Departing Oxford

The day is finally here, I am leaving Oxford. I  must admit that it is a bittersweet feeling. I have really grown to love this little town and I think it's wonderful. I'm excited to head home and see my family and friends but I know that a little piece of my heart will stay here in Oxford. I know I griped a lot about it in my blogs over the last 3 months but it has really grown on me and I am truly going to miss it. Oh and please excuse any typos because it is 6:30AM and I haven't slept very much at all. :)

The experience here has been delightful. I am so lucky to have had this experience and I have such a sense of accomplishment and success that I have never experienced before. I made it through the term which was my main goal. I'm truly going to miss the friends that I have made here and hope that I can keep in touch with them once I'm back in the States. I can't wait to be home! Of course, as my luck would have it, they are calling for snow in DC today but I am hoping that the flight will be unaffected by the weather.

I can't wait to be back home in the comfort and warmth of my family and friends. I feel that I have been away for so long when I know it has only been 3 months. I'm truly appreciative for the experience and for having parents that were capable of sending me :) Thank you! I hope you all enjoyed reading about my adventures and I appreciate the time you took to do so. I'm signing off now this will be the last update. Thank you again and see you around!!

Quote:
When one teaches, two learn.
Robert Half

I DID IT!!!!!!

WAHOOOOOOOO 

I did it! I survived the term at Oxford. Yes it was hard and yes it was long but I did it! I have such a sense of accomplishment and pride like never before. It has been a life changing experience and I'm glad that I had the opportunity to do it. I have realized how lucky I am to have such awesome friends and family back home. I truly appreciate them and I've realized how much they all mean to me. I couldn't have gotten through my time at Oxford without you guys! 

It has been a wonderful experience to be here. I have so many great memories to take home with me and hundreds of wonderful pictures. I can't wait to get home and share them with everyone! I know this is short but I will do one last entry on the way to the airport Saturday morning. I hope everyone is well! 

Quote:

One part at a time, one day at a time, we can accomplish any goal we set for ourselves."
Karen Casey, from Achievement of a Life Goal

The Beginning of the End

Good morning, afternoon or evening! Today is Monday November 30 and I am only 5 days away from home!!! I cannot tell you how excited I am! I have completed my paper for Wednesday and just have a few revisions to change and today I am going to complete my paper for Thursday! It feels so good to be almost done with my tutorials! When I look at the calendar I can actually see December 5th at the end of the week!

So, this week I am having my normal Wednesday tutorial at 3:30 and then we (the other girl my tutor is teaching and me) are having dinner at our tutor's college. Although she hasn't told me exactly what time, I assume that it will be after my tutorial. And then I have moved my Friday tutorial up to Thursday at noon, just so I can get it out of the way and not have to worry about it all week. I plan on a doing a little shopping this week as well and pick up a few last minute gifts for my family :) And then at some point I want to just walk around for the day and take some last pictures of Oxford. Unfortunately the weather says its supposed to rain all week so we will have to see if the weather will hold out for me to take pictures.

Well, that is all for now! My last blog entry will probably be on Saturday morning on the way to the airport. I can't wait to get home!!!

Quote
The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.
Vince Lombardi

7th Week

7th week is now drawing to a close and I'm so excited! Tomorrow is Thursday, where has this week gone?! I'm so excited to be home in 10 days!

I have 2 papers left to write and I have attempted to complete one today but I am struggling. I'm so anxious for this to be done and to be on my way home, but I know that I need to focus and still do my last 2 essays well. I hung out at Starbucks for most of the day with my friend and people watched for a good portion of the time. I did a little bit of reading but that was unsuccessful, I'm not very good at focusing when I'm in public.

I saw someone playing a musical saw. Yes, really it's a real thing, but I wouldn't call it an instrument exactly, but you should look it up! Well, I should probably try to get something done today so I am going to go do some reading. I hope you are all well!

Quote:
Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are.
Bertolt Brecht

A&E Drama

Well A&E-2 Me-0

After Wednesday's visit I am slightly discouraged about universal healthcare. Sure it seems like a great idea, let's help those who don't have insurance or can't afford it. BUT, and this is a big but folks, at the expense of proper medical care? Really?

On the second visit I went through triage. Estimated waiting time was 2 hours. I was seen in about an hour and a half. The doctor I was seen by was probably one of the rudest people I have ever met. I told him what happened Monday and what Dr. Tuten (one of mom's friends) said, and he asked me why I questioned the doctor's judgment. I responded with what Dr. Tuten said and that I needed a boot for my foot and that I wanted an x-ray. After asking me a few other questions very exasperatedly he said "Fine, we can do the x-ray but you should know that it increases your risk of cancer and infertility. I guarantee your x-ray will be 100% normal."

"Really? Cancer & infertility!?? Are you sure you're a doctor and not Captain Obvious??!" is what I wanted to shout at him at the top of my lungs. But instead of stooping to his "cheeky" level I took the little pink form and crutched over to x-ray like a decent human being would do. I was x-rayed and returned to the exam room with my flatmate Sasha so that I could be sure I wasn't crazy about this man's rudeness. He, after sitting at the nurse's station for 5 minutes finally told me to go back to the exam room I was in and he followed us in. He said there is no fracture on the x-ray like I told you there wouldn't be. I responded with "Not all stress fractures show up on x-ray right away." He didn't seem to care for what I had to say, so I finally told him that my doctor said I should get a boot. He said "we only give boots to people with fractures." He repeated this probably 5 times, as if I was hard of hearing, and then walked out of the room with no good bye or good luck or any kind of closing remark.

I returned back to the flat I spoke with my wonderfully awesome parents. They were a bit miffed, just as I was, but Mom took care of it and got a boot from Dr. Tuten. I am extremely grateful to both of my parents!! It was not cheap to send that boot over here, but it will be ridiculously nice to be able to walk on my feet again and not use those quite awful crutches!!! So a big THANK YOU!!!! to my parents! Taxis are expensive here and while I do still have money in my account I am trying to come home with some to save for the wedding!

This week has been pretty hectic and tiresome to say the least. Thank goodness it is Friday and I can relax. Next week I meet with my Wednesday tutor on Monday and then the Friday tutor as usual, on Friday. I have only 3 more papers to go and then I will be Oxford Alumna!!! 15 days to go before I take my airplane home :)

Quote:
Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star.
~ W. Clement Stone

Wrong Diagnosis

Well, here it is Wednesday and my foot is still swollen and painful. I sent Mom some pictures and a description of what happened and how my foot was feeling and where. She works with an orthopedic surgeon so he looked at the pictures and checked out my little note and decided that it wasn't Morton's Neuroma, it was a stress fracture. Yes, he is 3,000 miles away and pictures aren't as helpful as seeing it in person but at the same time I think he probably took more time to look my letter and pictures over than the doctor here did looking at my foot! So I called the A & E (accident and emergency dept) of the hospital I went to on Monday. I told them that I had been there and diagnosed with Morton's Neuroma. I then told them that my orthopedic surgeon concluded that I didn't have Morton's Neuroma and that it was a stress fracture and that I needed a moon boot, which would take pressure off of the front of my foot and put it on my heel. Apparently here it is called a wedge boot. Anywho, I was told that I have to come back to the A & E and register again and wait again and then see a doctor again and that I can explain the circumstances to him/her. So after my tutorial at 3:30 I will be grabbing another cab and heading back to John Radcliffe Hospital and hopefully heading home with a moon boot. :sigh: I really hope that this is not the shining example of socialized healthcare, because to be honest I was quite optimistic about the whole thing. We'll see how tonight's visit goes and then I will make my decision as to whether or not I find it efficient and practical. I'll post again soon! :)

Quote:
"I think; therefore I am." ~Rene Descartes

Stonhenge, Bath, & a Bad Foot

Good afternoon!

