Working Backwards 1: Postcards From Italty

Hello everyone! Can you believe that it is already seventh week? Only a week and a half of the Oxford Michaelmas term remains. Then all of us SCIO folks have our ninth week to finish our long essays, then we will break our fellowship, possibly until the end of the world.
However, there are good times to remember and rejoice in. The most recent occurred this weekend. Courtney and I have been planning to go to Rome and the Vatican for quite awhile, and this past weekend we went! We left Oxford at one in the morning and arrived at Stansted Airport outside London at about four Saturday. Our flight left after six and we landed in Rome about two and a half hours later. I did not sleep until we got on the bus from the airport to Termini station in Rome, which took about an hour. Needless to say, I was exhausted. Somehow Courtney and I made it to our convent, which was about five minutes from the Vatican!!!! The Vatican is amazing, and regardless of your religious persuasion, you should go. But I'm getting ahead of myself. We checked in to the convent, which looked like a nice apartment building, and then proceeded to take a nap. At about one in the afternoon we decided to go exploring and find something to eat. We stopped at a neighborhood pizzeria and we each got a pizza margarita. It was so good! Then we took loads of pictures of St. Peter's Square. Words can't describe it, but it's probably the most beautiful architecture ever. I am in love with the Vatican and would love to live there and dust all of the gorgeous statues.
Next we went in search of the Piazza Navona. We cross over this beautiful bridge, Ponte Vittorio Emanuele II, and headed down Corso Vittorio Emanuele II. We eventually made it to the Piazza. It was breathtaking. The beauty of the sculptures and fountains, the composition of the square, and the surrounding architecture, where only further enhanced by the life within the piazza. The living statues, art vendors, and just people--it was profoundly moving. I almost cried, and I never cry. One of my favorite moments occurred when I got to pose with a living statue. Courtney and I got gelato and it was as wonderful as everyone said it would be. Next we wandered over to the Pantheon. Unfortunately, we didn't get to go in, but it was still cool to just be there and see it. We were getting tired, so we decided to head over to the metro stop by the Colosseum. On the way we passed this beautiful building called Complesso del Vittoriano, which Peter tells me the Italians don't like and refer to it as "the wedding cake." But Courtney and I liked it. We wandered past the Roman Forum, which looked particularly ghostly and ancient at night. Then...the Colosseum!!! It's beautiful. So huge and as monstrous as its bloody history, but so gorgeous, even in its crumbling state. We took tons of night shots of it and then we headed back to the convent for a good night's sleep.

Here it is! The moment you've been waiting for!

Slowly, but surely, I am hoping to catch up my blog with the events that are happening in my life. If you look at my last post, you will see that I went to the Imperial War Museum in London on the 2nd of October. That night I pulled an all-nighter, which, for those of you not in college, is when you stay up all night and drink ridiculous amounts of tea and coffee and try to write your papers and edit them before your early morning deadline. In my case, I was writing a 2,000 word essay on the World War II poets and also editing my essay on the literary aspect of the abolitionist movement in England. (Commercial: everyone needs to watch "Amazing Grace.") However, I was not alone, since most of my housemates were doing the same thing. In particular, Kristin, Quinn and I were holed up in the computer room, furiously working away. Yet, this does not mean that we didn't have fun. At one point, probably around three in the morning, Quinn mentioned that he wanted to have a seance. Me being me, decided this was a great idea. So I ran down to my room and got in costume and talked Krisitin into being the spirit that I would summon. I returned to the computer room laden with random props (Statue of Liberty light, religious icon, fruit, jewelry, etc.) and proceeded to hold a mock ceremony complete with hand holding and chanting. Courtney and Quinn were in the computer room, so they got drafted into the the ceremony. Quinn, who originally had this idea, asked, about half way through, whether we were going to go to hell for this. Of course not, I said. Then I proceeded to summon David Hume (on Quinn's special request). However, Kristin thought I was summoning Hahalaba, so she was totally confused. All in all, the whole thing was hilarious and has now evolved into an urban legend in the house.

All of this is a back story to my fall break. After staying up all night and writing, I hurriedly packed a few things for my trip to London. I then scurried into town to drop off my papers and get on the bus. I managed to sleep for about an hour on the bus, which was amazing. I arrived in London around eleven or so. The plan was to meet my cousin Missy at Victoria Station. However, I think I got off a stop too soon, but I made my way to Victoria Station which turned out to be HUGE! I had no idea where Missy was, so I spent almost an hour wandering around and calling my mom on the payphones. Of course, it was around six in the morning back in the states, so when I called my brother Calvin to get him to check my e-mail and relay the information about the hostel that Missy and I would be staying at, he was asleep. But Calvin is an excellent brother and he did get up to check it. Thankfully, Missy showed up right when I was giving him my entirely too complicated password, and he was allowed to go back to bed.

