Oxford Creative Writing Program - Week 1

 

After 2 long days of travel and a couple of wrong turns later I finally stumbled, heavily jet lagged through the grand entranceway of Exeter college.  I was relieved to meet some of  the other students joining the course -  'phew' I'd come to the right place! We were greeted at the door by the college porter. Who presented us with our room keys and directed us towards the summer school office, where we were given our welcome packs and names badges. After which people either went straight up to their rooms to relax or hung chatting in the front quadrangle. 

 

The first thing that struck me was the Exeter campus itself - it is breathtaking. We found ourselves surrounded by castle like sandstone buildings with vines and climbing roses, stunning stained glass windows and ancient gargoyles.  Having been built in 1314 Exeter college is the fourth oldest college in Oxford. Just don't walk on the grass in the front quad ( only the Oxford 'fellows' are allowed to do that sort of thing ).  

 At 5 o'clock that first evening we attended our orientation, meeting followed by a drinks reception in the fellows garden. Here we got a chance to mingle and get to know our peers and teachers, and the girls all made sure their heels didn't get stuck in the grass! ( the fellows have allowed us use of the garden during the summer school, usually only they are allowed in). We then moved on into the hall for our reception dinner ( think Harry Potter and you've about got it! ) with everyone dressed in their best and the teachers seated at the high table at the head of the hall. All the meals are served in the dining hall, and we are provided with plenty of delicious food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Everyone went off to bed early that evening, excited for the start of classes the next day.

 

 

Classes are held from 9-11 or 4-6 every day, with each student taking a seminar for one of their two chosen courses during one of the time slots on alternating days. We also attend a 1 and a half hour plenary session each day as well. The sessions are given by a different practitioner In the industry each time - literary agents, authors, poets.  Each of these sessions looked at a different element of the writing/publishing industry - with students eager to question the presenters at every opportunity. 

 

 

Last but definitely not least there is always plenty of fantastic friendly staff on hand, more then willing to help you out.  Our Summer school assistants Joe Bluck and Richard Broadbridge were quick to welcome us leading us out into Oxford for our very first pub walk on the Monday night. During the walk we also got to experience many beautiful and historical parts of the city - getting a look at the iconic 'bridge of sighs' and a few of the other colleges situated around Oxford, before getting to know each other over a cider at the King of Arms pub. Tuesday night introduced the first of our 'open mic nights' where students were given the opportunity to read their work aloud and have it discussed by their peers in the Audience. It was a very friendly atmosphere and a great experience was had by all. 

 

On Wednesday evening Richard led us on an enjoyable and informative tour through the university gardens, where (some of us at least) we're excited to spot our first squirrel!  

 

There is plenty for students to enjoy outside of their classes, whether it be taking part in an activity or just kicking back and playing some pool in Exeter's Undercroft bar. Our first week as students at Exeter college has been jam packed with study and with out a doubt - fun! I can't wait to fill you all in on our next week!

See you next time....

 

Kiri :- )

 

Kiri Zobel is participating on our Oxford Creative Writing program this July 2012. Kiri is in her 3rd year of a Bachelor of Arts at University of Canberra

Oxford Creative Writing Program: Pubs, chapels and Dining Halls

The sun is shining in Oxford today.

Blue sky frames the many spires and turrets that soar around this beautifully calm 8^th century city – although my new friends and I agree it feels more like a town. There is an air of tranquillity around the place - it puts you in the mood for classical music and literary fiction (which I guess is appropriate). It's amazing being able to walk around the same places as such figures as J.R.R. Tolkein and Oscar Wilde.

Speaking of friends, here’s a picture of us before setting out on our pub stroll (I don't think they like the term 'crawl' in Oxford). They have a lot of pubs in Oxford. Well over 50. One of the shops near Exeter College sells a black and white picture with 63 of the pubs ready to be coloured-in as you visit each of them. 

Heading out on the pub 'stroll'

Exeter College is filled with these marvellous old stone buildings – although most of our rooms are built from contradictorily modern materials. The dining hall and chapel remain in all their archaic glory however. Here are some shots I took of the chapel.

Every meal is held in the hall, which is extremely Hogwarts-esque with long oak tables and lamps along the length. Waiters (and not magic) bring the food however, and nobody sits at the high table except for very formal occasions. It will be a shock when I leave here and need to start cleaning up after myself again.

