trip to Oxford

Christ Church, Oxford

The IES group took a day trip to Oxford and had the British education system explained.  What we call "private" schools in the States are referred to as "public" schools in England.  Roughly 8% of British children attend a public school and Oxford boasts that 50% of its students are from public and 50% of its students are from private school.  If you really think about those statistics, they aren't equal.  

I think it helps to understand how the Oxford academic system works for full-time undergraduates. A bachelor's degree takes three or four years to complete, depending on the subject (most subjects take three years, but some science degrees take four, as do languages because students are required to spend a year abroad). Students apply to study (”read,” in Oxford lingo) a specific subject, and they only study that subject for their entire undergraduate career. (”Liberal arts” is not really in the lexicon here.) To receive a bachelor’s degree, students must pass several days of exams at the end of their first year and the end of their final year. Those exams are the ONLY official grades they receive in their entire undergraduate career. All of the work students do throughout the year — essays, problem sets, presentations — is for them to learn and receive feedback, but does not impact their transcripts in any way.

Most of the learning at Oxford is done independently. Students are assigned lots of reading each week, as well as assignments (essays, problem sets, etc.) based on that reading. Each subject also includes lectures, classes, and tutorials. Lectures are not required — you can graduate Oxford without ever having attended one — but they are the primary method of teaching new information. Classes allow students in the same subject to discuss what they are learning. But it is tutorials that are the heart of the Oxford curriculum. Students meet with dons (we call them professors in America) every week, either individually or in groups of two or three, and receive direct feedback on their essays.

Radcliffe Camera, Oxford

This is Oxford student's library.  It's not open to the public and books cannot be taken out of it.  When students enter Oxford they have to pledge to never steal a book from "Rad Cam."  It was also interesting to learn that when students enter Oxford they "go up to Oxford" and when they leave or graduate they "come down from Oxford." 

visiting Casey in Madrid, Spain

 I went to visit my roommate, Casey, who is studying abroad in Madrid "to perfect her Spanish."  Casey wants to teach high-schoolers Spanish.  In Madrid she lives in a host home (pictured above) with a retired lady, Incarnation, or Chan for short.  Chan is quite the cook and has lived all over Europe.  Chan fed us and fed us and fed us.  If I studied abroad in Spain I'm convinced I would come home twice the person I am.  Chan has been hosting students for over 10 years and has some pretty funny stories as a result (such as the time a male student caught crabs and she had to translate for him at the pharmacy). 

(From left: me, Casey, Lindsey (Casey's roommate in Madrid), Chan)

Chan took us out to eat at a restaurant in El Corte Ingles (kind of like the Harrod's of London).  All of the food was good but our desert was white chocolate soup with mint chocolate chip ice cream in the center with bananas and strawberries.

El Retiro: Madrid's version of Central Park

Palacio de Cristol: Crystal Palace in El Retiro

Beautiful on the outside, the Crystal Palace currently houses an art piece made of laundry baskets. 

Guernica by Picasso

Chocolate con Churros

After a weekend of parks, Flamenco dancing, museums, and watching TV with Chan the last thing we did before I went home was eat chocolate con churros.  When we were ordering in the cafe, three young girls from New York bashfully asked us if we spoke English and then started asking us how to pick up their order but the girl that was speaking suddenly realized that they were supposed to say "hola" before they begin talking so the girl stopped mid sentence and said "o man, I forgot to say 'hola'... 'hola'" and then went back to her question.  It was really cute.  Spain is also known for its ham, which is EVERYWHERE, and is usually bought be the leg.  Bone and hoof included.  

Madrid was different from London in that its subway system was easier to use, the people dressed more casually, and the night life starts when it would be winding down in London.   

volunteering at Bloomsbury Baptist Chuch

 

Every Tuesday morning I volunteer at the Bloomsbury Baptist Church for my class on social welfare.  Tuesday mornings are set aside by the church as a time to provide companionship and a warm meal for elderly people who have difficulty getting out into the community.  

(From left: Richard, Michael, me, Dorothy).
I love these guys.  Richard is so cute and likes to ask questions about America such as: "Ahfton, what does SUV mean?" "Ahfton, what is the capital of North Carolina?" "Ahfton, do blondes really have more fun?"  Last week he brought in a map of America because he wanted to see where I live and he brought sweet potato recipes because he knows how much I like them.  Michael helped teach me how to play Scrabble and beats me every time.  He enjoys rules and telling stories about how his parents met while serving in military in China.  Dorothy is hilarious. During WWII she served in the Air Force as a plotter and after the war she worked as a dance teacher.  She likes to complain about a transsexual that comes to the church.  On Tuesday mornings after we've talked for a bit, we play Scrabble and then Dominoes and then eat lunch.

London transportation

helpful reminders painted on the streets

The most dangerous thing a person can do in London is cross the street.  There are 5 ways you can get around in the city: tube, bus, cab, bike, or walk. 

Taking a cab is the most expensive form of transportation but you are guaranteed to get where you need to go.  Licensed cab drivers drive black cars (that I'm pretty sure are government issued) and are self-employed.  In order to become certified, cabbies have to pass "the Knowledge."  Depending on whether the cabby wants to work in a suburb or the whole of London dictates the breadth of the test.  To be certified for the whole of London, the cabby has to learn 320 routes which usually takes 2 to 4 years of study.

