In retrospect: Weekend Update

It is now Tuesday, and I believe I am well enough recovered from the weeked to actually stop and write about its happenings!!!

STRATFORD UPON AVON

Saturday really began at about 1pm. We boarded the bus and headed to Stratford upon Avon. After our arrival, we were taken on a brief walking tour of the city by a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company (who will actually be performing in Love's Labours Lost for us next week). Once that was completed, we were on our own to wander. I actually wandered most of the city on my own, which made it very peaceful and undramatic!

The city itself was a joy to wander around. Rather small, there were inviting cafes, shops and sites along nearly every street in the middle of town. I visited the birthplace of Shakespeare:

I visted Holy Trinity Church, where both Shakespeare and his wife Anne are buried.

Shakespeare's grave


View of the church from the cemetary

I then wandered town until my feet were so exhausted I had to take a break. Luckily, this was near the "Dirty Duck", the most famous of pubs in Stratford. During rehersals for plays, you can often find the actors grabbing a pint after a long day. Too bad I couldn't have spent an extra few days!!!


It was then time to head into the theatre.


The Tempest was amazing. The production was a very unusual interpretation of the play - causing we first timers to love it and those who had seen it before to cry foul. At any rate, it was fantastic, Patrick Stewart was amazing, and the overall experience kept me in goosebumps for a decent chunk of the production.

We returned to Oxford by about midnight, where I promptly found my pillow. But it was up and away by 9:30 the next morning, as I was off to Winchester.

WINCHESTER

Only seven of use decided to take on this trip, which actually allowed it to be a very relaxing day. I ended up wandering the city with my friends Martha and Michael. We started the day by heading over to Winchester Cathedral.


We arrived just as 11:15am mass was beginning, so we decided to stay. I think that mas my first mass in probably 10 years. And it was definitely my first high Anglican mass. Once we had suffered through our confessions and repentance, we wandered the cathedral, looking at the various monuments and tombs. This classic photo has been entitled "Martha, Michelle and Jesus." (if I lighten the photo, you can see the big crucifix hanging in the background - but you will just have to imagine)


One person buried in the church is Jane Austen - and I am seen here smiling in front of her grave. What an odd sort of picture you take at a grave. Are you really supposed to smile???


After our church visit, we headed off in search of King Arthur's Round Table. I had to take a picture in this very pose, as it is totally expected by some (ahem, Mike). So here is me, in classic Michelle form, goofing off in Winchester Castle, showing off King Arthur's Round Table.


By this point, it was after 2pm and we were starving. Found a local pub, had some food and a soda, then just wandered a few other parts of the city. We took a lovely walk down a beautiful medieval river carved through the city.


I wandered off on my own to explore some and work on some writing. In my travel's, I ran across some castle ruins;


and the home where Jane Austen died.


It was time to wrap up the day, so I retired to a park to wait for the bus.

And that was the trip to Winchester.

I hope you all enjoy the pics. OH - I shared another poem in class yesterday, but i need to fix it up before I post it here. I will probably share that tomorrow :)

About to depart for Stratford-upon-Avon

Before I jump on the coach to head out and see Shakespeare's home and visit with Jean Luc Picard, I wanted to write a few lines and share a few photos. My social interactions have grown considerably over the past few days, and I have come out of hiding in my room. Not that I was necessarily hiding, but I was definitely leaning more towards the academic side of things, which I believe is okay in itself. I managed to go out on a "ladies night" Wednesday night, and last night I met a couple different groups out at various pubs. The crazy thing about pubs here is that they close at 11pm, which is contrary to normal practice at home. Sometimes we don't even head out of the house until 10pm or later, assuming we will be out until about 1 or 2am. Not the case here. Even a night out at the pubs means you will probably be at home sound asleep not long after midnight.

Anyway, here are a few pics. Excuse me if I don't have all the names down yet. My mind gets a bit foggy when it comes to names, so i may not have a title for everyone in the photos!!!!

Here is the group of ladies that embarked on ladies night Wednesday. We hit a restaurant called "Old Orleans" which specializes in American food. For us, that meant fajitas. Which I guess are Mexican food, but Americanized, then made English here in Oxford. Even after all the interpretation, the end product was quite tasty :)


This my friend Abbi and I about to enjoy our tower o'fajitas. Abbi is just finishing her undergrad degree at Vanderbilt.

After dinner, we all went to a nightclub called Escape. Notice in the photos that it is still light outside - these photos were taken between 9 and 10pm. The sun does not set until late here.

That's the whole group I have been running around with here. Crazy group of ladies!!!

And here are just some random shots from the evening:


The photo above is Jordan, Abbi and myself. Laura - I don't know if you read any of the Chicago gossip columns, but Jordan writes one in some local magazine in your area! She reports on the comings and goings of celebrities and socialites in downtown...


Excuse my double chin in this photo. This picture is one of my favorite type - the arm outstretched self group portrait. I'm straining a bit here to reach out and take the photo. It's a bit cute anyway...


