Home for the Holidays

I am officially back in the USA! The term ended rather abruptly about a week and a half ago with a philosophy paper about the coexistence of God and evil. I relaxed for a day or two and then began the packing madness. I flew home last Monday, and was greeted at the SeaTac airport by my lovely mother. I spent the night at my best friend Liz's house. Liz left a few days ago for a 3-month trip to Argentina to do organic farming.

On Tuesday my mom and I drove home to Walla Walla, where I was greeted enthusiastically by my two dogs, Holly and Gioia. I missed them so much! Since then I've just been attempting to get over jet lag. I am making progress and no longer wake up at 6 am, but I am still not on my normal schedule of waking up at 10. Perhaps that's a good thing?

I have also been doing some reading for fun--right now I'm reading Gang Leader for a Day by Sudhir Venkatesh, an ethnography of Chicago's urban poor with a focus on the Black Kings gang. It is so nice to be able to read at my own pace instead of having to wade through 300 pages of Hegel in less than a week. In addition to reading, I've spent time with my friend Rina and cousin Shannon. Last night Shannon and I made gingerbread cookies!

The one thing that I've gotten to do in the USA that I cannot do in England is eat great Mexican food. It makes sense that there isn't any in England--I can't imagine that there are many immigrants from Central America to the UK. But Eastern Washington is a feast of great Mexican food, which I've enjoyed about half of my nights back home.

Gioia (left) and Holly waiting for me!

I've missed these rolling hills!

Gioia

Holly

Thanksgiving in Paris, part 2

I returned to Oxford last night, but I still need to talk about the rest of my trip to Paris!

On Saturday, my aunt and I went to a museum called L'Orangerie. The main exhibit there is 8 of Monet's Water Lilies paintings. The museum specially constructed the two rooms that the paintings are in according to Monet's specifications. He apparently was quite specific about how he thought the paintings should be displayed. The museum also used a special lighting system, which was mostly natural light, also according to Monet's specifications. The effect on the paintings was incredible.

We then saw the other works of art in the museum. They have a very large collection of Renoir paintings. Perhaps the most famous is Two Young Girls at the Piano. It was amazing to see these paintings in person. The museum also had paintings by Picasso, Cezanne, Matisse, Modigliani, Soutine, and others.

After this we went to an exhibition of Jesse Fernandez's photographs at the Latin American House. Jesse Fernandez took photos in Cuba, Guatemala, Mexico, New York, London, and Paris. Some of his pictures, especially in Latin America, were of daily life. Once he reached New York, London, and Paris, though, he seemed to mostly take pictures of famous artists and writers. The most interesting pictures, in my opinion, were those of Cuba right before the revolution. Fernandez managed to capture several pictures of both Castro and Batista.

Next we went to the Luxembourg gardens, which are behind the place where the French Senate works. Because it is nearly winter, the gardens were not as pretty as if it were spring or summer. Most of the leaves from the trees are gone and many of the flowers dead. Still, it was a nice place to walk around and explore.

Yesterday, I went to my aunt and uncle's church, an English-speaking Catholic church not too far from their apartment. The priest who led the service and gave the homily is actually American, from Georgia. After that, my aunt and I went to the airport, got lunch, and I flew back to London.

A huge Christmas tree near the Orangerie museum.

The place where the French House of Representatives works.

Me on a footbridge. It was pretty cold so I was wearing a thick coat.

A painting at a cafe of US president Barack Obama and French president Francois Hollande.

The front of the building where the French Senate works.

The back of this building, and the start of the Luxembourg gardens.

Luxembourg gardens.

My aunt with a small model of the Statue of Liberty, which was constructed by a Frenchman.

Thanksgiving in Paris, part 1

Bonjour from Paris! I am currently visiting my aunt (my father's sister), uncle, and cousin in the city of light. They invited me to spend an American Thanksgiving with them, and of course I could not refuse!

I arrived on Wednesday, and soon after my arrival we climbed the Eiffel Tower just as the sun was setting. On Thursday, my aunt and uncle had to work, so I wandered around Paris by myself. I saw Notre Dame, the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Paris and one of the most famous examples of Gothic architecture in Europe. It was constructed from 1163 to around 1240. I wandered around the cathedral, lit a candle, and prayed. It was very relaxing!

After Notre Dame, I went to an English bookstore called Shakespeare and Company. My friend from Oxford, Sophie, recommended it to me, and it was incredible! It is a small building absolutely jam-packed with books. Upstairs were small reading rooms and a piano.

After the bookstore, I met up with my cousin Daniel, and we climbed the Arc de Triomphe. This is one of the most famous monuments in Paris. It was commissioned by Napoleon in 1806 after the victory at Austerlitz, and it remains a rallying point for French troops. It offered beautiful views of Paris from the top.

Yesterday, my aunt and I went to the Palace of Versailles. It was fairly cold and rainy, so we did not spend too much time in the palace's vast gardens, but I did get to see the many fountains. After walking around outside, we toured the palace. I have never seen so much marble in my life! The palace is full of red, white, green, and blue marble, and many of the doors and works of art are gilded with gold. It is incredibly extravagant. Apparently, with its construction, Louis XIV wanted to show the world the depth of France's wealth and power. He was definitely able to do that. Perhaps the most moving part of the tour for me was walking through the Hall of Mirrors, where the Treaty of Versailles was signed, thereby ending World War I.

In front of the Eiffel Tower at night.

Locks on the Pontes de Artes.

The Pontes de Artes.

The Seine.

Notre Dame. It is its 850 year anniversary, so there is construction of some sort going on.

