Adventures Old and New

Its hard to believe this journey is so close to being over. In just two weeks time, I'll be departing Oxford for the last time; headed off to Italy and Paris before heading home. The last few weeks have been stressful at time, but have also encompassed some great experiences as well.

The Oxford term has ended, and it was definitely a challenging last few weeks of tutorials, to say the least. In international relations we covered several very complex issues including global trade and state sovereignty. Papers on apartheid in South Africa and the end of white rule in Zimbabwe for African history also proved to be immensely challenging and quite often overwhelming. Despite the stress and anxiety associated with researching and writing on these subjects, the conversations that I was able to have with my tutors made up for any sleepless nights to get to that point. Overall, I learned so much from each of them, not only about the subject itself, but how to better approach academic research and writing on the whole.

For these last three weeks we are doing seminars in British Politics in groups of four of five students. It should be much more laid back, but I just have to make sure I stay motivated and get through this last bit.
The last few weeks haven't only been work and papers though! A few weeks ago we took a day trip to London to celebrate Katie Shore's birthday with Katie Haz, Kiley, and Kristin and had a blast. We ended up spending most of the day wandering around to see some of the major sights including Trafalgar Square, the London Eye, London Bridge, and Tower Bridge.That night we went to experience London theater via the musical Chicago, expecting to sit in the nosebleed section, but were surprised when they moved us up to the second row! It was a great show and overall made for a fantastic day trip and a nice break from the books.

We also had another trip with OPUS to see the picturesque town of Cotswolds and the historic city of Bath. The cottages of Cotswolds looked liked something straight out of a movie, but I just wondered how warm they could possibly be. The Roman Baths of Bath were awe inspiring, not only for their beautiful architecture, but the level of detailed engineering that when into the various rooms and pools as well. The Katies, Kiley and I spent the rest of the time exploring the city and relaxed with a nice cup of tea. It was a beautiful day, mostly because we weren't freezing and we got to enjoy England while avoiding the stress of tutorials and papers.

Most recently, we had our spring break, which I spent with Kiley, her parents, and my APU roommate Greg. We spent time in London, Oxford, and Scotland, but I'll make that another post all about it, since this post is running long as it is. Needless to say it was so nice to get out and explore some of this beautiful country, especially the Scottish Highlands.

In other news, I recently found out that I will be an resident advisor (RA) for freshman guys in Trinity Hall next year and I am so excited! No doubt it will be a difficult experience, but I am really excited for the people I am going to be working with, great RARs (like Carrie Kunzmann, Sean Rollolazo, and Cody Moran), and the amazing adventures which will ensue. Plus training which includes a 10 day backpacking trek sounds pretty appealing too!

This summer, I'll be living in DC for the months of June and July, doing a program through The Fund for American Studies and Georgetown University. The program combines classes in comparative economics and American foreign policy with an internship. I recently learned that I will be doing my internship at the Peace Corps headquarters in DC. Its not a glamorous job, doing filing and data entry on applications for most of the time, but it will no doubt still be a great experience. More than anything though, I am worried about going back to a schedule and lecture classes. It will definitely be a change of pace from independent and unstructured Oxford.

However, before I head home, I've got one expedition left here in Europe. After the semester ends, the Katies, Kiley and I will be headed to the Continent for 12 days. We're keeping it simple and spending time in Paris, Venice, and Rome, which will hopefully allow us to really take in the culture of the places instead of just snapping pictures of all the sights. It should be a relaxing end to a hectic semester.

After that though it will finally be back to home (at least for a bit), but for now I have one tutorial and one paper standing in my way to freedom. This adventure has been great, but I can't wait for the next ones to begin!

Cheers!
Matt

ps. More pictures on Facebook soon!

Term Goes On

Oh what a crazy last few weeks it has been!

The workload has really picked up and it has been a struggle to read everything and write quality papers on time. A sinus infection didn't help either and put me out of commission for more than a few days. Still, I've finally recovered and gotten back into a more consistent work pattern, though as always in Oxford it is non-stop. My tutorials have really stretched me, but I am loving them for it. My tutors continue to challenge me to explore difficult topics and try to get a full perspective on issues and events. On top of it all, I know my academic writing has improved by leaps and bounds and research comes much easier to me now. Nonetheless, these last two weeks of term are going to be packed! I have two more international relations tutorials and one more African history paper (on apartheid in South Africa), and then they are over. It will be sad but also a relief!

