We're taking a break at the Roebuck for a little bit, and we should be heading the Eye in a little bit. Anyway, on to yesterday's travels.
Saturday
I had to wake up around 8:30 in order to get ready to leave as we had to be out of our rooms by 9:30 for some reason. I went down and turned in my keys and card, so they won't be charging me 50 pounds. Most of the group made it down, but Matt was absent for some reason. John J and I went up to his room in order to see if he was awake. He had just got up about 10 minutes before we got to his room, so he was still packing (oops). After getting him downstairs finally, we went to the covered market and found some breakfast. Laura had a train to catch at 12:07 to Yorkshire (she was going to the Bronte house), so we had to let her go. The Porter called for a cab (we were able to leave our suitcases in the Porter's Lodge), and we hugged her goodbye. It was sad. Then, we headed to the Ashmolean (an art gallery in Oxford) for a little while before getting our own cab to the train station around 4. There were two trains at 3:55 and 4, so we had our choice. However, when we got on the first train, a man told us that the next train was the express train to London, so we got off and waited another 5 minutes. Yet, the speaker said that the train was full. Therefore, we missed both trains. Luckily, lots of people like London, so the next one came in around 20 minutes. It wasn't the express train as we ended up in London around 6. From there, John J and I went to King's College as Matt headed to West London and Ashley to her hotel outside of the Paddington Station. We were pretty tired after carrying everything, so we decided to come to the Roebuck for a drink and to check our email. Jill was already there, so she came with us. After drinking and eating (the fish and chips here are really good), we decided to go see London at night. Oh my God! What a sight to see (I'll try to put up pictures at some point, but my camera doesn't do night very well). Until now, I had almost felt like I was just in another part of the US, but after seeing the Parliament Houses and Big Ben lit up, I knew I had arrived. Tingling sensations and all. It was really cool. You hear and see these things in textbooks and on TV, but when you see it in person, it is incredible. At that point, I knew I was in London. We walked around for a little longer down toward London Bridge, Tower Bridge, and the Tower of London. All of which are pretty cool at night (although London Bridge is rather unspectacular and the pink light illuminating it was a bit odd). Tower Bridge and the Tower of London are really cool, and we'll definitely make another trip there during the day. Around 12, we were all really tired, so we came back to the hotel. I can't wait to see the rest of London.
Observations:
- Blinking yellow lights on streetlights mean "You can go, but watch for pedestrians" apparently.
- Southwark (where the hotel is) and Central London look completely different. Like not even close.
- The three main American fast-food places are Pizza Hut, McDonald's, and Burger King. I haven't seen any others (although I did see a Tumbleweed today -- who would've thought?)
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Saturday, July 19, 2008
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).
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).
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Celebration and Depression
As the time here winds down, I feel myself feeling mixed emotions. On one hand, classes and papers are over bringing happiness, but on the other hand, my time here is almost over bringing some sadness. Friends I have made will soon go back to their respective homelands and I to mine. It's a mixed bag. However, I have forced myself to let that go and just have a good time for the next few days anyway. Then, I'll go to London and have some more fun. Anyway, to catch up on days past:
Tuesday
I woke up around 9:30, and as I was about to walk out of my room, the scout (the maid) knocked on my door. Good timing I guess. The lecture was about The British Welfare State. Dr. Nock is a really funny guy, but I think he's more comfortable in "off the cuff" situations. He wasn't very organized and seemed uncomfortable giving the speech. Anyway, he's the resident socialist evidently, but he didn't really seem that way during his speech. He admired what they were trying to do, but he saw faults in some of the policies that were started. It was fairly interesting when he finally got into it. After that, we had lunch, and the English people (Ashley, Laura, John J, and Jess) had to go to class, so I went looking around for souvenirs and whatever else I could find. When their class was done, we went to the Garden of Earthly Delights (it is the University's Botanical Garden, which luckily was nothing like Bosch's). It was really pretty and a nice place to go. We walked around for awhile, and then we found a nice place to sit and talk. A fox came running past which was pretty cool, but we were so shocked that no one got a picture. Around 6, the garden closes, so we had to leave. After dinner, we went to see Mamma Mia! which is about a girl who invites the three possible men who could be her father to her wedding without telling her mother. It's kind of a chick-flick, but we had nothing else to do. The movie was actually pretty entertaining. Some of the acting is a bit weird at the beginning, and you have to get used to the random Greek people showing up during the singing and dancing portions. I have to say the best part may have been Pierce Brosnan singing. Absolutely incredible ... ly terrible. They gave him 3 songs (well, I guess the Broadway musical gave his character three songs), and I couldn't stop laughing. He is trying so hard, but it just doesn't work (kind of like when I sing). Then, it ends (I won't tell you how although it's fairly predictable), but they draw it out and out and out. Then, they have another musical performance for which is worth staying. Before the movie, we sat through almost a half hour of advertisements, and then, the lights came back on (during which we made the requisite "That was a great movie" comments before the lights went off and the movie started). The ads are quite different here as they have absolutely nothing to do with the item until a small connection is made at the end. Following the movie, we went back to John J's room at about 11, and we had the "Imperial Hour" during which John J (Humphrey), Matt (Turner), and I (Schwiebert) talk with fake British accents about things going on in the "colonies". None of it makes any sense, and the girls stopped paying attention to us after awhile (probably not a bad idea). We decided that, while the substance may not be the most intellectual, the word play is fairly brilliant. At least, we have fun with it. Before I went to bed, I tried to get on the internet, but I couldn't. I realized that the wireless internet accounts have now expired (remember that stupid 2-week rule?). Therefore, pictures may not go up until next week or until you see me next. I can't guarantee anything. John J and I remember seeing a wireless internet point at The Roebuck (a pub across the street from the King's College Apartments), so I hope to be able to get on there and update things. Otherwise, the blogs may slow down when I leave here.