This past Saturday I went to Stonehenge and Bath. It was a rather dismal day, it poured at Stonehenge, to the point that the wind was blowing the rain sideways and it stung as it hit you. It managed to clear up for a little while, just long enough so that we could snap a few photographs. Bath was nothing too impressing in my opinion. I think I am more of a nature girl. I'm not so interested in seeing ruins that lie in the middle of a city. But nonetheless the trip was worth it and I saw some interesting sights.

Sunday was basically a resting day I didn't do very much work. However, today I was supposed to be writing my paper but that didn't exactly happen. Last night I noticed that my foot was hurting a little bit and thought that maybe I had stepped funny or something and brushed it off. This morning I woke up to a stiff, swollen, and painful left foot. I decided to call my parents, although it was 4:30AM for them, and asked what I should do. The pain was quite severe and I couldn't even put my foot on the ground to walk. Luckily there was a pair of crutches in the basement and so I used those to go to the local health clinic with one of my flatmates.

Upon arrival at the clinic we were told that all the urgent care appointments were taken and that our best option was to visit the A & E (accident and emergency room). We called  a taxi and headed there. We got there I registered, which consisted of giving my name and addresses (both here and the US) and then answering what kind of ethnicity I was from a chart comprised of listings such as: Irish white, British white, other kind of white (me) and so on. It was quite surprising. We then sat down and watched another 10 people come in and register, one of which was a pair of girls. One girl said she had a rash and I believe I heard the nurse ask if she had taken any drugs and then the girl said LSD. I'm not positive I heard this correctly, but I did see her take something out of her pocket and give it to her friend.

Anyways, I got an internal viewpoint of the universal healthcare system here and can't complain too much. I was triaged within 10 minutes of arrival and waited about 2 1/2 hours to be seen. I was with the doctor for about 10 minutes I would say, and while he was rather nice I left questioning his diagnosis. I was originally told they would take blood work but then the doctor told me that this wasn't needed. I wasn't even given an x-ray because the doctor didn't think it was a break. So basically I went back sat on a bed and he looked at my foot and said I think it's Morton's Neuroma. Which he told me basically means that the nerve in between my bones is inflamed or crushed. They aren't sure what causes it but say that years of wearing high heels or excessive pressure can be linked to it. Well I don't wear high heels very often at all and I'm not fat so I don't think I put excessive pressure on it. I would have to say that on the bright side my visit was free (not that they actually did any tests or anything).

And so I am let uncomfortable and in pain. Tylenol is what I was told to take even though I said it didn't help. So now I must hobble around Oxford until my foot magically heals itself, I am a bit skeptical of this whole diagnosis but I will take it at face value and hope that my foot gets better soon so I can actually walk. I'm not thrilled about using the crutches but taking a taxi everywhere is going to get costly and pretty old.  But I guess if it's what I have to do then it's what I will have to do.

With that, I must say that it is nice to visit an ER and not pay a dime other than the cab fare to get there. However, I am left with the uneasy feeling that the diagnosis I got was rather unfounded. But, I have the reassurance of my mother that once I get home we will see a proper doctor and have it checked out. :) I hope that it won't still be swollen and painful by then though. I hope you are all well and I can't believe we are finally into the teens! Only 19 more days until I am home!

Quote:

Think of the magic of that foot, comparatively small, upon which your whole weight rests. It's a miracle, and the dance...is a celebration of that miracle.

~ Martha Washington

My reaction this quote: perhaps feet shouldn't be so small if they bear such great responsibility in keeping your entire body standing... Just a thought! :)

Week 5 Blues

This week we all received an e-mail from the program director about 5th week blues. Apparently it is "a well documented phenomena." I would have to say that most of our house is doing pretty well in dealing with the 5th week blues. No one seems to be to depressed or too homesick. We all are of course, but we try to get by. After all I only have 24 more days to go!

I saw the new animated "Christmas Carol" with Jim Carrey. It was really good but I think a little dark for younger children. I would have to say that it was a good representation of the book. And it was in 3D, so if you want to get in the Christmas spirit go see it!

My tutorial today was canceled, my tutor said she had a lot of work that piled up this weekend and early this week and she didn't feel that she had enough time to fully go over my essay. So next week I will have 3 tutorials (I think that will be my blue week). I have 2 more essays for that class and 4 more for the Friday class.


As far as the wedding planning goes, I have been looking at photographers in the area and sending out e-mails to figure out prices and packages. I think I like the photojournalistic approach. Some of the prices are more than I was expecting but I guess after the day is done pictures are really the only things, other than memories, you have left of that special day. So don't want to skimp in that department!

Let's see what else is going on... I am going to Bath and Stonehenge this weekend so I will have some pictures to upload on Sunday. I think I have covered everything. I think I am finally coming to the realization that I am getting married next October. I think it will be more real once I get home :) If you have any suggestions or recommendations about the wedding please do let me know! I hope everything is going brilliantly for everyone!

Quote of the day:
Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossible before they were done.
Louis D. Brandeis

Another Wednesday

Good Afternoon!

Another Wednesday is upon us. This week my prompt for my jurisprudence essay was: Does law claim to be morally obligatory? It's an interesting concept to think about, but difficult to argue when you have various philosophers pulling you in opposite directions. But I think that this week should go well, hopefully :) After finishing my essay I was going over the prompt for next week and suddenly realized that I only have 3 more essays to write for this class! How wonderful!!!! That made my morning.

This Friday I don't have my contemporary political thought tutorial because my don (professor) is out of town at a conference. So I will meet with him next week and extend my meetings until 8th week. My jurisprudence tutorial is supposed to end on 7th week but we have the option of presenting 7th week or of writing an extended essay and submitting it on 8th week. Originally I thought I would do the extended essay option, but now that I'm thinking about it I would rather just finish in 7th week and only have one essay to worry about the week before I leave.

