It occurs to me that I’ve written my last, well, who knows how many posts on various political topics. Anyone who knows me probably isn’t too surprised about this. To some extent, writing (and complaining) is my way of dealing with a world that, quite frankly, scares me. It’s hard to stay positive when I… Continue reading Living in Darkness, and Loving It
With all the talk in the last few days about British neo-Nazis it was—in a weird sense—fulfilling to actually meet one. Mid-way through today’s anti-war rally in Trafalgar Square, someone in the back of the crowd began shouting “rubbish” in response to a speaker assailing the War in Afghanistan as an imperialist and racist ploy.… Continue reading The Feel-Good Witch Hunt
I may have mentioned it before, but I’ll repeat it: I love my living situation. I stay in a four story townhouse on a street right outside the college, and I have a reasonably sized room on the ground floor (that’s “zero floor” in British). Thanks to the generosity of the previous Sachs Scholar, I… Continue reading Geography Lessons
Even before, I came to Oxford, I had already realized that the stock American responses to the Oxford experience are fairly cliched. I’m friends on facebook with enough people who have taken a Junior Year Abroad to already have heard every imaginable variation on “I’m in Oxford – and it’s just like Harry Potter!” Now… Continue reading (Insert Harry Potter Comparison)
I have no business blogging tonight. I’ve been up for a solid thirty-six hours, and although I arrived in Oxford almost twelve hours ago, I have very little of significance to say about it. Still, I feel like I ought to write down a few first impressions of England – impressions that I will later… Continue reading Welcome to England, It’s Very English
Alex V. Barnard - Sociology 