A Taste of Home

My best friend from APU, Jenna, came to visit us in Oxford today. It was so wonderful to see her, as we haven't been together since school ended last May. I have missed her so much! I arrived back from the Merton College Narnia Ball at 4:00 AM, and we stayed up together until about 5:30 AM before falling asleep on the couches in my living room.

This morning we woke up and walked with my friend, Jenn, who is also studying at Oxford and lives in my flat, into town to go to our church. Jenna, Jenn, and I climbed the tower for the best possible view of Oxford and stayed up above the city for a while talking and enjoying the view and the breeze.

Jenn and I took Jenna to New College where we walked through the gardens and cloisters, stopping to pose underneath stone arches and beneath the boughs of the old tree in one of the quads. After lunch in a sandwich shop on High Street, we walked to Magdalen College and followed Addison's Path along the college deer park, along the River Cherwell, and back out the main gate. It was the most idyllic afternoon, free from any agenda, characterized by good friendship and the exploration of a beautiful city and God's creation.

After resting back at our flat, we embarked on an Oxford tradition: the pub crawl. I had never pub crawled before, but Oxford is very much a pub culture, and it seemed like the thing to do during Jenna's visit. We started at the Eagle and Child, the pub in which C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and the other Inklings met every Tuesday to share their work. We visited a few more pubs and enjoyed a wonderful evening of good conversation among good friends. We even participated in a quiz game at one pub and joined a team with a porter at Pembroke College. At another pub, we made friends with some Thai men who own a restaurant here in Oxford. As Jenna went on a mission trip to Thailand two Summers ago, she and the men shared a common experience and love of Thai culture, and it was great to discuss our varying societies. We made it back to our flat late at night after a visit to a kebab van, completely the full experience of a night pubbing in Oxford.


Jenna and I found this bridge on our walk along the River Cherwell inside Magdalen College


Jenna and me outside one of the Oxford pubs


Drinking our cocktail drinks at Copa
Disclaimer: I do not condone excessive or underage drinking. Breaking the law is bad. I'm in Oxford and 21. It's legal! ;o)


Jenn, Jenna, and me outside Copa at the end of the evening