I haven't had too many great adventures since my last post, as the workload has kept me consistently busy! Still there are two events that were once in a lifetime experiences.

The first is on the ridiculous side. Last Saturday I was studying at Starbucks with my friend Kate from APU (how American of us), and after becoming frustrated with are inability to focus, we decided to stroll around the city center. After wandering through Mark's&Spencer (think Nordstroms plus a grocery store in the back of the ground floor) and the Covered Market (think a market, but permanent structures), we were about to head back to our respective homes. However, before doing so we noticed a large crowd gathered on the main street (which is closed off to cars) and went to investigate.

What we found was a fire juggling/dance show with two wiry British guys. We watched and laughed..and then of course it happens...the guy picks me out to help him with a trick. What was my role you ask? Well, he juggled a flaming stick using two other sticks, and it was my job to hold the "distraction stick." The distraction stick was used to distract the crowd in case he happened to drop the flaming stick, which of course, he did. This meant I had to dance around the circle waving the stick in hopes of distracting the crowd's attraction. Of course my humiliation wasn't over; next a female volunteer and I got to lay down feet-to-feet as the other performer put another flaming stick in his mouth, did a handstand, and preceded to walk over us. It was a ridiculous experience, which (un)fortunately Kate documented on her phone (pictures to follow...maybe).

My second adventure occurred at the Oxford Union last week. The Union has been a great resource and the debates have been one of my favorite experiences in Oxford. I've been to a few debates now and have really enjoyed when the speakers get passionate about their arguments. Last Tuesday did not disappoint, and the debate which took up the proposition "This house would decriminalize prostitution." There were definitely some interesting opinions on the pro side, and the speakers were very engaging, especially with each other which is always interesting. It got very heated, and a few of the visitors, including a female "pimp" (who was taller then me) from New Zealand (where prostitution has been decriminalized), had some rather distorted views on the virtues of such action. I had a real hard time accepting the idea that doing so was "empowering women," beyond maybe the extent that they were empowered to become objects of clients.

The way the debates work is three speakers from each side speak in succession, and then the floor is open to several speakers from "the floor" who are members of the Union. I had been waiting all term for the opportunity to do so, and I felt really strongly that I had a few good points to make. It was a very intimidating experience, but I felt I managed to make a few good points about the way we view women, why it is not empowerment but degrading, why decriminalization would not provide protections for the industry (that is what legalization does, create a government structure to manage it), and attempted to repel several questions from the crowd. Although I'm sure it was far from perfect, it was still an experience I will never forget.

More adventures to come this week, as I'm headed to London on Tuesday to celebrate Katie Shore's birthday and Bath on Saturday with the OPUS program. Then in a few weeks it will be travel break and I'll be headed to Scotland!

Oxford has been a lot different then what I expected it to be, and at times it is a very lonely semester. You spend a lot of time working alone, and making time for relationships and experiences is difficult. I have more than once felt homesick, and APU-sick, which I didn't think would really hit me. The last few weeks the Olympics have been both a good break from studying and a comforting reminder of home. Despite the difficulties, the experiences that I have had and the knowledge I have gained make it all worth it, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.


Missing You All, But Loving It Here
Cheers!
Matt

ps. I got two more "nibs" published in The Oxford Student. Check them out below!

Published !?!

So I finally got involved in something: a student newspaper!
I went last Saturday and asked to write for The Oxford Student news section. They gave me two "nibs" (100 word articles) to start off and see how I write. They must not have been too bad cause they published them this week! Check them out below (click to enlarge):

Hopefully I'll get to write more!
Cheers!

A Month Gone By...

Its hard to believe that it has already been over a month since I arrived in Oxford. I have to start first by apologizing for how long it has been since my last post, it has really been a whirlwind here and I just haven't made the time to do it.