Mandy is on the left, and she is one of the programme's administrators. Then Jordan, Martha, one of the Indian women here (I can hardly pronounce her name, let alone spell it - once I find the correct spelling, I will post it here). In the back is Heidi.

Okay folks, I need to go grab some cash (yet again - I think there is a hole in my wallet) and wait for the bus to Stratford. I look forward to telling you all about the play when I return.

Ciao!

Show and tell

As you all know, I am here for a creative writing course. Therefore, I have been writing. What an amazing surprise!! I have turned in one piece and will be sharing a short example at my class that begins in about 30 minutes. This will probably bore you to death, but I just thought I would share the poem with you that I presented to my classmates and professor yesterday. When Mom reads this, I am sure she will identify with the situation.

If you feel like you want to, let me know what you think (good or bad). So, here goes:

Scissors
by Michelle Newman

Take this here, take this there
Put it away.
Return it to the place it belongs.

But it longs to be used
To slice, to cut.
Not to lay dormant and unmoved.

Hallway dark and shadowed
Its cave hidden.
The journey too long to bear.

The shine of the metal
Glimmering so.
The handle fits perfect in the palm.

Fingers grasp the device
Holding firmly.
Walking, moving down the hallway.

Arriving so quickly
No time to think.
The weapon moves to its prey.

Sliding soft between blades
The plastic sheet.
A smooth slice is made in the curtain.

Stopping and listening
I did nothing.
There was no decision to make.

Shaken and afraid of -
Of punishment.
But it was not my choice.

Made to alter and cut
The job was done.
No fault of mine for its function served.

Left to its resting place
Fleeing the scene.
I am no culprit but an accessory to purpose.

That is my first poem in a very long time! I will probably clean it up a bit and maybe add a few more stanzas, but overall I am pretty happy with it. And if you don't know the backstory, the poem is based on a little incident when I was about 6 years old, and Mom had just purchased a brand new shower curtain. She had asked me to take the scissors and return them to a drawer in the bathroom. Upon arriving at the location, for some unknown reason, I cut the shower curtain - to Mom's serious dismay. The poem above is a recollection of that event. The assignment was to write about a childhood confession. Here I attempt to "confess" the shower curtain was cut, but I take no responsibility for the actual cutting. I blame it on the scissors. What a silly girl am I.

I hope you guys enjoyed it. Hopefully there will be something a bit more substantial to share later!!!!

More photos

So not much has changed since yesterday when I posted. Although, I have written my first poem since I was probably in eight grade, which will be shared in class in about 2 hours. Once that gets raked over the coals and all shame has faded, I will share it with you :) In the meantime, enjoy some photos!!!


Here is a photo of me in my room with my window to the quad in the background. Not a bad view! And please excuse my glistening from the sweat accumulated after hiking through London with a 70 pound suitcase, taking a bus 45 minutes to Oxford, then carrying the damn suitcase up two flights of stairs to its home. I was smelly and feeling gross by this point...



Here is yet another glisteny self portrait taken while I was out on one of my morning walks. It is still rather steamy here, so again, I have a "European Glow" - I'm not "sweating." The building in the background is the Radcliffe Camera. I didn't see a shutter anywhere - so I'm not sure why they call it a camera. (Terrible joke, I know). I am taking a walking tour of Oxford on Friday, so I should be able to give you the building's full story on the weekend.

My weekend plans are shaping up nicely. Friday morning I have a half hour tour of Exeter, and that afternoon, I have a two hour walking tour of Oxford. Saturday I am off to Stratford upon Avon for a town tour and an exciting performance of The Tempest by the Royal Shakespeare Company (http://www.rsc.org.uk/onstage/plays/2193.aspx). Patrick Stewart is starring - which I am thrilled about. I had no idea Captain Jean Luc Picard was a character from Shakespearean drama!!!! (you don't have to laugh - but I know you giggled) Sunday I am off to Winchester for the day to see Winchester Cathedral and King Arthur's Round Table.

Jane Austen is buried in the Cathedral, which is fitting for my current studies. Since I must humbly admit I have never read Jane Austen, immediately after class last night, I went to the book store and bought Pride and Prejudice and Mansfield Park. I am over 100 pages into P&P. yay, me. Once those are done, I will be shifting to Bronte's Wuthering Heights. Yes, folks, I be readin some books here in Englund. Actually, I need to get these knocked out so I can hold a knowledgable conversation with any Oxford literature professor without them thinking I am a brute from the USA.

Ok, I better get back to work. I have to buff up my poen for its grand debut in class later. I look forward to sharing it with you. cheerio, ol chaps.

Finally, some photos...

