Oxford

(Derek's flat)

So far in Oxford I've managed to be kissed by a random guy on the street and received his blessing. I've watched and become sucked into the pop culture hit that is Big Brother. I've witnessed firsthand the madness of an English pub. Watched a parade of religious worshipers from all faiths promoting unity and have seen a number of curious looking individuals wearing tuxedos who look like they would be perfect as the next James Bond. But mostly, I just sit at a desk across from Derek as he revises for his exams while I study Japanese.

Derek took me for a lovely tour of central Oxford. Some of the oldest buildings of Oxford are located there, including the Bodleian Library. It is an amazing building and houses one of the world's largest and most comprehensive collections. Unfortunately, like every other university building here, you must have a valid student id to enter.

One big point of difference I see between the buildings here and those in the US is detail. Everywhere you look are different textures, joints and fittings that are decorated with a relief or crest. The visual information is just too rich to take in and at some point I feel saturated. Of course the modern buildings lack the detail of the old - I'm sure it would cost too much and take too much time. Actually Derek's college, St. Anthony's, is a slightly hipper version of Wescoe Hall at KU (think parking garage - cement - abandoned and converted into classrooms).

This Sunday we are planning a punting excursion. Punting is taking a small boat and pushing oneself with a long oar from the bottom of a river or canal. The most popular way to go punting is with a group of mates and a bottle of sparkling wine and strawberries. I've heard it's harder than it looks, so I'll probably crash into something while Derek and his classmates are revising - in between drinks of sparkling wine...

Meanwhile, I'll be looking forward to learning what becomes of Nikki and Pete's new relationship on Big Brother and hopefully mastering about 250 more kanji (Chinese characters) in 2 days. Yeah, right. Goodnight, and goodluck.