Friday, October 26, 2012

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.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Victory and Formal Hall

As of Wednesday morning, I conquered my two papers for this week. One was due Monday (5 pages), and another Wednesday afternoon (10 pages). I worked nonstop the entire weekend, and felt so relieved when I turned in my second paper on Wednesday for my Philosophy of Religion tutorial. I read the entire paper out loud to my tutor and then we discussed it for the rest of the hour. My tutor, Philip, is very kind and supportive. I was a bit worried beforehand because I hadn't written a philosophy paper before, but it went quite well.

On Wednesday night I went to Formal Hall, an Oxford tradition. Formal Hall is a meal served twice a week for which attendees dress up and wear academic gowns. At the beginning of the dinner, one of the fellows of the college says grace in Latin. Then we eat! Dinner is 3 courses. Last night we had a tomato soup, chicken, potatoes, beans, and a sort of creme brulee/cheesecake dessert. It was a great way to celebrate being finished with my classes for the week! Although I have already started reading for the upcoming week...

In other news, I signed up to run the Paris Marathon in April! My friend Dori from Wellesley convinced me as she will be studying abroad in Paris this spring. Our friend Amy, a recent Wellesley graduate and my Wellesley big sister, will also run with us. I am so excited but also a bit terrified!

Our lovely college dining hall.

More of the dining hall.

Adrea and me at Formal Hall.

Left to tight: me, Michelle, and Adrea, all in our academic gowns!

Friday, October 12, 2012

School, school, and more school

The past week has consisted largely of reading, writing, and trying to create a consistent schedule for myself. I have officially received assignments for both of my classes--Political Thought from Bentham to Weber, and Philosophy of Religion. This coming week I have a 5-page paper due Monday on the political writings of Henri comte de Saint-Simon, and a 10-page paper due Wednesday on the question "Is Religion Faith Irrational?" For each of these I have massive amounts of reading to do before I write the paper.

I had my first class, or tutorial, last Tuesday. I met with the professor (tutor) and read my 5-page paper on Jeremy Bentham aloud. Every paragraph or so he would stop me and ask questions about what I had just read. Why did I think that? Could I think of alternative points of view? Etc. It was nerve-wracking at first but I got less nervous as time went on, and I assume it will be better during my next tutorial.

I have started figuring out a consistent schedule for myself to make sure I get enough work done each day. I get up in the morning and have breakfast/coffee in my room. Then I respond to email and start reading. I read for 1-2 hours and then get ready to head over to the college. I make sure my room is tidy before I leave (Mom I know you're proud!) because someone empties my trash everyday, and she also vacuums once a week. Then I go to the college and eat lunch. After, I head to one of the libraries, the Bodleian, Radcliffe Camera, or Social Science Library, and read for 4-5 hours. Many of the books I have to read cannot actually be checked out, so I have to read them at the library and take notes for my papers. Then I go for a run and then head to dinner. After dinner I come back to my dorm and do more reading!

The Radcliffe Camera, with the shadow of the University Church of St. Mary the Virgin. Once I was studying in here and a tour group came in and watched all of us study!

The Hertford Bridge, or Oxford's own Bridge of Sighs.

The Bodleian Library, the second largest library in the United Kingdom.

Friday, October 5, 2012

Oxford!

Sorry it has been awhile since my last post--I've arrived in Oxford and have been insanely busy!

Mom and I arrived several days ago, and she was here until Tuesday helping me get organized. The past week has been a flurry of orientation activities--being introduced to the library system (Oxford has over 70 libraries!), college tutors (aka professors), and other students.

On top of all of that, I have been given assignments for my first classes! At Oxford, the teaching system is entirely different from US universities. Classes are just one-on-one meetings with professors (there may be one or two other students as well). Before each class, or tutorial, we have to  read several books/articles and write a paper about them. The papers are typically 4-6 pages long. Then you defend and discuss the paper with the tutor during class. Fortunately, we only take two tutorials (classes/courses) per trimester--one of them meets once a week and the other meets once every two weeks. Despite this, though, I am already stressed about school work! For my first tutorial, I am reading several works by Jeremy Bentham and writing a 6-page paper about them.

I'm afraid I haven't yet taken too many pictures of Oxford. I will take more over the weekend and post again soon. Here are the few that I do have:

My college! The weather is deceptively nice in this picture--now it is raining and cold.

Erasmus, our college cat.