how i got here...

i guess i've always been a bit obsessed with england. from watching mr. bean as a child and loving spice girls as a tween, england has always seemed like some kind of wonderfantasyland to me, complete with fish and chips, double decker buses and amazing accents. and i knew one day i'd visit. freshman year, i heard about a study abroad program my school does, the centre for medieval and renaissance studies in oxford, england. yeah, i was pretty hyped about it...so last semester i applied, and got accepted, and here i am. there were a few bumps in the road, and i didn't think i'd be able to come...but alas, fate stepped in...leading me here. i promised myself i'd start a blog once i got all settled in...and this is it!

i've been in oxford two weeks now (i can't believe it!) a few of my good friends from st. mary's are doing the program with me. i'm really glad they're here. i've met some very cool people here, friends i know i'll keep around. so far i've been to london twice--first to see the tower of london, and the second time just to sightsee. i was sort of in awe...i mean, it was something i dreamed of my whole life, and to be standing directly under big ben (!) i felt so complete.

here are a few photos:

at the tower oh london

the tower bridge

double phone boxes

just over the thames

the city of oxford is so quaint and cozy, but it's still a city, so it has many of the quirks of back home. when we arrived, there was a protest around the corner from our dorm because the city was planning on cutting down this really old tree (to build something there i guess). these people were living in the tree; they seriously decorated it and called it their home. last week, the cops swarmed it and removed the people...the tree got cut down the next day. just a little taste of oxford...i was pissed though. it was a very interesting situation, and i wonder what might have happened if it continued any longer. it made me miss st. mary's a little. gotta love social activism.

i live right in the city center...between two malls! my building is awesome...it's so oddly shaped and the colors are pretty spazzy...bright yellow and red all over. i've been to some pubs so far, and they're really neat. i love walking around here...there's so much history and culture and you can never be bored, really. the british people seem to be nice...kind of shy, but i am too...so that's something we already have in common. our program is affiliated with st. peter's college of oxford uni, so we get all the perks of an oxford student...even the *great* food!

so this is my first post! i hope to post frequently on many topics from culture shock to....british boys? haha...so look out for photos and musings and stuff. peace.