A Day in Oxford, England

Last weekend, I took advantage of some low priced train tickets and took a solo trip to Oxford.

I wanted to get out of London, and just see something new, go somewhere different, explore a new city, and so, I headed to Oxford for some alone time. I've never been to a university town, so going to one of the oldest university towns in England was pretty exciting.

The University of Oxford is home to the brightest people in the world. SO MANY famous politicians, writers, artist, engineers etc. studied there. It was home to many of the influential people in the world today. It was just exciting to be able to get a glimpse of where these people once lived and studied. 

After stepping out of the train station at Oxford, I was greeted with quiet streets, gorgeous old english architecture, and a row of trees with yellow and red leaves - something I don't see too often in London (don't know why, maybe I haven't been looking hard enough). 

It is such a different atmosphere from London. Quiet, no pushing around, but at the same time, very charming.

After roaming the streets for a little bit, and taking some pictures, it started to drizzle. So, I headed to a little cafe for some brunch, and to kill sometime before my free walking tour. It was a nice morning, unfortunately, the weather forecast said it would be raining the entire day, and it did. 

The rest of the time I was there, it was raining, HEAVILY.

After brunch, I went and joined a free walking tour of Oxford University. There are several walking tours conducted simultaneously everyday, it was so easy to join any one of them - no prior reservation is needed.

During the tour we learned a lot about the history of the university and the city. The tour guide shared with us stories of famous people that attended the university, how the University of Oxford was built; why different parts of the university inherited the names they have today. 

It was such an informative tour. In spite of the bad weather, I did really enjoy the tour.

During the tour, were suppose to visit the inside of oxford university to see the famous Bodleian Library with 11million books, and the beautiful Sheldonian Theatre. Unfortunately, that saturday was a graduation day for the university, and its compound was not open to the public (yes this meant that I did not get to see the famous harry potter-esque dining hall). 

On the plus side, I got to see the interactions of the graduates and their families. The graduates from the University of Oxford wore Black robes, and according to the guide, their ceremony was conducted in Latin. Indeed a traditional school. I overheard 2 graduates talking about how they didn't understand anything in the ceremony.
It was nice so wonderful to see the pride in the eyes of the graduate's family members. Regardless of the number of "supporters" they had; their whole extended family, or just one friend, you could see the joy and pride they have for the graduates.

Must be such a glorified thing to graduate from arguably one the best universities in the world. I can only image how bright the futures of these graduates are. People with greatness thrust upon them, people who are meant to do great things. I cannot help but envy.

During the tour, I met 3 other international students studying in Warwick, and I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring other parts of Oxford with them. I love meeting new people. Getting to meet people from all around the world is probably one of the best perks of travelling solo. Its always nice to meet other students studying abroad just like me, but with such different experiences. 

Other interesting places in Oxford include the covered market and its Bookstores. 

The Covered Market sold all sorts of things, and the most astonishing thing for me was that they sold pheasents and birds and these dead animals were hung on hooks with their fur/feathers/everything all attached! Im used to seeing roast duck being hung along chicken rice stalls, and butchered pork in the markets in Singapore, but seeing the whole animal dead on a hook, that was a first. It was pretty morbid. But the market sells other more normal things that are easier on the eyes as well. 

Oxford has probably one of the largest bookstores i've ever seen. The Blackwell Bookstore is HUGE. I can probably spend days months and years in that bookstore and not be able to read 10% of the books. They have all sorts of books from science and engineering to theatre, travel and art. Such a wide variety, you can practically get any book you want.

Despite the rainy day in Oxford, I really enjoyed myself. Oxford is such a beautiful city with so much history and culture.

Plus the people there are really nice. It was friendly and safe. Walking alone after sunset doesn't seem as scary or dangerous. It was actually fun.

It was a good time to clear my head. I had time to think about life. Think about what it means to be successful. Reflect on what I want to do, where I want my life to go.

No, I don’t really have any answers as of now, but that trip was a start. A good time for reflection, a good wake up call, a motivation to have a plan for my future. Being in a place that is home to so much talent and potential, really got me to reflect about my choices,  if I’ll ever be who I hope to be, if I have potential in life,  and if I have the will to succeed.

I hope one day i'll be able to be successful. In whatever field it maybe. I maybe able to be proud of who I grow into.

If you happen to be in the UK, definitely take a day trip to Oxford. You will definitely love architecture and the soul of this little city.