Oxford @ MindSay 
england
here some more.
IF YOU HAD TO SEND 3 THINGS IN A PACKAGE TO A GROUP OF ISOLATED TRIBESPEOPLE
THAT WOULD IMMEDIATELY LET THEM KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO BE 'FRENCH', WHAT WOULD
YOU CHOOSE? - MODERN & MEDIEVAL LANGUAGES, CAMBRIDGE
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TELL ME THE MOST INTERESTING THING ABOUT YOURSELF. - MODERN & MEDIEVALLANGUAGES, CAMBRIDGE
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WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE SENTENCE 'HERE COMES BOB'? - MODERN & MEDIEVALLANGUAGES, CAMBRIDGE
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WHY DO THINGS HAVE NAMES? - MODERN & MEDIEVAL LANGUAGES, CAMBRIDGEo
WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF AS A POST-MODERNIST? - MODERN & MEDIEVALLANGUAGES, CAMBRIDGE
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DESCRIBE A POTATO AND THEN COMPARE IT WITH AN ONION. - NATURAL SCIENCES,CAMBRIDGE
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DO YOU THINK NEANDERTHALS UNDERSTOOD THE CONCEPT OF DEATH - NATURALSCIENCES, CAMBRIDGE
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IF YOU WERE A RAT WHAT WOULD BE THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO YOU? (I THINK HEWANTED ME TO SAY FOOD!) - NATURAL SCIENCES, CAMBRIDGE
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IS IT AN ADVANTAGE FOR A VIRUS TO KILL ITS HOST? - NATURAL SCIENCES, CAMBRIDGEo
IS THERE BLOOD IN YOUR BRAIN - NATURAL SCIENCES, CAMBRIDGEo
IF I COULD PASS ANY PIECE OF LEGISLATION THROUGH PARLIAMENT, WHAT WOULD IT BE? -PHILOSOPHY, CAMBRIDGE
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WHAT ABOUT FATALISM? - PHILOSOPHY, CAMBRIDGEo
IS IT BETTER TO BE A LEADER OR A FOLLOWER? - SOCIAL & POLITICAL SCIENCES,CAMBRIDGE
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CAN YOU THINK OF A PIECE OF GOVERNMENTAL LEGISLATION THAT INCLUDES BOTHCOMPASSIONATE AND UTILITARIAN ASPECTS? - SOCIAL & POLITICAL SCIENCES,
CAMBRIDGE
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DO YOU LIKE BIRMINGHAM? - SOCIAL & POLITICAL SCIENCES, CAMBRIDGEo
HOW MAY WE INTRODUCE FEMENISM MORE EFFECTIVELY INTO BUSINESS SITUATIONS? -SOCIAL & POLITICAL SCIENCES, CAMBRIDGE
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WHAT TV I HAD WATCHED RECENTLY - SOCIAL & POLITICAL SCIENCES, CAMBRIDGEo
WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU WERE IN CHARGE OF THE WORLD? - SOCIAL & POLITICALSCIENCES, CAMBRIDGE
Enjoy and think!
.But my day thus far hasn't been awful. No one died... that I know of.
.I woke up to see an unknown male in a yellow sleeping bag sprawled out in the middle of the floor. He's a friend of my roommate. This annoyed me. So, upon getting out of my bed, I decided that I should use my electric razor and leave the volume up on my laptop. Unfortunately, this didn't wake them. 1 o'clock did.
.I immediately felt fat. When I gain consciousness of myself, this feeling often takes place. I thought I should go to the fitness center. It's open on Sundays at one. So, I got myself ready and set out on my trek.
.The Turner Center, better known as the university's gym, is not exactly nearby. Actually, the walk over is a workout in itself. Once I got there, all of the eliptical machines were gone. Only a faux elliptical machine that's entirely too difficult to work was open. After a very short but strenuous time on the faux elliptical, I moved on to the machines. While mid hanging-sit-up, I saw someone I knew coming my way. Why? Why must they show up when I'm hot, sweaty, and probably not smelling so fantastic. I said hello, tried a few more machines, and made my way to the bathroom. Something was wrong. I felt very ill. My head was spinning. I'd done so little, but I felt faint. I felt Nauseous. I sat down, but my head wouldn't stop spinning. I thought about getting someone to pick me up, but eventually decided to just walk slowly. Once I finally got back to my dorm room, I collapsed into my bed (which is a feat, because it's a bit high above the ground).
