Wofford Oxford Interim

A very fulfilling day-trip

2008-01-29T11:46:00.000-05:00

This summer i took a massive (8,600 mile) road trip across America. On this trip, i drove every inch of the famous highway 101, which goes from Tacoma, Washington to San Francisco, Ca. The most beautiful feature of this drive is the famous Oregon coast, which is where the road snakes along the 50-100 foot cliffs and drops off into the sea. What i saw last friday put this to shame. For my free day, i decided to take off by myself and head down to the Southeast corner of England and see the White Cliffs of Dover. It took me a while (and a good bit of money for the train ticket) to get there, but as i arrived in Dover, my excitement began to grow. This is because as the train got closer to Dover, i began to see small outrcroppings of the famous white cliffs and the train would actually tunnel through them in places. Dover itself isnt that much to speak of. It wasn't the cleanest city, but i think that is beacsue it has a huge harbour that appears to be used most for industry. Needless to say, if you plan a trip to Dover, i would recommend only staying one night at the most, but the cliffs are worth the trip.
In order to familiarize myself with the bay, i walked out onto the longest peer i have ever seen in my entire life. I think it went almost a mile out into the bay, and offered a great view of the beginning of the cliffs and the city of Dover. I ran into an old ship captain who was fishing off of the pier. He told me of a little footpath that would take me up out of the bay and onto the top of the cliffs. i got pretty excited about this, so after a brief lunch of very fresh fish and chips, i began my hike. I really didn't know what i was getting in to.
The ascension of the cliff was a little tedious, i was not wearing any of the right clothes for a hike, but once i got to the top, i was breathless for the next 4 hours. I struck out on what looked like an ancient sheep path that walked me right along the edge of the cliffs. The sea was thundering below me against the chalky cliffs, and the sediment it eroded made the whater i milky green color. i had never seen anything look like it before. The entire time there were gulls screaming over my head and inland were herds of sheep grazing on the very green grass. I began to understand a little more the ideas of the Romantic poets. I too felt, without looking for it, rather overwhlemed by the landscape surrounding me. I felt quite small and insignificant surrounded by such incredible views. The cliffs were literally blindingly white, and i think the hike for me reached its peak when i stumbled across an old white lighthouse overlooking the English channel. My imagination ran wild with thoughts of how long it had been there and how many people had stood where i was for centuries and overlooked the Englsih Channel. This excursion proved to be quite the experience and i would recommend it to anyone. Thanks for reading the blogs, and maybe i will be able to tell some of you about it in person...

Home-Safe and Sound

2008-01-29T02:43:00.000-05:00

Our traveling is completed and everyone is safe and sound back in the country. I must say that it is bittersweet. Everything--the beauty of the cathedrals, the greatness and antiquity of the architecture, the smell of the rain and chill of the wind, and the sinful delights of the food--was so enchanting in England; I miss it. Yet, the familiarity, comfort, and love for home and family make me pleasantly content to be back.

Two days of class remain and my last Interim term at Wofford College is over; by far it has been the best and most memorable. I have studied at Oxford, visited numerous cities, buildings, museums, the theater, and even a zoo, shopped at Harrods and side-street markets, rode on the subway, and made lasting friendships. However, perhaps the most significant “souvenir” from England is the impact that this Interim’s many situations, experiences, people, and relationships have had on my walk with Christ. I feel that my personal relationship with Jesus has been strengthened; I have a better understanding and more clarity of God’s will and His working in my life. Who could want more?

- Kimberly

London Calling

2008-01-28T23:52:00.000-05:00

No disrespect to the Clash for stealing the name of one of your better songs, but guys, your song was aptly titled (not so much for the bitter and cynical reasons you listed in your anthem decades ago) because I think London definitely keeps calling to me!
Despite the fact that this entry is being described days after the actual events transpired, I really have to describe the impression London made on me on my first day trip into the city. It’s simply so gorgeous, so cosmopolitan, so diverse and so wonderful to wander through. Thanks to the foresight and planning of fellow classmate and Hayes Modlin, we got a fair deal on a bus to the London, and had the whole afternoon to enjoy the sights. Thanks to Hayes we got superb seating for an evening showing of Wicked, a musical about the lives and times of the witches of Oz. Hayes had wanted to see it ever so much (does that sound appropriately British?) and I’d wanted to see it ever since I read the book long ago. I’m sorry to say that in the transition from book to stage many of the more delicate themes from the novel have disappeared- no hints of religious fundamentalism, atheism, McCarthy-esque politics or other intriguing topics to tickle the cranium. But no matter- the performance was so beautiful and light-hearted, the ultimate play to see with a friend. I can’t say who enjoyed seeing Elphaba and Glinda belt it out more- I was enthralled, and Hayes hardly said a word the whole time, he was so psyched! The production design was such a highlight- All the sets and props had a mechanical aesthetic- as if inspired by the “tiktok culture” of Munchkinland and the grotesque, duplicitous, mechanized Grommetik. And the singing, oh wow, I can hardly describe it- just imagine Elphaba cast in a green and eldritch light, decrying the hypocrisy of the citizenry of Oz as she rises up in the air, broomstick in hand, winged monkeys dancing, singing in an impossibly beautiful, enchanting voice….incredible!
As much as we loved Wicked, the real highlight was for me our trip to the National Gallery. As an art history major, museums are always an understood prerequisite for any major travel experience- I’m pleased to say I had my fill of masterpieces at the Gallery. I gazed slack-jawed at della Francesca’s Baptism of Christ, I drooled over da Vinci’s cartoon of The Virgin and Child with St. Anne and John the Baptist, and generally spent three hours enjoying all the pieces in the museum. It was definitely not a bad way to start the first trip to the city!

Written by Leland Wood

Christchurch Cathedral

2008-01-28T22:43:00.000-05:00

Canterbury is a really beautiful town to experience. The streets are quiet, the people are nice, and the Three Tuns pub has suddenly entered my top ten restaurant list, if only because the walls had quotes from Chaucer written into the woodwork. And then oc course there is the church…
Yes, I think I’ve become decided on a very momentous and possibly life-altering decision- I’m going to move to England and live in the wooden rafters of Canterbury’s gorgeous and august Christchurch Cathedral. I haven’t yet worked out the smaller details yet- How will I break into the church? Where will I sleep? How do I haul groceries, bed linens and personal items up an eight-story stone column? For that matter, how will I get myself up those massive columns? Well, no matter, I’ll learn and in no time I’ll be showing up Quasimodo with my awesome wall-scaling skills and gargoyle-communications expertise. Granted I don’t think the church has any gargoyles to talk to, but there are plenty of statues by the tombs to talk with, although I doubt they’ll have much to say…
Impracticalities aside, there is one very good reason that visitors to this sacred space never want to leave- it must surely be one of the most beautiful spaces in England, and is older by far than any sort of institution we have in the states- Our guide Paul mentioned that the church has existed in one incarnation or another since around 600 B.C., although only the quire of the church existed for sometime, until being expanded with the nave in 1377. Still, the very idea of something existing for so long, in so many forms- we have nothing so comparable here at home, nothing so grand or august- it can make a person feel very small and insignificant, just standing in that hollowed space and realizing that are institutions that have outlasted and will outlast human lives for many years. Cool stuff.
It took music to really appreciate the religious aspects of the space however, which is why I’m glad our class chose to stay for the evensong service. I admit to not being overly familiar with religious hymns, but sitting next to the choir in the carved wooden benches it was impossible not to feel a sort of spiritual emotion at the moment as the beautiful voices of the uber-perfect boy’s chorus filled our ears. Now I know why you always hear boy’s choruses in all the award-winning soundtracks and film scores- when you’ve experienced it, nothing can possibly top it. Combine the chorus with such a beautiful and solemn setting like the church and the experience becomes so moving. I felt to overwhelmed I could hardly leave my seat at the end of the service, not that I wanted to, of course. Maybe I'll just sneak back into the church one day. Beckett's dusty bones might need company!

Written by Leland Wood

Hilary's England Top Ten: Part 2

2008-01-28T22:39:00.001-05:00

So I thought my blog entry would be relatively short since I was just listing my top ten favorite parts of my trip to England. However, I soon realized that my short blog entry had turned into a short novel. There are so many exciting things to tell about my favorite experiences, so I decided it might be best to split the blog entry in half. Now here are my top five favorite experiences from England.

5. King’s College Chapel, Cambridge

King’s College has the most elaborate and magnificent chapels of any of the colleges at either Cambridge or Oxford. Even thought it was a college chapel, it looked like a cathedral with all its intricate architecture and stained glass windows. The day was quite sunny, and we visited the chapel at the perfect time because the sunlight shone brightly through the stained glass that lined the chapel casting colors on the walls.

4. Wicked

On my last evening in London I went to see the musical Wicked with Matt Watts, Emily, and Matt Low. The show surpassed my expectations and was absolutely phenomenal! The voices and music were unbelievable, and I was so glad that we decided to spring for the tickets even though they were a little expensive. I also couldn’t help myself and bought a t-shirt after the show. It had flying monkeys on the sleeves - how could I resist!

3. Canterbury Cathedral

As I wrote about in an earlier post, the Canterbury Cathedral was absolutely amazing. All of the historical significance in such an impressive cathedral made my visit there a breath-taking experience.

2. Paul Sinclair, our fearless leader

Our trip would not have been nearly as amazing without the guidance and assistance of our guide, Paul. He knew everything about everything and made all of our class excursions much more interesting and informative. There were so many things he showed us that I would not have known to look for, and his history expertise made our experiences much more fascinating. Although I’m sure our crazy class surprised him at times with our random questions, he was always helpful and made our trips much more fun. Thanks, Paul!

1. Jane Austen letters and the St. John’s College library

My absolute favorite part of my trip to England was the opportunity to see a few original letters written by Jane Austen that were kept in the library of St. John’s College. This experience was only possible because of Paul. After discovering that a few of us were interested in Jane Austen, Paul arranged access for us to the library to see the letters. He was able to do so because he had graduated from St. John’s College and had connections with the librarian. It was an absolutely amazing experience, and I am so thankful for Paul’s generosity in going out of his way to allow us to see something so remarkable. The library itself was beautiful, and we got access to a restricted section to look at the letters. When I say restricted, I mean restricted as in there was an invisible beam on a timer that we couldn’t cross! We weren’t allowed to touch any of the books in the restricted section, of course, because they were hundreds of years old, but Paul showed us some of the more interesting ones. Jane Austen is my favorite author so seeing her original hand-written letters was incredible. Paul told us some of the interesting things about the particular letters that we were looking at (letters to her niece), and we spent a while looking at them and deciphering her handwriting. It was such a cool experience for me, one that I know I will probably never get again.

Written by: Hilary Phillips

London Zoo

2008-01-28T22:26:00.000-05:00

In a city like London, with so much history and tons of attractions, it's a little overwhelming to try and narrow the list down to fit into just a few days. My list included popular sites like Big Ben, the London Eye, and the Palace. Also on my list of to-dos in the city was shopping (of course!). Well, I and several others decided to venture to London on Friday for our free day, and I got to see almost everything on my list that day, so I was kind of scrambling to figure out what to do with my Saturday in the city. Kimberly Smith and I decided we wanted to go shopping on Oxford Street and have High Tea at the famous Harrod's around 4 or 5. Well, when we first got to the city and got our luggage taken care of, we were given a map of the city to use by a fellow classmate. On this map there was an ad for the London Zoo. I LOVE zoos! I was immediately interested in trying to find the zoo (and a little surprised the thought hadn't crossed my mind before then), but a little worried that Kimberly, my travelling partner, wouldn't share in my enthusiasm. I mentioned the idea to her, got the general location from the man at the hotel desk, then dropped the subject.

A little while later, while we were on Oxford Street and had already done a little shopping, Kimberly said out of nowhere "let's go to the zoo." Of course I was all for it, but I was worried she was just saying that to make me happy, not because she actually wanted to go. After she reassured me that she really wanted to go, we headed for the nearest tube station. So exciting! Once we got there (after a brief detour through the Camden Town Market) there were a TON of people in line! We got our tickets, and headed inside. Immediately the beauty of the zoo was obvious. It was far enough out of the city that almost no buildings were visible. There was a green park to one side and kids soccer fields on the other. All of the habitats for the animals were nice, as well.

The first exhibit we headed for was the Gorillas, which was a new exhibit. There was a landscaped trail from which you could observe the gorillas in their habitat walking and eating and everything. Further down there were viewing windows that the gorillas could actually walk right up to (and they did!). It was really awesome to be so close to such beautiful and powerful creatures. Other animals we saw were lions, tigers, and bears -- oh my! These were all great. The lion was one of my favorites. He was so beautiful, and we couldn't help but think of Aslan. There was also an aquarium, penguins, giraffes, zebras, PEACOCKS! (I think they're so pretty), and many more. Being an animal lover, I was like a little kid the entire time, running from exhibit to exhibit with a huge smile on my face. It was definitely one of my favorite activities from the trip.

