Time to go?

Well it is official... the semester is over. I had my exam yesterday (which I am confident that I did pretty well!) and my bags are almost packed. And now upon the eve of my departure, I reflect upon the memories of the semester... the things I miss at home and the things I will miss when I leave. I have very mixed emotions and have a pit in my stomach.

This semester was amazing. I think I will reflect upon what I learned in my next blog, which I will write when I get home. Instead, I will try to be positive and think about what I miss from home so I do not have to think about leaving these amazing people and wonderful town.

First of all, I really miss the people at home. Some more than others, and so I will not name names so nobody feels excluded. You know who you are anyway.

I really miss open space. The freedom of a back yard or grass in front of the campus building is refreshing. I miss being able to walk on grass or pick wild flowers. I miss trees that grow in yards and boulevards.

I miss the US dollar. When I get home, I will think everything is so cheap. The pound really hurts, but I still do have money left over, so I guess it wasn't horrible. Still, I look forward to not having to double the price in my head.

I miss the Mississippi River. Although I frequently visit the Thames, the Mississippi is my home and school river. It is a close friend.

I miss Minnesota in general. The twins, the Packer trash talk, the right way of talking... People in England and from the East and West coast of the US just don't know how to talk! Just kidding. I have become very aware of American accents. When I'm here and hear an American...I yell out, "That's an American!"

I miss the laxness of our society. I miss the annoying loud cars and ipod earphones. I miss the business of the St Cloud campus.

I miss Target and other stores that I can buy a variety of items for fairly cheap. It is so convenient to have a big store and one-stop shopping.

I miss American portions of food and American food in general. I think I have gained weight here because we don't eat very often and then our portions aren't good so eat a lot of snacks. The meat here is different, and I just want American beef. I miss American pop and American produce.

Looking at all this, I really don't miss any of it too much (besides the people that is). I am forcing myself to look at it like this. I will miss the culture here so much. I like the idea of going to a pub for an hour. I like walking to a kabab stand at night. I like that I live in the same buildings as my best good friends. I like the convenience of always having them here. I do miss my phone, though... things would be a lot easier if I could call people.. especially Jonathan. I will miss watching British TV and chatting with our junior dean. I will miss the British lectures and system of education. I will miss public transportation. I will miss the business of Cornmarket Street and all the musicians on the street. I will miss the spontaneous planning of a day or weekend trip; the easiness of going to another country for cheap! And I will miss saying that I am a University student and all the privileges that go with that. I will miss learning of the history of Oxford.. I still know so little! And of course, I will miss the friends I have here.

I came to Oxford unsure of how I would like it socially. I was surprised and happy to find the people I now call my friends. I first bonded with Hannah, then Kristen, then Rashelle, Brittany, and Sean. My roommate, Sarah, has also been amazing and I enjoy all the time we spend talking in our room. We have had our ups and downs, our fights and drama. But we are all still friends now. There is tension and sometimes, especially recently, I think it is probably a good idea that we will have a bit of separation... things got a little overwhelming with just issues that I don't need to get into. Anyway, as we pack our stuff, I can't help but be terribly sad. It doesn't seem real that we will be 500-1000 miles apart in just a day. Each of these people have given me something that I cannot explain. We have our fun and inside jokes, and underneath there is support that makes me know that we will always keep in touch. This support and these friendships are different from any I have had before; I am trying to watch my words so I don't offend anyone, at home or here. Just know that this was not what I expected, but I love it. And I know that things will always change, but I love the time we had together so much and am so thankful that God put people like you into my life :)

So this is probably enough of a blog for now. I will reveal the deeper issues of what I learned later. For now, I must soak up the last 14 hours I have in Oxford.

I've Done So Much...

Hello again. It has almost been a month since my last entry. Visitors came, I left the UK, and now finals have begun... so my life has been non-stop... and I love it! And I will try to catch y'all up!



So soon after my last post, my Jonathan came to visit me; he arrived on Saturday the 15th. When he got here, we relaxed for the rest of the day. Then on Sunday, 16th, we went to London. We went to Kings Cross Station, home of Platform 9 3/4, St Paul's Cathedral, the Shakespeare Globe Theatre, the PRIME MERIDIAN, Big Ben/Parliament, and Buckingham Palace.

(Above: Jonathan and I at Platform 9 3/4; To the Left: Me at the Prime Meridian)


We tried to go to a club, but missed the free entry time by four minutes. So we ate at Pizza Hut instead and caught the train back to Oxford. The next day, lectures began. In the afternoon, we went around Oxford. Then Tuesday, 18th, we took a run to Wolvercote Cemetery, to pay respects to the dear writer, John Ronald Ruel Tolkien. On the way there, Jonathan rolled his ankle, but he kept going, despite the pain, but it bothered him the rest of the trip. Then we had a nice dinner at C. S. Lewis' Pub, the Eagle and Child. On Wednesday there was a field trip for us CMRS students. Happily, there was an extra seat and so Jonathan got to come! We went to Hampton Court Palace. It was first lived in by Henry VIII, and is south east of London on the Thames. It consists of three large courtyards and huge gardens. Our professor lead us through the kitchens, and we toured the state apartments and gardens on our own. There was also an exhibit of Katherine of Aragon (Henry's first wife) and Caesar (kind of random for an English palace). It was a fun day. On Thursday, we just hung out in Oxford again. Our librarians threw a social, and Jonathan got to come. I think he enjoyed listening to their stories. Mrs Fenley attended college when Clinton did, and apparently she and her friends were invited to Paris for the weekend with him. Thankfully, she declined. Then sadly, he left on Friday the 21 :(







(To the Right: Hampton Court Palace)





About two hours later, my mother arrived in Oxford. We walked around the city and called it a day. Then on Saturday, 22nd, my mom and I went to London. We saw the changing of the guard, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Tower Bridge, and the Tower of London. On Easter Sunday, Mom and I went to Stratford-upon-Avon, where Shakespeare was born. We saw his birthplace, the place where his New Place home stood, the Nash Home, the Hall-Croft home, and Holy Trinity Church, where Shakespeare is buried. There was an amazing little diner/cafe that had chocolate croissant, which was huge and covered in warm, yummy chocolate :) ! Then on Monday, Mom and I went to London again to find a tour bus. And man did we hop on a good tour.



