Weeks 5 and 6: MI5, Blenheim, and the Festival of Lights

Week Five (November 10-16) included some similarities and some significant differences from prior weeks.  Sunday, November 10 was British Remembrance Day, a day of respectful observance for the contribution made by service men and women who made peace possible for Britain.  Very similar in spirit to American Veteran's Day.  One outward symbol of support for veterans and their sacrifices are the red poppies people buy and wear to honor them; funds raised go to supportive charities. 

Monday was a research reading day, with Christ Church Evensong service that evening.  If you get the chance to attend Evensong service at one of the churches in Oxford, I strongly urge you to take the opportunity.  I am not Anglican, but I find the services very spiritually uplifting, and the music is really beautiful.  As an American, I rarely get the opportunity to hear classical hymns anymore, let alone sing them as I do in the college choir.  The services only last an hour, and are a combination of music, short prayers, and small readings of excerpts of the Psalms or other Scriptures. In honor of Remembrance Day this week we sang a song called, "For the Fallen."  Here's a link to the Westminster Choir performing this song.   http://youtu.be/qOpnRAOxpLE

Tuesday- Thursday were major reading, research, and writing days, as I had to get this week's essay on "Media and Politics" by Thursday at 4 pm.  Friday was the tutorial with Dr. Finlay, which went well.  Once again, we had an interesting time of discussion that covered not only the essay topic, and the readings, but correlations to current events and social conditions. 

Friday night, I had a most unusual opportunity occur that I quite enjoyed.  As a member of the Oxford International Relations Society (http://irsoc.org/)  I was able to attend a talk given by Sir Jonathan Edwards, who was the Director of MI-5 up until this April, 2013.  He shared a very unique perspective on global politics, terrorism, national sovereignty, and international interaction.  Unfortunately, I cannot divulge everything he shared (we were sworn to secrecy, or, well, you know). 

Saturday, I went along with my fellow CSU housemates (all except Kelsey, who stayed behind to study for three papers due this week!), to see Blenheim Palace.  This is the home of the Dukes of Marlborough, and was the birthplace of Winston Churchill.  Being a world history hobbyist, this was a tour I could not pass up.  Unfortunately for us, it was also the week of a major Christmas arts fair, so there were HUNDREDS of people present.  Note: check the schedule of the venue you plan to visit to ensure you aren't one of a huge crowd. 

Despite the numbers, Blenheim Palace is incredible to behold, and the good thing is your ticket is good for an entire year, so you can return and visit as much as you wish during that year.  The bus from our nearest stop in Summertown costs about  £3.50, so it's very reasonable to get there for another visit.  The bus ride only took us about 30 minutes to the town of Woodstock, which is quite nice to walk through.  We enjoyed tea and scones at a local restaurant.  Here are some photos of the visit to Blenheim. 

This the front of the palace.  Too much to get in one photo alone!   The property was a gift to the Duke of Marlborough from Queen Anne, for winning the battle of Blenheim against the opposing German army. Technically, the land still belongs to the Crown, and every year the current Duke appears before the Queen requesting continued use of the land.  The palace, however, belongs to the current Duke!

 

(Right:) Some of the exquisite grounds around the Palace.  Truly breathtaking, even here in the end of autumn.

 

The photo to the left is the room where Winston Churchill was born. Technically, the families' last name is Churchill, which was relinquished due to a female heir inheriting the property, but later re-instated as the last name of the inheriting Duke.                  

Week Six, November 17-23rd, held a bittersweet experience: my last tutorial with Funda Ustek.  I have really enjoyed learning from her; she has a unique approach to teaching, and she has definitely had me questioning some of my previously held concepts of social policy, welfare state typologies, and how the political process impacts those most marginalized - especially women.  She is originally from Turkey, and has a perspective of a regional culture so different than my American background - that has added to the dimensions of what I've learned as we have engaged in conversation about each essay.  After our tutorial, we had lunch together at her college, St. Cross, along with my other tutor, Dr. Finlay. 

Wednesday during the day was reading, and writing, and choir practice. Wednesday night, I was privileged to hear British historian, author, professor, and BBC documentarian Simon Schama speak at the Sheldonian.  One of the good AND bad things about Oxford: there are so many worthy events to participate in! 

 

Thursday was spent writing like a fiend, and turning in my essay for Dr. Finlay's tutorial on Friday.  This week's topic:  the intersection of economic development, religion, and politics.  The challenge was in choosing what to include in a 2500 word essay with such a plethora of research material to use.

 

Friday night began the official start of the Christmas holiday season in Oxford, with the "Festival of Lights."  St. Giles street and the City Centre were closed down, food, craft, and entertainment vendors set up, and the entire area became a Christmas carnival.  Luckily for me, I was accepted as a volunteer at the Ashmolean Museum, which simultaneously held a Folk Music evening.  I got to assist guests as they played replica instruments from the Bate Museum Collection, and I heard some outstanding Gaelic vocal performers.  This was a lovely ending to my week, and a lovely beginning to the Advent Season.

