7/9 – The start of a crazy weekend - Oxford

What I did:

I woke up early to head out to Oxford. I wanted to get in some sightseeing before I had to meet up with the people of mayBe, and I got into Oxford at about 10:30. It took me a little while to get oriented, and I quickly found that Oxford wasn’t anything that I imagined. For some reason I basically had Hogwarts in mind in thinking about the whole city. A large university area with maybe a little town just outside its walls. This was not what I found.

I walked by Oxford Castle then somehow completely missed high street. I basically walked all around the city and made it all the way to the University parks. By this point I figured I would turn around and head back into town where all the people were, and on my way I saw some grass tennis courts. It kind of broke my heart a little that I could not play on them.

I made it back into town and finally found all the popular sights (and all the tour groups). The best way I can describe Oxford is like Texas A&M only with all the empty spaces filled in with shops and buildings and streets (and everything much older). It is not my favorite city, but I did enjoy my time there. I walked around and looked at the outside of several colleges and libraries. Then I walked down to Christ Church college and stopped for a little while to eat some. At this point, my friend from SMU named Josh called me and we decided to meet up. He came and found me. He is studying at Oxford for the summer and just got there about a week ago along with many other friends of mine. I happily greeted a friendly, familiar face and we set off.

He gave me a little tour and helped me put some names to buildings I had previously passed by. After a little bit of that, we walked back to the college he is staying at, University, and he showed me around it. I did not realize this until around this time, but not all of the colleges open to the public; those that do generally are open about 12-5; and of those that do open, not all are free (but some are). Anyway, he showed me around and told me some of the history and what he has been doing. We had a nice chance to relax for a little while in his room. Then, we decided to go out, and he was going to show me a few more places. On the way out in the street I saw Sydni! Haha. Somehow I knew I’d run into her, but it was good to see her and Kaitlin and Vicki. I didn’t get to talk long though since we all kind of had our own stuff to do.


Josh and I kept going and he took me over to the martyrs memorial and St. John’s college. At that point, he had to go run some errands and left me to continue my sightseeing. I got to go in St. John’s and a couple of other colleges that were open and free. I walked around for a while and saw some market area and other exciting stuff. I eventually found a homemade cookie place with an old guy in there, and I couldn’t help but stop and get one. I am also happy to say that this is the only thing I actually spent money on in Oxford. It was delicious too.

It got to be 5 and everything started closing down that was of interest to me. I tried to run by the modern art museum, but it was closed. So I rested a little, then headed out to the place mayBe would be meeting. It is actually in Cowley, which is east Oxford I think. It was about a 40 minute walk, but not a bad one. I got to the guy’s flat who was hosting it tonight and was one of the first people there. People gradually trickled in and there were several families and several funny children. We eventually ate some dinner then went through a service based around journeys and labyrinths. It was good, and went by fast. Before I knew it we weren’t quite done, but for me to get a bus and train back, I needed to go. Fortunately, Jim, whose place we were at, offered to let me stay the night. I gladly accepted and got to stay to the end and have several good conversations. This community is interesting because they are in a big transition just having lost their leader and founder. So, it was interesting to see how they are adapting.

Everyone left and Jim and I sat and chatted for a while over some tea and toast. The evening wound down and I soon found that I was very tired from an unusually busy day.

What I learned:

The layout of Oxford. I guess I was just disappointed that it was not Hogwarts, but it was definitely cool in its own unique way.

Apparently, if Hitler had taken over England he would not have bombed Oxford, because he wanted it as his base.

Homemade double chocolate chip cookies are always worth it.

A lot about many of the colleges and notable buildings around the city. Josh was a very good unofficial tour guide and helped me understand where I was located in the present (in relation to the rest of the city), what the past of that spot was, and where I should visit in the future.

The Oxford study abroad program is really cool, but I am still glad that I get to do what I am doing instead. If for no other reason than I don’t have to get all dressed up to go to ‘high table’ dinner. The dinners I have been a part of are probably much more meaningful and are typically eaten on the floor in jeans.