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!