Exeter College Dining Hall

Maybe it's the historic setting; or maybe it's the crowd of writers like myself; but Oxford just feels like a lovely place to be. Already we look at the tourists scornfully, almost as outsiders, as we swan our way back to College after a day trip around the city. I expect these three weeks will vanish all too soon.

~Damon

Damon Meredith is completing AIM Overseas' Oxford Creative Writing Program this July 2012. Damon is currently in his second year of a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) at University of Technology Sydney.

Oxford International Human Rights Law - Week 3

Wow, what a week! A lot has certainly been happening since I last updated you all. This week’s classes were mostly spent learning about the different areas of international human rights law, focusing on international humanitarian law; international criminal law; and gender and sexuality. We also learnt about the role of non-governmental organisations and human rights defenders. One very important message, which was emphasised in our classes, was how, besides the relevant legal mechanisms, people power really is the key to making a difference in the realm of human rights.

My afternoon classes were about the practice of targeting killings; the means and methods of warfare; and the rules pertaining to belligerent occupation. For many us, these topics were quite confronting and challenging and led to much discussion. I also spent one afternoon attending a careers panel that the faculty had set up for us. It was really interesting gaining an insight into how some of the most eminent scholars in the field ended up getting to where they are now.

Since the weather has remained beautiful this week, we spent one afternoon punting. A few of us opted to get a chauffeured boat, something we were really happy about once we saw some of our friends who’d chosen to do it themselves stuck in some trees and struggling to get out! A big group of us headed to Jamie Oliver’s restaurant another night, to celebrate a birthday on our program. The food there really was amazing!

We spent Friday night in the Junior Common Room watching the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics. The eight Aussies on the program all cheered when we saw our athletes march but we were definitely outnumbered by all the Americans here! The weekend was then spent in London and I was lucky enough to have gotten tickets to the hockey a few months back. As chance would have it, I ended up seeing Australia and New Zealand play, which was very exciting! However, the large number of Australian spectators wasn’t enough for the Hockeyroos, who lost 1-0 to the Kiwis. I also stayed to watch the Netherlands play Belgium – the Dutch sure love their hockey!

With exams coming up next week, the last week of the program is set to be a fair bit quieter than this one.

~ Lindsey

 

Lindsey Chu is participating on our Oxford International Human Rights Law Program in the UK. Lindsey is in her 5th year of Bachelor of Communications/Law at University of Newcastle.

Oxford Creative Writing: English tea and winding paths

I’m in London and the sun is shining.

Wait – no it’s gone again.

Since arriving here a few days ago I’ve taken a while simply to soak in the atmosphere of the place. The beautiful, old brick houses with their iconic chimneys. The classic double-decker red buses. The interchangeably rainy weather.

And the tea. The cliché doesn’t prepare you enough for the truth. The English really, really like their tea. I think I’ve drunk more tea in these three days than I have for the entire year.

I told my English friend my thoughts and she responded with a very puzzled – “But…if someone comes over to your house what do you do?”

Fair enough.

I’m staying next to this beautifully sprawling cemetery called Abney Park. Paths wind sneakily through verdant greenery, between which gravestones dot the ground in all shapes and sizes. It has been so long since I’ve seen a nettle that I’m actually happy to find them growing in such wild abundance.

Sculptures such as this magnificent lion statue can be stumbled across along many of the narrow paths.

 In the centre (if you can find it) rears this awe-inspiring ruined church. Any place you can find a church older than your own country is a pretty amazing location. 

Damon Meredith is completing AIM Overseas' Oxford Creative Writing Program this July 2012. Damon is currently in his second year of a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) at University of Technology Sydney.

Oxford International Human Rights Law – Week 2

Week 2 of the program has certainly been busy! This was the only week where we were scheduled to have classes every day so Friday was a welcome relief for most of us. This week saw us learn about the different human rights systems in the world – we learnt about the African, Inter-American and European systems, something which made the Australians amongst us frustrated at the lack of human rights protection and enforcement mechanisms at home. We also spent time discussing the role of the United Nations in protecting human rights. My afternoon classes focused on 9/11, the NATO bombing of Kosovo and the treatment of prisoners of war and combatants – all extremely thought provoking issues.