(To the Left: Mom and I in front of Shakespeare's home; Below: Windsor Castle)




First we went to Windsor Castle, the summer home of the royal family. It is also their vacation place and so they were all there for Easter! Because of that, we couldn't tour the state apartments (that, and the fact that an important Frenchman was coming), but we did see Queen Anne's Doll House and St George's Chapel, where many of the more recent of the royal family are buried. Then we went to Bath, home of the Roman Bath. The water is naturally heated by the Earth and once bubbled out of the Earth in a bog. The waters are said to have healing powers. Legend has it that a prince was once banished from London because he had leprosy. He became a pig herder; his pigs then developed leprosy. His pigs wandered into the swamp and the prince could not get them out. He went in after them and as he carried them out, he noticed that they were pink and healthy. He then examined his own skin and found it pink and healthy. He was accepted back into London with his father, the King. The Romans turned this ancient bog into a magnificent bath. Once the Romans left, it lay deserted for many years. Then in the eighteenth century, Queen Anne visited bath because she was frequently sick and heard the legend. From that point on, Bath became a fashionable city for the nobles. The whole town was built from the same stone (Bath stone) and most of the buildings are in the Georgian style (many houses in a row). I love Rome, and this city looks Roman, and so this was amazing.



(To the Right: The Roman Bath)





Our next stop was the one I was looking forward to the most: Stonehenge! We walked around this circle of old rocks and it was amazing! We couldn't walk within the circle, but we did get to touch some rocks and feel the power of the ancient Welsh stones. I think it was wonderful... which is good because I had heard bad reviews about it.

(Below: Stongehenge)



On Tuesday, 25th, we went to Blenheim Palace. It is really beautiful and the gardens are supposed to be spectacular, but we were tired and didn't feel like walking around. We took a tour of the palace and headed back to Oxford. We ate at the Eagle and Child to celebrate a good trip. She left on Wednesday and shortly after I left to go back to Bath with CMRS.





(To the Right: Blenheim Palace; Below: Cologne Cathedral and bridge from across the river)









Bath the second time was fun. I got to see more of the town and see the expressions of my friends when they admired the work of the Romans. The next day, I relaxed, but felt lonely. I went on a field trip in Oxford to Merton Library, one of the oldest libraries in Oxford. On Friday, 30, I started preparing myself for the weekend. I had to read a book and pack. Pack for where, you ask... Germany! We left Friday night at one and arrived in Germany around 10:30 am. Kristen, Rashelle, Sean, and I had to wait for until 1230 to catch a bus to Cologne. Cologne was amazing and beautiful. When we got there, we found our hostel and then went to go get some good German food! We found a biergarten that was wonderful! Our waiter translated the menu. I had a french pizza-like thing; it was good. Then we wandered around town and found a carnival-like thing that had chocolate covered strawberries. I didn't get any, but I tried Rashelle's and they were amazing. The next day, we visited the Cologne Cathedral. We climbed the spire, which was the tallest building in Europe until the Eiffel Tower. Then we ate lunch, I got snitchel.. yum! We rode cable cars across the river and walked around the city more. We ate at a pub for dinner (coincidently named St Peters, the college where we eat here in Oxford) and then headed back to the Carnival for chocolate covered strawberries. This time, I got some. Fresh and delicious. The next morning, Monday 31st, we headed to Frankfurt, the place where Rashelle was born. We traveled by train and the countryside was beautiful; there were castles on top of many of the hills! Frankfurt, despite its reputation, was beautiful and very German. We visited the Cathedral and then walked around town because the river cruises and museums were closed. But we ate Frankfurters and stopped at another cute restaurant. We then went back to the airport and then to Oxford.





(To the Right: A view downstream of Cologne; Below: A square in Frankfurt, by City Hall, with the Cathedral in the background)





