Clive Staples

You are my hero.

I had my CS Lewis Seminar on monday and the entire experience blew me away. not only did we have the most amazing discussion of The Great Divorce (which is one of my favorite books!) I also stumbled upon his "garden" which was the most incredible spot i have ever been in, maybe in my whole life. i can completely see where he got his inspiration for Narnia because i honestly stepped into Narnia for a few mintues. i loved it so much that I wrote my poem for this week on it, and i thought i would share a little bit of what i have been doing for that class so here it is:

Glassy pond, no single wrinkle, surface dusty.

Abundant branches, touching white patched sky.

Unstopping forest no green, but perfectly rusty.

Exposed trees, soft mud marked with footsteps passersby

One bird, two birds, glide producing folds by sides.

Distress turned smoke, blown off with affection.

Limbs growing down bending to get a drink at water’s tide.

Some trunks with knobs and knots, a demonstration.

More than the touch, more to discover, more than the seen.

More to desire, more to thirst for, more than what has been.

Hope you enjoyed it!

random happenings in colleen's life

take 3....4?

1. i read 3 books this weekend. 3.

2. i rediscovered how much i love toast and have eaten seven pieces in the past 2 days.

3. it is 40 degrees outside and i am almost refusing to step outside anymore.

4. i only have one more essay to write for my shakespeare tutorial and i will be 1/3 of the way done with my oxford semester.

5. i recently had a complete midlife crisis and came to grips with the fact that i will probably be eating one meal a week once i graduate (my dad promptly told me i was being ridiculous....and after reading that sentence over i have to agree.)

6. i have 30 days left in oxford.

7. i really want to go to disneyland after seeing the fireworks the other night.

8. i remembered how glad i am i got rid of my white sweatpants (thank you red and court...ps i love you)

9. i have made half coffee half hot coco every single night this week. it's the best.

10. my friend kathleen said this exact sentence, "one time when i was younger i was in a talent show at an asian only school and i was dressed as a mad scientist and my brother was dressed as a robot."...... let's be honest i will never ever hear that sentence again.

11. i have taken the title of uncreative college student and have been eating cereal for lunch and pancakes for dinner. i just really love breakfast.....and toast in between.

12. a boy just walked into the library with his entire head shaved except for the top, where he left a bleach blonde disheveled afro...i mean it's probably the latest style.

13. i sat next to a girl and boy from biola today in a lecture. i gave them the cold shoulder.

14. i met a woman from georgia today and she was so jet lagged she ordered a large americano with 7 shots...more power to you sister!

this was sort of a lame random happenings post...hopefully the next one will be a bit better. but its foggy outside and my brain is foggy from school. more tomorrow

xoxo

Gossip Girl.

(that was for you Shannon and Court and Red)

can we just talk about how adorable my parents are?

i hope i look half as good as my mom does when i am her age. miss you guys!

ps mom your costume blows mine out of the water.

this weekend

even though this weekend has consisted almost entirely of reading and more reading, we decided to take the night off last night and go into town for a Guy Fawkes day celebration. We celebrated the holiday with, what seemed like, the whole population of Oxford. people walked in pack down to south park for a fireworks show at 6:30. we arrived a little early and the november weather caught up with us as we were standing, waiting for the show in the 39 degree weather. i was very glad to have a wool coat, and kim bought us each candied apples, so that also helped get our minds off the cold. the fireworks show was beautiful and it was so fun to be able to celebrate the holiday with all of the brits. i might even go so far to say that it beat the disneyland fireworks show. shannon is going to think that that is blasphemy :] after the show we walked to one of our favorite pubs called The Chequers. it has been around since 1500. yeah. we ate dinner and had more cider and called it a night.

halloween

carving pumpkins!
end results! mine is the witch.
blenheim palace
the butterfly house
warwick castle, my favorite view.
friends at the castle.
owl costume.

let's start by stating the obvious: i have not been holding up to my end of the deal.

i'm really sorry about that...but you guys have the easier end of the deal....that's my only excuse. oh and i've been reading so much i'm sure i'll need a new glasses prescription when i get home. well not last weekend, but the weekend before (oh gosh i really am far behind) it was halloween, and was probably my favorite weekend of oxford so far. the friday night before halloween my friends and i carved pumpkins, watched harry potter and drank homemade cider. it was so nice to involve ourselves in an activity that didn't involve books, or writing an essay or anything intellectual...and i have to say it was the best pumpkin i have ever carved. maybe it was the oxford influence. i named it maple (before i turned it into a witch) after the pumpkin carving, a few of us got in our first round of costumes and headed over to a halloween party at St. Catherine's. The theme was to go as something you are afraid of. Hats off to the Brits and their costumes because my favorite part of going to the party was seeing the hilarious costumes everyone was wearing. It was a bit concerning, though, that half the girls that were walking around were dressed as brides, and half the boys walking around were dressed as girls.

