely well for the day; we won the A-Team, the B-Team, and the Beginners’ Team. Take that, Cambridge! Sam and I also had a really successful last competition together. We were the only Oxford couple to place in all four finals (Waltz, Quickstep, Jive, and Cha Cha), which was excellent considering that Sam had a broken foot (no, I’m not kidding). We placed 3rd in Waltz and Jive and fifth in Quickstep and Cha Cha. It was a fantastic way to end my competitive career for Oxford University.

In other news, my sister, Caitie, graduated from Colgate University yesterday. That will be me in a year. *gulp*

Stand by for photos from this weekend’s competition!

I was going to dedicate this entry to talking about how well the first two weeks of Trinity term have been. However, I found out some tragic news last night from Holy Cross. Kim McElaney, who was a chaplain at Holy Cross, passed away yesterday morning after a long battle with cancer. Kim was the director of the MAGIS program at Holy Cross, of which I am a member. Although I only got to know Kim last year, she was always incredibly supportive of my plans for Holy Cross and beyond. She was an extremely talented and dedicated woman, and Holy Cross (and the students there) was her life. She embodied so many of the Jesuit ideals that Holy Cross has instilled in all of us – her desire to give everything for those around her, her immense adherence to the Catholic faith, and, of course, her commitment to always asking (and attempting to answer), “What more can I do for Christ?”
I’m quite sad that I won’t be able to participate with my fellow Crusaders as the campus begins to celebrate all that this wonderful woman achieved in her life. She truly was an inspiration for all of us Holy Cross students (she herself survived four years of intensive Jesuit education on the Hill!), and her vibrancy, faith, and determination will be missed by all of us.

It’s quite weird. As my friends at Holy Cross are preparing for their final exams and beginning to pack up, I’m just getting ready for Trinity Term. Luckily, I wasn’t in Europe when the volcano erupted, so I’m all set for term (some of my friends are still making their way back to Oxford. Transportation has been chaotic to say the least). It seems that my first semester of senior year is all planned; I know where I’m living (I have a single in Healy!) and what classes I’m taking. It’s just odd since I won’t be finished at Oxford for another two months, and then I’ll be here for the summer. But let’s not talk about me leaving, shall we? Let’s focus on the present.

Term officially commences tomorrow. How frightening is that? This term, I’m taking Medieval Female Mystical Literature with Lucinda Rumsey as my primary; I’m going to be focusing on Margery Kempe and Julian of Norwich. The latter occupies a significant amount of my thesis, so I’m quite excited to have eight weeks of intensive research on Julian with one of the world’s most knowledgeable Julian scholars. For my secondary, I’m taking the History of the British Isles c. 1024-1215 with Hugh Doherty (remember him from first term?). I’m really excited to continue with Hugh. During my first term with him, I focused on the transition from Britain as an annex of the Roman Empire back to its Insular/Germanic tribal traditions. This term, I’m going to focus on the breakdown of those tribal/chieftain traditions and see how England transformed into a veritable kingdom with stark European influences. I’m so excited for both of my tutorials; they’re both going to be a lot of work, but I’m excited for them nonetheless.

And, of course, you all require an update on ballroom dance, which has consumed more of my free time (if that’s even possible). The Oxford team is gearing up for the Varsity Match against Cambridge; since we lost the boat race, we’re all seeking revenge (yes, this is the second most highly anticipated Varsity event…okay, so maybe I’m dreaming). The beginners had a training day this past Wednesday; it’s a miracle that we could walk out of the practice hall after Bruce and Neil went over every aspect of the Waltz, Quickstep, Cha, and Jive. As for my other competitions, I actually have one tomorrow, and I’m dancing two dances that I’ve never danced before with a new partner. It’s going to be interesting! But, yes, ballroom has taken over my life since I have a ballroom related event practically every weekend this term. I think my only free weekend is next weekend, and Margaret and I are planning to go to Blenheim Palace to see the Jousting Tournament and Falconry display. Yes, we’re pretty cool people if you ask me!

Now, I promise that I’m not always either in the library or the dance studio. Believe me, the weather has been too beautiful for the past couple of weeks to even fathom that! This term, all of the JYAs are planning several punting trips, picnic lunches in the meadows, trips into London (I’m going to see Hastings one weekend, actually), and just trying to enjoy the last term that we have at Oxford University.

Yesterday, one of my best friends from Holy Cross, Grant, visited me. He’s spending his (extended) Easter Break in London, and he came to Oxford to visit this place that has claimed my heart over the course of the past six months. As I gave him a tour of Oxford, we kept on talking about how Senior year at Holy Cross is going to be so different since our group of friends has had such a vast array of experiences this year. It’s always been in the back of my mind, but my conversations with Grant just made me remember that I am returning to Holy Cross at the end of the summer – it seems obvious, I know, but there are times that I get so wrapped up in my life in Oxford (and England in general) that I forget. My conversations with Grant also made me think about how I’m going to acclimate back to Holy Cross. This year, I have grown personally and academically, and my friends weren’t there to experience it with me. Of course, I wasn’t there to experience their own growth. It’s going to be interesting to return to Holy Cross and see how my friends have grown; I don’t feel like any of us will have changed to the point that we won’t recognize each other, but I am excited to see how we’ve all changed after a year.