My meeting with Missy was entirely providential and we were both thrilled to have found each other and be in London on an adventure! I can't really remember the order of what we did next, but we collected Missy's bags at the Holiday Inn and transported them to our hostel, Globetrotter's Inn. I think we did something that night, but the whole thing is such a blur that I can't recall what it was. Oh the disadvantages of sleep deprivation! However, I'm pretty sure that we went to the Tate Modern and tried to get Globe tickets. The next day we went to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard. We didn't actually get to see it because of the crowds, but we did get to see the guards walk in and out of the Palace. Then we went on a quest for theatre tickets. This did not work out, but it was very interesting to wander about and see all of the theatres. We then made our way to the National Portrait Gallery and I was very excited to see the portraits of: Henry VIII and his wives, Queen Elizabeth, Mary Queen of Scots, Shakespeare, the Bloomsbury group, and a special exhibit for the World War I poets. If I remember correctly, we then tried to make it to Westminster, but by the time we got there it was closed, so we headed to the Natural History Museum and looked at the the whale skeletons of awhile. Then we went to St. Paul's Cathedral for Evensong. I had promised myself that I would not fall asleep like I did last time, but it was a futile effort. I could tell that I was falling asleep when I thought the priest was talking about shoes! Our next goal was to make it to a famous pub, but we had some difficulties. First, we needed to find a bathroom, but come to find out, almost everything in London (and England) closes after six, so we couldn't find one until we made it to the pub. The pub ended up not being as cool as we thought it would be, so we used the facilities and departed. We settled on The George, which was crowded and lively, but had good food and a cozy backroom. Afterwards, we walked along the Thames and decided to try to watch a movie, but by the time we got to the theatres, all the showings were under way. So, back to the hostel.

The next day was Sunday, and we had decided that since we didn't get to go to a show, we would go on the London Eye. Well, don't you know, it was raining! So instead we went to Westminster for church. The service was lovely and it was wonderful to be in such an ancient and historic place praising God. We were not allowed to poke around, but we did get to go to the museum, which was very interesting. I definitely need to go back to Westminster though. Next we went to Petticoat Lane to check out the markets. I got some Christmas presents for people and some Tchaikovsky. Then it was off to the British Public Library which was incredible! They have an amazing rare texts collection with: a Gutenberg Bible, the Lindisfarne Gospels, a copy of the Magna Carta, a First Folio, notebooks from Lewis Carroll, da Vinci, and Virginia Woolf, and so much more! Missy and I are both bookworms, so we were in book heaven. Really, I highly recommend stopping by this place if you're in London, it's just so cool! We spent a good deal of time here before heading to some more shops. As dusk descended on the city, we decided to try our luck with the Eye and we had success! The Eye is phenomenal! It's a huge Ferris wheel that gives you a perfect panoramic view of London and at night it is absolutely magical. Really, words can't properly describe it, but it was probably my favorite memory.

Monday came with Dawn's rosy red fingers gracefully touching Kew Gardens, our destination of the day. We only had about three hours to spend at Kew, but we made the most of it. Kew is just beautiful and the colors were just starting to turn. The greenhouses were fascinating and huge, wonders of Victorian construction and modern technology. I think my favorites were: the alpine garden, the Japanese garden, and the walkway through the treetops. After Kew we checked out of the hostel and then went to the bus station and got tickets to our separate destinations. This was actually quite a feat, but we managed it admirably. Unfortunately, I had to leave my dear cousin and head back to Oxford, but reunion was in sight and that will be the topic of my next post.

The Imperial War Museum, London

Dear Friends,

Here is yet another overly late post. On October 2nd, all of us SCIO students went on a field trip to the ever sunny and happy place otherwise known as the Imperial War Museum in London. In case you can't tell, I am being totally sarcastic about the sunny and happy bit. Rather, the Museum is vastly interesting and depressing. It is sobering to walk through the five floors and through all the exhibits documenting the cruelties of war, even just war. Here are some highlights of the trip.