We missed a colloquium on Monday, and had to write a three page paper because of it. So I stayed up when we got home at 4am and finished it. After that, there was no reason to sleep, so I stayed up. I planned to nap after lecture, but wasn't tired. Tuesday night I went to pub quiz, which is a quiz at a pub... very complicated name, I know. It wasn't my first time going, but I haven't mentioned it until now. We go with our junior dean and, as Americans, struggle to answer the questions. But we usually do quite well and it is fun to go and just hang out. Wednesday we had our last field trip. We went to Kenilworth Castle, which was owned by a lover of queen Elizabeth. The Castle lies in ruins, but it is still magnificent. Then we went to Stratf0rd-upon-Avon. We saw Shakespeare's birthplace and grave site. When my mom first came, I was a little sad that I would have to repeat trips. But I am really glad I went with her because we didn't get to see much of Stratford. On Thursday, I tried starting my final paper. Yesterday, I went punting, which involves pushing a boat with a big stick. We had so much fun punting! It was really hard to steer the boat and halfway through the current switched and we had to push hard to keep going forward! The person punting stands up and in my boat we took turns so everyone who wanted to could have a chance. We struggled again to make it back to the boathouse, but we made it! Along the way, we hit the bank many times, got made fun of by British people who passed by, got videotaped by the British who thought we were comical, went backward for half the trip because it was too hard to flip around, ran into two or three trees that forced me to duck and jump back in the boat, dropped the pole in the water, and got all wet and muddy. Another boat of CMRS students, however, struggled greatly. We passed them when the current shifted and waited a half hour for them. We saw them coming in, but then the never showed up. They disappeared. Then another half hour later, the same thing happened. They called for help, for they couldn't punt in, but the boathouse was busy so they had to wait. I found it somewhat comical, but I guess they were freaking out. Now don't you freak out, the water is only four to seven feet deep and the crew did promise to go get them soon. Finally, after some more time, a guy went out there and punted them in. They were a little weary, but I think they had fun. Then we went to New College, where Hugh Grant went to school. It was beautiful, but also made a very long day. To end that, we went to the club one last time. Today I have been trying to type my paper. I also napped, boy did I need that! Now I am wasting homework time to keep you up to date, but I don't feel like writing anyway. I'll figure it out tomorrow!

Things I have learned (or that slightly refreshed my memory):
I can navigate through London pretty well... almost got it down!
It is always cold when there is a field trip or I go somewhere with a guest
It is possible to survive in Germany without knowing German... so I shouldn't have freaked
When punting, be prepared to be laughed at, don't wear nice clothes, don't feed the ducks, be prepared to hit the shore, don't fall off, and don't drop the silly pole!
Writing a 2000 word paper isn't that bad... so relax and work steady to enjoy Oxford!

More Pics to come (I'm tired, Time for bed!)

¡España!

Last week was extremely busy... but thankfully I finished by big research paper and few smaller papers and I am DONE for awhile!!! So to celebrate my success, I decided to visit a girl I met last week... in Sevilla! It was so amazing... let me tell you about it!

First of all, Oxford is a very humid place. Not Minnesota hot humid, but strange, cold humid. So I developed a cough and it sucked. So that made me want to go to Spain even more. So I left Friday afternoon. I took the train to London, then a bus across town, then another bus to the airport. I got to the airport 45 min before my flight left. The line for security was crazy! I was still in line at 5:44 and growing quite nervous. Then my bag got searched because my Nalgene bottle had a few drops of water left in it. At 5:52 I started speedwalking to my gate... of course it was the last gate. I made it just in time, yet my plane was late boarding, so it didn't even matter. I was really bummed because I didn't get a window seat, but had a good flight anyway. My airplane was the kind that you had to walk outside and get on via latter... that was pretty sweet! I was one of the last people off the plane, and so when I got off, I was the only one on the latter... it was cool.. I felt like the president or something. Haha! The whole trip was worth it just for the first breath of the Spanish air. I took a bus to town and walked to my hostel. The town was amazing. Trees and flowers everywhere and the buildings were beautiful. My hostel was nice and I spent the night talking to some girls from America who were studying in Paris and London. (Above: Plaza Nuevo... Orange trees on the right and palm trees in the middle, as well as "regular" trees; Below: View down the river)

The next morning I met my friend and we walked around to find the marcato (market). We asked many people how to get there, in Spanish of course, and after wondering around and taking in the business of the town, we reached the market. It was amazing! Cheap but cute clothes, food, jewelry, everything! I didn't bring that much money, but I did buy things. After that, we headed for a park to relax. It had imported, tropical trees, beautiful fountains, and fresh grass warmed by the sun. After relaxing, I headed back to my hostel. It had free international calls. I didn't reach anyone at home, but I did get a chance to talk to Jonathan. Then I headed back out on the street to meet another friend from Oxford that was coming to visit as well. We were all going to go to the flamenco, but I was tired so we went to sleep. (Below: Part of the park)(Left: The garden in Real Alcazar) Sunday we visited Real Alcazar, a fortress built by the Moors. It had a beautiful garden and architectural design. Then we visited the world's second-largest cathedral, Catedral de Sevilla (Cathedral of Sevilla). It began as a mosque, but was transformed into a cathedral when the church influence came to Spain. It was huge, but about the same as any other cathedral I have visited. We did get to climb the tower, which was 35 stories. There wasn't stairs, but rather a ramp that went around so the nobility could be lazy and take their horses up the top, we could see a large portion of Sevilla and the surrounding towns. (Right: A small portion of the outside of the cathedral) Next we walked toward the river to get chocolate con churros. The hot chocolate in Spain is very think; so thick, it is barely considered a drink! It was so delicious, especially with the churros. We walked around more and then rested. I had to leave to catch my plane, so my friends escorted me to my bus stop. When the bus came, I gave them a hug goodbye and the driver almost left - even though I was standing in front of the door! My plane ride was slow because there was so much turbulence. I landed almost an hour late and ran through the airport to catch a direct bus to Oxford. I barely made it! I got to Oxford at 4am... extremely tired, yet extremely satisfied with my amazing trip to Sevilla, Spain :)

(Left: A view of the Cathedral, towns, and surrounding hills)

Things I have learned (or that just refreshed my memory):

The feeling after finished a big paper is just like a runner's high
When it is seventy and sunny and I am outside all day, I need sunscreen
¡Me gusta hablar in español!