England is still an amazing and awe inspiring place, but I am finally starting to feel at home. Slowly I am getting to know some people here and settling in to rapid pace of tutorial life.

Tutorials are perhaps the most exhausting, terrifying, challenging, fascinating, and rewarding experience I could ever have. It is literally non-stop reading and writing; as soon as one paper is finished the next is looming overhead. At times it is overwhelming, and more then one I have been extremely frustrated by the never-ending workload. Still, when tutorials come around it quickly becomes apparent that it is all worth it. I realize how much I have really learned and how much I enjoy the subjects I am studying. My tutors challenge me to not simply regurgitate information, but truly question and analyze what I have learned. I am not only learning about theories, problems, and ideas, but how these things effect the world of the present.

Although tutorials occupy the majority of my time here at Oxford, other adventures have also been had. With my roommates, we went to a lecture by Geza Vermes, a Jewish scholar from Oxford, who is also a renowned scholar on the historical Jesus. It was an interesting event, and although there was nothing to earth shattering said, it was still interesting to here such well known scholars take on the issues surrounding our knowledge of Jesus as a historical figure.

Later that night, I joined a few OPUS students at New College event called "Bryce's Coffeehouse," an acoustic event started by an American student several years back. It was great fun, and I got to meet a few new Brits while enjoying the relaxed atmosphere. Two amusing aspects of the event were the conspicuous absence of coffee (replaced, not surprisingly by tea) and the overwhelming majority of American music that was played. The best performance of the night however had to have come from an acapella group whose performance included a rap...in German.

Last weekend also marked our first sightseeing/tourist adventure, in which we explored Broughton Manor and Warwick Castle. Our first stop was a private tour of Broughton Manor (Great Room, Right), the ancestral home of Lord and Lady Saye and Sele, which dates back to the 16th century. It was full of history and amazing architecture. Needless to say it was fascinating to learn the history behind this grand estate. Warwick Castle was are second stop which was a huge structure with multiple towers, rooms, gardens, etc. The gardens were beautiful and the the towers offered amazing views of the surrounding countryside and town. The spiral staircases up to the top and back down to the ground were quite a dizzying experience, though it is hard to imagine doing with full battle gear as well. However, the castle was disappointing in that instead of being preserved as a historical landmark, it has essentially become a largely commercialized tourist attraction, complete with countless creepy wax sculptures in almost every room. Still it was fun to play tourist for a day and escape the grasp of tutorials, if just for a few hours. If anything else, Kiley, the Katies and I had a blast chasing the peacocks around the gardens.

A View From Warwick Castle

This last week, I finally got to enjoy the benefits of membership at the Oxford Union. On Thursday we attended the debate on healthcare in which the opposing speakers argued over the motion "This House would rather be ill in Britain than the USA." The debate was very interesting and it became quite clear that both systems have their inherent strengths and weaknesses that politicians and doctors alike are still trying to resolve. I was a bit disappointed by the lack of interaction between the speakers, but as a whole it was great fun. On Friday I went with my roommate Maura to see John Bercow, who is the Speaker of the House of Commons (the influential body of the British legislature). It was a very interesting discussion on reforming the system in the wake of a recent expenses scandal involving many politicians.

This weekend was also full of distractions and fun. On Saturday a bunch of APU students got together for a ghost tour of Oxford, which has been called by many sources Oxford's #1 thing to do. It turned out to be rather corny and ridiculous, but had a good laugh and that was enough for me. Yesterday Kristen, Kiley, Katie Haz, and I went to our first formal dinner at New College with our friends Matthew and Ali. Now I should probably clarify that formal dinner at our college does not entail tuxes and dresses. Instead, students are required to wear academic gowns, which are essentially long black vests, in addition to their normal everyday clothes. It was the "American Superbowl" theme, and although several menu items were genuine American fare, the appetizer of bagels with cream cheese and dill pickles was still a little foreign to me. We had a great time laughing with Ali and Matt, and it was good to experience such a quintessential Oxford tradition.

