Like the first half of term, the second half was extremely busy but also extremely enjoyable. And will you believe it-- it's actually over?!! My academic career at Oxford is officially over and what's even more shocking is that I made it out alive! When in the midst of all the intense academia and constantly writing essay after essay, its hard to notice how quickly time is passing you by. But now that those are behind me, I can hardly believe that I did it all and that there's only a month left in this entire trip.
It's really quite hard. As the trip continues to pass me by, I have more and more mixed emotions. While I'm here, things are constantly getting better. I'm meeting so many fun people, seeing so many amazing sights, learning so much about myself, and just falling more and more in love with Oxford and the whole idea of being on my own. The cruel part is that while I'm falling more in love with my study abroad experience, the end of it just keeps creeping closer and closer. It feels like just when I get to the peak of happiness here, the term ends and its time to start thinking about coming home.
But the fact is, I do still have a month left on this glorious trip and I've been trying my hardest not to let the thought of coming home depress me. So let me briefly fill you in on how the second half of term went...
Tutorials:
Well naturally my tutorials are what have taken up most of my time the past few weeks. Like I mentioned before, the intensity of these courses is unbelievable, even though they're only two hour long sessions that meet once (or once every other) week. The system is just so different from the American lecture course- and a little hard to get used to. But I think I can confidently say that at this point, I'm used to it and I really do like it. The one on one interaction with the tutor is intimidating, but it really lets you know what your strengths and weaknesses are. In a lot of my American classes, I feel nameless or invisible- even in a class of only 20 people. But this is serious stuff. And for someone who doesn't like to talk much in class, this set up really forced me out of my comfort zone and made me answer to things that I would have normally ignored.
My Shakespeare tutorial saw a bit of an improvement in the second half of term. I'm still not a fan of my tutor and I don't like some of her comments, but I think my work got a little better as I got used to the Oxford system. Eventually she didn't have as much criticism and we were able to discuss the plays rather than how much she didn't like my word choice. So even though Shakespeare was tough and not exactly as enjoyable as I would have hoped- I would say it was generally a success.
Romantic literature.. oh what a joy that tutorial was. I was so sorry to see it end. Every single one of those meetings was interesting and thought provoking and I really felt like I was learning a lot from them. My tutor and I had such good discussions about my essays and the poems that I analyzed. And he was very encouraging about my work and just life in general. It was really great. And we had tea every time. :) Nothing like discussing Romantic poetry over a cup of tea.
Now that both tutorials are over, I'm extremely happy to be done with the constant research, the heavy books, the all nighters, and the hours of paper writing. But there's still a tiny little part of me that's going to miss it. As much as it was frustrating having to spend every day there, I'm going to miss the Radcliffe Camera and the Bodleian Library. Nothing will be able to compare to them back home. This is certainly the most enriching and unique academic experience I've ever had, and I'm sad to see it end.
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| The Bodleian Library |
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| The Radcliffe Camera |
Since I last posted, OSAP took us on two more day trips (The first ones were to London and Stonehenge/Bath). At the end of February we went to Windsor Castle. It's hard to say because all the trips were so much fun, but this might have been my favorite. Windsor Castle is absolutely amazing!! The outside is, of course, beautiful- with it's rounded towers and beautiful gardens. I was just so excited. To see a real working castle was thrilling. The Queen was actually there when we were but they kept her well hidden of course. We didn't have any specific tour to follow, so after they gave us our tickets, we were free to explore the outside and inside of the castle on our own. After looking through the grounds, admiring the gardens, taking pictures of (and with) the guards, and getting a glimpse at St. George's Chapel, we made our way inside. We went through a couple exhibits. We saw Queen Mary's Dollhouse and a special picture gallery for Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee which happened in January. The real impressive stuff though, was when we made our way up the grand staircase and into the actual rooms. If I could, I would explain every room to you- but I'm already writing a bit of a book here. But trust me when I tell you that every room was more stunning and more beautiful than the next. We saw treasures from all over the British empire, giant suits of armor lining the corridors, unbelievable painted ceilings, gorgeous ballrooms- the list goes on and on. It was truly amazing. And to think that all the past monarchs as well as the current one lived and worked there is just awesome. From there we got to enjoy the town of Windsor (which is adorable) and then on our free time, Alexis, Colleen, and I walked over to see Eton College: one of the most prestigious and famous schools in Britain. It was founded by King Henry VI and has had lots of famous students (including Prince William and Harry). We ended up getting a lot of good pictures there before getting on the bus to head back to Oxford.
