July 26

Today was our final excursion. After lunch we jumped on a coach and headed to Windsor Castle. The ride was long and many of us fell asleep, but once we saw the huge stone walls of the castle our excitement was infectious. The castle was beyond imagination. It is the largest inhabited castle in the world, and more than a thousand years old. Once we were within the walls of the castle, we were on our own to explore. The sun beat down fiercely today and my gang - Melissa, Lori, and Jen - stopped for some ice cream. We strolled around and passed beautiful gardens with rose bushes and fountains.

I was overwhelmed with the beauty and took loads of pictures! Jen was insistent that we get in line for Mary’s Doll House, which was an inside-look into the home of prominent royal families, dating back to King Edward III. The ceiling was embellished in gold leaves and large crystal chandeliers. On the walls we admired portraits of famous nobles; one striking painting that caught my eye was that of Queen Elizabeth I in her early childhood- she wore a simple red dress and held a Bible in her hands. We passed the royal dining room and learned that more than fifty chairs surrounded the long, furnished dinner table. We passed drawing rooms that were bigger than my house and glimpsed porcelain dolls that were uncomfortably large, and were accommodated with large model cars. We stepped outside to admire the Quadrangle that was not open to tourists then headed towards St George’s Chapel. To our dismay the chapel had just closed but others in the group had managed to tour it. As we casually strolled along the stone path a young man shouted at me from a few feet away. I spun around to see him cheering for Canada; he had obviously seen our nation’s name emphasized on my shorts and it took me a minute to realize it. As we walked further away I learned that he was from Halifax, and managed to shout that my roots were from Ottawa.

Later on, Lori, Melissa , and Jen were excited to get a picture taken with the guard on duty who was dressed in full costume. He stood stock still, unflinching as people swarmed him for a photo. I openly teased the guard, mocking his sullen expression for the excited tourists. Suddenly, Jen was at my back pushing me forward for a picture with the guard. I reluctantly tumbled forward and muttered “Hi” knowing he would not return my gesture. I was wrong. The guard stomped his right foot hard onto the ground making me jump. He twirled his gun, turned his back on me, and marched away as if I carried the plague! I stood in shock for a few seconds while nearby tourists laughed at the scene. As Lori pulled me away still laughing the guard returned to his spot and resumed his anti-social standing. We left Windsor castle with smiles and stories that will carry us to the grave and headed for McDonalds. The day slowly came to a close as the group regrouped back at the bus.

- Cassie L.

July 25th 2008

Today the students woke up at 7:30, groaned and rolled over deciding to emerge at 8:00 instead. After breakfast, the students split up to attend their different classes. Students were pleased to discover that classes would be taking place in different locations than normal for today. Grade 12 Writer’s Craft was to take place at Christ Church College, while grade 11 English was to take place in and around downtown Oxford.

Writer’s Craft started off the trip with inspirational writing (writing based on inspiration gained from the surroundings so it’s only fitting that they end the trip with the same). Students were tasked with writing a story focused on or around Christ Church College. With three different points of inspiration to choose from- outside the college, a riverbank, and outside a nearby church steeple- the students had many opportunities to be inspired. Many students took refuge under a shady tree to write, with one intrepid author deciding to climb the tree and write from there. After an hour and a half, the students decided to visit a nearby covered market for milkshakes. With over 200 flavors, ranging from cereals, to candy, to fruits, there was lots of choice for everyone; even Mr. Nugent got a milkshake.

Grade 11 English presented a monologue for class, a ten minute maximum presentation on the life of a famous poet. Students chose locations around Oxford to use as the backdrops for their monologue such as famous colleges, or former places of residence. Students had been worrying about this presentation for several days, and the mood was much more relaxed after it was finished. After a fun-filled morning, students rushed back to St. Edwards to prepare for a chocolaty afternoon at the Cadbury Factory near Birmingham. Seventeen students piled into a full van for the hour and a half drive to the factory. After arriving and stretching legs, students followed Mr. Nugent into the factory to see how chocolate was made. After visiting a ‘re-enactment’ of how the Cadbury recipe was created, the adventurous students chose their own ingredients to be added to liquid chocolate to make their own creation.

