Viviendo La Vida

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From my window in the bus as the Belgium and Scotland groups departed...

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So, it would appear that I am extremely lazy. I didn't go to Brussels. I didn't go to Scotland. I stayed in Oxford for the break...yet I still didn't post. Readers, on behalf of myself, I apologize. Unacceptable behavior really.

My break was beautifully spent. I shared the Vines (my residence) with only about 7 or 8 others, as opposed to 30. We made meals together, went to a Brazilian restaurant, watched Love Actually, talked...unpressured by time or a schedule. But I also spent a lot of time by myself reading, giving shape to some new music, walking through the crowded streets, sitting in coffee shops, writing, thinking...even more unpressured by time. It was some much desired time to spend with the Lord. For that, I am grateful!

Also, a lot of my week looked like this...

(picture compliments of Shayna Borland)

Skype allowed us to "hang out" for hours! If anything, staying back from the trips was worthwhile just for this! The usually-jammed bandwidth here at The Vines was freed up for the whole week! Nevermind the time difference... I miss you, Kat.

Now it is the weekend after "Naught" Week (or Oth Week) here in Oxford--the week before lectures and tutorials begin. All the "freshers" have arrived and the peaceful arterial Oxford streets are now pulsating with an influx of international hype. The SCIO (Scholarship & Christianity in Oxford, our program) students have for the most part met their tutors and chosen their lectures and are starting their first papers. This Saturday morning, we are all spread out across the city in the libraries, the parks, and the residence flats. Things are definitely picking up.

I am excited about my tutors! They are both young academics passionate about their subjects. I look forward to the weekly and biweekly (fortnightly) meetings. In particular, I look forward to becoming more conversant in philosophy. Learning philosophy is in many ways similar to learning a foreign language. Once you recognize the terms and their place in the history of philosophy, you can begin using them knowledgeably. If you don't know what's at stake or the history, you are at a loss. I hope my weekly one-on-one conversations with my tutors not only grow my understanding and resolve of important issues, but also my ability to speak and relay my findings!

That is just a glimpse of life here now. Here are a few photos I have collected over the last few weeks...

A collection of technicolor insects at the Natural Science Museum in Oxford.

Ross got the bird to give him a high-five!

In Bath, showing my support for Kat and her Canadian roots!

P.S. Rugby starts this upcoming Tuesday. All I need is a mouth-guard and some boots and I will be ready. A friend from St. Ebbe's (the church I attend and love), John, is playing for St. Hughes. I am going to join him! (Look for posts on St. Ebbe's and Rugby in the near future.)

"All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word." (Isaiah 66:2)