Come on Dad, you know I'm under a no alcohol contract, except for communion of course. Otherwise, I probably would have tasted some ale. They all thought I was crazy going to a pub and getting coffee.
So I'm exhausted today and getting tired of keeping up with this blog. I'm glad to be going back just so I don't have to keep writing on here.
Let's see...
Monday:
I met with my tutor for the last time. We met at Blackwell's, the largest bookstore pretty much ever. Five floors I think and a wonderful selection of books. I was tempted to buy many of them. The tutorial went well. She was very pleased with my work and showed me the documents she was submitting to Taylor with comments about my progress.
I went to Green Templeton College for lunch where I met with a Master's student from Virginia named Brooke. She is getting her second Master's in Oxford in educational research methodology and going straight into her DPhil from there. But her focus is in math education and she taught junior high in Fairfax County in Virginia for several years. I got to ask her quite a few questions about British education and about Oxford's education program for postgraduates. It opened up my mind to other career paths with my degree and she gave me a great deal of advice about teaching and continuing my education. All in all, a very profitable lunch and another contact made.
Amy and I hit up so many colleges my feet were aching by the end of it. We got to all but two, making a total of 36. Apparently this is quite a feat as any we told about it was amazed. Many people who have lived in Oxford for decades haven't visited all of the colleges. It was definitely an experience.
Supper was an event. All the host families and students met together for supper. We were served sparkling juice in wine glasses and a vast array of food. It was a lot of fun and the girls got quite goofy by the end. We decided not to let the night end and headed to George & Danver's, an ice cream shop, to play cards. Katherine and Nick, two of the Jones's, whose house we were at, came with us. They're 19 and 17. We played a few rounds of Euchere at two separate tables. I had tea instead of ice cream as I was low on cash. G & D's is one of the only places open late, besides the pubs. We stayed til midnight and then headed back.
This was my second night of less than six hours of sleep so I'm starting to feel it today.
Today, several of us met at Blackwell's and had coffee and chatted. I went to lunch with Amy and Haley, but ate the leftovers from my trips to Sainsburys, the grocery store nearby. It was warm enough to eat outside. Then Amy and I walked around, got chocolate and a card for my host family, and looked at clothes. She wasn't feeling well and I was tired so we ended up back at Blackwell's so we could sit down.
We met Janelle later in the afternoon and went to the Botanical Gardens. They aren't too fantastic in the winter, but still pretty. Amy and I hit up the last two colleges. It was a bit anticlimatic, as we were very tired, but still an accomplishment. All 38 colleges in 3 and a half weeks!
Mike and Liz are having a farewell dinner for us tonight. I plan on napping a bit before then. Tonight will be packing and taking care of last minute things. We are to be at Gloucester Green at 11:30 tomorrow, bags in hand, which means a call to the cab company tonight. We fly out of London-Heathrowe at 3:30 and arrive in Chicago around 7, although it's actually a nine hour flight. Then we drive from Chicago to Taylor and should get in around one in the morning. Please pray for safety on the van ride back to Taylor as our professor, who already has a track record of bad driving, will be jet-lagged and driving late at night.
Overall I'm thankful for the experiences and learning I've had over these last few weeks. It was a great trip and a good balance between sight-seeing, experiencing the culture, and studying. The learning that occurred was extremely impactful for teaching and my view of mathematics. Oxford is definitely a place I would love to come back to in the future.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Day Nineteen
Seriously guys. The lack of comments is rather distressing. The last three posts are 0,1,0. Come on now, I enjoy reading the comments as much as you enjoy reading my posts. Tell me anything, even if it has nothing to do with my blog.
Anyway, today was just wonderful. I'm beginning to feel like I fit in around here, which is sad when I only have two more days to enjoy Oxford. I really am not sure about my Masters. It's difficult to get in and I don't know if I could handle the academic rigor. But I'll keep it in mind.
This morning April and I went to St. Matthews like the first week. It's a bit more charismatic, although still Anglican. I would have gone to St. Ebbe's again but we were having lunch with the Vicar and his family so it made more sense to be at St. Matthews. The service was enjoyable. There are lots of families with little children and I like watching the kids run around after the service.
Lunch with the Vicar's family was great. Joe and David are staying there so April and I weren't on our own for lunch. Dessert was apple crumble with ice cream, very similar to Tottie's apple crisp, although Tottie's is still better. I'm going to miss the great food we have here. It's nice just having cooked meals everyday, rather than the fast food and junk we have in the States.
I had just enough time to check my email back home before heading out again. The girls and I met Adam, Joel Estoye's nephew, at Pembroke. He showed us around a bit and I delivered a letter from Joel. Pembroke is only open through an appointment, so Amy and I got to check another college off our list that we wouldn't normally get to go to. Then we hit up three other colleges, bribing the porter into letter us in to Worcester College, which had beautiful grounds with a lovely lake and bridge. We snuck into St. Peter's College. Amy and I are getting quite good at sneaking in. Just follow a student, look confident, and pretend to know where you're going. No one questions us.
The entire town closes down at 5, when it gets dark, so I headed back to the house for a bit. Then I went to an evening service at St. Ebbes. Best decision ever. It was a great service. We had communion so I got to drink wine, from a cup at least twenty people had already drank from. I stayed after and found out the guy next to me was also from Ohio. I had coffee and chatted with a bunch of people and ended up going with them to the pub. Now don't be concerned...I had coffee at the pub, although everyone else except one had beer. They made fun of me but not too much. The people were so funny and I had a great time. We did accents and talked about American football. I find that I'm much more confident when I'm on my own and with two cups of coffee in me, the caffeine makes me much more talkative.
I only wish I had gone there for the last two weeks so I could have gotten to know them better. They were all in their 20s-30s and all single. I seem to do well with that demographic. Debbie bought me coffee and had tea herself. Although there were about 15 of them there, our group was Debbie, me, and about six guys. They had me laughing the entire time and took great delight themselves in my attempt at a British accent. I felt a bit under pressure so I have to admit, my accent did sound rather terrible. However, I couldn't convince any of them to do an American accent so at least I tried. I got back around ten and found out April was about ready to send out a search party for me. I guess I was gone quite a while.
The college count is up to 20 and I hope to get at least 10 more tomorrow.
I really should be in bed but the caffeine is still making me jittery. I should have known better.
Anyway, today was just wonderful. I'm beginning to feel like I fit in around here, which is sad when I only have two more days to enjoy Oxford. I really am not sure about my Masters. It's difficult to get in and I don't know if I could handle the academic rigor. But I'll keep it in mind.
This morning April and I went to St. Matthews like the first week. It's a bit more charismatic, although still Anglican. I would have gone to St. Ebbe's again but we were having lunch with the Vicar and his family so it made more sense to be at St. Matthews. The service was enjoyable. There are lots of families with little children and I like watching the kids run around after the service.
Lunch with the Vicar's family was great. Joe and David are staying there so April and I weren't on our own for lunch. Dessert was apple crumble with ice cream, very similar to Tottie's apple crisp, although Tottie's is still better. I'm going to miss the great food we have here. It's nice just having cooked meals everyday, rather than the fast food and junk we have in the States.
