I think what’s very telling in this list is that it’s all donation efforts to reactionary organizations, organizations that help in the aftermath of destruction. These organizations are dedicated to the human impacts of war, like the children and the refugees. And that’s great, because they’re the people forgotten by the warring sides. But if you have no money, then what? And what can we (people from outside the region) do to stop the destruction itself?

To stop the further spiralling of a very complicated political mess is almost impossible for the common citizen. In a war like this, with multiple different factions fighting for multiple different reasons, and financially backed by even more powerful governments with their own agendas, who do you even trust? Which faction should “win” over the other? How can the war even end?

The answer to that question is in the hands of select few. The only thing the rest of us can do is to deal with the aftermath, one at a time.

Self Reflection

Coming on the trip made me realise a couple things about myself. Studying Shakespeare in particular was quite an eye opener - he’s not just some creepy stalker wise-crack, he’s also quite realistic and relatable in a sense. 

Anyhow, in no particular order are things I learned about myself:

Day 1 - Sunday

Oh man. So my good luck starts on the plane, with my window seat and TWO empty seats beside me for this 6 hour plane ride, so I got to lay down and sleep decently for most of it. Then I manage to breeze through customs and luggage in less than 30 minutes (helped by the fact it’s 6am in London and there’s no other planes at the terminal). Got on the bus, and HELLO OXFORD.

So we get to Oxford, I unpack everything in record time, took a shower, and went to hunt down brunch. Well, first I eyed up a brunch place, then took a 30 minute walk around town before going back to the brunch place and had (probably over priced) eggs. Whatever, it’s the first non-airplane meal I had in ages. It’s worth it. While chatting with the waiter, he asks my friend (who’s also Chinese and coming from UofT) where we’re from. I say Toronto, and he just gives us this look. I don’t think Canadian cities are a priority in Oxford. Thankfully he at least knew where Canada is. 

Anyhow, my first impression of the city of Oxford was that there’s so many ancient buildings that they don’t care what they’re used for anymore. That Pizza Hut? Probably 300 years old. That souvenir shop? Probably was around in the bronze ages. That Chinese place? Yeah, it’s a Listed Grade II building that used to be a historic school, and now houses the largest Sichuanese restaurant in the UK. What is a listed building? I’m glad you asked. It’s basically a building that has national importance and is under protection. There’s 810 buildings in Oxford that’s listed. 

Speaking of souvenir shops, almost all of them stock Official University of Oxford Merchandise. There’s sweaters, hoodies, t-shirts, more t-shirts, mugs, scarves, etc.etc.etc. One thing that’s kinda unique is that most of them also stock thimbles with logos (what my friend mistakened for tiny cups). I guess sewing is a popular pass time? 

My second impression of the city, is that it is very much a university town. Every five steps and on every block, is an UofO college building. The UofT college system is modelled after UofO’s, but where we only have 7 they have over 30. And every single one of their buildings is huge, with a quad, living space, recreational space, dining hall, etc. Where UofT holds 1.5 hour tours to cover the entire campus, a single college tour at UofO can take 45 minutes. Again, there’s over 30 colleges. Since the entire university is spread out across the entirety of the town, one benefit is that I get eduroam coverage (albeit spotty) almost everywhere. I also found the bus station as well as the train station, so I’m good to go for my weekend trips. 

So after I had brunch I went back to my residence at Worcester College, which has 26 acres of land on-site and has an award-winning garden. The front lawn facing the entrance is neat and tidy with patterns mowed into the grass, and they keep it extra pristine by banning any sort of human walking on it. They would probably chase off the ducks too, except they’re quite happy lounging beside the Worcester Lake. Their gardeners are so intense that they have their own blog!

After so much walking I decided to take a nap. After my nap (can you tell I’m not the best writer lol) I took another walk around the city, found the groceries spot, and bought a bunch of fruits and snacks for under £10. To reward myself, I found a Caribbean place and got delicious curry. Sure, I didn’t need to order dessert afterwards, but I decided to stuff myself anyway. That is a pattern that will emerge quite often.

I decided to end the day with a nice run around campus, and to find my way around. So far I found the tennis courts, the computer room, and multiple (kinda sketchy) laundry rooms. A good day, overall. The total cost of my first day was £41.08.