Ten Weeks Later

Wow...what a whirlwind!
About ten weeks ago, Noughth Week began, and next thing I knew, I was swept up into the furious pace of the Oxford term.
Terms here in the City of Spires last for eight weeks, preceded by Noughth Week (when everyone moves in and schedules tutorials) and capped at the end with Ninth Week (when everyone leaves for holiday). Fitting a semester's workload into two months was quite a challenge. Oxford students know how to hit the books and study hard, and then relax like it's their business. As for me, it definitely took a bit to adjust to a whole new style of learning and studying as a senior college student. I've learned even more about time management and the importance of taking refreshing breaks. It's all about balance.

At the end of my last post, I mentioned that I'd be spending lots of time reading and studying in the Radcliffe Camera in preparation for my Integral Exam. That behavior did not end with the exam. I have become quite fond of the Radcliffe Camera. I spent quite a bit of time on the Upper and Lower levels, and underground in the Gladstone Link. I'll admit to staying in the the RadCam until closing time (10pm) a couple times a week...even a couple Fridays. There's nothing like being surrounded by hundreds of books while you work.

This was my course schedule for the 8 weeks:
Monday morning: The Inklings
Tuesday morning: Women and Literature in the Middle Ages
Wednesday morning: Arthurian Legend seminar

For my two tutorials, I composed an essay for class each week after completing selected reading and
choosing a topic. In my Women&Lit class, I studied Old English poems, women in Beowulf, women
in the Old Norse and Icelandic poems and sagas, Middle English Marian lyrics, Chaucer's Legend of 
Good Women and Christine de Pizan's Book of the City of Ladies, The Lais of Marie de France, and
 the writings of Margery Kempe and Julian of Norwich. For this tut, I read my essay aloud to my
tutor after a period of general discussion of the topic. Engaging with feminist criticism was
interesting, and I enjoyed tracing the evolving presentation of women through literature in different 
cultures. In my Inklings tut, I studied the lives and works of mainly C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, 
but also Charles Williams and Dorothy L. Sayers (to clarify, D.L.S. was not an Inkling herself, but 
knew many in the circle). Being able to study The Inklings IN Oxford was incredible. For example, 
during the day, I could read The Lord of the Rings, walk past Merton College, and in the evening 
have a pint at the Bird and Baby or the Lamb and Flag. Throughout the semester, I attended lectures 
hosted by the C.S. Lewis Society. Near the end of term, my tutor organized a tour of Merton College,
 where Tolkien was a fellow, and the C.S. Lewis Society hosted a Christmas party at The Kilns, the 
home of Lewis.

For the Arthurian Legend seminar, our group of 8 and our tutor sampled Arthurian literature, from 
Chretien de Troyes and Malory in the Middle Ages to Tennyson in the Victorian Period. I did a 
research project on adaptations of the Arthurian Legend in the Modern Period, in the works of T.S. 
Eliot, Charles Williams, and C.S. Lewis. It was a fantastic way to review what I'd learned earlier in 
the semester and round out the progression of the course material to the modern age. 

Aside from coursework, I filled out my first Oxford term with a variety of different activities. I took some ballroom dancing and salsa lessons, frequented the Oxford Catholic Chaplaincy, had coffee/tea chats and pub visits, and explored the city in general. I enjoyed a lot of special events and celebrations. I attended the Catholic Chaplaincy Formal, a black tie event with a full five-course meal. For Guy Fawkes Day/Bonfire Day, I went to the Oxford fireworks show and bonfire. CMRS had a Halloween Party, Thanksgiving Dinner, and Christmas Social. We also had intermittent outings to G&D's (best ice cream in town) and the movies (because they came out earlier in the UK). I had the chance to attend a graduate English seminar, a Tolkien book launch, a concert in the Sheldonian Theatre, and many other exciting things.

Of course, a few hundred words cannot encapsulate my first term in Oxford. Then again, neither could a few thousand. Perhaps a short summary is best; one must first live, and then remember; but I suppose I could top it off with a few photos: 

View from my room on the day of arrival - August 30.

CMRS JCR/Kitchen - missing some familiar faces ~

Bodleian Libraries Induction Ceremony

At the Bear - first night pub outing :)

Outing to The Royal Blenheim - Lizi, Ellen, and Katie

Royal Blenheim - Ben, me, Margot

Exploring the grounds of Berkeley Castle

The famous fountain shoot :) With Margot, Katie, Robin, and Ellen

At the St. Giles Fair ~

DONUTS!

Classic CMRS'ers

King Arthur's Round Table - Fact or Fiction?

The majestic Wells Cathedral

Exploring the Cotswolds with Chris, Katie, Ellen, and Margot

Worth all of the bumps in travelling :P

Outside the Trout Inn after our afternoon walk along the Cherwell

At Warwick Castle - Avneet, Maria, Lizi, me, Katie, Hillary, Peter, and Arianna

Outside the British Museum during a day of museum-hopping.

Keble Disco Bop!

Guy Fawkes/Bonfire Night

Merton College - a fellowship of tutorial-mates ~

Girls' Night at the Lamb and Flag

Keble American High School Bop

Keble Christmas Dinner

End-of-semester goodbyes - with Maddie and Ben

It's been an incredible semester, and it keeps getting better the more I look back. 
To my fellow Fall 2012 CMRS'ers - you all are amazing. It's been a pleasure and a privilege to live and study with you. We made it! And we're all the better for it. 
To everyone I have encountered this term, both on this continent and across the pond - thank you for the beauty of your presence, the delightfulness of your company, and all of your words of affirmation and encouragement.

This term has meant so much - and the fruits will only manifest and ripen the more as time passes. 

Until we meet again, I am, as ever, yours,
Victoria