Fortnight

"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."

-Walt Disney

It's hard to believe that I've been living in Oxford for an entire fortnight. So many things have happened that it has been hard to keep up with the posts! As I have quite a bit of reading to do tonight, this post will be brief, but I will definitely have time to divulge on my recent (and tomorrows) field trips. Mainly, this is a photo post.

Every Thursday during September, our British Landscape class goes on a field trip (which we are lectured about the day previous) and this past field trip was to Old Sarum, Salisbury, and Stonehenge. This first picture is of Old Sarum and the second is of me and a couple of friends reenacting Stonehenge.  I won't go into detail about their pasts for now, but they each are places that could be visited multiple times as they are truly breathtaking...                

These next two photographs are of Salisbury Cathedral. I could go on and on about this amazing building-- the gargoyles, the turrets, the pillars. Yet, there were three things that really touched me. 

The first was the sheer size of the cathedral. We were able to go on a guided tour which took us 202 ft up into the steeple- only halfway. From the top we were able to see the surrounding town and far into the distance, as it was a clear day. You didn't need to go far to see why Salisbury Cathedral is visited by so many people.
The nave was amazing and, even though I had visited a few years prior with my parents, it was great to be in there again. 

The second was that this giant church wasn't built simply to be a symbol of wealth or ability. Salisbury Cathedral was the physical embodiment of piety. This structure is a monument of devotion to God, and it is certainly amazing to see what people are capable of. 

This last blessing was tucked away in the steeple. In fact, the average tourist wouldn't have seen this, or even have known it existed. In the late 20th century, people were able to engrave a piece of glass, after which the pane was placed in the windows of the steeple. There were many panes of glass that had names of people who had toured Europe or the British Isles, many names of families, but one had caught my eye and really touched my heart. I know it needs no explanation...

As I have a field trip to Hampton Court Palace tomorrow and a paper due Monday, I really should hit the books. Hope this blog has sufficed for now :)

Cheers ;)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!!!

A Tragedy and a Triumph

"Do not ask for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee." -Ernest Hemingway

After a good nights sleep I managed to wake up at 11 AM and managed to go through the morning routine with relatively no mishaps. I've managed to borrow a towel and I grabbed a curling iron as well, which hopefully will also work as a straightener of sorts. The one thing I have to buy is a straightener because *surprise surprise* it won't work. I used my converter and all, but it blew a fuse and I was then told that it would be much better (read: safer) to just use one that is from the UK. This was my tragedy, not so much because it was actually that bad, but it was very stressful not having what I needed.

My triumphs, thank goodness, have been multiple. The first isn't so much a triumph as it is a true blessing. As I arrived Friday and settled my first arrangements, I entered a small, yet cozy room that I share with a really nice girl, Andrea. We have very similar interests and personalities, but are different enough where we don't annoy the life out of each other...at least, not yet ;) The first obvious blessing is that I have a good roommate! The second is that there is only one roommate, which is a big stress reliever for me. The third is that we have a little sink in our room! So far, we are the only room to have a sink and our thought is that, since it's a rather

small room, it might have been a bathroom at one point. Nonetheless, it's very nice having a little sink to ourselves, since the bathrooms and showers (there are many, but the toilets and the showers are all separate) are all communal.

((Can you find Jeffrey the Gnome in the picture?))

My second triumph was finding a two-pence on the street! I went with a group of five or so on a leisurely walk in to town. We ended up walking probably over six miles (getting into town takes a good 15 minutes...getting back to the Vines took a bit longer--uphill for a good while). Amidst my travels I got to know some more people that live at the Vines and at one point noticed a coin on the ground. Fully aware that one pound coins are pretty valuable, I picked it up...but it was just a two-pence. But, that is about 3.5 cents! So yay for that triumph.

My third triumph was finally learning to play this game called "Mafia" and although I didn't win, I had such a blast.

Quick Facts From Oxford:

1. Garbage= "rubbish"
2. A "quid" is slang for a pound sterling (right now £1 = $1.77 or $1 = £0.57). This could stem from the name of a mint in Quidhampton, but is more likely to stem from the Latin phrase Quid pro quo, ("this for that") which  means an exchange of goods.
3. 'Cheerio' is outdated term but 'cheers' is not (that I know of)...

Overall, I had a great first (whole) day in Oxford and I'm really excited for what tomorrow brings! I could give hints away now, but I'd rather surprise everyone tomorrow (although, it should be noted that I have stayed up far too late and that my next post for "tomorrow" will, in fact, be today!).

Cheerio ;)

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Note to self:

-put picture of gnome on first blog

-upload video of bells ringing

'ello Gov'ner

"If adventures will not befall a young lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad."

-Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

I've arrived! Safe and sound and somewhat sane! It was a crazy time, flying from Albany to Philly, and Philly to London, but I made it. The plane was decent although my back is sore from trying to sleep at a 45 degree angle, and I was perplexed as to why we were served dinner (what seemed to be heavy chicken or pasta meals) at midnight EST/5am BST. Nonetheless I have learned the following valuable lessons that I would like to pass on to those of you who might travel for extended periods of time:

1. Don't overpack; it will make you very tired to carry your luggage around a huge airport and then the distance on the country road to your housing.
2. Make sure you keep the dramamine you brought in your pocket or purse, not at the bottom of your carry-on which is stored above in the overhead compartment.
3. Go to the bathroom before you get on your eight hour plane ride and then before your hour long coach ride into town.
4. Don't overpack!
5. Did I mention not to overpack?

My housing is absolutely gorgeous and I hope to have pictures up by Sunday. I live at The Vines which is a 35 minute walk from Wycliffe Hall, where I will be studying. Luckily there is a bus pass that will make it a lot less strenuous (as a bike in the rain is not exactly what I would like to do, especially the steep uphill trip back to The Vines). My double room is a bit smaller than at Messiah, but it does have a sink in the room which is fabulous!

I wish I could write more, but I'm simply exhausted and since it is 7:38 pm here, I feel that I will not suffer jet lag too badly if I take a small nap.

More later!

Cheers =)