chris and jen at oxford

new blog

2006-02-28T09:54:00.000-08:00

Well things have been changing over here in England and needless to say, this blog is no more. Jen's gonna keep a blog going at this address:
Jenatoxford.blogspot.net
Anyone who wants to contact Chris can do so via his email address: geckocc@aol.com
He's going to be better at sending out more emails.
Look forward to more post to make up for the serious lack of them in the past few days.
-Jen

Valentine's Day

2006-02-15T08:27:00.000-08:00

Well it's my turn to brag about what good job Chris did at planning a special Valentine's Day. After our church history seminar, we took a bus and two different trains on the Tube to get into the heart of London. We spent about an hour looking at the National Gallery, one of the most incredible art collections in the world. I think the greatest part of that for me was that just that morning in church history we spent the majority of the seminar discussing the portraits of English leaders we'd been studying. One major painting that we discussed at length called 'The Ambassadors' describes through art much of the transition happening within the England, both religiously and politically, and the artist chose to paint a skull in the bottom middle of the painting, but you can only tell its a skull if you're looking at from the far right side of the painting. Well we got to go look at it that very day. If you're curious about the paintint, here's a link: Click Here.
Other highlights from the National Gallery include Van Gogh's Sunflowers, one of Degas' ballerinas, The Entombment by Michaelangelo, the Arnolfini Portrain by Jan Van Eyck, Cezanne's bathers, Monet's Lily Pond, and Picasso's Child with a Dove. In case it's not clear, I was thrilled to have some time to look at all the incredible holdings. After that we went to see THe Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's Theater and ended the night with dinner at a delicious Italian restaurant before heading home. Phantom is a musical everyone should see live, the movie was breathtaking and well-produced, but nothing can compare to the actual chandellier crashing and the Phantom appearing all around the theater. Overall, it was a magical day. Oh and some of you might be interested to know that the bum I was dating cleaned up his act and now Chris has short hair and no beard. :)
Pictures are coming I promise. Harass Chris about that, I don't know how to post them exactly...
I hope all of you had magical Valentine's Days too.

Super Bowl

2006-02-11T02:40:00.000-08:00

(Cue the Beatles song) “Here comes the sun….”
It was so nice for the first day in possibly the entire time we’ve been here to have sunshine. Good weather is the kind of think you’d never think you’d miss.

None of us were exactly Ken Jennings at the quiz competition. Jen answered a number of the music questions correctly and made good progress on the Sudoku, but the Rubix cube and the question about the 10 major metropolitan centers along the W40 got us. Such is life.

Believe it or not, they did show the Super Bowl here in England. The grandeur of the event, however, was lost entirely. The game started 30 minutes later in England because they do not show the American commercials. So, until half time, we progressively caught up with America. After half time, when you all were enjoying the best commercials of the year, we got to watch a very bad British commentator who felt that every call a ref made had to be wrong. What's worse, he couldn't keep track of the score. No joke, after the second touch down he goes, "And now the Steelers are up by...pause...more than they were before.” And I always thought those positions were competitive.

Following the Super Bowl the week went back into full swing. Although the work load is great, we still find time for social interaction. To see what we do in our spare time, Click Here.

More pictures will be up in the next day or so.

-Chris and Jen

In the Thick of Things

2006-02-03T01:12:00.000-08:00

The faithful have probably noticed that blog entries are slimming. Jen and I are in the third week of the term and the workload is relentless. Still, we press on and will uphold our commitment to post entries.

There are three "classes" I am taking here. I put "classes" is quotes because all but one of them are one-on-one tutorials. The remaining "class" is a seminar in church history. Allow me to tell you about the guy who is teaching it. His name Vincent Strudwick and you could not conceive of a nicer, quirkier, more proper old British guy than him. The most carefully constructed words cannot express how amusing it is to be around him. You always know when you said something even remotely intelligent because he instantly perks up, begins pointing his finger at you as though you have just discovered the cure for cancer and then starts babbling about obscure bits of history you will never use.

