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