I'm Here

After a long, tiring journey, I am here in London. We have gotten our rooms, so everything is smooth sailing for the rest of the week. On to the last few days at Oxford (*sobs a little*):

Thursday
I had no more classes, but I still had a plenary lecture. This one was really good. He talked about Winston Churchill as soldier, politician, and writer. It was really interesting. We all know he was an influential character in history and especially to WWII. However, he actually was a bit conceited and wanted a lot of attention. He frequently used his mother's connections to go over his commanders' heads (this ticked them off a bit for sure) to get special assignments and to be a war correspondent. He was also a prolific writer, and his publications would make anyone jealous. After, we had our last lunch in the Hall, and it was pretty good. Chicken curry with rice was really good. By far, it was the best lunch of the time here. Then, I didn't have much to do because everyone else was in class, so I went looking around and shopping. For dinner, we finally had shepherd's pie, which I was told was actually cottage pie because it had beef instead of lamb (hint: SHEPHERD's pie). Anyway, the dessert was a chocolate cake that was really good except for the raspberries. Laura had a brilliant idea and decided that we should go see As You Like It, so we went to the nearby University College (really pretty). At first, I thought Laura meant that the time was 7:30, so we could go to the play. When I said that I needed to go to my room to get money, she told me to hurry, which seemed odd because I figured the play was at 8. Actually, the play was at 7:30, so that's why she gave me a funny look. In any matter, we made it to the play with a couple minutes to spare. The play was good but not my favorite. For a comedy, it didn't make me laugh as much as the others, but it wasn't a bad play and the actors were good. I just don't think it was as good as the others we've seen. I've had a lot of exposure to Shakespeare here which is good considering where I am. One thing, a lot of his plays have similar elements and confusions, but his wording is so great that it makes up for some repetition of plot. After that, we went to the Quarrell Room to watch Shakespeare in Love, but the Porters said we couldn't ask for the key after 10, so we went to the JCR instead. It is actually a pretty good movie. I was impressed.

Friday
Friday was a bit more exciting. I awoke to another alarm, but this time, I was prepared and could handle their tricks. Again, the lecture was really good. Lord Morgan (a life peer in the House of Lords -- hints his title although he isn't of a royal descent of any kind) was excellent. He talked about different Labour Prime Ministers (guess what party he is) since WWII (Atlee, Wilson, Callaghan, Blair, and Brown). It was pretty interesting because he gave a fairly succinct and thorough account of each minister (Why they arrived in power? What did they do? How did they fall out of power? How did that affect the party). He also gave a lecture at the University of Texas, so Matt had seen him before. Actually, one of his teachers and Lord Morgan are good friends. After that, we decided to forego lunch at the Hall and go to Pizza Express (still not as good as American pizza). This time, I had the Quattro Formaggio, which just has four cheeses on it. It was good but not spectacular (especially because I had to wait another ten minutes after everyone else got their food). Then, we went to University Park to play cricket with a plastic, two pound (sterling) set. It was a lot of fun. We made a fool of ourselves, but we had a really good time. Learning to hit is a bit difficult because the ball bounces, so you have to wait a little longer and adjust. Also, pitching (bowling) is a bit different because you have to keep your arms straight, which is really difficult at first. I hit a few balls hard (I also missed a bunch while taking gigantic hacks -- come on, the ball is coming pretty slowly but it bounces weird), and at one point, Ashley and I scored around 30 points in 6 swings, which is fairly impressive considering that 4 and 6 are the most you can score in one swing. Around 4:45, I had to leave for conferences with my teachers. The Verdict -- 74% and 66%. But wait (stop yelling at me for being an idiot), a 70% is a solid A in Britain, and the 66% is a A-/B+. Therefore, I am purty smart. Dr. Almond said my paper was very good, and although it could have been better, he took into account that we only had a week to work on them. He told me some things I missed and probably should have mentioned, but we actually got on a conversation comparing cricket and baseball (and how they intertwine in Latin America). Dr. Palmer was a bit more critical (which isn't necessarily worse). However, she mentioned that when she took into account that I was an undergraduate she was impressed with my paper. Needless to say, my head didn't fit into the Underground today. All in all, I had two A's on my papers. Then, we had our final dinner which lasted for about 2-3 hours including time for handing out certificates. Afterward, we went to G&D's for some ice cream, and I had an awesome Brownie Sundae (I only ate a beef medallion for dinner -- the rest was slightly disgusting).

Observations:
- You have three choices. One, make no friends/be a jerk and leave without attachments. Two, be moderate and make no attachments and no friends. Three, make friends and meet people but leave knowing you may never see them again. Saying goodbye was a hard thing this morning.
- A seven-day, Zones 1 and 2 Underground card is less expensive than two weekday passes.
- More tomorrow (hopefully).