A British Education: The Essay I Never Wrote

   A week later I am sitting at my desk trying to remember what the events of last Monday in Oxford involved. One thing I remember distinctly is that there was an essay I could have written over Oxford--quite a stimulating essay topic, in fact--but Monday eve I sat at my desk staring at what I had worked on so far for my essay...just the title, and decided instead to snuggle in my bed and read.
    Anyway, Oxford was one of the most delightful places I have been so far! We entered the town, and immediately I could feel pulsating brains at work, doctrines being written, and theses developed. The town is truly an academic's haven. And I did get the Harry Potter vibe as well. I think of Hogwarts as being an elite place for a wizard to receive and education, so I believe it is fitting that Oxford assisted in setting the mood of this epic film.
   Upon arrival in this quaint scholastic town, we pass by the Eagle and the Child, and are shortly informed that this is the very pub where C.S. Lewis and J.R. Tolkien--two of my favorite minds--came together to discuss things that most of the world couldn't even fathom. Mental note: going there.
    We assemble off the bus across from the Ashmolean Museum, and proceed down the hallowed walkways of Oxford town. I, for one, stand apart from the group a bit, hoping that my student demeanor might fool at least one person into believing that I am one of the privileged Oxford pupils. I liked to believe that this worked. Anyway, we walk along the roads and immediately head for the Sheldonian theater to take in more of Christopher Wren's astounding architecture, and to climb up to the belfry tower for a bird's eye look of Oxford. We were also told that this theater is where students are first matriculated in their freshman year, and where previous commencement ceremonies were and are still held as well.

     After that, we were set free for a quick bit in order to fuel ourselves for the next couple of hours with some much needed caffeine. There was this cute little place called Cafe Creme, which had a pastry case I was drooling over, but I saved some money and remembered the PB&J I had packed for later. Next we were taken on a walking tour of Oxford, with a delightful tour guide. He showed us things such as the Bridge of Misery, which students crossed to go to the library, University College, small alleyways, all the while entertaining us with images of historical Oxford and student life in the college.
   Apparently at Oxford, it is normal to have one to three students per "tutor" and normally you study, read, and write essays for these tutors, graded by the oral reciting of sed paper. You then proceed to study again, read, and drink quite frequently until your final year. I must say, the process has an appeal to it. I guess my Ravenclaw nature was showing itself that day.

    After touring the different colleges and streets of Oxford, we had a short lunch break where I busted into my PB&J and people watched before heading over to Christ Church College: the famous site of Harry Potter sets...as well as other historic things.
   Christ Church is surrounded by the most breathtaking gardens and grounds that any college student would drool over. It also is the only college open to public access. All the others are a little to uppity about having tourists in their quads. We saw the beautiful architecture, the Queen's chapel, as well as references to Alice in Wonderland, due to Lewis Carrol (Charles Dodgson) being a professor at Christ Church.
   Of course, we also went into the room they filmed Harry Potter in, though it did not look quite as familiar as I thought it would. 

Harry Potter fans would recognize this hallway....

    the famous dining hall used in the first movie

    After finishing up with Christ Church, we were on the hunt for the one thing I had been waiting all day to see: the pub my two favorite authors had once collaborated in. And we found it. I also was able to meet up with Michael McAndrew, a fellow GCS alum, and hear how he was enjoying the Oxford system of learning. My impression of Oxford. Very proud, prestigious, exclusive. I want in!