Of Christ & Cookies (But Not of Pastries Consumed By Jesus)

Today started with more Cadbury chocolate spread, followed by a visit to Christ Church. My group and I were running a bit late for the 10 a.m. service, and booked it through the city only to walk in about two after. I was afraid that the place would be packed, which it was pretty well full, but an usher escorted us to front pews! Our seats were right next to the boys' choir, an extremely talented bunch of lads of many ages. The group looked to range from about age 7-maybe late 20's, and they played a giant role in the ceremony. It was beautiful! The arrangement of the church was interesting. Rather than facing the front of the church, all of the pews were lined along the sides, parallel to the main aisle. Graves of esteemed folk were marked in many places on the floor, apparently because being buried in the ground on holy ground is a sure way to heaven. Afterward we stuck around for a few minutes to peruse, though we couldn't stay long as another service followed.




(I know these aren't intersting, but take my word for it: the interior was beautiful!) I could see all of the images from my Western Art book I read early my sophomore year flash before me throughout the entire ceremony, as I tried to connect the architecture terms with what I was seeing:


(P.S.: I didn't actually take this photograph but…I could have!! Also, my seat was in the bottom right corner of the photo! The far end acted as the back of the church during today's ceremony, though it doesn't seem like it should be. Hmm..)

Afterward we roamed about the courtyard of the college. It's usually closed off, but since we had made it in for church by means of a friendly man in a bowler hat allowing us to enter the gates, we weren't going to let this time go to waste.



In the courtyard of Christ Church College. I am facing the cathedral, and the surrounding buildings are the college.


This old woman was just too cute. And very English.



This strangely reminds me of the statue of Samothrace. Needless to say, I felt entirely cliché posing for this photo.



And again, in Christ Church's courtyard.

The city was already bustling around 11, and naturally, I was craving a pastry. I always am. The streets are lined with a ton of cafés; it is all about trial and error, finding the good ones. Today was a miss. I spotted the most glorious chocolate chip cookie practically yelling at me from the window of a shop. When I stopped in and bought one for £1.60, I was sorely disappointed. DRY, and not tasty whatsoever. My search for the perfect café continues!



The misleading cookie. Don't let those chips fool you, folks!



Catching up on my World "News." The British would use 'romp.'

I ran across some of the streets I'd seen in last evening's Ghost Tour. They look so much more — lively — during the day time.


The walls on either side are of 14th century structures. I've been told that many a man fought and died on this street!



Church of St. Mary the Virgin. I've been meaning to get inside the building, you can actually stand above the clock and get a pretty good view of the city for 50p I believe. The flowered tree outside is very common in this area, and they are soooo beautiful. You can see at the corner of the photo, two girls sitting in the branches. I am determined to sit up there one of these days, and relive my old past of climbing trees!



Finally, I got a little more acquainted today with the currency, as I pulled out the vast coinage that has collected in my wallet. This stuff weighs you down! The most interesting part is the coin values. There are £1 and £2 coins, then 50p, 20p, 10p, 5p, 2p and 1p pieces. I must say...is the 2p really necessary?! C'mon! Your coins are breaking my back, England!

The last stop of the evening was a late visit to the nearby grocer. The shop is no bigger than a glorified walk-in closet, yet he has every kind of chocolate imaginable. Tonight I bought some ORANGE CHOCOLATE, my absolute favorite (which I can never seem to find ANYWHERE). I bought an orange chocolate bar, as well as some orange Belgian chocolate cookies. Jolly. Good.

I am still looking for a day this week to visit London. There is a great deal on bus fares and the busses run about every 10 minutes, 24/7 from Oxford to London. It's only a matter of finding a day and I will be on my way to English mecca...

Love from the U.K.!

Jenny

PS: Mom, if you're reading this HAPPY MUM'S DAY. It's Mother's Day in England today! I heard about your Skype situation. Let me know when that gets fixed!

Back to lecture —
more this eve!

xo
jc

I'll Have a Little More England On That Kebob!

I've just wrapped up my first full day in England — another day of adventures, food, and glorious sites!

