Rowing on the Isis

I am trying my hand at rowing for Magdalen this term. It's really a good time so far. It's hard work, but being out on the water feels so great. I always admired rowing for both its gracefulness and the overwhelming spirit of teamwork in the boat. Oxford has a long and rich tradition of rowing and so does Magdalen college. Only fifteen minutes walk away (along the Merton and Christ Church meadows), sits our boathouse.

At the end of sixth week, there is a novice competition called the "Christ Church Regatta." We are all looking forward to it, training in and out of the water a couple times a week. Early morning sessions haven't started yet, but I figure the best approach will be overwhelming enthusiasm. 5 am? Where do I sign up?

(The photograph is a mens team, I'm not sure what college.)

Matriculation Saturday at Oxford

Today was by far the most quintessential Oxford day thus far (and maybe ever.) Today was matriculation, meaning that the 'freshers' were officially admitted to the university by way of a couple hundred white bow ties and a Latin blessing. I thought a photographic diary would serve the day best.

We were required to gather in the hall by 8am, all dressed in what is known as 'sub fusc,' Oxford's formal dress.



These are mostly graduate men in Magdalen.



Here Catherine and Sian are walking with our college into the courtyard of the Sheldonian Theatre, the formal hall where we also graduate. It's quite posh inside.



Following the ceremony, we retreated to Magdalen for a champagne brunch on the New Building Lawn. However, we are strictly forbidden to actually walk on the lawn, so we brunched on the New Building footpath.



Dave wore blue socks.



After the brunch and before the traditional trip to The Turf, a group of 15 graduate students climbed the Magdalen tower. It opened up the most fantastic views of Oxford. By around 11am, the morning fog and mist was burning off, creating a really magical scene. Here I am, in my sub fusc glory. The gown is really the most awkward piece of my wardrobe, but we do actually wear them quite often (to formal dinners, chapel and fancy meetings.)

Magdalen from the High

Even though it rained most of today, there is a photograph that I took on Monday of the Magdalen bell tower (if you are standing on High Street.)

I had my first class today. It went pretty well. It is a lecture/discussion course dealing with nuances of history, aka historiography. (Yum!) I also had my first gym session for the Magdalen College Boat Club. Rowing is a serious endeavor here, but so far things have been pretty fun. I will be out on the river tomorrow, hopefully.

A Sunny Day in Oxford Town

In the top left hand corner of this photo you can see the bottom half of my window. Today was a beautiful day here, complete with a nice stroll and a superb croissant.

The "Elin" Social Experiment

What's in a name?

What is my name?

Elin. It is a typical Estonian or Finnish first name. Growing up in southern California, my name was pronounced like "a-Lean," with a soft "a" (more like an "e".) However, when we moved to Indiana, I was somehow magically transformed in "A-lynn," with a great deal of emphasis on the "a". So, in my 23rd year, my father encouraged me to reclaim my name when I moved to England (a place where no one knew me, let alone knew me as either "A-lynn" or "a-Lean.")

On the flight over, as I lay across four seats, desperately trying to get some sleep, all I could think about was how to pronounce my name. What was my name? I wasn't sure. Thankfully, most of the people around me were sleeping as I mumbled over variations of my name. Should it be "eh-lean"? Or "E-lean," with a stronger first syllable? To be honest, it was keeping me up and I was feeling only a little ridiculous for the identity crisis I was facing at 23.

It took a couple days of constant introductions to reveal the winner. In the UK, I am officially known as "eh-lean." People still struggle with it. Most think my name is "Eli", which I don't hate, but I usually just spell it out and people catch on. As my father predicted, the Americans are really the only ones who trip on it.

I really like my new name.

The Freshers Dinner and Ball

On Monday night, we (the new Magdalen graduate students, aka freshers) had our first formal dinner in the Hall. I hate to say it, but think Harry Potter and you're there. We had to dress "smartly" and wear our graduate gowns. We have a more formal attire known as "sub fusc", but that's really only for matriculation and graduation. In our assigned seats we enjoyed a nice formal dinner of salad, cold salmon, roast duck, green beans, potatoes and chocolate cake, washed down with both white and red wine.

At the beginning and end of the meal, the president of the college said a blessing in Latin. He made a nice speech about the diversity of our new class and if we were to embark on a world journey, we could visit our classmates in Iceland, Hong Kong, South Africa, Australia, and he even mentioned Indiana!

After the dinner, the professors went back to their offices and the students hit the club where we had our freshers ball. It was a really great time with three different bands and most of the graduates from Magdalen and some other colleges too.

A Room with a View

I arrived on Tuesday to a room with the brick wall view and after some begging and pleading, I am now blessed with the second view. The white spots are honest sunlight. Today was a mostly sunny day, and I say mostly because it did rain at least once, but I guess that's how they do it in England.