Dear friends and family,
I know I sent out an email several months ago saying that I'd be posting updates to my blog from here on out. Enough people have been asking me about life at Oxford, however, that I figured I'd send out another one of these. Yes, Chris O and Dan S, it is indeed another rambling Aaron epic. Put on your PJs and enjoy!
Life has been a flurry of activity since leaving the West Coast one month ago, and it doesn't seem like things will slow down anytime soon. When I moved to Stanford from the Pacific Northwest a couple years ago I couldn't have imagined an environment more animated by students' intellectual energy and entrepreneurial passion, yet Oxford goes one step beyond. A friend of mine made the point that Oxford is really a sort of mega-University, a great description of Oxford's 40 or so independently funded, loosely associated colleges, each with their own student associations, sports teams, and choirs. Then there are the University societies, which are cross-collegiate and number in the hundreds. There are also the offerings of the Rhodes House, the Statistics Department, and St Aldates Church (more on that to come). These interlinked spheres of activity exert an immediate pull upon Oxford's students, and the task of managing one's datebook can be as daunting as the process of whittling down one's commitments to semi-manageable levels. For now the activities I've settled on are: Rowing, French, Choir, and the Postgrads fellowship at St Aldates. When I add classes, pub dates and dinners, and speakers and seminars to the mix my weeks get pretty full, but the pace of life is manageable nonetheless. Most of you know that I don't row, have never taken french, and sing off-key, but the freedom to explore is where so much of the joy in being here lies: I don't want to miss a moment!
Oxford is absolutely beautiful. While you get a sense of this walking about the streets, past ancient churches or beneath ornamented spires, it's once you step into the courtyard of Christ Church, or climb to the top of Magdalene tower, or walk the grounds at Worcester (my college!), that Oxford really begins to move you. Finely manicured lawns, weathered stonework, immaculately tended gardens, old oaks and willows, archways and fountains, and walking paths are all arrayed with incredible balance and proportion. The other day my buddy Pravin and I concluded a workout by riding or bikes through the Christ Church Meadows, a park that takes you past through the grounds of several of the University's colleges, and we both felt like we were cycling through a chapter of a Jane Austin novel, with cows, green pastures, swans, a winding brook and the whole bit (at least I've been told this kind of pastoral beauty is Austin-like). I could go on for a while, but really the best thing is to see it for yourself. I wanted to upload some shots onto my picassa webs albums, but for whatever reason it's telling me tonight that my camera files aren't formatted correctly. Check back in a day or so if you'd like to see some Oxford shots--some of my Alaska pics are up out there as well.
Oxford is really, really old. Last week I spent some time in the Bodelian Library--another scenic attraction on campus--and found a reading room in which I was surrounded by musty old books predating the founding of the U.S. by a couple hundred years. I hope it's not generalizing too much to say that a long and storied tradition leads to a much stronger sense of tradition, not just here at the University, but throughout this entire ancient country. For exams and matriculation, for example, I wear an outfit known as "sub-fusc," a dark suit with a white bow tie and a ridiculous black robe. The Warden of the Rhodes house told us that there have been many votes in the past among the student body as to whether or not sub-fusc should be abolished. Each time the students have voted overwhelmingly to maintain the tradition, and then gone on grumbling about how silly the whole business is! There's also a rumor that once a student showed up to his exams bearing his family sword, and requested the free beer to which he was entitled per the archaic tome known as the Examinations Regulations Handbook--legend has it they struck the "free beer for family sword" clause following the incident.
I took my preterm statistics exam seriously, and had the satisfaction of doing all right in the end. Today I had my first meeting with my departmental supervisor, a very nice man and former Berkeley professor named Nicolai Steinshausen. After explaining to me how to prove that Y = X1 + X2, where Xi~N(0,1) is distributed N(0,2) (I wasn't sure how to do this either) he handed me back my exam and said "the rest was pretty much good." Yessss! It's nice to be off to a strong start, and to know that my time spent doing maths and Western and Stanford amounted to something. This week's theory problem set is giving me a run for my money, though, and I have no doubt that I have plenty of challenging course work to look forward to. My classmates are awesome as well: I think when we're all in lecture together we more or less represent a cross-section of the U.N. general assembly. Students from literally all over the world have come to study here, and as I get to know them better I benefit not only from their intellectual brilliance but from the diverse perspectives they bring from their varied life experiences.