This Saturday we will be going to Leed's castle. Here is some useless knowledge I learned today. This is a paragraph you can skip if you were one of the ones complaining about long entries. Leed's castle was started sometime in the 12th century. Though it suffered two major attacks, many of its 12th century structures still remain. The first attack was against the mother of Henry II, who fled the castle dressed in white during a siege. She had to carefully tread in miles of snow to keep her life. The second attack was from the king, who ordered the castle to be taken when the head of the castle refused entrance to the queen.

Jen, her roommate Lauren, me, and my roommates Caleb and Chris are forming a quiz team. A local newspaper is sponsoring a quiz competition for Oxford students and we are going to have a go at it. Maybe all the time I have spent going through news magazines will pay off. Still, part of me wonders how bold we are being. This is, after all, Oxford. We shall see.

Well, that is enough for now.

-Chris

World Without End

2006-01-25T17:15:00.000-08:00

Well life at Oxford continues on. It honestly has been a few days since the last post and the biggest reason for this is because nothing has really felt noteworthy since. Like with any place I suppose, the more you get settled in there, the more it becomes your home and the less things seem exciting and new. I mean there are still moments on a daily basis where I learn something about this beautiful town, but the initial euphoria has shifted more into a sense of comfort. It's quite nice, actually.
I suppose the biggest news to report would be our day trip yesterday. All of us study abroad students (there are like 70 total, 20 from APU) visited Stratford-Upon-Avon, the home of William Shakespeare. We saw the Shakespeare museum, visited Shakespeare's home, and even saw a production of Dickens' "Great Expectations" by the Royal Shakespeare Company. I found it interesting that The Bard’s home really didn't seem all that different than my apartment here centuries later. And I know, ironic that we saw the Shakespeare Company put on work by Dickens, but apparently it was all that was playing at the time. During our few hours of free time, we found a local fudge shoppe and crepe restaurant, both of which were quite delicious I must say. It really was a great day and I enjoyed the little jaunt to Stratford.
Before I forget, I should mention that there are some new pictures up. The one work of art from the Ashmolean Museum is a particular favorite of mine. Two other things of life-changing significance to mention: after finally succumbing to the pressure of multiple voices of wisdom in my life, I purchased the two episodes of LOST on iTunes that I hadn’t seen and watched them yesterday. Completely worth the investment. And my flatmate Roz, who as days go by we’re all learning is one of the cooler people ever (her father is an American diplomat!) and I’ve received further proof of that once again. She told us this week that her great uncle is Peter Boyle, who some of you may recognize as the grandpa on “Everybody Loves Raymond” or from films such as While You Were Sleeping, Taxi Driver, or Young Frankenstein. And then she went on to tell us how he was close friends with John Lennon and John was the best man in his wedding! I thought that was pretty cool, and I know some of you will too, even if others of you are just thinking that I care way too much about trivial things right now.
Back to, you know, things about Oxford, I can really relate to Chris' story of woe regarding the library. The system of libraries here is quite spectacular, yet they can be the biggest headache sometimes. Like let me just paint you a little picture. This week for my primary tutorial I have a list of 18 books to reference. 10 must be called up from the book stacks, requiring reservations a day ahead and since only 4 can be sent to each reading room, I'll have to make 3 trips to three different reading rooms during my 4 hour window of library access each day. Another 7 are at three other libraries, all of which I have non-lending access to, so I'll have to sit there and read them at various times in that aforementioned window of library opportunity. And the last one was not even in the library, so I made a little expedition across town to the 5-story bookshop and purchased it. This whole studying thing is not for the faint of heart. Also one of my roommates was reading in one of the more centralized libraries and a member of the library "police" came by and instructed her that she needed to be reading her book with two hands. They take books seriously around here.
The only other thing I wanted to be sure and mention, on a very different note than the library anecdote, was that a few nights ago Chris and I and some of our friends had the opportunity to attend an Evensong service at the Christ Church Cathedral. As we ran across town in an effort to make it before the bells finished chiming and the doors slammed shut (I felt like Cinderella), I eagerly anticipated this service but came with little expectations. What I found was simply breathtaking. I don’t know if any of you have ever had the ability to worship God in a cathedral before, but I hope that in some point in your life you have the opportunity to. One of my professors last semester at APU led a discussion with our class about how sometimes the medium is the message, meaning that all the little details of the service indirectly teach us something about God. After this service, just by being able to sit in this beautiful building, complete with painted ceiling, giant candelabras, monstrous pipe organ and stained glass windows, I felt like I was given a whole new picture of God. All the labor and artistic detail that had gone into this building seemed to speak of the majesty and glory of our Lord. And though the nature of a very liturgical and sacramental service can seem foreign to some of us, there is so much beauty and mystery captured in hearing the boys choir sing the Magnificat or praying a prayer together as a body that has been prayed for centuries past.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son:
And to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be:
World without end. Amen.

