Oxford - old knowledge, old friends, and weirdly named pubs

Author: Amanda

There's a great feeling you get when you are greeted warmly by old friends you haven't seen for a while and this feeling lingered for the four or so days we stayed in Oxford. For the sake of privacy I won't mention their names, but I remember playing with the family that hosted us for hours as a kid, going to homechurch together, and then living with them in Africa later when I was 9. We hadn't seen each other since, but it was like things hadn't changed all that much.

The twins (as I'll refer to them) walked us up a little English countryside path to the grand university that makes the town so famous. On the way they pointed out the:

~ killer cows (We started off discussing red back spiders and somehow got to 'killer cows'...? No joke, there's something in the English bovine blood that leads to 20 or so UK deaths a year with hundreds injured. So don't underestimate a mama on the mooove.)

~people 'punting' in the stream (a precarious Oxford pastime involving a small boat, a long pole, and a brave, soon-to-be-wet person standing up pushing the boat along)

~ the large masses of stinging nettles (which I later went out and foraged by a field with gloves, a washing basket and scissors, to cook up like spinach. I think I was a bit of a picture for the locals!)

We also discussed class-based societies, how these were reflected at the university, and the fact that there are still significant social class hierarchies in England in comparison to Australia.

Oxford University isn't really a single university like Australian universities. There are a series of individual colleges that actually operate like their own mini university. Studying here means being surrounded by magnificent old buildings with English gardens and grand traditions. And these qualities permeate the town so residents often get to enjoy the feeling of grandeur and prestige too.

We went inside some college buildings including some where scenes from the Harry Potter series were filmed. These locations included the Christchurch college eating hall where John Wesley, a famous itinerant preacher who we'd read about, was hall president for a time and... most notably for many... this eating hall was replicated in a movie studio as the Hogwarts dining hall. There were also ornate staircases that featured in Harry Potter and an ancient library used in the film they wouldn't let us take photos in - but its worth a mention even without its Harry Potter connections! We were told that the library has a right to every item published in the UK. It also contains many old and large fragile copies that look like they can impart wisdom just by being opened... But the only way you'll get to read anything here is by enrolling at Oxford.

We were also fascinated to discover that in times past a 'doctorate' involved studying several fields like philosophy, mathematics, (and others) as well as medicine, so they truly were doctors, unlike now.

One day, while exploring the town, we stumbled across a museum of scientific instruments that really showed the progression of human scientific discovery. I was so impressed with humanity for a few hours there. The navigational instruments, complicated looking clocks, old microscopes, astronomical instruments, medical kits and old wirelesses made me want to be a scientist in the old times. There was even a blackboard with notes made by Einstein himself.

Another day we saw the pub (the 'Eagle and Child,) that the Inklings gathered in! So our host stopped the car so I could quickly go in. The Inklings were a group of thinkers and creatives, notably including professors C.S Lewis (of Narnia and Mere Christianity fame) and J.R.R. Tolkien (creator of The Hobbit, the Lord of the Rings Series and all things Middle Earth). Wow, being there was a treat.

Our hostess is a fan of the televised 'Inspector Morse' series so we got to see several picturesque pubs used for filming. These pubs had real atmosphere. I'd go to pubs frequently as a relax-and-chat spot if we lived in the UK. We even saw some really old ones with very low roofs (see photo).

[Jahda: Yes, but I would come home with a sore head - not from drinking, but from banging into the doorways and roof all the time!]

'The Cotswalds' is a nearby area with quaint villages and rolling green hills just outside Oxford. Our host aimed to take us out for Devonshire tea (including scones with jam and cream) but we just missed out due to traffic! Unfortunately the 'but they have come all the way from Australia!' line didn't work either. However, we got to enjoy the super cute thatched roofs, moss-covered stone walls and quiet orderly village feel.

We thought about how nice it would be to live in one of these picturesque villages where you would literally know everyone. Then we realised that unless you had good friends living there also, it could actually become a very isolating lifestyle... so we won't be packing up and moving to the costwalds just yet.

Our nights involved hilarious group games and serious conversations about microfinance and how to do international aid better, including what it would mean to do it in a biblical way. It dovetailed with some things Jahda has been thinking about lately (well, ever since we went to South Africa in 2010).

[Jahda: I was reminded once again that poverty is not just material. It can be social, emotional, or spiritual as well. Maslow and his hierarchy aside, these things are very real and very important. To quote our host: "People suffer when they don't find kindness around them."]

We thoroughly enjoyed our hosts' hospitality and were sad to bid our wonderfully generous friends farewell as we headed off to London. Queen Liz, here we come!