Day 25: Saturday, July 25

I can't believe we only have one more day left in England. I'm really used to being here and I don't want to leave. I wish we had a few more days here, but unfortunately we don't.

My class had their exam in the morning today. It was a pretty easy exam and I'm happy with how I think I did. Today was also our final class, we have finally finished Grade 11 English! It feels really good to finish. Looking back at all the work we did over the past week or so, I can't believe we got everything done. One of my favourite feelings of all-time is walking out of the final exam at the end of the year - I got that feeling again today, it was amazing.

I went into Oxford with Chris and Vince in the afternoon, it was nice. There was so many people in there and it was so hot outside, but it was still something to do.

At night Chris, Vince, Lauren, Briana, and I went into Oxford for the final time. It was pretty fun, but kind of weird to think that it was our last night out here.

When we got back to the dorm I believe I ended up breaking my two left knuckles on my right hand, or at least spraining them. It's really painful right now. I'm going to go to sleep and see how they feel in the morning, hopefully a lot better than they do now.

1 MORE DAY

Day 23: Thursday, July 23

We had our second last class today. It feels really good to know I'm basically one class away from completing grade 11 English. Only one more class to go!

After class today, I set out around Summertown to search for advertisements to use for my 'Messages are Everywhere' assignment, in which we had to analyze British advertisements. I have to say I was pretty surprised at the lack of advertisements around Summertown - I was expecting to see a lot more billboards and large advertisements than the one I saw on a small side street.

I was really tired today as well. I don't know why, but ever since I got here I have been napping like never before. Maybe it's because there's nothing better to do, I don't know, but I took a two hour nap this afternoon.

After my nap Chris and I decided we should finally play tennis on the grass courts across from our dorm. Being a tennis player, playing on grass is a really special experience. Those who play tennis in Canada know how rare it is to have the chance to play on grass. I have played on grass before, as recently as last year, and I really enjoy and cherish the opportunity. We rented some rackets from the student cafe, which are terrible rackets, and headed over to the courts. We paid about 3 pounds to use the courts, which weren't busy and were in surprisingly good condition, as the courts are public and public courts can sometimes be pretty rundown. Chris and I played tennis for about 40 minutes, before we decided we couldn't handle the brutal tennis rackets and balls any longer. Besides the equipment, we had a great time. I never thought I would get the chance to play on grass again, as I thought last year would be my last ever coming to England.

After tennis we had some dinner and went to the ABC disco. The disco wasn't that great. Last week there was a lot more people in it and the atmosphere was much better. We were expecting the same this week but it wasn't the same so we left early.

LAST DAY OF CLASS TOMORROW

Day 22: Wednesday, July 22

Pretty typical English day this morning. I woke up to rainfall, as it seems I have everyday this week, and headed to class.

Once class was over, I went back to the room to nap before the scavenger hunt in the afternoon.

The scavenger hunt was quite the experience. My group, Lauren, Briana, and I started off in the "main drag" of Oxford. We were given a sheet of paper with clues and 37 questions to answer along with a map. The three of us didn't even know where to start - the first clue was probably the hardest one; it read: "which way does the wind blow on this street" (I forget the name of the street, but it was the main pedestrian shopping area of Oxford where no cars are allowed.) The answer ended up being 'Lloyds TSB,' as this is the first building on the street. After this, we got into a nice rhythm and solved the remaining clues with less trouble. Some of the clues were difficult and we had to skip a few of them and then 'backtrack' after we had solved the proceeding clues. Luckily, we met a knowledgeable Englishmen named Frank who was able to point us in the right direction, and help us out with a few answer, when we got slightly off track. The hunt took us throughout most of the city of Oxford - the Bodleian Library, university, a Lord of the Rings related building, etc, and concluded at Oxford Castle. Our team answered all the clues in about 1 hr 40 minutes, which was surprisingly fast in my opinion, seeing as we were stuck on the first clue. Anyways, we were the first team to arrive at Oxford Castle with all the right answers. It was a pretty good feeling that we came in first and it was a great experience. We were able to see key landmarks of Oxford and we has a good time doing so. It kind of reminded me of the Amazing Race, where teams race around the world doing the same kind of thing we did today.

