Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland

Okay, its official. I hate slush...and that is what is covering the streets of Oxford. The Brits are so funny about snow. It hasn't snowed here in about 2 years and in the past week we've had 5 inches. This means life as we know it has come to a halt. Libraries are closing early, essays are not getting written, tutorials have been canceled and many, many, many feet are getting wet. Its not actually cold enough for the snow to stick properly so its doing this funny melt-into-slush-on-the-sidewalks-but-nowhere-else thing. I've never realized how annoying it is to have snow and slush without proper waterproof boots. This is something I've never had to deal with and since I didn't expect snow in Oxford, I gave the extra space my boots would have taken in my suitcase to my supply of macaroni and cheese. Therefore, I have cold and wet feet.

Nevertheless, if I though Oxford in the fall is beautiful, it is also incredible in the snow. All the buildings covered in snow, everyone in their hats, the millions of snowmen that have sprung up. Its wonderful. There is an 8-foot, three tiered snowman on the lawn at Wadham that had a carrot nose and was wearing a cap and gown. Someone also dared the wrath of the porters (and a hefty fine) by assembling a snowman on the front quad--where you ARE NOT allowed to walk. I say assembled because they obviously brought the parts from elsewhere to minimize the time they could be exposed on the front quad. Its pretty wonderful.

One Day in the Life of Ashley Getting

Okay, since it is mid-afternoon and I'm procrastinating, I'll start with yesterday.

Afternoon: read about Verdun 1916 and took notes. got bored and stared at the ceiling.
Dinnertime: went to Chez Gaston, a French cafe with the other flat; had a ratatouille crepe that was delectable.
Evening into Night: walked to the Kings Arms with the girls to have a drink; Amy, Alex, Michelle and her friend left and my flatmates and I stayed and met up with some of the people from Iffley. Much hilarity ensued. Wandered slowly back to Merifield in the rain.
After Midnight: played online until I realized it was almost 2 am. Went to sleep.
This Morning: ate breakfast and walked in to the city centre to spend the afternoon in the Radcliffe Camera; read French General Henri Philippe Petain and German General Erich von Falkenhayn's records of the battle for Verdun. Got bored. Left, walked to the porter's lodge to check if my suitcase had arrived and....IT DID!!!!!!!
This Afternoon: Trekked from Wadham to the bus stop with my errant suitcase who has now been named Philippa. Thought that an appropriate name for a suitcase that took a side trip to Ithaca, NY. Went back to my room and unpacked while watching Center Stage and dancing around my room. Am now procrastination.

Such a good 24 hours. No lie.

Not all who wander are lost...but sometimes their baggage is.

Well ladies and gents, I'm back in Oxford. After much panic and ado in Minnesota because of the three plus inches of snow dumped on us on Monday causing my flight to Newark to be delayed, I have made it across the ocean only slightly worse for the wear. I managed to sleep most of the plane ride and the entire bus ride to Oxford so I only slept for 10 hours today instead of the expected 12!

Here's the thing: as I am the poster child for Murphy's Law, it would be far too easy/convenient/lucky that everything turned out perfectly. Fortunately, my life did not disappoint. I got off the plane, went through passport control, didn't get lost in Heathrow, etc, without any problems. Then I got to baggage claim and waited...and waited and waited and waited and waited. No suitcase. At first I didn't panic. I figured it was just running late being removed from the plane or something. Then my imagination took over and I was terrified that somehow, because it was overpacked, a seam split and all of my stuff was scattered all over the cargo hold of the plane. With that semi-entertaining image in mind, I went to the baggage claim desk, gave the lady my claim thing and waited. She checked in the computer and told me that my suitcase had not even made it on the plane in Minneapolis. Not cool. At this point, I dissolved into tears (being short on sleep, hungry, stressed, thinking all my worldly possessions had been lost....). The lady at the counter has probably seen it all so the tears pouring down my cheeks didn't seem to bother her. She told me that they would get my bag on a flight to England as soon as possible and then they would have it sent to my college in Oxford.

So now I wait. I bought a toothbrush and I have enough underwear to last me a while; I'm just really really worried that my bag will never make its way back to me. I miss my clothes!!! For now I wear the clothes that I don't really like (because thats what I had left in Oxford before Christmas) and do laundry more often--which I think is one of the worst parts of this whole ordeal!