Aside from study, we have quickly learnt that the Kings Arms is the best pub on our street and that shopping in Oxford is quite good! Lots of time has been spent trawling the main shopping areas in Oxford on weekends – the big question now is how I’m going to get my luggage down to 20kg for the next leg of my trip! We also had our second formal dinner on Friday night and it was fun to see everyone dressed up and being able to relax for the evening. This was followed by drinks at the college bar and a night out on the town.

The weather has finally gotten better this week although it is still far from ‘summer’. It was nice to be able to get out and explore Oxford and finally not have to wear a jumper everywhere! Fingers crossed the weather stays this way for the rest of our time here!

Another part of the program that I’m really enjoying is meeting new friends from all around the world. Everyone seems to be fascinated by Australian accents! As one of only two non-Americans in one of my classes, I’m being made constantly aware of how differently we pronounce some words, something that has made for some funny discussions. The word ‘combatant’ was subject to a lengthy debate! Having people here from all over the world has also added many different perspectives to our class discussions and I feel like I’m learning just as much from this as from the course content itself.

It’s hard to believe we’re at the half way point of the program now – there’s still so many things I want to do and see in Oxford. With the arrival of the Olympics next week, Oxford, as well as the rest of the UK is buzzing. I know I’m certainly looking forward to donning my green and gold next weekend watching Australia play at the hockey.

Until next time… 

 Lindsey 

Lindsey Chu is participating on our Oxford International Human Rights Law Program in the UK. Lindsey is in her 5th year of Bachelor of Communications/Law at University of Newcastle.

A trip to the British Museum!

The Front of the British Museum - it's very impressive!

On Saturday I went on an excursion with the summer school to the British Museum down in London. It wasn't a guided tour; we were in charge of ourselves, and didn't even have to stay in the museum if we wanted to go elsewhere in London. I wanted to stay at the museum, and did so all day. These photos will demonstrate why; they are a sample from over two hundred that I took!

The original Rosetta Stone

 The British Museum is incredible, if you ever have a chance to visit it, even for a few hours, it is an incredible experience, even for people who aren't usually interested in museums.

A beautiful marble carving of Venus (Aphrodite) the goddess of love, from the ancient Greek and Roman exhibit

Today I finally went punting on the river Cam. It's been on my to-do list since I got here, and now, after two full weeks, I've finally done it! I wasn't at all brave enough to hire one and take it out on my own as some people do, so I went with a group of other tourists with a guide who did all the punting. It was quite a relaxing experience: the boat sits quite high in the water, it rocks gently as you're propelled along by the punter's pole, and the sites along the Backs are incredible. The Backs is the name for the route that the water course takes, which is literally along the backs of some of the colleges. You can see King's college, Queen's college, the university library, St Clare's college, Trinity college, and several others. Our punter gave us a brief history of each of the important buildings we passed, the bridges we went under, a short history of the town itself and of punting. And we only bumped into a few other boats.

A reconstruction of an elaborate golden headdress worn by an ancient Mesopotamian queen - Queen Puabi. She was buried in this headdress

This week I have started a new schedule of classes. In the morning after breakfast I go to my class called Versions of the Tragic, and each lesson we talk about a different tragic play that we've all previously read. I'm not at all well-versed in tragedies, so I took this class to learn more about the genre of tragedy. After this class we have a plenary lecture, which we must all attend. These are a series of lectures given on the theme of triumph and disaster, and we've heard about topics as diverse as Virginia Woolf's 'To the Lighthouse', Shakespeare's 'Antony and Cleopatra', and the psychology of C.S. Lewis. These lectures are given by various members of Cambridge university teaching staff, and it's really interesting to observe the different teaching styles and the different approaches to the topics we've heard. After the plenary lecture we are given an hour and forty-five minutes for lunch, which we buy for ourselves. There is a sandwich shop directly below my room at St Catherine's, so I usually buy a panini from there for lunch. At 2:00pm we go back to class, which for me is Power and Wonder in 'The Tempest'. This class is a bit more in-depth than other classes I've had here because we focus on only one play and are going through it act by act. This is very helpful for me because I am writing an essay for this class.

A famous hunting horn, carved from an elephant's tusk, used during the time of forest law after 1066

Breakfast and dinner are provided for us at college. Breakfast is a large buffet in the dining hall with everything from cereal to croissants with cream cheese: orange juice, grapefruit juice, tea, coffee, cereal, toast, yoghurt, you name it! We can also go into the kitchen where we can have bacon, eggs, sausages, fried tomatoes, hash browns and porridge. 

