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The echo of history in Oxford

Oxford. It is a bustling city. Taxis everywhere, double-decker buses on every street, hordes of tourists up and down A420 and High Street. History everywhere. It is as if one walked into the 18th century, hearing the ghosts of 20th-century authors C.S. Lewis and Tolkien. It is unlike anywhere in the United States; no college campus can rival the history, architecture, and culture of the City of Oxford. One would think, from never stepping foot onto the cobblestone streets, that Oxford would be quiet, slow, relaxing, but no. It is a full-on city, almost as active as London. There are endless shops to visit, ice creams to taste, people to meet, parks to wander through, trails to eat up on foot, and history to be swallowed by. The amount of knowledge one can gain from simply existing in Oxford is astounding. The bookshops alone overflow with books. Their shelves sagging to hold all the weight of worlds on pages. One cannot leave without feeling a sense of difference. As if they have been steeped in the history of the greats, Theresa May, Hugh Grant, Stephen Hawking, Oscar Wilde, Rosalind Franklin, who once roamed the very same streets and halls that exist today. But not only the greats of the real world but also those of fiction: Harry Potter in Christ Church and the Bodleian Library, the inspiration for Mr. Tumnus of the Chronicles of Narnia, appear right around the corner from Radcliffe Camera, and the setting of so many fictional worlds that some may call home. It is impossible not to feel something when the towers, spires, and colleges surround one.

Journalist: Finley Hamilton

First impression of Oxford

As I crossed those ancient wooden doors that guard this multi-century campus, a different academic world was introduced. These buildings that inspired the Harry Potter series and the internationally recognized prestige it contains made me think that this place was revived from what I had imagined about Oxford for years. The Gothic buildings hugged by all types of vegetation, the lively streets filled with traditional cafés and restaurants, and the overall vibe of a traditional English town commonly described in novels captured my attention ever since I clicked send on my application. The experience of having the freedom to explore all around campus and town safely automatically created lifelong memories that will stay in my head forever, since I grew up in a place where these types of experiences are nonexistent. On the other hand, the most irrelevant details, like local supermarkets and even the interactions between the native community gave me a broader idea of the local English life.The overall vibe and experience of walking in the streets of Oxford makes you feel as if you were transported into the words of a classic author.

Journalist: Mariann Morales

Seemingly timeless oxford

As I entered the ivy-covered, tall standing building and houses of oxford, I felt I was overcome by a sense of awe and inspiration. The mere idea that these historical locations are older than my great - great - great grandparents overwhelmed me with admiration and almost reverence. One feels privileged to be able to walk in the same halls and learn in the same classes as some of the most historically critical people in the world. Oxford itself is so different in so many aspects to what I already know and what I have grown up with. Every building, little shop and library seems like its own unique piece of architectural and cultural artwork that must be revered and esteemed in its own right. The history enveloping every part of the campus is eye-opening, one constantly has the feeling that you should read more, know more. It's hard to imagine that the little cafés and boutiques are the very same ones from decades ago but at the same time it's not that hard to imagine at all considering everything is almost perfectly conserved. Small plaques adorn the archaic structures that inform the passers of the location’s history and importance. In truth, Oxford just seems like one of these places that encompass so much history, hold so much culture and art, that it should be kept in a museum forever ignorant to the ebb and flow of time.

Journalist: Isabella Vélez

My first impression of Oxford

Leaving home was a strange experience: my bookshelf, bathed in a weak light in which yellow and pink and orange intertwined into a golden glow. My dog jumping incessantly, leaving her curly white hair on my sweater. My parents waving goodbye as I stood on the mechanical stairs without looking back until the last moments of view. Before that last glance, I didn’t know how to feel. But after turning back, a shiny smile appeared on my face, revealing my excitement.

My first impression of Oxford was of the perfectly green grass and the buildings in Chapel Quad, gathered around the natural scenery like an embrace. We walked for what felt like an hour to an enormous park to play endless hours of football. The dry, yellow grass, already used to the dirty feet, must have already known the ball’s path like it knows the trees’ roots and the sunlight. The game went on as we lost track of time, completely focused on our impossible attempts to score a goal. I never would have realized it was already 9 PM just by the sky: it decorated the town with a soft light blue well until 10 PM in what seemed an eternal day of running and shouting names born in different horizons and climates, screamed in English and Spanish and countless languages, unknown to me.

Journalist: Regina Pannunzio

Don’t Expect Anything

Not knowing what to expect, she simply left it to fate. The only thing in her mind was a quote “if you don’t expect anything. You can never be disappointed”. So she didn’t expect anything and got a delightful surprise. She went walking around the city. The city was safe enough to wander aimlessly but crowded enough to reassure her that she is not alone in a place full of intellectual ghost legends. Historical ghost legends that once occupied the medieval buildings surrounding the area which seemed to create an atmosphere of achievement. Every street, every corner, every road has a story of itself. She was listening to each story giving them equal attention. As she was making her way back she admired the sun slowly setting creating a concoction of the night’s majestic blue and the day’s worn out orange. The gentle breeze of the restless wind settling down to enjoy its night is refreshing the bright minds with a dash of ice. Healing the wounded. Finally reaching the destination, she lay down in her crusty hair and worn out clothes staring at her roof realising that even if she had expected much, her surprise would have been just as delightful.

Journalist: Yusra Khalil

Trial and Error and Success

My first impression has been overall positive. I have gone on summer programs before; last summer I went to Spain with 20 kids who have never met each other before. We were all thrown into the travel/immersion experience with no phones and we had to make friendships from scratch. However, at Oxford, many people came with preexisting friends, whereas I made the executive decision to not ask any of my friends from back home to join me in this learning experience (I believe that one of the key takeaways from programs like these is to make friends from around the globe and to not be held up by matters from back home). In light of this, I have had to get used to throwing myself into the unfamiliar (and sometimes uncomfortable) situation of trying to include myself in conversations and groups where friendships preexist. This has taught me to get comfortable in the uncomfortable and to be the best version of myself, because at the end of the day, nobody appreciates a phony, and/or someone who is assimilated to the point where they are not themselves. Although it is difficult, I am interested in making friends while on my journey at Pembroke College, and will brave the uncomfortable and awkward acts of introducing myself out of the blue in order to form connections. On the basis of the classes I plan on taking, I am thrilled for the content of my major, Journalism and Media Consumption, and my minor, Politics and Economics. These are both topics I am keen on, and I plan to participate and give 110% in every challenge, conversation, and aspect of these classes.

Journalist: Lauren Donath