I signed up for my last semester at Mason!!!! I can't believe that I am going to be graduating in the spring! It's been a quick 3 years now that I look back on it, although I'm sure I wasn't thinking that as everything was happening. But I achieved my goal of finishing in 3 years, sure it took a lot of hard work and a few sacrifices here and there but it was a good decision I believe. So in the spring I am taking: Psychology- Developmental Psychology, Statistics 250- Intro to Stats, Government 496- Honors Seminar, and finally Global and Community Health 205- International Health. Why all the health classes you ask? Well I am taking prerequisites for nursing school in the spring so that I can apply to VCU School of Nursing next winter (2010). I will have to take human anatomy and physiology while I am in Richmond but that shouldn't be a problem! (JP my dad said that you took stats at U of R, any advice?? I'd appreciate it!) This spring will be lightest class load since starting college!

My honors seminar is a class that select students are invited to take, there are 2 courses: 491 which is being held at GMU currently and 496 which is held in the Spring. After being accepted into this program, which basically means that you will graduate with departmental honors after writing an insane thesis, I told them that I would not be here in the fall to take the first course. They assured me that was fine and that I could pick up the spring course. However, what I wasn't told was the volume of work that the students are doing currently to prepare for the spring semester. I finally got in touch with the professor running the program this year, after several phone calls and unanswered emails, who was kind enough to send me the syllabus. :gasp!: After seeing the syllabus I was afraid that there would be no way for me to get on track for the spring. This semester they are creating: an annotated bibliography (basically a compilation of sources and a short description of why each source is relevant to your topic), a research proposal (including an abstract, introduction, methodology, relevance, etc), a project notebook, literature review, research methodology description, topic selection & supporting documents, and a research project presentation. PHEW! Was that enough for you?? Not to mention they are finding a faculty mentor who will essentially guide them through the research process this spring and give them their final grade for the course (at least that is what I understand). Obviously, I am here in Oxford already busting my hump to get this work done and the prospect of having to do all that work is daunting. Upon receipt of the syllabus from the professor, I sent him an email asking what portions of the syllabus I would need to complete for the spring. I also emails a professor asking if he could be my faculty adviser.

I suppose it would be helpful to know what I am going to do my thesis on: Public Perceptions of Muslims in Western Europe, The United Kingdom, and The United States After September 11, 2001. I did a research paper here on the same subject but without the US portion. I am a government and international studies major so I thought it would be appropriate to do a comparative study and to base my research on something that I did here in Oxford. So we will see if that is an acceptable topic. Hopefully I will hear back from the professor about being my faculty adviser... his interests pair pretty well with the area of research I want to do and he is quite worldly.

Tonight there is a drinks party (what we would call a cocktail party) with our adviser here and other students and tutors. It's from 6-7:30, so some housemates and I decided we would go for a little while as we all have a good deal of work to get done by the end of the week. I can't believe it's Wednesday already! I have only 7 more papers to write while I'm here! Sure that equates to roughly 49 pages of writing but it seems like nothing! Only 31 days away from my family and fiancé! I can't wait to get home and hug everyone, that's what I miss the most: hugs. And of course I can't wait to eat the feast that my dad promises me will be waiting when I get back! :) I hope you are all doing well and that life's little obstacles aren't getting in your way too much!

I think I will end the rest of my blog entries with a quote. Here is today's:
A jury consists of twelve persons chosen to decide who has the better lawyer
- Robert Frost

Week 3 Drawing to a Close

It is now Thursday of week 3. Only 5 more weeks to go! Yesterday went pretty well with my tutor. She said I had shown improvement from the week before, but I still got the feeling that it wasn't all that great. She made it seem like it was much better but once we sat down and started talking about it I got the impression that it really wasn't all that much better. But I guess some improvement is better than nothing!

I finally got my package yesterday...at 7:45AM. I ran downstairs to get the door and then I went to the kitchen to open it and put the "steak" in the freezer. For those of you who don't know my dad told me that he had sent 2 steaks. I thought this was a bit of an odd thing to do since I am so far away. So when I got the package I opened it immediately and put the "steaks" in the freezer. After going back to bed, I woke up and went downstairs to eat breakfast. I decided I should check on the steaks to make sure they weren't spoiled. What I hadn't bother to think of at 7:45 was how were the steaks kept cold if they were simply in a cardboard box. So I took the box out of the freezer and opened it to find santa snacks! I had been dooped... way to go Dad!

I got some great things in my package from home: Halloween candies, 2 wedding magazines (with pages folded down my mother and sister so I know what to look at), my wedding planner from theknot.com and some lovely cards! (and of course the Santa snacks mentioned above) Hopefully I will get this essay done early today and I will be able to do some wedding research/ planning :) Planning and plotting things out really gives me something to look forward to while I'm here. I can't wait to get home and start planning with my family!

This week has gone by pretty quickly and I'm somewhat thankful for that. I don't want to rush my time here but at the same time with each week I feel that I am accomplishing something. Today I have to finish my essay on fascism for tomorrow's tutorial. I only have my Wednesday tutorial next week so it will be nice to have a break from writing 2 essays per week. But knowing myself I will probably try to get ahead and write 2 essays next week anyways. I hope you are all doing well and enjoying the beautiful fall foliage, I hear it's quite vibrant this year! Until next time!

Friday

Friday, at last! Today wasn't a bad day.. I had my tutorial this morning which went well, as my Friday tutorial usually does. I went to the library and returned my old books and checked out new ones for this weeks readings. I studied for a while in the library and then went back home. Two of my housemates and I decided to go to the ice cream shop down the road called G & D's, they are apparently quite famous to Oxford. Anyways, on the way there are a few shops and so we decided to stop in at a few. The last stop was in a store named Sylvester that contained a bunch of odd knick-knacks and trinkets. They had a line of piggy banks on the wall to your immediate right as you enter the store. Sitting there on the first shelf was a white brush painted piggy bank with "Wedding Fund" scrawled on the front in silver... I had to buy it! There is a little story that comes with it and so I will type it for you:

Original Terramundia Money Pots

History
This is an 'etruscan money amphora'- these money pots have been traditionally used in Italy for over 2,000 years and their hand thrown design has remained unchanged. Examples of which can be seen in the British Museum.

Tradition
Once the first coin is dropped the money pot must be fed until full; uponwhich it must be smashed whilst making a wish. It is customary to replace the pot and to spend the money on good things. Broken pots are sometimes used to house plants and candles. Money pots bring good fortune. There is a fortune coin inside the pot and a separate date and desire card to insert when you begin saving.

I love this pot! You have to actually smash it in order to get the money back out so there is no cheating!! It's great! I'm not sure when we will smash it open, Dad had the idea of doing it at the reception but we will see!! I am adding to the money pot right now: US $70.61.. it's the money I had left over when I come here :) And so the savings begin!