A Christian wood-panel painting of St Paul

 Dinner is a served sit down three course meal. Each night is different, but it's always delicious! For example, last night we had fruit for entree, kebabs, rice and stir-fried vegetables for mains, and mango sorbet with wafers for dessert.

Chess pieces from a medieval chess set found on a beach in Scotland

A carving of the Aztec god of death and blood-ritual

The weather has been very erratic the entire time I've been here. It was raining when I first arrived, then overcast the following day, then sunny the day after that! And that pattern has happened more or less every week: it will be sunny for an afternoon, then at night it will rain, then the whole next day will be dry but overcast.  All the locals I've talked to have said that it is very unusual for it to rain so much at this time of year, and I've heard that there's even flooding in other parts of the UK.

Fortunately I brought an umbrella :-)

Jemimah 

Jemimah Halbert is participating on our Cambridge Literature Summer School Program in the UK. Jemimah is currently in her 3rd year of a Bachelor of Arts at Edith Cowan University.

Oxford International Human Rights Law Program – Week 1

 It’s been five days since I arrived at Oxford and I can’t believe how much I have learnt and experienced in that time. We are staying in New College, one of Oxford’s oldest colleges, which is absolutely incredible. The buildings and gardens are beautiful and our rooms are bigger than I thought they would be.

Grounds of New College

There are about 80 participants in the program from all over the world. The majority of students are from the United States, with others hailing from countries such as Canada, Uzbekistan, South Africa, Italy and India. Many of my classmates are Masters students or people already working in the field – there’s even a Supreme Court judge participating in the program! It’s definitely safe to say that I feel very much out of my depth at the moment but everyone is extremely approachable and friendly.

View from my dorm window

The classes themselves are really challenging but very interesting. In the mornings, we have classes on the Fundamentals of International Human Rights Law and in the afternoons, we study a specialty course. I have chosen to study War, Peace and Human Rights, which is about the rules relating to armed conflict. The classes are taught by leading human rights scholars. They expect a lot from us but at the same time, have already taught us so much about this complex field. Even though I’ve so far managed to keep up with the extensive reading, I’m finding it hard to grasp all the concepts we’ve been covering in the lectures and seminars.

Some 'light' reading for the next few weeks

We eat all our meals in New College’s dining hall. The food so far has been amazing – I feel like we are constantly being fed! What’s even more amazing is the hall itself. It was used as the substitute dining hall in the Harry Potter films and it feels like we are actually in the movies.  

The Oxford University Press booktsore

Most of this week has been spent reading so I haven’t had the chance to really explore the city of Oxford too much yet. From what I have seen, though, the shopping is pretty good! A group of us are planning on going to London tomorrow, which we are all looking forward to. Tonight is also our first formal dinner and, from what I’ve heard, is one of the highlights of the program.

New College Dining Hall

One thing none of us counted on was the English weather. Most of the Australians were excited to be leaving behind winter but we’ve since discovered that summer in England means rain and temperatures of about 16 degrees.

With planned theatre nights, attending Olympics events and punting on the Thames, the next four weeks will be amazing. It’s still hard to believe, looking out of my window every morning, that I’m actually a real-life student at Oxford University.  

Lindsey Chu is participating on our Oxford International Human Rights Law Program in the UK. Lindsey is in her 5th year of Bachelor of Communications/Law at University of Newcastle.

A trip to the Baths in Bath!

We went for a day trip to Bath on the weekend, home of Jane Austen and…. Roman Baths! It took about 2 hours on a bus to get there (once the bus actually turned up!). It was beautiful and scenic, through farmland divided by low walls hundreds of years old, or brush fences breaking up the land.

I didn’t look twice at what I though was a fairly sparse population of sheep (obviously coming from an Australian background) but was very amused by the reaction of our American friends on the bus, who had never seen so many sheep put together in their entire lives, let alone all in one place!