Well, I have now attended sessions for both of my classes and attended two plenary sessions. The first plenary was on the history of Oxford and how it has inspired so many writers. The second plenary was a poetry reading by an Irish professor at Oxford - this was remarkable. It is such a gift to have poetry shared with you by the person who composed the work. Out of the two sessions, it has been the better. Yesterday, my "Writing Lives" class began, and we jumped right in. We were asked to write a short narrative on a childhood memory, basing it onthe style of Wordsworth's The Prelude. After given ten minutes to write, we went around the room, shared our stories and gave critiques. It was a great start to the class. I have a feeling it will be the more fun of the two I am taking. Today, my second class met for the first time. I left feeling somewhat nauseaous. The class is called "Reading for Writers" and is pretty much an intro to writing Literary Criticism. I realized afterwards that I am not well read at all and that my knowldege, in writing, as minimal as I knew it was, is actually far less. This class will kick my butt. But hopefully by its conclusion, I will have some serious analytical skills when it comes to writing about literature.

To lighten the mood a bit (at least for me - as I have two writing assignments patiently waiting for me to complete), I will share some of my photos. YAY! I have been looking forward to posting these, but today was the first day I could get them transferred from the laptop to the computer lab where I have internet access. So here is a small glimpse at my stay in England so far.

The photos above are of my lovely room here on Staircase 13 at Exeter. The first set of open doors on the left hand side of the bottom photo are my sink basin. The other set of open doors is my closet!

And currently, the photo loader here in the blog has just crapped out on me. I promise I will add more photos later tonight or tomorrow!!!!!

Checked in at Oxford

Hi, all! I am happy to report I have checked in at Oxford and successfully made it through my first day here. The bus trip from London was rather peaceful - about an hour's ride from the city. Checking in at Oxford was a bit surreal. The college is closed to the public since classes are in session, so I felt a bit special being able to pass through the porter's gate with my cool little access card. Exeter College is beautiful - small and peaceful. There is a large chapel in the middle with classrooms and dorms all around. It is a peaceful space and hopefully full of creative energy. If JRR Tolkien found some inspiration here to go on and write the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, hopefully I can find enough to get through a three week course.

I have been taking photos here myself, but I haven't put them on a drive to send them over to the computer lab at the University. Just to give you an idea on where I am, here are some photos I found on the internet - and they adequately represent what I have seen so far. First, here is a photo of the main quad at Exter. This photo is taken from the back corner of the quad, facing the entrance of the college and of the chapel.




















The next photo is of the dining hall. So far, this is the coolest room I have found here. We had our opening dinner here tonight, and we actually have all of our meals in the space. It is definitely as cool as it appears here. Once I can post my own photos, I will!




















My classmates seem great so far - people from all over the world. There are students from Argentina, Greece, Bermuda, Australia, England, USA, India, Sri Lanka, Japan - and that is just all I can remember at the moment. I truly believe that this will be a wonderful experience.

But it is now 11:20pm here, and I should wrap up and get a good night's sleep. Classes start tomorrow, and I want to sound semi-intelligent. Hope everyone is well, and I look forward to hearing from you!

I made it!!!

Just wanted to let everyone know I made it to London safely and with relatively few issues. The flight was delayed leaving from Atlanta due to some computer issues, but we made it to London only about a half an hour late. Took the train from Gatwick to the tube station - where I had a slight mishap with my huge bag, but I made it on the correct train, going the correct direction on my first try. YAY! And the rain managed to hold off until I was safely checked into my hotel. It is definitely steamy here, and I am sure it will continue to be a pain for at least a few days. Okay - it's time to shower off, change the clothes, then find a pub :) Just wanted to let you all know I am here and in one piece!!!!!

UPDATE: So, I took a bit of a nap for a few hours, which I think was well used. I managed to find a "Shakespeare Pub" where I had a lovely apple chutney and cheddar sandwich with chips - and a guiness of course. Still trying to figure out a way to call home though - that hasn't worked out so well to this point....

My itinerary

For those of you interested, here is my trip itinerary!!!

Friday, July 21, 2006

6:15pm Depart RDU; Delta Airlines Flight 947

7:47pm Arrive Atlanta

9:45pm Depart ATL; Delta Airlines Flight 10

Saturday, July 22, 2006

11:00am Arrive London-Gatwick

Hotel The Westminster Hotel

http://www.thewestminsterhotel.com/

Sunday, July 23, 2006

10:40am Oxford Express Bus Departure

Approx 12:20pm Arrive Oxford

12-4:30pm Check in at Exeter College

http://www.exeter.ox.ac.uk/

http://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/courses/international/creativewriting.asp

Monday, July 23 – August 11, 2006

OXFORD COURSEWORK

Saturday, August 12, 2006

9:30am Check out of room at Oxford; head back to London

Hotel The Westminster Hotel

Sunday, August 13, 2006

9:00am Depart hotel for Heathrow Airport

11:40am Depart London Heathrow; KLM Flight1010

2:00pm Arrive Amsterdam

Hotel Hotel la Boheme

http://www.la-boheme-amsterdam.com/

Friday, August 18, 2006

2:50pm Depart Amsterdam; KLM Flight 1019

3:15pm Arrive London Heathrow

Hotel The Westminster Hotel

Saturday, August 19, 2006

1:00pm Depart London Gatwick; Delta Flight 9

5:35pm Arrive Atlanta

7:15pm Depart Atlanta; Delta Flight 1072

8:39pm Arrive RDU