Wednesday
The last day of classes for me. The Cold War class was fairly interesting as we talked about the end of the Cold War. What did Gorbachev do? Does he deserve respect or criticism? Who was the most influential in bringing down the USSR? Fittingly, our plenary lecturer talked about Russia After the Cold War, so we had a nice transition. However, he just read off his notes for the entire lecture, which makes for a long, long hour. The best part was the Q&A part when someone asked, "Will the Russians get involved between the Serbs and Kurds?". He waited for around 20 seconds before simply stating, "No." That was it. You may have had to be there, but it was pretty funny. He did go on to explain that A) Russia has more important things to deal with, B) they have no reason to get involved, C) the cost would be greater than they could handle, and D) they just said they would intervene as a publicity stunt. The lecturer was an ambassador to Russia for awhile, so I guess I can believe him. Then, lunch came, but we did something different today. I wanted to go to the Natural History Museum of Oxford, so we went to eat at the Turf Pub (where Clinton smoked but not inhaled!). I had some fish and chips which were probably the worst I have had here, but they were okay. Then, we were off to the museum. We saw a dodo bird's skeleton, dinosaur bones, and a bunch of displays which had models of mammals from around the world. Laura is evidently afraid of cockroaches, and of course, the museum has a pretty big tank of live ones. She freaked (not really, but her reaction was priceless) and refused to even look at the tank (sounds like someone I know with snakes). In the front yard of the museum, they have actual dinosaur tracks which they found in the limestone, so you can walk where the dinos walked. Then, we came back for class. The last CFB class was pretty interesting as always. Dr. Palmer talked about the Welfare State in Britain. What does the National Health Service do? What are the advantages/disadvantages to having such a system? Can Britain sustain this tpe of government? In a survey, over 80% of Britons said they would pay higher taxes to keep the system in place, but no politician wants to be the one to raise taxes even though it is necessary because they want to save their political careers (thank God for bureaucracy and politics). I am going to have conferences with each of my teachers about my papers on Friday (Dr. Almond at 5:30 and Dr. Palmer right after), so that should be fun (yay). For dinner, we had some strange tomato-pizzaish type thing (I didn't eat it), sausage and mash (good and definitely not the "wurst" -- sorry you had to see that coming), and a chocolate cake (delicious). The Shakespeare classes had a drink party in the JCR, but Matt and I snuck in anyway, and we helped our team win the quiz night (I didn't contribute much to it because I don't know random facts about Shakespeare and Chaucer, but I contributed a few answers including pulling Sir Gawain and the Green Knight from my rear -- it's the only Medieval poem I know of). Then, we watched the Much Ado About Nothing with just about every star in Hollywood (Denzel Washington, Kenneth Brannagh, Kate Beckinsale, Emma Thompson, and a bunch of other actors). It was really good. I really liked it. By the end, it was about 12, so we all went to bed.
Observations:
- This has started to annoy me. On British keyboards, the @ is not above the 2. It switches places with the ". The # is not above the 3 as it is now where the enter button usually is, so when I try to hit enter, a # comes up and I say ~%&*. A £ is above the 3, which makes writing blogs that include prices easier.
- I heard "bloody" twice today, and someone else said "bollocks". Yaaaay!
