I'm here... and...

[Ebony AKA AngieJ]

I LOVE THIS PLACE!

Okay, okay... I'm calm now.  :)  

(BTW, why do all the pubs here close at 11?  Three of my friends and 
I were having the most FASCINATING conversation with three British 
guys and two Italians.  So different than an American bar...)

(Scott--I got your message... look for me in private e-mail, but 
let's try to meet up on Thursday afternoon if you're available.  ;-))

Honestly, I've been in the UK for less than 48 hours and I haven't 
got a single complaint.  I can only speak in superlatives.

FOOD--I've invariably heard horrible things about British food in 
America.  Since arriving, I've been to four pubs and eaten here at 
college 5 times, and everything has been quite good.  I also love the 
5-meal-a-day plan... smaller portions, eating more often.  Perhaps we 
Americans ought to adopt a similar plan.  It seems to curtail the 
excessive overeating we do at our dinnertimes, and you definitely 
don't alternate between starvation and gorging like we do in America.

DRINK--Never have I imbibed so much caffeine and alcohol in a 24-hour 
period in my life.  Haven't had a soft drink since I left the US... 
no one's really offered anything like that, and I refuse to enter an 
American fast food chain... didn't come 4000 miles to eat McDonald's.

JET LAG--After a two-hour nap and three brisk walks around central 
Oxford yesterday (and three today), I recovered fully.  People in my 
exchange program were giving me dirty looks over my bright and 
cheerful demeanor in the morning.  I think I was the quickest to 
adjust to the time difference.  ;-)

HARRY POTTER--A lot of people in the program are *huge* fans!  It's 
so cool to sit in the hall at Corpus and overhear comments 
like, "Wow!  Doesn't it feel like you're in the Great Hall at 
Hogwarts!" or "We're actually having tea in our common room... how 
neat!"  I've also received compliments on my HP keychain from Brits 
and Americans already, and an American professor who was touring 
Corpus raved over my Gryffindor robe.

FIRST IMPRESSION OF OXFORD--The part of it I've seen definitely can't 
be the real world.  Far too idyllic.  My accomodations are out of 
this world--large room with a private bath, full DSL connection, maid 
service, a sitting area, and a fully modernized bath... but you can 
tell it was built long before anything in my natal city was even 
conceived of!  

COURSEWORK--I'm glad I'm taking the education course first session 
(drama second), for we'll be visiting a good number of British 
schools in various areas of Oxfordshire... according to our tutor, 
some less than ideal.  His specialization is special needs 
education... and after our overview of the British system, I'm 
starting to understand how JKR conceived Hogwarts.  It could *not* 
have come from an American writer's pen... we think of education 
quite differently.  I cannot wait to begin my research... this 
afternoon I spent my first hour in the campus library.

THE PUBS--I'm addicted.  I've enjoyed great food and drink at four, 
and visited twice that many... and I got here at 7 a.m. yesterday!  

GENERAL FIRST IMPRESSION--Okay, at this point I'm ready to revoke my 
citizenship and stay here forever.  (j/k)  Only problem is, I hear 
teachers here only make 150 pounds a week--which, after converting to 
dollars, sounds ridiculous to me. 

Question--I have one friend from the program who is definitely 
interested in meeting on Sunday, and perhaps several more will want 
to join us.  Is this all right with everyone?  Please let me know...

Sorry to ramble on so... but what an experience!  I'm fully connected 
here in my room, so I'll be checking messages on at least a daily 
basis.

Take care--cannot wait until Sunday!

--Ebony