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Wednesday, September 26, 200 1 - Page 10 FEATURES Student shares story of her semester studying at Oxford STACEY M. MYERS to read it aloud to the professor. The profes- one hand and swigging a bottle of cham- pulled into the station in Barcelona. We had Senior Wriler sor and student then critique the essay, and pagne. worn sweaters and jackets, appropriate in My teapot has been on vacation. For the the student moves on to a new topic. Although all the pubs in England close France, but too hot in the warm summer eli- past three months, it has sat on top of the For full-time Oxford students, no grades at II p.m., ,the British have no brown-bag mate of Spain. refrigerator, but it went back to work yester- are given in these tutorials, because they are laws that prevent alcohol from being con- Carrying our packs on our backs, we day, producing three rich, amber pots of tea simply a-means of preparing the students for sumed on the street. When the pubs close, made our way to the subway and across town fortmy friends and me. It was rejected from the final exam. Unlike American schools most of the students start lining up to get into to a recommended hotel, only to find that it th~.rSeconds pile at the oldest china factory was booked for the weekend After being in England, relegated to a shelf in a sorry turned down at several stops, we came out cement-floored warehouse nestled among on La Ramblas, the most central and famous mismatched, misshapen china. avenue in all of Barcelona. There we found The clean cobalt and platinum lines drew a tiny little hotel with a room overlooking my eye, and I gently lifted the pot from its the street and the square for about fifteen crowded spot. I thought I had the top firmly dollars a night. It was the equivalent of stay- - under my fingers as I flipped the pot to check ing on Times Square in New York, only the ,price, but the tiny lid slipped away and much, much cheaper. clattered on the cement floor. My friend Liz Barcelona was a blast. We visited the jumped, thinking I had shattered the delicate Picasso museum, and took a bus tour of the china, but the lid was undamaged. I bought city to learn about the sculptures' and archi- the pot. tecture and the Olympic plaza. We ate tapas My teapot and I found a home in Ox- and drank sangria. We saw street festivals ford, in an apartment overlooking the and puppeteers and soaked up sun on the Thames River. Actually, the apartment build- beach and stuck our toes in the icy Mediter- ing was built in the middle of the river, with ranean. bridges leading to and from its modem glass UnfortunateI y, my vacation had to end, and steel towers. As a member of Hertford but f was pleasantly surprised when I re- College Oxford, I had the privilege of living turned to England. While I'd been gone, the in the nicest housing they could provide: flowers had all begun to come out, and the single study bedrooms with private bath- Senior Eng/ish major Stacey Myers (right) and friend, Alynne, enjoying the country was suddenly in bloom. Every gar- rooms and a shared kitchen, with full maid den was awash in bright colors, and even the beautiful scenery and warm weather at the beach in Barcelona. Spain. Spain service. It was like living at a Holiday Inn was just one of the many places Myers visited while studying at Oxford. streetlemps had baskets of flowers hanging for six months. from them. The ivy on the side of my col- The windows in my room were large, but where students are tested at the end of each the clubs, which stay open until two or three lege started to leaf out, and climbing roses only opened from the bottom, and even then semester, Oxford gives no tests until the end in the morning. Even in the coldest weather, began to bloom. only opened out about three inches. Appar- of the very last year. . women walk around in tank tops and high, Punting season brought rivers clogged ently the academic program at 'Oxford re- At the end of the student's three-year strappy sandals, clutching their Smimoff Ice with people picnicking in long, flat-bottomed sults in a lot of suicides, so our building was study time, the university administers huge or Bacardi Breezer. My friends and I looked boats. The ducks crowded around, begging, constructed w.ith suicide-proof windows. I exams. All of the students dress in, their for- pretty out of place in our warm jackets, but for food, but the swans would-bully, ~pem thought that was pretty