In addition, my life at Holy Cross seems to be back in action. Between housing selection, advising sessions, and class enrollment, it almost seems like I’m back on the Hill. I can’t believe that I’m already planning out my senior year. Wasn’t it just yesterday that I was that small, awkward freshman who had no idea what was going on? Now I’m signed up for the GRE in September and trying to figure out what my next steps are after college. My, oh my! How things change!

Happy Easter, everyone!

Now, if the above photo doesn’t capture the quintessence of an Oxford spring day (daffodils, foggy weather, Magdalen Tower in the background), then I’m not sure what will.

For those of you who remember, I spent Easter break last year at Holy Cross due to my large amount of work that I needed to finish. And while Easter dinner really wasn’t the same (sorry, Kimball, but nothing can really compare to my mother’s cooking), the spiritual experience was worth me missing my mother’s macaroni and cheese and baked ham. Believe me, when you’re one of fifteen students on campus, you’ll have at least two intense spiritual discussions with the Jesuits, especially when they invite you to the “party” after the Easter Vigil Mass. This year, I stayed at Oxford for several reasons (yes, work was one of them). My spiritual experience wasn’t necessarily the same since I wasn’t as heavily involved with the liturgical side as I was last year. However, it was delightful to observe all of the liturgical celebrations this year; I think my year off from serving as a liturgical coordinator, altar server, and lector is beginning to affect me, though. At Mass this morning, the liturgical coordinator forgot to place the aspergillum (the sprinkler thingy mabob. Yes, my definition is as technical and precise as a NASA engineer’s calculations!) by the holy water; I almost retrieved it from the sacristy myself. Okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but my year off is really beginning to affect me. I can’t believe that the next Mass at which I’ll serve is going to be the Mass of the Holy Spirit for the incoming class of 2014 (!!!). How my time at Holy Cross has flown!

Don’t worry – despite having to cook for myself, I still had an Easter roast. Okay, so Margaret and I did take the easy way out – we just went out to a restaurant instead of cooking our own meal. It was fantastic nonetheless!

I can’t believe that I forgot to write about this before. You can tell that I’m on break when…

Anyway, since this year marks the (alleged. It’s still a very controversial issue in the realm of manuscript studies. Believe me, there are a lot of controversies in that world. By the by, the Brits say “controversy” completely differently. We say ‘con-tro-ver-sy. They say con-‘tro-ver-sy. Just your random fact for the day.) 1,000 anniversary of the Nowell Codex being transcribed, which means that we get to sing Happy Birthday to the Beowulf manuscript! Due to this landmark event, the British Library has hosted a wide array of events related to the Beowulf manuscript, including having Seamus Heaney speak back in October (which was magical). After my parents left on Tuesday, I decided to spend the day roaming around London (such a tough life, I know). I decided to spend some more time at the British Library, since they have a permanent display of some of their manuscripts. As I walked into the dimly lit room, I had no idea that the first manuscript I would see would be Beowulf. That’s right – to celebrate its birthday (again, alleged), the British Library has put it on display. It’s not an attractive codex by any stretch of the imagination, but it is open to the first page of Beowulf, and it was so wonderful to see the infamous “HWAET!” opening the first line on the first page. Of course, I couldn’t actually touch or sit down with the manuscript, but it was a wonderful surprise nonetheless. They also displayed the working pages of Seamus Heaney’s translation; it was fascinating to see all of his revisions. So that was my nerd outbreak of the day…

And now for something completely different (any Monty Python fans out there?). This past Sunday, I danced at my first dance competition that wasn’t at the university level. My goodness – it was so different than the typical university-level comp! See, at the university level, as a newcomer, you’ll dance maybe six times (if you’re lucky enough to get to the final) per dance; since we dance four dances, that’s a total of 24 times over the space of twelve hours (approximately. And who can do Math! Woo hoo!). This style of competition was completely different. The day started with a solo competition; I danced my Cha Cha with my coach, Neil. I honestly had no idea what was going on; all I remember is him grabbing me and bringing me onto the floor. I made it to the finals in that event (yay!). Then came the fun part – the couples events. Originally, I was going to dance with Sam; however, he broke his foot on the last Friday of term. Neil was then going to partner me with a dancer from his school; unfortunately, she broke her ankle about a week before the competition (yes, I think that I’m a bad luck charm). So, on Wednesday, Neil decided that I was going to be a leader. One major problem: I had never led before and I didn’t know the leader steps. Neil partnered me with another beginner from Oxford. We practiced for about a half hour on Sunday and then headed off to the competition. The results of our efforts were a pleasant surprise, though! We ended up placing seventh in Bronze Cha/Jive and Silver in Cha/Rumba, which isn’t bad considering the circumstances! We were also the only couple from Neil’s school to make it into the Bronze final, so he was pleased with our results. It was definitely an experience, and, honestly, I think I enjoyed it more than the university level competitions. I ended up dancing about thirty times in three hours (quite a difference than the university-level!), and I really just had so much fun. So, I placed fourth in my solo, and seventh in two couple events. I’m quite pleased with those results! My next competition with Neil’s school is on April 25th, and apparently I’m dancing two dances that I’ve never danced before. Hm. This could be interesting…