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

Well, I've done it. I have successfully survived a term at Oxford!!! It was touch and go towards the end but all in all, the term was AMAZING. Here are some facts and figures for anyone who cares:

Number of weeks: 8
Number of essays written per week: 2
Total essays written: 14 essays, two sets of extensive notes and outlines
Average pages per essay: 8
Total pages written: 112 (plus some)
Number of complete meltdowns: 0

I would say thats pretty good...and I am, of course, oh so modest and humble.

This is going to be my last post for a while because at 12:30 tomorrow I am going to be flying from England back to the United States!!! I'm going home for Christmas and I'm really excited. I did realize today that I will certainly miss Oxford while I'm gone. Even though I haven't been here for very long, I sometimes feel that I've been here forever and that I'm more comfortable and feel more at home than I have in my two years at Sarah Lawrence. I'm flying back on 12 January.

Since it is Oxford, I do have work to do over break. I've also, typically, made myself a reading list. Will it get done? Probably not, but I will have plenty of leisure time as my family is going on vacation over break in my grandfather's RV. Oh yeah, thats right: Ridiculous Vehicle. So I shall be bringing my computer, a collection of DVD's and a stack of books. It will be lovely. My history tutor did not give me a reading list or essay question for over break but I am guessing she will email me when her end of term stuff settles down. My other tutor, Allan Chapman, the most typical Oxford don ever, will be doing the History of Science with me. My first essay is on the Copernican Revolution. I'll be doing a bit of astronomy, chemistry, physics, medicine, general biological sciences, etc. The point: 1) have Allan Chapman as my tutor, 2) take history and 3) get science credit for taking history. So excited.


On Friday night, the last night for students who live in college to stay, we celebrated Wadham's Christmas Dinner. There were two sittings in Hall and they were both full. Everyone dresses up really nicely, eats amazing food and gets slightly tipsy on wine provided by the college! The Chapel Choir (of which I am a part) sings carols from the balcony looking over the hall. It was incredible. Most of the carols we sang were ones that I either didn't know very well or didn't like--none of the standards that I learned as a Caroler because apparently the Brits like different carols....not sure why that surprised me so much. The best one was "The 12 Days of Christmas." Normally, I don't like that carol; it bores me. From now on, it is my absolute favorite carol. As soon as we started singing it, everyone in Hall cheered and I was a bit confused. Then came the "five gold rings part." The first time, about 70% of the people stood up on the benches, raised their hands in the air, did spirit-fingers, and shouted "FIVE GOLD RINGS." The second time, more did it. By the end, they were shouting the numbers as we counted down and after the final "five gold rings" they cheered and clapped. The best part was at the second seating. They clapped along and demanded an encore. Also, at both seatings, there were fellows and dons sitting at the high table and they participated in the "five gold rings" tradition too! We were talking today at lunch about what the best part about Oxford has been so far. While I have loved every moment of my time here, the absolute ultimate part of my experience has been Oxford Christmas. I will never forget how amazing every bit of Oxford Christmas has been!



Also, we went to London for the day yesterday and did a whole bunch of touristy stuff and a TON of walking. We ended the day by going to Trafalgar Square to see the Christmas tree and then wandering down to check out the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben at night before catching the double-decker bus back to Oxford. Every year, a 20-30 metre tree is sent from Oslo, Norway to London as thanks for the help recieved in 1940-1945. This tradition has been going on since 1947.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The appropriate subtitle for today's post: I love it when Katie propositions Rachele.

Thanksgiving...it is a solely American holiday and us Americans certainly celebrated it here! On Wednesday night, there was a feast in Hall in honor of the Sarah Lawrence Programme students. We had turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, apple and raisin pie and ice cream. We also got wine and coffee--only the Sarah Lawrence people that is. The Wadhamites weren't special enough!!!! As we were waiting in line before dinner, Emma and I were talking to some of our British friends about Thanksgiving and Rob thought it was actually on Tuesday. He was horrified (and I think a bit embarrassed) when we informed him that it was actually on Thursday. It was actually pretty funny.