Perseverance

What a title for today..Yet again I find myself questioning why I am here. The tutorial today was, as it was last week, dreadful. I feel so inept and so out of place when I am talking to this tutor. She is clearly brilliant and already knows everything there is to know about jurisprudence. I have a hard enough time wrapping my mind around the readings. My latest paper looked like a pen bled to death all over it. "I don't think you should use the word method here; what do you mean by the word it?" I am struggling with this course. I feel so out of my element and like I have no clue what's going on I'm embarrassed. I'm going to try to talk to the tutor about it but I'm just embarrassed. She asked if I wanted grades after each essay to which I stupidly answered yes. I probably should have just waited until the end of term. I guess I'm just going to have to work and work until I get better... or just work and nothing changes. :sigh: I'm really having a difficult time with this class and I'm not sure how to make it better.

Week 2

Here it is Tuesday, I'm not sure if I think this week is going quickly or slowly. I completed my Wednesday paper on Sunday so I took a bit of Monday off to just relax and go shopping. Today I have to just add some finish touches to it and send it in by 5PM. I'm  going to start my paper for Friday and hopefully finish it tomorrow.

The program director came to visit all the houses this morning so I had to get up early. He basically just walked through the house and checked all the rooms out and then gave us a roster with everyone's phone number and such on it. Then said that we have some field trips to attend if we want, they aren't required. There is one every 2 weeks it looks like, so depending on my workload I might go to one or two. I really want to go to the Bath and Stonehenge one, but the Stonehenge part hasn't been confirmed. The trips are on Saturdays and last from 9AM to 7PM, so that is the only reason I'm hesitant on doing it. I usually use Saturday's to get ahead on my work and I don't want to go on a trip and lose an entire day of reading and writing. But I guess we will see. The first week of November (what we call 4th week) I only have one tutorial meeting on Wednesday so maybe I can get ahead with that tutorial.

Hope everyone is doing well! Things are still hectic and busy here, and I'm sure it's not going to let up. Only 46 days until home!!

First Week is over

Well here it is Saturday and First Week is over. I guess it didn't go too badly. My first tutorial was pretty rough as I outlined in my previous post, but the second one went pretty well. He gave me an A- which is apparently a good place to be starting at with your first essay. He just told me to be a bit more sophisticated in my writing so I will work on that this week.

Right now I'm reading and taking notes for my Wednesday tutorial: Who is stung by the semantic sting? Essentially it refers to the book I read last week and the idea that legal philosophers believe that lawyers all follow certain linguistic criteria for judging propositions of law. Basically there is this idea that all lawyers must follow the same basic criteria for finding the truth of propositions of law. It's still pretty confusing.

I think some of my roommates and I are going to a ghost tour tonight, either that or a movie. I must confess I am extremely homesick today. I keep trying to tell myself that there are only 7 more Saturdays until I come home but it only helps a little. I just want to be in a place that is familiar. I'm trying not to dwell on it and just get things done but I'm finding it quite the challenge. Well back to reading I suppose!

1 Down 1 To Go

Well my first official tutorial session was yesterday... I wanted to cry halfway through it. I basically sat there and read my paper and she would stop me every few sentences. That wasn't the bad part it's just hard when someone tells you that you can't use certain words because they are "too philosophically charged." It's not her fault these words are this way, it's just hard to be so precise! I have a lot to learn and a lot to work on for my next session.

I have a different session tomorrow morning, that one will be on Marxism. I'm halfway through writing that paper and have a couple more pages to go. I feel confident on this one; the concept is not as abstract as my previous paper.

I must send apologies to JP! It says you commented on one of my posts on Oct. 1. However, when I log-in to write new posts it never told me that I had comments! So sorry! I appreciate everyone that takes the time to read my blog during their busy lives.

Wedding info: Upon receipt of guest lists from both my family and Elliot's family the guest list has grown to 144. I'm sure that not every person will be able to attend, but I feel that there may be a few more to add to the list so this is by no means a final number (although we are trying to keep it below 150). I should be receiving a wedding planning book that I bought from my favorite site (www.theknot.com). It has proven to be quite the helpful resource!

As always, I hope this blog finds you and yours well. I am awaiting confirmation of my return flight for December 5th. If that date holds that means I will be home in 51 days! Wooo hoo!! See you all sooner than you think!

Essay Writing, Footballing, & Wedding Planning

Here it is Sunday already, the last week seems to have gone by so slowly! Trials for football were yesterday and today. It went well yesterday, though I must confess I am a bit sore. I realized how much I truly do miss football (soccer). They have 2 teams here one is called the blues (they are the best team) and the furies (which is the 2nd team). After today we should hear about which team we made. I'm kind of worried though because they already have a game planned for Wednesday and I have to meet my tutor so I will miss the first match, if I make either team.

I'm still working on my first essay, I'm halfway done but it is harder than I thought it would be. This topic is so abstract and out there that it's really hard to get your mind around the full concept. I have to start my other essay/readings tomorrow so I can have it done for Friday. The second tutor said that my first topic was quite a challenge but I could do it... Couldn't we have started with something a little less challenging for my first essay???

On a good note, we have selected a venue for the ceremony and the reception! On October 17,2010 Elliot and I will be wed at the Dominion Club in Glen Allen, VA! I am so excited! The place is beautiful inside and out!!! I'm so thankful to have such great parents here to help me through this process. That will be all for now, got to get working! Have a great rest of the weekend and a good start to the work week!

Tutorials...The End of my Social Life

Today I met with my last tutor. She is so cute and friendly! She can't be too much older than me and she is still a student studying jurisprudence. She had a binder just for me, which was awesome! I love organized people! I have quite a bit of work to do already for my 2 tutorials. For contemporary political thought I have a list of about 20 readings. My tutor for that is Dr. Martin Holmes. He has quite an extensive background and speaks at many different universities. Here is a short bio from www.brugesgroup.com:

Dr Martin Holmes is well known as a leading Oxford University academic specialisng in political economy. In October 1987 he was appinted Senior Visiting Research Fellow at Mansfield College, Oxford, where he has subsequently been Director of the College of Business Administration (UNL) Programme since 1989. In October 1993 he was also appointed as Lecturer in Politics at St Hugh's College, Oxford. He is the author of numerous books on British political economy.

My second tutor I couldn't find a bio for, Raquel Van Der Wijk. She is just about the cutest thing ever and she's so friendly! She seems ultra-organized, which is soooo good! I really look forward to working with her!

At 2PM I am meeting to get my Bodleian Library! I am so excited! This library has over 9 million books and an underground carting system! It gets a copy of every book published in the UK! It is awesome and I can't wait to use it! I'm also getting a tour of my college (New College) library after the Bodleian. I will probably hunker down there for the evening to start on some studying.

I hope this was good enough update for now! I will try to keep you posted during the course of the term, but I make no promises. My workload is growing by the second.. haha! But in all honesty, I will do my best to update at the very least once a week. Hope everyone is well back home!

