Wedding in Progress

There is a wedding at Trinity College going on right outside my window. I thought about jumping into my formal dress quickly to snag a piece of cake, but of course that was just a fanciful thought. The wedding kicked off in the Trinity Chapel, where interestingly enough, the body of the college's founder is preserved. After the wedding itself and some socializing in the courtyard the wedding moved to the other side of the building and into where the Trinity College garden used to be. Now there's just a lawn because in the 1800s (I think that's when it was) they decided to do away with it because the garden was too French rather than English. Now the garden stands, and from my window I can hear an amazing and elegant live jazz band as well as the rumble of well dressed people mingling. Below are a couple pictures.

Just as I took this picture the band was getting up for a break.

A quick shot of part of the crowd. I love the feathered hats so many of them wear.

One more travel tip for those of you planning to go to the UK. If you're interested in assimilating with the locals on any level, be sure and buy a messenger bag. Not only is is convenient, but it's stylish for the area. It's ideal to buy the bag in the United States because everything is ridiculously expensive (I bought the cheapest market soda possible yesterday for nearly $2.00 American). I've been shopping around but can't seem to find anything in my price range. Here are my dream bags but because of their irate cost, the search continues.

Freitag, a business started by two brothers who hand-make ever accessory, has a selection of bags made entirely from recycled goods. These bags are made from the material used on the side of freight trucks and are therefore rain resistant and nearly indestructible (like a Nalgene only better). Plus, every bag is one of a kind. (Sigh.)All The Kings Men is a brand out of Australia that specializes in messenger bags made from recycled plane seatbelts. There are so many useful pockets it's incredible.

There's always more to write but I'm going to leave it at that and do some reading. Enjoy your Saturday and we'll talk again soon.

Keeping in accordance with tradition, I'm currently listening to the British indie techno infused rock group Milke - "Pleasure and Pain"

Recent Realizations in the UK

As you know or can imagine, I've noticed and embraced the differences between the UK and the US. Here are just a few that I've run into since my arrival.

1. An elevator in the UK is called a "lift."

2. They call staircases "buildings" on this side of the pond.

3. I learned this one in an interesting way. To save a little cash I brought my own school supplies. We kept getting handouts in class and I'm obsessive about making my schoolwork feel organized. I hadn't hole punched the paper but couldn't figure out why the handouts kept sticking out of the top my binder. Well, prior to lecture I examined a handout closely only to discover that the paper is in fact a different dimension over here. Good times. I should have known.

4. The London underground subway stops are deemed "tubes." I love that one, it sounds high tech.

5. Signs indicating a step don't say "Watch your step." Instead they read, "Please Mind the Step."

6. Even if you see Bitter Shandy in a brown soda can of Sainsbury brand (a grocery chain here) next to the Coke, Pepsi and Seven Up (totally away from the alcohol section), it's NOT another name for root beer. Thank goodness I was saved on that one. (Again, a time where I felt like a complete idiot.) But on the flip side of that, I can't find root beer to save my life. So if you fancy a root beer over here then bring your own Barq's and Mug.

7. A travel tip. Buy one change of wattage plug adapter in the United States (because it allows for objects with large attachment on the end of the prongs) but buy the rest overseas. They're about a quarter of the price and a lot less bulky.

8. Smarties aren't chalky candies wrapped in plastic. They're more like M & Ms with a slightly fruity tasting colored coding. The chalky candies we call Smarties in the United States are actually deemed "Rockets."

9. When you arrive in the UK the first thing you should purchase is a "Chocolate Flavoured Caramel Slice" from the nearest grocery store bakery. I'm dead serious. They're less than a pound for 3 and they just might be the most amazing tasty treats ever invented the way they make them in the UK.

That's all I have time for now, as I have to shower before heading to dinner. The dining hall is pretty formal here, and I wouldn't dream show up in my workout clothes. More to come later, including an update on the Harry Potter style high table dinners we have every Tuesday.

Currently dancing and singing along to Ted Rosedale's ukulele original - "I'll Make Love To You."

An Informal Lecture at the Divinity School

Classes have begun at Oxford University and I couldn't be more delighted with the rigorous style of education here. Our professors don't simply give us books to read but are constantly offering recommendations of supplementary materials. We don't simply read Hamlet, we become scholars of the play, the social context in which it was written, the critical writings that followed the play, and Shakespeare himself. It's not an overbearing an intimidating push to read more or take the initiative to take on independent research, but a limitless perception of education that's sort of taken as a matter of fact. The libraried (most of the time from the countryside where many books are stored) within a day. People here appreciate learning and it's obvious from talking to my well spoken professors that even though they know they can never master knowledge, they have an inner pull that draws them toward a life vested in learning. It might be the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

I just returned from a lecture and walk through part of Oxford with my History of Oxford Architecture class. We began the class with a lecture and ended with a walk through New College (Originally named The College of Saint Mary) and the Divinity School.