When I got back to the room, I was really tired from our exciting day so I took another nap and finished up my work later in the afternoon.

Overall, today was a great day. I'm looking forward to finishing up our last few classes!

Day 20: Monday, July 20

Pretty usual day today... nothing exciting happened.
I had a good sleep and went to class. After class it rained for almost the entire day, meaning that I couldn't really go outside to go into Summertown or play basketball.
Basically, I spent most of the day working on my Verbal Visual Essay and on my Macbeth work. The VVE was tough to do with the limited resources here, but I think I pulled it together okay. I wish I had done it before I left Canada, because that way I could've made it more colourful and artistic.
At least we didn't have a spider problem like yesterday. (thank god)
Anyways, pretty miserable day today. It's probably going to be a long week of school work before we finally have a free weekend.

Day 19: Sunday, July 19

I finally woke up this morning feeling a lot better. I slept in until pretty late today, waking up around 11.
Today was a day of finishing up all of my outstanding work. As soon as I woke up, I started to complete my compartative essay, which took me about two hours. Because of this, I missed lunch so I went into Summertown to get a sandwhich to eat. When I got back to the dorms, I ended up taking a really long nap; I think I slept for two or three hours.
At around 4, when I woke up, I felt like playing basketball so Chris and I played ball with some Europeans who were playing on the court. The weather was also pretty bad today, but luckily we were able to play before the rain came.
After dinner, I started to write my written component for the VVE. This took me a really long time, but I got some good work done.
At bedtime, our room realized we had been having a spider problem. There are huge spiders all over the room. We spent about two hours checking the room for spiders and exterminating them. It was actually quite entertaining, but pretty disgusting to realize that there have been spiders all over our stuff.
Anyways, I'm looking forward to completing our final week of work and then taking it easy on the weekend.

Day 18: Saturday, July 18

Once again I woke up in the morning feeling terrible. I probably had one of my worst sleeps of all time last night - I just couldn't seem to say asleep for more than 2 hours at a time. When I woke up, I was really dizzy and nauseous again. I couldn't get out of bed. Finally when I got enough strength to climb out of bed I took a quick shower and ended up falling asleep again until about 1. I took a few tylenols after that and felt a little bit better.
Throughout the rest of the day I tried to rest and relax as much as possible. I finished up some of my homework that was due over the next few days (there is quite a lot of work to do), but I just didn't have the strength to sit up and work for the entire day.
I went back to sleep sometime in the afternoon and woke up around 7. Not feeling like sitting in the room and groaning for the rest of the night, Chris, Vince and I decided to go out into Oxford for a few hours. When we got back around 10, we 'mingled' with some of the international kids who were all standing on the field outside the dining hall. We met some Germans and a couple Italians. Meeting international people is really cool and quite the experience. It's kind of a cool feeling to know that you know people from all areas of the world.
When we finally got back to the dorm around 10:30, we went into the common room and everyone watched 'Meet the Parents,' which happens to be one of my favourite movies of all time.
Around 12, I headed back to my room and feel asleep really quickly.
Looking forward to working all day tomorrow...

Day 17: Friday, July 17

Today I woke up in the morning feeling absolutely terrible. I didn't know if I would be able to go to class, let alone get out of bed, because I was feeling so dizzy. I ended up going to class until 11:30, at which point I came back to the dorm and slept for a good hour before lunch.
After lunch I worked on my comparative essay and took some Tylenol and a 3 hour nap. I woke up feeling much better and headed to dinner.
After dinner Chris and I went out into Oxford with Lauren, Briana, and Montana and met up with some of their friends from school who happened to be in Oxford at the same time. It was overall a good night, however when we got back the medication started to wear off and I didn't feel too well, so I fell asleep shortly after coming back.