After a hefty and much-needed 11 hours of sleep, I woke up and had my first English breakfast. Eggs, cereal, and toast were on the menu, and I paired it with a hot cup of green tea. The best part: the dining hall offered jam, peanut butter and — get this — Cadbury milk chocolate spread for toast. Needless to say I was all over that. My kind of breakfast!!

The first lectures were extremely enlightening. Not like your boring ol' classes where you listen to two hours of dull rambling, but very engaging. Afterward I took a solitary stroll around the block. There are really beautiful trees with flowers on them, and the smell is fantastic. It was nice to get out in the sun — temps were near 60 degrees here today!



An interesting house I spotted on my afternoon stroll!





The front (top) and back of my residence, Wycliffe Hall. GREEN GRASS! Nice.

I did a ton of exploring! I feel like I could wander this city for years and it would never get old. It is such a privilege to be on the campus, and mingle amidst the buildings. The streets were packed as dancers, music, and tourists filled sidewalk to sidewalk. I tracked down an ATM and now have means of purchasing…which I did…

Oh, the shopping! There is everything here. I feel so naive for insisting on buying many things before I left. No need. Trendy shops line the roads, with trendy clothes for — you guessed it — all of England's trendy people. The style here is seriously fantastic. I love seeing all the chic men, women, and teenagers peruse the streets in their tights, flats, boots, and leather bags. They make me feel like a slouch, but I am trying to take away from the fads and perhaps eventually blend into the crowd. I got a neat pair of shoes and some fun sunglasses today at a neat store called Top Shop, both a bargain. (Side note: When I heard Britney Spears and U2 playing over the stereo in one of the stores, I couldn't help but do a little dance and feel at home…though technically U2 doesn't belong to us, but BRITNEY…she's ours!)

After a bit of shopping with a friend, we hunted down a little café called Harvey's, where I consumed one of the best raspberry muffins and mochas of my life. I carried my mocha into a store a bit later and could have sworn I heard a British woman say to me, "So you don't like the tea?" I am thinking that it is a bit different here, that it's not the norm to drink coffee during any given time of the day, and getting coffee drinks at certain times of the day is frowned upon. I'll catch on eventually.

This evening I went on a Ghost Tour through campus. The tour guide enlightened us of various haunted buildings, etc. Not too much about ghosts, but more of a history of Oxford and a brief touch on some premises claimed to be "haunted." The tour was highlighted by stories of the crazy William Archibald Spooner (originator of spoonerisms), Bill Clinton's residence on Grove "Grope" Street during his stay in Oxford as a Rhode Scholar, and a building where a student took his life by jumping from a window after completing his final exam and knowing that he'd failed it. Interesting nonetheless, and walking through Oxford in the evening with nothing but the street lights casting shadows on 14th century buildings is very eerie, as though I visiting the past.



During the Ghost Tour!

I passed through a pub, Oxford's very first and award-winning Turf Tavern. The pub is curiously hidden and located by means of small, covert passageways that our Ghost Tour guide luckily pointed out to us (thanks, Stuart)! I didn't have a drink as I don't much care for beer, and as it is Saturday night the place was packed. Poking my head in was experience enough for the evening, and I mostly enjoy seeing the townspeople having a good time. That makes me happy!

Meandering through the streets brought my friend Kayla and I to another establishment, a small deli called la Croissanterie. We grabbed a stool near a group of teens playing a card game they called "Shithead." I figured they would be more friendly, but surprisingly we said a few words, told them where we were from, and they wanted nothing to do with us. So much for mingling with the locals! Yikes.





Killing time with my neighbor, Courtney. We are #24 and #29, respectively.