*I speak a bit about faith-related topics here. I know I write to a crowd of diverse perspectives, and hope that all understand that I am merely attempting to share my life and experiences with honesty. My care and respect for each person to whom this letter is addressed is independent of whether or not they have arrived at the same conclusions spiritually as I have.*
Finally, I have found a vibrant community of faith here at Oxford. At the recommendation of a friend who studied a quarter abroad here I went to St Aldates Church my first Sunday, and have been attending their ever since. I wrote this a couple weeks ago: "In America we often say that the European church is dead, yet at St Aldates the Body of Christ is certainly alive and well. They pray, they worship God in spirit and in truth, and there is a tangible presence of joy throughout the sanctuary." As at Stanford, the Spirit is moving here at Oxford--it is such an exciting to time to be a student! Last night I attended a showing of a debate that took place last year between John Lennox and Richard Dawkins (both Oxford Professors) in the Town Hall with several Rhodes scholars. The showing was in advance of today's live debate between the two men, on the usual subject of whether or not science has buried God. I believe that this generation is in a unique place historically: it doesn't desire a return to a brain-dead religion of unquestioned assumptions, but neither can it easily abide in the hollow, materialistic, meaningless world of Richard Dawkins. I had to chuckle two Sundays past when, while giving a sermon at St Aldates, John Lennox said "Aslan is on the move" :) Pray for us, that we would be sensitive to the God's leading and aware of opportunities we have to engage the campus.
The summary is necessarily incomplete, but these are some of the highlights. A couple folks have asked me for contact info: you see find my UK phone number and address at the bottom of this email. Thanks for reading, and I always hope to hear what's new on your end!
Cheers,
Aaron
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
day one
Today was the first day of the Michaelmas Term (pronounced "mikulmus"). It's also been one of those offbeat days I have now and again that makes me question whether or not I'm fit to function in the modern world. No need to belabor the point, yet an anecdote about this evening's dinner adventure more or less captures the general tone of the day:
To begin with, I missed cocktails at the Stats Department and the subsequent meeting with reps from UBS, an international investment bank, because I was preoccupied scheduling for the week and drafting a personal budget. Bummer. "That's OK," I thought, "at least I have a tasty second hall dinner to look forward to in a couple minutes." Then I flipped through the grad student handbook to double check the price of second hall and read that tickets to second hall must be purchased the morning of. Bummer again. "No worries," I said to myself, "after drafting this budget I'm realizing that eating in the hall every meal is going to break me financially. I'll go grocery shopping." Though pickings at Sainsbury's are pretty slim by 8.30pm, I picked up the ingredients I needed for spaghetti and meat sauce and headed home. After I got back I realized I'd purchased egg noodles, which, it turns out, taste nothing like real spaghetti. Yet I pressed on. After fighting with our erratic stove for 45 minutes to bring a third of a pot of water to boil I finally got the pasta cooked, and in the process of trying strain it dumped the whole batch in the kitchen sink. Sigh. I turned on the cold water, fished out the noodles by hand, and after a successful second attempt sat down to giant plate of soapy, overcooked egg noddles and fairly decent meat sauce. I distractedly offered up a half-hearted prayer of thanks for how well I eat, finished my meal, and came up here to write this post.