Joan of Arc statue.

Shakespeare and Company bookstore.

So many books!

Me in front of the Arc de Triomphe

View from the top of the Arc de Triomphe.

The French flag (an artsy shot for my friend Doris).

The back of the Palace of Versailles.

The front of Versailles.

One of the bedrooms in Versailles.

The Hall of Mirrors.

The queen's bedroom in Versailles. I wish my bedroom was this shiny...

In front of the gate to Versailles.

Why I love Oxford

MANY apologies for not writing for a few weeks! I contracted a virus which lasted over a week and then got food poisoning, and then had a ton of work to make up because I was sick for so long. While I was sick I didn't do anything exciting or blog worthy so I have waited until now.

The title of this post is "Why I love Oxford." I want to preface this by saying that no place is perfect, Oxford included. Everything is very expensive, and the library system (while enormous) can be a huge pain to maneuver. But in this post I am going to talk about the great things about Oxford.

About a week ago, I was walking from my dorm to my college, Mansfield. As I walked down one of the less busy roads, I encountered two students slowly cycling next to each other. I wondered why they were moving so slowly--many cyclists here are absolutely fearless and fly down the streets. As I got closer, I realized they were discussing international relations during World War II. Evidently, one of the students was taking a politics course about this and was educating his friend about it. They spoke in earnest about how many of the international relations strategies from WWII are still used today.

This experience sums up what I love best about Oxford--everyone is genuinely interested in learning and loves talking about what they study. Conversations often effortlessly turn into discussions about academic ideas and concepts. Since arriving here, I've learned so much from my peers simply from talking with them. The other night, I went out for ice cream with some Oxford third-year students and our conversation topics ranged from life after graduation to hiking to gendered history.

All Soul's College on High Street. One of the few days with blue skies!

With friends Alex and Sophie at a black tie event at college.

Reading Hegel. What an atrocious book cover!

Magdalen Bridge

High Street with the Radcliffe Camera (RadCam) in the background.

The walls of Magdalen College.

New College, which is not actually so new! (Established 1379)

Entrance to New College.

Erasmus, the Mansfield cat.

Broad Street with Trinity College.

The Sheldonian Theatre.

Halloween and my scout Kat

Hello everyone! I am officially half way done with this term, or trimester. Each term is only 8 weeks long, so only 4 left to go! School is going really well--I feel like I've found my stride in terms of the work load, and I really like both of my tutors, Philip and Sebastian. Last Wednesday I had to ride my bike to my Philosophy of Religion tutorial and it was pouring rain. I was completely drenched by the time I got to Philip's office! But he offered my tea and coffee, and I got to enjoy some quality coffee (much better than the instant I've been making) during our meeting.

This week I'm reading Hegel's Outlines of the Philosophy of Right, and for my Philosophy of Religion tutorial I'm reading about teleological arguments regarding God.

Last Wednesday was also Halloween. I didn't celebrate too much, although I did go to formal hall, which was Halloween themed. For dinner we had carrot soup, lamb, mashed potatoes, green beans, carrots, and a chocolate tart. It was delicious. A lot of people dressed up and it was an overall great time.

Now, a word about my scout, Kat. A scout is someone that cleans the dorm I live in. My scout's name is Kat, and she is so kind. Once a week, she vacuums and cleans my room, and just generally checks to make sure I'm doing well. She is always smiling and cheerful and it always brightens my day when I see her. She also motivates me to tidy up my room before she comes, which is no small feat.

I'd like to give a special shout out to Sharon, Mrs. B, and my aunt Debbie who have all recently written to me about my blog! I'm glad you're enjoying it, and any other readers please feel free to email me.

My friend Hyerin dressed as Hillary Clinton from the site "Texts from Hillary"

Halloween formal hall with Esther, Hayley, and Gavi.

Hyerin and Emily at formal hall.

With my friend Sarah, who also goes to Wellesley. Photo credit Hyerin P.

One class's reading for one week. Photo credit Christina P.

Autumn and running

It is finally autumn in Oxford! The leaves are changing and the weather is very dreary--I can't remember the last time I saw the sun. Most of the trees here are deciduous and are losing their leaves. It isn't quite as colorful as the Massachusetts fall I'm used to, but it is gorgeous just the same!

I notice most of the colors when I go running. There aren't loads of trees in the city center--there are just buildings. But when I run I go to trails--Christ Church Meadow, a wildlife preserve, and various parks, all of which have tons of trees. Below are some pictures of Christ Church Meadow which is part of the grounds of Christ Church College, one of Oxford's most famous colleges.

An interesting note about running: people here like to comment on runners more than they do in the States (at least in my experience). They are generally very supportive. The other day, I was waiting at the cross walk near the end of my run. An older man and his wife were also waiting, and he said to me, "Keep goin!" The day after that, I was nearing the end of my run, and someone said "You can do it, keep at it!" I'm not sure if I just look particularly exhausted so they feel obliged to encourage me, or if they are just entertained by the sight of runners (probably both). But I find it quite motivating.

There isn't anything particularly new as far as school goes. I'm still doing loads of reading and writing. Last week I read Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America (not exactly a quick read...) and wrote a paper on it. This week I read John Stuart Mill's On Liberty and will begin writing my paper today. For my Philosophy of Religion class, I am writing a 10-page paper on the question "Assuming there is a God, what is God like?"

Entrance to Christ Church Meadow

Christ Church rugby fields

Some of the many geese that tyrannize walkers and runners.

Possibly the cutest tree ever.

Christ Church meadow with its cows and Christ Church College.

As you can see, the weather has been quite gloomy.