Feeling Better

Well it is finally Sunday. I was a bit under the weather yesterday. I'm feeling a little better today, still a little nauseous but not as bad as yesterday. This is going to be a busy week. Monday I have my first meeting with a tutor around noon, then I am taking a tour of the Union and finally I have a formal dinner with OPUS. Tuesday is pretty much open and then Wednesday I have my other tutorial meeting and then I have a meeting to get my Bod Library card and then a tour of New College library later on. My primary tutorial is Philosophy of Law and then my secondary is Contemporary Political Thought. I'm excited and nervous at the same time, but I'm definitely ready to get started.

Mom and Dad went to visit a venue yesterday and Dad seems to really like it. Based on what I've heard from them and the pictures on the site I'm happy with it. My biggest concern is that if it rains the ceremony would be held in a conference room and I'm not sure how that would work out. But we will see! Hope everyone is doing well! Have a good week!

Back in Oxford

Well it's night time in Oxford. I dropped Elliot off at the airport around 3:30PM... It was so sad. It was probably one of the hardest things I have ever done. I know that it's only a couple months apart but it was still so hard after having such a wonderful time. I miss him so much already!

We had a really great time in Ireland :) I will never forget it! I still can't believe we are engaged! It seems like a dream! Not too much planned for the next couple days. I have a meeting with my advisor on Friday evening so I will hopefully find out about my tutorials then. I will keep you up to date on anything exciting!

All's Well That Ends Well

Well our travel week has come to an end, and I couldn't have asked for a better time! Ireland is truly a country full of nice people and interesting places. We went to Howth (pronounced Hoe-th). It's a little fishing village just to the northeast of Dublin. The views off of the cliffs were amazing! Elliot managed to convince me to climb down one to the beach below, and let me tell you it was no easy feat! I am afraid of heights (afraid from falling from them anyways) so I didn't particularly like the idea. It wasn't so much the going down as it was the coming back up. But I managed to get down and it was well worth the journey! It was absolutely beautiful! We got down and there were a few other people walking around on the little beach and we saw sealions! I have some good pics of them on the blog :) We met a dog named Buzzy, he was a black lab. We originally thought he was with the group that had gone down before us but they said that he wasn't theirs so he followed us around for a good part of the day. He would dig up rocks and then nudge them towards us so that we would throw them and play fetch! I must admit he was rather cute! He made me nervous because he would climb down on the cliff pretty far! Overall it was an amazing trip and if I have the chance I would definitely go back!

Today, before the flight, we went to the Dublin Zoo. It was a nice visit, not crowded by any means. We saw fighting rhinos, baby peacocks and tigers! There was a cute little tiger cub running about in the enclosures! I got some good pictures of the animals and it was a good way to spend the last day in Ireland. I had a great travel week and I still can't believe that Elliot and I are finally engaged! It seems like such a dream! I'm still walking on air :)

A rare occurence in Ireland

Well today we got to Ireland. The flight wasn't awful but people kept moving our bag from the overhead bin because the flight was so full. We landed in a little under an hour. The weather was actually nice for Ireland, considering they say it rains 99% of the time. We got to the hotel and checked in, it's very nice! We went into Dublin and ate at the Hard Rock Cafe. We walked around for a bit and went into a casino/ arcade place.

We got a cab back home and then walked down to the Bay. My parents called as we were walking around to just check in and see how we were. After we hung up Elliot asked if I knew why they were calling and then got down on one knee and asked "Will you marry me?" It was perfect! I couldn't have asked for anything better! Not that it is the most important thing, but the ring is gorgeous! I am so lucky to be in love with someone so great.

It has been one of the best days I can remember :) I'm so excited!

Waiting!

So sorry I haven't posted in so long. It has been a week full of writing a paper and organizing a presentation. It went well and the paper has been handed it so it's nice to have that off my shoulders.

Elliot is now at the airport waiting to board his plane to come over! I'm so excited I can't wait :)

I cracked one of the door frames today with my elbow... Walking down the stairs there is a lip that I touch on the way down, it's above my head, and as I brought my arm down I nailed the door frame.... It still hurts :( On the bright side my cold has seemed to diminish in intensity, which I am oh so thankful for. My nose is a little sore from blowing it for the last 3 days but otherwise good. Well I'm going to try and read for a little bit then head to bed! Have a great weekend!

Busy, Busy, Sick

:sigh: Well today has not been the best day, but not the worst either. I was awaken this morning around 5AM to hear a very low flying plane. I ran to my window to see what was going on but couldn't see anything; it was very loud and kinda scary.

Today was the last day of lectures which was nice, the last several were done by the same lecturer and he was very animated so you could actually pay attention! Sometimes it's a little daunting trying to listen to people with a British accent talk, they talk quite quickly and sometimes use words you aren't familiar with. For example: when talking about consecutive years they don't say nineteen ninety-seven and ninety-eight, they just say nineteen ninety-seven eight. So that was hard to keep up with sometimes.

My paper is essentially finished, just adding a few bits in here and there. I'm already at 11 pages so I can't add too much into it. I'm not sure if there is a way of posting it on here without actually putting it in a post, but if I can I will so that you guys can read it (if you are bored or interested).

Now for the down side of my day. I woke up this morning feeling a little tired and my nose has been running like mad all day. I'm really not sure were this little cold came from, but of course it's here just in time for travel week, hooray! NOT!!! I'm drinking water like a fish (yes, I know fish don't actually drink water) to try and flush out my system so I won't be all snotty for travel week.

On the up side, I bought the season of House on Itunes and watched the season premiere! I'm so glad I can actually watch it while I'm here, sure I have to wait an extra day but it's well worth it!

That is where I will leave you for now. I am going to go rest and try to get rid of this cold. Have a great day!

Paper

Well good afternoon there! Today has been very busy for me. I had lectures this morning until about 12:30 and then we had a meeting with our group from GMU to discuss our presentation schedule for next week. I got home a little before 2 and have been working on research and my paper since! I have included what I have completed so far, any suggestions or questions can be directed to my e-mail address Jwinderw@gmail.com

It is no secret that September 11, 2009 profoundly impacted the world, not just New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington D.C. While the attacks took place in the United States of America, Western Europe too felt the pain of the events and would later experience their own terrorist attacks in 2004 in Madrid, Spain.[i]  The United Kingdom was not spared and dealt with terrorist attack in 2005.[ii] Consideration of public opinions towards the Muslim world is especially important in Europe, where roughly fifteen million Muslims live.[iii] The goal of this paper is to consider the terrorist attacks and the effects they had on people of Muslim faith. It will provide a background on terrorist events in both the United States and Europe in order to provide context for the claim that public sentiment towards Muslims did change after the various terror attacks carried out across the West. Public perceptions of Muslims have been affected by the terrorist attacks carried out across the West, the media portrayal of Muslims as extremists, the influx of Muslim immigrants into European countries and the United Kingdom, and the lack of Muslim integration within the areas they immigrate to.