The next day, Halloween day, the group that we are studying with went on a free trip that was planned for us to Blenheim Palace and Warwick Castle. The palace was unreal, and absolutely the most gorgeous place I have been to in England, so far. It was a perfect fall day and we enjoyed walking through the houses, on the huge grass fields and through the butterfly house. Warwick castle was completely decked out in Halloween decorations and almost every person there was in a costume. It was the perfect atmosphere to be in for Halloween. And provided the best view of England I have seen. That night we got in our real costumes and I threw together a not so impressive owl costume, but had a great time in it anyway.

the terrible two

this is kelly lepenske everyone. she's incredible and i love her a lot. and it was halloween so that's why i was dressed like that :]

i miss this

see you in 6 and a half weeks not so small sir.

a typical oxford sunday afternoon

this past sunday a few of us decided enough was enough when it came to studying, and went for a gorgeous walk on a beautifully sunny (remember that for later) sunday afternoon. we went on a walk that most of us had never been on and discovered a new part of town.

we walked down paths that looked like narnia, lampposts and all. we fed ducks, we found fields that looked they were from pride and prejudice, we found sticks that looked like wands and played with them.

but my favorite part, was the nook we found. it had started to sprinkle, and at that moment we looked to our right and saw an area covered by trees that would protect us from the rain. so we climbed through the branches and stepped into a little hole in the trees. we could hear the rain falling, but we couldn't feel it.

after a bit, we stepped back out and 20 yards later, we were caught in a downpour with no jackets and no umbrellas. by the time we got home we were a pack of drowned rats, but laughing and ready to spend the rest of the rainy afternoon reading for school. i personally spent it reading The Great Divorce. mm...one of my favorites :]

a good quote

"love. fall in love and stay in love. write only what you love, and love what you write. the key word is love. you have to get up in the morning and write something you love, something to live for."

-ray bradbury

i know there are a lot of people who don't really like him, i personally am neutral. but i really adore this quote and i think its something that i will definitely have to keep in mind for my primary tutorial.

library

when we got here we were told that most of our time was going to be spent in the library. "yeah right," i thought. "i'm going to be doing so many other things and getting my stuff done, but definitely not in the library..."

well i know it's shocking but they were right. i have spent multiple hours in the libraries, but the things i'm learning and studying make the library time a bit enjoyable. plus, i get to be in some of the most renowned and beautiful libraries in the entire world. so, complaining is not an option....but as you can see in the picture...sleeping is.

you know you've lived in england for almost 2 months when...

(yeah thats the library i get to study in.)


- your thoughts have acquired a british accent.
- when you have no idea whether the person talking to you has an american accent or a british accent because neither stands out anymore
- you know every single place in town that gives student discounts and you milk it for all its worth at lunch time
- you have three stacks of books on your desk each from different libraries, ordered by due date
- it is second nature to put on tights and a scarf in the morning
- your tongue gets burned every day due to the scalding soup or tea
- you schedule "afternoon tea" into your day
- you make the walk home like a zombie from an entire day spent in the library
- you are genuinely sad when you feel like you didn't squeeze absolutely every drop of your tudor's brilliance out of each tutorial
- you're reading 5 different books at once
- you get confused when you see an american written date and are thrown off by a couple months (have i really been in the library that long?)
- you know not to go into the blackwell's cafe...ever. bc it's always so packed that you can't even hear your own british accented thoughts.
- you hold the exact change in your hand for your order of coffee at your favorite spot
- you start adding the letter "y" at the end of words. like "hiya!" and "soya milk"
- you know which side streets to take to avoid buisnessmen talking to people "no i do not have 10 seconds...and you will take so much longer than that. i know it."
- you carry an umbrella in your purse at all times
- it's exciting when you wake up and the sun is out
- you are constantly hungry from walking everywhere

sirius

today i was in the library and i went on itunes to play a little study music...about 15 people's libraries popped up in my home sharing or whatever.

