Last Tuesday was Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday/PANCAKE DAY as many of you know. We decided to celebrate Pancake Day, as the Union was hosting a pancake dinner and we are really trying to attend as many events there as we can so that we can branch out a little. Also, pancakes sounded really, really delicious. As you might imagine, pancakes are a little different here in England. The pancakes were more like crepes and maple syrup is not a staple. They do love toffee here so I threw some of that and a little chocolate on top and it was heavenly. The party had TONS of candy and ice cream and other indulgences too. By the end, I had had WAY too much sugar but I was pleased to have celebrated "Fat Tuesday" and Pancake Day all at once. Here is a picture of my first helping at the pancake fiesta:
The next day I attended Ash Wednesday service at Christ Church, the cathedral where I usually attend service on Sundays. It was a beautiful service and the choir actually circled through during the imposition of the ashes which was incredibly beautiful and sort of mystical. Following this, we ran up to the Union because there were two celebrity speakers coming on the same night. First up was Jane Goodall. Now, I thought this was almost comical because Jane Goodall is someone I've always heard about and learned about but why would our paths ever cross?! Haha, needless to say, it was wonderful to have the opportunity to sit and listen to her talk about her life. My favorite thing that she said was in response to a question asked about how she came to love animals so much, she responded with "A long time ago a friend of mine taught me that animals are capable of some of the most pure, unconditional love and support that I would ever find. And his name was Rusty and he was my first dog". It sounded really sweet with her British accent and I knew that many of the animal lovers in my family would find truth in that.
Following Jane Goodall's heartwarming lecture was a contrasting lecture, as it was given by Larry Flynt. For those of you who may not know, Flynt is the founder of Hustler Magazine. He is a champion of free speech but not in a positive way, in my opinion. I can truly say that I have never been so disgusted by someone that I have ever heard speak! If you want to better understand why he is so awful, you should type his name in Wikipedia, I don't even want to write about the things he has done, but augh, his magazine and the things that he has done in his life are just shameful and he refuses to acknowledge it. He gave his story and spoke about his many successes but then the floor was opened for questions. Something that I was so glad to see was that the Oxford students were not about to let him get away easy from the Union. They gave him difficult questions, many asking how he could possibly legitimize the degrading and horrible things that he does through his publications. He told us that he would love if his daughter would pose for his magazine and also that "The only thing the feminist movement has achieved is getting ugly women to march". I could rant about it for hours, but in all I am glad to have gone because it was controversial in a way that really made me think about free speech and our culture.
Thursday was another exciting day, as Grey and I decided it was about time that we took a day trip to London to see a show. I haven't been in London during the daylight yet, so it was wonderful to do some exploring. We stumbled upon Buckingham Palace during the changing of the guard and watched the swarm of tourists run around the gates. It was actually very cool, though. Here is a photo of me in front:
I searched for someone in the royal family, but I guess I'll just have to wait for another day to chase after William and Harry.
While in London we took the famous Underground (subway), got lost in the shopping district, almost got hit by many speeding cars and buses (right of way for pedestrians does not exist here), took a trek through beautiful Hyde Park, and saw Billy Elliott! Billy Elliott was a movie a few years back about a boy who loves to dance, but his father wants him to do manly things like boxing and football. It's a very sweet story about family, class issues, and of course, children pursuing their dreams, and I even cried a few times. We found half-priced matinee tickets and I think we really got an incredible deal. The dancing, singing, and set were just incredible. It was a great way to spend my first day in London and I am really looking forward to my next excursion to the city.
The weekend here was pretty quiet. Friday was absolutely beautiful with clear skies and sunshine, so I spent an hour running around the trails in Christ Church Meadow, which wind along the Thames. It is a picture perfect postcard of a place to run or walk, and many people can be found sitting along the river feeding the many ducks and swans. I also enjoy it because crew is very big here, so there are always boats full of students practicing their rowing. It's thrilling to watch.
I finished up my minor tutorial on Sunday, which means I will never again have to trek out the shed to see Dr. Fletcher. I am glad to have wrapped that up, but I really enjoyed the political modern thought course as well as Dr. Fletcher. I will miss him and our conversations, but not the long bus ride and cold walks to his house. I have two more weeks left before break, which means two more papers to write for Christian. I am very anxious for this term to end, but I still have a few things to look forward to that are keeping me going. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers in these last weeks of Hilary Term!
I hope all is well, and I will really try this week to post more frequently, because this is probably painfully long:)
Love,
Suz
No comments:
Post a Comment