Being in the presence of such diverse wildlife and such beautiful colors and grace just makes me stand back and marvel at how awesome our God is! What a creative imagination! I'm thankful He loves us enough to give us the opportunity to observe and appreciate His masterpieces and praise Him for it. This entire trip was such a wonderful experience. The places we saw were so rich with history. I got to know a lot of new people and built relationships with people I already knew. Several friendships that were nurtured by this experience will, I believe and hope, last far into the future and have a great impact on my life. It was a wonderful group of people to travel with, and I can't imagine the trip any other way! Also the works of Lewis that we read were thought provoking and inspiring. His ideas and analogies, especially in Mere Christianity, were so basic but so great! I know that book has already touched so many lives, and it gives me a new way to reach friends who don't know the Lord but are critical of traditional ways of presenting Christian ideas. I look forward to reading much much more Lewis in the future, and also to re-reading many of the works we read for class in order to find new insights and pieces of inspiration I may have missed the first time.

Posted by Kelly Jones

Coming Home

2008-01-28T22:13:00.000-05:00

It was time to go home.

We boarded the plane in Gatwick International Airport which is located right outside of London. We had said our goodbyes to Oxford already, and now we were saying our goodbyes to London and England. I was ready. I had a great time in England, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything else in the world, but I was ready to get back to Wofford. I was ready to see my other friends again; I had about nine of them with me in England and made many others.

As I sat in my seat on the plane, I began to talk to my neighbor. Her name is Hazel, and she is an African-American woman who was raised in New York but spent most of her life in London. Hazel and I were talking about many different things when I noticed that she had a New Testament with her. I was pleasantly surprised considering how we had learned how few believers there are in England. I told her at once how I came to be in England and how we were studying C.S. Lewis in Oxford. She was very excited and we began to talk about a great number of things about Christianity in detail. We had a very long and good conversation.

As soon as our plane touched down, I began to bounce in my seat with excitement. I couldn’t wait to get off of the plane and drive back to Wofford. I said goodbye to Hazel and told her that I hoped she enjoyed her time in the states. She, in turn, told me to always carry The Message, that that should be my highest goal. I agree with her. That should be the highest goal of all Christians.

Hayes and I drove down the road from Charlotte to Spartanburg having an upbeat jam session to Dave Matthews and contemporary Christian tunes. We made it to Wild Wings for our friend Daniel West’s graduation/man party since he’s graduating after interim. We excitedly and joyously embraced our friends that we hadn’t seen in nearly two weeks, or for those who were abroad for interim, nearly two months. The chatter and swapping of stories went on for quite a long time, and it continued to Wofford when we ran into more people.

Finally I was back in my room, and I began to think of how I could stay awake long enough so that I could adjust to the time here. I realized that I didn’t want to stop seeing people, so I gathered up the gifts that I had bought and set out from Marsh, my dorm, to find the people to give to them. It didn’t take my long to find one of them because Matt Watts was standing right outside of the dorm talking to Drew Bryan when I walked out. Matt was on the trip as well, but I found a 1899 Bible in a secondhand book store and thought of no one who would appreciate it more than him. Of course he would not accept it at first, but after I talked him into taking it, I could tell that he really enjoyed getting it. This, of course, just made me enjoy giving it all the more. I got a much more enthused reaction from Mark Reynolds. Markitos, my nickname for him, is one of my best friends at Wofford, and I got him a keychain that had his family crest on the front and a short history of his surname, its meaning, and motto on the back. Mark immediately started bouncing around shouting, “It’s my keychain with my name on it! Check this out! ‘God-favoring.’ Heck yes I am!” Of course it made me all the happier that he enjoyed his gift. “Come here you!” he said to me, and as I embraced my friend I realized that C.S. Lewis was quite correct to value friendship so highly. Positive human relationships are one of the greatest things in this world and friendships are of the best of those.

I thanked God for giving me the opportunity to travel overseas, for the opportunity to deepen my faith by learning more about His servant C.S. Lewis, for getting me home safely, for the many and good friendships that he has given me at Wofford, for cleansing me of my sin through His son’s salvation that I could have friendships, and for ensuring me a place in His kingdom through that salvation. If I tried listing everything that I should be thanking God for, then I don’t know if this blog would ever end.

-Posted by Will Prosser

Hilary's England Top Ten: Part 1

2008-01-28T21:47:00.000-05:00

Since I’ve been back, I’ve been telling my friends about all of the wonderful things I’ve done and seen in the past eleven days. I realized that I always choose the same memories to talk about, so I decided to blog about these highlights of my trip with a list of my top ten favorite England experiences.

10. Buildings and “cool old stuff” in general

One of my favorite things about Oxford and all of England in general was how beautiful the buildings were. It was amazing to me that so many of the buildings were so old yet still functional. Some of the buildings were built as early as the 13^th century!! Bath looked basically exactly as it would have in the late 18^th century, which was beautiful. I think I loved the oldness of the buildings so much because you could just see the centuries of history in their walls.

9. Scones!

The scones were delicious! One afternoon we stopped to have tea in a café. I ordered some scones with my tea, expecting them to be like scones in the U.S. (not very soft), but I was pleasantly surprised. English scones are warm and soft and wonderful! I didn’t think I would miss any British food, but I will definitely miss those delicious scones.

8. The British Museum, London

The British Museum was a history major’s dream. It was huge! There was no way that we could possibly see everything in the short two hours that we were there, but we did see some cool stuff. First, we went straight to see the Rosetta Stone, which was amazing. Then we explored more of the Egyptian artifacts, finding Cleopatra along the way. We also ventured through Greek and Roman history and a bit of Medieval England. As a history major, I was like a child in a candy shop, completely amazed by everything around me. I only wish we would’ve had more time to explore the museum.

7. The Royal Crescent, Bath

The Royal Crescent was a semi-circle of houses that were built in Bath in the late 18^th century. However, they weren’t just ordinary houses, they were tall, three-story, beautiful limestone buildings that had housed the affluent British citizens of Bath since the late 1700’s. Besides its architectural grandeur, the Royal Crescent also held significance for me because many parts of Jane Austen’s novels took place in Bath and some of the characters lived at the Royal Crescent. It was really interesting to me to see a specific place that Jane Austen (my favorite fiction author) wrote about so often.

6. Punting in Cambridge

You may be wondering, what is punting? Well, a punt is a long, often rectangular-shaped boat in which a person uses a tall pole to propel the boat through the water. As someone put it, punts are “like Venetian gondolas just without the singing.” We took a punting tour down the river in Cambridge that passed by many of the Cambridge colleges. I think what made our punting experience most fun was that our guide, Justin, was very talkative and willing to joke around with us – he didn’t seem to feel too awkward by our ridiculous questions and random comments.

Written by: Hilary Phillips

Visiting Jack’s Old Stomping Ground

2008-01-28T21:40:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday, our class was lead by our dear and faithful guide, Paul, to The Kilns, Lewis’ home, and Holy Trinity Church, where he and his brother were faithful members. Reading Lewis’ essays and letters while we were still in Spartanburg helped me to get a grasp on his beliefs and even his personality. Yet seeing his home and where he worshipped was very special to me. We were guided around his house by a lovely lady from North Carolina (it was so refreshing for our class to hear another Southern accent!). She pointed out where Lewis wrote many of his correspondents, the pond Lewis bathed in every morning, even in the freezing weather, what rooms his wife, Joy, redecorated upon moving into the Kilns, and the little garden where they visited on countless afternoons. Being able to walk around his home and sit in the same pew that he did every Sunday morning allowed me to really feel connected to this great man. Hearing countless examples of how Lewis affected his audiences’ lives, and even seeing his impact on our class and me personally has been one of the most rewarding parts of this class. Being able to physically walk around where he worked and lived on a daily basis was surreal. C.S. Lewis, better known to his friends and family as “Jack”, was a profound writer who led a simple life; witnessing that lifestyle was truly a treat for me.

Written by: Leanne Brinson

Our Story to Tell

2008-01-28T21:34:00.003-05:00

So, we’re back from England (so sad!! I’m already excited about visiting again!), and I can’t help but smile and laugh about our different adventures from the trip. As Mrs. Perry (aka Mama Bonnie) said, “When things go wrong, we always have a story to tell.” Well, we definitely have some stories to tell… Our first free afternoon, Katie, Jeff, Will, Chris, and I took the train from Oxford to London. Once we were in the city, we had to take the Tube from one side of London to the others. We managed to do this successfully all afternoon, but at the end of the night, we were late getting back to Paddington, the train station to send us back to Oxford. Needless to say, after literally running around the station for half an hour trying to decide which train was the right one for us, I got upset. We probably looked like the family from “Home Alone” running through the airport trying to make their flight. But the guys finally found the right train and we were on our way to Oxford. To top off the night’s excursion, the buses back to the Logan House were no longer running when we returned. Poor Valerie (who had gone to Basingstoke to visit a family friend) had been standing on the street corner for what seemed to her an eternity… especially after guys asked her why she was just hanging out on a street corner… waiting for us and a bus to the house. Well, after waiting with her for awhile, the girls and Chris decided to take a cab, which was thankfully only a few pounds, back to the house, and the other guys hiked the distance. I was never so excited to see the front door of our dorm.

And while that night ranks high among our adventures, it doesn’t compare to the girls’ hotel in London… our bus from Oxford to London (which departed Oxford at the bright and early time of 7:30 a.m.) dropped the boys off at their hotel first. They were excited to see a four-star hotel decorated with chandeliers, flat-screen TV’s, two double beds per room, etc. And we were happy for them for about… two minutes. That’s when the bus drove up to the girls’ hotel. From the outside, it didn’t look too bad. But when we walked in, we were directed down a flight of stairs about two feet wide (our suitcases barely fit) to store our luggage in a basement restaurant since our rooms weren’t ready. The restaurant was beautifully decorated with glitter paint on the walls and ripped, sheer “curtains” along one mirrored wall. After a long debate of whether or not it was safe to leave our luggage, we finally ventured out of the hotel and into London. A few hours later, I called my roommate, Valerie, to see if she had checked into our room. She had. Valerie was excited to tell me we had a super-king sized bed (a double and twin bed pushed together), a refrigerator (a step on the fire escape outside our window), a mini bar (the shelf in the window where we kept our water bottles), and tons of space for our luggage (about 16 sq ft since our room was only as wide as the length of the beds). Once our bags were opened, we had about 2 sq feet since Katie’s, Valerie’s and my bags all “threw up” our clothes everywhere. But, I can honestly say the accommodations didn’t spoil our fun. We made the most of it and had one of the best nights of our trip. After an evening full of London nightlife, yummy food, perfect fellowship, and millions of laughs, we settled down under our furry, yet threadbare blankets for a wonderful night of sleep. I only wish we thought to take pictures of this lovely establishment…

Written by: Leanne Brinson

Woodstock Mafia

2008-01-28T20:27:00.000-05:00

Sorry about the lateness of this blog, but I hope you enjoy it all the same.

On our free afternoon on Wednesday, Becky, Jessie, Alyse, Hayes, Dr. Swicegood, and I decided to go see Blenheim Palace. “That’s where Winston Churchill was born!” as Jessie was prone to repeating throughout the day in her excitement. Blenheim lies on the outskirts of Oxford (so much so that our bus passes are not supposed to be able to get us there but the bus driver didn’t so anything so we didn’t either). After our lecture we went to the city center to find a bus stop that would take us to Woodstock, the section of town that Blenheim is in. After Alyse, the class mom for the trip, found the bus stop, we waited for and got on the bus after it arrived.

As we got on the bus, I noticed that there was a mother in one of the seats holding her little boy, who I guessed to be around eighteen months old, and I heard Jessie remark about how cute he was. After we had ridden the bus for five minutes or so, I was jerked out of my reverie by the child’s laughter. His face was the epitome of happiness as he gazed beyond me at the object of his merriment, and I looked back to see what it was. Hayes was playing peek-a-boo with the little boy by hiding his face in his trench coat and then suddenly pulling out of it again. This went on for a little while when for some strange reason the child turned his face towards me in what seemed to be an invitation to play. I broke out in the biggest smile I could muster, and the little boy rolled with peals of delighted laughter (apparently my smile is funny, haha). Then I gave him a face of surprise, which just amused him all the more, and I could hear Jessie and Hayes amused chuckling behind me at my playing with the child. Suddenly he pulled away and put his face on the other side of his mother’s, and then he came back to the side facing me squealing with joy. I realized with a start of amusement that he was playing peek-a-boo with me, so the next time he put his face on the other side of his mother’s, I went with him with a smile. I thought his laughter would roll on forever, and I continued to play with him until our stop came just so I could hear it. As we got off of the bus, I heard Dr. Swicegood say, “There is no more wonderful sound in this world than a child’s laughter.” I couldn’t agree more.

After we got off of the bus, we began asking the locals about the “super duper secret passageway” which just amused them. After a few repeated tries with no success, I stepped into a quaint restaurant called the Blenheim Guest House and Tea Rooms. I went to the kitchen, and asked where we could find the Black Swan, the pub that is supposedly beside the passageway. I was quickly informed that there was no Black Swan, but then told how I could find the Black Prince. I came out to tell my companions how to get there, and they had decided while I was away to have lunch in the Blenheim Guest House, which was fine by me.