I had just enough time to check my email back home before heading out again. The girls and I met Adam, Joel Estoye's nephew, at Pembroke. He showed us around a bit and I delivered a letter from Joel. Pembroke is only open through an appointment, so Amy and I got to check another college off our list that we wouldn't normally get to go to. Then we hit up three other colleges, bribing the porter into letter us in to Worcester College, which had beautiful grounds with a lovely lake and bridge. We snuck into St. Peter's College. Amy and I are getting quite good at sneaking in. Just follow a student, look confident, and pretend to know where you're going. No one questions us.
The entire town closes down at 5, when it gets dark, so I headed back to the house for a bit. Then I went to an evening service at St. Ebbes. Best decision ever. It was a great service. We had communion so I got to drink wine, from a cup at least twenty people had already drank from. I stayed after and found out the guy next to me was also from Ohio. I had coffee and chatted with a bunch of people and ended up going with them to the pub. Now don't be concerned...I had coffee at the pub, although everyone else except one had beer. They made fun of me but not too much. The people were so funny and I had a great time. We did accents and talked about American football. I find that I'm much more confident when I'm on my own and with two cups of coffee in me, the caffeine makes me much more talkative.
I only wish I had gone there for the last two weeks so I could have gotten to know them better. They were all in their 20s-30s and all single. I seem to do well with that demographic. Debbie bought me coffee and had tea herself. Although there were about 15 of them there, our group was Debbie, me, and about six guys. They had me laughing the entire time and took great delight themselves in my attempt at a British accent. I felt a bit under pressure so I have to admit, my accent did sound rather terrible. However, I couldn't convince any of them to do an American accent so at least I tried. I got back around ten and found out April was about ready to send out a search party for me. I guess I was gone quite a while.
The college count is up to 20 and I hope to get at least 10 more tomorrow.
I really should be in bed but the caffeine is still making me jittery. I should have known better.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Day Eighteen
Fun fact: I'm pretty sure there's no such thing as censorship here. We've passed numerous ads that would never have been allowed up in the States. And apparently today, Joe was walking around in Bath and a crowd formed for some reason, I'm not sure of the details...but two older men stripped completely and ran around or something like that. I'm not sure if they were trying to make a statement or, well I don't know. I'm just glad I was nowhere near there to witness such an event.
We traveled to Bath today. Another terrifying adventure in the 12 passenger van with a crazy driver. He actually hit a parked car this evening and I couldn't even count how many times we were beeped at or how many times he stalled the van. Thankfully, God kept us safe and that's the last bus ride we have.
We dropped by Stonehenge on the way. It's a pile of stones...really not that exciting. I was more interested in the sheep nearby, but I couldn't get them to come close enough so I could touch them. My audio guide was broken and in Spanish so I was not all that impressed with Stonehenge. One of the seven wonders of the world?...maybe they should reconsider.
Bath was great. The architecture in the town was beautiful...more stone and longer buildings. It felt more homey and inviting somehow, rather than the austerior, striking architecture of Oxford. We spent some time checking out the Roman baths. Then the girls went to the Jane Austen museum, which was really neat, especially having just finished watching Pride and Prejudice. We then walked around the city for an hour, saw the Circus and the Royal Crescent, which probably means nothing to you. It was very pretty.
We're back early and still hostless until tomorrow night. I've enjoyed taking on the 'mother' role and emptying the dishwasher and setting up for breakfast and all that fun stuff.
It feels great knowing I don't have any work hanging over my head and I can just enjoy the last few days.
We traveled to Bath today. Another terrifying adventure in the 12 passenger van with a crazy driver. He actually hit a parked car this evening and I couldn't even count how many times we were beeped at or how many times he stalled the van. Thankfully, God kept us safe and that's the last bus ride we have.
We dropped by Stonehenge on the way. It's a pile of stones...really not that exciting. I was more interested in the sheep nearby, but I couldn't get them to come close enough so I could touch them. My audio guide was broken and in Spanish so I was not all that impressed with Stonehenge. One of the seven wonders of the world?...maybe they should reconsider.
Bath was great. The architecture in the town was beautiful...more stone and longer buildings. It felt more homey and inviting somehow, rather than the austerior, striking architecture of Oxford. We spent some time checking out the Roman baths. Then the girls went to the Jane Austen museum, which was really neat, especially having just finished watching Pride and Prejudice. We then walked around the city for an hour, saw the Circus and the Royal Crescent, which probably means nothing to you. It was very pretty.
We're back early and still hostless until tomorrow night. I've enjoyed taking on the 'mother' role and emptying the dishwasher and setting up for breakfast and all that fun stuff.
It feels great knowing I don't have any work hanging over my head and I can just enjoy the last few days.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Day Seventeen
Today was one of the best yet in Oxford.
I spent most of the morning in the library finishing up my paper. It ended up being a whopping nine pages and was combined with my other assignment, giving a total of 14 pages. She already sent me feedback on the paper and said the writing was excellent. I did spent quite a bit of time working on that and actually enjoyed it, for the most part.
We got another baguette from Sainsbury's, spending a whole 20 pence a piece, and had lunch again at my host's home. The wind was strong and it was way too cold to eat outside. I still had chocolate mousse leftover (I bought it a few days ago...a four pack for 34 pence...what a steal!) and some jaffa cakes (cookies with chocolate and jam). We dunked our bread in humous and ate it with cheese. I could eat that for like two weeks straight. Between the three of us, we polished off a 2 foot long baguette...not bad.
The afternoon was spent checking out more colleges. Amy, April, and I walked all the way up to Summertown, about a 45 minute walk. We saw new parts of Oxford, including the Oxford University Press, and walked around I think five colleges. Keble College was by far the best. Amazing! Of course, my camera chose at that point to run out of batteries. We're closer to our goal now of seeing all the colleges. On our way back, Amy and I snuck in after some students into Wadham College and walked around. It was a lot of fun.
Tonight the girls are coming to our house to finish up Pride and Prejudice. It only took us three times of meeting to get all five hours in. My family is gone for the weekend so we have the house all to ourselves until Sunday night. Party!! Unfortunately, we won't be here for most of it.
I'm currently cooking dinner in the oven. She had everything ready. I just had to cook it all. We're having southern fried chicken, chips (fries), corn on the cob, and pudding with meringues and bananas for dessert...mmm. I'm always so hungry for dinner. I'm afraid I'm going to gain 20 pounds when I come back to the States if my appetite continues. Better go check the chicken again.
Oh, I'll be back in town Thursday morning and leave again on Sunday to start back at Taylor. So if you want to see pictures, I'll try and bring some Sunday morning.
I spent most of the morning in the library finishing up my paper. It ended up being a whopping nine pages and was combined with my other assignment, giving a total of 14 pages. She already sent me feedback on the paper and said the writing was excellent. I did spent quite a bit of time working on that and actually enjoyed it, for the most part.
