a>href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin4Wt7WWD3dy4BqTczsFGXbhFt8tlt2DalJpTvwXHrOxX2dVPEGM8iTZkC_WIXz5BYKdQGcpOkHmstW4Z4hC9Fd1FfFUmUhH2cqZE5bKROAharyfQmRML4gwBKmilQonsc1PcLwRc-CZ4/s1600-h/London+036.jpg">



First Impressions
Monday January 8

The bus ride to Oxford took two hours, but because I slept the entire way it seemed much shorter.



We arrived at the Gloucester Green bus station and decided to just walk to Regent's Park College, which was less than half a mile away.

The small parade of five Americans, each loaded with two 50lb. suitcases along with a very collegiate looking overstuffed backpack must have been a sight. As we rolled along over the cobbled pavement I became grateful for the invention of wheely suitcases....and wondered if the surrounding residents were amused by our musical entrance which resembled something like the trotting of 50 horses. The pavement is mostly tiled or pebbled or bricked so the occasional flipping over of a suitcase made for a humoruous treck. I decided then that I should have been lifting weights rather than practicing yoga all summer. By the point we turned the corner of Pusey Street (pronounced Pew-see) where the door to Regent's is, I could no longer feel my arms and my hands had indentions from my suitcase handles. Though the weather was a bit rainy and chilly, I was quite toasty by this point as well (Remember I am still wearing the many layers that did not fit in my suitcase) I felt incredibly cumbersome and ill. This half mile had been at least 2 miles indeed, or at least it felt like it.



Pusey Street is a one way surrounded on either side by walls, and about midway up is a door which is the entrance to Regent's Park College. It's was as if after all of these corners and alleys we had been on, all the sudden there just appeared a door in the middle of a wall, behind which is a college.


Unlike many of the larger colleges of Oxford University (like Christ Church or Queen's)Regent's is quite small and sort of tucked away. While the others are impressive architectural monstors resembling something more like castles than schools (complete with grand gated entrance ways), Regent's is modest but no less pleasant. There are essentially four buildings that form the square of Regents. The one side is offices, with a chapel upstairs and library. One side is the dining hall complete with windows that stretch from ceiling to floor. The next side is student housing and the Junior Commons Room ( a large living room type area with a wooden floor in the center to convert the use the for dances) and the other is more student housing, only they are flats rather than just single bedrooms.



We were met at the door by Mr. David Harper, Regent's Bursar. who seemed quite pleased that we had made it just in time for the 1:00pm lunch. He kindly opened his office for us to store our massive amount of luggage- which completely filled the tiny room to the point where I'm not sure he could get to his desk if he wanted to.

We met Becky, the Vice President of the Undergrad Student body who showed us to the Junior Commons Room. There are less than 100 undergraduates at Regents who are members the Junior Commons Room (JCR). Ministerial students make up the MCR and the teachers/faculty are called the SCR (Senior Commons Room) I find it interesting that about 12 or so people make up the entire faculty of Regent's. Because of the small size of the college I am already able to recognize practically everyone that attends here. Needless to say, there is a very strong sense of community.



Suddenly we heard a loud bell ringing to let us know that it was time for dinner. Every meal is signified with this bell, which I can hear at least a block away from Regent's (I know this because I was nearly late for lunch the second day on my way in)

Lunch was unlike anything I have every experienced at a school. We entered the dining hall which consists of 3 long tables. We stood behind our chosen seats which already had place settings ready for us. After everyone settled in the room, one of the students rapped the table loudly with his spoon and proceeds to bless the meal. The prayers are always brief, maybe one sentence. For example "For this food and fellowship, God we thank you. Amen" It reminded me something of a the poetic prayers I would say as a child "God is great...God is good"....and I realized that the older I have become, the more I have grown accustomed to prayers which are more meandering in thought and much less direct I suppose. I decided that I would probably have to plan out my exact prayer if I were ever to say one at the meal here- for my tendency is to start at "Dear God" and end up some where talking about the food after a host of other requests.

