Over the last couple of days I've had the opportunity to learn quite a bit about British history in class and the city of Oxford. We took a walking tour of the city and heard that Oxford has been a hub for education dating back to around 1096 and the University itself is the oldest English speaking university in the world! How neat is it that I get to stay and learn in such a special place? The buildings are all so pretty, and let's face it, the fact that scenes from Harry Potter were based off the buildings here is kind of cool. The University system itself is quite different here than in the states. We were trying to understand the differences in the colleges, but it's difficult since they're all separately run and you choose a specific college to apply for. Jesus College has to be my favorite since that's where we're staying, but the others are all very pretty and I love how they come together to form Oxford University.
Other than seeing the town we also went punting. It's a bit like riding in a canoe, but someone stands on the back of the boat and "paddles" using a long metal pole. Since the current was really strong we weren't able to try it for ourselves but the ride was really nice. There was a sweet older man along the banks that handed us some bread to feed the ducks, which was quite the adventure. I myself am not a huge bird fan so I was not quite thrilled when they all swam right up to the boat. It really seemed like they were about ready to hop in and join us for the ride a couple of times!
Tonight we are taking our official Oxford class photo and watching a play. I'm excited to see what the theatre is like since we will be watching it outdoors! If it's anything like the buildings I've seen so far it's bound to be a fantastic experience. I'll write about it tomorrow, but until then enjoy the pictures below!
The first and last picture below are of Jesus College. The other two are from the tour and the third is of the University Church of St. Mary.
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