Life is Like a Box of Goldfish

Another week gone.. hurray in the sense that I can finally ease up the tension on my work. I must still work, but with more ease. I have been very busy.. especially in the last few days. I tried to spend my weekend well and for the most part, I did. Yet, when I was supposed to be doing homework, I found myself enjoying the world of England instead.

For instance, Saturday night I was planning to work, work, work. But then my roommate and a friend said they were going to an orchestra concert. How could I say no to that? It was an excellent performance; it was one of the college's orchestras. I loved it. It was packed and I had to stand, but that was alright.

Then on Sunday, I was invited to go on a walk with some people from my building, including my junior dean who is a grad student. We walked a very long way, but it was beautiful. We followed a road that lead to a meadow. We crossed the meadow, where horses were grazing, walked over a bridge on the Thames, and found ourselves on a path next to the river. We walked north for quite some time and then we hit a small road. Next to the road was a foot path and we followed it to a village. The houses had thatched roofs and the buildings were like something out of an old novel. In fact, the whole adventure was. It felt like some woman in Victorian clothing would all of a sudden pop out and speak about Mr Darcy.. or something like that. The whole trip took four and a half hours. I didn't bring my camera, but my friend did and I will post them as soon as I get them from her.

Anyway, ever since then I have been doing homework. Today in tutorial, my tutor dismissed me after barely 20 minutes and said we would make up the time during ninth week. I was supposed to be done next week (8th) and I'm a little disappointed. Oh well... I did pay money to get this education and I don't think I have to prepare an essay.. so it shouldn't be that bad. All this work is stressful and it feels like it will never end. Last night, while trying to complete my essay, I found myself staring at the goldfish box I had brought from home. I read about goal setting and felt encouraged by my fishy friends. Then I laughed at the point of the maze: Help Finn... so he can play with his friends! I am totally Finn right now! See the books at the bottom of the maze? Those are just a few of the books I need to read and sort through before the end of term. And I need to focus on that and not my friends... which will be hard since most of my friends are done with their research papers. Oh well. I am sure that I will make it through the maze! And when I'm done... I can be with my friends and my two guests from America!! Wooo!

Things I have learned (or that just refreshed my memory):
I love orchestras and the sound of stringed instruments
Procrastinating is just not a good option... yet I should take opportunities to embrace England
I am almost done and can do this!

Is it half over or is there still half to complete?

Hello again! I know, it's been far too long since I last posted. Homework gets me all the time! Right now I should be doing homework, but I have too much energy and wanted to post my enthusiasm somewhere...

On Thursday, I waited and waited for my tutor to show up at class. He never came, so it got rescheduled for this morning. He cut into my Saturday! But it was actually quite nice. He interrupted our session for many stories about Rome, Europe, and America. It was so much fun. Then he told me, "Your writing is" (small pause and in a quiet voice) "American" (resume regular voice) "but the thought behind it is really good." That pretty much made my day. I know it is somewhat insulting to the American name, but I honestly don't mind. American English and English differ and I think that is my favorite part about being here. I try to improve, though, by changing the dictionary in Microsoft word to the UK dictionary.

(To the left: Sunset and moon out of the window in the hallway by my room)

I only have two weeks left of regular classes, then a month of integral lectures and field trips. I'm super excited. Plus, all my professors have been really nice and are teaching me so much. I have a lot to do in these last two weeks, but I want to give everything my all, no matter how hard it is, and just experience Oxford life. It was so crazy in class today because I had a hard time writing my last paper, and he loved it. That is a good feeling. We talked about grades. I didn't tell him this, though I should have, but I am not here for a grade. I could honestly care less. Believe it or not, I enjoy writing these papers. I love the books, especially the last one I read, Metamorphoses by Ovid. I enjoy going to the Bodlian Library and feeling special because the tourists stand outside and I get to go inside. But I also enjoy my free time, and less classes means more of that.

I am just in a really good mood today. Maybe it was nine hours of sleep. Maybe it was the 5,6,7,8 cups of coffee at breakfast. Maybe it was the tutorial. Maybe it is just me. I am also very excited because Jonathan is coming in less than three weeks and when he leaves, my mom will be here and so I have two weeks of being a tour guide and exploring more of England!

Sometimes I go walking or running just so I can think. And sometimes I just smile and think, "I can't believe I am actually here. I can't believe I'm in England. I can't believe I'm studying at Oxford. This is crazy. I am actually doing it." I was so scared to come and now I'm just so happy. 52 days have past, and I have 49 left. I still have so much to do and even more to learn!

(To the right: The bulletin board by our junior dean's door. He puts on all these funny little pictures/comics. My second favorites is the cover of Star Wars Episode II, but instead of the actors, it is people from the American government and the title is "The Clone of the War." A little mean, but funny. This is my favorite. It's Mary and says "Abstinence is 100%" (which is crossed out and next to it says) "99.9999% effective." It makes me laugh.)

Things I have learned (or that just refreshed my memory):
I love to run
To make tutors laugh, just add in an Americanized word
Sometimes, the best cure for a writer's block is a good time with friends... and kicking over the coffee table and spilling your water is not a good way to handle stress... but it does make you laugh, no matter how upset you are
Good moods are better than bad... so just get over yourself and SMILE :)

A Wale of an Adventure

Every once in a while, a good student needs to cast the books aside and take a train to Wales... hey, it worked for me!