Of Animals and Essays

2006-01-17T14:25:00.000-08:00

Ever feel like your life is a sitcom?

Thursday I got my first assignment. 2500 words on Kierkegaard's understanding of the debate between Hegel and Kant due yesterday (Monday). Yes, that means I need to read up on three philosophers. I got a list of 13 books help me. Only one was at my college library. The rest I would have to reserve at the Bodleian library with at least a day's notice. I was all set for a full day Saturday buried under a pile of books.

No such luck. The Oxford City Centre for some time has been planning to open an animal research facility, enraging animal lovers across the face of Europe. Saturday, they bussed in what must have been thousands of unhappy protestors. Guess where they protested. Yep, right in front of the library. Fearing violence, the Bodleian shut down.

So, I have an essay due in two days with no library to borrow books from (it is closed on Sundays). So, I hit up Borders and tried to find any sources I could online. That is until my internet stopped working Saturday night (it is still out). Still, with almost no sources, and about 500 words short of my goal, I finished the essay with 1.5 hours to spare before my tutorial.

Now, if you were writing a sitcom, what plot twist would come next? Yeah, she was sick. I now have until Friday

Well, that's it for now. Jason, we haven't been able to find Lost here yet. There are only five channels. Brady, we am done here in May. Thanks for all the comments everyone!

-Chris

Art and becoming a family

2006-01-14T04:55:00.000-08:00

The update! Well, part of the reason I waited a few days to update was because there hasn’t been a whole lot going on ‘round here. In the past few days, we’ve heard 5 hours of lectures on British history from the same Don. The older gentleman amazes me with his ability to lecture for hours without a single note and to reference numerous anecdotal stories as well as historical facts throughout each hour’s presentation. Though his style was more, how shall I put this delicately…monotone (think Ben Stein in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), I still was very impressed with his wealth of knowledge.
Another highlight of the past few days has a trip to the Ashmolean, Oxford’s oldest public museum. The collection at this facility was breathtaking. Some of the highlights were works by Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec, Rodin, and three Stradivarius violins. We also visited during a time when their primary exhibit features icons from various faiths, such as ancient biblical manuscripts and a collection of beautiful paintings of the Holy Land by an artist named Edward Lear. Overall, the experience just left me feeling so blessed. These are the kinds of names I hear about in school, and yet now I’m able to take in this art in person.
Like Chris said in a past entry, this is still “nought week”, or 0 week, and as everyone’s been moving back in and getting readjusted to classes, all of us study abroad kids have been contacting our tutors to start the ball rolling. I personally met with my primary tutor this morning, as did Chris, and we both left with a length reading list (most of which was only in the non-lending library- aka you have to sit there and read it, no checking it out) and an 2,500 word essay due Monday on a topic that “jumps out to us” from the reading. Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore. We have a primary tutor that each of us meets with once a week, as well as a secondary tutor that we meet with every other week, a small seminar class that meets weekly, and a faith and learning colloquium through APU, which is mostly a group discussion with short reading excerpts. After the 9 weeks of the term are over, we will them take a class in british history and culture as a collective body. I think what will be most difficult is the self-discipline aspect to the course of study here in Oxford. Only about 5 hours a week will actually be instruction, the rest is ample reading and writing on our own time. But the combination of limited library times and selective collections will make the week a bit of a puzzle. But all that studying is still a few days away.
To occupy ourselves, we’ve been trying our best to see the town and visit the huge shops, like Blackwell’s, a four level bookshop boasting over 3 million books and 126 years of experience. We also ate the informal dinner at our college’s dining hall and we’re all rapidly learning about the clubs and sports we can join to really become members of our college. A group of us have also successfully watched all of the second season of West Wing, a collection left in one of the local flats (score!) and tomorrow night we’re having a group potluck dinner. We’re really kind of becoming a family. I sincerely love it here. Cheers!