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| they really are like statues |
The final OSAP trip was to Portsmouth. I wasn't sure how much fun and old port city would be, but it was actually great. It was supposed to rain that day, but it ended up being bright and sunny. We were given free reign to roam the city and visit whatever sites we wanted to. I went on a really tour around the harbor with Alexis, Colleen, Beth, Steve, and some of the other kids in OSAP. It was a lot of fun and so nice to do in the sunny weather. We also got a tour of the HMS Warrior- one of the most important Navy ships during Queen Victoria's reign. The rest of the day was nice and laid back- just strolling the city, taking pictures and enjoying the sea air. Oh.. but the highlight was our lunch. We had real fish &chips. They made it right in front of us and handed it to us dripping in grease in a bunch of paper. It was so messy but so good. We all sat together on a bench in front of the water and ate while we watched the seagulls. It was definitely the best meal I've had so far!
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| Me, Alexis, and Colleen on the HMS Warrior |
Life in Oxford:
I think I made a conscious effort in the second half of the term to do as much as I possibly could on the social front- knowing that my time was limited to enjoy Oxford and all the people and places here. I forced myself, therefore, to do as much as I could between essays so I could at least say I gave it a shot. While I didn't do nearly as much as some people in the social world, I did get out a few times when my essays allowed it. Beth had a few house parties throughout the term so I went to a few of those. They were nice ways to get to meet fellow OSAP students and relax after long weeks in the library. I also ended up going over to her house a lot just to hang out on my own. I ended up getting to know most of the people in her house pretty well so it was nice to stop by every once in a while to say hi and hang out.
Church has also been my other major social outlet. I've still been going to student night at St. Aldates every Thursday night and I've absolutely loved it. Everyone there is so nice. We've met a lot of really great students- some British, some American, and some from other countries as well. Usually the night is started with dinner, followed by praise and worship and then a message, followed by social time down at the pub. It's a lot of fun and it's been a great way for Alexis, Colleen, and I to get out and meet some fellow Christians in the city. I'm really going to be sorry to have to say goodbye to that.
I also wanted to use these last few weeks of the academic term to do as many "Oxford" things as I could. So certain days I spent by myself walking around the city until I got lost, taking pictures, reading in the cloisters at New College- it was quiet times like that where I would sit and reflect on my entire experience and what an amazing one it's been. I also made sure to do things like visit other colleges- I went to church one Sunday at Magdalen College chapel- the place where C.S. Lewis went to church every week. I occasionally strolled around the grounds of Christ Church College and had mini nerd moments every time I saw their dining hall (better known as the Great Hall from the Harry Potter movies) and the many references to Alice in Wonderland. I also made sure to attend an Evensong service in the New College chapel and a formal hall dinner at New College dining hall at least once. I got to wear my academic gown and everything. So yes, I did do my fair share of Oxford things. I am a student here you know...
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| New College cloisters |
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| Oxford's Bridge of Sighs |
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| Inside Christ Church's chapel |
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| Christ Church dining hall (aka "The Great Hall") |
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| reading in the cloisters |
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| me and Tom Tower in Christ Church quad |
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| the Harry Potter tree at New College (where Mad Eye turned Malfoy into a ferret in the 4th film- I spend literally every other day here) |
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| Magdalen College chapel |
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| New College chapel |
So there you go... a nice long update on the second half of term with just a few pictures to help tell the tale. It was an amazing term: the most amazing academic term I've ever, or will ever have. And I still have a month left.. let's not forget that. I have lots of exciting travel plans to tell you about, but I'll save that for another post. I promise to keep more diligent updates as I go gallivanting all over Europe in this last exciting month abroad!
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