Here's to You, Oxford

Oi!!

The circular building to your right is the Bodleian Library, which is adjacent to my place of loyalty and study: Hertford College. Hertford is one of the oldest colleges under Oxford University's umbrella, and has been going strong since 1264. After a total of three nights in MY NEW FLAT (107 Botley Road, Oxford, England), it’s come to my attention that saying “hello” is not the standard greeting. If Brits ever use “hello,” it’s not because they’re trying to be friendly; it’s because a) they’re trying to get your undivided attention or b) you’re in their way, so move.

This is just the first of many linguistic differences that I’ve personally dealt with, including the fact that the British accent gets crazier and generally harder to understand the further you delve into the countryside, aka Oxford. On the way out to Oxford via London, on a red, double-decker bus of course, the countryside proved to be exactly how one might imagine it: the greenest of green rolling hills, dotted with oak trees and woolly sheep, bordered by low stone walls or wooden fences. As the bus creaked into town and over a mud-colored stream, which apparently is the Thames, the first glimpse of Oxford was far from disappointing despite the NASTY weather. Nasty includes constant misting rain, fat drops of rain, random downpours of rain, horizontal rain, relentless wind from several directions at once, or a combo of the above. The locals say the weather’s been unusually harsh for early September and that “it should warm up here soon,” but I’m skeptical. No matter the conditions outside, Brits are always stepping out on the streets to head to the pubs, particularly after dark when the rowdy English folk truly come to life. The Brits flock to their pubs like ants to a potato chip… students, high-brow professors, the business men, the blue-collar guys, the club-hopping girls in their stilettos and knock-off designer names, the quieter girls with the glasses and pea coats, the ale-drinkin’ dirty-jokin’ Irish men, the giggling international students in the corner speaking Chinese at warp speed, and my particular favorite, the homelier 40+ English ladies in the plaid, pleated skirts who look as if a night out on the town is exactly what they need. Stay tuned...