- The grammatical rule about placing a period inside of the quotation mark at the end of sentences is dumb and makes no sense. Seriously, the period is supposed to end the sentence, but the quotation mark is still hanging out there. If you're quoting a sentence, then putting it there makes sense, but something like "bollocks" doesn't need a period inside the quotation mark. I refuse to do it anymore on this blog in protest.
Tuesday
I woke up around 9:30, and as I was about to walk out of my room, the scout (the maid) knocked on my door. Good timing I guess. The lecture was about The British Welfare State. Dr. Nock is a really funny guy, but I think he's more comfortable in "off the cuff" situations. He wasn't very organized and seemed uncomfortable giving the speech. Anyway, he's the resident socialist evidently, but he didn't really seem that way during his speech. He admired what they were trying to do, but he saw faults in some of the policies that were started. It was fairly interesting when he finally got into it. After that, we had lunch, and the English people (Ashley, Laura, John J, and Jess) had to go to class, so I went looking around for souvenirs and whatever else I could find. When their class was done, we went to the Garden of Earthly Delights (it is the University's Botanical Garden, which luckily was nothing like Bosch's). It was really pretty and a nice place to go. We walked around for awhile, and then we found a nice place to sit and talk. A fox came running past which was pretty cool, but we were so shocked that no one got a picture. Around 6, the garden closes, so we had to leave. After dinner, we went to see Mamma Mia! which is about a girl who invites the three possible men who could be her father to her wedding without telling her mother. It's kind of a chick-flick, but we had nothing else to do. The movie was actually pretty entertaining. Some of the acting is a bit weird at the beginning, and you have to get used to the random Greek people showing up during the singing and dancing portions. I have to say the best part may have been Pierce Brosnan singing. Absolutely incredible ... ly terrible. They gave him 3 songs (well, I guess the Broadway musical gave his character three songs), and I couldn't stop laughing. He is trying so hard, but it just doesn't work (kind of like when I sing). Then, it ends (I won't tell you how although it's fairly predictable), but they draw it out and out and out. Then, they have another musical performance for which is worth staying. Before the movie, we sat through almost a half hour of advertisements, and then, the lights came back on (during which we made the requisite "That was a great movie" comments before the lights went off and the movie started). The ads are quite different here as they have absolutely nothing to do with the item until a small connection is made at the end. Following the movie, we went back to John J's room at about 11, and we had the "Imperial Hour" during which John J (Humphrey), Matt (Turner), and I (Schwiebert) talk with fake British accents about things going on in the "colonies". None of it makes any sense, and the girls stopped paying attention to us after awhile (probably not a bad idea). We decided that, while the substance may not be the most intellectual, the word play is fairly brilliant. At least, we have fun with it. Before I went to bed, I tried to get on the internet, but I couldn't. I realized that the wireless internet accounts have now expired (remember that stupid 2-week rule?). Therefore, pictures may not go up until next week or until you see me next. I can't guarantee anything. John J and I remember seeing a wireless internet point at The Roebuck (a pub across the street from the King's College Apartments), so I hope to be able to get on there and update things. Otherwise, the blogs may slow down when I leave here.
Wednesday
The last day of classes for me. The Cold War class was fairly interesting as we talked about the end of the Cold War. What did Gorbachev do? Does he deserve respect or criticism? Who was the most influential in bringing down the USSR? Fittingly, our plenary lecturer talked about Russia After the Cold War, so we had a nice transition. However, he just read off his notes for the entire lecture, which makes for a long, long hour. The best part was the Q&A part when someone asked, "Will the Russians get involved between the Serbs and Kurds?". He waited for around 20 seconds before simply stating, "No." That was it. You may have had to be there, but it was pretty funny. He did go on to explain that A) Russia has more important things to deal with, B) they have no reason to get involved, C) the cost would be greater than they could handle, and D) they just said they would intervene as a publicity stunt. The lecturer was an ambassador to Russia for awhile, so I guess I can believe him. Then, lunch came, but we did something different today. I wanted to go to the Natural History Museum of Oxford, so we went to eat at the Turf Pub (where Clinton smoked but not inhaled!). I had some fish and chips which were probably the worst I have had here, but they were okay. Then, we were off to the museum. We saw a dodo bird's skeleton, dinosaur bones, and a bunch of displays which had models of mammals from around the world. Laura is evidently afraid of cockroaches, and of course, the museum has a pretty big tank of live ones. She freaked (not really, but her reaction was priceless) and refused to even look at the tank (sounds like someone I know with snakes). In the front yard of the museum, they have actual dinosaur tracks which they found in the limestone, so you can walk where the dinos walked. Then, we came back for class. The last CFB class was pretty interesting as always. Dr. Palmer talked about the Welfare State in Britain. What does the National Health Service do? What are the advantages/disadvantages to having such a system? Can Britain sustain this tpe of government? In a survey, over 80% of Britons said they would pay higher taxes to keep the system in place, but no politician wants to be the one to raise taxes even though it is necessary because they want to save their political careers (thank God for bureaucracy and politics). I am going to have conferences with each of my teachers about my papers on Friday (Dr. Almond at 5:30 and Dr. Palmer right after), so that should be fun (yay). For dinner, we had some strange tomato-pizzaish type thing (I didn't eat it), sausage and mash (good and definitely not the "wurst" -- sorry you had to see that coming), and a chocolate cake (delicious). The Shakespeare classes had a drink party in the JCR, but Matt and I snuck in anyway, and we helped our team win the quiz night (I didn't contribute much to it because I don't know random facts about Shakespeare and Chaucer, but I contributed a few answers including pulling Sir Gawain and the Green Knight from my rear -- it's the only Medieval poem I know of). Then, we watched the Much Ado About Nothing with just about every star in Hollywood (Denzel Washington, Kenneth Brannagh, Kate Beckinsale, Emma Thompson, and a bunch of other actors). It was really good. I really liked it. By the end, it was about 12, so we all went to bed.
