I’ve finally settled in, and orientation week is up and running. Oxford is even more beautiful than I had imagined.
The walk to Mansfield is spectacular. I live on Cowley road, which is about a 30 minute walk from Mansfield. That sounds kind of bad, but honestly it’s a lovely walk. Some of the other visiting students are buying bikes, which isn’t a bad idea. I enjoy a nice, peaceful walk, and I’m not terribly confident in my biking ability, so I don’t think I’ll get one.
I bring my camera pretty much everywhere I go. I get quite a few glances when I stop in the middle of the sidewalk to take a picture of a brick wall or a cloud. I’ve looked like quite the tourist. I took some pretty pictures though, so definitely worth it.
Last night, the freshers and visiting students went to the Turf Tavern with their “parents”, who are basically just upperclassmen who will help us adjust throughout the year. It was nice to finally meet my new mom and dad, and it was even nicer when my mom bought me a “very potent” drink. It was definitely one of the most eventual Monday nights of my life, for sure.
What’s really cool is that the Turf is one of the oldest pubs in Oxford, apparently dating back to 1381. Perusing the wikipedia article as I write this I just learned that “local legend also has it that former U.S. president Bill Clinton, while attending Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, infamously ‘did not inhale’ during an evening of carousing at the pub.” Also, “the Turf Tavern is also where former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke set a Guinness World Record for consuming a yard glass of ale in 11 seconds in 1963.” Pretty neat. Also, the ceilings were so low at the entrance of the bar that I couldn’t even stand up straight without hitting my head. My guess is that there were not many 6’5″ people in the 14th century.
But with all that being said, what I love the most are the libraries. So much can be said about them, but I’ll save that for a future blog.
Before my next entry I’m going to buy a chess set. I think that would be a cool Oxford student thing to do.
Anyway, back to my reading!
Henry