For the Super Bowl itself, we all gathered at Dr. Martins apartment to watch the game and enjoy midnight snacks of Dominoes Pizza, cookies, and some very interesting potato chips (Dr. Martin accidentally bought a variety pack of Baked Chicken, Smokey Bacon, and Steak and Onion...interesting to say the least). The one thing that was missing though was the commercials, which replaced by some, well lets just call them poor, BBC commentators during each commercial break. It was great fun, probably ill advised, and I was asleep on the floor for all of the 3rd quarter anyways.

Sometime this week I'll post some stuff about some language/cultural differences.
Well, now its time to get reading yet again. Miss you all!

Cheers!

Matt

Roomates!

My great flatmates! Its going to be a great semester with them!

Left to Right: Me, Michelle (SUNY Buffalo),
Maura (Catholic University of America),
Dan (Catholic University of America)

Dinner at Local Irish Pub: O'Neill's

Another Week Bites the Dust!

Remember how I spent most of the first week exploring and just having a grand old time? Well, that season of blissful boredom and freedom is over because its time for what Oxford does best: learning!

Last Monday, I started my academic journey, meeting my academic advisor, Dr. Rhodri Lewis, who is probably the funniest and most intelligent person I have met in Oxford as of yet. So after taking the hour long trek from our flat to his office in north Oxford (at a college called St. Hugh's), I met briefly with Dr. Lewis and he gave me the names of my tutors and the subjects I would be taking for my tutorials.

On Monday we all got to tour the Oxford Union which is Oxford's debating society! It has beautiful libraries and reading rooms and is going to be a great study spot this semester! Also the Union hosts weekly debates during term, with famous speakers and politicians coming to debate hot topics in British culture and politics. This Thursday's debate is on the Afghanistan War and whether or not the UK should withdraw its troops, which should be fascinating if we can get in (the hot topics are often very popular and space in the debate hall is limited)!

Wednesday also was a day for tours! We went to the Bodleian Library and received our orientation to the library and our cards, which give us access to almost all of the libraries in Oxford. However, the Bodleian is a reference library only, so the books there can only be used within the walls of the library. Although there are lending libraries in Oxford, because we are visiting students we are only allowed to check books out of our college library and the Union library.

Kiley, Katie and I then headed over to New College for our tour by the JCR (their form of student government). New College is absolutely spectacular and the whole college looks like Hogwarts from Harry Potter. In fact, the Cloisters were actually used in the Goblet of Fire movie (for the scene where Malfoy was turned into a ferret). The Chapel was also simply astounding!

That night, OPUS hosted a formal dinner for all of the St. Catherine's and New College students in the program at St. Catherine's. The food was delicious and I really lucked out in the seating arrangements. I sat right next to my advisor Dr. Lewis who, as I said before, is very entertaining, across form the representative from our JCR, Ali, and near Katie and Kiley. We had a great time with Ali and Dr. Lewis who were rather entertaining.

Most of the rest of the week and the weekend was filled with reading and reading and more reading.

Kiley and I decided to go to the college chapel for their Sunday morning communion service, which was, not surprisingly, Anglican, but was surprisingly small (only 5 other students)! Apparently, their big service in the evensong which is held in the evening with the full choir and all. Still, it was good just experiencing what it was like, and we got to talk with the chaplain and other students over breakfast afterward.

Sunday night my roommates and I went out for dinner at a localIrish pub. It was really good food for a really good price and we had a great time just recounting our most recent adventures and laughing together again!

Yesterday, I had my first tutorial on African history. It was amazing! I met for an hour with my tutor, and we talked about decolonization and independence movements. Since I did not have to prepare an essay for this one it mostly him giving me a personalized lecture, but he also asked me a great deal of questions, and then would expand on my answers. It was kind of intimidating at first, but by the end I was definitely more comfortable with my answers and confident in explaining my ideas. Our next tutorial will be in two weeks, and since I am writing a paper for that one, I will likely be doing a lot more talking, explaining my ideas and thoughts on our next topic: the ride of one party rule.

Currently I am still researching for my international relations tutorial. Hopefully, I will finish that today and can work on my paper all day Wednesday, since its due soon! I have my first tutorial for that on Friday which is really exciting, but, again, slightly terrifying.

