Ahh! It's been a week already since my last post? Lectures just started, so I've head my head in the books. It's not a good excuse, but I'm planning on taking some pictures around Oxford tomorrow though and I'll make sure I keep the blog up to date in the future.

We had our first rugby match on Saturday. I had a big hit right at the start of the game, but was penalized for not wrapping up. I think once I get away from the football mindset and start to get a better feel for the game, I'll be alright. We beat the 'Old Boys' (Hertford College alumni) for the first time in the last eight years or so and the team looked pretty good. The best part about playing against grads is that they take you out to dinner afterward; in this case, we went to a great Indian restaurant called Bombay. I also participated in the rowing tasters Sunday to informally try out for the team. Luckily rowing practice is usually early in the morning and rugby is just Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, so I should be able to do both. The rowing taster slots were first come, first serve, so I ended up rowing the number six seat with several other inexperienced women. When we were just using our arms, there weren't any issues. As soon as we started to use the full stroke though, our boat made a hard right turn. We got to the point where I was the only one rowing on the stroke side and three people were rowing on the bow side. It was pretty funny, but I'm sure the more experienced rowers will put me in my place (one of Hertford's rowers competed in the Olympics a few years back). The Christ Church regatta is a huge intercollege competition for novice rowers at the end of the Michaelmas term and I hope to make Hertford's crew. We'll see how that goes... We have our second rugby game of the year tomorrow against Mansfield College, but a lot of our team is out with the swine flu, so the game might get interesting.

The lectures I described in my last post meet Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and every other Saturday. I also have a tutorial Monday afternoon. I also signed up for a French class that meets on Thursdays, but I won't know if I was selected for the course until next week. The first lectures all went smoothly and I think my professors are going to be terrific. In my tutorial (four students and a professor), we react to different scenarios that people working in the foreign service might encounter. However, we are supposed to take the British perspective, so as my teacher pointed out, I'll need to tone down the 'lone superpower' response in my essays. I like taking this perspective because it is a great way to think critically about the United States' role in a variety of contexts. When I was on exchange at the Naval Academy, I realized the value of being removed from the USMA. It was easier to understand criticisms of West Point, but also to recognize the features that make the Academy so unique. I expect my time away from the U.S., particularly in this academic setting, to similarly force me to reconceptualize my understanding of America.

This Saturday is matriculation. The graduate students all get dressed up in sub fusc (a black suit, white shirt, white bow tie, and gown) and attend a ceremony that officially inducts us as members of the university. Some of my friends were joking about getting dressed up in an antiquated outfit and participating in almost purely symbolic ceremony, but I just laugh. This is certainly one thing West Point prepared me extremely well for. Full dress, anyone? My biggest concern is that I bought the wrong gown; what would people think of me if they saw me in a 'commoners' gown?

If you have any questions I can answer, please let me know!