Observations:
- This has started to annoy me. On British keyboards, the @ is not above the 2. It switches places with the ". The # is not above the 3 as it is now where the enter button usually is, so when I try to hit enter, a # comes up and I say ~%&*. A £ is above the 3, which makes writing blogs that include prices easier.
- I heard "bloody" twice today, and someone else said "bollocks". Yaaaay!
- The grammatical rule about placing a period inside of the quotation mark at the end of sentences is dumb and makes no sense. Seriously, the period is supposed to end the sentence, but the quotation mark is still hanging out there. If you're quoting a sentence, then putting it there makes sense, but something like "bollocks" doesn't need a period inside the quotation mark. I refuse to do it anymore on this blog in protest.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Man Better Than Woman?
Well, I'm done with my papers. John J is done with his papers. Matt is done with his papers. Jon F is done with his papers. Laura is not done with her papers. Ashley is not done with her papers. Arlene is not done with her papers. I guess this proves that man is better than woman ( :) ).
Monday
I woke up at 8 o'clock for some reason, and I couldn't go back to sleep for the next half an hour. I got up and took a shower and had about 30 minutes before my first class with which I had no idea what to do. During the Cold War class, we talked about Western Europe and how they were struggling through the new generations in the 1960's. Kids who had been educated as Hitler Youth were now rising to power in Germany and were bringing back some (but very few) Nazi policies, and the German population and the Allies had to find a way to overturn a new rise in fascism. The younger generation also began to question the older generation about what they did during WWII (so, what were you doing Grandpa during the Holocaust? Um, uh, I, uh, drove a train). This produced an uncomfortable atmosphere between the generations as the younger generation criticized and rebelled. In the plenary lecture, Dr. Palmer talked about Religion in Britain, and it was pretty interesting. Only 8% of Britain attends a service regularly (compared with 40% in the US). This brings up several questions. Does church = religious? Can one still believe without belonging? Why is there such a substantial difference between the US and Britain? Was it the Puritans? A lot of good and very provocative questions. It was actually a fairly hot topic at lunch (which was bad by the way -- cold fish and pasta salads with a warm pasta that wasn't any good either) as Americans tried to understand how this worked. One thing I found interesting was that religion never comes up in British politics. In the US, Obama had to defend his Christianity against those who saw his name and thought he was Muslim. Some say that having a black or woman President would prove we believe in equality, but I'd be more impressed if we allowed a Muslim President. Anyway, then I took my books back to the Social Sciences library and walked around looking for souvenirs. I found a poster of the Oxford Pub Crawl (you can color in the buildings when you go to the pub), so I bought it for my apartment. It was only £5. During the CFB class, we discussed crime in Britain. Men, no surprise, commit more crime than women, especially violent crime. However, women commit almost as many thefts as men. The ages committing the most crime are 18 for boys and women (she said it may have to do with girls being more mature, thereby going through teenage angst earlier than boys). What I found interesting was some of the ways they try to curb crime. One is the Anti-Social Behavioral Order where someone can complain about someone else, and that someone else will be restricted from doing something (ie. I play loud music, you complain, I can't play music after 10). Knowing kids, when someone does that, you automatically either want to do it louder just to tick the person off or you find somewhere else to do it. The part I was surprised, well not too surprised, about was that some people are proud of this. They are proud they got in trouble. As you can see, this didn't work too well. It actually created more tension between the generations as the kids thought the older generations were just trying to ruin their fun. It has also been found to have been abused by older people when they complain about kids (for instance, when they play sports in the streets during the day, older people will call and complain). After class, we had a disappointing dinner. The appetizer was asparagus, so I didn't eat that (eeeewwww). The main course was a salmon with a tomato/onion/breading covering, so I just took off the covering and ate the salmon part. When looking at the menu, it said we were going to have pumpkin pie, so I was really excited. In the end, we had a cake of some sort. Later, John J and I went out to celebrate having finished our papers (Matt was sick -- maybe because of the fish?), so we had a pint at the White Horse. Then, we just walked around the town towards a part where we hadn't gone before, and now we know why we didn't go there (there's nothing to see). We came back, and Matt was feeling better after taking a nap. We hung out in John J's room for a little bit eating Pringles and Ritz crackers with tea. On the top of our doors, they have names (I guess of whoever lives there during the year), so we have been calling each other by those names. John J is Humphrey, Matt is Turner, and I am Schwiebert (yes, Schwiebert). We sat around talking in bad English accents for awhile until Ashley came up (she finally finished her papers, but we still haven't seen signs of Laura), so we felt we should elevate our conversation in the presence of a lady. Around 1, I went to bed.