So, now I'm off to New College for lunch, then its off to the library for research galore!

A New Type of One-on-Ones

Tutorials, tutors, colleges, OPUS, oh my what is he talking about!

I though I would take a moment to explain a little bit about how academics here at Oxford work, along with a little bit about our program and what I will be studying!

The University of Oxford is actually a federation of 38 independent colleges, each with its own campus and governing bodies, which run the day to day business of the college. The university's role is to oversee examinations, the library system, and confers degrees. Academics at Oxford are done mainly through the tutorial system. Tutors (the teachers) assign readings and a paper topic for a student, who works on the paper in preparation for the tutorial meeting. The tutor and student meet weekly, one-on-one, and the paper serves as the basis for discussion, which often involves many questions from the tutor and the student attempting to defend and explain their work.

My primary tutorial is on international relations and the secondary is on sub-Saharan African history. Currently I am working on my first paper for international relations, which is focused on the main competing theories of the field. I know! You all have such excited looks on your faces already! It has been lots of reading already and there is still lots more reading/skimming to do, since my first reading list has over 50 books on it! (Lets just say that the Social Sciences Library and I have become well acquainted.)

The APU program is run through an office called the Oxford Programe for Undergraduate Studies(or OPUS), which coordinates several study abroad programs at Oxford. For our program we have two tutorials: a primary (which meets 7 times) and a secondary (which meets 5 times). The term at Oxford lasts 8 weeks, following which we will have a short break and then come back for a seminar (a tutorial with 3-4 other students) on British politics or history.

Each student in the program is placed in one of four Oxford colleges: New, Christ Church, St.Catherine's, and Hartford. I ended up in New, which, despite its name is actually over 600 years old. The "New" name comes from the fact that the official name is College of St. Mary, but when the college was founded there was already a college of St. Mary in Oxford, so the college then took on the name, New College of St. Mary, shortened to New College. It feels like going to school in a castle! Just check out our dinning hall!

Oh Yeah I Have a Blog to Update...

Its been a while since I last updated this thing!

Oxford has been one huge whirlwind after the other!

"We get snow, but it never really sticks," said my cab driver on the first day. I mentioned that it was snowing in my last blog post. That may have been a small understatement, since what we ended with was the largest snowfall Oxford has seen in the last 25 years! The problem with snow in Oxford (I would estimate we got between 10 inches to 1 foot), is that there are very limited resources to deal with snow removal. I saw one small city plow, and those shoveling had only garden shovels. Everything was literally shut down, and trying to get a cab was nearly impossible. When I finally managed to get one who would make the trek to the hostel to pick me up, the driver told me he could only promise to get me as close as possible to my destination. Finally though, I managed to pick up my keys at Hertford College, and head for my new home for the next 3 months!

My flat lies on a small street off Botley Road, the main street connecting West Oxford to the central city. 50 Oatlands Road is a quaint (if slightly, well how to put it, well used) flat which I will be sharing this semester with my flat-mates Michelle, Maura, and Dan. Michelle and Dan arrived on Wed., but because of travel problems Maura was delayed in arriving until the next day.

Orientation was a long and brutal affair, taking up most of Thursday, but it was also informative and helpful in getting some idea of the semester to come.

Afterwards, the four of us, along with Kiley Price (one of my good friends from APU), went out to eat at a great local pub called The Four Candles. It was great and we had fun just getting to know one another better.

Friday was a day for exploration and fun. Dr. Martin, a psychology professor from APU who is serving as our program director here in Oxford, hosted all of the APU students for lunch, which consisted of a familiar favorite: Domino's Pizza! This semester we will have weekly convocations where we get together to discuss and reflect on our experiences. Plus, Dr. Martin's apartment came with in-floor heating, a feature we were all envious of.

That night the five of us again gathered for a meal, this time in our kitchen, for a fantastic home-cooked meal by Maura and Michelle. As we all sat down at the table, it was oddly silent, and we were all glancing around at one another, waiting for a cue to start. Michelle suddenly exclaimed, "Are we all waiting for grace?" to which we all laughed and acknowledged that we were indeed waiting. Turns out that Maura and Dan are Catholic and the rest of us are protestant Christians. It was yet another fun moment of bonding, as we dived in to a discussion of our shared beliefs, and differences.