 

 

Week 4 - Guy Fawkes, Two Tutorials, and Cardiff

Week 4 was largely a repeat of the last couple of weeks: research, reading, writing.

 

Sunday afternoon I had a rebound of my freshers flu from last week, only this time I lost my voice.  Completely.  The day before the Christ Church College Choir (hopefully with me included) were scheduled to go to Gloucester Cathedral to sing at their Evensong service.  Instead of joyfully preparing to sing in such a beautiful and historic place, I spent Sunday and Monday alternately drinking tea, taking naps, and reading for both of my essays due this week.

 

Tuesday was my third social policy tutorial, and my voice was half-way back -- thank goodness.  This essay covered the challenges and opportunities presented to welfare states in recent years. Here's a link to my page on Academia.edu, if you enjoy reading sociology and political critique: http://gescolumbusstateedu.academia.edu/RebekahDowd It's hard to believe I only have one more tutorial to go with this tutor.  Time is flying by this term! Technically Tuesday was also Guy Fawkes Day.  This is a British commemorative holiday based on an event that took place in 1605, when Guy Fawkes attempted to blow up Parliament because of religious dissent between the Catholics and the Protestants.  Since the holiday fell during the week, local celebrations were observed on Saturday.  More about that later.

 

Wednesday my voice was back to normal.  My basic research was complete, and armed with my pages of notes on the reading assignments, I spent the day writing my political sociology essay on social movements.  Wednesday night I was able to return to choir practice at Christ Church College.

 

Thursday I finished up my essay and turned it in.  Since I had now spent the last four days inside between being sick and reading/writing, Kelsey (another CSU student) and I got out of the house and ate dinner at Mission Burrito, a restaurant off Cornmarket Street.  The servings were massive, but tasty.  Not quite as authentic as Mexican food from the U.S., but still quite good.

 

Friday morning I decided to go into town and do a bit more investigating of the local sights.  I ended up climbing Carfax Tower, and got some good photos of the bird's eye view of town, right before a storm headed in.  The steps going to the top of the tower are rather steep, and it's a one person at a time pathway; not suitable for the claustrophobic person.  But the view is quite good.

Friday afternoon was my tutorial with Dr. Finlay and another visiting student, Mina, from Georgetown University.  Dr. Finlay came bearing a large chocolate bar - which he proceeded to share with both of us.  I wasn't sure if that was a good sign, or a bad sign about his assessment of our essays, but I wasn't about to turn down good chocolate :)   Thankfully, he liked both of our essays, and we had a very productive hour of discussion about state formation, tax farming (thanks, Mina), and social movements based upon successful leadership.  Friday night was formal dinner again at Regent's Park, and I could actually relax by having both tutorials behind me for the week!

 

Saturday I rewarded myself with a day trip to Cardiff, Wales. Note: buy the tickets ahead of time to save hassle.  Also, you can apply for a student rail card, and save 20%.  If you plan on doing a bit of travel while here, it's worth the time to fill out the form and have your college admin sign it. Anyhow, I left the Oxford Rail Station at 7:25 am, and was in Cardiff by 9:50 (did have to change trains part of the way through.)

 

Cardiff is a neat town.  It has an eclectic mix of high end and regular shops, a LOT of sports venues (the Welsh rugby team was playing and drew in 70,000 fans), historic Cardiff Castle, and the Cardiff Bay area which has restaurants, shops, and the Doctor Who Experience.  Here are some of the sites I was able to fit in for the day.

 

Right: Cardiff Castle, the Norman Keep and the East Wall, portions of which date to Roman occupation. 

 

Below: Armor belonging to the Marquesse of Bute, who owned the castle.  

I also toured the National Museum of Cardiff.  It has a great collection of everything from traditional art collections, to natural history (dinosaurs), to science interest items.  I spent about and hour-and-a-half looking at their "top ten" items listed in the tourist brochure.  My favorite items were from the Welsh origins section, including pottery, bronze weapons, and jewelry dating from 500-1000 AD. 

Gold and Metal Hammered Welsh Necklaces

The Goddess Immortality

 

In order to please my kids, I made a trip to Cardiff Bay and did the "Doctor Who Experience" tour.  It reminded of the themed tours I've done at Disney World back home; somewhat cheesy, but if you are a die-hard Doctor Who fan, there are some interesting pieces of memorabilia, including costumes and props used on the various TV series.

If only I had a REAL Tardis to speed me through the next few essays I have to do!

 A room full of Daleks....

Below is the Wales Millenium Center - a very unusual piece of architecture. 

