A great
deal has transpired between last weekend and now. I have now been in Oxford
city proper for a week. While the week has been good and stressful at points, I
feel like the stress of the Oxford education experience has not set in fully. Academically, I feel like I had a solid
week. I was intending to meet a Don on
Tuesday for my tutorial in Winston Churchill, however due to a late meeting we
missed each other. I am not too worried about missing the initial meeting
because we have had correspondence via email about the guidelines of the
coursework and what he expects of me in my work. I am excited to dive into a
subject that I have not had any background or study in previously. Churchill is a character, that’s for sure. I
have been researching his early career and his ties with “New Liberalism”- it
astounds me the depth of information that is available to me at the Bodleian
Library.
This week,
I studied mainly at “the Bod” (our nickname for the Bodleian) with frequent
stops at the Christ Church Library. The library system over here is quite
confusing. In Oxford, there are approximately 110 different libraries. However,
as a visiting student I am only allowed access to the main-Bodleian- library
and my college-Christ Church- library. An interesting factoid about the Bodleian-
You can’t borrow any books from it, this is due to the thefts that took place
some decades (perhaps centuries) ago in its history. So, if I want to read for a tutorial at home,
I have to borrow the book from the Christ Church Library.
Yesterday,
I met with my primary tutor for the first time. We met at the Oxford Study
Abroad Programme’s Office, so I won’t be having either of my tutorials at
Christ Church, the college with which I am associated. (My tutorial on Sir
Winston Churchill will meet at Harris Manchester College). One plus to this is
that I will be able to see the inside of more of the 38 different colleges here
at Oxford University. I am excited for
my math tutorial, however there is a bit of a language barrier, so it should be
interesting to see how the term progresses. My tutor is a 3rd year
student in his Ph.D. and is very agreeable in nature. I am looking forward to
learning under him. I’m glad that God orchestrated it all.
Last
night, the ten of us associated with OSAP who are also associated with Christ
Church went to dinner at the ‘Great Hall’, which was the template for the
dining hall in the Harry Potter films.
It was a fine evening of good conversation, great food (three courses
which were served to you), and proved to be an opportunity to further
friendships with a number of those from OSAP. We had chicken-n-corn soup and beef tips as
the main courses, followed by a pistachio ice cream and sorbet for dessert. The best thing about the night was that it
cost only three pounds.
Today,
we have been hammered with snow. Thus, our outing to Eynsham- to Kevin’s house
for our Summit Worldview Intensive has been cancelled. While I am sad and will
definitely miss the time with the family at Lance House, I am thankful that I
will be able to work from home on my essay for Churchill while staying warm. In
lieu of the meeting in Eynsham, the girls have invited us to their flat for a
snowball fight and fellowship. I estimate that I will make it down there at
some point for the festivities, however, I foresee myself working a great deal
today, especially now that Kevin has sent us videos to watch before our next
meeting.
Cheers from snowy Oxford!
-SP
Prayer
Requests:
-
Continued Diligence in my studies.
-
Right Balance of Mind Concerning Home and Here –
In short, to live in the moment while not forgetting those in the States.
-
Wisdom.
-
Humble Attitude through daily living.