funny, until I started mal robes and go to be tested together. For we had a great time anyway. away. . '.!II: taktng clesses. example, all of the students seeking a de-, At the end of the first term, we all de- When we weren't punting, my friends Oxford's educauonalsysrem ls quite dif- gree in English literature take the same te~r cided to spend the break traveling. My friend and I would-take snidybreaks and visit.oven, ferent than what American students know. at the same time, regardless of what they Rachel and Itraveled to Scotland and France pots of tea. We,' d share stories of our fami- At Oxford, the year is divided into three have actually studied. So the whole exam together; Dorrie joined us for southern lies, Of thingsJ.'yV,~'(LsHY" that day, and .fr~r.,' terms, or trimesters. During the spring ses- process is a bit stressful. France, Italy and Austria. But my favorite quently frustrations over our essays for the sion, the students work for eight weeks on However, it's also a cause for great cel- trip of all was a weekend journey from north- week. But as July approached, my friends,( their courses, then have six weeks off, and ebration. In late May, hundreds of people eastern France to Barcelona, Spain. began to leave. Ipacked my teapot, and pre- then return for eight more weeks. During the wait outside the buildings where the tests are My best friend from home, Jenny, was pared to do the same. class sessions, students only take two classes given to congratulate their friends as they studying in France. We had discussed going Now, my teapot is my reminder of life at a time, and these are taught by a tutorial emerge from exams. The students are show- skiing together in the Swiss Alps, so I packed lived. not just survived. The momentS caught method, where the student meets with the ered with confetti, presented with bottles of my sk.i gear and headed out to see her. When on camera are just a fraction of the memo- professor one-an-one once a week. There are champagne and then taken for drinks at I got there, however, I foundthe plans had ries that stepping out of my American com- no tests, quizzes, or homework problems. nearby pubs. It's not uncommon to see stu- been changed, and we were going to head fort zone forced me to create. Although my The student must prepare an essay each dents walking down the street dressed in their off to Spain. We left on a wet, cold Thurs- teapot stays at home, I carry my memories week, about to pages long, and be prepared black robes, carrying their mortarboards in day night, and fifteen hours later, our train with me everywhere. Did you miss the Study Abroad Fair? seas study programs. Single brochures and sists, students who can partici- Slil//Writer infonnation packets can be picked up from pate in such a program should For students looking to explore new Study Abroad Director Dr. Colette Henriette, look into this offer. "It's an im- lands, learn about different cultures, and re- organizer of the fair, in room 327 in Lewis portant -opportunity that will ceive a glimpse of the educational system in Hall of Science, or by calling extension 468. change their lives," stated different countries, the Study Abroad Fairon As Kimberly James, representative for James. - September. 11 was the .place to be. With a .jhe Interstudy overseas study program in- had the op- r.===;;;;;:===== .~ grouporrepresentenves from several foreign study agencies present, students portunlty'to learn more about the programs WESTERN Moywd COllEGE .. offered. I() DEPARTMENT of ART ANd ART HiSTORY Representatives were not the only re- pRESENTS source available to interested students. WMC students who had studied at universities over- ThE DANish RESCUE seas were also present to provide first-hand OFJEWS, 194~ accounts of their unique experiences. Senior Erin Glack, who studied at the Uni- versity of York. in England, slated that even posTERS pRiNTEd ANd CREATEd by THE , though' the ..,idea of etudying.abroad is "so ' 'culTuRAl AdMiNiSTRATiON of ,DENMARk" cliched, it broadened (her] horizons." Clark maintained that study abroad pro- OerobER 4 ThROUGhOCTobER'l grams are beneficial in giving students Op'NiNG ROC:lpTioN' "gained independence and self-confidence" ThuRSdAy, Oerob •• 4 fa_ 6.8 p••• about themselves. TilE RiCE CAllERY iN PETERSON HAil Students who may have missed the Study Abroad Fair can still obtain information FoR iNfORMATION ANdGAlI.. y """os, CAll(410) 857·2595. about the different agencies offering over- Ah=~~~~~~