Things I could get used to.

First, a quick update. I have now been in England for one month and two days, and I can honestly say that this has been one heck of an adventure. In this short period of time, which has gone by far too fast, I've learned so many things about myself and about culture/history. This past weekend, I travelled to Bath and Stonehenge. Bath was pretty interesting, and I was overwhelmed by the realisation that I was walking on pathways that people walked on thousands of years ago. Wow. Stonehenge was a little bit of a let-down, perhaps because when you look at it in pictures, it looks so spectacular and powerful. In reality, it's a man-made formation of rocks in the middle of a hill that just happen to still be standing after around 4000 years. Interesting, but not as overwhelming as I thought it would be. It is said that Stonehenge was built around 2700 BC, and the earliest known pyramid was built around 3000 BC (by the Brazilians, although there is some speculation that there may have been some pyramids in Bosnia dating back perhaps even 20000 years before that). With that knowledge, Stonehenge was a bit of a let-down, but it's something that I'm so glad that I got to see (plus, it makes for some nice pictures). Anyway, it started to snow while we were in Bath, and that's when I discovered that my warm, fuzzy boots are in no way, shape, or form actual snow boots. I wiped out five times, and at one point, the guys that I was with just took turns letting me hold on to them so I didn't slip into the middle of the street and get hit by a car. It's a little bit funny now, and they certainly had a good laugh about it, but I felt like a complete fool. The blocks that make up sidewalks here get extremely slippery when wet, so I need to be more careful. Also, the Brits don't get too much snow, so they hadn't salted any of the sidewalks. We're supposed to get more snow on Friday, so I'm trying to make sure that I don't have to go out that day (except for a Japanese tea that I'm going to with Gabby).

I just need to write that I adore being here, and I wish that I could stay here forever (a reoccurring desire over the past month). With the exception of one or two late night ponderings, I really haven't missed the States at all. It was hard at first, when I didn't know anyone here, I was in a room by myself, and classes and orientation hadn't started yet. But now, 37 St. Giles is home, and I wouldn't want it any other way.

I think that home is where you feel comfortable, and home can move. People say that "home is where the heart is", but I think that it's more than that. I was reading a BBC news article the other day about the importance of homes to humans, and several parts were just so interesting to me: "We depend on our surroundings obliquely to embody the moods and ideas we respect and then to remind us of them. We look to our buildings to hold us, like a kind of psychological mould, to a helpful vision of ourselves. We arrange around us material forms which communicate to us what we need - but are at constant risk of forgetting we need - within." The author concludes the article with the solid statement, "We respect a style which can move us away from what we fear and towards what we crave: a style which carries the correct dosage of our missing virtues."

This article really grabbed my attention because in so many ways, Oxford embodies what I feel like I'm missing in my life back in the States. In general, Oxford is a place of studying and learning, of knowledge and passion, of quiet and serenity. Although this is not true in some cases (enter: pubs and clubs), and although the city centre of Oxford is really just a shopping district, there is indeed a sense of peace here. Everyone who knows me will most likely agree that I can be crazy, wild, unfocused, "out there", and just downright weird. But oftentimes, I act that way because when I am quiet and focused, I'm labeled as "moody". While I enjoy being at a university where I can be in constant connection with friends, I also yearn for a quiet, reflective atmosphere within which I can more accurately observe and meditate upon what I am learning. Oxford offers that.

For a large portion of my life, I enjoyed noise. I loved blaring my music and talking with people and attending loud social events. But now, I'm finding that I miss silence. I miss having a sense of peace in my life. I've squandered time listening to music when what I really want to do is listen to the natural noises of the outside world. If it wasn't so cold outside right now, I would be sitting in the courtyard across the way with my eyes closed, just listening to the world around me. I want to sit in the middle of an open field in the middle of nowhere and just observe my surroundings. Too often, I just see the inside of my dorm room or the few buildings to which I walk. Here, I am surrounded by architecture and great works of art.

My home is here because I've fallen in love with what I've been missing in my life. And although it's still elusive, Oxford also offers students the opportunity to learn self-discipline. Even on a foggy day like today, I can still look around me and feel awe that I am here, I am studying and learning, and I am actually conquering my weaknesses. I honestly wish that everyone could have an opportunity like this because it is truly life-changing. I don't think that I'll ever be able to look at myself the same way again, as I set out to do something new with my life and here I am. What a breath-taking realisation.

I'm off to study for my Shakespeare tutorial, but I think that I just want to reflect on this quote today: "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away." I aim to have so many of those moments while I'm here.

Hope everyone back in the States is doing well and that all of my lovely Eastern friends are hanging in there. I love you all so much, and I enjoy hearing about all of the wonderful things that you have been doing. Keep up the good work! Cheers:)