We got another baguette from Sainsbury's, spending a whole 20 pence a piece, and had lunch again at my host's home. The wind was strong and it was way too cold to eat outside. I still had chocolate mousse leftover (I bought it a few days ago...a four pack for 34 pence...what a steal!) and some jaffa cakes (cookies with chocolate and jam). We dunked our bread in humous and ate it with cheese. I could eat that for like two weeks straight. Between the three of us, we polished off a 2 foot long baguette...not bad.
The afternoon was spent checking out more colleges. Amy, April, and I walked all the way up to Summertown, about a 45 minute walk. We saw new parts of Oxford, including the Oxford University Press, and walked around I think five colleges. Keble College was by far the best. Amazing! Of course, my camera chose at that point to run out of batteries. We're closer to our goal now of seeing all the colleges. On our way back, Amy and I snuck in after some students into Wadham College and walked around. It was a lot of fun.
Tonight the girls are coming to our house to finish up Pride and Prejudice. It only took us three times of meeting to get all five hours in. My family is gone for the weekend so we have the house all to ourselves until Sunday night. Party!! Unfortunately, we won't be here for most of it.
I'm currently cooking dinner in the oven. She had everything ready. I just had to cook it all. We're having southern fried chicken, chips (fries), corn on the cob, and pudding with meringues and bananas for dessert...mmm. I'm always so hungry for dinner. I'm afraid I'm going to gain 20 pounds when I come back to the States if my appetite continues. Better go check the chicken again.
Oh, I'll be back in town Thursday morning and leave again on Sunday to start back at Taylor. So if you want to see pictures, I'll try and bring some Sunday morning.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Day Sixteen
Thursday:
Today was an all travel day to make up for Saturday's mishap. We met at eight, although Dr. Mitchell didn't show up with the van until 8:45. He's not really a good driver in the States, and driving a stick and being on the other side of the road led to a pretty terrifying experience today. We did a lot of praying, had a few near collisions, but I'm back and no worse for the wear.
We got to visit Warwick Castle, which was really cool. They had a wax museum and I got pretty confused trying to figure out if the figures were real or not. I thought one lady was just a wax figure until she moved and scared me to death.
One of the caretakers of the castle was really friendly and told Amy and I all kinds of neat facts. He tried to make a joke about Indiana Jones being from Indiana, but we didn't really get it. British humor just isn't the same.
I climbed several more towers today, although not as scary as Magdelen Tower. But I was proud of myself. We also got to see a billion peacocks up close. The garden was full of them.
After Warwick, we drove to Stratford-Upon-Avon. We checked out Trinity Church where Shakespeare is buried before heading to the theater. Romeo and Juliet was playing, but it was a modernized version. However, the dialogue was the same and I ended up falling asleep a couple of times. Cut me some slack, the play was over three hours long.
We experienced high tea for supper. I actually just had coffee and a scone and then we randomly decided to split three milkshakes between five of us. However, British milkshakes are basically flavored milk, so it wasn't all that satisfying.
Now we're back home and I'm trying to motivate myself to finish my paper. We'll see about that.
Today was an all travel day to make up for Saturday's mishap. We met at eight, although Dr. Mitchell didn't show up with the van until 8:45. He's not really a good driver in the States, and driving a stick and being on the other side of the road led to a pretty terrifying experience today. We did a lot of praying, had a few near collisions, but I'm back and no worse for the wear.
We got to visit Warwick Castle, which was really cool. They had a wax museum and I got pretty confused trying to figure out if the figures were real or not. I thought one lady was just a wax figure until she moved and scared me to death.
One of the caretakers of the castle was really friendly and told Amy and I all kinds of neat facts. He tried to make a joke about Indiana Jones being from Indiana, but we didn't really get it. British humor just isn't the same.
I climbed several more towers today, although not as scary as Magdelen Tower. But I was proud of myself. We also got to see a billion peacocks up close. The garden was full of them.
After Warwick, we drove to Stratford-Upon-Avon. We checked out Trinity Church where Shakespeare is buried before heading to the theater. Romeo and Juliet was playing, but it was a modernized version. However, the dialogue was the same and I ended up falling asleep a couple of times. Cut me some slack, the play was over three hours long.
We experienced high tea for supper. I actually just had coffee and a scone and then we randomly decided to split three milkshakes between five of us. However, British milkshakes are basically flavored milk, so it wasn't all that satisfying.
Now we're back home and I'm trying to motivate myself to finish my paper. We'll see about that.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Day Fourteen and Fifteen
Sorry I didn't get time to post yesterday.
Tuesday:
I walked around with a few of the girls in the morning and made it to the library around 11. That only gave me about an hour and a half of paper writing time before I had to leave for lunch. But I still got quite a bit written. This is the last assignment and isn't due until the weekend.
I actually got to meet up with two girls from my floor who stayed in London for a week before they head off to Tanzania for the semester: Laura Schmucker and Angela. We ate at the Eagle and Child...my sandwich had three pieces of bread. I'm developing a taste for mayo, not really something I want to like but it's on all the sandwiches here.
Amy and I showed the girls around Oxford all afternoon. We went around to many of the colleges of Oxford and walked around. We have a goal of seeing all 38 before we leave and we are well on our way to achieving that. Amy and I actually snuck into New College. The door was locked but a girl was leaving and held the door open for us, so we went right in. We pretended like we knew exactly where we were going, but we got a bit lost and didn't find anything worthwhile.
Liz fixed us southern fried chicken for dinner. It was nice to have a more American dish.
We had Bible study from 7:30-10:30 last night. I was a bit tired and had a headache so I didn't contribute as much. However, I really enjoy the people and the discussion. It has been great to get involved in something like this; makes us feel like we actually live here.
Wednesday:
Plans changed and we ended up leading the Literary London group from Taylor around this morning. We only had an hour so we took them to Blackwells, the six floor amazing bookstore here. So once again I didn't make it to the library until after eleven and here I am blogging rather than working on my paper.
I plan to spend the afternoon at the library. This assignment is a reflection on my learning throughout the course. It's taking a while because there's so much to say. I was finally sent the grading scheme this morning. Apparently, I am to grade my own work and then she'll grade it and together we'll come up with a grade. I'm not sure how I feel about this. I am used to a much more objective grading system and don't like that I couldn't adjust my amount of time and energy spent during the course since I haven't received any feedback. However, regardless of the grade I am assigned, I learned a great deal and have so much to continue to sort through before I begin teaching.
Tonight the girls are getting back together at Hayley's to finish watching Pride and Prejudice. It should be a lot of fun.
Tuesday:
I walked around with a few of the girls in the morning and made it to the library around 11. That only gave me about an hour and a half of paper writing time before I had to leave for lunch. But I still got quite a bit written. This is the last assignment and isn't due until the weekend.
I actually got to meet up with two girls from my floor who stayed in London for a week before they head off to Tanzania for the semester: Laura Schmucker and Angela. We ate at the Eagle and Child...my sandwich had three pieces of bread. I'm developing a taste for mayo, not really something I want to like but it's on all the sandwiches here.