.On my way back, I had passed numerous people dressed in their Sunday best--specifically, funeral colors. And then I remembered--the dedication. Today, a monument is being dedicated to celebrate civil rights. Although I had honestly forgotten, I've decided to turn my not going into a silent protest. I realize that sounds awful. Protesting the raising of monument celebrating civil rights and equality? Well... all I can say is, we have nothing to celebrate as of yet. Yeah, they did some great work to help one minority several decades ago. African Americans aren't lynched in Mississippi anymore! Hurray! Well, that doesn't mean that all of those asshole frat boys out there aren't still racist. Neither does it mean that there is equality for any other minority. Mississippi celebrates what it did for one minority "de jour" to hide the fact that African Americans aren't accepted into the fraternities and the state of Mississippi passed legislation discriminating against homosexuals. So, actually, I don't think there's a lot to celebrate. It's a long way till everyone's equal, and it probably won't ever happen. (EDIT: Apparently, the monument was being raised to commemorate a very specific action in the Civil Rights Movement, not all of Civil Rights. My bad.)
.Last night, I skipped out on the pirate party my friends threw. It sounded fun and everything, but I just wasn't in the mood. I guess that menopausal bitch is just eating my soul one piece at a time. Today, to make up for having no fun yesterday, I went out. I bought a toothbrush at Wal-Mart. I don't support Wal-Mart, but I haven't found a better place to shop for things in Oxford... things such as a toothbrush. Afterwards, I had a mid-afternoon lunch of a chicken wrap and returned my movies to the video store. This is my idea of going out. Apparently.
.Tomorrow night, I have to have written a 10 page paper over Lolita. As much as I wanted to read Lolita and loved what I read, I've been unable to make myself finish it. So, I'm turning to Sparknotes. That's right, I'm turning to sparknotes to write a 10 page college paper. The sad thing is, even if I did read it and wrote my paper to the best of my abilities, the professor would probably still give me a B. That's just the type of person she is.
.Right now, I can't make myself read Sparknotes. I can't make myself read The Forest People for Honors Anthropology. Right now, I'm going to curl up in bed and read Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs, because I'm a failure at school and life. And I'm not sure that I care.
[The picture below speaks a thousand words.]
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Iraqi Christians brave violence to celebrate Easter
Sun Apr 16, 8:40 AM ET
BAGHDAD (AFP) - Iraqi Christians braved violence and walked to churches across Baghdad to celebrate Easter amid a power vacuum and raging sectarian violence that continues to keep peace away from the country.
Dressed in their Sunday best, men, women and children were seen attending prayers for peace and special Easter mass services in various churches.
In central Baghdad's Saint George's Church, dozens of devout Christians were led by father Raad Saleem, 55, for a special Easter prayer appealing for "peace and normalcy in Iraq."
"I pray that life returns to normal in Iraq and the country gains stability," said Saleem as worshippers kneeled and bowed their heads.
Calling for an end to the sectarian violence that has killed hundreds, Saleem said, "We want a national unity government soon and not a government that encourages selfish interests."
"We want ministries serving Iraqis, providing employment, law and order and not ministries that are based on sectarianism."
Four months after elections for the first post Saddam Hussein parliament, Iraq has failed to put together a cabinet due to bickering over ministerial berths and the candidacy of incumbent premier Ibrahim Jaafari.
In a corner of the church, musicians played pianos as a group of children sung carols in Arabic while their teacher Nada Izzat, 30, watched.
Remembering the days of the former regime, Izzat spoke ruefully about both past and present.
"Iraq is free now but far away from peace," the teacher said.
"At that time (under Saddam), we used to face restrictions on our freedom of expression. Today we are free, but unfortunately there is no security."