I awoke Saturday morning at 4:53. I actually didn't hear my alarm go off, my poor roommate had to turn it off and then wake me up. Anyway, a half hour later, I found eight groggy people and the nine of us walked to the train station. It was freezing on all our trains and buses, however, we made it safely to Cardiff, Wales by 9:30 that morning. While still tired and cold, we walked a few blocks through the town. The first thing we noticed was that many people were wearing kilts and the color red. We learned that there was a rugby match that day, Wales vs. Scotland and so the whole town and country was in Cardiff for the match. These colorful folks were terribly friendly, and that's when I knew I would love Wales.

(To the left: Cardiff Castle)



The first thing we did was tour the Cardiff Castle. The castle is beautiful and has an array of many different types of rooms, ranging from medieval to Victorian to Georgian. The castle was built on a Roman fort and housed many of British royalty.. In fact, it was lived in until about the 1930's! After our tour, we wandered about the grounds and got to climb the keep and view the city; it was beautiful. We saw owls and falcons that were kept tethered during the day; it turns out these birds are released into the castle, and other historic buildings, every few days to catch rodents and insects that would destroy these historic sites. (Below: the keep)





After our castle experience, we decided it was time to eat. The streets were crowded with Welsh and Scots, who were also trying to eat before the match. We wanted to eat at a nice, Welsh restaurant, unfortunately, there was a long wait and we were starving and needed cheap food. The best thing we found was a Pizza Hut; now do not judge.. Pizza Huts are very different in the UK. Besides delicious pizza, we ate amazing appetizers and deserts.. for really cheap too! We were more than full and had leftovers for the rest of the afternoon!

When we walked outside, we saw four police horses escorting a car. The woman in the car waved to us. Now I had no idea who she was, but immediately after she passed, my good friend (who is a Historian and very wise when it comes to British culture), Sean, started to freak out: "Oh my gosh, that was Princess Anne! And the Duke of Essex was behind her!" It was really exciting to see such noble people, and even more that she waved at us American tourists. After we got over the fact that we had seen royalty, we walked around the downtown area and shopped. Stuff is cheaper in Wales and we all gave into the temptation to buy.

(Below: The City Hall of Cardiff and the Museum of Wales)

We then walked to the Museum of Wales. It was not a bad museum, but was the low point of our trip. I loved the exhibits, but they were not unique to Wales. Plus, tiredness set in as our feet ache and our bodies yearned for caffeine.

Once we satisfied our cravings, we decided to go to the Bay, which was two miles away. We attempted to find a bus, but one of us was impatient and just started to walk towards another stop. We didn't get a chance to look at the map long enough; although we were going in the right direction, we couldn't find another stop. She asked another driver how to get to the Bay and where a stop was, but this driver was not a local driver and only knew how to get to the Bay. He had an hour before he had to bring his group back, so he generously brought us to the bay for free. We tried to offer him money, but he would not take it.
(Above: The bay at sunset; Below: Lighted columns that changed colors and the tall fountain)

The bay was beautiful, and we reached there right after sunset. There were beautiful fountains, and I enjoyed the look of salt water and the lights reflecting on the shimmering surface. It was time to eat dinner, but our group was indecisive. Nobody wanted to eat at the Bay; either nothing was "Welsh" enough or they didn't want to spend money. They looked at the tour books for ideas, and decided to go back to the Centre of the City (aka downtown). Now, I knew it would be crowded because of the rugby game, which Wales won, but they wanted to see the crowds.

We caught a regular city bus back up and when we arrived, the streets were packed. There were lines down the street for every restaurant and pub. Almost everyone was wasted, and there was alcohol and garbage all over the streets. Half of our group freaked because they were worried about catching our train. The lines to get into the station were very long and we didn't know how long it would take to get in. Nobody could decide on a restaurant, and so a few people went to McDonalds; I did not. Then we went back to the station to stand in line. I hadn't eaten and wanted to and we still had two hours before the last train left. Five of us left the other four at te station; we planned to just meet them there a little later for the ride home. I just ate at a local fish and chips place, which was delicious and cheap.

(To the right: Our crazy train ride!)

We got back to the station and could not find our friends. We somewhat worried, but figured they left us. We attempted to get on a train, but it was really crowded and we wanted to sit together because the ride was over an hour. Although the workers wanted us to board, we waited only a few seconds for another train and got on. We sat next to Welsh, English, and Scottish people, most of which were drunk. They loved that we were from America and the Scotsmen really loved my name, probably because in old English, it is a boy's name. I ended up sitting next to a 24-year old from Bristol. His name was Tom and his parents sat in front of us. Everyone was, if you remember from before, very friendly. They talked to us for a long time and then started to tell jokes. They started to chant my name, telling me to say a joke. I couldn't really think of a good joke, so I told the "muffin" joke. If you don't know it, just ask me; it is pretty lame. But they loved it because it was American and kept asking for more. I said some dumb blonde ones, and they recorded it on their cell phones and took pictures. We then took pictures as well. Then they sang a Welsh rugby song, which was very cool. They wanted us to sing, and so they started to sing our national anthem and we joined in. It was so much fun! Tom's parents then invited the five of us to a pub in Bristol. We had to catch a connecting train an hour after our arrival, and so they then invited us to stay at their house. We could not do that and so we could not go to the pub because they went in a taxi. We still had fun though. (To the left: A true Scotsman)