We soon sat down at a table and ordered our meal, and started doing what all friends do while sharing a meal, making conversation and cracking jokes. In between the laughter and the sharing of stories, I quickly realized how much I enjoyed these times of fellowship among friends on this trip. They came so easily, and there was no pressure or demanding involved in them. I could see how the highlight of C.S. Lewis’s week were those nights he spent with the Inklings in the pub and his rooms at Oxford. I understood why Lewis described those moments of enjoying a child’s laughter or time with friends as simple joy with no pretensions. Those things are God’s gift to us to show us how things will be in his kingdom in heaven.

To drive this point home, a group of about a dozen elderly women walked through the door chattering excitedly amongst each other. Dr. Swicegood mentioned something about this probably being the “red hat society,” implying to the effect that they came together often. “How great would that be,” I thought, “to spend your days just hanging out with friends.” The ladies began pulling tables together so that they can sit with one another, so Hayes and I got up to help them. The women were extremely delighted with us, for it was obvious that getting help from complete strangers was something out of the ordinary for them. “Would you care to join us? Would you care to join us?” they jokingly asked us.

As we were getting up to leave, Jessie looked at Hayes and I and said, “Ask if you can get a picture with them,” so Hayes and I did so. This amused them to no end, and a very brusque one asked me, “Young man why exactly do you want our picture.” After I explained to them about the blog and our trip, they were very flattered. I asked them, “So who exactly are you?” One of the ladies answered, “Well we are called the Golden Girls of Woodstock, and we come together to have lunch and chat about once a week. Just a little informal society. Yes, we used to be called the Woodstock Mafia, but we lost our dark glasses. Now we are the Golden Girls.” We took the picture and the Golden Girls of Woodstock wished us well on the rest of our trip. As I walked out of the Blenheim Guest House, I realized that the afternoon had been memorable and well spent, and we had not even reached Blenheim Palace yet!

-Posted by Will Prosser

Reflections on Oxford

2008-01-28T19:23:00.000-05:00

I was really surprised at how people cared about American politics. Paul knew much more about US politics than I did and I would not be surprised if he knew more than any one person on the trip. Will, Matt, and I had a interesting conversation with him over a pint about some of his views in comparison to ours. He claimed to be liberal in many ways but I was surprised to find out that he did not think we should model a health care system in the US after the UK's. He thought that all Americans should have health care but at the same time he did not have an answer to the problem. He threw out the statistic that the health care system in the UK is the second largest single employer in the world next to the Chinese army. This statistic is scary. What would a universal health care system in the US with many more people turn in to?

One night we had dinner at a pub and Becky, myself, and others were lucky enough to have a long conversation with a guy who claimed to be named Robert. He had many interesting stories and it was fun to compare life in the US with his. He talked of some feelings some people have toward Americans but he was more interested in literature. Becky was definitely able to impress him with her interests and knowledge in that area. I am glad that job was not left up to me. Once he learned I was a finance major he told an interesting story about JP Morgan and how he inherited his initial fortune. Robert was an interesting guy. I got the feeling he was from old money in England because he did not claim to really have a job and his great grandmother donated the original building for the US embassy.

I was really impressed with the overall trip and the way in which were able to focus on C.S. Lewis acidemically and also have a very enjoyable experience. We had a really great group and in my opinion we all got along well. This was my first time traveling to Europe and I would have to say I am glad I went. It was only a taste of what Oxford has to offer and I look forward to traveling back in the future

Christ Church

2008-01-28T18:55:00.000-05:00

Will, Allison, Alex, and I visited Christ Church one afternoon for what we thought was going to be a quick walk though but it ended up taking over three hours. When we first arrived the dining hall was closed because it was lunch time. This was supposedly the biggest attraction since it is where Harry Potter was filmed but after visiting I was more impressed with the chapel and the rest of the grounds.

We walked around the Chapel at Christ Church for a few minutes and Will and I sat while the girls talked to a lady who was working on something in the back. Will and I decided to finally go pull the two girls away from the conversation but we soon realized that the lady was actually working on a tapestry over 500 years old. It was really interested to see how she worked to maintain the original form of the cloth. She actually took us up to another workroom where there was more of the same tapestries that had been redone. After we told the ladies in the workroom about our interests in C.S. Lewis and the purpose for the trip, one lady sat up and told us that we had to meet Caroline. Caroline is the daughter of the priest who married Lewis and Joy in the hospital. Caroline appeared to have dementia of some sort but she did recall meeting Lewis on one occasion. Meeting Caroline made the excursion to Christ Church worth while and it was also a beautiful campus.

Afternoon in London

2008-01-28T18:35:00.000-05:00

Jeff, Will Mann, Leanne, Katie, and I traveled to London for the first free afternoon. It turned out to be a quick but fun afternoon. A side note about traveling to London for the day- aways take the train and make sure that it is a day pass for the tube (subway) as well. In addition, travel in groups of 4 because the discount is worth it.

Jeff, Leanne, Katie, and I decided to take the tube to Westminster while Will did some quick shopping. We all made fun of Will for shopping while in London but I have to admit he did find a deal and I actually bought some clothes for myself when we went back. Upon arriving, we were all in awe because as you exit the tube Big Ben is roughly twenty yards on your right and the river is not far on the left. I think we took over 30 minutes just taking pictures when we first arrived. The first activity was The London Eye. It was pretty fun and Jeff and I were able to talk Leanne and Katie into believing that we could see the Eiffel Tower from the top. Jeff was also the subject of a joke when a security guard told him he thought he had a gun. The eye is well worth the money.

Will rejoined us and the group decided to do something less touristy. We all visited Parliament for a brief sitting for the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The guards were overall very rude. It was interesting to see how they could be so polite and rude at the same time. In the House of Commons they were debating the issue of the stole laptop computer that contained all the security information for hundreds of people. It was neat to see what they had to say since we had all heard of the stolen laptop on the news a few days earlier. In the House of Lords they were debating an aspect of stem cell research. It was hard to understand but I think it dealt mainly with the use of the diseased for research who had given consent to donate their organs.

The night ended with a nice meal at an Italian restaurant.

Airport Entertainment

2008-01-28T16:55:00.001-05:00

(no names were mentioned in order to protect the identity of certain individuals—but check out the picture!)

It seems that as college students we are not sure what to do with free time. We are not used to having it, you see? Normally, our days are full of classes, studying, complaining about Burwell, clubs, sports, and sometimes on occasion sleep. This made the few hours of free time that we had in the airport before our flight left London-Gatwick to Charlotte quite an interesting experience. After many of the students had done all that they needed to do to prepare for the flight, such as 1) drink as much coffee as possible in order to stay awake or the alternative of taking enough Dramamine or Simply Sleep to make sure that nothing could bother them on the flight back 2) make sure they had gone to the restroom at least twice to make sure that they would not have to use the dreaded airplane toilet until it became absolutely necessary 3) spend every last English pound on anything and everything—even it was completely ridiculous, like four pounds (or $8.00+) for a pack of mints! With all that said, since we arrived at our departure gate a couple hours ahead of time, there was still plenty of time to waste. Unfortunately, as Wofford students, we are ill trained when it comes to free time, and I imagine that some of the native Brits just thought we were nuts. I have to admit, though, that it was probably a legitimate assumption seeing as there were six students playing a game called “Hot Potato” with a bottle of Sparkling water, which became somewhat violent. Then these concerned natives scanned the terminal for the “responsible adult” in charge of the students who were about to cause some major damage to the airport if not to each other. What they found instead was more interesting entertainment. The “responsible adult” and three other students had their heads in a kiddie play boat and were holding themselves upside down. At this sight, most of the Brits shook their heads and turned around, giving up all hope of trying to find the slightest bit of sanity in any of these American students and professors. In conclusions, a note to all Wofford professors: keep the work coming. Otherwise, you never know what the Wofford Ambassadors will find themselves explaining when they are giving tours to prospective students!

Written by: Valerie Tyndall

London Here We Come!

2008-01-28T14:53:00.000-05:00

After spending over a week traveling and exploring the areas around Oxford, we spent our last two days in London. Friday morning a group of us woke early to catch the train to London. After an hour train ride we finally arrived in London and bustled onto the tube to Westminster Abbey – my first tube ride ever, very exciting! When we walked up the stairs out of the station I turned around to find Big Ben towering in front of me. Big Ben resides on the corner of Parliament, which was probably my favorite building of the whole trip. The grandness and intricacy of the medieval architecture here in Britain has absolutely astounded me. When you walk into the Canterbury Cathedral or Bath Abbey you are staggered by its beauty. The Parliament building definitely exceeded my expectations as well. Not until we walked onto the bridge to take pictures could we see how massive the structure really was.

After taking pictures of Big Ben we walked over to Westminster Abbey, which was also spectacularly beautiful. Here the group decided to split. Dr. Swicegood, Becky, Alyse, Kimberly and Kelly wanted to explore the inside of the Abbey, while Matt Watts, Hilary, Jessie, Will Prosser, Hayes, Matt Low and myself walked on to see Buckingham Palace. I was quite disappointed not to see the infamous guards with the funny hats standing at the gate, but we still got some interesting pictures. If you want to know what I mean by “interesting” you’ll have to ask the boys. We then took a lovely stroll through the park on our way to the British Museum. The British Museum absolutely amazed me! The enormous museum housed artifacts from almost every time period and from every continent. My two favorite exhibits included the Rosetta Stone and mummified Cleopatra. We only had a couple of hours to explore, so we were only able to get a glimpse of the museum’s treasures. We had to leave London fairly early that day to catch the train back to Oxford in time for the farewell dinner IES hosted for the class. After a pleasant dinner at St. Clare’s we made our way back to Logan House with full tummies and heavy eyelids. That night I packed my things and soon went to bed because the bus was scheduled to pick us up at 7:30 the next morning. Saturday was another busy day in London. After dropping our luggage off at the hotel, Matt Low, Jessie, Leland and I took the tube to the London Eye. For those of you who don’t know, the London Eye is very much like a gigantic ferris wheel, but instead of having small cars, the London Eye carries passengers around in large glass pods. There were about fifteen people in our pod, but there was plenty of room to maneuver. The London Eye gave us a spectacular view of London. I don’t think I realized before how huge London actually is! After our thirty minute ride around the London Eye we met some others at the London Bridge. All I could think of while crossing the bridge was the children’s rhyme, “London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down…” I couldn’t help thinking to myself, I sure hope the London Bridge doesn’t decide to fall down while I’m standing on it! The London Bridge itself is not that exciting, but standing on it provides an excellent view of the London Tower Bridge, which is quite beautiful.We then took the tube to Camden Town where we grabbed a quick bite to eat. Camden Town was an interesting experience. The streets were lined with booths and tents of merchandise, mostly clothes, hats, and the occasional body piercing shop - we didn’t feel the need to explore those any further.

Saturday night was perhaps my favorite evening of the trip. Hilary and Matt Watts had spent most of the morning searching for tickets to the musical Wicked, which was extremely generous of them! The tickets were a little expensive, but completely worth it! As Hayes has already described, the show was amazing. The set was dazzling, and the music inspiring. Every time Elphaba sang I got goosebumps! I found the storyline very intriguing as well. All four of us (Hilary, Matt Watts, Matt Low and myself) enjoyed the show immensely and I would recommend it to anyone interested in musicals!

Sunday morning we awoke quite early to make our way to the airport. The bus picked us up around 7:00 AM and took us to Gatwick Airport. The airport was enormous and quite crowded. We didn’t have any trouble getting through security except when Hilary and I both set off the metal detectors. I have no idea how we managed to set them off, but we did, and the consequence – frisking. That’s right folks, Hilary and I were fully frisked by a strange British woman. I’m not going to lie, I felt a little bit violated, but at least it makes for an interesting story! Following the frisking we sat around in the airport until our flight left at 11:40AM. After almost nine hours in flight, we finally arrived back in the States. Traveling to England gave me an unforgettable experience, but I am very glad to be home!

Friday, January 25th (this was written by Leanne and Jeff)

2008-01-28T14:08:00.000-05:00

On Friday, We (Jeff and Leanne) had a much different adventure than many of our classmates. Jeff had an interview and a tour with a Reinsurance company in London. We ventured to London and took the Central line to the Aldgate station where we were greeted by Mr. Vince Rossi, a broker for Arthur J. Gallagher. We first took a small tour and visited with members of the Gallagher office, but soon after Mr. Rossi decided to take us to Lloyd's of London. Lloyd's is an interesting building because it houses many underwriters that write insurance risks for other brokers. Essentially, Lloyd's is the stock market of insurance. Lloyd's is not a company itself, but house many desks/cubicules/sections in which other insurance companies (Catlin, AIG Europe, etc..) place underwriters. This is unique because it is a method of business that is still very personal and face to face, in which many other places in the world do this method of business electronically. After witnessing a transaction between a Mr. Rossi and an underwrite, our tour of Lloyd's had concluded. Not to soon after we met with a Reinsurance broker of Arthur J. Gallagher, Danny Driscoll. Mr. Driscoll and Mr. Rossi took us out to lunch where many different conversations took place (from Insurance/Reinsurance information to some awful trips and flights that they had been on). After our long lunch, Mr. Rossi parted with us to go back to work, and Mr. Driscoll decided enough with insurance talks, and showed us around London. We ventured to St. Paul's, the Bank of England, and other sections of the City of London. This was a lot of fun and made for a full day. Needless to say both of our feet hurt badly because Leanne was in high heels and I was in dress shoes, so all the walking was quite painful but well worth it. We soon later departed from London to go back to Oxford for a farewell dinner at St. Claires. The dinner was very enjoyable and it was the first time we both became saddened that our trip would soon be coming to an end. To end the night we decided to go to a pub one last time and say goodbye to Oxford in proper fashion. Cheers!