Observations:
- Earl Grey smells like flowers (good) but tastes like them as well (bad). English Breakfast is the clubhouse leader for best hot tea.
- "Pudding" in Britain means essentially any type of dessert in a square or rectangular shape. "Pie" is mostly a dinner course. When trying to explain what "pudding" is in the US, we couldn't come up with a better explanation than "a gel-like substance that has a chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry flavor". None of us knew what was really in pudding (don't say an instant Jell-o pudding mix because we already tried).
Monday
I woke up at 8 o'clock for some reason, and I couldn't go back to sleep for the next half an hour. I got up and took a shower and had about 30 minutes before my first class with which I had no idea what to do. During the Cold War class, we talked about Western Europe and how they were struggling through the new generations in the 1960's. Kids who had been educated as Hitler Youth were now rising to power in Germany and were bringing back some (but very few) Nazi policies, and the German population and the Allies had to find a way to overturn a new rise in fascism. The younger generation also began to question the older generation about what they did during WWII (so, what were you doing Grandpa during the Holocaust? Um, uh, I, uh, drove a train). This produced an uncomfortable atmosphere between the generations as the younger generation criticized and rebelled. In the plenary lecture, Dr. Palmer talked about Religion in Britain, and it was pretty interesting. Only 8% of Britain attends a service regularly (compared with 40% in the US). This brings up several questions. Does church = religious? Can one still believe without belonging? Why is there such a substantial difference between the US and Britain? Was it the Puritans? A lot of good and very provocative questions. It was actually a fairly hot topic at lunch (which was bad by the way -- cold fish and pasta salads with a warm pasta that wasn't any good either) as Americans tried to understand how this worked. One thing I found interesting was that religion never comes up in British politics. In the US, Obama had to defend his Christianity against those who saw his name and thought he was Muslim. Some say that having a black or woman President would prove we believe in equality, but I'd be more impressed if we allowed a Muslim President. Anyway, then I took my books back to the Social Sciences library and walked around looking for souvenirs. I found a poster of the Oxford Pub Crawl (you can color in the buildings when you go to the pub), so I bought it for my apartment. It was only £5. During the CFB class, we discussed crime in Britain. Men, no surprise, commit more crime than women, especially violent crime. However, women commit almost as many thefts as men. The ages committing the most crime are 18 for boys and women (she said it may have to do with girls being more mature, thereby going through teenage angst earlier than boys). What I found interesting was some of the ways they try to curb crime. One is the Anti-Social Behavioral Order where someone can complain about someone else, and that someone else will be restricted from doing something (ie. I play loud music, you complain, I can't play music after 10). Knowing kids, when someone does that, you automatically either want to do it louder just to tick the person off or you find somewhere else to do it. The part I was surprised, well not too surprised, about was that some people are proud of this. They are proud they got in trouble. As you can see, this didn't work too well. It actually created more tension between the generations as the kids thought the older generations were just trying to ruin their fun. It has also been found to have been abused by older people when they complain about kids (for instance, when they play sports in the streets during the day, older people will call and complain). After class, we had a disappointing dinner. The appetizer was asparagus, so I didn't eat that (eeeewwww). The main course was a salmon with a tomato/onion/breading covering, so I just took off the covering and ate the salmon part. When looking at the menu, it said we were going to have pumpkin pie, so I was really excited. In the end, we had a cake of some sort. Later, John J and I went out to celebrate having finished our papers (Matt was sick -- maybe because of the fish?), so we had a pint at the White Horse. Then, we just walked around the town towards a part where we hadn't gone before, and now we know why we didn't go there (there's nothing to see). We came back, and Matt was feeling better after taking a nap. We hung out in John J's room for a little bit eating Pringles and Ritz crackers with tea. On the top of our doors, they have names (I guess of whoever lives there during the year), so we have been calling each other by those names. John J is Humphrey, Matt is Turner, and I am Schwiebert (yes, Schwiebert). We sat around talking in bad English accents for awhile until Ashley came up (she finally finished her papers, but we still haven't seen signs of Laura), so we felt we should elevate our conversation in the presence of a lady. Around 1, I went to bed.
