Final Thoughts

My English adventure has finally come to a close. I wasn't expecting July to fly by so quickly, so my friends and family are going to have to put up with my constant reminiscing and stories beginning with "When I was in Oxford..." for a couple weeks now. Maybe a couple years actually. Well probably the rest of my life.

I could not possibly be happier with how my trip went. I made so many new friends, wrote papers I am very proud of and learned quite a bit writing, explored London, Oxford, Blenheim Palace, and Bath, shopped at Blackwells, went pub-hopping, and overall had a time I can only describe as "jolly good," or "spot on." I will never forget all the laughing and learning I experienced there, and will forever be thankful it was made possible for me by the English Speaking Union, my extremely loving and supportive family and friends, and my professors and mentors who wrote me recommendation letters or offered me constant words of advice and encouragement. You all are the reason I was able to do any of this, and if I ever stop saying thank you just switch mid-sentence to an English accent and I'll remember to start up again. That was a psychological development I had during the course of my stay. I have always been a fan of English accents, but now they remind me of my first trip to their homeland.

Blake, Joanna and I had a strange experience traveling back home. We had an overnight layover in Newark's airport, so we decided to camp out in front of the bag check counter all night. I slept for maybe 10 minutes on the floor there, which had to have been designed for sleeping because of how comfortable it is. Both our flights went very well though, so I can't complain that much. Still, never sleep on an airport floor. It doesn't feel, smell, or look nice in any way. I think I frightened a number of families as they walked past the window to see a disheveled looking bearded man positioning himself in an unnatural way to try and utilize his suitcase as both a pillow and guard against the festering bacteria in front of the bag check line.

Landing in Louisville was wonderful. As much as I miss Oxford and look forward to returning, there really is no place like home. Blake and Joanna were greeted by their welcoming parties and my lovely girlfriend Mollie met me with a hug, bag of Kit-Kat bars, and a welcome home balloon. We picked up our suitcases and started off towards home for a much needed shower/nap combo. Saying goodbye to Blake and Joanna after all this time was strange. There was nothing really too sad about though, I think it's safe to say we each (along with Alexis, who is currently exploring Europe after her successful studies at Cambridge) became wonderful friends. I hope we make time in the future to see each other and talk about our further adventures. They are a big reason my trip was such a success after all.

Thank you again so much for reading this blog. It has been an immense pleasure to write. If you ever go on a trip like this, as I very much hope you do, I recommend keeping a journal of some kind. Now I can always come back to the writing here and immediately be filled with the same thoughts and memories that I count among my most valuable possessions. Hearing from you all about my trip while I was over there was wonderful, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me. Again, a fair warning about my constant stories, but I can't help it really. My Oxford summer was too much fun not to share with you over and over again.

One More Day

I awoke on my final day in the city of dreaming spires to the sound of the cleaning people going through all the rooms people had left earlier. We were supposed to be out of here by 9:30, but I paid for an extra day so I was determined to sleep in. One woman on the cleaning staff came into my room with a surprised look to find a barely awake Benjamin trying to pack up a few final things. “What time are you leaving?” she asked me with a look that said “I hope you leave right now I want to finish cleaning.” I told her I was staying an extra day, and she was ok with it, but I had the exact same experience a little while later with a different staff member. I should have made a sign for my door.

I left my room after packing with the intention of just going on a walk before meeting my Kentucky ESU pals for lunch, but to my surprise found some of my friends still at the door to Exeter. There were actually some Exeter students graduating today, and their robes were flippin’ flappin’ awesome looking. They processed out the front gate as we summer school students watched in awe. I helped Anna with her suitcase and walked with some friends down to the bus station. 

After bidding them farewell and promising to utilize facebook for keeping in touch, I went on my pre-determined walk. I went down past Christ Church and past St. Philip’s Books farther than I had walked yet. With a trusty Diet Coke in hand I went over Folly Bridge into a quaint little residential area of town. I walked for about 45 minutes that way, and then turned around to head back. I stopped by the covered market to avoid the crowds (my last day here is uncharacteristically hot and crowded), and made my way back to Exeter to meet my friends. On the way in, I ran into Fernando. He was on his way to the busses. I’m very happy I got to say goodbye, he was one of the first friends I made here. Maybe someday I can go hang out in Madrid with him. 

I met up with Joanna for lunch, and we waited a few minutes for Blake to show up with no luck. We went and knocked on his door, and then looked around campus but couldn't find him. We finally gave up and got some lunch, and then arrived back on campus to learn he had slept through our loud knocking on his door. We tried.

After walking with Blake as he picked up a sandwich, Joanna and I went over to Blackwells for one last browse. I am really going to miss such an amazing bookstore; hopefully I can use their website to continue giving them the business they deserve. I went back to my room to take a brief nap, and then met my Kentuckian friends for one last dinner in Oxford. We decided Jericho was a part of the city we hadn't explored yet, and walked for about 15 minutes before finding it. I wanted to try The Victoria pub, where Thom Yorke from Radiohead likes to go, but it was too crowded. We opted for another pub called Jude the Obscure. Strangely enough, they had the exact same menu as the Turf Tavern, the same dishes, printout, and menu set-up. The only difference was the name of the pub. We weren't upset, having loved the Turf's food, so we picked a little table next to a bookshelf and ordered some food. The three of us had a conversation about politics which is always lovely, and then walked back home.

Going to bed was a little strange; the whole campus was empty. I walked past all the rooms of the people I had gotten to know so well on the way up to mine. It takes small experiences like that to foreshadow just how much you are going to miss being at a place you love and leave. I called it a night and settled in to my bed in room 9-15, hoping I'd wake up in the morning and still be in my first week over here.