Nike Ad

Aw heck. One of me jumping off ruins at Old Sarum too.

(More) Angles of a 750-year-old Cathedral

I couldn't post my recent photos of London without adding just a few more of this ancient place. One from inside the dome, one from the courtyard (near an original copy of the 1215 Magna Carta), and one from the tallest cathedral spire in the world. Just another day in England.

Stones, Henges, & Cathedrals

Salisbury Cathedral, Old Sarum, and Stonehenge: just your average Wycliffe lecture!

Today we boarded a real live double-decker bus (one of which you can spot if you look carefully between two stones on the left-hand side of the 'Henge!) and journeyed to Salisbury, home to the oldest cathedral built in one cohesive style. An hour-long tour with our knowledgeable septuagenarian guide (Tony) later, and a quick jaunt up the tallest spire in the world, and we were off to Old Sarum, the site of the earliest settlement in Salisbury, England. And finally, we paused at Stonehenge - where I took several cheesy jumping photos AND met my first actual, flesh-and-bone Druid! He was displaying propaganda trying to persuade the English to move the Visitor's Centre up the hill and away from the ancient Druidic holy site. I didn't have the heart to tell him that Stonehenge was constructed a good thousand years before Druids arrived in the country, but I did wish him the best of luck with his religious endeavors. He had a Cockney accent.

Today I touched 750-year-old stones, and walked where long-dead kings once trod. A beautiful and blustery day; one for the books, as they say.

Poetry in Process

halfway through my morning run
they greet me.
two swans—
a welcoming whisper of white
in the august narrative of Oxford grey.but they cannot help their curiosity.
here,
even the cobblestones peep
out from beneath hot-poured asphalt,
to breathe once-ancient air afresh
and nuzzle
my two muddy soles.

Here is first, a black-and-white picture of my home at Crick (mine are the open windows on the second story), and second, a poem inspired by this soggy, sensational Oxford weather. I thought the juxtaposition of the poetry with the haunting chiaroscuro of the photo would make me appear very intelligent indeed. Or at least very emo.

Today in Oxford I...
- Set off a fire alarm.
- Watched a Simon Schama video for class.
- Drank 5 (tiny) cups of coffee.
- Visited my first pub.
- Debated theories of evolution and God's divine foreknowledge with my classmates, and told the story of how I got lost at Heathrow airport. Twice.

More to come from the City That Never Sleeps!

The House at 8 Crick Road

Here I am, safe and sound in Oxford! One of my two roommates is graciously letting me borrow her power adapter so that I can use my laptop in this European country. I live in room 4 on the 2nd floor (which is technically called the 1st floor, don't know why) of my house at 8 Crick Road, a stately brick beauty on a quick, sprawling lane. There are 24 of us in this house, the smallest of two homes owned by the CCCU program I'm studying with, and because of its more intimate setting is considered the most community-oriented house. Which means we're the best.

Despite being incredibly jet-lagged (which gives my eyelids a greasy, heavy feeling, don't know why), I got a great night's sleep, after drinking tea (which is nast-city without milk and sugar, by the way) and chatting with some of my Oxford colleagues. And this morning, I awoke to a dream-come-true: running with friends at Oxford. Three of us got up at 8:00am and found a PERFECT little gravel trail, which winds about 1.5miles around part of the campus. There were leafy trees, and old men with dogs, and ancient buildings, and fresh air, and rain, and perfection. To run in this beautiful old city, rich in history and stories. I am the luckiest girl in the whole wide world.

And now I adventure off into the center of the city, in search of a power adapter (so I can return my roommate's), laundry detergent (so I can wash my running clothes), and coffee (so I can function). Cheers!

PS: I love you, Mom!!

My Oxford Address

In just over twelve hours I will be on a plane, bound for England (the Old Country), possible sitting across the aisle from Hugh Grant and/or a Spice Girl! And since I know that some of you (or maybe just mostly my mother) will want nothing more than to send me some snail mail while I am abroad, here is my Oxford mailing address:

Christye Estes
SCIO
2 Frewin Court
Oxford, OX1 3HZ
United Kingdom

I'm sure you could also send any letters or postcards to me by owl (since this is the UK, and the realm of Harry Potter), but I hear their shipping rates are outrageous these days. More excitement to come, once I finally finish packing and actually arrive in my home for the next fourteen-and-a-half weeks. Wish me luck!

This one's for my homeboys (but mainly just Mom)

Dear Mom:

Today, inspired by you, I took a leap of faith off the blog-free wagon and have landed safely in the realm of We Who Have Blogs. Now you can know everything I think and feel and publish for all to read on the World Wide Web (or, as the kids call it, the Information Superhighway) while I am living that Oxford life. It's the least I could do.

Love always,

Christye