That's kind of how transitions go, I've noticed. Wherever you go, there you are. For all the build up, at the end of the day we're simply people trying to get along in the world. Moreover, our idiosyncrasies have a tendency of following us wherever we go. I may be a Rhodes scholar, studying a challenging subject at one of the world's most prestigious universities, yet disaster-fraught days like today make me marvel that I manage to stumble my way into opportunities like these. "You keep coming back, kid," Tim would say to me over the summer, "and in the end that's what matters." I may not be the sharpest stick in the box, but when it comes to getting things done I guess I function pretty well as a blunt instrument :-)
Typos and sour notes are inevitable in the process of crafting novels or composing symphonies, though, and as I prepare to turn in for the evening I'm reminded of how much there is to be thankful for here. After spending quite a bit of time on last weeks preterm exam I'm entering week one confident that my basic grasp of the mathematical theories and techniques necessary to succeed in my course are strong. Class went well today. I landed a spot in the Hertford Chapel Choir and am looking forward to developing my singing. Last weekend I walked down to the Worcester College boathouse along the banks of the Thames under a warm October sun: I'm eager to try rowing, and have heard that the end-of-term Christ Church Regatta is nothing short of an absolute blast. Relationships with my fellow scholars continue to deepen as well: last Friday night our friend Jason hosted a dinner at his place that included fine wine, cheese, homemade foccacia bread, and pasta. Finally, rather than confronting the challenge of a scarcity of fellowship I'm having to be discerning in choosing which of the many awesome Christian groups to associate with at Oxford.
So in the end all's well. Interestingly enough, however, I feel strangely disassociated from all this, even as I'm in the middle of it. After striving intensely through four years of undergrad it's as if I've come full circle, except this time I'm a "fresher," not a "freshman." I suppose some of the novelty has worn off by this point, which I think is a good thing. It leaves me more free to honestly question the purpose of my time hear and structure my life accordingly.
Love you all, thanks for staying tuned!
To begin with, I missed cocktails at the Stats Department and the subsequent meeting with reps from UBS, an international investment bank, because I was preoccupied scheduling for the week and drafting a personal budget. Bummer. "That's OK," I thought, "at least I have a tasty second hall dinner to look forward to in a couple minutes." Then I flipped through the grad student handbook to double check the price of second hall and read that tickets to second hall must be purchased the morning of. Bummer again. "No worries," I said to myself, "after drafting this budget I'm realizing that eating in the hall every meal is going to break me financially. I'll go grocery shopping." Though pickings at Sainsbury's are pretty slim by 8.30pm, I picked up the ingredients I needed for spaghetti and meat sauce and headed home. After I got back I realized I'd purchased egg noodles, which, it turns out, taste nothing like real spaghetti. Yet I pressed on. After fighting with our erratic stove for 45 minutes to bring a third of a pot of water to boil I finally got the pasta cooked, and in the process of trying strain it dumped the whole batch in the kitchen sink. Sigh. I turned on the cold water, fished out the noodles by hand, and after a successful second attempt sat down to giant plate of soapy, overcooked egg noddles and fairly decent meat sauce. I distractedly offered up a half-hearted prayer of thanks for how well I eat, finished my meal, and came up here to write this post.
That's kind of how transitions go, I've noticed. Wherever you go, there you are. For all the build up, at the end of the day we're simply people trying to get along in the world. Moreover, our idiosyncrasies have a tendency of following us wherever we go. I may be a Rhodes scholar, studying a challenging subject at one of the world's most prestigious universities, yet disaster-fraught days like today make me marvel that I manage to stumble my way into opportunities like these. "You keep coming back, kid," Tim would say to me over the summer, "and in the end that's what matters." I may not be the sharpest stick in the box, but when it comes to getting things done I guess I function pretty well as a blunt instrument :-)
Typos and sour notes are inevitable in the process of crafting novels or composing symphonies, though, and as I prepare to turn in for the evening I'm reminded of how much there is to be thankful for here. After spending quite a bit of time on last weeks preterm exam I'm entering week one confident that my basic grasp of the mathematical theories and techniques necessary to succeed in my course are strong. Class went well today. I landed a spot in the Hertford Chapel Choir and am looking forward to developing my singing. Last weekend I walked down to the Worcester College boathouse along the banks of the Thames under a warm October sun: I'm eager to try rowing, and have heard that the end-of-term Christ Church Regatta is nothing short of an absolute blast. Relationships with my fellow scholars continue to deepen as well: last Friday night our friend Jason hosted a dinner at his place that included fine wine, cheese, homemade foccacia bread, and pasta. Finally, rather than confronting the challenge of a scarcity of fellowship I'm having to be discerning in choosing which of the many awesome Christian groups to associate with at Oxford.
