A Day in London

We finally spent a day in London today!

It was necessary to leave Oxford this weekend. Shannon and I had had our noses in our books for hours and hours on end and it was beginning to take its toll on our sanity. We decided that no matter WHAT we were going to take some time to chill this Sunday and that's exactly what we did. We chilled in both a metaphorical and literal sense. It was 28 degrees and snowing as we walked around with Kevin and Henry. We still enjoyed our time in the city though. In Oxford we don't really get the chance to be tourists very often so it was nice to walk around and take pictures.

We went to Buckingham Palace first, which didn't seem as big as I had imagined it. It was still pretty though. Then we went to a Chinese New Year celebration in Tafalgar Square. There were tons of people there, but it was fun to watch the dragon dances. We ate lunch and then walked to see Big Ben, New and Old Parliament, and the Westminster Abbey. Finally, we wandered around in the National Art Collection for a while before heading back to school.

After a few weeks of craziness, I think I'm finally starting to get into a routine that allows me to get all of my reading and my papers done. I'm really enjoying my philosophy and European humanism classes. I have to read Pride and Prejudice and Mansfield Park for my romanticism class this week though. I'm really not looking forward to it. Jane Austen has never been able to hold my attention. I suppose it's better than reading the 120 page Sir Walter Scott poems that I just finished with last week though.

I'm going to miss watching the Super Bowl!

Getting Settled

Well I've been here nearly a week now. It seems like it has been much longer since my arrival. Things are finally starting to become routine and predictable, which is a huge relief to me.

Our classes start this week and as much as everyone is complaining about the transition from tourist to student after returning from our Sunday at the Tower of London, I am actually excited to crack open some old books and get a start on things.

Dr. Crowe gave the first lecture for our Integral Renaissance to the Enlightenment seminar on Monday. It was titled, "The Renaissance: Art, Philosophy, and the Dignity of Man." Dr. Crowe is a middle aged man with dark neatly combed hair and large glasses the magnify his eyes. I enjoy listening to him talk because his British accented voice is deep and soothing. At first I found myself so focused on writing everything that he said that I did not have time to actually digest what he was saying. However, after Dr. Crowe began to allude to Plato and Machiavelli (some of the philosophers that I am quite familiar with), I found myself much more at ease. It was obvious that Dr. Crowe is a brilliant man. The way that he synthesized the works of artists, writers, and philosophers of the Renaissance made for an enlightening lecture. I'm looking forward to my European Humanism seminar tomorrow that he also teaches.

If I had to describe my feelings about classes at this point I would say that I am excited and terrified at the same time. I have never had to read or write this much for any class, ever. However, I am very interested in the subjects of my classes.

We journeyed to the Bodleian today to be sworn in and receive our cards that will allow us to access its millions of books. In order to become a member, we each had to take an oath that included the promise not to set kindle to the library. It seems silly, but for most of the library's existence candles were used as a light source. It wouldn't be difficult to cause a massive fire in a stone building full of books. The pictures are of me and my lovely new Bodleian card and part of the building. I love spending time there walking around the library. It is one of the most beautiful buildings that I have ever witnessed.

Tomorrow I begin the rest of my classes. Wish me luck!

I'm Here!

After an unbearably long airplane ride, a less than soothing bus ride, and a four block journey on foot while dragging my two large suitcases over side walks that changed to cobblestone without warning, I finally arrived at St. Michael's Hall where I will be living for the next few months.

We met Fiona Kilby, one of the people who will watch over us during our stay here, when we arrived. Mrs. Kilby is a blonde slender woman who has an unmistakably Britsh air about her. In addition to Fiona, Dr. Philpot will be primarily in charge of making sure that we are comfortable during our stay. I haven't met him yet, but Aimee and Kevin describe him as a large jolly man.

It was difficult to get used to the time change at first. We ate dinner and breakfast on the plane so I wasn't hungry, but my stomach was making some odd noises. Kevin, Aimee, and I arrived a day before the rest of the students because we wanted to make sure we were not delayed due to unpredictable Chicago weather. So the entire building was empty when we finally went to sleep for the night. Like most buildings that I have encountered in Oxford, St. Michael's Hall does not seem to have any logic behind its layout. There are several narrow halls decorated with pictures of past students that lead to staircases in the strangest places. The five story building seems to have so many different staircases and landings that I'm sure I still haven't seen all of them.

This morning the three of us were up at 8:00 am and very hungry for some breakfast. We decided to head to an open air market that we passed on our way to our hall the day before, but it was not open. In fact, most of the town was still dark. Finally we found a small deli style restaurant were we could fill our stomachs. We discovered that a "bap" is a sandwich after Aimee and Kevin ordered one expecting something else. I settled for a few pieces of fruit and a piece of chocolate chip shortbread that was similar to a scone.

We wandered around the city taking pictures and marveling at how old and beautiful the buldings are. Before heading back we stopped at a grocery store where I learned that "quib" is money and a "till" is a checkout counter. Hopefully the fruit and microwave noodles that I bought will last me for a while.

Shannon arrived shortly after we returned to St. Michaels along with the rest of the students who will be studying at the Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies. Orientation begins tonight at 5:00 pm. I'm very excited for the days to come. We will be taking tours of Oxford tomorrow and visiting the Tower of London on Sunday. Also, Kevin discovered that Daniel Dennett is going to be giving a lecture in London in March that we hope to attend.

The first day was a little rocky, but after getting somewhat settled I feel like I'm going to have a great time here.