Taking the tube is the second most expensive form of transportation.  It's roughly $3 per ride but it's quick and efficient and the tube system is easy to learn.  When you enter a tube station you scan your Oyster card (a card with pre-paid transportation credits) and then go to the tube line that you need to take.  There are 13 underground tube lines that all close around midnight.  A train on each line usually approaches every 1 to 3 minutes.  Once you are on the train, it is not considered polite to look strangers in the eye so most people either read the London Evening Standard, a free newspaper that people hand out when you enter the station, or just stare off into space.  Every time the tube stops at a station a woman's voice comes over the intercom and says: "mind the gap, please"... "mind the gap, please"... again and again until the little kids on the tube are impersonating the voice.  Londoners also apparently think this is funny because ladies can buy underwear that say "mind the gap."

A ride on one of London's famous red double-decker buses will cost you roughly $2.60 and you can pay by scanning your Oyster card that also works for the tube.  Now the bus system is tricky.  It is entirely possible for you to get on the right bus but have it take you in the wrong direction.  It all depends on the side of the road that you are on when you get on.  You can only imagine how frustrating this is when you have to get off at the next stop, retrace your steps, and try again.  The bus system runs 24 hours a day.    

Biking.  Biking is only available for people with European debit cards that have a chip in one side of them instead of a card that you slide. People insert their cards in a machine near the bikes, buy an access code, and then enter the code on the bike rack to take a bike.  Although this looks like fun, riding a bike on the opposite side of the road with buses and cabbies everywhere doesn't sound easy. Also it's always raining so this is a lesser desirable form of transport.

And lastly, you can always choose walk.  Perhaps in an effort to make London more safe for tourists, there are signs painted on the ground telling you which way to look for on-coming traffic.  Also, if you do happen to get in an accident the emergency number is "9-9-9" but if a frantic American happens to dial "9-1-1" the call will still go through.   

trip to Scotland

streets of Edinburgh

Getting to Scotland was nothing short of an adventure.  The group going on the trip was supposed to meet in the lobby of our building at 7:30.  I woke up at 8:30 to the tune of my roommate's colorful language.  The alarm that she had set the night before had not gone off.  The train wasn't supposed to leave the station until 9, so we thought we still had a chance at making it.  I quickly dressed, grabbed my bookbag, and agreed to hail a cab while my roommate finished packing.  Of course, the one time that I need a cab, not a single one passes by. We decided to calm down, eat some breakfast, and then go to the station to see if we could get another ticket.  Seven hours later,we arrived in Edinburgh. We were happy to find that Edinburgh is much smaller and therefore more manageable than London.  The people were very casual and friendly but the food was terrible (except for the hot chocolate in which they adorn with whipped cream and pop corn).  Haggis, made of sheep heart, liver, and lungs, is a traditional Scottish dish. Gross.

bridge outside Edinburgh

Hamish the Highland cow

Hamish, the cow on the left, is a local celebrity.  He is pictured here with his wife (unnamed) who is pregnant with their first child.  A celebration will follow the birth of the calf.  Apparently tourist and neighbors often stop to check on the cows because there is a rest stop across the street from their enclosure.   

 Scottish Highlands

I climbed one of these hills to watch the sun rise only to have it blocked by a nearby volcano.  In Scotland hills are referred to as "clags" and lakes are known as "lochs." 

cooking

proud owner of an apron

For some reason IES thinks that we’re old enough to be trusted with a kitchen.  Who knew? Being someone who once set the stove on fire, I was a little nervous.  So far I think I’ve mastered the art of making a grilled cheese, and the Mexican version of the grilled cheese, a cheese quesadilla.  I got so excited about my new kitchen that I bought an apron.  Look out Paula Dean. 

trip to Stonehenge, Salisbury, and Bath

This weekend I decided it would be fun to sign up with a student travel group and tour Stonehenge, Sainsbury, and Bath.  The ride out to Stonehenge took about two hours and on the way there our tour guide decided that our bus needed some excitement.  Now keep in mind that its 8:30 in the morning and this guy is wearing a pink sweater.  He also has limited English skills and said that there were “too much people on ‘dis bus.” At some point he decided to take a vote to see how many people wanted to listen to music.  Maybe three people raised their hand.  The poor little guy who desperately wanted to listen to his Lady GaGa CD decided to compromise.  He said, "Okay, we listen ten minute."  Our party bus rocked out to the tunes of "Alejandro" and "Poker Face" for the next half hour as we made our way through the scenic English hills dotted with sheep.

Stonehenge

Salisbury Cathedral

The cathedral is over 800 years old and houses the Magna Carta. 

the Roman Baths

The monk and I are showing with our open hand that we “come in peace.”  The bath water was lukewarm even though it looks as though it’s steaming (the air was cold).  When the baths were used by the Romans, people cast curses written on little pieces of paper into the spring that fed the baths.  Many of the curses were found and the most common complaint was people having their bathing cloaks stolen.