1.) There is an excellent exhibit called "In Memoria" about the First World War. This exhibit was especially appropriate because I was writing a paper about why most people are unaware of the World War II poets and seem to think that only the First War had a serious literary output. In the entrance to the exhibit was a quote from a poem by Vernon Scannell, who was a World War II poet, describing how, even though he did not fight in the First War, he is able to write about it, due to the poets and the landscape of No Man's Land that they immortalized in their verses. (Si denote, Scannell also wrote an excellent book about the Second World War poets called Not Without Glory, which I relied on heavily when writing my paper.) The rest of the exhibit presented artifacts from various soldiers, nurses, etc. But the poetry remained the most moving.

2.) I also journeyed through an art gallery, complete with an absolutely gorgeous painting by John Singer Sargent of World War One soldiers who had been blinded by mustard gas.

3.) I did this last, but it was probably my favorite exhibit. In the lower floor, there were mock trenches set up. It was really interesting, because it was dark and the walls of the trench loomed ominously over my head. It was eerie because there were several dummy soldiers that talked, lit cigarettes, or just stood and surveyed the whole scene. All that was missing was the mud and the gunfire. It was very realistic and chilling. I couldn't help but feel very small and alone.

4.) Before this, I had gone through the three stories of the Holocaust memorial. This was my first visit to a Holocaust exhibit and I found the whole thing entirely depressing. I felt horrified at first, and then numb after viewing so many images and reading so many stories. A few things really stood out to me. The first was an operating table that Nazi doctors used to conduct their experiments on Jewish and other unwanted peoples. I was horrified to hear of the sterilization operations performed, even on very small children. The second was the shoes that were taken from the dead Jews and then given to the ones who arrived at the camps. This recycling process was so chilling, to think of all the men, women, and children who had used those shoes. Finally, the most disturbing was the pictures, particularly one of someone bulldozing the naked bodies of men and women into a mass burial pit. Sometimes, you can know about a thing, but not really grasp that it really did happen, but these pictures revealed the absolute horror and evil of what happened during the Nazi reign. It was really too much to take in, but necessary.

In the end, the trip was good and important. It was a time to reflect on war and why we fight. Sometimes, I can't help but get idealistic and think that someday we can really just get along. And then I remember that we live in a fallen world and war will be a part of it from now until Christ comes again. All we can do is pray for peace, share the Gospel, and, when absolutely necessary, fight those who are bent on the destruction of goodness.

Here are some pictures from my visit:

http://s531.photobucket.com/albums/dd355/Dabney_Kinser/Imperial%20War%20Museum/

The Pitt Rivers Museum

On September 30th, we went to the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford. Admission was free and we were allowed to simply browse and soak up as much natural history and science as we wished. The exhibits were very hands on, for instance, we were allowed to pet the stuffed animals. (As in the ones that were once alive, but then they made a trip to the taxidermist!) All in all, it was really cool and I can't wait to go back! Here are a few pictures from the trip.
http://s531.photobucket.com/albums/dd355/Dabney_Kinser/Pitt%20Rivers%20Museum/

Bath--The Home of Frivolity

This blog is long overdue! My sincerest apologies. On September 25th, all of us SCIO students made our way to Bath. I was very sick that morning and running late, so I actually had to run half the way to the bus stop, and then the bus was twenty minutes late! On top of this, I had the pressure of knowing that I had lots to do on my essays. However, once I got to Bath, it was totally worth it.

Bath was originally discovered by the Celts, who built a shrine to the goddess Sul beside the hot springs. According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, King Bladud, a man afflicted with leprosy, was herding pigs near the springs when he observed that the diseased pigs who rolled in the mud by the springs came out healed. The King followed suit and his leprosy was healed. Since then, the rumor that Bath's springs possessed healing properties spread throughout the country.

After the Celts came the Romans, who venerated the springs by constructing a bath complex and building a temple for Aquae Sulis. The Romans left in 407 AD, but people continued visiting the springs. Interestingly enough, if you watch "Amazing Grace," William Wilberforce pays a visit to Bath and there meets his future wife. (A great movie, by the way.)

Bath was interesting, but I was disappointed that I couldn't actually get in the water. However, my disappointment was quickly assuaged by Bath Abbey. The abbey is gorgeous! Words cannot describe how beautiful it is, you simply have to visit it. Check out the pictures and you'll get a small taste of its majesty.

Finally, we took an architectural tour of Bath, which included seeing the John Wood's Circus, Queen's Square, and the Royal Crescent. I also walked by the Jane Austen club, which was kind of ironic because Austen is Bath's most famous resident, but she actually hated Bath. As a side note, my friend Courtney went back to Bath the next weekend for a Jane Austen Regency Ball and got to witness a British reenactment of the American Civil War. How bizarre is that?

