First and foremost (which some may argue the priority of the matter), being here in Oxford, for all its adventure, is still an academic program and it's easy to lose perspective and just want to do everything possible as soon as possible. The reality is that there are two tests this week, an oral report next week, and tons of reading to do between this and the next week. School life does go on... Yes, school’s underway in a real way now, and the tests have asymptotically rushed downward to certain inevitabilities. I am really glad to have done most of my fiction reading over the winter break because I would have really been bogged down had I not. Professor Hanvey was absolutely correct in advising me to do so. There is nothing to be done about the Sociology and Psychology classes because the reading has to be done during and up to each test since it is "informationally-based."
I do have to say that one downside to having read the fiction early on was that I couldn’t remember the full range of characters in the various books – who did what to whom, who acted with which motive, etc. I’ll have to re-read them loosely to firm up my memory of the books. I’m still trying to get through the Dorothy Sayers book, Gaudy Night which will probably take up my spring break. That’s okay – it’s fictional. Other than that, I have two unread fictional pieces: Clutch of Constable, and Death and the Kings Horsemen. The latter is a difficult play for me to get into but ties in with the other plays in that there is a theme of the consequences of colonization and the price of the Victorian norms for a period in time, through to today. I think that I ran out of steam towards the end of planning prior to coming here, and now that I am settled, it is nice to read with severe intent.
I went to a nearby coffee shop and read my Psychology 33 texts on the stages of life, self-actualization, the various perspectives of psychology and development, and so on. It is useful to ponder on whether or not I have either defied or deferred any of the stages of my own development, of which I am certain I have done both. Still, I’m generally on-track with at least certain aspects of living, which is okay. I also delved back into Aphra Behn’s The Rover to remind myself of the plot, etc. Honestly, some of the coffee shops are so spacious and comfortable – I wish we had places like these for the students to study. I suppose that will occur once I’ve transferred somewhere…
I also stopped by a local grocery store, Tesco, which, from what I’ve heard so far is a fairly large grocery chain. It is not on the creepy-large scale of Walmart, but they have many locations throughout the U.K. The stores are fairly large, but compared to traditional American supermarkets, they’re smaller, and the packaging is smaller. For example, the standard carton of eggs contains six eggs, with some “larger sizes” of 12 eggs. Milk comes in smaller portions as well. Cookies come in rolls, and everything is more economically sized, probably for the smaller living quarters in the U.K. We do live in very large houses/apartments in America, respective to the quarters here, which I have no problems with because of my experiences growing up in Japan. Smaller, for me, is better in this regard. I’ve started to become aware of where my things are, and what I don’t need because space gets filled up quickly.
I’m really getting along well with my homestay family – Jennifer and Steve. They have been very generous and informative, and there are many things to talk about and compare notes on with respect to our similarities and differences. I try to capture as much as I can about the culture and mannerisms from her and Steve. There are many small differences (namely words) that sometimes catch me off-guard. For example, the word “tank top” for Americans is a sleeveless, narrow-shouldered, low-necked t-shirt type garment, whereas, here, it is called a “vest top.” A “tank top” in the British lexicon is a knit garment, like a pull-over sleeveless sweater. Further, what we call a "vest" (the kind of buttoned down sweater or sleeveless jacket, is called a "waist coast" in England. I’m going to start keeping a catalogue of these small variations on words, and display my “research” in small doses as I learn.
Peace.
P.S., aced the first test Tuesday and Wednesday (mini-woohoo).
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