Oxford!

Our Oxford morning started off a bit stressful. Our entire group made it to Paddington Station on time for our 9:20 train. However, as 9:10 rolled around, our professor was no where to be found. I'm still not sure what happened with him, but we ended up running to get on the train with one minute to spare. The conductors didn't even check our tickets, they just told us to run and jump on the train. Whew! But since it was early and the ride was about an hour long, we were able to sleep a bit on the train. When we arrived at the station, Meagan, Lucy and I headed to the bathroom (where there was, of course, a long line). I told someone in the group that I was going to the bathroom, hoping they would tell everyone to wait. The three of us walked out of the bathroom to find everyone gone. Luckily we got a hold of them and they waited, but we definitely started off on the wrong foot in Oxford.

Oxford was really different than I expected. I think I expected almost a Hogwarts feel: one big building on a big plot of land. Instead, I found it to be a little town containing scattered colleges. Our tour guide informed us that there is Oxford University, but that it is comprised of 38 independent, self-funded colleges. To get in, a tutor must specifically choose you and interview you to be in their college. Oxford is also the first English speaking university in the world. Elizabeth our tour guide took us in to a couple of the colleges and showed us the main historical buildings in Oxford.  All in the biting cold.

The Ashmolean Museum. This is the first university museum in the world!

Elizabeth realized we were all Harry Potter fans, so in pretty much each building she would tell us what scenes had been filmed there. Again, it was so cool to be standing in the places those actors had been too! Not to mention all the famous people who have gone to Oxford...

Broad Street shops

Martyrs memorial

The Oxford coat of arms

The door that inspired Mr. Tumnus!

We got to peak into a building no on else (except Oxford graduates see): commencement ceremonies are held here.

After the tour, we went to a little pub called the White Horse. The customer service was terrible, but the food was pretty good! I had my first language misunderstanding. I realized I hadn't been given a roll up of (what I call) silverware. I went to ask the woman behind the bar for "silverware," pointing to the roll-ups behind her. She gave me a weird look and said "what?" so I said "uuh..utensils?" Again, "huh?" Finally, the other girl behind the counter got my drift and told her "cutlery." It's so strange the different words people use here. We wandered around the shops for a little while, then took a train home. I was able to get a nice little nap in as well!

Since it was our last weekend out in London for a while, a group of us decided to go to a club. We went to a place called the Roxy nearby. I had heard from a friend that if you signed up for the mailing list, you got in for reduced prices. I did so, so I only paid 2 pounds instead of 5 for a cover! I really liked the club, it was pretty small, but they played great music. It was "pop/disco" night, so we all knew every song. It was so much fun to just dance and spend time with the girls from the house. Even though Friday was quite chilly, it was a great day!