Built in 1379, New College is one of the oldest college in Oxford. Obviously privately funded, it has an exorbitant amount of money (and they charge a pound just to walk inside). It's beautiful. Here are a few pictures followed by explanation.

This is the interior of the cloisters (used for reflection and sometimes studying) at New College. Some may recognize this from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.


Another view, this time from inside the cloisters.


Oxford University was originally built where it was not only because it was a central location for trade and prime location right along the river Thames, but also because at the time that it was built, Oxford was one of the biggest cities in Britain. Like many cities at the time, there was a wall that surrounded Oxford. When New College was built they had an agreement with the city to keep the town's wall intact. New College did just that, and has continued to preserve the wall today, making it the most significant chunk of preserved wall still around. This is that wall, which is situated by a garden.


This is the New College chapel, which pictures seem to muddle and words can't describe.

A closer view of the original stained glass of the saints and the ornate ornamentation.

Under the seats there are wood carvings of grotesque figures, sort of representing the conflicting thoughts of people at the time. One one hand the people were supposed to look upon God at all times. On the other hand, even the chapel had these sort of vulgar and crass joke-like carvings.

After leaving New College we headed over to the Divinity School, the oldest surviving lecture hall ever. Our professor sat us down and we learned a ton about the hall itself. The Divinity School was a lecture hall but also the place where final examinations took place. At the time final exams were all given orally and a student was given their degree based on their responses to oral exams. At the time it became extremely popular, as a civilian, to attend these oral exams. Therefore, they set up the room to accommodate people who wanted to watch the scholars take their final exams.

Built by the university rather than one of the colleges, it took nearly twenty years to get the funding just for the foundation of Divinity School. The hall was initially built with a wooden roof but later a donor came and offered to donate the funds to build a Gothic style vaulted roof. You'll see closeups and an awesome narrative about the roof below.

This is a general view that I feel reflects the vastness of the lecture hall.

It's difficult to see here but the points of the ceilings and places where the ribbed vaults meet have carvings of many different things. Not only are there religious carvings, but there's a coat of arms for the king and the initials of many former scholars and alumni. Prior to rebuilding what was formerly a wooden roof all the alumni had to agree to the change. As a result, the new construction kind of honored everyone with their initials.

Having a historian professor take us on the tour was amazing. I have seven more meetings of touring Oxford so more nerdy history stuff will probably come soon.

Ecstatic for the opportunity to attend more classes and forced to start getting dressed up to attend a lecture and formal dinner, I'd best get running. I wish you all a wonderful day though, and I will write when I can.

Until then take a listen to this jewel by clicking the link and then pressing play on the jukebox at the top: Nate Mott - "Bitter Wine"

My Address and The Shower Situation

This will be a quick blog because I'm headed to my first class in about twenty minutes and I would like to do some reading prior to heading off into the mist and over to Corpus Christi College, where they will be holding my first session of Literary Makings of the Modern Self. I haven't been to the college yet but you'll get a taste of what it looks like below.


Some of you have asked about my address at Trinity College and you'll be happy to know that it's actually simple enough to memorize easily. The address is as follows:

Lauren Proctor - UMass Summer Session
Trinity College
Broad Street
Oxford, OX1 3BH

I'll be checking my post office box daily as I pass by the porter before leaving the campus grounds.

And now for the highlights from last night. Everyone knows I love long, steamy showers. It's nearly impossible to get me out. Last night, as I prepared myself for a long, hot and mentally relaxing shower I had a horrible realization. The shower water, regardless of how much fiddling I tried, does not get warm. We're not talking tepid here either. This was "Oh my goodness my hands are starting to turn blue and I might as well not even try to shave my legs because my goosebumps are so bad right now" water. I managed to arrange a situation where my scrubbing would take place next to the water. Then when I needed to rinse I'd run quickly through both ways before returning to safety beside the water. I'm up for rolling with the punches but six weeks of frigid showers--that's one thing I'm not so sure about. I don't care what I have to do though, I will make this work. Nothing can put a kink in this trip. Whether it's turning freezing cold showers that make your hair stand on end into a fun and challenging game or making friends with a chef who will allow me to boil a pan of hot water prior to showers, I shall conquer the cold water problem.