*All historical information is from Dr. Baigent's lecture on Bath, given on September 24, 2008*

http://s531.photobucket.com/albums/dd355/Dabney_Kinser/Bath/

Hampton Court Pictures!

Sorry for the long delay, I'm still figuring out Photobucket. Here are the Hampton Court photos. If you click on slideshow, make sure you also click on reverse order, so you can see the pictures from the beginning. Enjoy!
http://s531.photobucket.com/albums/dd355/Dabney_Kinser/hampton%20court/

Hampton Court and the First Paper

My dear Friends,

Forgive me for not writing sooner. Life has been uncommonly hectic the last week or so and I haven't been able to write. Between classes, field trips, and frantic researching and writing, any spare time is spent wandering about Oxford with my new friends or sleeping. The camaraderie between all of us here at The Vines is amazing! All this last weekend, while the majority of us were in the throes of of writing our first Oxford paper, we continually empathized with each other, made coffee and tea together, and at times procrastinated together. Even at four in the morning, we still found time to talk and encourage one another that yes, we would finish this paper and sleep tomorrow. So yesterday I turned in my first research paper of the semester and then spent the afternoon relaxing. I went to the Eagle and Child with Courtney, Andrea, and Courtney's friend from Messiah. Then we went to the English Faculty Library to get books for our next paper. (Mine is about the role of literature in the abolition movement.) I returned to the Vines and watched the last hour or so of the BBC "Pride and Prejudice." Later that night I got talked into watching Planet Earth, which was excellent. I finally went to bed around eight and slept soundly until about eight in the morning! At the moment I'm feeling a little bit sick, but hopefully it will blow over soon. I'm splitting up the evening researching and watching "Amazing Grace," compliments of youtube. On Thursday we will all be heading to Bath. Hopefully, this Saturday I will join a small group and go to London for the day and see some things I didn't see last time, namely Westminster Abbey and Tate Modern.

Now, for a brief summary of the Hampton Court excursion. Hampton Court began its existence a long time ago, but it is most famously known as one of Henry VIII's palaces. Before it became Henry's, it belonged to Cardinal Woolsey, who had the misfortune of being unable to get Henry a divorce from his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. Due to this, he fell out of favor with Henry and was forced to give up his lovely home. I don't have time to go into the fascinating history of Hampton Court, but do google it sometime. Basically, we spent the day wandering around, taking pictures, and looking for ghosts. (Rumor has it there are a few ghosts lingering in the palace, one of them being one of Henry's wives that he had beheaded.) Courtney and I bought some grapes that are grown there and felt very distinguished as we ate the "historic" grapes. I will load some pictures sometime soon so you can see what it looks like. In the meantime, I must return to my research.

London

Last Saturday I went to London with most of my fellow SCIO students. It was an exhausting, exhilarating, and wonderful day. Thankfully, it did not rainy and it was actually fairly warm and sunny. First, we made our way to a small park with a statue of Pres. Roosevelt, which is near the U. S. Embassy, just because Jonathan wanted us to feel close to home. Then we went to Hyde Park, which Jonathan says was created by Henry VIII. Basically, Henry dissolved the monasteries that were originally on the grounds and then used the park for his pleasure in hunting small animals. The park was lovely, with great big trees and the most wonderful green grass. We walked across the park to Buckingham Palace. The palace itself isn't really that pretty, but the gates are splendid and the big statue for Queen Victoria is fabulous. I was very excited to see the guards, which reminded me of the A. A. Milne poem "Buckingham Palace."

After taking several pictures, we hurried along through another lovely park complete with black and white swans and pelicans. I saw a very interesting man sitting on one of the benches, a pigeon in one hand and a squirrel in the other. We made a brief stop by Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament, but we didn't have time to go in. Next it was lunch break. I got a sandwich and drink at the cafe in The National Gallery and then spent about twenty minutes wandering through a few of the galleries. Even that brief space of time was wonderful, around every corner was another master: Titian, Velazquez, Rubens! I can't wait to go back to London and properly visit the Gallery. We all regrouped outside the Gallery where a concert was going on for London Peace Week. By now the group had split up into various groups, but I remained with the tour. We went on the tube and then traveled down various winding streets. We saw the place where the Great Fire started and then we visited several of Christopher Wren's churches. Then we stopped by the castle where Guy Fawkes was imprisoned and tortured--a terrible story and very sad. We saw Tower Bridge, which was quite lovely. We also saw the site of England's first coffee house, which I was very excited about, but unfortunately, they no longer serve coffee because the building is now a Jamaican wine house. Finally we made it to St. Paul's for Evensong. St. Paul's defies description and is altogether magnificent. The choir was truly angelic, but sadly, I was so tired from walking all over London that I actually fell asleep! Lastly, we went to China Town for dinner, which wasn't so great because the restaurant owners segregated me and the other vegetarian and they weren't very nice to us. Plus we couldn't take the leftovers (which were plentiful) home. At last we got on the bus and came back to sleepy Oxford.