We walked around Bristol singing and laughing because of our fun train ride. Then a man walked up to us and asked me if I had a light. None of my friends smoke, so after we said no, we just kept on walking. He yelled "Wait, Wait!" And asked if he could take a picture with us. We let him, and then three of his friends came and we took pictures with them. We talked about soccer, which they called soccer and I decided is my favorite word to say with a British accent. We then looked at St. Mary's Cathedral (to the right) and headed back to the station. We got on the train about 20 minutes before its departure. We talked for a long time, and then realized it was 5 minutes past the departure time. There was an announcement that the train was delayed because it needed a driver. About ten minutes later, there was another announcement and we couldn't hear it. Then a man from the company stepped in our car and told us the train had been canceled. This was not good for us, because we were supposed to take this train to another station where we would take a bus to another station where we would catch another bus to Oxford. He told us to go to another Platform and when we arrived at the one he suggested, we found out the train was going to Cardiff. We loved Wales, but needed to go to Oxford. Luckily, there were workers working at an information booth. We told them where we were going, and we knew it was quite a long way (74 miles). After about five minutes, one of the workers took our tickets and gave us a sheet of paper. He told us to bring it to the front of the station and find a large enough taxi for five people. We got a free ride from Bristol to Oxford in a nice, big taxi! We listened to reggae and hip/hop and danced as we flew down the wrong side of the street. We finally reached the Oxford station, which was difficult since our driver didn't know where it was and we had to stop so he could put it in the GPS system. We walked back home, still very excited from our amazing journey.

Although I was wound up, I was still tired. I crashed about an hour later and got a nice eight hours of sleep. Today, I must do homework... which is not the ideal thing to be doing after one has spent an amazing day in Wales :)

Things I have learned (or that just refreshed my memory):
I can post pictures!
Welsh (and Scottish and southern England) people are very friendly and fun and just so wonderful!
Although they love the metric system, the UK measures distance in miles
I want to, and will go to, a rugby match
I LOVE WALES!!!

Another Week

(To the left: My friends at the club)

I finish classes on Thursdays at 10.. so the weekend has begun! Yet, I realize I never spoke of what I did last weekend, so I will tell you now.

On Friday night, we went to a club called "Filth" but despite its name, it was a good club. We had to go early to get free entrance, and so we were the only ones dancing for the first hour. That was fun for us! And probably terribly funny for everyone who watched! On Saturday, we visited Christ Church, a beautiful and famous college and cathedral. What is most exciting about it for me is that the stairs by the dining hall is where parts of Harry Potter (1 & 2) were filmed! Pretty exciting! And the dining hall looks like Hogwarts, but has only three tables. The hall is famous because of its connections with Alice's Adventure in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll. It was a pretty place, but crowded so we are going to go back on a less touristy day. (To the right: Christ Church)
(Above: The stair case used in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (aka the Philosopher's Stone; Below: The Great Hall)
The rest of my week has been spent reading, writing, and preparing for our trip to Wales. I tried to buy train tickets online, but it would not let me because my address is outside the UK. Today, we went to the train station and my debit card wouldn't work because stupid Wells Fargo canceled it because they thought it was stolen. I really don't like that bank. So I had to charge them and my very wonderful father called the bank. Hopefully my card will be reactivated before this weekend.

Well... I must devote the rest of my day to homework.. what else is new?

What I have learned (or that just refreshed my memory):
I miss my family
I miss my friends
And last, but not least, I miss my Jonathan

February?

(To the left: Kristen, me, and Rashelle wearing our new clothes at the theatre)

How did February get here so fast??

Last Friday night a group of friends and I went to a play, "The Rivals." It was a comedy written in the eighteenth century. It was really good. At first, it was hard to understand because they spoke really fast and in high pitched voices. It was a fun experience. Although it wasn't necessary, we all dressed up in new outfits that we had just bought that day :) I'm not a big shopper, so surprisingly, I have bought a few shirts, nice pants, shoes, souvenirs, and a dress! I probably won't be spending that much more.

This week was once again filled with homework! I try to spread it out, but no matter how much I work, I always have so much Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

This week my friends and I have also been planning weekend trips! It's pretty exciting. We're going to Wales next weekend!

Things I have learned (or that just refreshed my memory):
All work and no play is how an Oxford student gets passing grades
I have no idea how to do philosophy, although it's my minor
The British either love Americans or hate them... mostly they hate them..

I Know I Need to Write More...

(To the right: My crazy, but best good friends :))
Ah! It got really crazy around here this week! It's probably always going to be pretty crazy around here, though. I had about a thousand pages to read, four-thousand words to write, and clear and concise notes that I can use in class. And I think that will be the average week for me. I finally have a consistent schedule, which is really nice. I'm only in class about five hours a week, and the rest of my time is spent reading and writing. I probably do 7-8 hours of homework a day. It's great fun. But I am really learning so much and becoming more comfortable talking to my professors and stating my opinions. Today I had my last class of the week (Yes, the weekend for me starts Thursday morning at 10am) and my tutor was really impressed with my essay. So then for next week, he gave me four books to read and two essay questions! So the better I do, the more work I have to do. I actually really like this. It's individualized, so I'm never bored. And if it's too hard and I really mess up, they are lenient and nice when then they offer suggestions for next time. It's still somewhat troubling at times, and I miss the American system of education... but I am happy that I am learning so much!

(To the left: Hannah, Rashelle, Brittany and I at the social)

Last weekend, our school threw us a party. They give us money to go buy alcohol at the store! It's crazy... We're technically not allowed to have alcohol in the building without permission, but the administration doesn't care.. I think they encourage it, since they give us free alcohol. I'm not trying to emphasize the alcohol here; I don't drink much and when I do, it's very lightly. It's just another different concept compared the dry campus of SCSU.

