Oxford
Eighteen years ago I did a semester of college in London. I lived with about 40 other students and a few teachers in a house that BYU owns in Kensington, right across from Kensington Gardens in Hyde Park. I studied English history, Shakespeare and other English literature. We roamed used book stores in Covent Garden and ate Cadbury chocolate bars from the vending machines in the tube stops on our way to the theater where we would wait for cheap, last-minute tickets. We visited so many castles and cathedrals that somehow by the end of the four months they had started to get a bit redundant. It was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life.
Just this week after recently watching The Crown, going to the movie theater to see Darkest Hour and then finishing a fantastic book entitled Victoria, I was literally seconds away from clicking the button to purchase airline tickets to London when the thought crossed my mind that I should probably talk with my husband first. I love England and feel such a draw there and I can't wait to go back.
One of the most inspiring days of the whole educational experience was our day in Oxford. This is from my journal:
March 3, 2000: I've been so inspired today on many levels. Our guide today is Dr. Kerry. He is from the States but he is on the faculty here at Oxford, though I know he has taught at BYU too. He's amazing. Not only has he just been a fountain of knowledge about the area but he keeps telling us to set our standards high and not limit ourselves. After just an hour with him I wanted to know everything.
We drove up to Oxford and picked him up and he took us to Blenheim Palace. He showed us how the landscaper designed the garden in such a way that it appears so vast even though it wasn't. Standing at one point, looking down a row of trees in sort of a V shape, there was a tall monument on a small hill that would draw your eyes up and then just bounce your view right off of it into the sky surrounding the monument. We walked to the monument and it wasn't far at all, despite how large the grounds seemed. Looking back at the palace it appeared to have arms that were extended to welcome the Duke home after hunting. The garden was also designed so that the palace didn't dominate it; in fact at some points you couldn't even see the palace. There was a beautiful lake and bridge and it looked so natural even though it was perfectly cultivated. I loved it.
Then we went to a manor house just like all the ones in the Jane Austen movies. There was a sunken garden there. In order to protect the flowers from the frost they would build a hedge wall around a shorter stone wall and then sink the garden a foot or so. This creates a micro-climate and their flowers would survive the frost and they could also grow more exotic plants. Brilliant! Then we went to where Sir Winston Churchill was buried. It was a very simple gravestone in a church yard close to where he was born. I thought it was an example of his wonderful character. He could have been buried at Westminster in a extravagant tomb but he chose a simple one near his home.
Then we went to the home of C.S. Lewis and I saw the window he sat by when he wrote his stories and we walked along the path he would take his walks on. It was beautiful--so peaceful and quiet--the perfect place to dream up the Chronicles of Narnia. Then we finally made it to Oxford and it was wonderful. Dr. Kerry took us to the science museum and it was built to be a learning experience in of itself. Every pillar was made of a different mineral and carved with different flowers. The whole ceiling was glass so it was like the eye of God--while you were in the museum you became an exhibit for God to watch.
Later her took us into his college, St. John's, which is a very formal and studious college. We saw the chapel and also the library, which was built back in the monastic times and it had some of the very first copies of the Bible. He showed us the gardens, which were also designed by Capability Brown so it had the same V effect that made it seem so spacious even though it was in the middle of a many college buildings. It was so peaceful and beautiful with all the flowers just starting to come out.
It was sitting in this garden that I was overwhelmed with the feeling that I am a spiritual being having a human experience. Suddenly I just wanted to know everything because intelligence is one of the few things I can take with me. I felt incredibly inspired and filled with a desire to learn and grow and educate myself as much as possible. Today was one of those days where I feel a step closer to the person I want to be.
Just this week after recently watching The Crown, going to the movie theater to see Darkest Hour and then finishing a fantastic book entitled Victoria, I was literally seconds away from clicking the button to purchase airline tickets to London when the thought crossed my mind that I should probably talk with my husband first. I love England and feel such a draw there and I can't wait to go back.
One of the most inspiring days of the whole educational experience was our day in Oxford. This is from my journal:
March 3, 2000: I've been so inspired today on many levels. Our guide today is Dr. Kerry. He is from the States but he is on the faculty here at Oxford, though I know he has taught at BYU too. He's amazing. Not only has he just been a fountain of knowledge about the area but he keeps telling us to set our standards high and not limit ourselves. After just an hour with him I wanted to know everything.
We drove up to Oxford and picked him up and he took us to Blenheim Palace. He showed us how the landscaper designed the garden in such a way that it appears so vast even though it wasn't. Standing at one point, looking down a row of trees in sort of a V shape, there was a tall monument on a small hill that would draw your eyes up and then just bounce your view right off of it into the sky surrounding the monument. We walked to the monument and it wasn't far at all, despite how large the grounds seemed. Looking back at the palace it appeared to have arms that were extended to welcome the Duke home after hunting. The garden was also designed so that the palace didn't dominate it; in fact at some points you couldn't even see the palace. There was a beautiful lake and bridge and it looked so natural even though it was perfectly cultivated. I loved it.Then we went to a manor house just like all the ones in the Jane Austen movies. There was a sunken garden there. In order to protect the flowers from the frost they would build a hedge wall around a shorter stone wall and then sink the garden a foot or so. This creates a micro-climate and their flowers would survive the frost and they could also grow more exotic plants. Brilliant! Then we went to where Sir Winston Churchill was buried. It was a very simple gravestone in a church yard close to where he was born. I thought it was an example of his wonderful character. He could have been buried at Westminster in a extravagant tomb but he chose a simple one near his home.Then we went to the home of C.S. Lewis and I saw the window he sat by when he wrote his stories and we walked along the path he would take his walks on. It was beautiful--so peaceful and quiet--the perfect place to dream up the Chronicles of Narnia. Then we finally made it to Oxford and it was wonderful. Dr. Kerry took us to the science museum and it was built to be a learning experience in of itself. Every pillar was made of a different mineral and carved with different flowers. The whole ceiling was glass so it was like the eye of God--while you were in the museum you became an exhibit for God to watch.
Later her took us into his college, St. John's, which is a very formal and studious college. We saw the chapel and also the library, which was built back in the monastic times and it had some of the very first copies of the Bible. He showed us the gardens, which were also designed by Capability Brown so it had the same V effect that made it seem so spacious even though it was in the middle of a many college buildings. It was so peaceful and beautiful with all the flowers just starting to come out.
It was sitting in this garden that I was overwhelmed with the feeling that I am a spiritual being having a human experience. Suddenly I just wanted to know everything because intelligence is one of the few things I can take with me. I felt incredibly inspired and filled with a desire to learn and grow and educate myself as much as possible. Today was one of those days where I feel a step closer to the person I want to be.
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