Written by: Jeff Parrish and Leanne Brinson

Second free afternoon, Wednesday 23rd

2008-01-28T14:01:00.001-05:00

After a short class session, I decided to venture into the City Centre of Oxford by myself for a little while. I think this day was important for me. To walk around a place by yourself allows you to view things with a different perspective, and can lead to new adventures or discoveries. I walked through many alleyways and streets that I had not been down yet. After some time of walking around, Leanne met up with me and we went into the Asmolean museum. Seeing the artifacts and fossils from Ancient Egypt were very interesting, and it made me realize that my favorite part of our trip is seeing firsthand the age and history of so many different things (from architecture to individual artifacts). After the museum Leanne and I ventured up to the top of one of the towers of one of the churches (St. Mary's? name?), and from there we could see so much of Oxford. After that it was a pretty relaxing evening and ended with a fun filled night of Trivial Pursuit at the Logan House.

Written by: Jeff Parrish

January 21, 2008 First Free Afternoon

2008-01-28T13:58:00.000-05:00

After a short class discussion, Leanne, Chris, Katie, Will, and I were the first people to venture to London. This was quite an interesting experience starting with the train station. When we arrived in Paddington station, we were all excited, but caught off guard by its size and activity. Once we actually figured out how to find the underground tube (which believe should not have been a long process but was), we headed towards Westminster. When we arrived at Westminster we first "minded the gap", and headed towards the way out. We chose the exit that went towards Parliament, and what we saw next was quite a sight. We were all talking as we went up the stairs and the first thing we saw straight in front of us was the the Westminster bridge and the London eye. Both really neat, but not near as beautiful as a sight as the large structure directly behind us. We all turned in awe as we were staring at Big Ben and Parliament not but 100 yards behind us. We all agreed we would ride the London eye first, but it took thirty minutes for us to even cross the bridge as we stared and took pictures with Big Ben in the background. After riding the London eye, we decided to see if we could enter Parliament. We went through security, and listened to debates in the House of Commons and the House of Lords (both of which we quite an interesting process). After that we had dinner at an Italian place (which was great!) and then we walked around Picadilly Circus and wound up in a pub for a little while. Everyone was friendly and it ended up being a great day.

Written by: Jeff Parrish

Reflections on my first trip to England…

2008-01-28T13:56:00.002-05:00

As I wrote in a previous post, my only regret was not bringing my laptop. I feel that it would have been much easier to write more detailed posts if I had been able to do it the same day. However, I think the trip was filled with many firsts and many memories I will never forget. Before this trip, I had never even flown without my family, so it was a completely new experience for me. Also, this interim exposed me to another side of C.S. Lewis; one which was completely unknown to me before January. As a child, I read The Chronicles of Narnia, and I thought (ignorantly) that was all there was to C.S. Lewis. His knowledge of literature is the one thing that completely astonishes me. The fact that his primary academic work was on medieval literature shocked me. Who wants to read that stuff anyways? Visiting Oxford and seeing the college where he tutored and lectured allowed me to understand more about the academic and social influences under which he wrote. I found Dr. Tonning’s lecture very interesting because instead of focusing solely on Lewis, she focused more on his academic and intellectual influences. I think she gave us a better idea of why he wrote in a certain manner and why he approached difficult issues in a certain fashion. Instead of trying to analyze and break down his work, she presented our class with possible reasons why he wrote different books. In the bigger picture, I thought it was crazy that we were able to hear lectures from two different Oxford professors! How many people who don’t attend Oxford are actually given that opportunity? At the beginning of interim, C.S. Lewis was a complete enigma to me. I couldn’t understand how all his works fit together, and I didn’t know why his range of writing was so broad and seemingly unconnected. I certainly don’t think I have all the answers now, but I have a much better understanding of the way Lewis’s mind worked. The books, lectures, and my peers’ insight have all allowed me to see his work in a completely new light. I learned that Lewis wrote to evoke the senses and to appeal to the masses. Of course, I don’t mean that in the Hollywood sense. I mean that he wrote in such a way that most anyone could read his works and understand his thoughts and perspectives. While I very much enjoyed learning about C.S. Lewis, I also greatly appreciated our free days and free afternoons. I loved going into London and exploring the city. I also enjoyed our excursions to both Canterbury and Bath. I have always wanted to see Canterbury Cathedral in person, and I was finally given the opportunity on this trip! While I admit checking into our London hotel was quite an adventure, it brought many great stories with it!

Written by: Katie Brown

An afternoon in Oxford…

2008-01-28T13:56:00.001-05:00

As a huge Harry Potter fan, visiting Christ Church in Oxford was at the very top of my to-do list. The dining hall of the college is used in the Harry Potter movies as the dining hall of Hogwarts! The “houses” in the books are based on the different colleges of Oxford. After our morning lecture, Valerie and I headed back to Logan House to change clothes and layer up for the cold and windy day. We got on the bus and made our way to the city center. After doing a little shopping, we decided to get a bite to eat at a restaurant called All Bar One. After our delicious lunch, we walked to the entrance of Christ Church. We first tried to sneak in a different entrance without paying the admission fee, but our plan was quickly foiled by a guard. The first highlight of the tour was the dining hall! The dining hall and its secret corridor also served as inspiration for Alice in Wonderland! It was unbelievable to think that college students actually ate in the dining hall because it seemed more like a museum than a functional dining facility. After the dining hall, we visited the cathedral. A choir from a university in the United States was performing, so we stayed for a bit to listen to them. After the cathedral, we walked around the campus and saw all the different buildings. After leaving Christ Church, we decided to visit Blackwell’s. Blackwell’s is one of the biggest and most well known bookstores in all of England. From the outside it doesn’t look very big, but it’s really overwhelming when you walk inside. There are three floors full of books on every subject you can think of. The top floor is filled with second-hand books that are available for a reduced price, as well as a few leather chairs for those who wish to relax with a good book. There, we ran into Dr. Swicegood, and he directed us to a shelf with a few of C.S. Lewis’s books on education. Some other people from our group had found all the good books the previous day.

Written by: Katie Brown

Our first adventure in London

2008-01-28T13:54:00.001-05:00

I would have to say that my only regret from the trip to the UK was deciding not to take my laptop. It might not be the most ideal situation, but my blog posts will all be made from in the U.S. Although I'm currently back at Wofford, sitting at my desk in my cube, I would like to reflect on one of my favorite and most memorable experiences of the trip to England. Our first free day was Monday afternoon, and I really didn't have any plans until after our morning lecture. Leanne, Jeff, Chris, Will, and I decided to venture into London for the afternoon. Little did I know how much of an adventure it would turn out to be! Right after lunch, we made our way to the train station, which is about a ten minute walk from the city center of Oxford. There, we purchased our tickets and decided we would probably return around 10:30 or 11:00. After looking over our maps and Frommers' guides, we decided to center our visit on Westminster and the London Eye. After arriving at Paddington Station, we made our way to the "tube" for the first time! At first glance, the map of the tube seemed like some sort of complicated geometry. I'm directionally challenged, to put it lightly. However, we did make it to the correct stop at Westminster without any major problems. As we emerged from the underground, Leanne and I saw our first glimpse of sunlight since arriving in England. Of course we were excited to be in London, but we were even more ecstatic that we wouldn't have to break out the umbrellas! The view of the city as soon as we reached the top of the steps was absolutely overwhelming. Behind us stood Big Ben and Parliament, and directly in front of us, across the bridge, was the London Eye. After getting over our initial shock, we bought our tickets for the London Eye. The view from the top was astonishing, and we could see almost the entire city. We then visited Parliament and sat in on a session of both the House of Commons and the House of Lords. While I wasn't very familiar with the issues they were debating, the fact that we were sitting in on a session of British Parliament was awesome! Westminster Abbey was closed, so we decided to head to dinner after taking a few pictures. We took the tube to Piccadilly Circus (or maybe Oxford Circus, I can't remember) and had dinner at a very nice Italian restaurant. After dinner we walked around and decided to visit a nearby pub. Around 10:45, we decided to leave for the train station in order to make the last train to Oxford. Unfortunately, we didn't remember that we had to make 2 changes on the tube. We frantically ran from location to location and finally reached Paddington only to realize that the train had just left. Imagine the looks on our faces when we realized the consequences! However, luck must have been on our side because we talked to a man who told us that one more train would be leaving for Oxford that night. It's always interesting to me that the most challenging and difficult circumstances make for the best stories, but I'm glad we weren't left on our own to find another way back to Oxford!

Written by: Katie Brown

CHECK OUT MORE PHOTOS!!!

2008-01-28T13:43:00.000-05:00

Yes, they have arrived! In addition to these great epics and stories we have a collection of photos to show you a little more of our experience. Here it is:

http://www.woffordoxfordphotos.blogspot.com

ENJOY!

-Matt Watts

A Real Live Exorcism, and Fairy Tale Heroism!

2008-01-28T11:34:00.000-05:00

Warning: if you have a weak stomach or are easily disgusted by bodily fluids and functions, please continue to next blog.

This is a true story!

Once upon a lovely afternoon, Dr. Swicegood, Kelly, and Kimberly dined together at Turf’s Tavern (THE pub of Oxford). Dr. Swicegood ordered a delicious steak and ale pie which he graciously shared with his “little duckies”. Kimberly ordered a jacket (commonly known to you Americans as a baked potato with cheese and beans) sharing it with both of her companions as well. Kelly indulged her taste buds with a ham, chicken, and leek pie—quite delicious. Dr. Swicegood and Kimberly split an apple pie a la mode.

(picture of the wonderful dessert!)
Upon hours of shopping and site-seeing, a ferocious demonic presence was sensed within the walls of Logan House and a real exorcism ensued. It was obvious that Kimberly was filled with the evil-blood and her body had to be purged of her inner demon. “Move” shouted the rasping little devil as it body-slammed Kelly away from the bathroom door…”Sorry” squeaked Kimberly as she braced herself against the cold prison-like walls. As the demon violently burst forth from the pit of her stomach and out into the world through her pale chapped lips, Kimberly’s strength was ripped from her frail body. She collapsed onto the floor whimpering and gasping for air, but was soothed by the cool cloth provided by her guardian angel (aka Kelly, who had by now had wrestled her way back to the aid of the damsel in distress). [20 minutes elapsed]. Thinking that all was cleansed, Kelly and Kimberly joined the group for a movie; little did they know that the night had just begun. It was then that Kimberly, shaking and shivering, could no longer contain the remnants of the barbaric beast. Nearly dying, she was ushered back to her room to be buried in blankets and drugged with Pepto-Bismol, ibuprofen, and black tea. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the group, Dr. Swicegood was battling the demon himself and sacrificed his own health for the wee little ducky, praying that the demon would leave her and inhabit his own body…

IT DID!!!

For three days, the battle drug on with no signs of who would come out victorious. Just when all hope seemed lost and Mama Bonnie was prepared to the aid of the town’s leading healers, Dr Swicegood emerged the champion warrior. He saved her life and gave her world-renown fame all in one; the beast was too much of a burden for the girl to carry alone and so Dr. Swicegood shared it with her. He also enabled her to infamously and proudly proclaim “I barfed in CS Lewis’ toilet!” during their next Oxford exploration. In conclusion, be assured that all demons are no longer present, all food is being processed and enjoyed (except for the occasional irritations brought on by Cornish pastry smells), and Kelly Jones inevitably is an ironclad goddess gladiator of the evil demon spirits of the British underworld and unaffected by all attempts at human defeat. (Of this last statement, Kelly suggests it might be a slight “bending” of the truth).

Stay tuned for the next installments of Wofford Oxford Interim Blogs!

Posted by Kimberly Smith and Kelly Jones

Wofford Oxford Photos!

2008-01-28T10:05:00.001-05:00

See more of our students' TOP 10 Photos from our trip at:

http://www.woffordoxfordphotos.blogspot.com/

Thanks!

-Matt Watts

Alex's Favorite Photos

2008-01-28T08:05:00.000-05:00

After a fun-filled trip and a very full memory card I thought it would be a good idea to compile some of my favorite photographs from the U.K.

The funniest picture ever...Bath Abbey.

Tree lined road in Canterbury.

Valerie and Christine being silly at our farewell dinner in Oxford.

My favorite part of the trip, Paul Sinclair.

In turmoil on the London Eye.

Big Ben and the London Eye in London.

