Chelsey's Birthday (not the last hurrah!)

The last couple of weeks at Bread Loaf are hard, not so much because of the work, but because it is when everyone is finally comfortable in the place and with the people. It becomes a critical time when, in addition to studying and getting good grades, everyone is interested in the last hurrah!

Chelsey’s birthday was the perfect occasion. So we went all out and decided to get away from the Lincoln College campus, eat at a posh restaurant and meet people for drinks afterwards. Chelsey, Nichole, Martha, Tara and I walked to the Brasserie Blanc in Jericho, where we shared appetizers, main dishes and deserts along with two bottles of wine (one white and one red) and incredible conversation.

Afterwards, we met the rest of the students at the Duke of Cambridge, a very trendy (but expensive) bar located about five blocks from the restaurant. Before we were all broke, we decided to leave and meet at a pub where we concluded the night with pitchers of Pimms and English ales.

It was a great birthday but (hopefully) not the last hurrah!

Oh! For heaven's sake!

I’ve been really thinking about what to do with the following picture.

Some alternatives include posting it on Breadnet, sending it to the photography competition, handing is as a cover sheet for my final paper, and lastly, posting it on my blog. I’ve chosen the latter.

After Mozart’s Requiem, Nichole, Chelsey and I stood outside the Lincoln College entrance while Nichole finished her cigarette. We were discussing the concert and our plans for the night when Professor Peter McCullough (my professor and Director of the Bread Loaf Program in Oxford) came out of the college, went through a small door and into the building right in front of us. I knew it was the where the professors parked their vehicles and so assumed Peter would be coming out any moment driving his car. After a couple of minutes the garage door began to open and slowly revealed the front wheel of a bike, shiny narrow brown shoes, khaki pants… Peter McCullough with a bike helmet on! I can’t figure out why, but my reaction was to scramble through my purse for my camera, take a tripod position and wait for the shot. Meanwhile, Chelsey and Nichole burst out laughing at my reaction, making the Director look directly towards us! As I took the shot (which I consider the best picture of the entire summer) I heard: “Ohhhhh, for heaven’s sake!” which, not only made me enjoy the moment infinitely more, but has become a phrase that upon hearing will forever transport me back to the summer at Oxford in 2007.

Thanks Peter!

Wine Cellar and Mozart's Requiem

On Tuesday at 11:30am I a bunch of us got a tour of the wine cellar in Lincoln College. I was surprised to see, not only how big it is, but how many professors invest in wines and how quickly a good wine can appreciate.

The wine cellar includes French wines from 1945 to recent American and Australian wines. In the middle of the room, there is an old well that, although not functional, actually helps regulate the temperature. After the tour we got some samples… I was tipsy at 12pm!

In the evening, and after a lot of reading, seven of us went to watch Mozart’s Requiem at the Sheldoniam Theatre. It was an amazing performance by 10 singers and a band of 22.

Flooding in Oxford!

During the last couple of weeks parts of Oxford have been completely under water. The constant rain made the River Thames overflow and the houses on its banks had to be evacuated.

Thankfully, Lincoln College is not near the flooded areas and we have been able to stay dry and attend class without a problem. The water did affect the public transportation (both trains and buses) so some people who were planning to spend a weekend in London and other cities had to cancel their trips.

So Mom and Dad, I am ok!

Our Last High Table

Meeting with Emily Bartels, the Associate Director of the Bread Loaf School of English, after breakfast, class at 2pm and High Table.

Class is always interesting. I leave inspired by the passion and literary genius of the British writers during the 17^th and 18^th century. No matter what, the writers found a way to voice their opinions through poems, plays, letters and novels. The multiple layers of meaning (ranging from the political to the personal) give the works a depth that is hard to grasp in our century, when liberty is a hallmark.

After class I ran into a friend in crisis. The crisis was solved almost immediately. What is forth mentioning is that she looked to me for support. I know it takes me a while to get to know people, and so I was grateful that she thought of me and so I did my best to put her at ease.

I went to the conference at 5:30pm at the Oakshot Room. The guest speaker was Victorian literature scholar Dinah Birch. The seminar was so amazing I had absolutely no questions.

Although I enjoyed the cocktail (Debonnet and sparking lemonade), dinner was the beginning of the evening. I sat with Chelsey and Nichole who sang various songs of a movie, or play, or something (I will never see) called Oklahoma. The diner ended with an inspiring speech from Emily and an amazing chocolate tart. Afterwards most of us wondered down to Deep Hall (Lincoln College Pub) and indulged in a couple of drinks.

I never never…

Darts…

Weird English blokes…

Telling Dave what NOT to say (ever)…

It was a great night!

Concert: What is our Life?

To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty place from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more; it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

Shakespeare: Macbeth.

After having a quick bite at the Mitre, Chelsey, Nichole and I went to Queen’s College to see the Cambridge Taverner Choir perform, under the direction of Owen Rees.

The theme of the concert was What is our life?: Renaissance Laments and Elegies, and the program included works from the Franco-Flemish Tradition, from Spain and from England. The concert cost £8 and lasted for an hour with a twenty minute intermission.

The poems that follow were part of the repertoire, both of which capture the theme of “human mortality and transience, and the insignificance of worldly achievement”.

When David heard that Absalom was slain, he went up to his chamber over the gate, and wept. And thus he said: O my son Absalom, would God I had died for thee, O Absalom my son.

What is you life? A play of passion,
Our mirth the music of division.
Our mother’s wombs the tiring-houses be
Where we are dressed for this short comedy.
Heaven the judicious sharp spectator is,
That’s its and marks still who doth act amiss.
Our graves that hide us from the searching sun
Are like drawn curtains when the play is done.
Thus march we, playing, to our latest rest:
Only we die in earnest, that’s no jest.

Sir Walter Raleigh

Second All-School Play: Henry IV

At 4pm most of us met at the gates of Trinity College and took a bus to Stratford to see Shakespeare's Henry IV. It was an hour and a half bus ride through incredibly beautiful countryside and across quaint English towns.

I had to take a picture of this swan because it was so huge!

Stratford is Shakespeare's hometown. It is a touristy town built around the river with swans and boats. In addition to the Royal Shakespeare Company , the town has a wide variety of local shops and restaurants that specialize in indian, english, mediterranean, thai and even pub food. It is well worth the visit!

We arrived at 5pm, with two hours to spare before the performance. We split up into small groups and found different places to have dinner. Ten of us ate at the Lamb, a resturant specializing in English/Mediterranean food. It was a wonderfully relaxing dinner!

Although I was a bit confused by the first 20 minutes of the play, the entire performance was stupendous. Faltaff, in particular, had the entire audience roaring with laughter well before the intermission.