Gesturing to the sky, she said, "We pray for the sake of Iraqis and to bring peace to this country. Today was the day when Jesus came back for the sake of humanity and I hope that this day brings peace for everyone."
Easter commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which according to the Bible occurred three days after he was crucified.
Abu Marian, 40, prayed for peace.
"In Iraq, the Christians have been attacked many times, but terrorists have failed to arouse hatred among them."
Since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003, violence has wracked Iraq and many churches have been bombed. Iraq's estimated 700,000 Christians have kept a low profile amid fears of attack from Islamic extremists, who view the community as pro-American.
"My wish is to leave Iraq because of this violence which does not differentiate among people," said 19-year-old Nubras Fadhal.
"I feel scared and insecure as I go about in Baghdad and my movements are restricted."
The community, which stood at more than one million people before the 1990
Gulf War, has shrunken over the years, with more and more people fleeing Iraq's insecurity for safer shores.
But Father Saleem, mindful of his community's exodus, rallied the faithful Sunday to fight for the rebuilding of their country.
"This country has been destroyed and now needs people who will reconstruct it," Saleem told AFP.
"We have to work together ... to rebuild and bring prosperity to this land. On this occasion we must forget hatred as it will only lead to failure of Iraq."
Offering his wishes for Easter, President Jalal Talabani said, "My Christian brothers and sisters are working jointly with their other brothers of Iraq in building a secured and democratic Iraq."
At Pope Benedict XVI in his first Easter message expressed hope that peace would "finally prevail" in Iraq, where violence "continues mercilessly to claim victims."
However, as prayers meetings went on in churches, eight people were killed Sunday across Iraq, including four in a bomb blast in Baghdad.
I wanted to study abroad because I am feckless, and I wanted to study in London because I am a snob. I am an English major, which is a polite way of saying I will be unemployed in a year and a half. It’s not that having an English degree does not prepare one for a long and satisfying career, but I’m not one of those people who see Law school as a viable option, and I’ve considered graduate school but am wary of jumping into another degree program so soon after graduation. In short, I lack direction and this lack of direction has made me feckless. I have decided that the best cure for this fecklessness is to study abroad. I may love the path I’m on, but right now it’s not leading anywhere. Choosing to stray from it for a semester may not serve any purpose, but at least it will be a change of scenery. The next question to ask is why did I choose to study in London? The answer is simple: snobbery.
I am a snob about two things: literature and New York, and moving to London for the semester satisfies both of these prejudices within me. My literary snobbery takes the form of preferring all things British to all things American. After three years of studying English I have still not taken a single American lit class, and although it is occasionally tempting to pick up Faulkner or James, no one from my native country can touch Austen, Bronte or Woolf, my personal favorite authors (Yes, I know I’m such a girl!). I wanted to travel to England to study their authors because I hoped that by getting closer to places where they lived and wrote I could somehow better understand the way they thought and thus achieve a deeper understanding of their work. Is this silly? Probably. What can I get from the pages of Mrs. Dalloway on the banks of the Thames that I can’t get on the banks of the Hudson? Not much, but coming here is a form of pilgrimage for me never the less. I am here to pay homage to these people who have been the only true gods of my agnostic life.
Of course, my literary reasons for going abroad left me the whole of England to choose from, and it may have made more sense to go to Oxford or Cambridge which would have deeper literary roots and be much more stereotypically British, but going to school in New York City has made me realize that I can’t function outside of a big city, and my definition of big city has become very limited due to my New York snobbery. When I came home to Baltimore after my first semester in New York I remember I couldn’t get to sleep because I missed the traffic sounds outside my window. Hence I chose London, a place that I hope will contain enough loud street noises, as well as cultural attractions, to keep me sane for an entire semester.
Perhaps coming here was a bad idea, I miss my friends and family already, but I have a shrewd suspicion that things will only get better. My mom arrives in a couple days and as the jet lag wears off I’m becoming more and more familiar with London, which is an amazing city. The home sickness mingles with anticipation, and I look forward to whatever is to come.
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