a summer in oxford

     My suitcase wheels clacked against the jagged, uneven cobblestone walkways. Gothic towers loomed over me, and at every street corner, gargoyles and grotesques peered down on me from above. The town square was teeming with life, as eager travelers and hurried tourists hustled by at immense speed and incredulous purpose. The street facades contained cathedrals, medieval style cottages, but also contemporary modern architecture.

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     I had arrived in Oxford, English, having just departed from the airline, the ironically named bus company, that transports passengers directly to Oxford from London Heathrow Airport. The two hour bus ride, which subsequently became the longest bus ride of my life, had followed six hours of waiting in the airport, preceded by a nine hour plane ride. I was in a strange new land, and I was exhausted.

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     On July 11th, 2024, a group of forty of my peers and I embarked on a six week long study abroad program to Oxford, England. There we would be studying at Keble College of Oxford University. During this program I would gain life-changing experiences, establish close friendships, and undergo an abundance of personal growth, all while getting the privilege to study at the most prestigious university in the world, and immersing myself in a different culture. However, before any of that had happened, I had been scared, alone, and severely jet lagged.

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     I had waited for this moment for my entire college career. The Oxford Summer Seminar was a study abroad program that I had wanted to participate in ever since I had heard about it during my freshman year of college. As an English major, everything about this program had immediately caught my eye. It offered fascinating courses on British Literature, it emphasized the importance and application of writing in humanities geared courses, and what piqued my interest the most, was its location; Oxford, England, a city renowned for producing some of the world’s most prolific authors. The program was perfect for me, but it seemed out of reach at the time, the question remained if I would really someday go to Oxford.

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     I planted the seeds early, I reminded my parents about the program every school year and I started saving up money. During my junior year, although finances were uncertain, I took the liberty of signing up for the program myself. It wasn't guaranteed that I would even get accepted for the program, or accumulate the proper financial aid I needed to attend, but nonetheless, I applied to the program, submitted to scholarships, and registered for a passport. Much to my surprise, within a matter of weeks I was accepted into the program, and was offered two scholarships.

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     Taking initiative and signing up for the program felt rewarding and liberating. The excitement lingered with me for the months leading up to the trip. However, the day I actually arrived at the airport and was faced with navigating a whole new country alone proved to be quite a bit more daunting than I had expected. I had never traveled by myself before, nevertheless traveled to a new country. The experience was brand new to me, and in the midst of my excitement, I was admittedly terrified, but I knew I had to do it.

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     Once I was on the plane ride, the woman sitting next to me, most likely sensing I was nervous, asked me why I was traveling to England. I had explained to her that I was studying abroad at Oxford University. That’s when I heard a voice chime in from behind us. The girl sitting behind me spoke up. “Are you from UMass?” she asked, “I’m studying abroad too.”

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     Relief filled my body, already I had found someone from the trip I could talk to, and I hadn’t even landed yet. I was more excited than ever to get to Oxford.

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     When I departed the plane, I looked for the girl who had sat behind me. We got breakfast together at the airport and as we sat together and talked for hours, new students from the program began to arrive. Each new arriving student had been incredibly nice, and most confessed to being anxious as well, which felt very reassuring.

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     When we finally arrived at the university, I was pleased to learn that the dorm environment was very welcoming, and surprisingly similar to UMass, making me feel at home. Our whole group was exhausted, but after a good night's sleep, the program’s facilitator, Phillipe organized a meadow hike, to help us beat the jet lag and make some new friends. Walking across the meadows at Oxford, I was surrounded by rolling hills, free-range cows and horses, and beautiful native plant species. The scenery had felt like it was taken straight out of a storybook, and I was awestruck by Oxford’s beautiful nature. I could not believe I finally made it.

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     Over the next few days, I found myself making friends, exploring the city on my own, and trying new experiences. I really tried to put myself out there, and I made sure to never miss a scheduled group activity. My worries were melting away, and I was beginning to feel like I was the same old “me,” but in a new place. I was no longer shy and nervous, I was once again my friendly, talkative, self who liked to explore new things.

