British Food

I know I already did a post on the Oxford diet, but I thought it best to reflect on all of the wonderful food I got to taste these past couple of months. I also made the Oxford Diet post early in the semester so this will be a much more complete look at the foods I ate while abroad.

Fish and chips. No British pub is complete without their own version of fish and chips (and by version I mean the batter they fry the fish in). The better pubs fry their fish in batters made from their own brew of ale. These you can trust to be delicious. The first fish and chips I ate ever was my first week at CMRS when a group of us went to the Eagle and Child (est. 1650). For my first pub, it was a great experience. Great people and great food make for an unforgettable evening. The best fish and chips I had though has to be the one at Chequers (est.16th century). This historical pub offered a delectable plate of fish and chips that I enjoyed immensely. Any respectable pub that offers a good plate of fish and chips provides a good crispy slice of fish served on top of a bed of freshly made chips (fries). This must be served with a wedge of lemon for the fish as well as a side of peas (mashed or whole). I fell into the British tradition a bit and became addicted to salt and vinegar chips so I always added that to my plate.

Bangers and mash. I have to start off by saying I had never heard of this before coming here. I was headed off to the Three Goats Head for a meal with some friends and someone suggested trying the bangers and mash. I had NO idea what they were talking about but I decided to order it anyway. I was not let down. The plate I got was a pile of mashed potatoes topped with three British sausages. It was delicious and was definitely a full meal since I could barely finish it.

 

Meat pies & Pasties. I put these two together because they are very similar. The only difference in my mind is that a meat pie is something to sit down and eat, and a pastie is (in my mind) a portable meat pie. They both have a flaky crusts filled with a meat and gravy substance. Each meat pie/pastie is different with varying flavors. My favorite pastie flavor was a plain chicken pastie. My favorite place to get a meat pie (besides in a pub) was a place in the covered market called pieminster. I would always order the Matador which was British beef in a beef gravy with veggies and potatoes. On days I wanted a larger meal I could have a side of mashed potatoes added on. But the meat pies in the pubs could not be topped. Made to order, these pies were fresh and never failed to satisfy.

 

Cardiff, Wales

Hello from the United States! I am finally home and glad to be. So much happened during the last week of the program that I am still catching up on everything. While I am home I hope all of you enjoy reading this blog and enjoying the stories I tell.

During the last week of the program I decided to take a day trip to Cardiff with a couple of my friends. Cardiff being in the next country over in Wales, was a bit of a haul to get there. We set out bright and early at 8AM to the Oxford Tube for a two hour bus ride into London. After arriving, we set out for Paddington Station to catch another 2 hour train to Cardiff.

Finally after arriving in Cardiff we had arrived at our main attraction; The Doctor Who Experience. Having just traveled for four hours we ate in the Doctor Who cafe before signing in for our ‘experience’. Even in the lobby there were some costumes and relics of the show decorating the entrance. Since it is the Christmas season, the entire lobby was decked out in Christmas decorations from the past Christmas specials.

After checking in we were taken into the Doctor Who Experience where we started off as tourists in the Gallifrey Museum. There we ran into some issues and ended up on the TARDIS. We were taken through a Dalek infested room and an Angel graveyard, all the while being led by none other than the voice and commands of the current 12th Doctor. It is difficult to describe the entire experience, but I can say that it is every Whovian’s dream to have this experience.

After exiting the experience we ended up in the Doctor Who museum which is filled with old relics of the original show as well as the new. It is mostly filled with costumes of the doctors, companions, and some side characters. There were also a few of the old sets of the TARDIS from the old generation up to 9 &10’s.

The older sets of the TARDIS:

And the star of the show; 9 & 10’s TARDIS set!

The old and new costumes of Doctor Who…along with the newest costume:

Some of the costumes of companions and others:

And finally some props and sets:

After visiting the Doctor Who Museum, we set out to Cardiff Bay to walk around and see the city before another 8 hour trip back to Oxford. We found a lot of cool little areas and just enjoyed the company and place we were at. It was one of the best days of the entire trip for me.

    

After traveling for 8 hours by the time I got back into my own bed, I couldn’t help but smile. (Yes I did have a GIANT paper I had to correct, but that was the last thing on my mind) The day was just too perfect to forget. It was an amazing experience and with wonderful people. I couldn’t have asked for two better people to go with.

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

I am simply days away from boarding a plane and flying home. Just three more days and I will finally be sleeping in my own bed, talking with friends and family, and running around with Max. The only thing standing in my way is a 4,000 word essay.

Having finished my tutorials, I have started to reflect a bit on the term. Sure there were some tough times, but I think I’m coming out for the better. My writing has improved exponentially (something I didn’t think was possible). I always thought my strength was my writing, though this past semester has proved me otherwise. My writing needed a lot of work and I hope that after all of this my writing will continue to improve.

I was able to end my Byzantium tutorial on a good note. He told me my paper was the best I had written all term. We were finally able to discuss history instead of the structure of my paper. It was nice being able to discuss and debate my interpretation of the sources. There were a lot of things I would have changed about the class both as a student and a teacher, but I believe I learned a lot (even if it was to learn what not to do with students). He did care about my learning and my progress, but I think cultural differences got in the way. Having not taught a foreign student before, he was not experienced with working with an alternative approach to learning. He simply taught me as a typical Oxford student who grew up in the UK. It wasn’t until I approached him and talked with him that he noticed things needed to change. While I could tell it was difficult for him at times, I think I started progressing better once we sorted our differences out.

Philosophy was also an experience for me. Having not taken any philosophy courses before this semester, I had to learn to read and write differently and learn how to ‘follow a thought’. There were some good weeks as well as some not so good weeks, but I fought through it and tried my best to push myself. I think by the end my tutor was hesitant to say I had improved greatly but told me I am on the path and at the threshold of a new way of thinking and writing. I know this tutor speaks his mind so this means a lot to me. He believes in me and can see a great potential in me that I have yet to master.

This semester has been the hardest academic semester of my life. The hours I spent reading, writing, re-writing, and defending my papers can amount to nothing I have experienced before. There were some high moments, some very very low moments, some mental breakdowns, countless cups of tea, and numerous late nights (or early mornings depending how you look at it). I never would have been able to survive such an ordeal without the help of the amazing people I have met at CMRS. You people helped me through this and I thank you for that. The community we created this term was something I have never experienced before in college. I hope you all feel that I supported you in the same way you supported me.

For those who follow this blog, my posts will not stop when I land in the US. I will write for a bit longer reflecting on everything I experienced here as well as wrapping up any stories or events that I forgot to mention or write about. This blog took a backseat when my tutorials began because I became so busy and blind to everything but my work. Please don’t feel as if I neglected you or forgot about you, I just didn’t have the time. BUT don’t worry, you shall know every adventure I had here, it just depends on when I will be able to sit down and write it all out. I’m guessing this is my last post before flying out so the next time you hear from me, I will be back in the States!

Cheers!