Waiting for the Good Stuff

2006-01-09T05:14:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone!

Thanks for leaving all the comments. They make me happy.

A small correction. If you wrote down mine and Jen's addresses from her last post, mine was not quite right. You can reach me at 85A Walton Street, Oxford, England, OX2 6DW.

Today I was inducted into the Bodleian library. By inducted I mean I had to recite something that said I wouldn't steal their books or light fires in their buildings. (You think I'm kidding?) Anyway, this place is huge. It looks big just from the outside, but most of the library is underground and out of sight. Bodleian holds over 8 million books and receives a copy of every book published in Britain. If I want to check something out, I have to find it on a catalog and request. The staff at the library goes into the caves, finds the book, puts it on a conveyer belt and has it delivered to a "reading room" of my choosing by the next day.

This is the week they call "naught" week. Most of the students come back this week in preparation for the next term. No such rest for us. We are kept plenty busy with ceremonies, house-keeping, and 10 hour-long lectures on British culture and history. Even now I am just wasting time in the Program office because by the time I made it back to my flat, I would have to turn around again for the next lecture.

It isn't that I find British history hopelessly boring or that I have no interest in engaging with culture. Those things are great. My problem is that when we have at 10 in the morning, my body thinks that it is still 2 AM. I was never much for morning classes when they started at 8...

That is enough for now. I hope everything is going well over there. Oh, and since I don't have your e-mail address and won't see you until May, congratulations deric and amy!

-Chris

Pictures

2006-01-07T19:30:00.000-08:00

Pictures are up! Take a look!

More things Oxfordian

2006-01-07T17:10:00.000-08:00

After only one full day here, I must say that this is simply an amazing city. I think what I love most about the place is the richness and significance that’s everywhere around you. But before I get too introspective, here’s a quick rundown of recent events. For the next twelve days, we’ll be undergoing a variety of orientation activities before our tutorials even begin. Today at the Chester House (the location of the Oxford study abroad programme) all 70 of us students had a host of helpful seminars. Some dealt in the basics of British culture, another art and architecture, and a third on the basics of the university system. Chris and I, as well as the majority of the students with the study abroad programme, will be students of New College. This particular college was established in 1379, making it one of the oldest colleges, and is one of the largest with an undergraduate body of around 400 students. I encourage you if you’d like to know more to visit the Oxford website to read about this particular college: http://www.new.ox.ac.uk/ A lot of Harry Potter was filmed inside it and in a few days we get to have a formal induction ceremony into the college. Anyway, then after the morning lectures we took a three hour walking tour around Oxford, ending in a pub crawl where we had the opportunity to visit 4 of the most beloved student pubs (pub meaning public meeting place, where most people hang out in the evenings). I learned so much it’s difficult to fit it into words. But here’s a few highlights:
1. One of the pubs we visited was the Eagle and Child, the actual pub that C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkein sat around in and discussed philosophy and theology, and other things we can only speculate about.
2. Our opening lecturer this morning has held a host of different well established positions, including his teaching spot as a Don (professor) of political science at St. Johns College, but before that recently worked at the pentagon. I think he told us multiple stories of conversations with Donald Rumsfeld.
3. For those of you who know him, Chris and I had a chance to visit with Brad Onishi tonight. He lives actually just down the road from me!
4. I learned today that our underground “dungeon” as we call it was actually a WWII bomb shelter. Our house isn’t very wide (in comparison to the states), but it has four floors, and I live at the very top!
5. I (Jen) am a much more adventuresome eater, and I thought some of you might find it interesting that I had a green apple, brie, and mango chutney sandwich and it was delicious! I also had a scrumptious dessert tonight of homemade ice cream and orange marmalade bread pudding. Whoever said British food was bad just didn’t know how to pick good things!
6. I thought this was interesting: at one of the pubs we visited tonight (the Turfs), there’s random trivia/old wives tales as decoration on the walls and one of them claimed it was the pub where President Clinton “did not inhale” illegal substances while he was a student there at Oxford University.
7. Radiohead (the rock band) frequently comes and tests out new songs at the Zodiac, a local pub. They also all met and frequently ate at the Jericho Tavern, the closest pub to my flat!
8. At an outdoor market, I was able to purchase a framed Van Gogh print for 1 pound and was thrilled with my purchase…until I had to carry it all the way back to my flat.
9. FYI: my address is: 29 Walton Well Road, Oxford England, OX2, EA6 and Chris’s address is: 85A Walton Road, Oxford, England, OX2 EA6. That’s just a little subtle encouragement to write if you ever feel the urge. I promise I’ll send a postcard in return!
10. Jet lag is real. Its four in the morning and I’m not even remotely tired. But we have the entire weekend off, which I’m estatic for! I can’t remember the last time I had a free weekend! Our flat of girls is planning on going to high tea tomorrow!