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     When my classes began, I was more than excited to learn about the interesting course material. I had enrolled in a Prose Fiction Writing Workshop and an art history course called Oxford: The City as a Work of Art. Both of my professors were extremely knowledgeable, and it was a privilege to be taught by them.

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     I was most excited for my writing workshop course. It had been the class I was most looking forward to, and it had proved to be extremely useful in my major and in my exploration into the realm of creative writing. I received valued insight and constructive criticism from my professor and peers which influenced me and challenged me as a writer.

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     However, my other class, “Oxford: The City as a Work of Art,” had come as more of a surprise. It had been my second pick during course registration because it had sounded the most interesting, but I was still not really sure what to expect. The class ended up defying my expectations, making me consider art, architecture, and design in a whole new way.

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     Over the course of the six weeks I gained significant and interesting knowledge about the city and culture around me. Each week, my class would travel on a field trip to a different building in Oxford. We would go on tours of colleges, cathedrals, churches, and museums. Each building offered insight into the different architectural styles that are prevalent in Oxford. I learned about Gothic, Baroque, Neoclassical, and even modern architectural styles, all through examining and studying buildings up close. Through actively engaging with the world around me, I gained applicable and critical observational skills that can help me to identify various art and architecture styles in the real world. When I was younger, I loved art. I used to love to draw and learn about artists, but as I continued through school, I had gotten away from it.

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     This class rekindled my love for art. This course paired well with my creative writing course, both classes taught me the importance of different creative art forms, and how they can be studied and applied in my education. My final project in the course was to produce a creative portfolio on a topic of my choosing. After visiting many of the cathedrals in Oxford, I was

captivated by the large, intricately designed stained glass windows. These windows functioned as thresholds between the church and the outside world. They depicted saints, religious iconography, and told stories in bright bold colors. The stories and messages captured in these windows felt reminiscent of the storytelling I was doing in my creative writing course and I was captivated by the interconnectivity of the courses.

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     In my final project I examined stained glass windows in Oxford, and embellished my portfolio with my own sketches. My portfolio gave me the opportunity to learn about art, conduct my own in depth analysis of art that interested me, and let me explore artistic mediums such as painting and sketching, that I have not done since I was little.

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     Throughout the program I found myself adjusting better to life abroad. I was making friends in my classes, and I found that I was learning a lot, even when I was not taking classes. The structure of the program had kept us all very busy. Every Tuesday we attended a formal high table dinner, and each weekend there was a field trip, in which we traveled to London, Bath, and Bleinhiem. Each of these places gave me tremendous insight into the culture of the region, and I was able to explore the museums and shops in each of the areas, learning about British history, art, and culture.

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     Through the field trips and high table dinners was where I made my strongest connections, and most meaningful relationships on this trip. I was very nervous to attend my first high table dinner, as it was an event unlike anything I have ever attended. We went to the dining hall dressed in formalwear and were served dinner in courses. The majority of students would sit at the “low tables,” however if one of your professors was at high table, you would have to join them, along with your other classmates. High table dinners allowed you the opportunity to

mingle with your professors and get to know them on a deeper level. This aspect of the program had initially seemed very daunting, however after sitting at a high table twice and speaking to my professors with my other classmates, I found them to be very personable people whom I very much enjoyed talking to.

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     It was during a high table dinner that I had met one of my best friends from the trip, Emily. During the short trip, Emily has become one of the most important people in my life, and I made some of my favorite memories from the trip with her. While we had lots of fun together, we also had helped each other make it through some of the toughest parts of the trip. We shared late night study sessions at the library, talked to each other about homesickness and family, and overall encouraged each other to do our best work and make the most out of our experience abroad.

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     Throughout this study abroad experience, I was continuously pushed outside my comfort zone. I took vigorous classes, traveled to places I’ve never been before, and met people I would have never had the opportunity to meet. Not only did I learn so much academically and about the history and culture of this new place, but I learned a lot about myself. I learned that I am able to adapt to new situations, and that I am able to connect with people over shared experiences. This experience was unique in the way that it had changed me so quickly in such a brief amount of time. My summer abroad has prepared me for my senior year of college, and will continue to prepare me for my life after college. It has proved to be a helpful experience to me as a college student, an English major, and personally as an individual.