It also rained a lot last weekend and the beginning of this week. I tried to go to church on Sunday, but I never made it because of the flood. I thought it was really funny. A strange lady offered me a ride across the water in her car, but there are many obvious dangers in that so I politely said no. That was funny to me too. But now it hasn't rained in about two days and the sun has been out all day. The sun and the idea that it is the weekend makes me smile. Believe it or not, however, I have to spend most of my weekend studying. I will try to write more as a way to take a break from reading. I'm sorry that I haven't good at updates. Have fun in the cold.. it's about 55 degrees F here :) (I do miss snow). (Below: The flooded road... the bus is going to go through it!!)
Things I have learned (or that just refreshed my memory):
Washing clothes by hand is cheaper
I'm pretty good at making dad's popcorn :)
3000 miles and 6 hours is quite the distance, but we will make it anywayS

Technically Week One.. 'Cuz last week was week 0 (British Oxford Students start this week!!)

(To the right: Me in a red phone box)
I meant to write on Monday... keep this thing updated weekly, but I got distracted. It's pretty easy to get distracted here! Last week was dull over all anyway. I had a couple classes and a couple lectures. Things are going better. It's independent learning, but it's good. I think if I had any more lectures, I'd go crazy. My professors talk fast so add that to the accent and it's challenging. Last Tuesday, we got inducted into a library. Not even kidding. It's called the Boldleian Library and it is huge! It has three main buildings and numerous other buildings around Oxford, but that only includes 10% of the actual library. Most of the library is underground and they system to retrieve those books is pretty interesting. There are five stories below the ground in Oxford, but many books are stored in a salt mine in Chesire in Northern England! The books in storage can be ordered by a library member via the Bodlian internet catalogue. The books are picked up by workers, placed in bins, and sent to Oxford. The process can take 2 hours to many days, depending on where the book is. I have been lucky so far and the books I need are on the shelves in the main buildings. The library gets about 5000 books per week and has a deal with copywriters which gives them one copy of everything printed in England. Of course, this system is expensive and well monitored. It is a non-borrowing library, and they check bags going in and out. We had to take an oath to not destroy or set fire to the library and to follow all the rules. It was scary at first, but now I love it. I have access to almost any book in the entire world!

Since classes hadn't really begun, a small group of friends and I decided to go to London on Saturday. We had a lot of fun. We watched the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. We then walked about five blocks to Big Ben, Parliament, and Westminster Abbey. We decided to tour the Abbey, which was extremely interesting. My friend is a history major, and so he explained the significance of the people whose graves we saw. After that, we walked a long, long way to the Tate Modern. Art is not that exciting for me, but it was alright. Then we walked over to the Shakespeare Globe Theatre, but didn't take a tour. (Above: Changing of the guard; Below: Me and Big Ben)
(Above: Westminster Abbey; Below: St. Paul's Cathedral from across the Thames)
(To the left: Buckingham Palace)
Night fell and we walked to St Paul's Cathedral, which is somewhat like Westminster Abbey, but there are less graves in there. Then we walked back; unfortunately, downtown was crazy and we ended up not knowing where we were. But it ended up really, really good. We were in Trafalgar Square, home of the famous Nelson Column. We got directions back and walked through some cool arches. The road led back to Buckingham Palace and so we got to see it all light up at night (and there was no more crowd!). It was pretty amazing. We reached our bus stop, which ended being the wrong stop, but the driver took us anyway because he was nice. We probably had to walk six miles to see everything, but it was worth it. And I have more pictures, don't worry. If you want to see them, here are the links to my albums on facebook:
http://stcloudstate.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2112816&l=49269&id=56013847
http://stcloudstate.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2112821&l=4ab4f&id=56013847

The second week of classes is going alright. I still think it is awkward to talk to my professors and it still makes me feel stupid, but everyone here says they feel stupid, so I'm not alone. My free time is spent in the library or running around town looking for vendors in their vans. They have good, cheap food and the food we get at school consists of small portions of low-quality carbs. It's actually not so bad, though many people complain.

Here are two more links to different albums I have made since coming here:
http://stcloudstate.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2112090&l=07ddf&id=56013847
http://stcloudstate.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2112095&l=68a19&id=56013847

Things I've learned (or that just refreshed my memory):
Look RIGHT-left-right... which is hard because I don't know my rights and lefts.
Shhh... People talk very quiet.
Everyone loves a Minnesoooooooooooootan accent!

Boredom?

(To the left: a street in Oxford... the back of my building is above East... the top windows are our dinning room and kitchen)

Orientation is over and school has begun. This weekend was entertaining, but only for awhile. I really love the other Americans in my group.. it's so much fun to explore the town with them! I am feeling fairly comfortable here now. I know where most places are and have seen almost everything, except the Thames which I will eventually.
Friday and Saturday were spent exploring the town and buying the things that we discovered we needed. Like a watch/clock since our mobiles (cell phones) don't work here. And boots.. okay, I just wanted the boots. It is true I have already been to a few pubs and a club, but didn't drink anything. Alcohol is expensive, so I just watch everyone else and still have a good time. (To the bottom right: St. Peter's College, the college of CMRS students like me!)