Amy and I showed the girls around Oxford all afternoon. We went around to many of the colleges of Oxford and walked around. We have a goal of seeing all 38 before we leave and we are well on our way to achieving that. Amy and I actually snuck into New College. The door was locked but a girl was leaving and held the door open for us, so we went right in. We pretended like we knew exactly where we were going, but we got a bit lost and didn't find anything worthwhile.
Liz fixed us southern fried chicken for dinner. It was nice to have a more American dish.
We had Bible study from 7:30-10:30 last night. I was a bit tired and had a headache so I didn't contribute as much. However, I really enjoy the people and the discussion. It has been great to get involved in something like this; makes us feel like we actually live here.
Wednesday:
Plans changed and we ended up leading the Literary London group from Taylor around this morning. We only had an hour so we took them to Blackwells, the six floor amazing bookstore here. So once again I didn't make it to the library until after eleven and here I am blogging rather than working on my paper.
I plan to spend the afternoon at the library. This assignment is a reflection on my learning throughout the course. It's taking a while because there's so much to say. I was finally sent the grading scheme this morning. Apparently, I am to grade my own work and then she'll grade it and together we'll come up with a grade. I'm not sure how I feel about this. I am used to a much more objective grading system and don't like that I couldn't adjust my amount of time and energy spent during the course since I haven't received any feedback. However, regardless of the grade I am assigned, I learned a great deal and have so much to continue to sort through before I begin teaching.
Tonight the girls are getting back together at Hayley's to finish watching Pride and Prejudice. It should be a lot of fun.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Day Twelve and Thirteen
So I just found out that the Eagle and Child, the pub I mentioned earlier, is the place where the Inklings met every Tuesday (you know, C.S. Lewis and Tolkien and all those other Oxford dons). I thought it was just a cool pub. Regardless, we actually didn't get to eat there. It was too crowded. All the British do on Saturday nights is congregate in the pubs and get heartily drunk. Seriously, it was crazy. Most of the pubs don't even serve food on Saturdays, just beer. Oh Europe and their love for alcohol.
We ended up splitting up and our group went to the Mission. It was the exact equivalent of Chipotle...I actually felt like I was sitting in Chipotle. There is very limited seating room in any restaurant, which was why the group split, but we managed to nab a table at the Mission right as a group of people left. It was a very rude and American thing to do, but hey, we got seats.
Sunday:
Amy and I went to St. Ebbe's for church, the most reformed Anglican church in Oxford. The preaching was good. Mark Meynall, from All Soul's Church in London, spoke on Matthew 9 and how God looked right past the physical ailment to the spiritual. We had coffee afterwards, but it was so crowded in the room that only one person managed to talk to us for a few minutes. We plan on going to the student service next Sunday and are hoping to interact more with the people there.
Sunday's dinner was absolutely amazing...like Thanksgiving except I actually liked the food. We had two of the boys over, Joe and David, and next week are supposed to go to their host's for dinner (dinner=lunch, supper=dinner here). We were served turkey, stuffing, roasted potatoes, fresh corn, carrots, parsnips, and brussel sprouts (Yes I tried one, not as bad as I thought it would be). Dessert was chocolate mousse, British apple pie, and ice cream. And then of course the traditional cheese and biscuit course. I was so stuffed, but the food was excellent.
I finished my paper in the afternoon and headed over with April to where Hayley is staying to watch BBC's Pride and Prejudice with the girls. Of course we didn't get through the whole thing, but it is so much better watching it in England. We plan on finishing it up Wednesday night.
Monday:
I went shopping this morning since I had finished my assignment. I returned a cardigan from Primart and got two shirts instead and still got money back. Primark is amazingly cheap...however, they're currently in a bunch of lawsuits for illegal workers and paying their employees less than minimum wage. Yeah it's not so good.
We visited the Kilns today, C.S. Lewis' home. The guide spent about two hours giving incredible details about Lewis' life. Much of the furniture has been replaced, but they tried to set it up like he would have had it. The rooms, especially the common room where he did much reading and writing, still smelled like smoke from his pipe. We saw the pond where he did a lot of swimming and Dr. Mitchell tried to get us to take a Wildlife walk through the mud, but my shoes got covered and I gave up rather quickly. The property is tucked away in a residential area although the houses were built after the Kilns. It still houses Oxford students. In fact, there was one there as we were touring.
I had my tutorial in the afternoon at the University Club. There's a cafe area and a gymnasium downstairs. We discussed the learning theories in depth and everything I'm reading is beginning to come together. My next assignment is to reflect on all that I've learned and I'm looking forward to condensing everything and reflecting on my studies here and how it will impact my future teaching.
I love the evenings here when I don't have an assignment to work on. We spend hours at the supper table talking with Mike and Liz, covering topics such as education, gun control, and politics. It has given me such a better sense of the culture and differences between England and the U.S.
It's hard to believe this is the last full week here.
I'm sorry to hear you haven't been able to post comments. I'm enjoying reading them and laughing at the cold weather there. Mom, I thought you should know, I've worn just about every item of clothing I've brought and almost every pair of shoes. So it was worth overpacking...I'm making good use of everything.
We ended up splitting up and our group went to the Mission. It was the exact equivalent of Chipotle...I actually felt like I was sitting in Chipotle. There is very limited seating room in any restaurant, which was why the group split, but we managed to nab a table at the Mission right as a group of people left. It was a very rude and American thing to do, but hey, we got seats.
Sunday:
Amy and I went to St. Ebbe's for church, the most reformed Anglican church in Oxford. The preaching was good. Mark Meynall, from All Soul's Church in London, spoke on Matthew 9 and how God looked right past the physical ailment to the spiritual. We had coffee afterwards, but it was so crowded in the room that only one person managed to talk to us for a few minutes. We plan on going to the student service next Sunday and are hoping to interact more with the people there.
Sunday's dinner was absolutely amazing...like Thanksgiving except I actually liked the food. We had two of the boys over, Joe and David, and next week are supposed to go to their host's for dinner (dinner=lunch, supper=dinner here). We were served turkey, stuffing, roasted potatoes, fresh corn, carrots, parsnips, and brussel sprouts (Yes I tried one, not as bad as I thought it would be). Dessert was chocolate mousse, British apple pie, and ice cream. And then of course the traditional cheese and biscuit course. I was so stuffed, but the food was excellent.
I finished my paper in the afternoon and headed over with April to where Hayley is staying to watch BBC's Pride and Prejudice with the girls. Of course we didn't get through the whole thing, but it is so much better watching it in England. We plan on finishing it up Wednesday night.
Monday:
I went shopping this morning since I had finished my assignment. I returned a cardigan from Primart and got two shirts instead and still got money back. Primark is amazingly cheap...however, they're currently in a bunch of lawsuits for illegal workers and paying their employees less than minimum wage. Yeah it's not so good.
We visited the Kilns today, C.S. Lewis' home. The guide spent about two hours giving incredible details about Lewis' life. Much of the furniture has been replaced, but they tried to set it up like he would have had it. The rooms, especially the common room where he did much reading and writing, still smelled like smoke from his pipe. We saw the pond where he did a lot of swimming and Dr. Mitchell tried to get us to take a Wildlife walk through the mud, but my shoes got covered and I gave up rather quickly. The property is tucked away in a residential area although the houses were built after the Kilns. It still houses Oxford students. In fact, there was one there as we were touring.
