Day 2: Roaming around Oxford

I have added a link "Oxford City Centre Map" I HIGHLY recommend looking at the PDF file of the Oxford City centre map while reading my blog. The map will help orient you where things are and where I was. The map is very detailed and is the map I use to navigate my way around Oxford (but I don't use it as much now, haha, I got the city down! :P)                                                      

walk towards the park

Overpass, the pedestrian walk way

                                                       








 
The second day in Oxford, we had a quick meeting with the group and Brian at 12. But before the meeting, Clara, Julia and I walked to Headington Hill Park, which is located next to EF Language Center and on the way to Oxford City Center (The linked map does not include this place, Headington Hill Park would be on the lower right hand corner of the map).

 The park is huge and tranquil. It was Saturday morning, no one was there, everything was still slightly wet but the air was clean and refreshing.

Gates to the Headington Hill Park

No one was there but us. We walked around, looked around, enjoyed a walk in a (British) park. What I experienced most was tranquility. The park was so quiet that you felt peaceful and secluded, you wouldn't really notice the traffic, wouldn't really remember you were next to a big city. You were only surrounded by nature. It was beautiful!

There is a mosque behind the tree, can you see it?

There is a mosque behind the tree. The idea of having a mosque is a bit unimaginable (in the old days) because England is a protestant nation. This is especially huge because this mosque is located quite close to University of Oxford, a school that was heavily associated with Christianity and the national religion was Catholic and now Church of England (Anglican). But nowadays, people are more welcoming and accepting of new religions, so having a mosque for people of other faiths to practice is a show of respect and openness.

We walked around for about 40 minutes and headed back to EF for our meeting. The meeting was welcome meeting for us to meet everyone on the program. At the end of the program, everyone was, unfortunately, tired because of jet lags. But, Clara and I decided to head to city center and explore a bit to help adjust to the correct time zone faster.

To be continued.....(I think the blog would only let me upload a certain amount of photos.)