The first day we saw light shine through stained glass windows. King's College chapel in Cambridge.

Harry Potter dining hall at Ch. Ch.!

The ceiling of Ch. Ch. Chapel in Oxford. Here Allyson, Will, Chris and I met the daughter of the man that blessed the marriage of C.S. Lewis and Joy after Joy had been diagnosed with cancer.

Tom Quad at Christ Church College (or Ch. Ch.) in Oxford.

Christ Church College in Oxford.

Chris enjoying the Lewis life at The Kilns.

C.S. Lewis's garden at The Kilns.

Canturbury Cathedral at night.

The "quadrangle" at St. John's College in Oxford.

A Day of Secret Adventures (Wednesday, Jan 23)

2008-01-27T20:46:00.000-05:00

Though I am now on the flight home from the UK, I want to go back a few days to Wednesday and tell about “secret adventures” I participated in. After a lecture Wednesday morning, we had a free afternoon. We had been told about Blenheim Palace, home to the Duke of Marlbourough and birthplace of Winston Churchill, located just outside of Oxford in a little town called Woodstock. Dr. Swicegood, Jessie, Becky, Will, Hayes, and I decided to go see it. Just before we headed out, a lady in the St. Clare’s office told us about a secret entrance that provides the town with free access to the grounds of the palace. Since we knew the inside palace was closed during January anyway, we jumped at the chance to get onto the grounds without paying.

We had a lovely bus ride to Woodstock, where we met a very helpful gentleman who told us that the “super duper secret entrance” could be found along the main road through a green gate just before the Black Prince pub. After a delicious lunch by the fire in a teahouse, we wandered a bit and found the gate. Trying to be nonchalant (very hard for me) we entered on a gorgeous path behind the palace and a lake. Following the path around the lake, we were in awe of the sprawling palace. As England has been experiencing some flooding, one part of the path was taken over by water. I figured that the grass looked a little dryer, and tried going around. Big mistake. I was instantly up to my shins in mud and lake water. My then cream-colored socks are now brown, but not even that could dampen my enthusiasm.

As we continued around the lake, we came to a beautiful bridge just behind the palace. It was very windy. We were able to get right up to the back gate and took several pictures. There was quite a bit of work being done and cars and trucks kept flying past us. It was a great experience, enhanced by the fact that we had taken the “locals” entrance. But, we couldn’t stay all day! Becky and I had a very important appointment waiting for us back in Oxford.

Our wonderful tour guide Paul, graduate of St. John’s College, Oxford, had arranged for a special viewing of documents in St. John’s library. Are you ready for this?? He had arranged for us to view original letters written by JANE AUSTEN. We were beyond excited, and we took a trip “just around the corner” from St. Clare’s (Note: to this British, this means at least 5 blocks) through the University Park and entered through another super duper secret entrance to St. John’s College.

After winding through beautiful gardens, we entered the library, officially signed in, and headed up stairs. The inside of the library was absolutely beautiful, and on display were very old, historic, and important documents that St. John’s owns, such as the Vulgate, one of the first printed Bibles. Though it remained locked up in the safe, Paul told us that the college also owns a VERY valuable complete original copy of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. To enter the old part of the library, Paul used a special magnetic key to open the door and we had to hurry across as lasers will get you if you take too long getting in. That hurried up even the slower members of our group!

Just looking at the shelves of the beautiful old books is overwhelming, and the library also had some very old globes, some of man’s first attempts to accurately map the world. One was so old and worn that you could not even read it. Deciphering Jane Austen’s letters was a little bit of an out-of-body experience. They were mostly letters to her niece Anna, who was a novel writer, though a terrible one. Full of criticism but very carefully crafted and always encouraging, we noticed that Austen advised Anna to do the same things that show up in her own novels. She advises her to craft credible, consistent characters and to focus on the living of only a few families in the country. Austen’s handwriting was very neat, and it was surprisingly easy to make out.

Another fascinating original manuscript we got to see was Samuel Johnson’s 18th century dictionary, one of the first influential and widely used dictionaries to be published at the time. Some of his definitions are quite amusing, such as the one for “oats: a grain which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people.” An interesting fact about this work is that it was the dictionary used by the writers of the Declaration of Independence, a document for which it was imperative to use clearly understandable words. Another neat old book we saw was an original Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, a very important book for early Christians.

All in all, Wednesday was a day of fun, secret, personal experiences. A big thanks to the lady from IES, the Woodstock man on the bus, and of course our excellent guide Paul for making that day unforgettable!

Written by: Alyse Line

2008-01-24T14:33:00.001-05:00

I apologize that this post is a few days late, but it is an afternoon worth writing about. We had our first planned free afternoon on Monday of this week, so Christine Reynolds and I decided we wanted to do something a little different. Up to this point (and really for the duration of the trip) we had only been able to explore England’s cities. So we decided that we wanted to explore a little of the English countryside. I tried to plan out of trip to one of the many famous homes or palaces that are scattered throughout the countryside, but literally all of them are closed during the month of January. So we ended up basically throwing a dart at a map of the Cotswolds (which is an area of England that is only made up of tiny country villages) and decided to take a train to a little tiny town called Mourton in the Marsh. We really didn’t know what we were getting in to.
We arrived in Mourton and were immediately glad of our decision. The train dropped us off right in the middle of the city center, and we could literally see from one end to the other. For those of you who ever come to England that are interested in small towns with lots of antique shops, this is the place to be. There were literally seven or eight lovely three story antique shops, each of which had an older man with bushy eyebrows and a rather pleasant disposition sitting in a little desk. One of them even offered me tea. This town also had a few old pubs and smaller shops, and was altogether a pleasant little town.
Christine and I then hopped on a little local bus and headed to another town about 45 minutes away called Bourton on the Water. I am not sure how well known this place is, but I know that at least the locals call their little town “the Venice of the Cotswolds.” I couldn’t help but agree with them. This was by far the most picturesque town I have ever been to. The village itself would be quite lovely in and of itself if it only had the assortment of tearooms, ice cream parlors, restaurants, bed and breakfasts, and its famous perfumery. But the thing that captured both Christine and myself was the beautiful little river that flows right down the middle of town. It was bordered on both sides with lush grass and old trees and benches. There was also an abundance of fowl waddling around the grounds. Crossing and recrossing the river six times is a little stone footbridge. The effect is enchanting. We wandered through the small streets and back and forth over the river until the sun went down on us. We went into a little pub and had coffee while waiting for one of three busses that ran through the village every day. We arrived back in Oxford late that night and were extremely pleased with our adventure in the English countryside.

London is Wicked Awesome

2008-01-22T21:24:00.001-05:00

On Monday, January 21, we had our first free afternoon, so Leland and I decided to journey to London in order to see the musical Wicked. We traveled by bus. It was a 2 hour drive, but it was the first time I had been on a double-decker bus and I got to sit in the front row on the second story, so the trip was still entertaining. By the way, the English countryside is stunning. I am constantly amazed at how brilliantly green all of the grass is. Anyway, once we arrived we quickly found the theater and purchased our tickets. The show normally cost over $120, but they have a huge student discount, so we got ours for just over $50. Because it was only 3:00 and the show didn’t start until 7:00, we decided to visit the national gallery. In order to save some money, we walked, but we had to go right past Buckingham palace to get there, so it was well worth the extra time and energy. The gallery was breathtaking (well, not the actually building, but all of the pictures). I have never seen such incredible or famous art. They had Botticelli, da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Monet, and countless other. Upon entering one of the last room, I was delighted to see one of my all time favorite paintings—Van Gogh’s Wheat Field with Cypresses. His Sunflowers painting, which is also stunning, was there as well. I wish we had had more time at the gallery, but they closed at 6:00, so we had to leave. We then had to walk back across time and grab a quick bit to eat (a chicken & bacon pizza baguette), and it was finally time for the show. For those of you who don’t know, Wicked is the prequel to the Wizard of Oz. It shows how the wicked witch of the west was not actually evil, but society and unfortunate circumstances had thrust that position upon her. I have wanted to see this play for a few years now, so I was ridiculously excited, and even though that was the case, it still exceeded my expectations. It was absolutely fantastic. The storyline was a little weak through the beginning, but the music was unbelievable. I have rarely, if ever, heard voices that gifted in my entire life. It was well worth the trip. After the show, we rode the bus back (after spending over half an hour searching for the right stop). At one point, I fell asleep across the back row of seats, and when the bus came to a stop, I slammed into the seat in front of me and fell to the floor. Once back in Oxford, we had a 40 min hike back to our house (because the local busses had quit running) in the freezing cold, windy night. Even after those two unpleasant events, this was still my best day of the trip so far.

One more note: I am not going to post about our excursions on Jan 22, except to say that I got to relieve myself on the same loo that C.S. Lewis once used. That’s right, I pooped in Lewis’ toilet :) It was incredibly exciting!

Post by Hayes Modlin

Day 5 – Exploring Oxford

2008-01-22T19:48:00.000-05:00

This morning our class enjoyed a lecture by Dr. Swicegood. He shared with us some interesting anecdotes from students and friends of C.S. Lewis. I always find personal stories about public figures very fascinating. It makes them seem more real to learn about their different quirks and personality traits. We also discussed how C.S. Lewis’s works have influenced some of our thoughts and beliefs. Way to go Dr. Swicegood!

After class we had the rest of the day to do as we pleased. Some of the students took this opportunity to travel to London, and some of us decided to stay and explore Oxford some more. Before eating lunch a few of us decided to stop at the tower of the University Church to get a better view of the city. We paid our two pounds and climbed our way up a long treacherous flight of winding stone steps. Though my legs were a bit tired and I was two pounds poorer, the trip to the top of the tower was definitely worth while. Our perch on the tower gave us a beautiful view of Oxford. Even though the afternoon skies were a bit dreary, we could still see out into the surrounding countryside. An excellent picture taking opportunity!

After picking up a quick lunch in a local sandwich shop we shopped around in some of the Oxford gift shops. Recently I have decided to start a teapot collection, and by recently I mean yesterday. I’ve always been a little jealous of people who collect certain items such as stamps or shot glasses, so I thought that I would like to start a collection of my own. I found an awesome teapot shaped like Big Ben in one of the shops and I thought that would make an excellent start for a collection! I think everyone was able to find something interesting in the gift shops. After we made our purchases we walked over to Christ’s Church. The outside of the church was beautiful, but we arrived about thirty minutes to late and were not able to explore the inside. The gloomy skies had begun to produce a light drizzle, which quickly turned into a blustery downpour. We quickly found shelter in Blackwells Bookshop. For anyone that enjoys reading, this place is absolutely amazing! The shop has an incredible selection of books. With four stories and such a wide variety, it’s hard not to find something to enjoy. My favorite floor housed the second hand books. They had such a wonderful collection, we even found a couple of old copies of C.S. Lewis’s works.

After such a busy weekend, we decided to spend the evening at Logan House. We ordered pizza and lounged around in the common room writing post cards and editing our blogs. We then watched a movie, courtesy of Dr. Perry, about Thomas Beckett, the archbishop of Canterbury that was murdered in the cathedral there. It was interesting to learn more about this tragic story after having witnessed first hand the beautiful cathedral in which much of the movie took place.

Canterbury Cathedral-- the candle on the floor represents where Thomas Beckett was murdered.

The trip is now half way over, and I am trying my best not to think about having to return home, back to reality. Everyday has allowed me to discover and to experience new and wonderful things. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the week will bring!

