Our group joined the larger group of students from China studying at Surrey this summer. We broke apart and boarded two buses, hoping to exchange a few words with our traveling companions. Colleen and Jill had extensive and wide-ranging intercultural conversations, while some others of us were turned away when we tried to take a vacant seat! On Bus 2, a Chinese student asked us to complete a cultural questionnaire on graduation rituals as part of her project to enhance the event at her college.
The teachers leading the trip provided maps of the town and walked everyone to the entrance of Christ Church College, our meeting point for later in the day. We dispersed in little groups to explore this famous college town.
Christ Church College lies along the scenic River Cherwell. From the Broad Walk we could watch rowers and punters enjoying the river, and people relaxed along the banks. Lauren, Colleen, Lisa, Elizabeth and Adrienne strolled past the Christ Church Meadow and the Botanical Garden to Café Rendezvous, where we partook of some delicious continental refreshments, including crepes and lattes.
At 1:00, people who had signed up for the tour of Christ Church College returned to the gate to find a massive queue. Even though the tour would let us walk through the Great Hall used in filming Harry Potter, everyone decided to skip the queue and explore the town some more.
Some of the highlights: browsing in an antique store, learning about the British monetary system from a local, finding unique gifts at a charity shop, touring the Bodleian Library, enjoying the magnificent architecture and Camera Square, hanging out by the river, checking out local art and bookshops, and lunching at the Eagle and Child, former haunt of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.
There were many nationalities in Oxford, and we were able to converse with people from China, Oman, Kurdistan, Scotland, Italy, Azerbijian, Spain, and other countries, and some Romany Gypsies.
The town was crowded and many of us sought respite from the hectic streets near our meeting spot as it neared 4:00. This offered more colorful scenes, like the group of tattooed Gypsies and their enormous dog, John Henry, spending the day in the park. Lisa, of course, was taken with the dog, and chatted with its owner about the dog, his name, and American folk hero John Henry. Some friends passing by called to the homeless group, and hilariously mooned everyone. Spencer was shocked at the cultural differences around shirtlessness and public behind-baring but it dramatically punctuated the end of the day.
Somehow we all managed to get back on the bus and back to Surrey. In Building 66, everyone was tuckered out and ready for an early night.
The teachers leading the trip provided maps of the town and walked everyone to the entrance of Christ Church College, our meeting point for later in the day. We dispersed in little groups to explore this famous college town.
Christ Church College lies along the scenic River Cherwell. From the Broad Walk we could watch rowers and punters enjoying the river, and people relaxed along the banks. Lauren, Colleen, Lisa, Elizabeth and Adrienne strolled past the Christ Church Meadow and the Botanical Garden to Café Rendezvous, where we partook of some delicious continental refreshments, including crepes and lattes.
At 1:00, people who had signed up for the tour of Christ Church College returned to the gate to find a massive queue. Even though the tour would let us walk through the Great Hall used in filming Harry Potter, everyone decided to skip the queue and explore the town some more.
Some of the highlights: browsing in an antique store, learning about the British monetary system from a local, finding unique gifts at a charity shop, touring the Bodleian Library, enjoying the magnificent architecture and Camera Square, hanging out by the river, checking out local art and bookshops, and lunching at the Eagle and Child, former haunt of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.
There were many nationalities in Oxford, and we were able to converse with people from China, Oman, Kurdistan, Scotland, Italy, Azerbijian, Spain, and other countries, and some Romany Gypsies.
The town was crowded and many of us sought respite from the hectic streets near our meeting spot as it neared 4:00. This offered more colorful scenes, like the group of tattooed Gypsies and their enormous dog, John Henry, spending the day in the park. Lisa, of course, was taken with the dog, and chatted with its owner about the dog, his name, and American folk hero John Henry. Some friends passing by called to the homeless group, and hilariously mooned everyone. Spencer was shocked at the cultural differences around shirtlessness and public behind-baring but it dramatically punctuated the end of the day.
Somehow we all managed to get back on the bus and back to Surrey. In Building 66, everyone was tuckered out and ready for an early night.