Overall, the trip was great and definitely whetted my appetite for further exploration.

Hey everyone!
There's not much to report today. I had my library orientation, which was a bit confusing because there are over 100 libraries in Oxford, but you can only use certain ones, and they all have different rules. However, with a total of 11 million books, I won't complain from lack of resources! Other than that, I went grocery shopping and had some good conversations with my new friends and housemates. Right now I'm doing preleminary work on my Arthur essay. My topic is: Discuss Arthur's career in literature with detailed reference to one British work of literature and its historical context. I picked T. H. White's Once and Future King because it's so different and funny and good. I think that this paper will be a lot of fun to research and write. Tomorrow I am off to London! I can't wait.

P.S. Here is a link to a youtube video of one of my favorite songs. I bought this album (For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver) this summer and I love it! Hope you like the song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePatJIwB-sI

More pictures!

http://s531.photobucket.com/albums/dd355/Dabney_Kinser/Stonehenge_and_Salisbury/

Salisbury Cathedral, Old Sarum, and Stonehenge

Hello all!

Today was a very exciting day! All of us embarked on a pilgrimage to Salisbury Cathedral, Old Sarum, and Stonehenge. Salisbury Cathedral is 750 years old and has the tallest spire in England and is astonishingly beautiful. But more amazing than its beauty is the genius of its construction. It absolutely blew my mind that people in the Middle Ages were capable of constructing this massive and complicated structure. Over the years, things have been repaired and adjusted, but the Grey Lady remains the same--majestic and awesome. Also, as a point of interest, we stopped by the Chapter House, which has one of the four copies of the Magna Carta, a document that Simon Schama described as the death certificate of despotism. Basically, the barons under the rule of King John were so appalled by his actions that they demanded that he should also be subject to the law, not outside of it.

After this, we headed over to Old Sarum. Old Sarum is an Iron Age hillfort that basically has three levels stacked up like a cake, but between each level is a very deep and steep-sided valley. When the Romans came, they renamed Old Sarum Sorviodunum and used it for military purposes. During Henry II's reign, he used the castle at Old Sarum as a place to stow his queen and keep her safe. Later, the castle, cathedral, and walls were dismantled and the stone was used to build the cathedral and walls of the town of Salisbury. So, today Old Sarum is mostly ruins, but still an awesome testament to the Iron Age fortifications. It also provides a splendid very of Salisbury and the surrounding countryside.

Next we were off to STONEHENGE. Seeing Stonehenge and being only several feet away from it was one of the most surreal moments of my life. Here I was confronted with this almost mythical structure, something so ancient that no one really knows anything about it or those people who built it. It was intimidating and difficult to realize. I kept thinking, "Okay, so what is the big deal? What is this really all about?" Stonehenge represents that almost universal appeal of works of art such as Van Gogh's "Starry Night" or da Vinci's "Mona Lisa"--there is something in these works that is haunting and irresistible.

But my reveries didn't last for long. I was soon swept up in a picture taking extravaganza. Everyone was taking pictures of everyone. Having a large group of American college students at an ancient monument suddenly makes such things extremely exciting and almost silly. Be sure to check out the pictures and tell me what you think.

*Historical information from British Landscape lecture by Simon Lancaster*

Cherwell Day!

I had class all this morning and then I decided to follow the Cherwell River into Deer Park. However, I managed to get on the wrong path, so instead of walking on the right hand side of the river, I walked in the middle. Let me clarify, the Cherwell splits into two, and there is a path on the land between them and this was the path I took. The problem is that this path did not lead into Deer Park, but led to Marston Road. So I tried to get to Deer Park by crossing the Greyhound and the Angel Meadow, but it was a no go. Plus the meadow turned out to be pretty green grass in several inches of water and mud, which was very messy. I finally had to admit defeat, and I decided to try the Botanical Gardens, but they were closed. So my big plan had failed, but I did enjoy some lovely scenery and have now devised a new plan of attack for my second attempt. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy these pictures that I took.
http://s531.photobucket.com/albums/dd355/Dabney_Kinser/Cherwell_Day/

Orientation

Class actually started this week! At last the time has come for researching, reading, and writing! At the moment we are watching a series of history videos called "History of Britain" by Simon Schama--they are pretty hilarious, Schama has a great sense of humor.

