By:  Sara Saeed

Our 19th day in England started with a 9:00 am quiz over selected works from Lord Byron and Robin Hood Ballads. Class continued with presentations from Cameron, Ruth, Rhiannon, and Aaron over British film, the West End theatre district, double decker buses and black taxi cabs, and the differences between American and British English. After a short break, Professor Rutledge led a discussion on D.H. Lawrence’s, The Odour of Chrysanthemums and gave a lecture on poetry terms that will be on our final in a few short days.

At noon, we were dismissed from class, and most of us rushed straight to the refectory. After lunch, we had the rest of the afternoon and evening to spend how we wanted. I watched a movie, while some took taxis into the town of Grantham to tour the birthplace of Sir Isaac Newton, some played a game of croquet on the back lawn of the manor, and some rode bikes into town for lunch. One of the highlights of my day was making my first call in a British red telephone box to, ironically, order Indian food to the manor. When the evening came to a close, many spent their time in ‘The Bistro” (another name for the basement of the manor), took advantage of the plentiful common space, watched movies and ate pizza, threw darts, played sardines, or played cards. Others chose to throw a frisbee on the lawn or play a game of volleyball in the sports hall. Our relaxing day ended with a midnight curfew and we went to bed in preparation for our exciting field trip tomorrow.

By: Sara Saeed

After learning about the works and lives of authors C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien in class Wednesday, we took a field trip to their alma mater, the University of Oxford, Thursday. After a hectic trip through the underground and an hour-long train ride, we arrived in the beautiful city of Oxford. Our first stop was a brief visit to Holywell Cemetery: the resting place of author Kenneth Grahame, the author of The Wind in the Willows.

We eventually made our way to the university and had about an hour of free time. During this time, some of us chose to eat lunch under the shade of trees on the lawn, some played a game of frisbee with other tourists and students, and some even rented boats to go punting and paddling in the nearby River Cherwell! After the short break we were led on a walking tour through the university. We visited Christ Church College and New College, two of the 38 colleges and learned about Tolkien’s and Lewis’ roles at the university.

Many scenes from the Harry Potter series were filmed on Oxford’s campus, and one of my favorite parts of the tour was being able to recognize parts of the university from the movies. We walked through hallways and courtyards where minor scenes were filmed. We saw the original Great Hall and learned that they created a replica of the dining hall at the Harry Potter studio since Oxford students still use it.

Our tour finished up at around 4:30, and we were free to spend time exploring the city. For most of us, the first stop was the Bodleian Libraries. The Bodleian Libraries most notably had an exhibit of Shakespeare’s First Folio and original writings by John Milton, Mary Shelley, and Robert Hooke. We then visited Blackwell’s Bookshop, a stop recommended by our tour guide and Professor Rutledge.

The remainder of our time was spent shopping and eating in the town until late in the evening when we had to catch a train back to London. After hours of walking, many of us headed back to the dorm to prepare for another day of class tomorrow.