Day 16: Thursday, July 16

Today was usual morning class from 8:30-12:30.
After class I headed to lunch and then back to the dorm.
Today was the day of our punting excursion on the Churwell River. What is punting? Well it is similar to a gondola in Italy where one guy stands on the back of the boat and the other four members of the boat sit in the center and paddle and/or just sit. I had the opportunity to be the punter i.e the guy who stands on the back on the boat and paddles. I wasn't very good at it, but Chris was really good at it. We were in first place when Chris started paddling and then when I took over we fell behind. Oh well, it was still a good experience.
After punting we walked back to our dorm, had dinner, and finished up some homework.
Overall, pretty eventful day; I enjoyed it.

Day 15: Wednesday, July 15

Usual morning classes today...After class, myself, Chris and Vince went out to buy some lunch and cereal for our dorm room. This way we won't have to wake up early in the morning for breakfast, as we can just have breakfast in the room.
After this, we went back to the dorm to take a nap and finish up our homework for tomorrow.For dinner, the three of us decided to go out to a nearby pizza place about a 5 minute walk from the dorm. The pizza was really good: I had green peppers and pepperoni along with a glass of pepsi. It was great to finally have a pizza here, I've been wanting one for quite a while since we got here.
The real action started after dinner. We met some Spaniards, who attempted to tell us a joke. However, we didn't get the joke whatsoever and we're quite pissed off at this, as all of the Spanish kids were dying of laughter. We met a few cool Italian people as well and set up a date to hang out with them in the future.
Quite a good day.

Day 14: Tuesday, July 14

As usual, we had morning classes today from 8:30-12:30. Today was a really, really nice day, so after class I decided to play some sports. I played some soccer with a couple people from the dorm and then played a quick game of basketball with some of the BC kids from the nearby dorm. The BC kids are pretty cool, to my surprise actually, and pretty good at basketball. I look forward to playing ball with them again tomorrow.
I then went inside, finished my homework, and went to dinner.
After dinner, the highlight of the day occurred: we started up a basketball game of Canadians (BC and Ontario) vs Slovenians. The game was quite the experience, just playing against international people was cool in itself. Even though we didn't really speak the same languages, they spoke broken English, we were still able to start up a nice game of ball until the rain started coming down. In the end we won the game (obviously) 10-6. We set up a time to play tomorrow after dinner, weather permitting.
Quite the exciting day...

Day 12: Sunday, July 12

I had to wake up early today because today was the day of the Warwick Castle/Stratford excursion. We headed out to the dining hall for breakfast and to pack our bagged lunched which we would be taking with us. At 8:45 am the people going on the excursion boarded the bus and drove the an hour and a half drive to Warwick.
When the bus finally arrived at Warwick we were welcomed by a howling wind and heavy rain. This made the experience less enjoyable, but being at Warwick castle was still pretty cool. I'm not quite sure what is significant about Warwick Castle but it was still pretty interesting. I had to opportunity to see the largest trebuchet in the world and an eagle display. We also browsed through the castle quickly and I believe we made it through every part of the castle. (pictures to follow)
At around 1:30 we got back on the bus and drove the short drive to Stratford, the birthplace of William Shakespeare. I'm not a fan of Shakespeare whatsoever so I wasn't really excited about this, but at least the weather was nice. All I did in Stratford was walk around for a little bit and get some ice cream. I attempted to go see Shakespeare's grave but was unable to find it.
Anyways, the group got back on the bus and we got back to St. Edwards at around dinnertime. After dinner I had played some basketball and finished my homework for tomorrow. I had a good weekend, it went by really quickly.
Class tomorrow...

Day 11: Saturday, July 11

Today I finally had the chance to sleep in until whatever time I wanted. I woke up around 10:30 this morning, it felt great to finally get some good amounts of sleep.
All the people who signed up for the Bath excursion were away for most of the day today, so there were about 9 of us who stayed behind on the campus. After we had lunch out in Summertown, we headed back to the campus where Mr Nujent took the remaining group out for a walk into Oxford. The walk was quite nice - the weather was nice and it was nice to be outside. In Oxford Chris and I attempted to rent/demo some actual tennis rackets (the ones the campus provides are brutal) but we were told this wasn't possible. After this we headed the McDoanld's for a drink and then decided to head back to the campus and play some tennis before dinner.
Once we had finished dinner we played some basketball and headed back to hang out in the common room until we were told to go back to our rooms.