I had my tutorial in the afternoon at the University Club. There's a cafe area and a gymnasium downstairs. We discussed the learning theories in depth and everything I'm reading is beginning to come together. My next assignment is to reflect on all that I've learned and I'm looking forward to condensing everything and reflecting on my studies here and how it will impact my future teaching.
I love the evenings here when I don't have an assignment to work on. We spend hours at the supper table talking with Mike and Liz, covering topics such as education, gun control, and politics. It has given me such a better sense of the culture and differences between England and the U.S.
It's hard to believe this is the last full week here.
I'm sorry to hear you haven't been able to post comments. I'm enjoying reading them and laughing at the cold weather there. Mom, I thought you should know, I've worn just about every item of clothing I've brought and almost every pair of shoes. So it was worth overpacking...I'm making good use of everything.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Day Ten, Eleven, Twelve
Yes I realize it's Saturday and I haven't posted yet. I told you I was busy...I meant it.
Thursday:
The girls (all seven of us) took a trip into London on Thursday. We walked absolutely everywhere. My feet hurt so badly by that night I didn't think I'd ever be able to walk again. We started at the Wallace Galleries, looking at portraits. Next was the Kensington Royal Gardens and Palace, where we had lunch. Some of the girls fed squirrels out of their hands. I, on the other hand, was terrified and ran if they got close to me. There were so many people out walking their dogs in the park. A little puppy ran right up to me. We took a picture by the infamous Peter Pan statue.
We visited Kensington Palace, birthplace of Queen Victoria. There was so much there: tons of Princess Diana clothing and memorabilia, paintings, Queen's Victoria's bedroom, etc. I think it was my favorite.
Lastly, we went to the Victoria and Albert museum. We checked out the fashion, photography, and paintings exhibits. At this point, it was all we could do to keep walking.
We took the tube to Queen's Theater, had dinner and met the boys and Dr. Mitchell for the show. It was Les Miserables and it was absolutely amazing! I didn't know much about the play but thoroughly enjoyed it.
We got in around one in the morning and were pretty exhausted from the day.
Friday:
We took a bus to Cambridge University. What we didn't realize, due to some lack of communication. was that it was a three hour ride to Cambridge, meaning we could only spend two hours there. Two hours proved to be sufficient as the town is really built around the University. King's College Chapel was neat and we walked along the river, but other than that is was your typical English town. After another long bus ride back where I got to hear all about the guy next to me's divorce and current move. People and their cell phones. The whole back of the bus could hear his life story. So the trip wasn't really worth the time it took. But it's another place of interest to check off the list.
Saturday:
Well I'm here at the library, not where I should be right now. We had full intentions of going to see Warwick Castle and a show at Stratford-Upon-Avon, Shakespeare's birthplace. However, things got a little crazy and it didn't work out. So that got rescheduled for Thursday. The girls went shopping today and found great deals. I had trouble not buying everything in the store. January is sales month...so tempting. I've been reading the lovely psychologists Thorndike, Skinner, and Piaget for the past few hours and working on an assignment.
Tonight, the Taylor students are going to the Eagle and Child, a well-known pub, for fish and chips. I promise to try it, but will not be ordering it. I hate fish. Then I assume I'll go back to the host's home and work on my assignment some more before heading to bed early.
Leave me comments or I'm tempted to stop writing. :-)
Oh and sorry about the bad weather there. It's just wonderful here!
Thursday:
The girls (all seven of us) took a trip into London on Thursday. We walked absolutely everywhere. My feet hurt so badly by that night I didn't think I'd ever be able to walk again. We started at the Wallace Galleries, looking at portraits. Next was the Kensington Royal Gardens and Palace, where we had lunch. Some of the girls fed squirrels out of their hands. I, on the other hand, was terrified and ran if they got close to me. There were so many people out walking their dogs in the park. A little puppy ran right up to me. We took a picture by the infamous Peter Pan statue.
We visited Kensington Palace, birthplace of Queen Victoria. There was so much there: tons of Princess Diana clothing and memorabilia, paintings, Queen's Victoria's bedroom, etc. I think it was my favorite.
Lastly, we went to the Victoria and Albert museum. We checked out the fashion, photography, and paintings exhibits. At this point, it was all we could do to keep walking.
We took the tube to Queen's Theater, had dinner and met the boys and Dr. Mitchell for the show. It was Les Miserables and it was absolutely amazing! I didn't know much about the play but thoroughly enjoyed it.
We got in around one in the morning and were pretty exhausted from the day.
Friday:
We took a bus to Cambridge University. What we didn't realize, due to some lack of communication. was that it was a three hour ride to Cambridge, meaning we could only spend two hours there. Two hours proved to be sufficient as the town is really built around the University. King's College Chapel was neat and we walked along the river, but other than that is was your typical English town. After another long bus ride back where I got to hear all about the guy next to me's divorce and current move. People and their cell phones. The whole back of the bus could hear his life story. So the trip wasn't really worth the time it took. But it's another place of interest to check off the list.
Saturday:
Well I'm here at the library, not where I should be right now. We had full intentions of going to see Warwick Castle and a show at Stratford-Upon-Avon, Shakespeare's birthplace. However, things got a little crazy and it didn't work out. So that got rescheduled for Thursday. The girls went shopping today and found great deals. I had trouble not buying everything in the store. January is sales month...so tempting. I've been reading the lovely psychologists Thorndike, Skinner, and Piaget for the past few hours and working on an assignment.
Tonight, the Taylor students are going to the Eagle and Child, a well-known pub, for fish and chips. I promise to try it, but will not be ordering it. I hate fish. Then I assume I'll go back to the host's home and work on my assignment some more before heading to bed early.
Leave me comments or I'm tempted to stop writing. :-)
Oh and sorry about the bad weather there. It's just wonderful here!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Day Nine
Fact of the day: English chutney could be equivalent to barbecue sauce. I put it on my ham sandwich for tomorrow...why not?
The Bible study was really great. It was nice to meet new people who are around our age and the study itself was beneficial.
We got back around 10:30, later than expected, and I had an assignment due the next day. So I stayed up until 1:00 analyzing a recording of myself working through a math problem, well stumbling through it anyway. It was a neat assignment and I was pleased with my ability to write five pages in two hours.
Today the girls went to a pantomime, or British play, of Sleeping Beauty. We were there with hundreds of school children. It was so much fun! They interacted a lot with the audience and the kids were very responsive. I of course, yelled and sung along with them. It was definitely worth the money.
I had my readings for the next tutorial sent to Radcliffe Camera, a beautiful domelike building that is part of the Bodelian Library. I got to climb a spiral staircase to read up at the top of the dome. It was so cool!