            The events of September 11, 2001 took place in New York City, Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania.[iv] It was the deadliest attack by foreign terrorists on mainland United States.[v] Four different planes were hijacked that day, two were flown straight into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, one crashed into the Pentagon just outside of Washington D.C. and the final plane crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers attacked the hijackers.[vi]  It is not hard to imagine that such a horrific act would leave an impression upon the country assailed, but the world as a whole was dramatically affected by these events.

            Foreign terrorists did not spare Western Europe and the United Kingdom.  On March 11, 2004 commuter trains in Madrid, Spain were targeted by al-Qaeda. One hundred ninety-one people were killed and almost two thousand were injured.[vii] The attack on London, England occurred on July 7, 2005 and fifty-two people were killed.[viii] The attackers targeted the underground metro system as well as public transit buses.[ix] Each of these attacks gained international media coverage immediately.  The attacks occurred during an era of twenty-four hour, seven days a week news coverage channels such as CNN and Fox News. The attacks were visible across the world from the United States to Australia.[x] In the days and weeks following the events in the United States, the United Kingdom and Western Europe, Muslims were not yet targeted. The media focused all of their attention on the victims, the attacks themselves, and what the possible reasons for such actions were.  It did not take long, however, for the winds to shift and for the Muslim population around the world to become al-Qaeda’s scapegoat.

            According to a report publish in 2007 research conducted in one week’s news coverage found that ninety-one percent of articles in national newspapers about Muslims were negative.[xi] London’s Mayor, Ken Livingstone, called the findings a “damning indictment’ and went on to say “the overall picture presented by the media is that Islam is profoundly different from and a threat to the west.”[xii] It is clear that Muslims are not being justly represented in the media, and being unfairly categorized as a threat to Western society.  In the study only four percent of three hundred fifty two articles studied were positive.[xiii] The analysis showed that other world views or opinions were not mentioned in the articles and that facts were often simplified, distorted or exaggerated.[xiv] It is apparent that the media has had a extreme impact on the way the public views Muslims overall.

The negative light in which Muslims are cast has a profound affect upon local communities. Since the terrorist attacks across the West, Muslim youth feel that they are unfairly treated and are targeted by police.[xv] People frequently have the notion in their head that it is not possible to be both British and Muslim and this causes frustration for younger Muslims as well as for Muslims in general. This same report found that the dominant view is that there is no common ground between the West and Islam, and that conflict between them is accordingly inevitable.[xvi] Another finding listing in the executive summary of the report is that the tone of language used in the media if often emotive, immoderate, alarmist or abusive.[xvii] One of the most profound findings of the report was that the coverage is likely to provoke and increase feelings of insecurity, suspicion and anxiety amongst non-Muslims.[xviii]Taking the findings into account several recommendations for changing the way that Muslims are depicted in the media are suggested: creating a code of professional conduct and style guides about the use of certain terminology, recruit more journalists of Muslim heritage so that a more accurate account of the views of Muslim communities can be represented, and that the news organizations take complaints regarding distorted coverage of Islam and Muslims seriously.[xix] Another point of contention in the public’s perception of Muslims is the ever-increasing immigration of Muslims into the United Kingdom and Western Europe.

In the period following the September 11^th attacks on the United States, Americans were introduced to different versions of Islam, one that was peaceful and one that appeared to be violent in nature.[xx] The violent image came about thanks to media coverage, which showed responses to the attacks in Islamic countries. News stations broadcast images of Palestinians cheering and celebrating the attacks on the United States.[xxi] These images in and of themselves were enough for people to form a negative opinion of Islam and Muslims. But news stations, perhaps unknowingly, took it one step farther. Images of Palestinian suicide bombers targeting civilians were plastered all over the international news community.[xxii]Even Amnesty International added to the problem by, time after time, highlighting human rights violations committed by Islamic governments.[xxiii]It is this continuous stream of negative images and depictions of Islam and Muslims in general that reinforce the stigma of Muslim citizens.

The media plays a significant role in aiding public opinions about Muslims but it is what the media is reporting about Muslims that has a profound impact on attitudes. One of the many “concerns” people have about Muslims in Europe is their rate of immigration.  The rate of intercontinental immigration, as of recent, is unheard of and is extremely unpopular with Europeans.[xxiv]Most people would agree that it is not an easy task to integrate a dissimilar culture into European life, but it seems that Islam is presenting the most critical problems with the transition.[xxv] It is a point of debate whether or not immigration is an important function to the structural or economic wellbeing of Europe, but if it is, the people most likely to come will be from Europe’s southern and southeastern Muslim perimeter.[xxvi]

Worries about immigrants and their children have risen to the surface since September 11^th.[xxvii] People see Muslim immigrants as a threat to their way of life and the culture they are used to. Just 19 percent of Europeans believe that immigration has been good for their countries.[xxviii]And roughly 57 percent say that their countries have “too many foreigners.”[xxix]When asked whether their country had too many immigrants 73 percent of French people said yes, as did 69 percent of British people.[xxx]The unease that many native Europeans feel  towards Muslim immigrants has been aided by the consistently negative media coverage of Islam along with general misconceptions of Islamic culture.  

Migration into Europe from elsewhere has reached staggering levels recently, with roughly 1.7 million new arrivals each year.[xxxi]Halfway through the 20th century, there was a very limited number of Muslims in Western Europe. However, by the beginning of the 21^st  century there were between 15 and 17 million Muslims living in Western Europe.[xxxii]France boasts the greatest number of Muslims at 5 million, Germany falls short with 4 million and only 2 million inhabit Britain.[xxxiii]Unlike many other immigrants round the world, Muslims have broken- or requested adjustments and changes to- a large number of European customs, ideals, and state structures with which they have dealings.[xxxiv] This causes quandary amongst natives because they often feel that their liberties, which they misconstrue as rights, are being taken from them. For example: in the last decade observation of radical imams and mosques has been increased. This is often censured because it is seen as watching people simply because they are Muslim. What this complaint and increased surveillance may lead to is improved study of everyone.[xxxv]

---

[i] BBC News. ”Timeline: Madrid Investigation.” 28 April 2004 .

[ii] BBC News. “London rocked by terror attacks.” 7 July 2005 .

[iii] Sen, Faruk. “Europe and Islam after 9/11.” 15 October 2006. Turk of America

[iv] Paul S. Boyer. "September 11, 2001." The Oxford Companion to United States History. Oxford University Press. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 16 Sep. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

[v] Paul S. Boyer. "September 11, 2001." The Oxford Companion to United States History. Oxford University Press. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 16 Sep. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

[vi] Paul S. Boyer. "September 11, 2001." The Oxford Companion to United States History. Oxford University Press. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 16 Sep. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

[vii] BBC News. “Timeline: Madrid investigation.” 28 April 2004 .

[viii] BBC News. “London Attacks.” 8 July 2008 .

[ix] BBC News. “London Attacks.” 8 July 2008 .

[x] McNair, Brian. “UK Media Coverage of September 11.” Marquette Books LLC. 16 September 2009.