After finally arriving in Bath at about 11am, a few of us decided that the absolute first priority was food. So we set out to find the most interesting, English pub in the whole of Bath. After about 15 minutes of walking we settled on the Beau Nash Pub, which had quite a lot of character. We were particularly excited by the elevated booth seating, which was somewhat of a novelty. We ate a great lunch of Fish and Chips (easily 30cm long piece of Haddock) wedges with bacon and mozerella, and ridiculously big chicken burgers. Even though we were full, Liz and I could not say no to 2-for-1 dessert. Only £4.90 (about $8) for two serves of apple pie? We would be silly to say no! Until the Apple Crumble was served, and it turned out to be two whole Apple Crumbles!! About 15cm wide, each. Needless to say we didn’t walk, but rather rolled out the door and on to our next destination!

Touring the Roman Baths was a great experience. Most of the site has been excavated, with the original hot spring still spewing forth hot water and steam, which still flows through ancient Roman pipes and waterways through to the main bath and the rest of the extensive complex. Dedicated to the goddess of wisdom, Minerva, The baths were decorated with carvings of her face, and Owls, her patron animal.

As well as the main bathing pool and side pools, change rooms, walkways even a sauna room have all been excavated. The sauna room was made up of a wooden floor supported by many stacks of tile, about 30cm apart. Fires would be lit in the adjoining room and hot air would flow between the tiles and heat the floor above it. It would have been a lovely experience for the paying elite who could relax above the floor, but not so much so for the slaves who had to crawl through the tiny spaces between the tile stacks to clean out all the soot and sludge that built up.

The Romans really were incredible. The overflow drain from the spring is still completely intact, which was created to divert excess water through channels out to the river. These channels still exist and the water still flows at quite a reasonable pace from the spring, through the baths or the overflow drain, out the channels and through to the river.

There are signs everywhere saying do not touch the water as it has not been treated and there is great potential to get sick, however at the end of the experience, just before the gift shop, there is a steady stream of filtered water pouring out a tap, of water straight from the spring. Still really quite warm, it tastes like, a cup of water that has had the contents of a coin purse emptied in it and boiled for a few days, despite the fact that it had been filtered. Mmm yum….

We only had a bit of time left after touring the Baths, so we spent it getting a cup of tea and hot chocolate in a nice little shop, where we were treated to a bit of history by a passing tour guide. She had heard our unmistakable Aussie accents and asked if we wanted a bit of free history. Of course we said yes, and she proceeded to tell us about the Governor Arthur Phillip, who retired in Bath. This man met his demise through ‘falling’ out of a high window onto the street. With suicide being a sin in those days, the authorities deemed his death ‘undecided’ and having been given the benefit of the doubt, was buried in the cathedral, instead of in the cemetery with the commoners.

Hope you are all variously enjoying your uni holidays, or lack of holidays at work! I spent today writing 2500 words of an essay!

Gemma xx

Gemma Wood is participating on our Oxford History, Politics and Society Program in England 2012. Gemma is currently completing her Master of Arts (International Relations) at Deakin University.

Literature at Cambridge: Week one

The rains have let up enough to give us some beautiful summer nights that stretch on and on. I never thought an English summer would remind me of an Australian one so much. Like many others, I arrived from London on Sunday and began the process of registration and finding my way to St Catherine's College.

First impressions of the College? 'Woah'

St Cat's is a beautiful collection of mostly red brick buildings built over the last 300 years. The college itself has a history dating back to the 1300s but many of the original buildings were replaced by the elegant ones you see today. The tea and coffee in my room was a definite plus as well :)

The red shirt clad assistants were extremely helpful and my registration was done in minutes. I had my timetable, ID card and a cool little voucher to a local bookstore. What I was most eager to experience was the classes - and I was not dissapointed.

Dr Fred Parker greeted us all this morning and gave a short intro to the literature course. After 2 classes and a plenary lecture from Fred I've come to expect to laugh alot. His take on (and line delivery of) excerpts from Austen had us entertained throughout the plenary lecture and I learned more about Romeo and Juliet's relationship in 90 minutes of looking at it from Dr Parker's perspective than I ever did in high school. Needless to say I'm very much looking forward to tomorrow's classes.

On Cambridge; like a town out of a story book, Cambridge is more beautiful than I could've imagined. The crooked little streets with their bookstores and cafes break up the magnificent buildings and with bicycles constantly whizzing by the ambiance is very cool, very European, very Cambridge.

To Do; punting (if the rain allows), my essay, locating the best priced University of Cambridge products in town.

Liz

 Ashleigh Elizabeth South is participating in our Cambridge Literature Summer School in the UK. Ashleigh is completing her second year of a Bachelor of Writing at University of Canberra.