Speaking of humor, here is a link to a video clip they showed us at orientation. The point they were trying to make was that herding cats was like looking out for all of us Americans.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk7yqlTMvp8

It's pretty funny, I hope you enjoy it.

Other than that, not much has been going on. I spent my free time yesterday and today just chillin' and exploring Oxford. Today I went to Blackwell's and it is great! Barnes and Noble doesn't even come close to it's five stories and three miles of books! Be sure to check out my new photos on PhotoBucket!

New Boots and High Mass

Today has turned out to be an absolutely wonderful day. I woke up early and went to church with Lindsey, Kristin, and some folks from Crick. We went to St. Mary Magdalen's which is an ancient church, quite literally--it was in existence before 1000, and the building we worshipped in was built in 1194 by St. Hugh. The "denomination" of the church is Anglican Catholicism. The service we attended was High Mass, which means that we got the whole package: incense, sprinkles of holy water, supplication to St. Mary Mags, robes, candles, and a very different style of communion complete with a common cup of wine. But it was so new and mystical! The sermon was actually pretty bare bones in comparision, but the theology was straight forward and the message was practical. (The passage for today was Matt. 18: 15-20.) If you're interested, here's the link to the church's website.

http://www.stmarymagdalenoxford.org.uk/index.cfm

After church we had tea and biscuits with the rest of the congregation. Most of the people were elderly, but the priest was young and had the cutest family. Everyone was very nice to us and asked us to please come back.

Next we traveled down High Street towards the Vines and ended up somewhere amongst little ethnic food stores. We then turned around and headed back to High Street and that is where I got my new boots! They are black and have stylized peacock feathers on them. Then we continued to stroll around the city center for awhile. I was finally able to get an adaptor and a watch. Kristin and I split off from the main group and wandered around. We found an amazing church that I think is called St. Thomas the Martyr. Soon we were off to Crick for afternoon tea, which was very nice. I eventually made my way back to the Vines via the park and a very muddy footpath. My legs and feet are protesting all of this walking, but the views are so lovely that I don't mind. Tomorrow is orientation, so say a prayer for me!

Check out my pictures

So, I'm having difficulties figuring out how to post a slideshow of my pictures on my blog, so here's a link to PhotoBucket. Enjoy!

http://s531.photobucket.com/albums/dd355/Dabney_Kinser/?albumview=slideshow

ENGLAND!!!

I have now been in England for about 24 hours and it's great! The flight was good, but I didn't sleep much, so when I landed at Gatwick I was dragging. I made it safely to the Vines, which is the house I'm living in. I met my roommates: Kristin, Lindsey, and Danielle. We all get along well and have settled in nicely. Last night we had a mini orientation during which I met most of the people living in the house. I went to bed at seven in the evening, which, if you know me, is a world record! I also managed to get a full twelve hours of sleep and started today at eight in the morning--yet another record!

Today I decided to find my way to Wycliffe Hall, which is the place were I will be having class. I walked through the city center of Oxford and was completely blown away. The building are so old and beautiful! I wanted to stop at each one and explore, but I was on a mission so I restrained myself. Thankfully, I didn't get lost until I was making my way back, but a nice English lady set me on the right path. I walked through one of Oxford's parks and it was so green and lush. The weather was overcast and cool, but refreshing. Well, I'll let you know more when I get an adaptor and can plug my computer in; right now the battery is dying.

Excitement!

The day for my departure to England is rapidly approaching and I'm still trying to wrap things up here. I am currently reading The Art of Crossing Cultures by Craig Storti and The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis. I am learning quite a bit from both books. I'm also packing, which has proved to be more difficult than I thought it would be, even with the vaccum bags! However, I know that all this confusion and stress will pay out when I get to England. The first week I am there, all of the study abroad students will be taking trips to Stonehenge, Salisbury Cathedral, and London! Some of the students are already looking into concerts and there is a possibility of going to see Hamlet at the Globe Theatre!!! Well, I need to go buy a bigger suitcase, more later.