Their stomachs now hungry for even more chocolate, the students entered the main part of the factory. After receiving two free chocolate bars at the entrance, they learned about the origins of chocolate and how Cadbury first started out. The students experienced the making of chocolate through a semi-interactive video. Benches shook, air blew, and props moved to make students feel like they were the cocoa beans. The next stop on the tour was the factory floor, and students got to see how chocolate was packaged and shipped, the creation process being a highly guarded secret. Near the end of the tour, students were shown a demonstration of how chocolate shells were created, unfortunately, the chocolate was display only.

Stomachs still hungering for chocolate, the students finished the tour in the gift shop, where the real fun began. One kilogram chocolate bars, chocolate rugby balls, chocolate bars with many different flavors, and other souvenirs of the trip which would last longer, such as shirts, hats, cups, and games, were all purchased.

The students, content with their chocolate purchases, piled back into the small van to drive back to St. Edwards. The drive back took longer then expected because of traffic from the Blenheim palace game fair. After two hours the students finally arrived back at St. Edwards in time for dinner.

After dinner, some students put the finishing touches on stories and essays while others played a game of soccer in the back field. Though the students were split after dinner and did their own thing, but when night fell everyone met in the foyer donning black clothing for Stealth – a game of capture the flag played at night. All the students participated in the game that a few students had suggested and then organized, and it was a rousing success. Stealth lasted until minutes before curfew, and students had to run back to the dorms to make it in before the building locked down.Tired from the days escapades, students said their good nights, cleaned themselves up, and retired to their rooms.

- Chris A.

July 24th

This morning started out wonderfully due to the fact that class started at 9:00 instead of the usual 8:30. Last night, the teachers gave the gift of class starting later because of Josh’s 17th Birthday Party! The party kept some of us wound up after bed-time, shouting over to the boy’s kitchen until Mr. Nugent shut them down. Ooops! Still, it was good to have the extra snoozing time.

We had beautiful weather all day today. The temperature was 27O, the sun was out, and there wasn’t the usual chilly wind in the air today. Also, it was another day without rain! Today, in class, Mr. Nugent had us take advantage of the beautiful weather, and we all sprawled out across the St. Edward’s lawn, inspired to write on castles and palaces. After our class was over, the whole group made their way into Oxford. Today’s excursion was to visit Christ Church.

It was definitely a struggle getting to Christ Church through the bustling tourists, but after we made it, it was completely worth it. I don’t know if any of us knew what to expect, but once we walked through the gate and saw the beautiful wonders of such a historical place, it was just absolutely priceless. This also may be due to the fact that some of us walked around in a Harry Potter-induced haze. The Harry Potter films actually shot some scenes for the movie here, and the dining hall influenced the movie set. It was so exciting to be walking down the same hall that most of us recognised in the movies.

Besides the Harry Potter aspect, Christ Church was still remarkable. There was so much detail on every inch of the buildings, and also the colourful, glorious stained-glass windows were breathtaking. I was astonished by how large the grounds were; I think many of us imagined how amazing it would be to actually attend school there!

After the Christ Church tour was over, some of us stayed in Oxford to see The Dark Knight movie – in England you can buy your tickets days in advance, even getting assigned seats just like a theatre at home. Others went back to dorms to work on our new assignment. Today was an eventful day, but despite the amount of work we have to do, we still made time for our trip’s favourite movie tonight: Across the Universe.

- Christine L.

July 23rd

I woke up late today and rushed out of my dorm to get to class. Upon arriving I could see that it was not only me who was tired, but all my fellow classmates; even my teacher was not looking his brightest, as we dove head-first into our text books. Finally, class ended and students begin to flood the school quad, all eager to go to Blenheim Palace. After the fifteen minute bus ride the class poured out onto the vast grounds, taking pictures of the lake, bridge, and avenue to the Blenheim memorial on the hill. We took a tour of Blenheim and were shown all around the house of the Churchill’s. Walking around I appreciated the love of the Dukes of Marlborough for tapestries, French furniture, and family paintings. The tour guide was knowledgeable but some felt he was as old as some of the pieces. The dining room walls and ceiling were painting as if they were three-dimensional carvings; the optical illusion was fascinating. The table expands to accommodate thirty-six family members for Christmas dinner. The entrance was carved out of marble as if it was a Greek temple. The perfect way to end the visit was travelling on the miniature train out to the Marlborough maze. The maze was probably one of the best parts of the entire trip; it was students vs. teachers to see who could finish first. Needless to say the students won, because I gave the teachers some wrong directions from the ladder look-out!

