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Spring Break: Or There And Back Again

Yes, I spent my Senior year Spring break in the lovely little town of Oxford (have you heard of it?). As one of my friends asked me, “Wait. Spring break. Isn’t that where all you Americans go to Florida or something?” Well, I decided to go back to Oxford since the national collegiate dancesport competition was last Saturday (seriously? It’s already been a week?) and I wanted to support my friends. I was so supportive that I was watching them dance instead of taking photos of them. Whoops. But, Oxford did win the trophy again (take that, Cambridge)! It was hilarious, though, because some of my friends didn’t recognize me with my new hairstyle (the last time they saw me, I had short red hair) or without my dance shoes on (haha).

Look at all of that shiny hardware! I stole this photo from one of my friends, David. Thanks, David!

No, I didn’t dance – shocker, right? It was great to see all of my friends dance to another victory, but it was a weird experience as well. I didn’t have to get up at 5:00 a.m. or apply loads of make-up – I just sat and watched. It was kind of relaxing, actually.

I spent the rest of my time in Oxford, which probably doesn’t surprise any of you.

Love.

Me at Mansfield College.

I stayed with my good friend, Yszi, and I introduced her to the marvels of American cooking, like Funfetti cake and American-style pancakes.

This is Yszi cooking for me and trying to convince me that Brits can cook. Well, she can, but she doesn’t count.

Just a note: Nutella on pancakes is wonderful.

I was able to catch up with a lot of my very good friends from last year, including:

Lorna, who was my adopted little sister. Mansfield College provides every new student with a “family,” and Lorna was Carrie’s “little sister.” Well, all of the JYAs eventually adopted Lorna, and we’re fairly sure that she’ll jump across the pond to join us permanently some day.

Jess and Jo, who are two of my friends from Neil’s dance school.

Melissa, who is actually a Holy Cross student and my mini-me. Seriously. She is me…but with brown curly hair. I brought her some American delicacies, such as Kraft Macaroni and Cheese and…

Funfetti cake mix. The Brits do not understand our cult-like obsession with this cake mix, by the way.

I was also able to see Emily P., who is a Holy Cross student currently studying at Mansfield. She joined the Oxford Ballroom team and continued the tradition of a Holy Cross girl always being on the team (well, since 2008). We actually never knew each other at Holy Cross, but we’ve bonded through our similar experience on Oxford’s dance team.

Me with Neil and Emily. Yes, Neil always has that evil smirk on his face, and it usually means that he’s going to torture an innocent American girl by making her do cha-cha lock steps up and down the hall for thirty minutes. I am, unfortunately, not speaking from Emily’s experience, but from my own. Seriously, when Neil picked me up from the airport last Friday morning, the first question he asked me after the typical niceties was, “So, how’s the dancing going? How much do I need to fix this time?” Ah, dance coaches.
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And Week 5 Begins

I can’t believe it, but I’ve been in classes for five weeks now. Within these past weeks, I’ve made best friends with the porters at the Radcliffe Camera (one of them knows me so that he no longer asks to check my bag for any prohibited items), my papers have been ripped to shreds, and I’ve wondered several times why I didn’t spend my year abroad in a more “fun” setting. Believe me, when I see some of my Holy Cross friends posting photos from their weekend trips to Germany and France, I get a little jealous. Yet, despite being ripped apart, I’ve never learned so much in such a short period of time and/or had so much fun. Yes, I know – I need to be locked up in the sanatorium for saying that spending all of my days in the Radcliffe Camera or the Bodleian Library is fun. These past five weeks have been frustrating because I know that I haven’t produced work that has been up to my potential. But,  now that both of my tutors have ripped apart at least two of my essays a piece and I’ve been in class for five weeks, I know what they want from me and how to do it in the most efficient way. Now that ballroom is in full swing (get it? Swing? Even though they don’t dance Swing here), I now have a schedule so that I’m not constantly freaking out about my papers. If I have too much time, then I just can’t accomplish anything. I’m weird like that. But back to the fun part. My research topics have been rather illuminating for what I want to do not only for my Senior Thesis (oh. Right…who said senior year is supposed to be all fun?), but also for graduate school (right. I have at least seven more years of this? Excellent!). My last topic for History of the English Language was to analyze how English became an analytical language (words derive meaning from positions) from its synthetic origins (words derive meaning from endings, like in Latin). It was fascinating. I was comparing the different languages that appear in different manuscripts and arguing how they’re different. It was fantastic. My next topic for Age of Bede (which is going much better. Then again, I really don’t think that I had anywhere to go but up. One day, I will post that awful paper on this site for all to see. But not now. I’ve got to get into graduate school first) is to basically reconstruct Anglo-Saxon society based upon the “Dream of the Rood.” This is actually what I’m thinking about doing for my senior thesis – syncretism of paganism with Christianity in Anglo-Saxon texts, specifically “Beowulf.” I’m as happy as a clam. Don’t worry; I will return to Holy Cross…eventually.

