Fish and Chips

We started our classes this week and I have to say that I am truly overwhelmed!  We have a whole lot of papers to write and books to read.  Although, I am very excited about the material it is over.  I am taking Christian Worship, Christianity and Culture, Oxford Through the Ages, Great Britain (INTS), Intro to Philosophy, and Walking for Fitness.

 

In our Christian Worship class we are required to visit 5 different churches.  I plan to visit a mosque and some Christian and Catholic churches to observe different ways of worship.  For my INTS class we are to volunteer somewhere while we are in Oxford.  I have just finished my first day volunteering at Oxfam--a second-hand store somewhat like our version of goodwill.  Surprisingly they put me on the "till" (register) for my first day!  After making a couple of mistakes (typical of a first day), I feel as though I am finally getting the hang of it.  Plus, the managers and workers there are very nice.  

 

So as of my last blog I have officially eaten fish and chips.  Very tasty!  I ate them at a famous pub called,"The Eagle and Child."  Included with my meal were some mushy peas in which they actually refer to them on the menu as "mushy peas."  Here are photos:

Enough of my food ratings.  In my Oxford Through the Ages class we toured New College--just one of the 39 campuses of Oxford University.  It is absolutely gorgeous!  It still amazes me how old everything is in Oxford.  I took some pictures from our tour...

... I can't wait to tour more of Oxford and its beautiful campuses.  

I Made it!!

I am finally beginning my journey!  I can't believe it!  I arrived on Thursday and have already been in Oxford for a full day.  I absolutely love it so far!  The fact that I am living in a foreign country has yet to hit me.  

So today I went out on the town.  I toured Oxford and took lots of pictures!!  Or at least until my batteries died (lesson no. 1: bring extra batteries).  I visited places that C.S. Lewis used to visit, including his church and "The Eagle and Child," a local pub.  Jet lag is still lingering over me but hopefully not for long.  I went to a sandwich shop last night for dinner and fell in love with it! I ate an amazing baguette panini with chicken and brie for only 2 pounds.  The women who run the shop are very sweet and love to talk to all the ACU students that come by.  I will probably be visiting often.  

We start school on Monday and I can't wait to delve into Oxford through the Ages to learn more about the history and architecture of the buildings I have been taking pictures of.  Also to visit all Oxford's beautiful churches.  I've had to adjust to certain things like, people driving on the left side (they even walk on the left side of the sidewalk), different terminology (example: to line-up is to "queue" up), and the appliances.  It has already been an adventure!

Here are some pictures:

One of Oxford's famous photo shots and the sandwich shop I visited.

Adventures in Estonia

So it's been awhile since I last blogged and I thought that because my family and I traveled to Estonia this summer it was only fitting that I would post some of my recent experiences.

Hmmmm...where do I begin??

Well, this was my very first encounter with a European country and I must say that it made me even more excited about my spring semester in Oxford! It also helped me prepare myself for the lifestyle of Europeans including a number of things:

1. You have to pay for grocery bags (Note to self: bring own bags)
2. Everything is much smaller (groceries, houses, rooms)
3. When you see a WC in a public place make sure you have some spare change because you may be charged to use their facility.
4. Water is not free at restaurants (it always comes in bottles)
5. No free refills either
6. Taking the bus is perfectly normal, in fact many people do it to get from place to place.
7. People only eat when they are hungry (which means that they may only eat one meal a day)

The people of Estonia are so kind and helpful. We never ran into any real problems with communication, especially when a majority of the people speak some, if not fluent english. The country itself is so unique and beautiful! My whole family fell in love with Estonia!

It was all in all a great experience! I hope to visit there again!

Lauren

My first blog

So I absolutely can't wait till I study abroad! 

I created this blog so I could post things that I will be doing in England during the Spring of 2009.  I realize that this is a year from now but I wanted to get used to the idea of blogging.  Plus the fact that I am super excited about it!!

I also thought this was a good way to stay connected to my friends and family...because I love each and everyone of you! :D

That's all for now...I probably won't be posting much between now and my departure to England.

Lauren ♥