[xi] “Study shows ‘demonization’ of Muslims.” The Guardian. 14 November 2007.

< http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/nov/14/pressandpublishing.religion>.

[xii] Study shows ‘demonization’ of Muslims.” The Guardian. 14 November 2007.

< http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/nov/14/pressandpublishing.religion>.

[xiii] “91% of articles in newspapers about Muslims are negative.” 14 November 2007.< http://www.socialdailynews.com/2007/11/91-of-articles-in-newspapers-about-muslims-are-negative/>.

[xiv] “91% of articles in newspapers about Muslims are negative.” 14 November 2007.< http://www.socialdailynews.com/2007/11/91-of-articles-in-newspapers-about-muslims-are-negative/>.

[xv] http://tvnz.co.nz/content/2960882

[xvi] Common Ground Report p. xiii

[xvii] Common Ground Report p. xiv

[xviii] Common Ground Report p. xiv

[xix] Common Ground Report p. xv

[xx] Brown, William. and Welch, Shyla. "Post-September 11th Perceptions of Islam and the Spiral of Silence" Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association, New Orleans Sheraton, New Orleans, LA, May 27, 2004 . 2009-05-26

[xxi] Brown, William. and Welch, Shyla. "Post-September 11th Perceptions of Islam and the Spiral of Silence" Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association, New Orleans Sheraton, New Orleans, LA, May 27, 2004 . 2009-05-26

[xxii] Brown, William. and Welch, Shyla. "Post-September 11th Perceptions of Islam and the Spiral of Silence" Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association, New Orleans Sheraton, New Orleans, LA, May 27, 2004 . 2009-05-26

[xxiii] Brown, William. and Welch, Shyla. "Post-September 11th Perceptions of Islam and the Spiral of Silence" Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association, New Orleans Sheraton, New Orleans, LA, May 27, 2004 . 2009-05-26

[xxiv] Caldwell, Christopher. “Reflections on the Revolution in Europe.” P. 10

[xxv] Caldwell, Christopher. “Reflections on the Revolution in Europe.” P. 10

[xxvi] Caldwell, Christopher. “Reflections on the Revolution in Europe.” P. 10

[xxvii] Caldwell, Christopher. “Reflections on the Revolution in Europe.” P. 12

[xxviii] Caldwell, Christopher. “Reflections on the Revolution in Europe.” P. 12

[xxix] Caldwell, Christopher. “Reflections on the Revolution in Europe.” P. 12

[xxx] Caldwell, Christopher. “Reflections on the Revolution in Europe.” P. 12

[xxxi] Caldwell, Christopher. “Reflections on the Revolution in Europe.” P. 10

[xxxii] Caldwell, Christopher. “Reflections on the Revolution in Europe.” P. 10

[xxxiii] Caldwell, Christopher. “Reflections on the Revolution in Europe.” P. 10

[xxxiv] Caldwell, Christopher. “Reflections on the Revolution in Europe.” P. 11

[xxxv] Caldwell, Christopher. “Reflections on the Revolution in Europe.” P. 11

Mac N Cheese!!!

First of all: THANK YOU DAD FOR MY AWESOME CARE PACKAGE! I am so glad to have some Mac'n'cheese!

Today was less than spectacular. We were forced to go to Hampton Court Palace. Don't get me wrong it was nice but there was no need to keep us there from 10:30AM-4PM. The palace was NOT that big! We got our student access badges and we were all excited to go to the garden maze.. oh but wait, even with our student badges we would have to pay to go through the maze!!!

The best part of the day was going to a restaurant and getting Irish mussels which were awesomely delicious! Other than that I took some good photos and walked around a lot.

Well not much to say and I have to get on to writing my paper and doing some more research! Not sure if I mentioned what it is... Public perception of Muslims in the UK and Western Europe since 2001. I figured I could expound upon that for my honors thesis this spring as well. Have a great night!

Hampton Court

Let's see: today we are going to Hampton Court Palace for the entire day. I'm not sure how big it is but it seems to be a very long trip just to see a palace. Other than that I'm not too sure how much time I will have to update in the next few days, I have a massive research paper to work on and 1 page reflections for each lecture (of which there are still 12 more). So you will have to excuse me if I don't post another blog for a couple days.

Other than that there isn't too much going on. It was one girl's birthday last night so we may do a little party on Friday night to celebrate. Other than that not too much to report, yesterday was pretty cloudy for most of the day but no rain thankfully. I bought a college sweatshirt and 2 t-shirts :) I hope everyone is doing well, enjoy the rest of the work week!

The Aftermath

Good afternoon! Well this weekend was rather eventful! Our bus broke down on the way to London so we had to wait for one to come pick us up. We finally got there and only had a few moments to unpack and rest, then it was off to the Imperial War Museum. It was pretty interesting, but mostly depressing because it was all about war..(I think that was rather obvious given the name of the museum). After that we went down to the National Theater and saw a play called Pitmen Painters. It was really funny and definitely enjoyable. A couple of us walked under the London Eye (the giant ferris wheel) and past Big Ben! Everything looks amazing at night! Unfortunately my camera didn't want to cooperate so some of the pictures came out blurry, but for the most part they look pretty cool!

Saturday we woke up and had breakfast and then went to Wesminster Abbey. It was gorgeous! But I don't think it was worth the £12 I paid to get in. I couldn't even take pictures! Then we walked to Trafalgar Square which was really interesting. They have a giant column that artsy people get on and do random performances and skits. The lady when we were there was wearing a toilet seat around her neck... weird! We all separated to get lunch after that and our lunch took too long so we missed the British Museum. Then we had free time and we did a little shopping and A LOT of walking around. We went back to the hostel to rest before our group dinner. After dinner a few of us went out and got back a little later than expected. It wasn't the best experience I've ever had, but I guess it could have been worse.

Sunday we all met for breakfast and then went to the Tower of London. We saw the crown jewels which was pretty awesome. Then we were supposed to meet at the bus station at 3PM but some people were late so we had to wait. Unfortunately our bus was extremely late because of some kind of protest that was blocking the road to the station. We got back around 6PM last night, I'm not positive I was so tired.

So on the agenda for today: write papers, papers and more papers... and do laundry. I told everyone this morning that I would like to use it this afternoon and guess what.. someone is using the washing machine.. grrr. Well it's time to write papers! Check out the pictures on the photobucket website!!!

NFL @ Wembley

OK, update! Once I got on the bus Heather and I proceeded to purchase tickets for the NFL game between the PATRIOTS and the Buccaneers @ Wembley stadium on Oct. 25!!!!!!! So excited! We are sitting behind one of the endzones! I can't believe I'm going to see my first NFL game in the UK!

