First You Cut the Head Off...

It would be hard to compress the past few days into one or two words. Oxford is both breathtaking yet quietly casual; technologically advanced yet ancient and medieval; peaceful yet bustling with traffic. 'Collision' would be an appropriate term for Oxford; old customs and architecture slamming into neon lights and eco-friendly cars. It's a place unlike any I've ever seen. Growing up I heard (and tried myself) all the feaux-british accents Americans attempt, I heard about pub-life, I read British literature and saw pictures of grayed men walking with cane, newspaper, and pipe in hand. But here I am! Right in the middle of it all. Funny enough, most of these images are true. The accents are fun to listen to, and even more fun to impersonate, though admittedly quiet enough so as not to be heard. Pub life is awesome and the food is delicious, despite all the rumors saying how bland the food is. And the architecture... Simply stunning. Nothing in America that I have seen compares to the pain-staking detail that sculpt the stone buildings here. Oxford is like a very old tree in that it belongs in these modern times, but also has a vast history to tell to anyone who will listen.

My experience has been wonderful for the most part so far. Granted, I did get my butt kicked by the exchange rate, but that was to be expected. Still, $320 for 200 Pounds is outrageous, and makes me wish that I was a British student studying in America.I survived the plane ride, which was a blessing from God. If you don't know, I'm not a huge fan of flying. 9 hours in a plane put my fears to the limits, but other than a few bumps here and there, it was a relatively smooth flight.



The house that we're staying at is pretty nice. It's over a hundred years old, and one can feel the memories that are held here. I'm sharing a room with Hutton on the third floor. We have a kitchen up here! I have even done a little bit of cooking myself. Walking is a part of everyday life here. I probably walk 5-10 miles a day easily. It's definitely slower than what I'm used to, and sometimes I wish I could fire my truck up and drive to my destination. This persists until I realize that I would have to drive on the left side of the road, and all of the sudden I'm quite content with walking. Plus it's a great way to get exercise, and it's built in to everyday life so you don't have to make extra time for it.

Pubs are my favorite. The atmosphere is a very social and happy one. I learned a quick lesson in the Jericho Tavern during my first pub outing. You see, here in America, we are used to waiters and waitresses always taking our orders at sit-down restaurants. This system doesn't fly in the UK. My posse and I sat down for probably five minutes before one of us had the bright idea of maybe going up to the bar and ordering ourselves. First time trying to not look like a stupid American = Fail. But it all worked out. I got a beef ruddings & Ale pie, which was stupendous. It's actually like a pie! Who would have guessed. Since Dr. Kehl instructed us to not partake in any alcohol consumption, the ACU rule books states that any alcohol consumption on a school sponsored event is strictly prohibited, and since I'm a model student and citizen who would never break any rules, I can tell you that I most certainly did NOT get a pint of Worthington White Shield, so I can't vouch that it was AMAZING or express how legit it was to be able to order a beer in a pub in Oxford. Interpret that how you will.

I haven't seen too many sites yet. I did go into the natural history museum which was pretty cool. There were dinosaurs and do-do birds and my personal favorite: shrunken heads. I find shrunken heads extremely intriguing. I guess it's a little creepy, but I would love to have one. If you have a fresh corpse, let me know, I looked up the instructions on how to shrink a head.





More blogs will follow soon! I'll try to get some more sweet footage.

Cheers.