A Worship Service to Remember

2008-01-22T18:39:00.000-05:00

On Sunday we traveled from Oxford to Canterbury. The ride was considerably longer than the ride to bath the day before. Whereas that ride was an hour and a half long, this one was an hour longer. While we rode in the bus, I had my quiet time. I started reading through the book of John while I was listening to David Crowder Band, and I remember a particular passage clearly. In John chapter one, verses forty-seven to fifty one, Jesus shouts to Nathanael, “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” As I read these words with David Crowder singing passionate praise to a loving God, I could imagine how Nathanael reacted to so high a compliment from someone he doesn’t know. I could see him stop dead as his heart skipped a beat and asked the question, not knowing where the answer will lead him, “How do you know me?” As Jesus told Nathanael that He saw Nathanael before Philip told him to come see Jesus where Jesus could not possibly, physically see Jesus, I could imagine the devotion that Nathanael felt for this man in front of him as he said, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God, You are the King of Israel.” I could feel Nathaneal’s elation as his hopes for a savior were answered, his comfort in having that security, and his joy of praising a God who had answered those prayers. I could feel these things because I have all of them as well through Jesus Christ’s presence in my life, and as I listened to the praise music in my ears, I used it as a conduit for my feelings.
Soon we were at Canterbury. We toured a little bit, and we looked at a few of the places that the Normans had built in their conquest of the Saxons. Kimberly, Alyse, Jessie, Leland, Hayes, and I ate lunch in The Three Tuns Inn, a hotel that boasts to have been in business since the fifteenth century. After this, we made our way to the Christ Church Cathedral that is the main attraction of Canterbury.
On the outside the building loomed tremendously over our heads, and it seemed to take in the whole skyline. As we toured the cathedral, I realized that it really was fourteen hundred years old. The age of the place caused me to pause and reflect. I had never been in anything that old. My country is not as old as this cathedral. After my reflection I began to really see the building. It is beautiful and august. The ceiling goes up for many stories, and the vibrant stained glass windows seemed to take up the whole of the wall space. As I realized that this building is dedicated to the worship of God, of Jesus Christ, my heart soared, but it was checked by the remembrance of how much blood had been shed over this church. In fact, it became famous because Thomas á Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury at the time, was martyred in it over a dispute about the coronation of the prince in line to be king. I began to ask myself what was the motivation for the building of this cathedral. Did the builders earnestly wish to worship God with all of their mind, body, and strength, or was there some other motivation behind it?
We made our way to the inner sanctuary to hear the Evensong service. I wished to hear the service greatly because it would take place in a building that had been used to worship God for nearly a millennia, but I did not expect a moving service. I had never been to an Anglican service, or a Catholic one for that matter, but from what I had heard and understood they were filled with formality and rituals but not passion. At first, my assumptions were proven right. The service leaders filed in with a cross bearer followed by two candle bearers, who were then followed by the choir, and the clergy brought up the rear with the lead minister, I’m not sure what his title is, lead by his own cross bearer. After the procession took their places, they all bowed to the cross at the altar. (Before they started the service, they were kind enough to welcome the students from Wofford College and to invite us to worship with them.) However, after this small justification to my beliefs, the rest of my assumptions were dashed to bits with the beginning of the service. A clergyman would say a line in a liturgy and the choir would answer. This went on for a while, and then the choir would sing a song. I could see how those people who had told me of the Anglican Church’s formality would see it that way, but you have to look beyond that. You have to hear the passion in their strong, beautiful voices. The songs were moving, loud, and glorious. You have to look at the faces of the choir members as they smile in the joy that their God has given them. After a small boy has given a particularly good solo, you have to look at the choir leader as he gives a secret smile and a wink to the child to encourage and congratulate him. Once you see all that, the passion of the Anglican Church is doubtless.
To drive the point home, a clergyman walked to the podium and began to read the very same verses about Nathanael and Jesus that I had read that morning. As I recalled what I had felt after reading these verses, I heard the passionate choir voice those same feelings to the very tall rafters of that magnificent cathedral. I realized that they are just as passionate about their faith and their God as our modern day praise bands are. I began to think of how I could implement in my life efforts towards the unification of Christian denominations since we should be unified by our very faith, and, of course, the clergyman prays for just that same thing as he tells us it is the church’s week of reminding towards that effort. As I took in the lesson that was being given to me, I remembered my earlier misgivings about the motivation behind the construction and use of the cathedral. As I walked out of the cathedral, I realized that we are all fallen humans who make mistakes, but we strive towards the just worship of our loving God the best that we know how.

-Posted by Will Prosser

Canterbury Cathedral

2008-01-21T21:53:00.001-05:00

On Sunday, January 21 we took a trip to Canterbury for the day. After spending a day in Bath and enjoying its architectural beauty of the grand, late 18th century buildings, I was a bit disappointed by the plainness of the town of Canterbury. Our guide, Paul, explained that Canterbury was heavily bombed during WWII and the attempts to rebuild it were poorly planned and turned disastrous, which led to the unattractiveness of the town. So, needless to say, I was a bit disappointed on arrival. However, once I approached the Canterbury Cathedral, all feeling of disappointment vanished. Just standing in front of the cathedral gate was an amazing feeling. The grandness and elaborate detail of a centuries old structure towering above me was quite humbling. Paul led us on the tour of the inside of the cathedral, telling us all about the many vibrant stained glass windows, some of which were the original glasses from hundreds of years ago. I was impressed by the ability to depict so many stories from the bible through the many rows and rows of stained glass. The beautifully detailed and ornate cathedral walls were captivating as well. I thought it was interesting that a candle still sat on the floor to mark the place where St. Thomas Beckett was murdered.
There were also several elaborate tombs of dead archbishops and royalty. One tomb I found to be of particular interest was that of Edward the Black Prince because I had learned about him in one of my history classes in the fall semester. It was such a crazy experience to actually be seeing someone (or the tomb of someone) I had learned about in a class. Although it may seem a bit morbid, I had to take a picture with the tomb before moving on to admire the rest of the cathedral. The class also attended the Evensong in the cathedral. It was quite an experience for me because I had never attended a Church of England service before, much less one in the Canterbury Cathedral. I could see hundreds of years of tradition marching in as the priests and choir filed in at the beginning of the service. The service was peaceful but also powerful in the grand cathedral. The voices of the choir joined together in beautiful praise that carried through the vast space up to the high ceilings, and the organ’s bold notes resonated through my body. It seemed almost unreal to be sitting in such an important and spiritual place that contains so much history. I was drawn back to reality when the service ended and took a last look around the cathedral. The beauty of the Canterbury Cathedral on the inside and outside was breath-taking and an immense joy to be able to experience. After leaving the cathedral, we explored some shops nearby before leaving the town. However, nothing could possibly come close to surpassing the excitement of visiting the Canterbury Cathedral, and I’m so glad that I got to enjoy such an experience.

Written by: Hilary Phillips

An unexpected pleasantry...

2008-01-21T17:00:00.000-05:00

Last night a group of us were advised to visit a local pub called The Rose and Crown. It was a lovely little place but we had a bit of an issue locating it at first. Finally, after asking the bus driver four times to advise us on the correct stop and then having to be pointed in the right direction after we left the bus, the group found itself at the pub. Instead of taking the back porch, we squeezed ourselves into the front dining hall, around two long tables. Seated at one corner of these tables was an older chap dressed in a nice suit (including sweater vest) perusing through a magazine and enjoying the last morsels of his meal. I asked him if we could share his table and he smiled and begged us to join him.
For the sake of privacy I will simply call this man Mr. William. Mr. William and I began talking about what the class was doing in England. I told him of our study of C.S. Lewis and he seemed thrilled by the idea of students taking on such an extensive study over such a short time. Mr. William and I also went on to discuss my current studies at Wofford: Victorian Literature. We talked about Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters, which then led us into a discussion of English weather and the strangeness of the warmth and rain this time of year. For the next two hours there really was not a moment’s rest in conversation. Mr. William kept us on our toes with questions and answers. He was a wealth of information for tips on how to best spend out time in Oxford and what we should not miss seeing while we are here.
But it wasn’t his inside scoop on Oxford that charmed us. It was his personable nature and his kindly attitude. He was the firs Britain that I have met tha honestly took the time to share with us who he was and what he was doing. He took the time and energy to let us know that we were welcome and appreciated not because we were Americans but because we were people, just like him. This is not to say that all Britons are jerks excluding this one man. That’s not what I mean at all. It was just something about him that made us all feel at home for the first time in this foreign country.
The dinner finally came to an end and we all had to be going. But one thin that we have repeated often to each other is how awesome it was to meet this man. So to you, Mr. William, whom I hope gets a change to read this, thank you for spending an evening with us. You have left a remarkable and lasting impression.

Written by: Becky Siegert

2008-01-20T21:05:00.001-05:00

Fun times at the Lamb and Flag Pub

Awesome Chestnut Tree...

A view of Magdalen College

A small taste of the beauty of Addison's Walk...

Last little bit of Magdalen College...

Two versions of a day in Oxford (Day Two to be exact)

2008-01-20T20:40:00.000-05:00

(see photos corresponding with this blog in the post above) Emily’s Morning: I woke up early to meet some of the group for breakfast. So I thought I came to Europe prepared to encounter some differences, such as the electrical outlets. Apparently British outlets don’t like American straighteners, because mine definitely would not work. Not exactly the end of the world, but my hair sure wasn’t happy. It expressed its anger by becoming extremely frizzy and unmanageable the entire day, as will be quite noticeable in today’s pictures. But even though my hair was angry and frizzy, I still enjoyed my large cup of coffee and blueberry muffin!

Becky’s Morning: Walking into the bathroom this morning, I encountered something I had not anticipated. Pulling back the curtain, I discovered no lip to the shower area. The floor just slanted toward the drain with a showerhead in the corner. What I also did not anticipate was the temperamental shower itself. You have to learn the “smidge” technique: a smidge to the left is scalding, a smidge to the right is ice, and a smidge to the middle is perfect. Breakfast occurred a Costa, the Starbuck’s of England. Delightful, charming, and full of great company.

Emily’s class: Today in class we discussed C.S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity. The classroom itself was small and stuffy, but the discussion was awesome! The students were paired up to discuss different topics of the book. Alex and I presented Lewis’s discussion of forgiveness. I was really happy with our topic, because I feel that some people don’t understand how important it is to be able to forgive, not only for those who need to be forgiven, but for the person who needs to do the forgiving. Speaking from personal experience, being able to forgive someone who has wronged you can be quite difficult, but holding on to that bitterness does not make life any easier. As Lewis says, “…something inside us, the feeling of resentment, the feeling that wants to get one’s own back, must be simply killed”. Lewis explains that we are allowed to hate a person’s actions, and should if they are wrong, but we are not allowed to hate the person, and we should certainly not let that hatred fester inside of us. Lewis explains that we don’t have to like the person to be able to love him. “That is what is meant in the Bible by loving him: wishing his good, not feeling fond of him nor saying he is nice when he is not.”

Becky’s class: Like Emily has mentioned, the class discussed different aspects of Lewis’s Mere Christianity. I had to discuss the question of the eternal nature of Jesus how this nature demonstrates God’s love for us. I found this subject very appealing because of the simply nature in which Lewis explains himself. He points out the difference between begetting (giving birth to someone/something just like the original) and creation (making something completely different from the creator). A beaver begets a beaver, it creates a dam. In this manner, God can only beget a God, therefore Jesus is God, “the only begotten son of God.” He is eternal in that he is filled with zoe, the eternal life, rather than the human bios, temporal life. When we cast off ourselves and take on the life of God we trade in our bios for His zoe. We, as statues, become man.

Emily’s afternoon: After class we went to lunch at The Lamb and the Flag pub, one of the Inklings’ hangouts. On the way to the pub, Becky narrowly escaped her death. We still haven’t gotten used to the British traffic, and often forget to look to the right before crossing. An old lady nearly dominated Becky with her bicycle, but thankfully I noticed Granny Speed Racer and was able to pull Becky out of the way just in time. We enjoyed a lovely meal at the pub and greatly enjoyed our conversation with Paul, our tour guide. Paul then showed the class some other sites around Oxford associated with C.S. Lewis. Addison’s walk was beautiful, even though it was nearly flooded and we had to wade through a small portion of the path. After the tour we took our afternoon tea at the Queens Lane coffee house. As I sat there eating my toasted teacakes I thought, wow, I’m in England right now. It was a good day.

Becky’s afternoon: One bleary afternoon, my chums and I were headed out for lunch. Upon crossing a wide street we were cautiously watching for kamakazzi buses when a hand vigorously pulled me back to the median. Just then, a gray-haired speedy Gonzalez went careening past me on a very shiny bicycle, passing within inches of my jacket. I screamed and jumped back… I had almost been killed by an old lady on a bike. That’s a new one. Lunch was fantabulous, as was the ancient chestnut tree residing next to the pub. Be watching for pictures, you’ll want to see it. The tour of Oxford was lovely, though a bit sopping wet from time to time. The aptly named “water meadow” was full of rain water at the moment, making it impossible to frolic in the field. High tea at Queen’s Lane was fabulous and scones are among my new favorite foods.

Emily’s evening: On our way back to Logan House we stopped at the Somerfield Supermarket to buy a few items. We noticed a few differences between supermarkets in the States and supermarkets in England, such as the aisle labeled “nappies” which we concluded was the American equivalent to diapers. After our quick stop at the supermarket and a quick rest at Logan House, we ventured back into downtown Oxford for dinner. A few of us ate at an Italian restaurant called Ask. The food was good and the bathrooms had glass countertops-overall an excellent choice!

Becky’s evening: The supermarket was not my most favorite experience in England. In fact, it made me quite nervous. Somewhere between the “crumpets” and the two-aisles worth of alcohol, I found myself in territory I had never anticipated. I made it out successfully, with a bag of M&M’s as my reward. And as my picky eating had made meals difficult so far, I decided on a very traditional American meal for dinner: a bacon cheeseburger, fries, and a Coke. Forgive the irony, but I couldn’t resist. The night went swimmingly and once again I found myself collapsing into a satisfied pile at the end of it. Cheerio!

Bath Day!

2008-01-19T18:06:00.000-05:00

Our class spent Saturday (1-19) in Bath. After a bus ride lasting just over an hour, we arrived in the city that was once (and still is to an extent) Britain’s playground. Knowing that the city has a long history of fun and excitement, I was ready to take it on. Our first stop was the Roman Baths, from which the city got its name. We had an individual audio guide tours around the museum and hot spring baths. During the time of the Roman Empire, the baths were considered supernatural, and they were a place of worship. They have also long been considered a source of healing for a wide variety of ailments.

