Hello to all of you near and dear to my heart,
Welcome to my first blog! This is exciting for me, and I hope you enjoy reading about my experiences as much as I have enjoyed every waking moment here in Oxford. I have been living in the United Kingdom for 8 weeks now, however, I did make a brief trip back home to see family and participate in a very good friend's wedding. Now that I've returned I have 5 months of adventurous travels and unique learning experiences ahead of me, and I anticipate the exciting moments God has in store for me!
To update you, my time here so far has been Life changing. Some adjectives to enhance my brief statement: incredible, extraordinary, beautiful, active, & enlightening. Already in such a short amount of time much has been demanded of me intellectually and I find myself growing in ways I never thought possible. My increasing historical knowledge has encouraged me to fully appreciate my daily surroundings some of which date as far back as the 1100's. Being on my own and traveling on my own has also been a great learning experience. I've made several friends through the study-abroad program, but I greatly look forward to forming relationships with Oxford students when they return in the fall.
The Oxford study-abroad programs has integrated me as an associate student of New College (est. 1379) and I have full access to the dining hall, Junior Common Room and Library at the college, as well as the University's famous Bodleian Library. It has been incredible to study in such historically rich surroundings, it's almost as if the surroundings have made me more knowledgeable through osmosis.
Much is expected of me academically while studying here. I am currently taking 2 tutorials, one on British Imperialism and the Royal Navy, the second on Museum Studies. I may occasionally post excerpts from my readings that I find intriguing, or representative of my views on the subject. For each tutorial, I write an essay approximately 7 to 9 pages every week with anywhere from 7 to 10 books to read in preparation. Of course as most History papers go, I don't need to read every book cover to cover but skim pertinent information instead.
I work hard on my studies, but I make sure I play hard too. I have enjoyed experiencing the city of Oxford with friends during weeknights and on weekends. One of our favorite activities is to go on a Pub Crawl, which sounds a lot more worse than it really is. We have had many an interesting conversation or even intense debates over a pint of ale (ladies have half-pints) in a cozy pub booth late at night. One quaint pub a few blocks from our apartment is the Eagle and Child, a literary refuge of Tolkien, Lewis and the Inklings.
My apartment is a cozy place in the neighborhood of Jericho, about a 15 minute walk from the center of town and the New college grounds. It is a lovely modern day residence with 6 individual bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a cozy living room, modern kitchen and even a dining room! It is the perfect base of operations for both study and travel.
I have not been able to do a lot of traveling because of the demands of my studies. I have, however, so far visited London once (a pleasant 2 hour bus ride), the City of Bath, Windsor Castle, Blenheim Palace and on Friday we visit Portsmouth which I am VERY excited about! Portsmouth is historically a central port city of the Royal Navy and is also significant in the launch of D-Day operations. I will definitely have a lot to say after that trip.
I will update continuously, though perhaps not every single day. I look forward to communicating my experiences here with all of you! Cheers!
Much Love,
Lindsay