Day 10: Friday, July 10

Today, as usual, I went to class in the morning from 8:30-12:30. Today was our first weekend in Oxford. After lunch I took a really long nap, I believe somewhere from 1:30-5.
When I woke up I played basketball with Chris against a couple of the Russian kids our age staying in the nearby doors. It's cool how sports is a universal language - you can play against anyone regardless of what language they speak. After playing basketball we headed to dinner and played tennis after this. We then headed back to the dorm and hung around the common area until it was time to go to bed. I'm really looking forward to finally sleeping in tomorrow!!

Day 9: Thursday, July 9

Today was our first full day in Oxford. I woke up and walked over to the dining hall with my roomates to have breakfast and then went to regular morning classes. It's nice to finally be in an actual classroom with desks and a white-board. It makes working (and especiall writing) so much easier.
After class the entire group went on a short walking tour of Summertown, the name of the town we are staying in. The actual town of Oxford is a 10 minute bus ride and 30 minute walk. We then took the bus into the town of Oxford and our groups split and went on three seperate guided tours. I can't exactly remember the names of the places we saw, but they were very nice. We got the chance to see some parts of Oxford university and some of the filming sites of the Harry Potter movies.
Overall, the town is really nice and I'm sure there will be lots to do here over the next few weeks.

Day 8: Wednesday, July 8

Today was our last day in London and first in Oxford. We had our usual morning class and then headed out to lunch before leaving for Oxford at around 2pm. The whole group boarded the bus and we drove off. The bus ride was around 2 hours, but I slept for most of the time anyway. The group is staying at Avenue Dormitory on the campus of St. Edwards in Oxford. The campus here is beautiful. We were assigned roomates and my roomates are Chris, Vince, Dillon, and myself. The room is quite nice as well. I'm really looking forward to spending the next few weeks here. I'm sure the time will fly by!

Day 7: Tuesday, July 7

Class started later today due to the late-night return of the Stonehenge excursion. I woke up at 8:30 and headed to our morning classes. Classes ended at the usual time and myself and a few others went out for lunch. Today was also the optional Westend Theatre Performance, which I did not attend. Because of this, I took a long nap for most of the afternoon and then played some ping pong. After this, the entire group headed out for dinner to Mr. Wu's, potentially the worst restaurant I have ever been to. The food was decent, however the service was non-existant. For example I attempted to get a glass of water, though I was told that the restaurant has 'stopped serving tapwater because it costs money.' After this, the group not attending the performance headed back to College Hall. At the hall, I played some ping pong with Chris and then went upstairs to pack all my belongings in my suitcase, as tonight was our last night in London.

Day 6: Monday, July 6

Today I had a morning class as usual during the week. After the completion of class the majority of the group went on an excursion to Stonehenge. Unfortunately I wasn't able to go, even though I was first on the waiting list. I was a little bit disappointed I wasn't able to go as Stonehenge was the only thing I really wanted to see while I was here.

After class I finished my poetry analysis for class the next day and ended up taking a 3-4 hour nap. When I woke up it was dinner time so I headed downstairs for dinner.

Once I had finished dinner myself, Dylan, Dominica, Brittany, and Ciara went to see a movie at Leicester Square. We saw The Hangover, my second time seeing this film. It was still just as funny as the first time.

When we got back it was around 10:20 so Dylan and I played pool downstairs in the lounge. I got pretty tired around 10:45 so I went upstairs to bed.