A break for a while, and I was off for a late night snack at a food cart called Hussein's. I've been told numerous times to try the fish and chips, but as I don't eat the first half of it, I instead ordered the most deceiving vegetarian kebob I have ever witnessed. I thought I'd be getting a stick of skewed veggies and tofu, so when the friendly worker handed me this monstrosity:



I was more than a little concerned. Delicious, but not exactly a healthy late night treat! The worker would yell to me from the cart, "Hummus?! Lettuce?! Sauce?!" and kept piling it higher and spraying it with chili sauce. I sat on the stairs of a monument and ate my "kebob", until a friend and I were approached by a mad drunk man carrying a liter of something or other and yelling/flipping off every bus and car in sight. He was harmless I believe, and we sat through about five minutes of his insistence that he was better than everyone else, and that no one should put up with anything. Another soon came along, and that was our cue that we were sitting on homeless grounds. A quick "Well, lovely chat, we've got to run!" and we walked away at a brisk pace!

A bit more adventuring, and we decided we weren't ready for the clubs. I am okay with that! It's been a long, wonderful day!

Tomorrow morning I am going to a Sunday service at Christ Church! I mentioned it in yesterday's post, but it is a beautiful structure. During the week they charge a fee for a tour, mostly because Harry Potter was filmed in it, etc. but on Sunday there is no charge. Yay!

I am going to try and keep up daily, but I really want to spend every moment I can out and about! There is too much to do here to waste the moments...



I am so, so thankful for this experience. Until tomorrow — !

Jenny

I'm out here a thousand miles from my home,
Walkin' a road other men have gone down.
I'm seein' your world of people and things,
Your paupers and peasants and princes and kings.

—Bob Dylan 'Song to Woody.' I ran across this in a bookshop today and saw it fit.

What I Love About Oxford, Part I

The simpleness of it all.



My cute little room...



...with a cute little view!



Gorgeous architecture!



And of course, the English have teatime, all the time.

I am living in a dream. This is unreal.
I love it here.

TOUCHDOWN!

I made it here, things are wonderful, and rest assured that I will be in touch ASAP. England is LOVELY.

The computer situation is a little unpredictable! More when I can.

PS. Hi Mom. Still working on calling you. Talk soon. Love.

UPDATE.

I don't even know where to begin. The flight was incredibly long and terribly boring -- nearly eight hours and I didn't get a spot of sleep. Landed at Heathrow in London at 7:30 this morning (that's 2:30 AM for all of your Central-Timers!) and I officially lost five hours. We were picked up by a motorcoach and drove the approx. 45 minutes to Oxford!

I am staying on campus at a building called Wycliffe Hall. It's cleared out, as students are on Holiday right now, and I have my own little room with a bed, desk, dresser, and sink. The sun shines through my window in the afternoon making for a perfect nap...which I took two today to make up for lost sleep.

There was also plenty of exploring today, though I am too tired to venture out this evening and instead took a shower to wash the plane germs off of me, then plan to retire. A group went to hit up a local pub called the Eagle and Child where the likenesses of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis brewed ideas. I think I may head over tomorrow, when I am better rested and not crabby. Long flights and little sleep will do that.

But Oxford! Wow. Wow wow wow. This place is unbelievable. So many colleges, and beautiful architecture and history. I took a walking tour tonight with my Oxford professor, Dr. Allan Chapman, a brilliant wealth of knowledge. He showed us many of the colleges, and quite a few buildings around Oxford, including Christ Church where scenes from Harry Potter were filmed, and Lewis Carroll / Charles Lutwidge Dodgson was inspired to write of Alice in Wonderland. The River Thames runs (and originates) very nearby...I plan on going for a walk along it very soon!

I am tempted to take many photographs, but honestly believe that they wouldn't do justice for much of the scenery.

Alas, I spent my first money here today...but just .50p for a Aero candy bar at a small grocer near my hall. I told him I'd just arrived from the U.S. and he seemed to know all about the program I came with. Very friendly. I actually paid with a £5 note that my aunt Amy gave me for my trip! I haven't made my way to a bank / ATM yet so I'm just rolling with the American mulah I've brought, credit cards and £4.50. Awesome. At least it has kept me from spending thus far. Also --- thank you Amy!

Life is going to take a bit of adjusting, but I think I can do it. That is all I have for this evening. I need sleep...for I have my first lecture tomorrow!


Love.
jc

You can coach yourself for months before you leave, but until you wake up the morning of, you don't realize what is truly about to happen. This is it! Today!

I have never had this feeling my in my stomach before.

Here I go...