As I was going back through my blog entries, I realized that I really haven’t explained the tutorial system and the subsequent variations of it. The tutorial system actually stems from the Medieval Scholastic tradition of learning in which students would argue (in Latin, of course!) both sides of an argument in front of their teachers. Intimidating, right? Well, the 21st century version isn’t that nervewracking, but it’s still an experience. Generally, an Oxford tutorial will entail the student bringing an essay (ranging from 2500-5000 words, depending upon the assignment) and reading it aloud to the tutor. I think this is one of the best writing skills that I’ve adopted from my year abroad here; you really get a feel of how your essay flows (or doesn’t) when you read it aloud. This method also really helps when you’re writing an Oxford essay because the tutorial essay is supposed to flow like a conversation between you and your tutor. It’s quite a different approach than an American term paper. Anyway, after that, the tutor then rips apart your argument. Tears might be involved, but are not necessarily a requirement. Just kidding. Sort of. So that’s the typical Oxford tutorial; this is how Ralph structured my meetings with him. A slightly updated version, however, hails from Cambridge (ewww. Juuust kidding) and the general advances of technology. Some tutors prefer to see the essay before the tutorial meeting. That way, you don’t spend half an hour reading your paper and rushing through all of the criticism for the next half hour; instead, you spend an entire hour being grilled by someone at the top of their field. Intimidating? Yes. Exhilarating? Oh yes! This is the method that Charlotte, Hugh, and Rosalyn employed for my tutorials with them. It’s a tad frightening because they have the essay for about twenty-four hours; that means that they can really just rip it apart. Now, after most of my tutorials, I made a quick pit stop at Ben’s Cookies to reward (or console depending upon the day!) myself for surviving (for anyone making a trip to Oxford, a trip to Ben’s Cookies (right at the front of the Covered Market) is essential; I personally recommend the dark chocolate and orange, dark chocolate and ginger, and/or milk chocolate and praline.). So that’s a very broad and sweeping generalization of the tutorial system. Like I said, it is quite different from the American approach, but there are certain elements that I quite enjoy.

Sorry for the recent lack of posts; I’ve been quite busy giving my parents a  whirlwind tour of the south of England in five days; we started in Oxford and then visited Bath (you have to pronounce it with a long a or else the Brits just will not understand you) and Blenheim Palace (this is where Winston Churchill grew up. It’s absolutely exquisite!). I felt like I had so much to show them in Oxford alone; we spent Thursday running around all the colleges, museums, and libraries (no, I didn’t make my parents tour the libraries; they wanted to see them. I promise!). Even after spending just one day in Oxford, my parents now understand why I love this place so much and have accepted the fact that I will not be returning at the end of term. Just kidding, Holy Cross. My parents also really enjoyed Bath; we took a tour of the Roman baths, so I was happy as a clam. One area of the exhibit testifies to how popular these springs were throughout the centuries. The water level is at the original Roman level, but the orange stain around the walls indicates how high the levels were during the Medieval period; to top it all off, the room is decorated with Victorian wall hangings and architecture. It’s lovely, really. After our extremely rapid tour of Oxford and the surrounding areas, we headed into London for two days. Yes, we managed to see a majority of the sites in London in a mere forty-eight hours. I think that that might be a record. We even managed to see a play in the West End (for the record, Billy Eliot is a fantastic production)! It’s a good thing that we were walking everywhere, though; I think we ate lunch and dinner at a pub every night that my parents were here. I can’t believe that I’m saying this, but I really don’t think I’ll ever want to eat fish n’ chips or steak and kidney pie again!

Having both Carleen and my parents here made me realize just how acclimated I’ve become to England. Granted, I don’t speak with a British accent or anything (my British friends still make fun of the way I talk, actually), but there are just some things that have become second nature to me now and I don’t even think about it anymore. For instance, the entire “order your food at the bar” system in most English pubs baffled Carleen and my parents at first, but it doesn’t really phase me anymore. Sure, the first time that I wanted fish n’ chips from the Eagle and Child (no, I don’t love that place just because of the Tolkien affiliation…), it was a tad weird, but now I’ve acclimated to the system. I haven’t forgotten my American roots (believe me, my British friends will tell you that the opposite is quite true), but I’ve just acclimated to the culture here; now I don’t even think of the differences between the two cultures.

I don’t have anymore visitors for quite some time now, so now it’s back to finishing some research, planning my epic tour of Medieval sites around the UK (oooooh yes. Lindisfarne is on the itinerary!!), and (guess what?!) dancing. Am I predictable or what?

Until then, please enjoy the photos below of my visitors and the places that we explored.

Colleen