one of them was named "sirius". naturally i frantically looked around for sirius, but he must've changed into a dog already.

just more proof that i really do go to hogwarts.

ps i got an amazing package yesterday from my grandparents and an absolutely fantastic package today from my family. it has been so nice! you guys are the best.

lately

my days lately have been incredibly full and busy, but amazing. full of reading and writing and walking and tea dates and lunch dates and poetry and roommate time and listening to debates at the union.

it's starting to get really really cold and i can see my breath when i'm walking almost every day, but it's really fun and that just means time for scarfs cute coats and mittens!

dining in college

a group of us decided to go eat in the dining hall at st. catherine's a few nights ago. i expected close to the same thing as the apu caf. buffet style, long lines with freshman on caf dates and boys swiping guest meals for their girls, ladling out last week's Campbell's chicken noodle soup and having a side of whatever running potatoes or rice they have.

but no. this was an entirely different experience. this dining hall had 10 long dining tables, which you were seated at, and could not really choose where you sit or who you sit with. once everyone was seated we were served by waitresses an appetizer. followed by an entree (the first night was chicken and potatoes and spinach and the next was steak potatoes and cabbage) and the entree is completed with a dessert. everything was absolutely delicious and i haven't been that full or had steak since my parents left :] so it was a real treat. and i'm sure we will be frequent visitors there.

tutorials

i'm sorry i've been really busy and haven't been able to keep this updated, but i'm gonna give you guys a lot of stuff right now. so get comfortable :]

i want to give a brief overview of my tutorials so far.

primary tutorial-- creative writing fiction and poetry. i'm absolutely in love with this class and my tudor. for my first meeting i had to write a short story and when i brought it in he said he loved it but wanted to do some editing. we basically sat there for a half hour and tore it apart, but it turned out really amazing and i learned so much in the process. for next week i had to read poetry by philip larkin and write two poems to bring in. i have that one on wednesday and i'm really looking forward to getting his feedback on my poems.

secondary tutorial-- shakespeare. my first essay for this class was insanely hard and almost drove me into insanity, but i came out on the other side and learned SO much and ended up really enjoying it. and! all my hard work on it paid off because i received and a- on it, which was extremely encouraging to start off the tutorial with that.

seminar-- c.s. lewis. this class meets in lewis's house. which is unreal, but it gets me into trouble in the class because i find myself constantly thinking things like "i'm sitting in a chair that cs lewis sat in at one point." or "he walked on this floor!" i know its cheesy, but trust me the house would get you doing that too. (i took pictures and i'll put them up later)

basically there's a humanly impossible reading list for each of these courses, but that just means there's a lot to learn. and i really am learning more than i ever even expected.

tutorials

(my complete lifesaver for my secondary tutorial)

i have found out my tutorials! and have already had to dive head first into them.

they are:

primary-- creative writing fiction and poetry

secondary-- shakespeare

seminar-- c.s. lewis (which meets in c.s. lewis's house!)

let's just say i'm completely ecstatic.

a different side of germany

the next day in germany my parents and i enjoyed an absolutely beautiful day in the alps. we really couldn't have asked for better weather. it was a breath of fresh air and a really nice change of pace. it was one of the prettiest places i have ever been. we walked around a castle built by the last king of germany and a synthetic cave he built for himself...to hold operas...it was a little creepy but really cool. it was a wonderful last day to spend with my parents.

del mar far + frat party + christmas party all on crack.

the roller coaster i went on.....

it was fun and i got dizzy.
inside the tents. the waitresses literally carried SO much beer and sometimes water.

so many people.

yes. this is oktoberfest. i have no way of describing this event. it is packed, chaotic, happy, hilarious, nice people, gross people, everyone in yodel outfits, everyone on the tables, no one sitting, everyone dancing, everyone singing, everyone's ears ringing, way too much beer, loud, loud, loud, incredible. i'll let the video do the rest.