Day 5: Sunday, July 5

Today was quite an exciting day. I woke up in the morning to have breakfast and then proceeded outside to go on a London Big Bus Tour. The tour took the Georgia Hardy group around the city of London on a double-decker bus to see the city's famous landmarks such as the Parliament Buildings, Big Ben, the London Eye, London Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. I quite enjoyed this part of the trip. It gave me a chance to see London's attractions from a perspective I have never seen them in before and take pictures. (see pictures below)

After the Big Bus Tour, Vince, Chris, and I went back to the College to watch the finals of Wimbledon. The match featured Roger Federer vs. Andy Roddick. It was one of the most exciting matches I have ever seen. Federer ended up wining 5-7, 7-6, 7-6, 3-6, 16-14. It was extremely exciting, especially because I am such a big fan of tennis.

Following the Wimbledon finals I played some ping pong, had dinner, and headed off to bed.

Day 4: Saturday, July 4

Today was the fourth day of my stay here in England and I am finally starting to settle in and enjoy the experience more. We had a quick class in the morning today. After that the group and I ventured down to the Globe Theater for a quick tour. Unfortunately our tour started late and the guide was only able to speak for 15-20 minutes. At this point it was only around 1 pm. We basically had 6 free hours to do whatever we want before we had to return to the Theater to see the performance of Romeo & Juliet. Chris, Vinny and myself didn't know what to do with the time. We ended up walking all the way to the London Eye, Parliament Buildings, and Big Ben (see pictures at bottom) and back to the theater before we finally decided we should go back to the College as there was nothing else to do. Back at the College Chris and I played some ping pong and we all had dinner. The three of us hopped back on the tube and back to the Globe Theater for the play. For Romeo & Juliet the group had standing tickets, meaning we had to stand for the entire duration of the play. Overall I thought the play was quite well done though the aspect of standing for the entire performance took away from my overall enjoyment of the experience. The guy in front of me was taller than me and I had to sway from side to side to see around him. The space was also pretty cramped and uncomfortable as there was not enough room to stretch or even scratch an itch. Our whole group took the tube back to the College. We didn't get back here until really late, around 11:30ish. I'm going to bed soon, looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow finally.

Day 3: Friday, July 3

Today was my first class of Gr. 11 English. We didn't do much in class today with the exception of introducing ourselves and the content of the course. We also took the underground (the subway) for the first time together as a group. We headed over to the Imperial War Museum. I, personally, am not a fan of museums whatsoever. Therefore, I didn't really pay much attention to the content of the museum. I did, however, find the war artifacts quite cool. I left the museum around 3:30 and trekked down to Wimbledon with Chris. Although not my first time at Wimbledon, it was a great experience. We stood on Henman Hill in the crowd of Brits as they cheered on their hometown favourite, Andy Murray. Unfortunately Murray lost in four sets. Just being at Wimbledon is special to me as a tennis player. The atmosphere and history of the place just feels different than any other tennis facility I have ever been too or played on. After Wimbledon Chris and I took the underground back to Goodge Street and had some dinner around the area. I am predicting that this day will be the highlight of my trip.

Day 2: Thursday, July 2

Its Thursday the second day of July. I touched down in London earlier this morning. What a journey to get here: 7.5 hours of the most uncomfortable flight of my life plus a 2 hour bus ride. When my group finally arrived at the university it was around 1 pm London time. I put my suitcase in my room and went out for lunch with Alex K. We then returned and went on a group walk. The walk wasn't very long, we just walked for an hour or so around our area up to the National Portrait Gallery. When we got back to College Hall it was around 5 pm. I unpacked a little bit and headed downstairs for my first dinner here. The food wasn't great but not completely terrible. Definitely better than the food at Crescent. Today was also my first night in London. I fell asleep at around 10 pm, only to wake up 3 hours later thinking it was the morning. I stared at the ceiling for the next few hours trying to fall asleep until I finally did. Tomorrow is my first class.

Day 1: Wednesday, July 1

Today I leave for London, England. I leave for the airport in a few hours and I still have to start packing! Lots of things still to do before I depart: pack, play tennis, and eat dinner. Hopefully I'll get everything done in time. I'm looking forward to leaving Toronto behind for a bit and going back to London for the third time, one of my favourite places to visit. We'll see how everything goes...