Settling in

The 14th

Alright, I've been here about three days now, and am finally in the flat I will be living in for the time being. Four of us are staying in a five bedroom, two bathroom flat, with a kitchen and a shared living space. It is in the section of town called Jericho, which has some of the best places to eat (in my own observation) is a very short distance from the canal, and also not too far from the heart of Oxford.

(just a minor tour of my room and the outside :) )

After settling in we met the Oxford Study Abroad Program (OSAP) staff and our professor for drinks at the pub, just to get to know one another. I, a girl who can't even tolerate the smell of beer, asked for the closest thing to juice or soda, and they brought me this.

After the pub the rest of the CUAbroad folks and I went to get indian food at the place called Jamal's. I know I swore off indian food before a run, but it was irresistible. I decided to hit the sack early, knowing I had a long day ahead of me.

The 15th

Orientation, honestly has become one of my least favorite words. For the first week of freshman year of college "orientation" was the hell of socializing with people who were putting on fake faces for a new year of school, and I was dreading this being the same. Thank god it was so different.

I started my morning with another great run around Jericho, made myself the freshest egg I have ever tried, enjoyed a delicious piece of toast with jam, showered, and then took a nap. I was lucky to wake up at exactly the time that the group was leaving the house to go to Chester House for orientation.

Orientation consisted of lots of lecturing, which may sound boring, and some of it was, but some things were really interesting. I especially loved the lecture on British politics. The lecturer, Dr. Tudor Jones, was a parliamentary candidate in 1987 and 1992. He gave us an overview of the House of Commons, the different political parties which make it up, and the UK's hot issue: Brexit. In between lectures, we went out for lunch to the outdoor market at Gloucester Green where just a few pounds would get me "rice balls" and a steamed chicken bun.

At the end of orientation we got our "bod" cards, the cards that give us access to the Bodleian Library, and took a tour of Oxford and Balliol College. Did you know that Harry Potter was filmed here? We saw some pretty fantastic things- my favorite- the door that inspired C.S. Lewis (supposedly). At the end of the day, I went to finally buy myself a bath towel, since shake drying only really works for dogs. The top of Westgate, the shopping center building was fantastic, and unforgettable.

The "Bod"

the CUA crew

Balliol College

The Door that inspired C.S. Lewis

me!! :)

The view

Now I have 50 or so pages of reading to do for my Music History of 18th Century England lecture, Wish me luck!