My third tutorial was today at the Social Sciences Library, which is, unfortunately, a modern looking building. Our discussion was good and I feel prepared to do the next assignment, which is due Monday. She bought me coffee, so this lady is ok in my book. I am learning a lot and my thinking regarding education is being challenged. I read an article today on equity in the classroom, which was fascinating. I wish we had all this literature at our fingertips in the Staes. I am definitely trying to take advantage of it while I can.
I need to get some sleep tonight to make up for my lack of it last night. We have big travel plans for the next three days: London, Cambridge, and Stratford.
The weather, by the way, is much milder now; thirties and drier. I am enjoying the long walks to and from town. I would guess that I walk between 6-10 miles a day...crazy.
The Bible study was really great. It was nice to meet new people who are around our age and the study itself was beneficial.
We got back around 10:30, later than expected, and I had an assignment due the next day. So I stayed up until 1:00 analyzing a recording of myself working through a math problem, well stumbling through it anyway. It was a neat assignment and I was pleased with my ability to write five pages in two hours.
Today the girls went to a pantomime, or British play, of Sleeping Beauty. We were there with hundreds of school children. It was so much fun! They interacted a lot with the audience and the kids were very responsive. I of course, yelled and sung along with them. It was definitely worth the money.
I had my readings for the next tutorial sent to Radcliffe Camera, a beautiful domelike building that is part of the Bodelian Library. I got to climb a spiral staircase to read up at the top of the dome. It was so cool!
My third tutorial was today at the Social Sciences Library, which is, unfortunately, a modern looking building. Our discussion was good and I feel prepared to do the next assignment, which is due Monday. She bought me coffee, so this lady is ok in my book. I am learning a lot and my thinking regarding education is being challenged. I read an article today on equity in the classroom, which was fascinating. I wish we had all this literature at our fingertips in the Staes. I am definitely trying to take advantage of it while I can.
I need to get some sleep tonight to make up for my lack of it last night. We have big travel plans for the next three days: London, Cambridge, and Stratford.
The weather, by the way, is much milder now; thirties and drier. I am enjoying the long walks to and from town. I would guess that I walk between 6-10 miles a day...crazy.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Day Eight
I spent the morning in the library and finished reading my assignments for tomorrow's tutorial. I have yet to do the actual assignment, but it looks like it will have to wait until later tonight.
We met up for lunch once again and headed to Magdalen College, where a guy from the States gave us a tour. He is a fellow in Exeter college but was a student at Magdalen previously. We climbed up Magdalen Tower, up a winding, steep staircase and ten foot ladder. I thought that would be the worst part, but the tower was fairly small and you had to stand on an angled roof. I was scared out of my mind. I didn't think I would make it back down and I didn't move more than three steps once I got up there. It took a bit to get down but I did make it. No more towers for me.
We walked Addison Walk where C.S. Lewis did his thinking for his books. We saw the room where he stayed and the seat he used to sit in at the chapel.
He also took us to Exeter College and discussed what studying at Oxford is like and answered various questions. I'm pretty sure he talked me out of wanting to study here. Too much work and too much writing, let alone paying for it.
It rained quite a bit and even hailed some while I was walking. I checked out the grocery store and got some American bagels and Doritos for snacks.
April and I are headed to a bible study tonight for the younger people at St. Matthews. It'll be the first time we've used the buses and I'm a little nervous. I prefer walking, but it's two miles away.
We met up for lunch once again and headed to Magdalen College, where a guy from the States gave us a tour. He is a fellow in Exeter college but was a student at Magdalen previously. We climbed up Magdalen Tower, up a winding, steep staircase and ten foot ladder. I thought that would be the worst part, but the tower was fairly small and you had to stand on an angled roof. I was scared out of my mind. I didn't think I would make it back down and I didn't move more than three steps once I got up there. It took a bit to get down but I did make it. No more towers for me.
We walked Addison Walk where C.S. Lewis did his thinking for his books. We saw the room where he stayed and the seat he used to sit in at the chapel.
He also took us to Exeter College and discussed what studying at Oxford is like and answered various questions. I'm pretty sure he talked me out of wanting to study here. Too much work and too much writing, let alone paying for it.
It rained quite a bit and even hailed some while I was walking. I checked out the grocery store and got some American bagels and Doritos for snacks.
April and I are headed to a bible study tonight for the younger people at St. Matthews. It'll be the first time we've used the buses and I'm a little nervous. I prefer walking, but it's two miles away.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Day Seven
Fun fact of the day: Britain's washing machines are actually in the kitchen next to the dishwasher. They're very small and they don't have dryers. She dried our clothes on a heated towel rack. All of the appliances in the kitchen are concealed, looking like cabinets instead.
It was rather dreary outside today, although I was thankful for the warmer temperatures. My shoes and pants were completely soaked from the wet roads and the water even seeped into my shoes. So I walked around all day all soggy.
I studied most of the morning and afternoon, finishing up the articles that were due today. I went with the group to Christ Church college, where we finally got to see the Great Hall, where Harry Potter had all his meals. I was pretty pumped! The colleges are just amazing. I'm so jealous of all the students who get to attend there.
Hillary term has begun and the undergraduates are back. I honestly liked it better without them. They're a bit intimidating and they fill the streets, plus they ignore you. I had dinner with my tutor after the session at Linacre College and all the students pretended like I didn't exist. Of course, that may have something to do with the fact that I was having dinner with a forty year old Pakistani woman.
It was rather dreary outside today, although I was thankful for the warmer temperatures. My shoes and pants were completely soaked from the wet roads and the water even seeped into my shoes. So I walked around all day all soggy.
I studied most of the morning and afternoon, finishing up the articles that were due today. I went with the group to Christ Church college, where we finally got to see the Great Hall, where Harry Potter had all his meals. I was pretty pumped! The colleges are just amazing. I'm so jealous of all the students who get to attend there.
Hillary term has begun and the undergraduates are back. I honestly liked it better without them. They're a bit intimidating and they fill the streets, plus they ignore you. I had dinner with my tutor after the session at Linacre College and all the students pretended like I didn't exist. Of course, that may have something to do with the fact that I was having dinner with a forty year old Pakistani woman.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Day Six
Sunday...
We got to sleep in until nine, which was excellent. We went to St. Matthew's Church, which is an Anglican church. This is where our host family attends. It was a nice service and the sermon was good, although there wasn't much meat to it.
I was hoping to attend All Souls Church during my stay to hear John Stott preach, but apparently he doesn't preach anymore. So that was a disappointment. However, I do plan on going to St. Ebbes, which is a reformed church.
I spent the afternoon finishing up my paper and reading, while April slept. We were served roast lamb for dinner, the first time they've ever given me something I had a hard time swallowing. However, I endured it, covering it with carrots, corn, roasted potatoes, and parsnips.
The girls got together at another home to watch Jane Austen movies but ended up talking through the entire movie. April and I walked back around ten. It was about a twenty minute walk and she was complaining about the weight of her laptop. But hey, it was her decision to bring it.
I love it here and am considering more and more the possibility of doing my master's over here. It's only a year program. However, it's just a thought...we'll see what comes of it down the road.