On Thursday, my flat and the flat next door prepared a feast for ourselves. We made 2 roast chickens, a VAT of mashed potatoes, herb bread, 2 kinds of soup, 2 apple pies, 2 kinds of stuffing (one was pork and pre-stuffed into the chickens, the other bread in the oven), cookies, gravy, cranberry sauce, and creamed spinach. AND we did it without burning anything, setting anything on fire, ruining any thing, no major kitchen catastrophes--other than the mess--and a whole lot of laughter and fun. There were 10 of us eating and it was lovely. We brought our kitchen table out our patio door, through the courtyard and into the other flat via their patio where it still sits because we are too lazy to reverse the journey. SO MUCH FUN!

We really had a wonderful time and it has just occurred to me that I am almost finished with this term. I have two essays due Tuesday and Wednesday next week and then I will be done! I cannot believe how fast this term has gone. I will be home on the 8th of December...its approaching really, really rapidly!

Also, because it is now after Thanksgiving, I get to do two things.
Number 1: I get to listen to Christmas music ALL THE TIME.
Number 2: I can drink peppermint mochas at Starbucks! I had one today while I read Milton's Paradise Lost and it was lovely.

PS. Sara, I didn't have to go to three different Starbucks this year...my first attempt succeeded!

Pirates of the Caribbean is my LIFE.

I've been thinking (while not posting for a while--sorry, sorry) about what my life's soundtrack would be. This week, it would be the Pirates of the Caribbean. I have been listening to the first and third movies' soundtracks non-stop. Its great music to write a paper to; plus, if you'll allow me to be a nerd for a moment, one of the themes always makes me think of this great unfettered freedom and power--a great pick-me-up in the middle of an essay. That said, let me tell you about our last field trip to Tinturn Abbey and St. Fagan's Museum in Wales.

This is Tinturn Abbey. It was a fully working abbey until the Dissolution of the Monasteries during the time of Henry VIII. At that time, it was abandoned and the local people began taking it apart. As the roof was made of lead, it was the first to go. Next, they would remove the stones for use in their own buildings. In the 1800's this was stopped and it is now being kept in the condition you see in the picture (hopefully for generations to come).

This is Amy and I in one of the windows. I felt like I should have had a Bible or some sort of old Greek or Roman text in Latin to read in the sun. The abbey was incredibly beautiful and really peaceful. One of my friends who is not religious said that they felt this sense of peace--like it was just an inherently spiritual place. I absolutely agree. We were only able to spend an hour wandering around and I could have spent all day relaxing and meditating.

On to St. Fagan's. When I heard it was a museum, I got really excited because, as you all know, I am a complete history nerd and I love old, historic stuff! St. Fagan's Museum actually is a lot like Plymouth Plantation or Colonial Williamsburg. There aren't actors from the time period, but what they've done is to find buildings from all different ages all over Wales and relocate them to a 100-acre living museum type place. They take houses down stone by stone and number the stones so they can be put together the exact same way. There was a Celtic village and a 1980's row house as well as a manor house, a corn mill (flour mill to us Americans) and the most beautiful gardens EVER. I had the most marvelous time wandering around with Kate and exploring the various areas and eras. We went into the mill for funsies and there was a man sitting in front of a fire with a beautiful black cat. He spoke to us in Welch: the most beautiful language I've ever heard! It was like a song, all soft vowels and sing-songy. If I had an aptitude for languages, Welch would be the next one I'd learn!


This is part of the marvelous gardens. They kind of capped off the whole day. It had rained for an entire week before the trip and that Friday was the first sunny and gorgeous day in a long time. It was a perfect day off work.

Speaking of work, I have been so swamped for the last two weeks. Since Emma and I missed a tutorial due to a miscommunication, we had to make one up this week. This means that, instead of the usual two 7-10 page essays, we had three. In one week. I have not gotten a proper night's sleep in a long time; however, as of Wednesday, I am back to the usual two essays a week which is now going to seem like a piece of cake! This week I am reading Ben Jonson's Volpone for my lit tutorial and considering the role of fortune and either the body or the spirit. For history, I'm reading about Winston Churchill...my favorite quotation about him so far is "He was the one minister who felt instinctively at home with war and with the politics of war." Basically, my essay is supposed to consider him as a wartime leader. This is a timely essay since this week's core class lecture and outing is about him and we will be going to Blenheim Palace (his family's seat). I am very excited about this prospect.

