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!