Christ Church, Oxford University
Friday, March 11, 2005
what oxford is like
I arrived at London Heathrow airport with excitement. Finally, I said to myself, my dreams are now becoming a reality. As I leave Heathrow airport and board a bus to Oxford, I look around and notice that this is not the Philippines anymore. The weather is damp and cold and people speak with heavy British accents.
The ride to Oxford was similar to a ride along south or north expressway, except the A highways were not lined with numerous billboards, but nevertheless, farms could be seen on both sides of the road, and seeing sheep for the first time grazing on the fields remind me that I am not in the Philippines. This is another world, another chapter of my life.
Entering Oxford, one would expect grandiose buildings, a utopia city at the very least. But it isn’t, Oxford is a town that looks like a quiet suburban place, with little English houses lined up, 3 Mcdonalds! and traffic. Our bus driver was making jokes about the traffic to ease our impatience, he kept on saying that the snail must have gotten to Oxford by now, and we are stuck in the boundary.
But, Oxford does not disappoint, slowly, old buildings greet you, and you see book shops lined along the streets, bikes running past buses, and finally you know you’re in Oxford when you see old colleges and the famous seal of the university. I am at awe by now, looking at the buildings, my nose stuck to the window. I realize that I am not the only one who is doing this, the other passengers are also looking, with the same awe at their faces.
I get off my bus stop and take a taxi to my college, no one seems to care that I am a foreigner and I do not know my way around. The taxi takes me around Oxford once again, and I catch myself at awe. I am inside Oxford. This is what I have been dreaming of.
As I enter my college and settle in, I could not contain my excitement. Despite now experiencing the effects of jet lag (my stomach thinks its dinner time). I run off, map in hand, to go around Oxford. I just walk a few steps and it seems I am already lost. I open my map, and voila! Two students come up to help a poor lost foreign student. They know I am not from here, the map gives me away, but the two students were kind and gave me clearer directions to go to where I was planning to.
I end up in Cornmarket St., the heart of the city, if you like, Carfax Tower is at the end, and numerous shops line the street. I see KFC, Burger King, Starbucks and Mcdonalds again! But, I am comforted by these familiar shops, it reminds me of home. I end up having a burger for lunch and immediately I speak and think in English. I was expecting to start feeling lonely, but I am not.
Two weeks have passed and I now live in a certain routine.
I wake up, the sun hasn’t set yet, and I feel slightly depressed. The weather does get to you, and it is really sad and depressing. But as soon as I’ve had breakfast and off to bike to my department, I smile thinking that I am doing what a lot of famous oxons (Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Benazhir Bhutto, Margaret Thatcher, to name a few) have done. I go to my lectures, attend tutorials, write essays, read books and sometimes go out and have wine or a beer at the pub. I take my bike out for scenic cycle tours around the city, and I admittedly do the tourist thing, taking pictures of every aspect of my life in Oxford.
I also know that Oxford is just a place, much like my beloved Manila. It has its imperfections, and its quirks. But, I still love it! I also realized that Oxford is just a stopover for me, from my life journey. I am here only for a year, and I know that soon I will have to leave it. That is the beauty and irony of Oxford. Oxford is not a place where one stays forever, you come here to know about the world, about others, your career and surprisingly about yourself.
People from all over the world come here for a year or two to learn about their careers, to hone their skills and be leaders of their field. They come here, without their bodyguards, their cars, their positions. We are all equal in a sense. And Oxford begins to teach and you want to stay and learn more. In a year it trains future world leaders, who leave Oxford for better opportunities and challenges.
The beauty of Oxford is also the reason why you leave. This is the irony. You leave because you want to use what you learned, and in a way you reflect the beauty of Oxford.
The ride to Oxford was similar to a ride along south or north expressway, except the A highways were not lined with numerous billboards, but nevertheless, farms could be seen on both sides of the road, and seeing sheep for the first time grazing on the fields remind me that I am not in the Philippines. This is another world, another chapter of my life.
Entering Oxford, one would expect grandiose buildings, a utopia city at the very least. But it isn’t, Oxford is a town that looks like a quiet suburban place, with little English houses lined up, 3 Mcdonalds! and traffic. Our bus driver was making jokes about the traffic to ease our impatience, he kept on saying that the snail must have gotten to Oxford by now, and we are stuck in the boundary.
But, Oxford does not disappoint, slowly, old buildings greet you, and you see book shops lined along the streets, bikes running past buses, and finally you know you’re in Oxford when you see old colleges and the famous seal of the university. I am at awe by now, looking at the buildings, my nose stuck to the window. I realize that I am not the only one who is doing this, the other passengers are also looking, with the same awe at their faces.
I get off my bus stop and take a taxi to my college, no one seems to care that I am a foreigner and I do not know my way around. The taxi takes me around Oxford once again, and I catch myself at awe. I am inside Oxford. This is what I have been dreaming of.
As I enter my college and settle in, I could not contain my excitement. Despite now experiencing the effects of jet lag (my stomach thinks its dinner time). I run off, map in hand, to go around Oxford. I just walk a few steps and it seems I am already lost. I open my map, and voila! Two students come up to help a poor lost foreign student. They know I am not from here, the map gives me away, but the two students were kind and gave me clearer directions to go to where I was planning to.
I end up in Cornmarket St., the heart of the city, if you like, Carfax Tower is at the end, and numerous shops line the street. I see KFC, Burger King, Starbucks and Mcdonalds again! But, I am comforted by these familiar shops, it reminds me of home. I end up having a burger for lunch and immediately I speak and think in English. I was expecting to start feeling lonely, but I am not.
Two weeks have passed and I now live in a certain routine.
I wake up, the sun hasn’t set yet, and I feel slightly depressed. The weather does get to you, and it is really sad and depressing. But as soon as I’ve had breakfast and off to bike to my department, I smile thinking that I am doing what a lot of famous oxons (Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Benazhir Bhutto, Margaret Thatcher, to name a few) have done. I go to my lectures, attend tutorials, write essays, read books and sometimes go out and have wine or a beer at the pub. I take my bike out for scenic cycle tours around the city, and I admittedly do the tourist thing, taking pictures of every aspect of my life in Oxford.
I also know that Oxford is just a place, much like my beloved Manila. It has its imperfections, and its quirks. But, I still love it! I also realized that Oxford is just a stopover for me, from my life journey. I am here only for a year, and I know that soon I will have to leave it. That is the beauty and irony of Oxford. Oxford is not a place where one stays forever, you come here to know about the world, about others, your career and surprisingly about yourself.
People from all over the world come here for a year or two to learn about their careers, to hone their skills and be leaders of their field. They come here, without their bodyguards, their cars, their positions. We are all equal in a sense. And Oxford begins to teach and you want to stay and learn more. In a year it trains future world leaders, who leave Oxford for better opportunities and challenges.
The beauty of Oxford is also the reason why you leave. This is the irony. You leave because you want to use what you learned, and in a way you reflect the beauty of Oxford.
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