On that note I'd best get to reading. Perhaps if I read enough Shakespeare and architecture books it will make me intelligent enough to find a solution to my shower troubles. Perhaps. Until then I remain...

Out and about until the next update. Enjoy!

The Arrival and Suite Tour

The trip to Oxford was painless. Except for spraying yogurt in my eyes while I was eating breakfast and sitting next to a girl who kept on looking at me like I was either a four eyed monster or celebrity, everything went as smoothly as I could have expected. After arriving at Heathrow airport at 6 a.m. (London time) I officially showed my passport, fetched my bags and headed off into the central bus station to find my way to Gloucester Green, Trinity College's nearest stop. After jumping off the bus and gathering my bags once more, I sort of wandered the streets pretending like I knew exactly where I was going until I found Trinity College. I had memorized the map I needed to get there so finding Trinity wasn't a problem at all.

I checked in with the porter, got settled and unpacked in my suite, and took a short nap to refuel my body. (I couldn't sleep a wink on the flight to London). Oxford itself was dead as I lugged my bags through the town at 9 am but when I went through the town again later in the afternoon it was bustling and cute as ever.

After wandering through town a bit more I headed over to dinner and then wandered campus a bit with a new friend who isn't afraid to open doors and corridors. For that I'm thankful, because I now know how to get from my room to the dining hall (precisely where you need to be to pick up your food too) without ever leaving the building. We went in the chapel, the Trinity library, and found a recreation and television room that caught our attention. After watching a little British news, part of the Diana Concert, and some amazing but nerdy British shows, we called it a night.

Tomorrow morning starts bright and early with breakfast and an orientation, along with a class called "Literary Makings of the Modern Self" (with a TBA time), and more exploring. I'll fill you in more in the future but for now I'd like to give you an official tour of my Suite.


To make the experience a little more tangible, I'm providing a few pictures. There will be more to come but here's a small teaser.

My last views of New England until August 11th. Views courtesy of puddle jumper window and aisle seat 6A.

***

The following pictures are all views from the different rooms in my suite. So you have a sense of the setup before I start ranting on, the entrance to Trinity college is gated and guarded by a porter. You walk into a lawn, a beautiful chapel, a hallway, and then a smaller courtyard with a four walls of a building surrounding it.

To get into my suite I have to go up staircase (what they call buildings over here) XVII and then go up one set of stairs into Suite 4. If you were to walk into my place you would see what I call my living room. The ceilings are probably about 20 feet high with great crown molding and the living room has a fireplace, desk, fridge, two bookshelfs, two chairs, two window seats, and a random antique table. The furniture is old but I like to call it spirited. Here are a few pictures of my living room:

This is a picture of my fireplace, which at this point is no longer in service.

A total view of my front door, the windows, and my living room.

A window seat close-up.

One of the bookshelves, which I've already begun to utilize. The biggest bookstore in the world is just a few minutes away a pie (by foot) so I'm sure this will begin to fill up a little bit more.

If you look to the left of the bookcase in the picture above you'll see the hallway/open area that leads to my sink. Of course since this was built in 1554 I don't have a complete bathroom. But it's nice to have a place to brush my teeth and refill my water bottle without going to the basement.

Behind the sink is an open area and then my actual bedroom. The bedroom is modest but still very nice. And to think, this semi-three roomed place all to myself.

Now for my favorite part...what's outside the windows! My place has four windows, two on each side. We'll start with the windows on the side of my bathroom and bedroom.

The courtyard visible from one my windows. Look at that manicured grass.

Panning slightly.

A close up on the buildings of this courtyard. They're so detailed it's amazing.

Yet another attempt to show the fine detail invested in every piece of this university.

Now for the window views on the other side of my place.

Yes, those are potted window plants you see.

Yet another window view near the back lawn, which you're only allowed to sit and play croquet on (and only when the grass is dry).

And in case you'd like to see the gate to the right of my living room (another part of the field pictured in the last photo above), feel free to check out this live webcam. Perhaps I'll schedule a time to make an appearance for you eager watchers...

Webcam of the Back Gate Near My Suite

Although I could type all night I'll refrain from boring you too much now with my tangents and novellas. Thanks for reading though, and I'll have more for you soon.

Currently jamming with a little: The Secret Handshake - "Coastal Cities" and "Summer of '98"