I successfully made it to the U.K., after a 6.5 hour red-eye flight. After maneuvering customs and the Heathrow airport as a group, we were met by Bob the Rhodes House Porter and a couple second year Rhodies (as far as I can tell, a Porter is the person in charge of an individual building). Bob is quite a jovial fellow, and I understand that he will become our best friend. We collected our luggage, which was loaded onto a large moving van, and loaded our coach (bus).
On the hour ride to Oxford, the hillside is incredibly green and dotted with what I interpret to be quaint cottages. Upon arriving in Oxford, the surroundings changed abruptly. The buildings are large, gothic, and impressive. The coach delivered us one by one to our separate colleges.
Upon arriving at my new home, Holywell Manor, which is the graduate anex of my college, Balliol, myself and the other three Americans in Balliol were met by another couple second year scholars. We met the porter, who gave us our keys, and headed to our rooms. I'll admit that I was a bit dissapointed by the building we live in and my room. It's pretty much just a plain dorm room, and I knew that some of my compatriots were discovering some pretty pausch rooms at other colleges. But, what Balliol lacks in extravagent ammenities, it makes up for in its laid back nature and social scene.
I put my things down and immediately headed out into the city center to pick up towels and the like. I was pretty surprised to find the center of Oxford to be lined with fairly modern stores and thousands of bustling people.
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