Getting Settled

Below is a photo of a nondescript  alley that leads to my dorm, Ablethorpe, or known more affectionately as "Dale." It's off a tiny street called Dawson, and Carl and I would have had a pretty difficult time finding it if there hadn't been another visiting student passing by who noticed our confusion.

The building itself is pretty nice. I share a bathroom and a kitchen with six other people, who are either other visiting students or third-year Mansfield students. I think that I have met most of the people on my hall now, and everyone has been incredibly nice. There's a third-year British student named Richard on my hall who has been nice enough to show several of us Americans around. I've also gotten to spend a fair amount of time with the girl who lives next door. I think she's going to be a great hallmate. We've even planned to cook some meals together!


Photos of my room:

The building is kind of formed into a triangle with a small quad in the center. Here is the view from my window:

My college! Isn't it beautiful?

   

Our second day, Carl and I went to the library. It was also incredible, so lovely. It didn't have many of the books that I need for my first assignment. However, Oxford has about a hundred libraries, one especially for English classes, so I am sure I won't have a hard time finding them. One day this week we have an introduction the library system at Oxford.

The photo below is from the courtyard at Regent's Park, the college where some other Jewell students will be studying. Carl and I met Patrick here yesterday. The building of Regent's itself is rather hard to identify, and the front door looks completely ordinary. This courtyard definitely seems to make up for it's outward appearance though, in my opinion. 

Today, I spent most of the morning and afternoon reading Shakespeare's play Macbeth. I already have an assignment from one of my professors, and it's a ton of reading. Shakespeare's tragedies is my minor, or secondary, tutorial this term, and Modern Japanese Literature is my major, or primary, tutorial. I have yet to hear from my Japanese Lit. teacher, but I think that is fairly common. I can't wait for tutorials to start!

First, however, is Freshers' Week. Tomorrow afternoon, all of the incoming British first-year students will arrive, and thus begins freshers' week. There are a ton of events planned for each day and evening to introduce everyone to each other and to Oxford. There are, of course, other meetings for registration, learning to use the library resources, meetings about housing rules, ect. as well. I'm trying to get ahead on my Shakespeare assignment because I know that this week is going to be crazy busy. I can't wait though!

I'll try to take more pictures of Oxford in general soon. I will not even try to describe how breath-taking every single street in this city seems. It is still a little bit unreal.