And so it begins...

Oxford spires from The Vines

I thought blogging was obnoxious. Amusing yes, but obnoxious nonetheless. In fact, I still think that. But alas, here I am, pen in hand. I love adventures. I love mystery. I love culture. I love dreaming. I love exploration. And, I enjoy writing. So, here goes.

To me, visiting a new place is like tasting a new menu item for the first time, rich with unexpected flavor, a bit of exotic spice, a punch of heat that surprises you as you swallow. England, despite it's lack of culinary grandeur, is definitely a place that has been a refreshing, new, bold taste in my mouth. One that I can't get enough of.

Sam's world class city tour. 

Thankfully, I am in Oxford for four months, so I will have plenty of time to take in the best of British culture, and undertake as many adventures as I possibly can. In our first days at our new home, The Vines, my housemates and I began a bucket list...it looks like we'll be keeping ourselves pretty busy. :) Within less than a week, I have learned to ride a bike the British way (No sidewalks. No left turns on red. No riding without lights on your bike at night. Who knew bike headlights even existed?!), carry my groceries home on my handlebars, walk around the city without getting lost (or at least without looking lost...), kneel at the appropriate times in church, stay awake during orientation, cook with 10 other people in the kitchen, and navigate the incredibly ambiguous - not to mention huge - library system of Oxford. We have certainly taken the city by storm, stopping to sip tea in any spare moment we have, of course.

Rad Cam library....puts Swem to shame I'm afraid.

I am ecstatic to be here, and as excited (and terrified!) as I am for classes to start next week, I am even more thrilled simply to be part of a true Christian academic community. It's a breath of fresh air I have waited much too long to take, and I can't express how invigorating it is to be living with 40 other SCIO students. Coming from across the US and a wide variety of backgrounds, we all have different views (....and thus some heated debates), different academic interests, and different extracurricular passions, but at the end of the day we all are here to glorify the same God. It's a phenomenon I've never experienced, and I absolutely love it. God is good.


Tutorials (and reading, and stress, and papers) start next week. For now, it's time to hit the local pub and enjoy each other's company!

at The White Horse with Connor, Jesse, and Katie