Okay, so that’s probably way more about academics than any of you ever wanted to read. As for living in Oxford, well, I’m still alive! Cooking for myself has definitely been interesting. I’m so used to going to Kimball or grabbing something from either Lower or Crossroads. No preparation time, no cleaning up. But cooking for myself has been rewarding. All of the American JYAs are branching out and trying new things. My favorite new item that we must start importing into America: treacle tart. It’s delicious. I have also been maintaining a social life with human beings other than the librarians. Saturday night was Mansfield College Ball, which only happens once every three years. They had bumper cars. I’ll let that one sink in. It was a really fun night. Of course, we all paid for it the next day because none of us finished any work all day Saturday. Oh well; it was worth it.

Well, you guessed it – I’m back off to the library. Until next time!
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A Million Books to Read + 2 Papers to Write = a Very Happy Colleen

You know, it’s incredibly difficult to come up with catchy titles, but now that I’ve started to do so, I feel indebted to continue. Anyway, that is not the point of this post.

On Wednesday, we had our Freshers’ and Visiting Students’ Induction Dinner at Mansfield College. It was held in the chapel, so all of the people from Holy Cross were a tad confused. The chapel is gorgeous (not as pretty as St. Joseph’s, though), and the food was excellent. I was seated next to an Oxford third year student, and we were comparing American universities and colleges to Oxford for the night. Oxford has a different approach to academics. While I personally feel in America that a majority of people use education only to advance for jobs and the like, I think that Oxford has more of a “learning for the sake of learning” feel. It definitely reminds me of the Holy Cross state of mind. However, Oxford really differs from Holy Cross in that once you’re accepted at Oxford, you study one subject for your three years. I don’t know if I could possibly do that. As much as I love English, I couldn’t give up Classics, History, Theology, or Philosophy (now Math I could very easily give up. That would not be a problem. I think that my title shows the extent of my aptitude for math.). The other point that we both deduced was that JYAs (that’s what those who spend their junior year abroad are called at Oxford) tend to work much harder than Oxford students while they’re here. Jack (the student with whom I was talking) asked me why. I told him that at Holy Cross, we push ourselves beyond our extremes, and if we’re not doing something related to academics, we’re probably at a club meeting or at a team practice. He was shocked that we do so many extracurricular activities; here, students tend to find one club or one team, and they dedicate themselves completely to it. It was just a very interesting conversation.

Enough of that, though. On Thursday, I went to the Oxford Oratory to see the relics of St. Therese of Liseux. No, I did not plan to come to Oxford the year that both St. Therese’s relics and the Pope are scheduled to come; it just happened that way! It was an incredibly moving experience. I really can’t even describe it.

Then, Friday was the big day. I had my first tutorial. Okay, so I really didn’t have my first tutorial. It was more of a meeting in which my tutor told me what he expected of me and where the class was going to go. Although it was kind of nerve wracking for a bit, there were some funny moments. For instance, Dr. Doherty asked me what college I attend in the States. I replied “Holy Cross,” and he said, “Oh, yes. That’s a very rigorous school, isn’t it?” You have no idea.Well, maybe he does. I mean, he did just obtain his Ph.D from Oxford. Yes, yes, I’m pretty sure he has an idea, then.

Until next time! Of r
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One Week Down

I left the United States a week ago, and yet I already feel at home in Oxford. I’ve been attending various “Freshers’ Week” information sessions (and I thought Holy Cross’ orientation threw far too much information at me!), setting up my room, meeting other JYA’s (Junior Year Abroad), and exploring this magnificent city. What I truly love about this program is that I’m really living by myself in a foreign city. Yes, my primary focus here is studying, but I also have to make my own meals (there’s no handy-dandy Kimball here), factor errands into my day (okay, so this isn’t that big of a deal. My errands right now include going to the Post Office and the like), and find some time to make friends as well. Even though I’ve only been here for a week, the experience has been truly amazing. If anything, my cooking skills will improve ten-fold!

With regards to academics, classes haven’t begun yet. I have a meeting with my Age of Bede tutor on Friday, and I have my first History of the English language class next Tuesday. I already have an essay due for that class, actually. My tutor e-mailed me and said to e-mail my paper to her and also bring a hard copy to class. That was it. There were no prompts. Welcome to Oxford! I’m so excited for the tutorial program. I’ve heard nothing but fantastic things from all the other students who have completed the program. The entire situation is going to be very different from my Holy Cross education. While Holy Cross classes meet for a certain number of hours a week, I will only meet with my primary tutorial (History of the English Language) once a week, and I’ll only have my secondary tutorial once every other week. That means that I only have 8 sessions for my primary tutorial and 4 session for my secondary tutorial. Hm. This is going to be extremely interesting!