I was able to live a dream during our afternoon break. You may know that Bath was a residence of Jane Austen for several years. Becky, Kimberly, Kelly, Dr. Swicegood, and I thus thought it would be fitting to dine at the Pump Room. For those of you who don’t know, this is a place mentioned in Austen’s novel Northanger Abbey as an important social gathering in Georgian times. Well-dressed ladies and men used it to “exercise” (i.e. stroll around the room gossiping and watching members of the opposite sex). We enjoyed a fancy 3-course meal at the Pump Room complete with goat cheese brioche, Somerset chicken, and apple honey mousse for dessert. There was even a pianist (who played “A Whole New World”!) and we sampled water from the hot spring (gross!).

After lunch, Becky and I set out for the Jane Austen Centre. It was surprisingly closeby; the town of Bath is quite compact. We were treated to a talk on Jane, her family, and their lives at Bath by a lovely British lady and then made our way through the small museum. On display were many of the costumes used in the new version of Persuasion that I just saw a week earlier. We also learned about her letters, the social scene she was involved in, and what her daily activities were like. There was a great gift shop where I purchased a china mug of Mr. and Mrs. Bennett (from Pride and Prejudice). Noticing that we had about 30 minutes before the group was to meet, we hiked up the hill to see the Circus, a circular housing area, and the Royal Crescent, a beautiful crescent shaped row of housing at the top of Bath.

When we met back up with the group, we toured the Bath Abbey. There has been a religious building on that site for centuries, originally to counteract the pagan worship at the Roman Baths. The Abbey was first Catholic, but became Anglican when Henry the VIII changed the official religion of England. It was a beautiful building inside and out, especially the detailed ceiling and huge stained glass windows.

One thing I do want to point out that does not at all relate to Bath or this particular blog entry is that I have had surprisingly good food while in Britain. Everyone kept saying that the Brits were not known for their food, but I have enjoyed it all, including tea and scones, baguettes, a Ploughman’s lunch, a gourmet burger, and fish and chips. I am looking forward to seeing what is next!

Written by: Alyse Line

Cheers from the Woxford Inklings!

2008-01-19T17:58:00.000-05:00

Along with our many other adventures, we’ve noticed there are many “couples” on the trip. Being that we are both single, scouting out the local British man-children has been quite the sport. There’s Garlic John, Pub Ollie, HeMan Martin, Banbury Paul, and Nashville Corey (the pseudo-Brit). There was also Hot Spring Nigel from Bath, but we don’t like to talk about him. Although few have peaked our interests, our Wofford and Oxford (also know as Woxford) destinies have yet to be established...

FOOD! I (Kimberly) had the most delicious scone the other day...so creamy it practically melted in my mouth. I just wanted to smother it in gravy and eat it like a biscuit. Kelly’s cranberry and brie baguette was divine, and the meat pies are quite hearty! Maybe I can finally put some meat on these bones. We live from meal to meal…Whoever said Britain wasn’t famous for its food is a bloody lunatic! Everything we’ve had has been quite a palate of pleasure!

The architecture is beautiful, the grass is always green, and the weather is always rainy (not so great for our curly hair...). C.S. Lewis is intellectually stimulating. Coffee is essential and completely Woxford.

Shopping is expensive. The walking is endless, but our legs are looking great. England is breathtaking, and more than we ever imagined.

Our only complaint is how early everything closes! It’s very curious…in America restaurants and shops are open well after dark, but here all the shops close by 6 at the latest, and many pubs stop serving food by 7:30!

Tonight a group of us (12 to be exact) decided to dine at a place called Beefeater. The hostess/manager/bartender/waitress informed us upon arrival that there was already a 30 minute wait for a table for 2, so we would not be getting a table tonight. After she thought for a minute, though, she told us to “hover” over by the bar area, because a large group of people were about to be seated, and she suggested that we swoop in and take their seats and order our food at the bar. This was a bit of a confusing and uncomfortable proposition at first, but luckily we took her up on the offer because it turned out to be one of the best nights we’ve had so far! It took some time to get everyone through the line to order since the bar was already lined with Brits looking for some Ale, but the food came out in a reasonable amount of time. Some of the dishes included a Beefeater Sampler with chicken, lamb, and ribs; a before mentioned brie and cranberry sauce baguette; steak and mushroom pie; and the traditional fish and chips. Everything was delicious! We had a wonderful time sitting around talking and enjoying each other’s company. There was a lot of laughter, and whenever a song came on the radio we knew, you’d think it was karaoke night. I think the staff as well as the other diners were very entertained by us noisy Americans. It turned out that one of the bartenders was from America! He’d actually attended Furman for a year…what a small world! It was just a great experience. Kimberly said that was just what Interim is supposed to be.

So after a wonderful day of touring the beautiful town of Bath, and an idyllic dinner experience in the Town Center of Oxford, we are going to try and get some sleep to gear our hot legs up for walking all over Canterbury tomorrow!  More to come…

Posted by Kimberly Smith and Kelly Jones

Our First Day

2008-01-18T17:11:00.000-05:00

This will be my first entry into our class’s blog. I hope whoever reads this will understand that the ability of words to express the cumulative experience of 25 individuals is rather difficult, but I will attempt to shed light on the wonderful experience this class has had thus far. We arrived in London at about 8:30 in the morning and with relatively no difficulty, we grabbed our bags and hopped on our bus. It goes without saying that it took all of us a few frights and startles to grow accustomed to driving on the opposite side of the road. To be honest, the British countryside is heavily reminiscent of the south. The main difference seemed to be that instead of a mixture of pretty white plantation homes and double-wides, the countryside is dotted with countless Victorian mansions.

Our arrival at Oxford and our house, which is a part of St. Clare’s College, was rather pleasant. The house is three stories and a good bit nicer than I expected. Most of the rooms are outfitted with full kitchens, plenty of closet space, a full bathroom, and desks and lamps. They are perfectly suited for the Oxford student. We all split up at this point and ventured into the city. I went with two other guys and we ate lunch at the Dew Drop Inn, an old hole-in-the-wall pub and eatery. I had an excellent preparation of the classic Britain Fish and Chips, and left ready to begin our walking tour of the city.

Our tour guide actually works for St. Clare’s college and had received his PhD. from St. John’s College in Oxford. The basic layout of Oxford is rather simple, and we walked for about two miles down Banbury Street, which is the main street that runs through Oxford. We received all the information we needed about Oxford’s public transportation (which is excellent) and the good eateries and places to visit. One of the biggest treats was getting to go into St. John’s College, which is normally not open to big groups like ours. It was founded in 1555 and organized into quads. The second quad we entered was the most impressive. It had eight columns at each end and above each were carved representations of the 7 liberal arts and the 7 virtues (each with an extra art and virtue added in…I guess if you are Oxford you can do that). The general architecture resembled that of the classical Italian style, with triumphal arches and other common characteristics.

As we walked down closer to the central hub of the city, I was shocked at the overwhelming sense that I was walking through history. I found out that one monument we walked by marked the spot that Latimer, Ridley, and Thomas Cranmer were all burned at the stake during the protestant reformation. Almost every building in the city is over 100 years old, and a few are over 1,000 years old. The most impressive convergence of several colleges was the area surrounding the University Church of Oxford (I believe it may have another name but I can’t remember it). This is actually where Oxford began, and right behind it is the Radcliff Cameron, which is a huge two-storied reading room. It is one of the largest libraries in England and has free access to any book ever published in England. To the right of the church is All Souls College, which actually has no students, and to the left is two more colleges, which creates a beautiful courtyard surrounded by the ancient buildings.
We concluded the walking tour and headed back to our house and enjoyed a few hours of relaxation before dinner. For dinner that night, we were treated to a meal at the cafeteria at St. Claire’s college. It was a great meal, and conversation over the day’s events kept us there for several hours. Needless to say, we were all exhausted after our first day, and I returned to my room to enjoy a full nights rest.

The Screwtape Letters

2008-01-17T17:00:00.000-05:00

On Monday, January 15, our class discussed Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters. I found the book incredibly stimulating, but at the same time slightly frightening. The basic premise is that Screwtape, a senior demon working in Hell, is corresponding to his nephew Wormwood, a junior demon tempting a man on Earth. Each letter provides Wormwood with advice on how to better tempt his prey, which they call the patient. Lewis uses this format to address several difficult issues that many believers face. By his bringing these topics to light, the reader can, in turn, recognize such struggles in their own life and hopefully combat them (or at least that is the effect which the book had on me). Because this work becomes almost a laundry list of topics, I have chosen to briefly describe a couple that I found particularly interesting.

One point that Lewis addresses is the difference between how the forces of evil (Satan and the fallen angels) and the Lord view humans. Lewis claims that Demons “want cattle who can finally become food” while God wants “servants who can finally become sons.” The demon derives pleasure from human suffering. His goal is to lead the human to Hell at all costs, so he can “feed” off of his misery for eternity. God, however, desires for us to desire Him. At the same time, he love our individuality (for he created it) and wants us to keep it. These to points explain why God rarely makes his power present to humans living on Earth. As Lewis states, “Merely to override a human will (as His felt presence in any but the faintest and most mitigated degree would certainly do) would be for Him useless. He cannot ravish. He can only woo.” I particularly enjoyed this passage because I have struggled in the past with God failing to reveal himself in a “tangible” sense. This chapter helped me to realize that for God could easily reveal himself to all, but that would, in a sense, be forcing us to believe in Him. He wants us to choose him of our own free will. He wants us to have faith.

A briefly discussed topic, which none-the-less violently caught my attention, was the misuse of humor. Screwtape advises his nephew to encourage his patient to indulge in the negative aspect of the joke. Lewis makes the claim that “almost anything [the patient] wants to do can be done, not only without the disapproval, but with the admiration of his fellows, if only he can get it treated as a joke.” A mean man finds approval by claiming, “it was only a practical joke.” A coward finds acceptance by comically exaggerating his cowardice. This problem is then amplified because people typically place a high value on a good sense of humor. Anyone who suggests that a joke is inappropriate or is being taken to far can then be shrugged off as being “puritanical” or “lacking a sense of humor.” This chapter made me aware of such a problem in my life. I have often escaped trouble or shrugged off sin through the use of humor, and until now had never given such actions a second thought.

The Screwtape Letters strengthened and altered my perception of spiritual warfare. I have always been a believer in the unseen battle between good and evil, but this book helped me to better perceive the struggle. Whether demons actually tempt in such a manner makes no difference to me. I enjoyed this book because it reminded me that regardless of the exact style, Satan and the fallen angels are constantly attempting to lead humans toward Hell… and they are incredibly effective.

Post by Hayes Modlin

The Great Divorce

2008-01-17T16:59:00.000-05:00

On Thursday, January 10, our class discussed Lewis’ The Great Divorce. In this story, individuals from Hell are brought on a bus to the outskirts of Heaven. Heaven is so real, that the individuals are nearly invisible ghosts by comparison. Also, their actions have virtually no affect on this new world. The grass does not move when the step on it (in fact, it cuts through their feet), foam floating atop water is able to bruise, and a leaf is so heavy that a ghost is barely capable of even slightly lifting it. While in this new world, solid spirits (residents of Heaven) come and implore the ghosts to stay. They describe the marvels of Heaven and claim that the ghosts will become solid if they remain. Most of the ghosts, however, are so void of a true concept of good that they choose to return to Hell (which they do not actually realize is Hell) rather than remain in Heaven. Lewis utilizes the conversations of the ghosts and the spirits to explain a vast array of spiritually issue that range in complexity.

The first discussion which sparked my interest addressed intellect and the search for truth. The ghost in this conversation claims that truth is impossible to discover. One can never hold tightly to any idea. There is no finality, he argues, inquiry must always have free reign. The spirit responds that “thirst was made for water; inquiry for truth. What you now call the free play of inquiry has neither more nor less to do with the ends for which intelligence was given you than masturbation has to do with marriage.” He goes on to state that intelligence was given that we might discover the Lord… and know Him. Lewis addresses the danger of stopping after the discover of God in a later chapter: “There have been men before now who got so interested in proving the existence of God that they came to care nothing for God Himself… as if the good Lord had nothing to do but exist!” In the modern world we put so much emphasis on the pursuit of intelligence that we often confuse the importance of the ends with the much less important means. In a competitive liberal arts college, this is an easy mistake to make and one that I am often guilty of. By realizing this tendency, I will hopefully be able to better avoid it in the future.

Towards the end of the story, Lewis describes a spirit of particular beauty and importance. Another spirit then explains to one of the ghosts that she “is one of the great ones.” He then, however explains that fame is quite different in Heaven than on Earth. He illustrates this by describing the woman’s life:
“Every young man or boy that met her became her son... Every girl that met her was her daughter… But her motherhood was of a different kind. Those on whom it fell went back to their natural parents loving them more. Few men looked on her without becoming, in a certain fashion, her lovers. But it was the kind of love that made them not less true, but truer, to their own wives… Every beast and bird that came near her had its place in her love. In her they became themselves. And now the abundance of life she has in Christ from the Father flows over into them… Already there is joy enough in the little finger of a great saint such as yonder lady to waken all the dead thins of the universe into life.”
I enjoyed this passage because it reminded me of one of my friends, and I had a deeper appreciation for her after reading this chapter.

