This past week I haven’t written much because I have been working on my first research paper for my British Landscapes course! It’s on King Arthur and the allure of the stories through the ages. It’s coming along pretty well. I finally got it down from the 2,800 words to 2,494. The paper max is 2,500. *shakes head* So typical of me.

Oh, and I biked in English pouring rain for the first time yesterday. I got soaked. My backpack got soaked. But my laptop was safe! It was quite an adventure.

I have had quite a few adventures today as well. I biked in Oxford for the first time by myself. I got honked at by a bus, and probably laughed at by a lot of people, because I didn’t understand a traffic light, and it was apparently green. Seriously, England’s streets and traffic signs are so confusing! I was a bit embarrassed once I figured it out. I had been sitting there for about a minute. Oh, and in England you bike on the road instead of the sidewalk unless it is marked. So getting used to that was an adventure in and of itself. I am finally not scared of buses passing me. Although trying to turn right at an intersection can be pretty difficult. Anyway, I accidentally followed a biker down the wrong road and found a back way to the library without any cars. That was pretty cool. Then I decided to sit outside today because it is 60’s and sunny out so the weather is gorgeous. I sat on one of the little alcoves on the outside of the Bodleian. Let’s just say, because it is a fascinating and large structure, lots of tourists take pictures of it. And because I was on the outside right next to the front door, I kind of ended up in a lot of those pictures. And I always seemed to look up when they took them so I accidentally photobombed. And then I noticed tourists taking pictures of me working outside. That was pretty funny. Most of the tourists around this area, at least at this time of year, are Asian. I had one couple who couldn’t speak English very well come up to me and ask to take a picture with me. I guess they either thought I was British or they just wanted a picture with an Oxford student. I’m not sure, but either way, that was cool.

Now that I got a lot done and I am starting the finishing stages of my essay, I am going to go to Blackwell’s (the best bookstore on the planet!) to get a British copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and Surprised by Joy (I get to read it for my English Seminar!).