 

In order to beat the 70,000 rugby fans to the rail station, I left Cardiff about 5:30, and arrived back in Oxford at 7:15 pm, just in time for the Guy Fawkes fireworks display being held at South Park.  This is a big event, and it culminates in a bonfire.  The fireworks were fun, but I was tired, so I took the bus back to the Spencer House and called it a week. 

 

Week 3 - Authors, Freshers' Flu, and A Rough Tutorial

Week Three at Oxford brought some welcome and unwelcome experiences.  Sunday afternoon I attended the last day of the Magical Books exhibit being held at the Bodleian Library.  It featured the works of fantasy authors from medieval times to the present.  Original manuscripts were provided, along with sketches, maps, and memorabilia.  It was quite enjoyable for me - especially since it featured work by C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, two of my favorite authors.  I'd share pictures, but due to the fragility of many of the items, photography was not permitted.  One thing I did find surprising - the illustrations that were personally done by Tolkien and Lewis; I didn't know they were both such talented artists.

Monday was spent attending a lecture, and finalizing some amendments to my previous social policy essay.  Monday night I attended choir practice again, and Evensong service at the Christ Church Cathedral.  After the service, we ate dinner at the college dining hall, pictured below.  It is a really large room, and difficult to capture using an Iphone camera (while simultaneously trying NOT to look like a gawking American tourist).  The walls are lined with amazing portraiture of British historical figures.  See Henry VIII, just under the window?

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday were full of reading, research, and writing for my next political sociology essay due on Thursday afternoon.  The theme was civic culture and political capital.  The readings were complex, and involved a lot of theory.  Therefore, I enjoyed a lot of coffee :) 

 

What I did NOT enjoy was catching a version of "freshers' flu."  Apparently it is not atypical for new students to get a bad cold/flu during their first term.  I don't know if it's the exposure to all the damp weather we're not accustomed to, or the heavy work pace I've kept up, but either way, as the week progressed I was not feeling good.  I hit the Holland and Barrett health food store in Summertown for extra vitamins, followed by a visit to M & S for chicken soup.  Ugh.

Friday was my third tutorial with Dr. Finlay.  Sadly, he felt my essay material did not cover both sides of the argument in a thorough manner.  Which brings me to another nuance of the tutorial method: tutorials, and tutors, are not alike.  Both of my tutors have different preferences about how they want the material presented, about what approach I should take with the research, and how I should construct my essays.  Talking with other students, British and internationals alike, we all agree on this; tutorial methodology is very subjective and often is shaped by the personality of the tutor.  So if you plan on studying at Oxford, be prepared for this. As an American, I'm used to having details laid out in a lengthy syllabus at the start of each term, giving me the expectations for the work during the course.  The Oxford syllabi I've received generally include a reading list, and perhaps some information on what font to use, when to submit your essay, etc.  But how you tackle your material and present your argument will be determined by the individualized interaction between you and each of your tutors. 

 

Saturday several of us took the bus into Headington to tour the Kilns, the home of C.S. Lewis for 33 years.  We spent about two hours learning about his life there, his personality, and the unique marriage he had with his wife Joy.  Pictured below, the front of the home.

Pictured on the left is the "common room" which at one time held C.S. Lewis's collection of over 3000 books.

 

Pictured to the right, is the typewriter of Lewis's brother, Warnie.  Lewis did not type himself, but instead would write his books out long-hand, and Warnie would type them out using two-fingered typing.  Hard to imagine all of those incredible novels being produced on such a tiny machine! 

Pictured below is the original sign that hung over the Eagle and Child pub in Oxford, when Tolkien and Lewis met there with the "Inklings" club.  The pub has since been franchised to a chain (!), and during one of the renovations, the sign was removed and set into the rubbish bin.  A friend of the family happened by and asked if he could purchase it, and he did, for £10.  Then he arranged for the sign to be placed at the Kilns. 

 

OK, I couldn't resist wondering, when I saw this, whether or not Tolkien used it as the inspiration for his scenes that depict the eagles carrying his characters to safety.  It does make one wonder....

So, here are Carrie Ann and I, outside the front of the Kilns.  The property, which at one time included 8 acres (sold off after Lewis's death, and for housing development), also includes a nearby pond.  During Lewis's time at the Kilns, he would often walk around the pond, and even into Oxford to Magdalen College where he worked. 




After our tour, we walked toward Headington, to Holy Trinity Church, where Lewis attended services.  He is laid to rest in the cemetery.  It's a really beautiful place; quite peaceful.

Thus ends Week 3 for me at Oxford.  The longer I'm here, the more I learn about its history, its people, and its personality.  Hopefully, the other students and I are having our own positive impact upon Oxford.  I look forward to tackling another week of academic challenges, as well as discovering something else about this area so rich with cultural heritage.