Discrepancies

I've been meaning to post the cultural differences for some time now, here's a few...

**pronunciation (American English translated into English English):
-aluminum- AL-U-MEN-EE-UM (I would actually like to adopt this one)
-derby- Dah-bee (just wrong)
-oregano- or-ah-gahn-o
-underwear- pants (this has caused some major confusion in the past)

**EVERYTHING'S SOOO SMALL!!
-the cartons of juice, if you can call them that, can be swallowed in 2 large gulps. and they're outrageously overpriced.

**roundabouts...who knows....

**People here are environmentally conscious as well as humanitarian
-SUVs do not exist--nearly everyone rides a bike
-Fairtrade stores- products from third world countries that actually pay their employees decent wages
-everyone recycles, no one leaves lights, radios, etc on...
-free range eggs--some people make this into a HUGE deal...I'm still learning.

**boys wear capris, but they just call them shorts. the way guys dress here is a good deal different from American guys. they're definitely more metrosexual.

**Refrigerator confusion
-jam on the counter
-bread in the fridge
-honey in the fridge

**food
-beans for breakfast
-proper bacon does not exist
-bland does not mean healthy--food here is extremely fattening
-Indian food is the British equivalent of Mexican food
-vegetarians do exist...and in large quantities

**pubs and american bars are not synonymous. there's this pub by my house here that has a playground.

**this probably isn't a cultural thing as much as it's an oxford thing...but I feel as if I can get away with saying a lot of things at home, and it would be accepted for what it is. often here, I say what I think is an innocent statement, and people jump all over it...analyzing, critiquing, etc.

**that being said, I also think people here are much more passive agressive. this may be due to my blunt, yet loving, friends at home, but I find people here to repress their emotions often here.
more to come later.....

One more month

One month from today, we'll bid Oxford adieu. This brings a mix of emotions. Sadness--Oxford is such a great city to live in. It's perfect in size. There are tons of places where one can just sit and think. Very rare for a city, I'd assume. And best of all--the SMELL!! Oh...I'll miss its florally goodness ;-) However, I'm VERY excited with the thought of seeing friends and family again! I just need to relish my time left...

Time management really gets me. I get caught up in doing nothing a lot. Well, not nothing as in just staring blankly into the darkness by myself. That would be a sad thought. But, I get caught up talking to people. Today for instance, I planned on catching up on my reading, but just as I had finished my lunch and was about to get to work, my housemate Jacob came in the kitchen, and we chatted for a good 3 hours! By the time we were finished, it was time for my skype date with Tyler. Then, I went back downstairs to make some coffee, and I ran into another housemate, who I then talked with for about another hour. I like talking to people, especially one-on-one, but I need to learn when to stop. I wonder if it's even enjoying the conversation as much as it is an excuse not to do work.

I guess I would have a lot more free time if I didn't have an essay due every week now. My tutor (God bless her) forgot about our previous tute in which we planned on an essay every other week. Oh well. I'm here to learn...blah, blah, blah... This is actually a pathetic complaint. Other students here have quite a bit more work as well as other social responsibilites that just don't come with a visiting student.

I don't think I could really make it at Oxford as a serious student. Aside from not being incredibly bright, I just procrastinate way too much. Matt was telling me that's how the Oxford admissions determine who get in. They judge you by how much you'll be willing to work when the work doesn't count (fyi: of the 3 years they study, Oxford students don't get graded the first two years).

There was something I had in mind earlier to write about but I've lost it. I was long overdue for an entry anyway.

Trinity term tutorial

This term I'm studying Medieval art. My tutor is Cathy Oakes who is the chair of the art history department at Kellogg College. She's a funny person. She fits nicely into the stereotype of the eccentric art professor. For one of our meetings, she showed up late and disheveled in appearance. Her turquois bra was showing. She's very nice though, and I think she'll be a good teacher. She has been very personable and clever in pointing me towards important texts. On our first tutorial, she asked me to explain the American education system. When she asked me what I did in my last paper, I silently thought, "This is amazing! I bet she'll only give me five essays like Claire!" I calmly told her that I wrote five essays, four of 2500 words and the last one had 5000 words, to which she exclaimed, "That seems like a lot of work!" Well....considering my Georgetown peers wrote at least eight last term, I didn't think it was too overbearing, but I didn't mention this. I think I'm going to end up having four essays this term though not everything was settled since she didn't even give me a syllabus; so basically, I'll have plenty of time to relax and enjoy my final weeks in Oxford.

Currently, we're entering into our third week, and I have yet to turn in an essay. I'm actually working on my first one on the themes of stained glass in four Oxford colleges. It's been interesting to read about, but I've lacked motivation. The weather has been incredible, so I just want to frolick in the quad or walk by the river. I also feel as if I have a much better idea as to what my tutor will expect and how to give her what she wants.

So here I am, struggling with the minute amount of work that has been given to me....

My little Schmer...

Two nights ago, I received an unexpected call from my mom in which she told me one of my good friends from home had passed away. I was shocked. One of my worst fears is someone close to me dying while I'm here, and of all the people I worried about, Erin never made the list. It's odd that I would have never thought this. Erin had cancer for as long as I was friends with her--four years--but I honestly never foresaw her dying so young. I was uncontrollably emotional at first--simultaneously upset and angry. I hurt physically as well--my body just ached. I was upset at the loss of one of my dearest friends. We were really close in my high school years, and though we drifted slightly due to distance, I still saw her regularly during the summers. But I was also extremely mad at myself. I was mad for not contacting her while I had been here. I had done a good job (for me anyway) of keeping in touch with friends, but I just never facebooked Erin or wrote her a postcard. Actually that's not true. I had written her a postcard the first week I was here, I just never took the next step of getting her address. Erin was such a great friend to me, and I was so angry at myself and sad that she may have thought that I had forgotten her. I really wish I would have known how bad off she was...

I'm much better about it emotionally. I talked it through with Tyler, and he was amazing about it. It's insane how someone willing to listen to you cry and vent can make such a huge difference. It seems as if people usually feel really uncomfortable and like they have to say something right away. Usually the person says something dumb when really the best thing they can do is just lend some time and a listening ear. I just cried for the first bit to Tyler, then went through my anger at myself, but I mainly reminisced the good times. I'm still in shock though. It's just so sad to think that she's not going to be there when I get back. Her funeral is today. I'm sure that tons of people went. Everyone loved her. Though people will mostly be grieving, I can't help but think that her funeral will be kinda funny too. I mean, I'm sure Erin would have found some amusement in it. She was the type of person who would laugh at the most sad, serious moments in a movie. It drove me crazy even though I would often laugh too. When I was telling Tyler about Erin, I couldn't help but laugh. I couldn't get the image of her squeezing my arm so she could fart while we were in church or her saying "Oh my goodness, oh my goodness" and waving her hands like she was about to have an anxiety attack. She was one of the biggest dorks I knew. I'm going to miss her so much. My little Schmer...