After the stimulating adventure to Blenheim, all the students set up for Josh’s 17th birthday, Josh quietly waiting in his room unaware of the shenanigans that would soon be afoot. Everyone from Writer’s Craft and grade eleven and twelve English was invited to this hoedown. With iPod speakers blaring “Aqua” and the guys from Writer’s Craft giving Josh a lap dance, it was clear that this party was booming. The night ended when everyone got into a circle, swaying back and forth, singing, “Hey Jude”. That was truly a day neither I nor the others will forget!

- Jordan D.

July 22nd

Another glorious day in England! After another morning of classes, our group was dismissed to have lunch and enjoy their free evening and afternoon. Some went off-campus: venturing to Summertown and its numerous small shops, or around our quaint neighbourhood, or into the bustling city of Oxford. A few students occupied spare seats of the Ireland group's bus to London. Others remained on campus, enjoying the summer weather (the British weather has been quite lovely the past few days and will hopefully remain so, knock on wood). It has become a favourite pastime of some members of our group to lay on the perfectly-manicured fields that surround our dorm and “work on our assignments” while enjoying the glorious scenery (which includes, and is not limited to, the perfectly blue sky, the perfectly green and short grass, the perfectly sculpted, shirtless European football players on the pitch near-by…). A pick-up game of soccer (or football, if we are to use the British term) was conducted right before dinner. The winning team is unknown, but the game left many players requiring a shower in order to be presentable for dinner. After dinner, some wandered about until curfew, while others settled in to the common room for tonight's cinema experience. Tonight's movie was The Matrix, which was watched solely because of its similarities to the novel which is currently the focus of the Grade 12 English class (Brave New World) and not because of its status as a “super cool movie”.

July 21st

Our classes were interrupted midway by the announcement that a scavenger hunt would be held in downtown Oxford.. We were instructed to divide ourselves into groups (some small, some large) and complete a series of questions about various different attractions and buildings that we may have over-looked during our own personal adventures in town. Our prescribed route took us on a varied tour around the downtown area - we saw fanciful carvings in the walls of university buildings, the colleges and old haunts of well-known names from our English and science text books, an intriguing pub where the walls were covered in ties and a small restaurant that served an unusual delicacy that only a few brave souls tried: a deep fried Mars Bar. After our scavenger hunt was complete, some stayed in the city to explore or shop (or buy their Dark Knight ticket), while others returned to Summertown to either walk the main drag of town or lounge about on campus. An unfortunate few had to return to complete projects that were due later that day. Later on in the afternoon, a group of students went out to see the new Pixar movie, Wall-E (reviews were positive all around). The movie that was shown that night for our daily cinematic adventures in the common room was “Across the Universe”, which is quickly becoming one of the favourite films of our group this trip.

- Katie C

Sunday July 20th The seemingly eighty-nine students, forty-three in reality, woke up at the crack of seven thirty and crammed onto the cramped bus for the short ride to Warwick Castle. The loud mix of the Ireland kids tainted the glorious silence of the London/Oxford kids, but we just had to deal with it. To be honest, after several minutes people either fell asleep or lowered their conversations to a dull hum. A quick disembarkment and close call with another coach bus led us to a short walk around a rock wall to the heart of Warwick. The awkward howling of an accordion reached our ears as we turned en-masse to see a comically ugly (made-up) elderly couple playing their medieval instruments and acting over-joyous for the occasion. Picture opportunity! A man on stilts sifted through the crowd of people gathering around the knight and princess - more picture opportunities! Past the ticket booth, a magnificent castle stood amongst trees and lush, green grass. A man stood outside displaying his archery skills to the group, along with easy comic banter, and all too easy, familiar shots. Needless to say, everyone was impressed.

A walk through the castle led the brave-hearted to a skinny, pitchy, ninety-degree angle staircase, which led to the ramparts, Guy Tower and Caesar Tower. The view was too beautiful to believe: green grass surrounded the ant-sized people, and there were swarms of peacocks, swans, ducks, vultures, eagles, hawks, and the odd colourful hat. There was more to behold than the human eye could take in. The green flowed farther than was possible to see, not to mention the swarm of camera flashes and tourists packed onto the roof. Going down felt eight times as far as going up, only because the domino effect was present on everyone’s mind, and the only thing you could see on the tower staircase was the shirt belonging to the stranger in front of you.

