Oxford, Day 2

So after finally making it to bed last night, I got to sleep in this morning, as it appears I will most of the time, my only morning class is at 10:30, and that's only two days a week. Plus I have no Friday classes. I will however, have to do a whole lot of work on my own time, with Intercultural Communication and Greek. There's so much walking to do here. I walked for around three and a half hours today. I also learned the practicality of a hat with a brim. It keeps the nearly constant drizzle out of your eyes. So I bought one today, and it helped.

It's interesting, because no one really clumps here. Everyone walks in one or twos. I've only seen one group of three. I haven't taken many pictures yet, I'm trying to stay away from the touristy look while I get adjusted. I already stand out enough. I'll try to take and post some tomorrow though.

One of my goals for the semester is to pray Compline at our Sunday night chapel, and it already looks like it's going to happen!

So, time for some more interesting differences about Oxford. The best grocery store I've found, or the one most like an American grocery store and not like a corner market, is in the English version of the mall. I'm not sure it's called that. I think it's called a "centre". But it's a mall. And hopefully in a few days we'll get papers that will allow us to get a library card.

It kind of surprised me to see that there are homeless people in Oxford. I guess I had a romantic view of the city, and not so much a realistic one. But there are homeless people, and even some young homeless, about my age.

Sleeping arrangement wise, the beds are very comfortable. They have mattress pads on them, and though the pillows are not all that, I brought my own very comfortable one, so it all works out wonderfully.

I bought a pay as you go cell phone today, and found out that is less that half as expensive to call a US land line than is is to call anything in the UK. It's 6p (pence, kind of like a penny) to call the US, and 15p to call Britain. I thought that was strange.