And now, having discussed my work, I should go do some for a while! Actually, I'm probably going to go to bed and just tell myself that I'll get up early tomorrow (ha, thats funny). Either way, this post has gone on long enough and I'm getting tired. Take care and I'll try not to wait so long for an update again!


Oh yeah, one more thing. MY BIKE IS FIXED!

"I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike. I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride it where I like..."

Yes, I do have a bicycle. I bought one due to the 1/2 hour walk from my flat to Wadham College/the city centre. On a cycle, it only takes 15 minutes, 10 if I go really fast. Here's the problem: I am the poster child for Murphy's Law--anything bad that can happen, will. I had the bike for a week when I noticed that my front tire was completely flat. So, I took it in to a cycle shop by my flat and the guy said that what had probably happened was that the tire was not properly fitted to the frame. I could take it back to whence it came (a 45 minute walk) and it would be covered by warranty or I could pay 10 pounds for it to be repaired right by my flat. Dilemma!!!! Instead of making a decision, I just haven't ridden my bike for a week. By the way, it is blue, has a wire basket, a light on both the front and back and mudguards (or fenders as my dad likes to call them).

Now I can get to the point of this post. THE ELECTION. I am elated at the results but what I am even more excited about (if its possible) is that not only was I a part of making history but I watched history happen. As we watched CNN, the state-by-state projections rolled in. For each state projecting Obama as the winner, the entire room would cheer. I stood in the bar at the Oxford Union and watched as CNN was projected onto a big screen, predicting Obama as the future president at 4:00 am. (That is a six-hour time difference from Central Time). I was in the library of the Oxford Union watching the BBC's coverage of John McCain's concession speech. Amy and I stood watching, holding hands and crying, her because McCain reminded her of home and me because his speech was heartfelt, honorable and incredibly moving. For President-Elect Obama's speech I stood on a radiator, clinging to a window frame in the bar to see the screen while around me, Brits and Americans alike watched as history was made. Listening to those two incredibly moving speeches made me realize the integrity of both men. For Senator McCain to shush those "booing" in the crowd and the honor he did President-Elect Obama by giving him his compliments and wishing him the best was not an easy thing. However, he did it with great poise--what a great man. I hope he will continue to do great things in Congress. As for our future President, I look forward to his leadership. His speech proved he will truly be a great leader.

I had not realized until that night how lucky I am to be a part of a nation such as America. Our politics truly affect the whole world and though I knew this, I never understood the magnitude until I discussed American politics with Brits who knew as much as, if not more, about it than I did. We should feel proud that we come from a nation that can truly make a difference in this world. No matter whether your candidate won the election or not, there is one crucial thing to remember: we are all Americans, and we are so fortunate to have the ability to impact our politics.

Now that I've had my soapbox moment, (and I truly feel like I should have been standing, arms behind my back, the American flag as a backdrop while "Proud to be an American" played in the background) I'll tell you some more stuff about Oxford and etc.

Basically, my friends and I have been working and working and working. We took Friday (Halloween), Saturday (the American Halloween party) and Tuesday/Wednesday (Election!!) off work for the most part...so now we get to play catch-up. The workload doesn't wait for our convenience. Tomorrow we are off to Cardiff in Wales for a day-trip with the programme. Its a two-hour bus ride so I fully expect everyone will bring a book or two with them!

For my tutorials on Tuesday and Wednesday, I read Thomas More's Utopia and researched D-Day. Obviously, I had no problem doing the reading for my history tutorial. In fact, my tutor said that Band of Brothers is an essential read, so I bought it. Here is the teensy problem...I absolutely love it. I was supposed to be reading about D-Day (6 June 1944) and I found myself reading about the Battle of the Bulge (end of December 1944). Ooops. I told my tutor about my new procrastination tool and she just laughed. She later sent me an email to confirm the change of time for my tutorial and the post script read: "Put down Band of Brothers!"

It is now midnight and the bus is picking us up at 9:00 tomorrow. I need some sleep--still catching up from Election Night since I didn't go to bed until 6 in the morning and had to wake up at 9 for a tutorial! Have a good one and watch for futher news concerning the trip to Wales and more importantly, my bike!