Following "Amen" everyone may then sit down and proceed to be served by the staff. It is strange to sit at a meal in school with out ever having to get up for my food. There are pitchers of water placed on the table which students usually serve each other with before the pour for themselves. The glasses are basically juice glasses which have to be refilled several times during the meal if one requires more than 60z. during a meal to quench their thirst. Each dinner begins with a "starter", followed by the meal, and dessert (which is called "pudding" by the English). The vegetables are placed in dishes in the middle of the tables to be shared by 8 or so people.

After each course the staff take our plates and bring out the next. As a former waitress, I feel very spoiled and guilty that I am not tipping. All of the students eat together at the same time (which is later than in America. Lunch is at 1pm and dinner is at 7pm.) This has been a great way for me to get to know people, as generally we just sit at the next seat available when we come in (as opposed to the segregated groups which form at the separated lunch tables at Georgetown) Someone once told me that meals at Regent's resemble those in the Harry Potter movies....so I guess that is an accurate description to use a reference.





But this is enough about the meal I suppose.

After lunch I made my first journey to the Stanley Road house, were I now live.
The journey is approximately two miles from the college and takes about thirty minutes to complete when I am walking as briskly as possible. As we traveled the streets I was torn between my desire to admire the quaint and historic buildings....or get out of the rain and move into my room. I was overwhelmingly exhausted at this point so the contest wasn't too hard.
We met Hannah, our new Welsh housemate at the famous Bodleian Library who took us to our new home.



The house is huge, but it is more like a maze than the typical ranch style homes of America. It is very difficult to describe this house. There are 4 stories (including the basement.) The left and right side are split so that only the basement and the top floor have a way to get from one side to the other. There are 2 rooms on each floor, each side, in pairs. So one will essentially live next to only one other person. To visit anyone else, I must go up the stairs, or down the stairs through the basement and up to the other side. So even though Ryan lives on the other side of the wall from me, I have to go down the stairs and back up to get to his room. In the basment there are 2 kitchens, 2 toilets with showers and one room with a bath. (Again, they are very specific here in England, so one does not refer to the toilet as a "bathroom" or "restroom"...you just say "where is the toilet?" This is because many toilets do not include a bath. There are at least 2 toilets like this in the house...and maybe more that I have yet to discover.

I have a room to myself for the first time since I have been in college. Again, I guess I am being spoiled because for the past two years I have lived in a 3 person bedroom in the sorority house..sharing an apartment with 6 women.When I explain to the students here that I usually occupy on the corner of a room the same size I have now to myself...they are amazed. Here everyone at Oxford has a private room and the idea of sharing a bedroom at college is just crazy to them. ( a little note in here to my roommates: I do actually miss having you to talk to at night and living alone in a room is not nearly as much fun as living with you all :)

I live with one American girl who came with me (kristie), and three Regent's girls (Alanna and Alli from London and Hannah from Wales) The Georgetown guys (Ryan, Taylor, and Tyler) also live here along with 2 Regent's guys (Jonny from Ireland and Matt from here in England) The Regent's students have been great fun to live with and have been extremely hospitable to us. It has made the transition easy being able to live with them.

The first thing I did upon finding my bedroom was collapse on my bed and sleep. The school provided a comfy down blanket so I slept extremely well. When I woke up, it was already time to make the journey back to Regent's for dinner. I would have been satisfied staying in the bed but decided that food was also an important option. Thankfully Taylor and Tyler had been to Oxford last spring and knew how to get to school. Walking back into Oxford looked incredibly different during the evening. All of the shops were lit and I spotted the McDonalds right off. As old as the town of Oxford is, it has some great fashionable stores and even a mall right in the middle of town. I'm holding off on going to these places for obvious reasons.

So dinner, and then another journey home and my first day in England was concluded.