So in the end all's well. Interestingly enough, however, I feel strangely disassociated from all this, even as I'm in the middle of it. After striving intensely through four years of undergrad it's as if I've come full circle, except this time I'm a "fresher," not a "freshman." I suppose some of the novelty has worn off by this point, which I think is a good thing. It leaves me more free to honestly question the purpose of my time hear and structure my life accordingly.
Love you all, thanks for staying tuned!
Monday, October 6, 2008
Oxford, at last
Today I had a moment of realization: I'm dressed like a British student, weaving between double-decker buses on my (beautiful) used road bike, in the center of over 800 years of stunning intellectual and architectural achievement. Just like that, I've arrived in Oxford.
Since my last post it's been nothing but go go go, and my post-breakfast nap today was a harsh reminder that I'm still sleeping off the nine hours of jetlag that I've racked up since leaving San Francisco. I definitely have a new respect for international students after this week. Since arriving last Thursday I've had to negotiate paying rent with the housing office (they've been extremely accommodating), move in to my new place, buy winter wear and sub fusc attire (dark suit, gown, white shirt, white bow tie), figure out the most economical way of feeding myself (cooking, it turns out, though it hardly feels like I have the time!), set up a bank account, research a cell phone plan, find out when choir auditions and first rowing practices are, plan a trip to Rwanda this winter, register with my department, pick up my preterm exam, and connect with the other new grads in my MCR (graduate social hub of each college). No surprise it was only today as I pedaled my bicycle through the city center that I finally began to experience a sense of "settledness."
The pace of life is insane this week, and if there is one word of prayer that you throw up for me in the coming days please pray that I have the discretion and discipline to not schedule my time in such a way that things never calm down. There is SO much to be involved in. More, if you can believe it, than at Stanford. Here at Oxford, where graduate students belong to the social as well as academic mainstream, 2/3 of us hail from outside the UK, and the rest of Europe is just across the channel, the possibilities for staying occupied are truly endless. The trick is filling the space with the right things. I know that I want to try rowing, though I confess that my heart grows faint at the prospect of 6am practices! I'm also planning on auditioning for choir, though whether or not I get a spot if far from a sure thing. And then there's languages to learn, societies to join, socializing to do, and perhaps most importantly, community service opportunities to plug into.
How easy it would be at this juncture to turn inward and dedicate 100 percent of my time to self-improvement. Yet what vain way to spend one's time. Coming in as a close second to not over-scheduling myself, please pray that I would be blessed with the sense that this time is building towards something purposeful, even as I revel in the joy of being here.
The Lord has also been faithful to provide fellowship. Following the advice of a friend who studied here during her junior spring quarter, I headed over to St Aldates Church this past Sunday for service. What a vibrant community! In America we often say that the European church is dead, yet at St Aldates the Body of Christ is certainly alive and well. They pray, they worship God in spirit and in truth, and there is a tangible presence of joy throughout the sanctuary. I suppose I could check out some other places, but I think that this is where I'm landing. I sent out an email that day to the Rhodes 2008 list inviting my friends to come along, and three guys responded. One of them came with me and seemed to enjoy the service quite a bit. Another, who is also reading for the MSc in Applied Stats, was unable to come, but hopes to next week. The third was also unable to come, but wants to start reading C.S. Lewis and meeting in the Eagle and Child pub on Sundays for small group fellowship--kind of an "Inklings 2.0." I think it's likely that all of us will end up at St Aldates eventually...
God is good. Whether or not I am blessed or broken he is good, but what a joy to now receive such gifts!
I should turn in soon, but feel free to check out some much-delayed photos of the time I spent at home with the fam. I haven't been snapping too many shots since arriving at Oxford, since I don't yet trust myself to wander about with my camera without losing it. Give me a couple more weeks to "get sorted" and I'll post a virtual tour :)
Oh yeah, and Worcester College is not only one of the most beautiful collegs on campus, but also has some of the best Hall food, which is only marginally more expensive than if I cook on my own time. Yessss!