We got to sleep in until nine, which was excellent. We went to St. Matthew's Church, which is an Anglican church. This is where our host family attends. It was a nice service and the sermon was good, although there wasn't much meat to it.
I was hoping to attend All Souls Church during my stay to hear John Stott preach, but apparently he doesn't preach anymore. So that was a disappointment. However, I do plan on going to St. Ebbes, which is a reformed church.
I spent the afternoon finishing up my paper and reading, while April slept. We were served roast lamb for dinner, the first time they've ever given me something I had a hard time swallowing. However, I endured it, covering it with carrots, corn, roasted potatoes, and parsnips.
The girls got together at another home to watch Jane Austen movies but ended up talking through the entire movie. April and I walked back around ten. It was about a twenty minute walk and she was complaining about the weight of her laptop. But hey, it was her decision to bring it.
I love it here and am considering more and more the possibility of doing my master's over here. It's only a year program. However, it's just a thought...we'll see what comes of it down the road.
Day Four continued...
I did quite a bit of touring on Friday. We all met up for lunch and then tried to get into Christ Church College again, but there was a funeral there. So we saw the Bates Collection of musical instruments, which was neat, and best of all, free.
In the afternoon I did some window shopping with two other girls, looking for the best deals on Oxford wear. Then Amy and I visited as many Oxford colleges as possible on the way back. We really only got a good look at one, Lincoln College, but wow, it was incredible. We saw the chapels of two others but won't be able to see the rest until Hillary term starts for the students.
I went to Evensong at Christ Church and was supposed to meet a few people there and go to dinner with one afterwards. However, she and another girl got lost, separately, and no one ended up being there. So I sat through the service. The choir was neat. I had to kneel for a long time though, and being as short as I am, my feet didn't touch the ground and I got tired.
In the afternoon I did some window shopping with two other girls, looking for the best deals on Oxford wear. Then Amy and I visited as many Oxford colleges as possible on the way back. We really only got a good look at one, Lincoln College, but wow, it was incredible. We saw the chapels of two others but won't be able to see the rest until Hillary term starts for the students.
I went to Evensong at Christ Church and was supposed to meet a few people there and go to dinner with one afterwards. However, she and another girl got lost, separately, and no one ended up being there. So I sat through the service. The choir was neat. I had to kneel for a long time though, and being as short as I am, my feet didn't touch the ground and I got tired.
Day Five
Saturday was a busy day but I'll do my best to summarize.
We went into London on Saturday as a group. Dr. Mitchell decided to pack in everything important about London in several hours. We were exhausted by the end.
Quick recap: We saw Buckingham Palace (the Queen was in residence), the National Gallery, Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, the British Museum, and Evensong at St. Paul's Cathedral. Amazing, but really, not enough time to see anything in depth.
The Westminster Abbey was my favorite. There is so much history there. I saw the places where people like Henry VIII, Elizabeth, and Mary, Queen of Scots were buried. It brought back all the lovely history I studied with Mom in junior high, then in high school, and then my freshman year at Wright State. I got an audio guide and listened as I walked so I learned a lot. It was absolutely fascinating.
We went into London on Saturday as a group. Dr. Mitchell decided to pack in everything important about London in several hours. We were exhausted by the end.
Quick recap: We saw Buckingham Palace (the Queen was in residence), the National Gallery, Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, the British Museum, and Evensong at St. Paul's Cathedral. Amazing, but really, not enough time to see anything in depth.
The Westminster Abbey was my favorite. There is so much history there. I saw the places where people like Henry VIII, Elizabeth, and Mary, Queen of Scots were buried. It brought back all the lovely history I studied with Mom in junior high, then in high school, and then my freshman year at Wright State. I got an audio guide and listened as I walked so I learned a lot. It was absolutely fascinating.
We were so tired by the time we got back. I fell asleep on the bus from London to Oxford. Seriously, those buses put you to sleep.
Friday, January 09, 2009
Day Four
Good morning...I imagine you're all still in bed as it is only 5:30 there.
Yesterday...
I met my tutor. She is actually a student working on her doctorate in philosophy in mathematics education. (They call it a DPhil over here). I think I'm the only Taylor student who got a student instead of Oxford faculty but she said that's how it works in the education department. She is actually a professor of math education in Pakistan, and is quite difficult to understand at times. However, she seems really anxious to help me learn as much as possible. The meetings are pretty informal, which is nice. She said she is more interested in helping me learn about how I learn so that I can help others learn, rather than my mathematical ability...thank the Lord.
On my walk back, I passed a Palestinian freedom protest that was about to start. April (the girl who is staying with me) said when she got near it a half hour later, there was lots of loud shouting and police sirens headed towards them. Our host family said there are often protests in the street.
I had homemade ice cream last night, with bananas and meringues. The ice cream is made from cream, meringue, and something else, so it's really heavy, but it was good.
I have been going to bed between 10:30-12 and getting up at 7, so I'm getting plenty of rest. There's not much to do at night as it gets dark so early.
Today...
It was a cold, frosty morning again today. I decided to go to a new library as I don't have much reading to do and the library is so far away. I plan to study all morning and spend the rest of the day shopping and touring the various Oxford colleges. More details about it tomorrow.
Yesterday...
I met my tutor. She is actually a student working on her doctorate in philosophy in mathematics education. (They call it a DPhil over here). I think I'm the only Taylor student who got a student instead of Oxford faculty but she said that's how it works in the education department. She is actually a professor of math education in Pakistan, and is quite difficult to understand at times. However, she seems really anxious to help me learn as much as possible. The meetings are pretty informal, which is nice. She said she is more interested in helping me learn about how I learn so that I can help others learn, rather than my mathematical ability...thank the Lord.
On my walk back, I passed a Palestinian freedom protest that was about to start. April (the girl who is staying with me) said when she got near it a half hour later, there was lots of loud shouting and police sirens headed towards them. Our host family said there are often protests in the street.
I had homemade ice cream last night, with bananas and meringues. The ice cream is made from cream, meringue, and something else, so it's really heavy, but it was good.
I have been going to bed between 10:30-12 and getting up at 7, so I'm getting plenty of rest. There's not much to do at night as it gets dark so early.
Today...
It was a cold, frosty morning again today. I decided to go to a new library as I don't have much reading to do and the library is so far away. I plan to study all morning and spend the rest of the day shopping and touring the various Oxford colleges. More details about it tomorrow.
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Day Three
My first tutorial is today at four, in about five hours. I finished up everything due for it this morning and will begin to work on the readings for the next session this afternoon.
My tutor claims that we will recognize each other, which makes me a little nervous. What if I was picking my nose when I passed her or something? Or maybe she's one of the library workers that I asked a stupid question to.
I'm hoping to get a lot of work done today and possibly write up my assignment due on Monday tonight so that I can sightsee this weekend.
It's beautiful here and has warmed up a little. I am enjoying the people and walking by all these amazing buildings each day.
My tutor claims that we will recognize each other, which makes me a little nervous. What if I was picking my nose when I passed her or something? Or maybe she's one of the library workers that I asked a stupid question to.
I'm hoping to get a lot of work done today and possibly write up my assignment due on Monday tonight so that I can sightsee this weekend.