a mishap

i've been avoiding this post. i didn't want to do it. but i'm sucking it up. here goes nothing:

thursday. the day we were leaving for munich. my mom and i enjoyed a nice morning in the british museum. we came back to the hotel around 1 and started packing up our stuff, and planned to head to the airport at 2 for our 5:00 flight. at around 2 i was talking to my dad and saw his passport in his hand. immediately my heart came into my throat and i put my head in my hands. my dad gave a "no you didn't colleen" statement. but yes, i had forgotten my passport in oxford. did i mention we were leaving for munich? *sigh* we made many many phone calls, and realized the only way for me to get it and still go to munich was to go on a bus back to oxford, grab my passport, take a bus back to the airport and catch the last flight of the day back into munich at 8:00. and that's exactly what i did. crying and panicked. but everything worked out fine and i arrived in munich at midnight, exhausted, starving and relieved. with passport in hand and a new germany stamp :]

i would just like to say hats off to my parents for the way they handled everything. they were so understanding and kind and patient. i will always remember how they reacted and when i am in a similar situation, but in their shoes, i will remember how they reacted and practice the same. you guys rock.

london take 2

trafalgar square
our great restaurant!
les mis!

leicester square
soho
restaurant in notting hill

i fell in love with the city all over again this week. the first day my mom and i walked around leicester square and bought tickets to les mis for that night. after we found great tickets we walked around the square for a little bit, enjoyed seeing trafalgar square and stepped into the national gallery for the afternoon. we then went back to the hotel, cleaned up a bit and had a meal that i am still on cloud 9 about. we decided to get dinner at the japanese restaurant in the hotel, at a place called miyako. we were, fortunately, the only ones in there so we got waited on like we were the royal family. we had an absolutely exquisite meal complete with mouth watering dessert. then we headed out to the show. unfortunately the meal enthralled us so much we lost track of time and ended up sprinting, literally we were running our little hearts out, to make the show in time. but we didn't. and had to be seated late, and stepped on toes, bags and jackets, but made it to our seats just in time for the second scene. the show was incredible. the sets, the music, the singing, the costumes, everything came together flawlessly to tell the great story. later that night, i caught a cab for the first time ever! stood there with my arm up and everything.

the next day mom and i found the most amazing soho and general shopping i have ever been to. we had such a fun day window shopping at the expensive boutiques and real shopping at the stores we could afford. we had another amazing meal in notting hill and walked around a bit in the neighborhood there. then we went to harrods and got completely lost in the 18438903258249 square foot building. then that night we met the lees (the people i stayed with the first week in london) and had really fun meal with them.

jane eyre

as i said before this week my parents came out and visited. it was such a blessing to have them here. we experienced things that i will never forget, had meals that i am still talking about, and a really amazing week together.

the first full day they were in oxford we took a trip up to a little down and mansion that and cousin of a friend owns. he's just a Lord in England....it's no big deal really. Ok it totally is and i felt like i was in the time and the book Jane Eyre the entire day. We got a private tour of the mansion, including the haunted room (supposedly) and the attic. where there were two dead birds that had been there for so long that all that was left of them were their skeletons...i almost fell through the floor they scared me so bad. we also got to take a gorgeous walk around his 7500 acres of land. it was a beautiful day and i got to see the ocean, which filled a little piece of my hear that has been empty for a while.

jim and dianna

my past two days have been spent with....myyyyy PARENTS!! :] we've had some incredible days together and this morning we are off to london til thursday and then heading to munich. i will give many more details about our days in oxford and all the rest (with pictures) when i get back. i can't wait! have a great week

would you like to walk to school with me?

i thought i would show you guys my walk to school because it is unbelievable. the pictures don't do it justice...but i think you'll get the picture...pun intended. ha.

on the street.
a really cool pub right on the river.
the river thames. cross it every morning.
my favorite little cafe that's on the way to school.
christ church college.
willow!
secret garden?
my favorite building on the walk...it has red ivy. red!

a beautiful huge empty field to the right.


pretty pond.
leaves starting to turn colors.
sleepy heads.

thats the street we were just walking on
oxford version of the crestview blinky crosswalk!
a gorgeous cemetery we walk by every morning.
secret garden number 2.
made it!!

i honestly think i have one of the most beautiful walks to school anyone can have. it's such a peaceful way to start the morning. hope you enjoyed it!