Since the unparalleled success of Shredlife (www.powder2thepeople.blogspot.com), there has been much clamoring among our loyal readers for a Euro version of shreddlife, which would no doubt chronicle what we do best: taking the sport to the next level.
-Steven
And take the sport to new levels we will; only this version of Shreddlife will feature a more refined tone that reflects the type of shredding that One Plank and I are undertaking here in Oxford. Take heed though, it is shredding nonetheless.
On a personal note, I'm doing this bog for a couple of reasons. 1. Steve and Elizabeth want some more info 2. I always strive to please the readers of Shredlife and 3. I always tell myself that I am going to write things down whenever I go on trips so that I can remember what I have done, and until now, I never have. After that doozie of a sentence, I will also point out that I will not be worrying too much about grammar and syntax, as I get to do that plenty each day. Also, don't look for any over-dramatized stories of how I'm becoming enlightened and finding myself in Europe. Honestly, in addition to trying to experience life as an Oxford student and take a few trips, my main goal is to just to try to keep it respectable in the classroom and play golf, which is pretty similar to my normal life wherever I may be.
Now that we have that out of the way, lets get started. Our trip started on March 25th after a four month layoff from school where I worked and lived in Memphis (shout out to Granny, Ford and Jarred). Our arrival went off without a hitch, and the next day, we were inducted as Oxford students into the Bodlean Library (http://web2.comlab.ox.ac.uk/oucl/conferences/TPHOLs2005/bodleian-library-large.jpg). We had to take an oath that students for hundreds of years have taken in which we had to swear to neither steal nor set fire to any books; another cool tidbit is that the king held parliament in that room where we took the oath during the English Civil war. Me taking the oath below.
The next day we were forced to go to Stratford-Upon-Avon (I'm not sure of the spelling), Bill Shakespeare's birthplace. The trip was not what I would call fun so we will leave it at that; furthermore, I personally believe that Ole Bill was a drunk.
The following Monday, class started for us. Until Next week, the full time Oxford students are on break, so the town is much like any college town when there are no kids there, kind of slow. Some have asked about the academic calendar and how our time here will work. Well, the typical load for an Oxford student is two tutorials per term. Tutorials are basically one on one classes where you meet with your tutor (teacher) once a week. Typiclly you have a bunch of reading and an essay due each week for each tutorial, and in your meeting, you read your essay aloud to your teacher and he critiques your ideas. For us, in order to get this to count as a semester we have to take two classes before the term and two during it to make a total of twelve credit hours. So right now we are taking two classes that meet twice a week and have one essay per class per week. It has been a lot of work, which some nights is a bit of a drag, but I'm telling myself its worth it. My seminars are in Keble College, the college we are members of, and Worcester College. Both teachers are brilliant and pretty demanding, but they are good; however, honestly, I'm looking forward to next week when our Trinity Term tutorials will begin so I can stop writing history papers and get back to stuff that is more in my wheelhouse. Worcester College is pictured below. Those houses on the right date to the 12th century and the newer ones are only from 1776.
There's a lot to explain, but now I think I will start with how Oxford works. Oxford is made up of 38 independent colleges that make up the University of Oxford. The colleges serve as the social hubs of the university, and each has their own dorms, dining room, sports teams, and bars. While the social life of the university is organized this way, an Oxford student takes classes all over the town at different colleges, not just in their own college. So a good way to describe it would be to say that they are like Fraternities and Sororities at a University in America, although they are much more than that. As I said above, we are members of Keble College (http://www.chem.ox.ac.uk/oxfordtour/keble/). Its pretty a pretty neat place and most of the people seem pretty cool. Keble is pictured below.
Many have asked about the dining hall. Apparently Keble has the largest dining hall in Oxford, and was approached by the makers of Harry Potter about using it for the Great hall. The directors apparently wanted to take down some of the portrats that grace the dining hall to do some measurements, and the powers that be at Keble apparently told Harry Potter "thanks, but no thanks." The Great Hall in the movies was then filmed in Christ Church, which looks cooler to me anyways. But I digress. We have not gotten to wear our academic gowns yet to dinner because the term has not started yet, but apparently undergrad gowns are more like really fancy vests. I'll keep you posted.
My typical day doesn't sound too exciting, but I'm loving the routine. I wake up around 8, eat a full English breakfast in the dining hall at nine. Go to the Radcliffe Camera to study until lunch and then classes in the afternoon. Followed either studying or relaxing after a full meal which is served to us back in the dining hall. Its not all that different from a typical day in Knoxville, other than the fact that its taking places in one of the coolest places in the world. The Radcliffe Camera, where I study each morning and the Keble dining hall are pictured below.
I have gotten to take two trips since we have been here. The first one was last weekend when we went into london to take in the annual Oxford and Cambridge Boat race, which over 200,000 people attend on the banks of the Thames each year. We went to a famous pub, the Dove, early saturday and spent the rest of the day there until the boats went by. We lost to Cambridge and were then trash talked to by some Cambridge students. (check out the video, it was on the BBC http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AI2M8diGBCA). It was a great day.
The second one, from which I returned yesterday, was a trip to Sandwich, Kent and the Royal
St George's Golf Club, home to thirteen Open Championships. Additionally, the Open will
be held there next year. It was incredible, and I played decently. It was one of the coolest
things I have ever done. Greats like Walter Hagan and Sandy Lyle have both won opens
there.If you want to know more just ask, and I would love to tell you. If you want to see
more pics, then look at facebook. This thing isnt easy to put pics on. Sorry.
-Steven