It's beautiful here and has warmed up a little. I am enjoying the people and walking by all these amazing buildings each day.
Let's start with some fun facts:
1) Hot and cold water are on separate taps. I almost burned myself yesterday getting into the shower. The hot water comes out scalding only.
2) I already caught myself saying 'Good morning' in a British accent to a lovely old man walking his dog. It only gets worse from here.
3) I forgot my camera...I know, it's such a bummer. I bought a disposable one, but don't expect great pictures.
4) I climbed billions of high spiral staircases in flats and dress pants this morning to the top of St. Mary's Tower overlooking Oxford...scary!
5) I have not gotten lost yet!
6) Their juice is all concentrated, so you just pour a tiny bit and fill the rest with water. My roommate didn't realize that at first and almost took a drink of her apple juice.
7) I get a hot water bottle for my feet at night! I'm pretty sure my host family doesn't believe in normal heat.
Since I did not relay any of yesterday's events, let me try and give you the rundown. I got a good night's rest and woke up feeling like I was in the right time zone. The dizziness of the plane finally wore off. I woke up to a lovely frost and walked about three hours in it altogether yesterday. They are saying it's some of the coldest temperatures southern England has had in a decade.
Every morning we meet at St. Aldate's Parish where we have a room reserved. We spend about a half hour there and then go on some small tour and break off from there. Yesterday was our induction into the Bodelian library. It's kind of like a ceremony. We had to read a paragraph in front of the admissions counselor and sign a paper agreeing to the rules. I toured Radcliffe Camera, a domelike library housing psychology and other social science books. I spent the morning and afternoon at the Education Library, with a break for lunch. However, it takes twenty minutes to walk back into town so lunch took almost two hours. The entire group met for lunch and the cafe gave us complimentary hot chocolate. We ate in what's called the Covered Market, so it's outside, but kinda like a tunnel with shops everywhere, but it was definitely cold.
I really only spent about two hours studying, but am really enjoying the material I've been asked to read. My assignments seem relatively simple and compared to some of the other student's tutorials, mine should be low key, although still very beneficial in helping me gain practical experience and insight into the math education theories currently held. My library is in the Education Department, so it's like a normal library, not somber and formal like the other ones. I was a bit disappointed. It's relatively small and I'm sure the library staff will become familiar faces within a week.
I spent the evening with the host family and read for pleasure for a few hours. The girl I am rooming with fell asleep at nine...lame.
So apparently I'm not good at summarizing. If you actually read all this you're impressive.
1) Hot and cold water are on separate taps. I almost burned myself yesterday getting into the shower. The hot water comes out scalding only.
2) I already caught myself saying 'Good morning' in a British accent to a lovely old man walking his dog. It only gets worse from here.
3) I forgot my camera...I know, it's such a bummer. I bought a disposable one, but don't expect great pictures.
4) I climbed billions of high spiral staircases in flats and dress pants this morning to the top of St. Mary's Tower overlooking Oxford...scary!
5) I have not gotten lost yet!
6) Their juice is all concentrated, so you just pour a tiny bit and fill the rest with water. My roommate didn't realize that at first and almost took a drink of her apple juice.
7) I get a hot water bottle for my feet at night! I'm pretty sure my host family doesn't believe in normal heat.
Since I did not relay any of yesterday's events, let me try and give you the rundown. I got a good night's rest and woke up feeling like I was in the right time zone. The dizziness of the plane finally wore off. I woke up to a lovely frost and walked about three hours in it altogether yesterday. They are saying it's some of the coldest temperatures southern England has had in a decade.
Every morning we meet at St. Aldate's Parish where we have a room reserved. We spend about a half hour there and then go on some small tour and break off from there. Yesterday was our induction into the Bodelian library. It's kind of like a ceremony. We had to read a paragraph in front of the admissions counselor and sign a paper agreeing to the rules. I toured Radcliffe Camera, a domelike library housing psychology and other social science books. I spent the morning and afternoon at the Education Library, with a break for lunch. However, it takes twenty minutes to walk back into town so lunch took almost two hours. The entire group met for lunch and the cafe gave us complimentary hot chocolate. We ate in what's called the Covered Market, so it's outside, but kinda like a tunnel with shops everywhere, but it was definitely cold.
I really only spent about two hours studying, but am really enjoying the material I've been asked to read. My assignments seem relatively simple and compared to some of the other student's tutorials, mine should be low key, although still very beneficial in helping me gain practical experience and insight into the math education theories currently held. My library is in the Education Department, so it's like a normal library, not somber and formal like the other ones. I was a bit disappointed. It's relatively small and I'm sure the library staff will become familiar faces within a week.
I spent the evening with the host family and read for pleasure for a few hours. The girl I am rooming with fell asleep at nine...lame.
So apparently I'm not good at summarizing. If you actually read all this you're impressive.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Well I made it, crossed over that big pond and landed in London. The trip went smoothly, although the drive to Chicago began quite eventfully. This story describes the professor perfectfly, not exactly a detail-oriented person, although very intelligent. He rented a seven passenger minivan for the eight of us, luggage and all. We finally manage t6 fit the luggage in while he went to look for string. Three suitcases were stacked floor to ceiling next to the midle row of seats, where three people were smashed into a row meant for two. Two suitcases went in a compartment under the floor, except one stuck up into the middle row's leg room. Another suitcase in the trunk poked through to the backseat, where the wheel made for a nice backrub during the four hour ride. It was just a bit cramped, but we made it.
I actually didn't sleep much during the plane ride, although I tried to. Being in the very middle seat wasn't too comfortable. We were all pretty tired and slept during the bus ride from London to Oxford. Dr. Mitchell put us in taxi cabs to go to our host family's home, although we had to remind him to let us know where and when to meet up. He named a place but none of us had any idea how to get there. Luckily for me, the guys came and picked my roommate and I up so we didn't have to figure out how to get there.
I slept well and seem to have adjusted to the five hour time difference quite well. The host family is great. Their one year old granddaughter is here right now and is anxious to take over the keyboard.
Today we received our cards for the Bodelian library and discovered that like Oxford University, the Bodelian is split into various libraries. Unfortunately, the education library is about a half hour walk from the host home. My feet are just a bit tired as I've been there twice today.
More later...
I actually didn't sleep much during the plane ride, although I tried to. Being in the very middle seat wasn't too comfortable. We were all pretty tired and slept during the bus ride from London to Oxford. Dr. Mitchell put us in taxi cabs to go to our host family's home, although we had to remind him to let us know where and when to meet up. He named a place but none of us had any idea how to get there. Luckily for me, the guys came and picked my roommate and I up so we didn't have to figure out how to get there.
I slept well and seem to have adjusted to the five hour time difference quite well. The host family is great. Their one year old granddaughter is here right now and is anxious to take over the keyboard.
Today we received our cards for the Bodelian library and discovered that like Oxford University, the Bodelian is split into various libraries. Unfortunately, the education library is about a half hour walk from the host home. My feet are just a bit tired as I've been there twice today.
More later...
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