-:: vivid fuschia roses on my way to town from WH:: bells that can be heard throughout the city at the turn of every hour:: the blue and red doors on almost every house:: bikes of all colors propped up against fences, houses, walls, poles:: the confetti dotting the street as students' exams finally come to an end:: g & d's banana ice cream in a waffle cone:: drinking milky tea as the sun beats on my back:: curling up on a bench under the shade of a giant tree with a book:: walking everywhere:: our lecturer this morning -- an almost 80 year old gentleman who wore a teal striped shirt, coral slacks, a suit jacket with a navy handkerchief tucked in the pocket, and who had a personality to match his clothing-
-A photo of the hall where I attend morning lectures and where one of my seminars is held. The grounds are gorgeous, full of large, old trees with droopy branches. Since the weather has been perfect the past few days, we have been taking tea and eating lunch outside on the lawn. The girls in the photo and I were all about to make our way down town to the Wednesday farmers market, where I bought luscious strawberries and oranges and tried Turkish Delight for the first time. It was a rose-flavored variety, which, surprisingly, was quite delicious. Though I did feel as though I was eating perfume... -
-This is the place I came home to this evening, after a long day of lectures and seminars. Today marked the first day of morning lectures (plus mid-morning tea) and afternoon seminars. Though I know I will certainly be pushed beyond my normal limits by my tutors, I now feel somewhat confident that I won't get lost amidst the many abstract musings, stunningly intelligent people, and eleven million books surrounding me. Am I intimidated? Most certainly. Am I feeling cognitively lazy and inadequate? Without a doubt.
But I keep reminding myself of Derek's words: it is only by being around people that are smarter than yourself that you begin to truly grow and become smarter.
And, surprisingly, the overwhelming sense of inadequacy is tinged with enjoyment -- and excitement.
-This is one view of the Bodleian Library, into which we were inducted this morning. We each solemnly promised aloud not to deface the books, not to bring anything injurious to the books into the library (i.e. rubberbands, sticky notes), and promised never to set fire to the libraries. In a room directly to the right of this photo, Shelley was expelled from the University for his publication of the pamphlet The Necessity of Atheism.-
-Finally, I have attended an Evensong service. At Christ Church Cathedral (see photo). Other than saying it was glorious and beautiful, I am not sure how to describe it. Everything in the service, except for the Old and New Testament Readings, is sung, in descriptive crescendos and long pauses over certain words. It is an all male choir comprised entirely of young boys who possess amazing sopranos. Each time their voices lifted, filling every corner of the cathedral, shivers ran down my spine.As I knelt on my little red cushion, I thought about the fleeting nature of beauty. About how those boys' lovely voices will disappear with the onset of manhood. About how when I walked into the courtyard of Christ Church, I somehow could not grab on to it and carry it with me always; it was beyond my grasp somehow. About how the sun sparkling through the windows at the top of the cathedral will soon set.Then the choir began to sing Psalm 57 and reached verse 7: "My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise." I was reminded that all of the beautiful sights and beautiful experiences are merely glimpses of the one eternal Beauty. Though I want to enjoy and revel in all of the gorgeous sights and opportunities here in Oxford, I want to make certain that I don't fix my heart on that which is fleeting but on that which is constant and forever.-
-Last night I stood beneath the Radcliffe Camera, gazing up at it through the misty rain while the strains of Bittersweet Symphony drifted around me from a nearby college. I am surely in Oxford, my friends. The beauty of this place, with all of its history and intellectualism, struck me last night, despite the frigidity and rain that left me wet and shivering. Ancient trees. Wildflowers popping their little heads out of stone walls. The ruins of a gate standing tall amidst the bustle of modern shops. The story behind every shop, every stone, every inch of ground in this city. I feel so very privileged to be here for these next weeks. I don't feel as if I deserve to be in a place so academic, so cultured, so steeped in traditions and rituals I know nothing about. But I am grateful and I intend to make the most of it. Whether or not I measure up to the standards Oxford sets for an A, I am trying not to concern myself with, for I think that merely through trying my hardest and working to squeeze the most out of this experience, I will gain perhaps more than an A on my transcript could provide me. -
-For we are only the rind and the leaf.The great death, that each of us carries inside,is the fruit.Everything enfolds it. -
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