This Week

As you might have noticed, there have been very few posts this week. That's because I had two essays due yesterday and then another project is due on Monday. I'm not quite done but I'm getting there.

This is how my week has felt:


When I wake up again, I'll be posting more things!

Valentine's from Home!

I've never been a big Valentine's Day person. Getting the candy from friends was always nice when I was little, but I've always thought the cards and hearts were a tiny bit tacky. However, this Valentine's Day is different. It doesn't matter how much I like the traditions, I want my boyfriend here. Tea with friends is a truly lovely thing, but I'm sure you'll agree that it simply isn't the same.

So when I got a package from my boyfriend containing my Valentine's present, I was just a bit excited. Well, first confused because it was about as large as my torso and I had to lug it up a hill... But! After that it was so nice to have something from him to open. It's like I got a visit! Or I tell myself that anyway.

So, that was going to be the end of my Valentine's Day, which was more than fine with me. He didn't even get a present from me, just a sappy letter.

But then! I check my mail a couple days ago and there's a card! With adorable stamps (postage and traditional ink ones)! It's from his mom and it says "lovely" on the front. I have only met her a few times and I don't particularly know her well, so there was no need at all for a Valentine's card. But I got one. And it made me happy.

So! This is a picture of my Valentine's Day. I'm so grateful for the people who reach out and send me a bit of home.

Oranges and Wonderful Roommates

There has been a disease spreading through my house. One by one my friends have succumbed. It starts with a sore throat and then devolves into coughing, exhaustion, and a blocked-up nose. Basically, no work gets done for a couple of days once you get this. When you have a week to write and research a paper, a couple of days is not an insignificant amount of time.

Today I woke up with a sore throat.

I told my roommate and her immediate reaction: "Eat oranges! Drink water! Back in bed. NOW."

My roomie is wonderful. I'm going to do nothing today. Time to put the tea kettle on!

A Day in Oxford

So, if you were to come visit me for one day (no more, no less), here is what we would do in Oxford:

First, wake up to the lovely sounds of robins and blackbirds. These British birds make every walk a happy little musical.

Next, to a cafe for a full English breakfast. I must confess, I haven't had one of these yet. But I have heard rumors that they are amazing. Therefore, as my guest, you would need to have one before you left.

After breakfast, we would spend the morning wandering Oxford. Walking under the bridge of sighs is a must, as is introducing you to the courtyard of the Bod. Oh, and you must meet the Rad Cam - the place where I live and work. Then there's seeing all the colleges and just enjoying the general atmosphere.

I'm sure you'd be getting hungry about noon, so off to Cornmarket we go! There's a small stand called Cornmarket Pasties that sells heavenly Cornish pasties. Again, this is an essential English experience.

Now, I would take you wandering around shops. If you're a girl, maybe some clothes shopping to see British fashion (and make fun of it). Booklovers, we'd take a tour of all the bookstores in the general area, including Blackwell's and Oxfam.

That shouldn't take us long, maybe 2-3 hours, so then it's off to tea! Where I would take you depends on the person. For a more causal atmosphere, it would have to be the Nosebag. For a moderately classy one, but not too upscale, the Oxford Randevous or the French pastry shop on high street would be nice. But then, if we were feeling extragant, we could try the Grand Cafe or the Rose Tea Room. Apparently they have amazing teas, but I haven't been able to justify going to one yet.

Now it's getting to about 4 or 5. Starting to get a bit dark. Depending on the person, this would be more shopping. Actually, this might be the beginning of our shopping time, if you had wanted to go on a walk through some more nature-y bits of Oxford. That would taken up our afternoon.

Anyway, the point is to procrastinate until we can attend an evensong at (hopefully) one of the colleges, or if that is not available, attend a service at one of the lovely churches in downtown Oxford.

Well, it's getting pretty late now. But! We haven't had dinner - too full from tea. So, off to a pub. I'm not sure which one yet, as I've been too focused on tea to sample many of them. But, if you must make a Lewis pilgrimage, we could finish our day at the Eagle and Child. A nice plate of fish and chips, accompanied by a pint or a more girly elderflower cordial, would make a nice bookend to our English breakfast.

That is my dream day to share with others :) Possible amendments forthcoming as I discover new parts of the city.

Finding Poetry

Let's do a comparison, shall we? Here's how my lovely, poetic roommate describes tutorials:

"It's in the wonders of walking up the hill from city center, feeling the sweat start on your neck, and realizing that you get to go back to your room, sit on your bed, and dig into a piece of literature that you chose yourself. It's the sudden, exhilarating feeling following your tutor saying "well, what did you find most interesting in the text?" It's the crisp morning cycles down the back roads, under the bridges, and over the Thames towards your tutor's house where you know a cup of tea awaits along with criticism and praise."

Now, let's get my version:

"It's the feeling of pure terror as you wonder what you didn't read. It's the smell of books far older than you, which struggle to impart their messages into your brain. It's hoping and praying that something got imprinted on your mind this week. It's walking in knowing that no matter how hard you worked, the main comment you may receive is that you interpreted the prompt wrongly. But it's also the joy of learning a new subject once a week, the rush of making a a brilliant connection, the pride in a job well done."

I think I tend to focus on the first bit about tutorials rather than the last. This week I'm going to try and see the poetry that my roommate so clearly found in these weekly meetings.

Only in Oxford

Oxford has the strangest set of first world problems I have ever encountered. So while this post is a rant, it is also a testimony to the ironies I encounter in daily life:

1. Bells ringing while you are trying to study. For an entire hour. I have no idea why or where, but it is so much less romantic than I would have imagined and makes it surprisingly difficult to concentrate.

2. Using "the tower" as a meeting place can generate confusion. Because there are two. Within the same block. Who would have thought? Not me!

3. Eggs are much more expensive because they are free range. They have such a greater respect for animals here that consumers will pay twice as much for eggs.

4. I bought an electric kettle because I decided I was too lazy to walk down the stairs to get tea. Tea is more than just a drink here, it is a culture. That's not a problem though, it's a blessing.

5. The library I study in is so fancy it intimidates me. Beautiful libraries are just not the same in real life...

6. Lovely cobblestone area around the library makes it hard to walk or bike.

7. Confronted with the moral choice of buying the cheap chocolate bar or the slightly less cheap one that was rainforest-sustainable. I bought the more expensive one. So proud of myself, which is just a tiny bit silly.

Those are the odd little conundrums I find everyday. They are rarely particularly annoying, just very different than I expected. Oxford keeps surprising me and I love it :)