As I am typing this, I am lying in possibly one of the most comfortable hotel beds I have ever slept in. My dad and my step mom came to London yesterday morning to visit me and see what I have been experiencing the past 3 months. We walked around London a lot yesterday, doing all of the common tourist things that you're supposed to do when you visit London like go see Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, have lunch right next to the London Eye, ride the tube, and check out Picadilly Circus. It was a great start to a short vacation, and my one opportunity to show off where I have been living.
I am absolutely infatuated with everything about England. I have probably said that numerous times throughout my blogs, but I just can't get enough of it. I feel as though there are so many places that I still want to see, so many things that I want to learn, and so much that I still want to do. We're walking around in London and my dad is popping out about 20 questions per minute and I have no idea how to respond to him! It's a little embarrassing because I am truly so proud of where I am and what i'm doing over here, but it's not London that I have wanted to, or even had the opportunity to, spend the majority of my time exploring. It's Oxford.
So today, I decided that I wanted to take them up to Oxford and really give them a feel for everyday life in England. Even my dad mentioned how Americanized London seemed and I just knew that the second we got to Oxford, it would be a completely different experience for them. And was I right! We took the train to Oxford from Paddington Station and right away my dad made the comment of "Okay! we're finally in England!" We hopped on a double decker bus and cruised into the city centre. Starting, of course, with buying my dad a raincoat, we went on to explore the Oxford Library, the Oxford University Schools, Turf Tavern, Chequers, and attempted to climb up the church where you can see all over Oxford but it was closed because they were putting up the bells.
I had never actually truly explored inside the big Oxford University because I alway thought it was closed off to the public. Yet, my dad being who he is and such a rebel at heart, we got to go through some gardens and climb stairs that led us into this huge dining hall that actually completely resembled the "Great Hall" in Harry Potter. It was a really cool feeling to be up there and exploring these buildings because of how old they are and to think about how learning has been going on in these buildings for hundreds of years absolutely baffles me.
The fact that I brought them to see Oxford University before I brought them to where I actually attend classes at Brookes might not have been the best idea, I think that I set them up to expect where all of my learning goes on to be very similar to that. That is not the case at all. Oxford Brookes is a much younger school than Oxford University and definitely not as prestigious, but I am still just as proud to be a student there. I walked them through part of the Headington Campus, but we were in such a rush to get back to London for a Latin Mass (which we never actually made it to) that we had to rush through all of that campus and where I live. Walking into my flat, I was so proud to show them how my flat mates and I live. We really try to make our flat like a home and I was so happy that my dad and step mom got to meet them all.
Getting back to London was not too bad at all, and as always, I passed out on the train ride back. I'm not sure what it is about sitting in moving vehicles, but I always manage to fall asleep! Even if i'm driving 20 minutes on a warm sunny day, it's just how I am. We unfortunately didn't make it in time for a Latin mass so we just decided to go and see the play "War Horse" instead. Now, this was a production like I have never seen before. The acting was pretty good, but what really blew me away was how the actors moved with the man-made horses, geese, and other birds. It legitimately looked as if they had studied animals and their reactions and how they interact with not only humans but with other animals and practiced mimicking them. It was absolutely incredible. Not to mention the fact that I love movies that involve past wars because I am a total history lover, and this movie took place during World War I. There were definitely some parts that I thought were a little cheesy, such as the story line and how much one of the actors talked to the horse, pretty much expecting it to answer back. But I guess that was all part of the plot so there was no real way around that.
Tomorrow my step mom wants to go and check out Harrods department Store, Buckingham Palace, and the crown jewels at the Tower of London. Of course, I wish that I could take them back to Oxford and even just walk around with them, experiencing what I see around the city every day and how it makes me feel that I could live there for the rest of my life. There are some things, such as the Oxford Castle, that I haven't even been able to go to yet so I was looking forward to take them there, but this is their trip, and honestly, I would rather make people happy while they are visiting a place than trying to be selfish and show them what I want them to see.
I feel sorry for anyone that hasn't had their parents, relatives, or friends come visit them while they've been over here. It's not only helpful for a person that may be homesick, but it's a chance to show off what you've been doing for the past three months! Stories and pictures can only say so much, but experiences, now that's where the real appreciation and understanding comes from.
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