Saturday was another day of exploration, but with a particular purpose: boots! In my case, I simply wanted to find a comfortable pair of shoes that would keep me warmer then the very thin (and cold) Converse that I had been using since I arrived. Kiley and I set out with the two Katies (Katie Shore and Katie Hazdovac, both APU students) and scoured what seemed like every shoe store in Oxfordshire county! After a long day and many stores, I finally found a suitable pair of shoes, which have so far kept my feet much drier and much warmer!

Later that night, the four of us decided to take on the challenge of baking, which posed three particular challenges: 1) we had no ingredients, 2) it had to be gluten-free (because Katie is allergic to even minute amounts), and 3) we had to use an old kitchen none of us were familiar with. The first two were quickly solved by Katie's revelation of an easy gluten free peanut butter cookie recipe and a quick trip to the nearby convenience store. However, the kitchen proved to be a more formidable task. The Katies' oven had no temperature settings, merely a range from zero to ten, and the first cookie sheet we put the cookies on didn't actually fit in the tiny oven. Although the first batch did not fare too well, the second one was superb and I would have never have guessed it was gluten-free (though sugar is sugar)!

Sunday, St. Aldate's Church was the destination for many APU students. The service was great, and it was very much like being home! However, that was probably my biggest problem with it. I don't want to simply experience the same thing in England that I can experience in the US. St. Aldate's is a great place, but I want to find a place of worship that is challenging as well.

For lunch, discovered one of Oxford's food gems: The Mission. Just think Chipolte with British accents. But really, its this little Mexican place that is a carbon copy of Chipotle. The food was great and really filling, and it was fun just being in a familiar atmosphere with familiar food!

Monday was the begining of the end. Well, the end of carefree days at least. I met with my academic advisor, who assigned me my tutors (teachers, more on academics in a later post) and answered all of my questions. So far, I have a meeting with one of them on Thursday, and sitll waiting to hear back from the other. Its exciting to be finally starting the academics, but also terrifying because its certainly not going to be a walk in the park!

Last night we all got a tour of the Oxford Union, of which we will have membership this semester. Its housed in this amazing facility with beautiful libraries and study spaces, along with a cheap pub. However, the main attraction of the Union is the debates they host. Famous scholars and politicians come to argue hot issues, which you've probably guessed, I can't wait to start. Overall, it seems like a great asset to our time here in Oxford, and is also another great way to meet other students.

Today has been a nice, relaxing lazy day, with the only main task being a very well needed grocery run. Tomorrow, however, is filled with appointments and tours, all in preparation for term to fully begin!

Sorry it took me so long to post this, and sorry that its is so lengthy!
I promise I will post more consistently in the future! Photos to be posted to Facebook soon!

Miss You All!
Cheers!

Sun to Snow

Greetings from across the pond! Oxford is AMAZING!

I arrived yesterday in a daze, spending most of the day drifting in an out of sleep on a couch in the hostel lounge. In between sporadic naps, I spent a few hours wondering around the nearby shops and streets in awe of the architecture and culture. The people are kind and friendly, and only sometimes give me a funny look when I speak.

Today was beautiful, sunny, and a balmy . I spent most of the day wondering around the central city exploring and taking in a few of the sights. The architecture is simply stunning, the air is clear, and there is green everywhere. Walking down the streets feels like walking on a movie set; its surreal!

Radcliffe Camera, Which Serves as a Reading Room for the Bodleian Library

Outside Christ’s Church College

Panini’s are a delicious local favorite for lunch and are really affordable. This one cost only £2.69.

Tonight it started snowing and it just makes everything look even more beautiful!

Everyone else will arrive tomorrow for housing check in, and then orientation begins Thursday!

Cheers!

Leaving on a Jet Plane...

Tomorrow is the day it all begins! Its a day of long flights and long layovers but then England! I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous, but I know that Oxford has some great adventures and experiences in store!