Observations:
- Earl Grey smells like flowers (good) but tastes like them as well (bad). English Breakfast is the clubhouse leader for best hot tea.
- "Pudding" in Britain means essentially any type of dessert in a square or rectangular shape. "Pie" is mostly a dinner course. When trying to explain what "pudding" is in the US, we couldn't come up with a better explanation than "a gel-like substance that has a chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry flavor". None of us knew what was really in pudding (don't say an instant Jell-o pudding mix because we already tried).
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Pictures (Warwick)
The outside of the castle (I really like this picture).
The inside of the castle.
Hey, they didn't have these back then.
Downtown Warwick with a little castle on the bottom.
Trebuchet!
Another shot of the inside of the castle.
Victoria's Secret ... Rose Garden
The other side of the outside of the castle.
Peacock!
Lots and lots of weapons.
My favorite torture -- just put 'em in the pit and leave 'em. What does that say about me?
Tweed and Stone
Yay! I'm done with papers! I finished yesterday, so today, I reviewed them again and printed them out. They now await the turning in stage. Right now, everyone else is freaking out and trying to finish papers as most are due tomorrow or Tuesday. Anyway, I'll tell you a story ... of a boy named Mark:
Saturday
I woke up about 9 o'clock in a very weird state (North Dakota). I thought I heard the fire alarm go off, but when I awoke and could, you know ... grasp anything at all ..., the sound stopped. So there I was ... very confused. On one hand, the fire alarm may have just gone off, but on the other, it could have been a police car. On another hand (hold on I need to find an octopus), it may have been my imagination. So I'm standing in the middle of my room, confused, and I decided to go find out what happened. First, I think if it was the fire alarm I should have heard it and it should still be going. Second, it doesn't seem as though there are any noises coming from the hall, meaning no one is moving. So then I think the alarm must have been going off for awhile, and therefore, everyone had already left. Slowly, I put on some shorts and a t-shirt to walk out into the hall. I see nothing. So what do I do? I go back to sleep. It doesn't make any sense, and when I woke up, I was even more confused because I didn't even know if any of that even happened. Maybe it was a dream. Come to find out later, they had tested the fire alarm, which only needed to find out that it worked. Therefore, I did hear it, am not crazy, and made the right decision to go back to bed. Then, I had to figure out what to do, and luckily, I found Jon F. We decided to get some lunch eventually, and on the way, we found Matt to come with us. We went to Pizza Express which was okay but not the same as American pizza (even though I had the "American Pizza" -- which was just pepperoni). Matt and I then walking through High Street, where all the shopping is. Matt was looking for a tweed blazer as it is the quintessential "Oxford thing." We walked around for about four hours, went through numerous shops, and found nothing (well, nothing under ₤100 at least). Finally, we ended up at Blackwell's looking through books and getting some hot chocolate. For dinner, Matt, John J, and I didn't really know what to do. Dinner has been a little dodgy at times, but we didn't know what they were having. Once we found out, we decided the Opium Den would be a better choice. It was. Actually, it was really good (itch, scratch, need another fix) and wasn't really expensive. I had the sweet and sour chicken to compare with Chinese food in the States, and this was better. It was actually really good. We are thinking about going again (itch, scratch, need another fix). Later, we worked on some papers and hung out in Matt's room (I know we seem to do this quite a bit, but we actually have quite a bit of fun, although explaining the conversations would be incriminating). Around 11, we decided to go to Hassan's which is this street vendor-in-a-van that sells kebobs and chips. I got the chicken and cheese chips which were really good. This isn't the first trip we've made to the man at this point, and we always get the same reaction. We order our food, he cooks it, and then he attempts to give us sauce for our food (It's free. Seriously, no charge. Don't you want some garlic mayonnaise? Ketchup? Spicy tomato sauce?). You have to be stern with him. The first time, we wavered, and he won. This time, we held our ground. You would have been proud. Then, we went back up to the room, and I went to bed shortly thereafter. Because ...