London Weekend

Hello! Sorry it's taken so long to get another post up! Yesterday wasn't a very busy day, we got to sleep in because our tour of the Natural History Museum wasn't until 2:30PM. We all got together and had a snack at The Four Candles. I introduced everyone to this wonderful waffle dessert they have there. Basically it's made up of 1/2 of a Belgian waffle, Belgian chocolate sauce, and 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream! It is sooooo--> good! After that we walked to the museum and found out that our "tour guide" had left. They eventually got us a different one but it wasn't really even a tour. They just told us a little background on the museum and that was it. I'm not too sure what the point of the whole visit was; I felt like I was in the 5th grade again visiting a museum like that and then having to write a paper about it.

Anyways, we are off to London today for the weekend. Here's what we have in store: the bus ride to London (about 1 1/2 hours), a tour of the Imperial War Museum and a play at the National Theatre (Pitmen Painters). For tomorrow we have breakfast at our lodgings, tour of Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, British Museum to see Elgin Marbles, at 2:30PM we have free time and then dinner at some Thai Restaurant. Finally Sunday we are going to tour the Tower of London and then head back to Oxford that afternoon. I hope that gave you some idea of what I'll be doing this weekend. I'm not sure if we will have internet access while I'm there but I'm not counting on it so I may not be able to update until Sunday afternoon or evening.

I hope everyone is well and that things are running smoothly at home, work or school. Today I ask you all a favor: Take just a moment of your day to remember those lost during the September 11th attacks. It has been 8 years since the day that our country was shaken to the core and although time has passed we must never forget what happened that day.

Slow Day

Today wasn't too eventful. I went to my lectures, one of which was canceled. It was rather interesting and though provoking though. It was about John Locke and John Stuart and moral philosophy. It really made me think! :) Afterwards I went back to the house and wrote a paper for every lecture we've had so far. So I didn't do too much today.

The weather today was great, sunny most of the day and warm enough to open the windows without freezing. I spent a lot of the day researching plans for travel week. Elliot will be coming to visit on the 26th so I think we will stay in London the day he gets here and then head to Ireland on the 27th, stay there until the 29th and then stay in Oxford the night of the 29th until he leaves on the 30th. The 26th and the 30th are still up in the air a little bit but Ireland is booked! :) I'm so excited!

Other than that it looks to be a quiet night for me. Tomorrow I have the last 2 lectures for the week. Thursday we have a field trip to the Natural History Museum and then off to London on Friday. Wishing you all the best!

St. Gile's Fair, Lectures, & Groceries

Today was the first day of lectures. I was expecting it to be rather dull but the 2 lectures went by rather quickly and the content was rather riveting. The first one was an overview of the British education system, which seems like it would be an interesting topic to write my research paper on. They have what is called a National Curriculum which basically tells each teacher when, how and what subject to teach. It's quite a novel idea actually. The lecturer today used to be an Oxford don (teacher) previously, but now she is head director of one of the colleges. She has made us all very anxious by telling us that she can count on 2 hands the number of alphas she has given out in 22 years of teaching. Alphas are A's, just for your reference. All this is quite unnerving for those of us who are trying to maintain a GPA for when we graduate, but I guess we will see at the end of term.

After that I came back to the house and waited for my groceries to arrive. Yes, I ordered my groceries online. It was extremely convenient and the delivery fee wasn't too taxing.

This afternoon a bunch of us went to the St. Gile's fair together. They shut down a pretty major road to hold the fair, I believe it lasts until tomorrow evening. Apparently at fairs they have American Donuts, which I'm guessing is our equivalent to funnel cake. And cotton candy is called candy floss here, which in my opinion is just some way of making it sound more hygienic (doesn't work). They had the typical fish and chip stands, along with hot dogs and hamburgers. I'm not sure that the rides are terribly safe considering smoke jets out of them after every use. I think that 75% of Oxford's overall pollution probably comes from this fair.. it's rather nasty.

All in all another enjoyable day. I think my excitement is starting to die down now and I'm really getting comfortable moving about the city. Tomorrow a couple more lectures and then some paper writing. Until then!

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!

Here it is going on 12:30PM and I have been lazing around the flat for the morning. On tap for today: 1) editing and revising my paper due tomorrow 2) mentally preparing for lectures, which start tomorrow 3) Video chat date with Elliot  4) checking out the setting up of St. Giles fair which begins tomorrow and 5) thinking up a topic to use for my 10-12 page research paper due at the end of the month. So far I'm thinking that I might do some kind of comparison between the threats of terrorism in the US and either Europe or the UK, depending upon how specific our professor wants us to be. We are supposed to use the lecture topics as a reference and the terrorism one is near the end of the series.

Last night was rather fun, the play was hysterical. It's called the 12th Night and for those of you who have seen the movie "She's the man," that was taken from the main premise of the play. It was outside in a little amphitheater which was rather chilly but all in all quite enjoyable. I actually got overcharged for my dinner and had to return to the register to ask for my money back (she had charge me £6.95 when someone else from our group got the same thing and only paid £4). I ordered my hot chocolate to be ready for interval (intermission) but by the time I got down there my drink had been nicked (stolen). I then had to cut the queue (line) to talk to the servers, one of which had been the lady at the register previously. One woman told me that a drink has never been nicked in the 2 months they have been doing this and that she would not give me a drink. The lady that had helped me prior said that she would get it for me. In the process of all this I managed to walk past a gentlemen with two coffees in hand, who for whatever reason had decided not to top them, and I accidentally bumped him to which he responded with a kind of huffing and mumbling grumble of disapproval.

After the play most of the group decided to meet a few others at The Eagle and Child, a pub that once served as a hangout for J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. I had a strawberry and pear cider which was rather good. So all in all it was a good night. I must now be off to revising my paper now. Wishing everyone well!

Resting My Feet

It's about 4:05PM here in Oxford, which means it is about 11AM for those of you in the states. After 8 hours of walking yesterday I decided to keep my walking to a minimum today. The morning started out rather sunny and nice, but it has quickly turned to overcast skies with a slight drizzle. Overall my time in Oxford has been enjoyable thus far, people are friendly and the town is lovely. And good news! We found out today that our washer is in fact a dryer as well! So I don't actually have to hang my linens on the line and hope like hell it doesn't rain!!!

I did my second bout of grocery shopping today: online! Yes, you can order your groceries online and have them delivered to your door step! My goods will be delivered on Monday between 2-3PM. This is quite a novel idea and I'm not sure why we don't have such a thing in the states, but I can only guess that it is because we don't have such little towns.

I don't have anything really planned for the weekend, other than going to a play tonight that is held on the roof of the Saïd Business School. If you visit http://www.creationtheatre.co.uk/
you will be able to see the location of the play and learn a little about the company. If it rains they will hold it indoors but otherwise it's outside! How cool?!

I must confess that I am a little homesick, but I feel much better now that I have internet and phone access. Lectures are Monday-Thursday, with an odd field trip thrown in during the week. We head to London for the weekend on Sept.11th and I'm excited to explore the city!

I hope everyone is having a great work/school week! Thanks for all the well wishes and I can't wait to hear from everyone! Cheers!