Two Weeks in Oxford

John and I found Keble College by "accident" one day. We walked by a door on the street, went inside, and found this courtyard!

Today marks two weeks of my semester in Oxford. I can hardly believe it.
I love walking through the streets on the way to class watching the cyclists, buildings, and the life of the people. The surroundings are spectacular; I have to remember to look around when I walk! Passing by all of the sandwich and pasty stores and coffee shops in town (and stopping in them to relax or read on the couch) or just to walk through the streets trying to find new ways to get places is a daily activity. I love exploring the town and remembering how old it is (more than 900 years!). It actually feels good to rely on walking to get to everywhere you want to go. Walking through the covered market, by the bakery, the fruit stand, and the butcher is an experience that I don't get at home. I made it through my first week of tutorials and lectures, feeling confused, knowledgeable, lost, prepared and unprepared, and full of information, thoughts, and opinions. I am going to read more this semester than I ever have in a semester. I already have a good dent in that. Paper topics and thesis statements are constantly flowing through my mind. Even when I am sleeping. When I walk through the parks I see all of the budding flowers and trees. In the middle of January there is green everywhere and the sun — when it comes it is much appreciated, as it is today. Hearing the buzz of accents and reading English words around me when I am in town makes me smile. I love making meaningful connections with new friends. I love seeing John so much!

What an experience, and it has only been two weeks. Wow.