Yesterday, our weary group of travellers congregated at Brookes College for our first (of many I suspect) mandatory meetings, which produced mostly a restless, if not listless bunch of tired students. Afterwards, Corinne took us past the Magdalene Bridge (pronounced, “Maudlin”) where we grabbed a quick bite before embarking on our first official “tour” of the many Oxford Colleges, as well as the greater “city of Oxford.”Though I was no longer jet-lagged, I was slightly “off” and very over-clothed, so I kept putting on and taking off my outer layer of garments; live and learn… We walked upon the coble stone street that wove around Oxford to Christchurch, University College, Exeter, Merton, and Jesus College, to name a few stops. Apparently the ancient “exams college” was the building that PCC students used to go to back when we had money (it was a $1,000 more). I know I would have paid; what’s the saying – “In for the penny, in for the pound”? I thought I didn’t have a camera (much to my chagrin, and to which I did) but found the same in my backpack the next morning.
At Exeter College, Brian, our very charming and erudite tour guide led us inside, into the walls of its quad. Awaiting us from inside the dining hall was a complete layout of sandwiches, cakes, scones, quiches, and tea and coffee. All the goodies were served with cream, jams, and the beverages with cream and sugar. I felt like I was a part of a rendition of Hogwortz Hall from Harry Potter. Within the Dining Hall were many original paintings of the lofty people who had long ago inhabited Oxford. The furniture and walls were darkly stained all throughout the room and all in all, it was spectacular.
Apparently, it is a customary affront for visitors to step on the quad’s large grassy area. The privilege of walking on the grass is reserved for seniors only. Unfortunately, one of our more active members was slightly less aware of said tradition and leapt onto the grass before realizing (through our reactions of dread) that she had committed a major faux pas.I would be remiss to omit from this entry that we passed JRR Tolkien’s house, or that we saw the Radcliffe Towers from an unusual purview. Oddly and cleverly, cameras are hidden everywhere: to illustrate, what looked like an old street lamp had within it a very sophisticated 360 degree camera. I had fully expected this; I was more amused at the way they “concealed” it.
Later on, we broke off to get some shopping out of the way. I got my cell phone and then picked up an umbrella (at a steep price of £22 because I hadn’t mentally converted pounds to dollars and was exhausted). I also picked up the basic necessities that we were instructed not to bring: shampoo, conditioner, etc. Afterwards, we coalesced with another small group of students and went to a pub. I have to get the name of that pub. What was unusual was its custom of cutting the neckties of Oxford’s “Freshers” (Freshmen’s) and displaying them wherever there is room on the walls, in neat glass exhibits. These display cases covered every wall and ceiling. There was another upside to the pub: the ceilings were very low, so in essence, we were all quite tall. Alas, I had to do the inevitable: use the restroom. I was mortified to have to ask the bartender (“barkeep”) where the “toilet” was. Some things don’t come so naturally. When I spoke to Jennifer, my homestay host later, she said that it would have been perfectly acceptable to ask where the “luu” or “ladies” was. Further, the word, “bathroom” is not really inappropriate, she added, because Oxford is inundated with people from all over the world and has become inured to the words we use.
People here are quite polite, and far more liberal than our prior orientation led me to imagine. I did hear about one of our student’s “unfortunate encounter” wherein she had conveyed a food order quite “American-like,” which in response, the server imitated her “American-ese” in quite an exaggerated fashion. Hearsay has it that the student was quite angry for a while afterwards. I also heard about a person disposing of food wrappers on someone’s property, and that was a bit disturbing to me.Although it was pouring when I left the house today, I am beginning to see glimmers of sunshine here in the café where I’m writing this entry. I settled in at Puccino’s for a cappuccino and a raisin croissant for the duration. I think I’ll be able to take some pictures now… I saw the café that Dean Ulmer had suggested to me prior to my departure: Café Nero and made a mental note to go there during one of my trips into to town next week. As it turned out, I took over 150 pictures of Oxford, but that is merely the tip of the iceberg! There are so many sights, sounds, smells, and new ways of seeing the world – too many to write at the moment, but I will keep a detailed journal of my daily travels and misadventures. My time on the computer is somewhat limited as of the moment, but as soon as things become a little more regular, I’ll be able to upload the pictures and more entries.
Peace.
No comments:
Post a Comment