Category: The Oxford Files
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Finally, Some Poetry
When I wrote the first poem for my creative writing tutorial at the beginning of October, I didn’t think it would take me a full two months to get a final draft. I was still under the impression that my tutorials would be similar to the American school system. I expected to turn in the…
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The Brilliance of the British Tutorial System
In American universities, classes are often very passive—students come in, listen to the teacher speak, receive an assignment, turn it in, and get it back with a grade. Some teachers have too many students to spend time personally looking over all the homework, and a student assistant grades most of it. By the end of…
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Cooking for the Masses
There are close to 40 of us living in the Vines—the massive house owned by our study abroad program—and no such thing as pre-made dorm food. As a result, this has been the first time that I’ve had to buy and cook all my own food. While I’ve appreciated my university’s cafeteria for the last…
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A Weekend Jaunt to Paris
One of the greatest challenges I’ve faced this term has been trying to find the right balance between the “studying” and “abroad” parts of the trip. I’m here at Oxford University—one of the most prestigious undergraduate institutions in the world—but I’m also half way across the globe in a foreign country, and I want to…
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My Writing Debut in England
I’ve never enjoyed talking to strangers on the phone. So I was a little panicked when I left the Oxford Student newspaper meeting last Friday with an assignment to write a news article, due Monday at 3:00 pm. I had never written a news article before, was a foreigner in the country, and knew nothing…
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An Autumn without Pumpkin
Once upon a time, there was a very sad world in which the pumpkins never ripened. Oh, you could plant the seeds, and watch the small shoots come up from the ground. Toward the end of summer, pumpkins would begin to sprout from the dying flowers. But no matter what you tried, you could never…
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Translations into British
Whoever argues that Americans and Brits speak the same language are mistaken. True, we both communicate with the same words, but the subtle differences between British and American English make a huge difference in meaning. Take the word “pants,” for example. In the US, this word refers to clothing items that are worn around the…
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Why do Brits Always Talk about the Weather?!?
I grew up with this notion that “small talk” meant that you couldn’t say anything deep. Chat about insignificant topics with people you don’t really know in order to keep the conversation light. Don’t talk about politics or religion—talk about everyone’s health and the weather. So naturally, I’ve grown up not wanting to talk about…
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The Bodleian: One of the Largest (and Most Confusing) Libraries in the World
Inductions into university libraries are usually fairly simple. There is one building, one online catalog system, and you can find and check out the books you need. Not at Oxford University. First, there are three different library systems. Oxford is comprised of 44 different colleges, and each one has its own library. But you can’t…
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British Speech
Before coming to Oxford, one of my goals for the semester was to study British speech patterns. I wanted to become so good at imitating a British accent that I could fool the English themselves. It would be fun to walk into a pub or cafe—someplace I wouldn’t be recognized—and be taken for a native…
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England–The Land of Tea
Almost everyone who knows me would agree that I love tea. Black tea, herbal tea, fruit tea, white tea. Tea with lavender or mango or apple or blueberry. Sugar is a must, of course. But I am an all-around tea lover. I should have been born in England. I have only lived here, studying abroad,…
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Experiencing European Leisure
Something I’ve noticed about life in Europe is that the pace is much slower than it is in the US. When we were staying in Salzburg, Austria–a resort town in the Alps that is the destination of both Austrians and international travelers–we had come back from a long day of sight-seeing and shopping. My mom…
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The dangers of travel
Yesterday was supposed to be an easy, relaxing travel day from Paris, France to Salzburg, Austria. It almost began in disaster. The major airport outside Paris–the LAX of France, if you will–is the Charles De Gaulle airport. Our flight left at 8:45 am, so we got a taxi at 6:00 and drove the 45 minutes…
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Ah, Paris.
Bonjour! It’s 5 am in Paris. It’s a lovely 60 degrees outside, and I’m still slightly jet-lagged, so I sit at the open window, listening to the sounds of the city at night. This is my first time in Europe, and so far, it has been image parfaite, picture perfect. I often think of big…
Victoria Van Vlear 