Sunday
I had to get up early for Warwick. We left about 10, and there were only 20 of us. The rest I believe were writing/sleeping/both. I hung out with Jill Abney (the teacher in the ESU program with us) and Kelvin (the student assistant), who I finally understand. Warwick is really cool (pictures should be up in a minute), but there isn't much to do. We walked on the ramparts, the mound, saw some armor, some torture instruments, and a trebuchet. All of which were really neat. I was slightly disappointed with the torture instruments because there were only three, and I hoped there would be a few more (I wonder how many scientific discoveries have been made because people tried to find the most effective torture technique). There was also a ghost tour, which was only about 10 minutes long. The entire time before, I was thinking back to Disney World when I was younger. It has a haunted house attraction. At first, I was excited, but then after the first room, I went in to panic mode. I remember a train ride through some area with mirrors, and I just completely freaked. This time was much better. Except, there was a group of 13 year old Spanish girls that shrieked during the entire thing, and I have no idea what the story was. There were some really good wax sculptures throughout the castle, and so we were supposed to think the figures were wax (some were). At the opportune time, they jumped out to scare everyone. There was always one in the corner hiding. Kelvin and I always seemed to be the last ones out of the room, and they always breathed "You're next" onto Kelvin's neck. By the end, Kelvin just said, "Thanks mate" and left. After walking around for a few hours and walking up many, many steps and most of them were in a cramped, spiral staircase, we were fairly tired. The bus left at 4, and I took a nap. When we got back, I printed out my papers and went to dinner. We had a tomato soup (which tasted like Chef Boyardee sauce that is on the ravioli), roast with Yorkshire pudding and broccoli (very good), and then a terribly unappetizing-looking dessert that was pretty good (it was an apple crumble we come to find out, but it looked more like an octopus). Now, I sit here typing this, and I think we are going to possibly try going to a pub if people finish papers. Otherwise, we will probably have some tea in Matt's room. The plan for this upcoming week is to be a bit more adventurous.
Observations:
- The money (as in paper money) is not the same size through the denominations. Twenties are bigger than tens, and tens are bigger than fives. They aren't uniform like American money, and I find that strange. No one can explain that to me.
- Bus drivers really do drive like the one in Harry Potter on the Knight Bus. In and out, over and under. We almost hit a cyclist and a pole, but fortunately, the driver seemed to have everything under control.
- The porters are our friend. They will do anything for you. They have sent my mail, helped me find my keys (they were on his desk ... long story), gave me laundry tokens, and, today, let me use the stapler. They are very helpful.
- British people think we're funny, but we're not allowed to think they're funny.
- The British are not Europeans (little did I know, but they don't want to be associated with Europe).
Saturday
I woke up about 9 o'clock in a very weird state (North Dakota). I thought I heard the fire alarm go off, but when I awoke and could, you know ... grasp anything at all ..., the sound stopped. So there I was ... very confused. On one hand, the fire alarm may have just gone off, but on the other, it could have been a police car. On another hand (hold on I need to find an octopus), it may have been my imagination. So I'm standing in the middle of my room, confused, and I decided to go find out what happened. First, I think if it was the fire alarm I should have heard it and it should still be going. Second, it doesn't seem as though there are any noises coming from the hall, meaning no one is moving. So then I think the alarm must have been going off for awhile, and therefore, everyone had already left. Slowly, I put on some shorts and a t-shirt to walk out into the hall. I see nothing. So what do I do? I go back to sleep. It doesn't make any sense, and when I woke up, I was even more confused because I didn't even know if any of that even happened. Maybe it was a dream. Come to find out later, they had tested the fire alarm, which only needed to find out that it worked. Therefore, I did hear it, am not crazy, and made the right decision to go back to bed. Then, I had to figure out what to do, and luckily, I found Jon F. We decided to get some lunch eventually, and on the way, we found Matt to come with us. We went to Pizza Express which was okay but not the same as American pizza (even though I had the "American Pizza" -- which was just pepperoni). Matt and I then walking through High Street, where all the shopping is. Matt was looking for a tweed blazer as it is the quintessential "Oxford thing." We walked around for about four hours, went through numerous shops, and found nothing (well, nothing under ₤100 at least). Finally, we ended up at Blackwell's looking through books and getting some hot chocolate. For dinner, Matt, John J, and I didn't really know what to do. Dinner has been a little dodgy at times, but we didn't know what they were having. Once we found out, we decided the Opium Den would be a better choice. It was. Actually, it was really good (itch, scratch, need another fix) and wasn't really expensive. I had the sweet and sour chicken to compare with Chinese food in the States, and this was better. It was actually really good. We are thinking about going again (itch, scratch, need another fix). Later, we worked on some papers and hung out in Matt's room (I know we seem to do this quite a bit, but we actually have quite a bit of fun, although explaining the conversations would be incriminating). Around 11, we decided to go to Hassan's which is this street vendor-in-a-van that sells kebobs and chips. I got the chicken and cheese chips which were really good. This isn't the first trip we've made to the man at this point, and we always get the same reaction. We order our food, he cooks it, and then he attempts to give us sauce for our food (It's free. Seriously, no charge. Don't you want some garlic mayonnaise? Ketchup? Spicy tomato sauce?). You have to be stern with him. The first time, we wavered, and he won. This time, we held our ground. You would have been proud. Then, we went back up to the room, and I went to bed shortly thereafter. Because ...