By the end of the story, only one of the ghosts chose to remain in Heaven. While the spiritual corollaries were strong and insightful, I found it slightly saddening that so few of the ghosts chose to remain. I believe that this too draws a parallel to real life, where so many give up the true glory of the Lord for cheap imitations.

Post by Hayes Modlin

2008-01-15T00:07:00.000-05:00

Dinner and a movie, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, at Dr. Perry's House

We all enjoyed each others company and a wonderful BBQ dinner provided by a local favorite.

C.S. Lewis Trivia!!

2008-01-14T11:28:00.000-05:00

Now that you know a little about our group, we want to know how much you think you know about C.S. Lewis.

1. What does the "C" and "S" in C.S. Lewis stand for?

2. What pub did C.S. Lewis meet at regularly to discuss literary criticism with friends and what other famous writer also attended this pub?

3. Can you name 5 of C.S. Lewis' books? Try it.

4. Where was C.S. Lewis born?

5. What were C.S. Lewis' three degrees from Oxford?

6. Which college did Lewis teach at Oxford?

Answers:
1. Clive Staples
2. Eagle and Child (Bird and the Baby). Writer J.R.R. Tolkien and also Charles Williams
3. Mere Christianity, Screwtape letters, The Four Loves, Perelandra, The Great Divorce, Weight of Glory, Problem of Pain, A Grief Observed, Surprised by Joy, Allegory of Love: A Study in Medieval Tradition, Abolition of Man, Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold, That Hideous Strength, etc...
4. Belfast, Ireland
5. Honor Mods (Greek and Latin Texts), Greats (Classical Philosophy), and English Language and Literature (Old and Middle English)
6. Magdalen College

Personal Thoughts on Perelandra

2008-01-14T11:26:00.000-05:00

Although I love reading books and watching movies of all kinds, I’ve never really cared for science fiction as a genre. The extent of my science fiction experience pretty much begins and ends with Star Wars so I was not particularly excited to read Perelandra, the second book of C.S. Lewis’s science fiction trilogy and the first book on our class syllabus. Before reading the book, I didn’t know much about it except that it takes place on the planet Venus. However, after I finished reading Perelandra, I was surprised to discover that it is more than just a science fiction story about a man who travels to another planet. We discussed in class how Lewis’s goal was to write science fiction that was more than just entertaining. He wanted his story to have truth and meaning, which he successfully accomplishes through the spiritual struggle that the characters experience. Although Perelandra is filled with imaginative descriptions of a new world with vibrant colors, floating islands, and strange creatures, the real story is about our free will to obey God that allows us to walk in love and trust in Him while experiencing the joy and gifts He desires to give us. Our class also discussed how Perelandra brings science and God together despite society’s reluctance to mix the two. The story illustrates that it is not impossible to combine science and spirituality; after all, science does not exist without God. Some of Lewis’s concepts were a bit difficult to grasp at first thought, such as free will existing while God knows the past, present, and future - a seeming paradox. However, Perelandra made these ideas much clearer to me, something that surprised me because of my previous distaste for science fiction all together. I was surprised how C.S. Lewis combined the scientific and the spiritual in Perelandra in a way that I had never experienced, and I feel like I now have a better understanding of the relationship God desires to have with me.

Written by: Hilary Phillips

Dr. Don King's Lecture

2008-01-11T23:44:00.000-05:00

On January 4, Dr. Don King, professor of English at Montreat College, came to give our class an overview of the life of C. S. Lewis. I thoroughly enjoyed his talk; I felt as if I could listen to his knowledge of Lewis all day. Also, I came away from Friday’s class with a much larger base of ideas about Lewis and a heightened excitement about the rest of the month.

Our discussion of Lewis’s spiritual journey was of particular interest to me. The death of his mother before he reached the age of 10 was an event that shattered all sense of security in his life. After this happened, Lewis began to see himself as an atheist. In 1929, Lewis became a theist, where he acknowledged the existence of God, though he was not a believer at this point. Two years later, after a conversation he had with J.R.R. Tolkien that lasted late into the night, Lewis “reasoned” his way into faith in God. The next day, as Lewis relates in his autobiography Surprised by Joy: "When we [Warnie and Jack] set out [by motorcycle to the Whipsnade Zoo] I did not believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, and when we reached the zoo I did." It was not a hugely emotional experience for him. He simply believed that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and accepted that through His death Christ was able to redeem his sin, and this belief changed his life from then on. According to Dr. King, “Before he became a Christian, joy came to him through his experiences in nature, literature (especially poetry), and music; after he became a Christian, he says that the earlier experiences were not the thing itself but merely pointers God used to bring him to Jesus Christ. In Christ, Lewis found real joy, lasting beauty.”

Lewis was influenced by some quite interesting people, and one of these that I would like to learn more about was his tutor W. T. Kirkpatrick, or the “Great Knock.” Dr. King shared that this man who was a major influence on Lewis’s intellectual growth was something like a “purely logical entity.” He felt very strongly that no one should open his mouth unless they spoke truth—and had evidence to back it up. The account from Surprised by Joy of Lewis’s first meeting with the “Great Knock” was intriguing. I don’t remember all of the details, but I will say that he was very critical of everything Lewis said, and Lewis responding to this method. It made him the great intellectual mind that he was. It forced him to develop the sort of logical thought pattern that he uses in his books on Christian apologetics. This is, of course, was not a use that Kirkpatrick would have intended, as he was an atheist and greatly influenced Lewis’s faith (or lack thereof) at a young age. But, the impact that he had on shaping Lewis cannot be overlooked, and I find it fascinating.

I was also very intrigued by the formation of Lewis’s imagination from the time he was a young boy creating imaginary worlds in the attic with his brother Warren, the relationship he had with Mrs. Moore after he served in the war until 1951, and his later relationship with Joy Davidman and the way that relationship eventually evolved into a loving marriage. I could go on and on about things I learned from Dr. King’s lecture, but will end here. I hope this has given you an idea of the introduction our class received, and that it will encourage you to seek more information. I would love to discuss Lewis with you, and I look forward to what lies ahead during this month.

Discussion of Perelandra

2008-01-10T19:36:00.000-05:00

On Monday, January 7th, 2008, we discussed our first reading of C. S. Lewis. Lewis wrote a Space Trilogy based around a character named Ransom who visits neighboring planets. Perelandra, the second work of the series, focuses on Ransom’s journey to Venus and the events that occur when he arrives. This book, a kind of parallel to the story of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, invoked a lot of discussion on a vast number of topics.

Part of the class time was spent discussing the nature of the culture and time in which this book was written. Some students pointed out that this novel was published in the beginnings of World War II and comments on the insecurity of the time. Culturally, the world was still hurting from the First World War and the thought of another war perhaps frightened people. This book asks a lot of questions about the nature of evil, of temptation, and of the response of humans to atrocities. This novel might have been seen as a response of Lewis as an attempt to explain or express his own uncertainties and hesitations toward the coming war. This book was also written after H.G. Wells, who had already been commenting on space travel. The fiction was beginning to focus itself away from this planet and out toward others. Dr. Swicegood pointed out that both Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkein did not like the directions into which this literature was headed and called for someone to write something to pull the space fictions back to the right path. Lewis’s space trilogy could be seen as an answer to this call.

We spent some time discussing the travel to Venus. Ransom is taken in a box in the shape of a coffin. The class spent some time discussing the purpose of the vehicle’s structure which led to a surprising debate about obedience in faith. We noted that the act of obeying God is the act of “dying to self” or letting go of your own wills, wants, wishes, and desires. Therefore, as Ransom embarks on his journey he is putting his own inclinations behind him for the will of Maledil. The coffin then becomes an image of this sacrifice. As he leaves Earth, and eventually leaves Venus, he is doing so strictly out of obedience to the will of Maledil.

The class also spent some time discussing the character of Ransom himself. What was it about this man that made him the chosen one. What was so special about him that Maledil would select him from among all others to save Venus from temptation and an inevitable fall, much like that of Eve. We decided that it is not Ransom’s uniqueness that set him apart, but rather, his commonness. In the fact that he had nothing special to offer was the fact that he had everything to give. Ransom goes obediently, making him the perfect servant for Maledil. He does not rely on his own efforts and strengths because he realizes they are of no consequence. Therefore he is fully open to the will of Maledil and can act without pride or merit. This relates to the fact that God can and will use anyone and it is often not our strengths which are put to the test, but our commonalities.

Written by: Becky Siegert

Meet the crew

2008-01-09T19:30:00.000-05:00

Hey readers! Welcome to the C.S. Lewis Interim experience. Before we start bombarding this page with stories and pictures we wanted to give you a chance to get to know the class.

Introducing: Leanne Brinson

Joining us from: Hartwell, GA

Year: Senior

Major: Business Economics

You should know that: Leanne's family has a Christmas tree farm

Introducing: Katie Brown

Joining us from:

Year: Sophomore

Major: English and Philosophy

You should know that: This will be Katie's first trip to Europe ever.

Introducing: Will Cunningham

Joining us from: Birmingham, AL

Year: Junior

Major: English

You should know that: Will has been shot in the head with a gun.

Introducing: Chris Dalton

Joining us from: Spartanburg, SC

Year: Sophomore

Major: Finance

You should know that: Chris is an expert juggler.

Introducing: Jessie Davis

Joining us from: Louden, TN

Year: Junior

Major: History and Sociology

You should know that: Jessie's eclectic tastes in television range from Lonesome Dove to the Andy Griffith Show to Man Vs. Wild.

Introducing: Kelly Jones

Joining us from: Charlotte, NC

Year: Senior

Major: Chemistry

You should know that: Kelly's ideal superhero power would be to breathe under water

Introducing: Allyson King

Joining us from: Columbia, SC

Year:

Major: Government

You should know that: Allyson is obsessed with Food Network.

Introducing: Alyse Line

Joining us from: Spartanburg, SC

Year: Sophomore

Major: English and Spanish

You should know that: Alyse loves cookie dough more than baked cookies.

Introducing: Matt Low

Joining us from: Lexington, SC

Year: Junior

Major: Biology and Spanish

You should know that: Matt once rode in a plane with a hole in its wing across the big blue.

Introducing: Will Mann

Joining us from: Charlotte, NC

Year: Junior

Major: Business Economics and Government

You should know that: Will once played chess with Big Foot and won... then ran.

Introducing: Hayes Modlin

Joining us from: Hickory, NC

Year: Sophomore

Major: Biology

You should know that: A giraffe has licked Hayes' face. Also (in case you were wondering) that is skydiving gear in the picture, which means that Hayes has jumped out of a plane around 20,000 feet in the air... twice.

Introducing: Jeff Parrish

Joining us from: Columbia, SC

Year: Senior

Major: Finance

You should know that: Jeff has two beagles, Georgia and Calhoun.

Introducing: Alex Partagas

Joining us from: Greensboro, NC

Year: Sophomore

Major: Undecided

You should know that: the first Whole Foods store is down the street from her house.

Introducing: Emily Phillips

Joining us from: Klein, TX

Year: Sophomore

Major: History and Chinese

You should know that: Emily gets rather feisty/disgruntled after 8:00pm.

Introducing: Hilary Phillips

Joining us from: Klein, TX

Year: Sophomore

Major: History and Spanish

You should know that: Hilary has a passion for lamp posts and The Office.

Introducing: Will Prosser

Joining us from: Johnsonville, SC

Year: Sophomore

Major: Religion

You should know that: Will once drove a London cellist and a Madrid guitarist from Spartanburg to Atlanta.

Introducing: Christine Reynolds

Joining us from:

Year: Junior

Major: Finance

You should know that: When Christine was 7 her grandmother gave her a full-grown Vietnamese pot-bellied pig.

Introducing: Becky Siegert

Joining us from: Wichita Falls, TX

Year: Senior

Major: English

You should know that: Becky has 12 grandparents and will be gaining two more when she gets married in August.

Introducing: Kimberly Smith

Joining us from: Newberry, SC

Year: Senior

Major: Psychology with an emphasis in Neuroscience

You should know that: Kimberly has performed over a dozen tracheotomies.

Introducing: Valerie Tyndall

Joining us from: Charleston, SC

Year: Senior

Major: French and Psychology

You should know that: Valerie was born on and named after Valentine's Day.

Introducing: Matt Watts

Joining us from: Lugoff, SC

Year: Senior

Major: Religion

You should know that: Ninaweza kusema Kiswahili. (I can speak Swahili.)

Introducing: Leland Wood

Joining us from: Spartanburg, SC

Year: Senior

Major:

You should know that:

And last but not least, our leaders:

Introducing: Dr. Philip Swicegood

Joining us from: Charlotte, NC

Professor of: Accounting and Finance

You should know that: Dr. Swicegood released two greased piglets at his college graduation.

Introducing: Dr. Steve Perry

Joining us from: Atlanta, GA

Professor of: Accounting and Finance

You should know that: Dr. Perry might just trace his geneaology back to C.S. Lewis through his infamous relative "Grandpa Staples."