A quick weekend update.

Apologies to my readers (but more to myself) for not writing sooner. Orientation has been a whirlwind of events! Wednesday brought tips on how to live in Oxford, a history of modern Britain (Maggie Thatcher was so boss), a library induction into the Bod(leian), and a two-hour walking tour of Oxford. The walking tour was fun, but it was super dark outside, so that was a bummer. On Thursday, I woke up and walked to the Chester House and on to New College for induction. If you're picturing formal robes and a ceremony, shake that picture out of your head like I had to do — induction was just a tour of the grounds and some library information. New College is gorgeous! I can't believe that this is my uni. I'm incredibly lucky. I'll be a part of the JCR (Junior Common Room), which houses a bar that holds socials every once in a while. My college also has a beautiful chapel that holds Evensong, which I hope to attend sometime, and Oxford as a whole has hundreds of clubs and society that students can join, so I have plenty of opportunities to get to meet people. I've already applied to Doctor Who Society!

Anyway, the rest of Thursday consisted of an introduction to British customs, as well as an introduction to English architecture in Oxford. The second lecture was absolutely fascinating! In addition to learning about the differences between Gothic and Classical architecture, we also got the opportunity to see specific examples via a slide show. Walking around Oxford, I was able to spot some of the architectural beauties that the professor showed us in the show, which was awesome! Thursday evening, Gabby (one of my housemates) and I went to New College and ate dinner with Spencer (another housemate) and Rosalee (one of her friends, also a year-long student with OSAP). Dinner was interesting, and it was fun to hear all of the British accents booming in the hall! Sitting at long tables to eat is definitely a new experience, and let it be noted that the Brits like their potatoes...

Friday was more laid-back, as we attended a lecture on libraries in Oxford (where I befriended the head librarian of New College), another lecture on anti-Americanism, and an academic advising session. During the academic advising session, Tim (the academic coordinator for OSAP) gave me the contact information for my tutors. My Shakespeare tutor is Val Dodd, a tutor in English at Blackfriars. I'll meet with her after she comes to lecture us on the Oxford essay and tutorial tomorrow. My other tutor, Dr. John Ballam, is an American, but he has been teaching at Oxford for a number of years and is the director of the creative writing program at Oxford. He seems really nice, but he hates Tolkien and Lewis, the two authors that I wanted to study in my secondary. I have a meeting with him on Tuesday, so we'll see what happens.

This weekend was a free weekend for us, and because I've been really sick with a strong cold, I decided to stay in and take it easy. Rachael (my roommate) and I did go to church this morning at St. Aldate's again, but I think we're going to go to the Russian Orthodox church that's up the street from us next week. I really just want to see as many places as I can while I'm here. St. Aldate's does have a huge undergraduate program though, so I may think about attending that.

Tomorrow is the last day of orientation, and it's packed! At noon (brilliantly late in the day), we'll be getting medical advice for while we're here. After that, we'll hear from Ms. Dodd on the Oxford essay and tutorial, followed by a brief introduction to British government and politics. At 5pm, we'll hear from a student panel about what it's like to be a student here, and then we'll have a party to kick off First Week. I'm really looking forward to the end of orientation and getting on a regular routine.

Anyway, as it's midnight, I'm off to bed because I'm knackered (there's your British word for the day), but hopefully I can post about how my first meeting goes with my tutor tomorrow! Cheers.