Sunday
I had to get up early for Warwick. We left about 10, and there were only 20 of us. The rest I believe were writing/sleeping/both. I hung out with Jill Abney (the teacher in the ESU program with us) and Kelvin (the student assistant), who I finally understand. Warwick is really cool (pictures should be up in a minute), but there isn't much to do. We walked on the ramparts, the mound, saw some armor, some torture instruments, and a trebuchet. All of which were really neat. I was slightly disappointed with the torture instruments because there were only three, and I hoped there would be a few more (I wonder how many scientific discoveries have been made because people tried to find the most effective torture technique). There was also a ghost tour, which was only about 10 minutes long. The entire time before, I was thinking back to Disney World when I was younger. It has a haunted house attraction. At first, I was excited, but then after the first room, I went in to panic mode. I remember a train ride through some area with mirrors, and I just completely freaked. This time was much better. Except, there was a group of 13 year old Spanish girls that shrieked during the entire thing, and I have no idea what the story was. There were some really good wax sculptures throughout the castle, and so we were supposed to think the figures were wax (some were). At the opportune time, they jumped out to scare everyone. There was always one in the corner hiding. Kelvin and I always seemed to be the last ones out of the room, and they always breathed "You're next" onto Kelvin's neck. By the end, Kelvin just said, "Thanks mate" and left. After walking around for a few hours and walking up many, many steps and most of them were in a cramped, spiral staircase, we were fairly tired. The bus left at 4, and I took a nap. When we got back, I printed out my papers and went to dinner. We had a tomato soup (which tasted like Chef Boyardee sauce that is on the ravioli), roast with Yorkshire pudding and broccoli (very good), and then a terribly unappetizing-looking dessert that was pretty good (it was an apple crumble we come to find out, but it looked more like an octopus). Now, I sit here typing this, and I think we are going to possibly try going to a pub if people finish papers. Otherwise, we will probably have some tea in Matt's room. The plan for this upcoming week is to be a bit more adventurous.
Observations:
- The money (as in paper money) is not the same size through the denominations. Twenties are bigger than tens, and tens are bigger than fives. They aren't uniform like American money, and I find that strange. No one can explain that to me.
- Bus drivers really do drive like the one in Harry Potter on the Knight Bus. In and out, over and under. We almost hit a cyclist and a pole, but fortunately, the driver seemed to have everything under control.
- The porters are our friend. They will do anything for you. They have sent my mail, helped me find my keys (they were on his desk ... long story), gave me laundry tokens, and, today, let me use the stapler. They are very helpful.
- British people think we're funny, but we're not allowed to think they're funny.
- The British are not Europeans (little did I know, but they don't want to be associated with Europe).
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Pictures (Around Oxford with a Guide)
In the presence of brilliance -- where Tolkien and Lewis hung out and wrote some inconsequential stuff.
Oh the humanity!
Now, we know where Coleridge hung out.
Where Bill Clinton smoked but not inhaled.
I swear I'm standing in the sunshine, but it appears that armageddon is on its way.
What does this fortress protect? Books. Lots of books. Close to ten million different books to be more exact. This is the Bodleian Library, and it receives every new book published in the British Isles (even pornography).
... or in case of curiosity.
The secret passageway!
Hogwarts ... I mean the Hall.
St. Mary the Virgin Church (the official Oxford church)
Oriel College's dining hall. Cecil Rhodes, of the Rhodes Scholarship, is in the middle. University College didn't want him, so Oriel College accepted him and is now benefiting from his immense fortune.
Mr. Bodley (the man who donated the money for the Bodleian Library)
James I's queen lived here during her time. They cut a hole in the wall in order to allow her to walk directly to the high table in the Hall in Merton (I think) College.
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