On Saturday (aka my last free day, according to people in the know), a group of students from my college ventured eight miles north of the city to see England's Greatest Palace, given to the First Duke of Marlborough by Queen Ann for military service in Germany against France. Quite stunning! We spent nearly eight hours exploring the palace and the grounds; it was cold, windy, and rainy, but the paths and flowers were beautiful, especially by the lake. Blenheim - a World Heritage Site - offers an guided tour, a multimedia program, and a special display on Churchill, who was born in the palace. Being the nerds that we are, my friends and I did all three, and we even hiked to Bladon to see Churchill's grave. Then we walked through the adjacent town of Woodstock - a perfectly English town. I wish you all could have been with me!
I found the reality of aristocracy sort of difficult to grasp, betraying my American roots. The 11th Duke of Marlborough is still living on the greatness of his ancestor. However, I can appreciate the ceremonial role he might play in England, and the house is a pretty sweet place to spend Christmas. Overall, a very fabulous day! (Though I did miss FSU beating Miami :) )
On Sunday I went with a few friends to church at St. Ebbes, an Anglican church. I enjoyed seeing families and getting a sense of fellowship - feeling connected to home. Plus, church is always a great way to get to know a culture. I plan on exploring more services, including student options in the colleges.
Over the past two days, I attended Orientation for MSc in African Studies. At first I felt overwhelmed (understatement) by the information, but today I am mostly very excited (though I know I will be busy for basically the next nine months)! The last session today allowed us to speak with former students of the program, which grounded the experience and made all of us current students feel like we are capable of making it to the end - there is a way through! Plus, the topics seem incredibly interesting, and I know I am going to learn a great deal from my classmates (only 2 Americans out of 31!). I actually just had an informal meeting with my peers who are both in my college and in African Studies; we are planning on having weekly study groups. It makes me feel so good to have so many support networks - Rotary, African Studies, St. Antony's, and of course family!
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Amanda will be picking her thesis topic and will be assigned her directing professor on Thursday so she is asking everyone to pray for her. Thank you all for all of your thoughts and prayers.
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