Abrazos,
Aaron
PS: Mom, "Z--" not withstanding, my housing situation is great. I'm located right next to the college in a six bedroom house with shared bathrooms and a kitchen area. My room is clean and spacious enough, and I have a great view of the garden out back. Best of all, I'm saving at least 150 pounds a month here, which will buy a lot of time abroad if you add it up over three months :)
Since my last post it's been nothing but go go go, and my post-breakfast nap today was a harsh reminder that I'm still sleeping off the nine hours of jetlag that I've racked up since leaving San Francisco. I definitely have a new respect for international students after this week. Since arriving last Thursday I've had to negotiate paying rent with the housing office (they've been extremely accommodating), move in to my new place, buy winter wear and sub fusc attire (dark suit, gown, white shirt, white bow tie), figure out the most economical way of feeding myself (cooking, it turns out, though it hardly feels like I have the time!), set up a bank account, research a cell phone plan, find out when choir auditions and first rowing practices are, plan a trip to Rwanda this winter, register with my department, pick up my preterm exam, and connect with the other new grads in my MCR (graduate social hub of each college). No surprise it was only today as I pedaled my bicycle through the city center that I finally began to experience a sense of "settledness."
The pace of life is insane this week, and if there is one word of prayer that you throw up for me in the coming days please pray that I have the discretion and discipline to not schedule my time in such a way that things never calm down. There is SO much to be involved in. More, if you can believe it, than at Stanford. Here at Oxford, where graduate students belong to the social as well as academic mainstream, 2/3 of us hail from outside the UK, and the rest of Europe is just across the channel, the possibilities for staying occupied are truly endless. The trick is filling the space with the right things. I know that I want to try rowing, though I confess that my heart grows faint at the prospect of 6am practices! I'm also planning on auditioning for choir, though whether or not I get a spot if far from a sure thing. And then there's languages to learn, societies to join, socializing to do, and perhaps most importantly, community service opportunities to plug into.
How easy it would be at this juncture to turn inward and dedicate 100 percent of my time to self-improvement. Yet what vain way to spend one's time. Coming in as a close second to not over-scheduling myself, please pray that I would be blessed with the sense that this time is building towards something purposeful, even as I revel in the joy of being here.
The Lord has also been faithful to provide fellowship. Following the advice of a friend who studied here during her junior spring quarter, I headed over to St Aldates Church this past Sunday for service. What a vibrant community! In America we often say that the European church is dead, yet at St Aldates the Body of Christ is certainly alive and well. They pray, they worship God in spirit and in truth, and there is a tangible presence of joy throughout the sanctuary. I suppose I could check out some other places, but I think that this is where I'm landing. I sent out an email that day to the Rhodes 2008 list inviting my friends to come along, and three guys responded. One of them came with me and seemed to enjoy the service quite a bit. Another, who is also reading for the MSc in Applied Stats, was unable to come, but hopes to next week. The third was also unable to come, but wants to start reading C.S. Lewis and meeting in the Eagle and Child pub on Sundays for small group fellowship--kind of an "Inklings 2.0." I think it's likely that all of us will end up at St Aldates eventually...
God is good. Whether or not I am blessed or broken he is good, but what a joy to now receive such gifts!
I should turn in soon, but feel free to check out some much-delayed photos of the time I spent at home with the fam. I haven't been snapping too many shots since arriving at Oxford, since I don't yet trust myself to wander about with my camera without losing it. Give me a couple more weeks to "get sorted" and I'll post a virtual tour :)
Oh yeah, and Worcester College is not only one of the most beautiful collegs on campus, but also has some of the best Hall food, which is only marginally more expensive than if I cook on my own time. Yessss!
Abrazos,
Aaron
PS: Mom, "Z--" not withstanding, my housing situation is great. I'm located right next to the college in a six bedroom house with shared bathrooms and a kitchen area. My room is clean and spacious enough, and I have a great view of the garden out back. Best of all, I'm saving at least 150 pounds a month here, which will buy a lot of time abroad if you add it up over three months :)
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