Well, cheers to you all!
-Jen

The Arrival

2006-01-05T15:00:00.000-08:00

It looks like I beat Jen to updating the blog, but I am sure you will hear everything from her perspective soon.

Jen, Lauren (Jen's roommate from APU), and I arrived at about 3:30PM yesterday. I did not know this going in, but Virgin Atlantic has individual screens for each passenger and 50 movies to choose from on demand. Somehow, despite the plethora of entertainment options, I managed to get around 5 hours of sleep.

We arrived in England a day before we were allowed to get into our housing. As a result we stayed in a hostile. Getting there was quite an ordeal. Our luggage was not kind to us as we went up and down a few too many staircases. We took the "Underground" to get to Hyde Park and a taxi to the hostel. Taxis quickly became our friends.

The hostel was, as expected, less than five star quality. There came moment were we accidentally left our keys in the room. Jen let out a sigh of frustration and inadvertently hit the door open. From then on, we did not worry about locking in our key...

We didn't get to explore much of London. It was well past 6 and it gets dark before 4. We got some dinner (fish and chips for me) and went to sleep. Despite the shady lock situation, nothing got stolen.

Today we took yet another taxi to Paddington Station were we boarded a train straight to Oxford. I had fun just starring out the window of the train. Everything here is so different. I love that I'm doing this!

We got to Oxford and took yet another taxi to the Program office. Jen and Lauren got into their "flat" just fine, but my key went on strike. Myself and everyone who was with me at this point made the trek back to the program office, who sent me back to my flat to meet the guy who gave me a new key. Finally, I could set my luggage down and leave it there.

There is much else to tell. We went to a welcoming party where we took over the top floor of a pub. To save money Jen and I tried ordering a salad. While we certainly paid the price of a descent salad in the U.S., it wasn't very good.

Here are a few things I've learned so far:
-You order food to "take away" not "to go"
-Hours of daylight are roughly between 8am and 4pm
-You nothing is for "rent" but for "let"
-I heard something to this effect, but didn't realize how bad it was. Many places close between 2 and 5, and almost everything closes before 8.

Quiz yourself? A score above 0 means you probably still know more than I do.

If you've read all of this, you either really like me or really have nothing to do. Either way, leave a comment! I love reading them. Pictures should be up soon. I hope you all are doing well!

-Chris

new years day after?

2005-12-28T15:25:00.000-08:00

just wanted to extend the invite to all to come by my house the day after new years day for our annual fiesta. It starts at noon and ends whenever it ends. hope to see each and every one of you there. -Jen

the countdown begins

2005-12-26T18:23:00.000-08:00

Just in case you were counting, there are 8 days until Chris and I leave for Oxford. It's not too late to donate... -Jen