Now for something completely different: This past Sunday, I attended Mass at the Oxford Oratory. This is the same church in which Cardinal Newman preached and J.R.R. Tolkien attended. Yes, I do realize that the former is more theologically important than the latter. But being in the same pew at Tolkien is kind of cool, you have to admit. Anyway, this Mass happened to be the Solemn Mass. Everything except the Liturgy of the Word was in Latin. Everything. As obsessed as I am with Latin, I thought it was cool. The homily didn’t hold a candle to the Jesuits’ at Holy Cross, though (3,000 miles away and an ocean in between me won’t stop my love for Holy Cross!). Regardless, the Mass was gorgeous. This Church is also hosting the relics of St. Therese of Liseux starting tomorrow, and Pope Benedict is going to be visiting this Church sometime in the Spring. No, I had no idea that any of these events were going to happen while I was here. I’m actually thinking about writing my ICIP (International Culutral Immersion Project. Every HoCro student who studies abroad has to complete a project that required them to immerse themselves in their host country.) about Catholicism in England  and how it becomes different when you’re not in the majority, as we are at Holy Cross. It’s still in the working stages in my mind, but I promise that it makes sense.

Well, I’m going to sign off for now. When I get my card reader running, expect to see this page full of pictures!
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Please Mind the Gap

Well, I have officially arrived! Let my Junior Year Abroad begin!

Tuesday was one of the most hectic days of my life. Well, that’s not entirely true. Freshman year move-in day takes the cake for that one. However, Tuesday was somewhat stressful. I had to pack everything that I need for a year into two suitcases. It was difficult, to say the least. But, after unpacking everything, I am proud to say that I only forgot my card reader and my mini booklight, both of which can be easily replaced or shipped. But let’s not get ahead; there’s an entire saga to relay.

I left Atlanta on Tuesday night. When I separated from my parents at security, yes, I was a little sad because I’ll be away from them until Christmas, and then once again for six to eight months. But that’s not the point of this entry. Even though I was somewhat sad, I was more ecstatic (sorry, Mom and Dad) because I knew what was ahead of me. The plane ride went very smoothly. I met a couple of American students who are also studying in England; one of the guys that I met actually goes to Williams and he’s studying at Exeter College for the year. I went through Customs without a glitch. But here was where the fun began. Remember how I had packed two suitcases? In addition to those checked bags, I still had my backpack and a rolling carry-on. Both of my checked bags were rather heavy (one was 50 lbs, and the other was 57 lbs), and I still had more weight to carry because of my carry-ons. Here’s some advice to any students traveling to England next year – the luggage carts (or trolleys, as the Brits call them) are free to use in Heathrow; it isn’t like American airports, and I wish that I would’ve known that. Anyway, I was meeting Carrie and Terminal 5, so I dragged my luggage to the train. Last year, I just took a train to Terminal 5 and hopped on the Oxford bus. Well, there is no train to Terminal 5 anymore. Then 5 different people told me how to get to Terminal 5 in five different ways. Finally, I found the bus to Terminal 5, hopped on it and dragged all of my luggage behind me. I found Carrie, and we were off to Oxford. You know, typing this traveling experience out does not do it justice. I think I’ll have to request the security video from Heathrow to show you all what an ordeal it was!

Anyway, we arrived in Oxford, grabbed our keys to our residences, and moved in. The first night, I just unpacked and I was unconscious by 10:30 p.m. Since then, I’ve been unpacking bit by bit, and I’ve set up my room quite nicely. I even bought a rubber ducky hamper (I believe that this is the highlight of my year abroad, so far!). I’m living in a single, and it’s about half the size of a typical dorm at Holy Cross. I have the typical desk, wardrobe, bed, computer chair, and easy chair. The room also has a sink and cabinet, and it’s wonderful to be able to brush my teeth in my room. The kitchen and bathroom area are shared between the seven other people who live on my hall. All in all, it’s a great living situation.

As for Oxford, it feels like I never left. Everything has been fantastic so far. The only part that I’m still rather nervous (well, that’s not the right word) about is getting my own food. I’m so used to Kimball that this is going to be quite the switch for me. It’ll all work out; don’t worry! But the actual city of Oxford is fantastic. The people here have been so helpful, and I feel perfectly situated. I won’t say acclimated just yet because I haven’t started classes. My first class is on October 9th, and then my next one is October 13th. Yes, I already have essays assigned. I’m just so excited for this year to really begin! Until then, though, I have to attend various Orientation (or, as they call it, Induction) meetings, but life will soon begin here in Oxford. How exciting!