My first class was today. Now, the schooling system is way different. There are sessions called tutorials, which are one on one meetings with a professor. The class is focused on the individual student, who gets to decide its direction. I have two of those. Another type is a seminar. It's a small group of students and a professor. My seminar has one other student. The topic: political philosophy. And today sucked. I really didn't understand much. There are certain concepts that I know nothing of simply because I have only taken two philosophy courses. I want to study and am excited for the class, but at the same time I hate it. I hate the awkwardness of feeling so inadequate. The professor is really smart (obviously) and the other student actually talks. I don't (I know, that's hard to imagine). My final class is an integral course that is composed of different lectures and field trips. Everything starts now, however, the tutorials end in the third week of March, the seminar a week later, and the integral in the middle of April. Whew. It sounds complicated, but it's not that bad. It's just not really my cup of tea. I think the point of philosophy is learning a variety of views, not feeling stupid when the professor keeps telling you you're wrong. (Below: Shoe Lane, my street.. the tall red building is CMRS)
So now I'm extremely bored. Oxford is the size of Red Wing and isn't that interesting. I have no motivation to study... but I guess I can crack a book.
(To the left, the Tower from the Oustide)

Oh, one other thing. Sunday we went to London to see the Tower of London. It was surrounded by a moat and was where prisoners were brought to die. Of course, royalty were imprisoned there too. There's the story of two young princes who were murdered, but their bodies were never found. About a thousand years later, in the nineteenth century, an archaeologist discovered their bodies in the wall of the white tower. Also, the early British thought that it was good fortune to have ravens in the tower. If they left the tower, the British would lose their battle, but if they stayed, the British would when. To this day there are ravens in the tower, however, the British somewhat cheat by clipping their wings.
(Above: The Wall and Tower Bridge. The ravens are in the grass. Below: The White Tower)
So that's my last few days. I'm sure I won't write for awhile... it now all seems to be winding down. I miss the states and want to come.. but don't worry.. I will have a good time since I'm here.

Things I've Learned (or just that refreshed my memory):
The first floor is called the ground floor and the second floor is then the first floor!
There is no warm water... why warm when you can dip in cold then hot?
It's always raining :(

MSP-LON

An excellent trip always starts from a complicated beginning.. at least now it does! On Wednesday morning, I went to the MSP airport to catch a flight to Cincinnati, which would later connect me to a flight to London. When I arrived, I learned my flight was delayed. Really no big deal since I had a six hour layover in Cincinnati, however, about an hour and a half after my flight should have taken off, the flight was cancelled due to mechanical problems. I was fourth in the long line to re-route, and coincidently, a woman from England was right behind me. So we chatted for a bit and both got an excellent non-stop, first class ticket to London that arrived 20 minutes before my planned plane would land. Pretty nifty! Her name is Ann and she is magnificent. We found our new gate together and then ate lunch and waited with each other. A few hours before our flight, we received our boarding passes, however, right after I got mine, there was an announcement about how the flight was overbooked. Since I had nothing better to do, I volunteered to go on the next flight, sacrificing my first class ticket, but gaining a $750 voucher for Northwest (and it’s good in Europe!) and money for a meal. Yum.

So my plans once again changed, and I was set up to fly to Amsterdam later on that evening. And then that flight was overbooked… Just kidding. I stepped on board my first plane ever Wednesday night. It was a lot different than I thought. It felt like we were moving so slow, but before I knew it, we had crossed all of Wisconsin! It was pretty cool. I slept on and off and the flight was amazing. I looked out my window during the night to see a sky full of beautiful stars. I watched the moon and sun rise. It was beautiful. And I saw the ocean for the first time ever, over eight miles below me. The plan arrived on time in Amsterdam and I had to attempt to get my boarding pass to London. I found my gate, after some time spent wandering around, and then I waited six hours. I wanted to go into town, but I didn’t have any Euros because I was not planning on going through Amsterdam (or any other country that uses Euros). Also, I did not have an actual ticket, just an agenda from Northwest, and I did not want to leave and have that cause problems later. So I visited a museum and the gift shops in the airport to get my fill of Holland culture. Finally, my flight to London took off and I arrived in London, with no place to stay.
(Above: The sunrise over the atlantic. The small light is Venus and bigger light is the moon)

I somehow accessed wifi at the airport and was searching for places, but didn’t have a phone to check for availability. A woman from the airport directed me to another concourse where there was a hotel. When I reached the other concourse, I couldn’t find what she was talking about and was about to leave when I saw a huge sign that said hotel. I stood by the hotel booth for a few minutes and finally worked up the courage to tell the woman that I needed some place to stay that was cheap. She knew of a nice hostel in Oxford, and so I continued to travel two and half hours by train to Oxford. I met a couple while I was waiting for my last train, and they accompanied me for awhile and pointed me in the right direction in Oxford. Unfortunately, the map confused me and I ended up taking a wrong turn almost right away. About a quarter of a mile later, I realized my mistake and turned around. I found the hostel immediately after I walked past my starting point. I struggled and got my luggage and myself in. I was somewhat tired and so I climbed into bed as quietly as I could. In the morning, I left as soon as I could for the bus station to meet someone from the school. I didn’t have to wait long until I saw a man with a sign. He hadn’t even put it up when I approached him. He led me to the dorm and I moved in and showered. Shortly after that, my roommate came as well as some other students. We walked around town and grabbed some lunch. Right about now, most people are napping because of the jetlag, but I don’t feel it, nor did I yesterday. These last days were so hectic that I didn’t notice the time difference. It is really weird to think about the difference, especially when it is late afternoon here and only morning in Minnesota. It reminds me of all the things I have done already and you are not even awake yet! Anyway, to make a long story short, I left Red Wing and arrived in Oxford. Orientation starts now so I must go.

Things I have learned:
Moving walkways are fun, especially when you speed walk.
I do not know Dutch.
British people are so nice and helpful : )
Dang, my luggage is heavy!