There and Back Again
It’s dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.
But doing so may sweep you into literary heaven, like it did me yesterday. Although it was a chill-to-the-bone, rain-snow-and-hail-drenched kind of day, I managed to spend most of it exploring some iconic places in Oxford.
One of the places I wanted to go was the Eagle and the Child pub, affectionately known as “The Bird and Baby” by former regulars J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, part of the weekly literary circle “The Inklings” in the 1930s and 40s (pub built in 1650, however).
Through the small front door, past cozy booths and an unassuming, mahogany bar, my friends and I huddled around a little table in the back under a greenhouse ceiling. The shabby Narnia and Middle Earth maps on the crooked, leaky walls (it’s endearing, I promise) served as an homage to its literary patrons without caricaturing them. Drinking Guinness and tea never felt more…intellectual? Although it wasn’t the fireside, pipe-smoking romanticization I had in mind, I was still dreaming up new worlds to write about just the same.
Later, we toured the Gothic halls of Christ Church (one of Oxford’s colleges), more commonly known as Lewis Carroll’s home and inspiration for Alice in Wonderland, as well as the filming location for many scenes in Harry Potter (waiting for my letter again now!). The fire in the “great hall” definitely warmed our freezing toes, but I hope to come (there and) back (again…heh) to Oxford when it gets warmer so I can duck in warm buildings less and explore the streets more. Maybe I’ll catch a glimpse of current student–and incredible woman–Malala, too.
By the way, Oxford itself is a university system rather than its own university. There are 38 separate colleges within it, all with their own admission systems, campuses, and degrees, but Oxford is the umbrella organization that hands out the general “Oxford” diploma upon graduation. Though it may be a pipe dream, I’d like to apply to one (or all) of the Oxford colleges for grad school…I could totally see myself living and studying here. And I’m not just saying that so I can pretend I go to Hogwarts…
The rest of my week was pretty busy as well because I was shockingly reminded I’m an actual student and need to go to CLASS. What? Class?
I did enjoy my first week of classes, though, and I’m looking forward to reading a bunch of books for Contemporary London Literature and British Fantasy Literature, as well as touring art museums for British Art & Architecture and talking to current London diplomats and ambassadors for Diplomatic Studies.
The British undergrad education system is weird though…it’s week one and I’ve already started outlining my long final political paper on “whatever diplomatic topic we want” for Diplomatic Studies, my only grade of the whole semester. Although I appreciate the freedom and “independent thinking” this format provides, I’ve grown up a little too coddled with my American public education for this to come naturally. Oh well–while I’m flying by with my other, easier study abroad-specific courses, I think I’m ok with this diplomacy class to kick my ass a little–as long as I still have time to travel a bit somewhere in the middle.
Other things I’ve done this week include walking around the beautiful Notting Hill neighborhood, seeing Wicked at the West End, visiting the National Portrait Gallery in Trafalgar Square, and eating the best Indian food of my life at Dishoom Bombay Café.
England is treating me well so far. London is both exhausting and energizing, but I’m handling it a lot better than a city like New York, perhaps because of its expansiveness, ample green spaces, layered history, and my little oasis of a neighborhood.
After all, all we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us, and I think this is a pretty great way to spend mine.