As tourists, the customary approach to sight-seeing is following the sea of people, and, luckily enough, it somehow brought us to a knight’s melee battle using wooden poles. This introduced the Wars of the Roses, with the advancing army of York and the house of Lancaster, of whom the Earl of Warwick was a supporter (he was called the Kingmaker) fighting in the name of King Henry VI. This battle was filtered with crowd-pleasing comedy, and advertisements to the next event, the giant Trebuchet.

Swept along by the mass of people coincidentally brought us to the Trebuchet event, displaying the twenty-two ton wooden beast, slowly being wound up by people running in hamster wheels. There was a long description of siege engines (trebuchets are good examples). After roughly thirty minutes, the Trebuchet was all ready for firing. Crowd fully psyched, we watched as the giant launched what seemed like a bowling ball, though it did weigh 15 kg, and it hurled hundreds of feet to end in a soft landing. In many people’s opinions, not worth the wind-up.

As we dashed to find a new event, we stumbled upon a bird show, and were told to take off any unnecessarily bright hats, as it would attract the bald eagle. You could see people ducking to avoid the vulture as it caressed the air inches above people’s hair. Everyone was obsessed by the all too brave wild sparrow-hawk who was defending her near-by nest from these giant raptors by darting at the massive birds, who in turn circled the falconer in search of food and a place to land and escape the sparrow-hawk.

The fortunate pull of the crowd dragged us on to a jousting competition, and the final decision of who the winner would be in the battle of York and Lancaster. This event was filled with light-hearted comedy, daring horseback acrobatics, and impressive knightly tactics, displayed by the use of flails, maces, swords, shields, battle axes, and most obviously, lances. Throughout the interesting competition, people cheered for mixed stunts, and brought about the timely end: an up-roaring victory for Lancaster House and King Henry VI. This sadly ended our time at Warwick Castle, but not before the crowd was filtered through a gift shop, and oddly enough back out to the couple playing accordion and “whoo-hooing” their hearts out. Unfortunately we had to make our way back to the bus, and say a final farewell to the looming castle that is Warwick.

A short bus ride to Stratford-Upon-Avon brought us to the birth and resting place of William Shakespeare, and houses with which the Shakespeare family was affiliated at sometime or another. Oddly enough, after looking at Shakespeare’s tomb everyone seemed to end up at McDonald’s or a Stratford tearoom, and were more than happy to get some food and sleep on the way home.

- Ben G.

Saturday, July 19th One of the commitments a student makes in Writer’s Craft is to publish something before the course ends. In a summer course, this can be problematic, but this blogging opportunity has allowed the students to fulfil that obligation while achieving an evaluation mark. As we hit a hiatus at the mid-point, experiencing a rare Saturday that has neither classes nor an optional excursion, I have taken the reins for one day. The students in all courses are now reflecting upon their mid-term marks that went home yesterday and setting goals for the final tasks to come. There is also a busy upcoming seven days with three out-trips to anticipate.

Some students enjoyed a sleep-in, others caught up on laundry or put the final touches on mid-term essays, others made the trek into Oxford for more shopping or exploration of the University, and one intrepid group bought tickets for the hour-and-a-half train trip north to Birmingham to see some sights and visit a mall.

The evening found a large group of girls heading over to Mama Mia’s restaurant, just outside the school’s gates, for a meal on the patio, while a few other couples(!) went into Summertown for dinner at other spots. The boys’ floor was all a-twitter because each had received an anonymous love note pushed under the door at some point during the afternoon; the girls’ floor was in a state of hilarity because the boys had taken the notes seriously! The group really demonstrated what they were all about, however, when the Mama Mia contingent returned with a challenge to the boys to participate in a capture-the-flag game on the school’s fields. Who knew that so many students would pack ninja clothing of black shirts and black pants? Who knew that the girls would mascara on cat’s whiskers in an attempt to mimic football/baseball players’ eye-black? And the game was commencing at 10 p.m., so there was no sun with which to contend! The boys, not surprisingly given the numerical disadvantage, demurred on the gender challenge, so a mixing occurred and the game progressed with much hilarity. A few stumbled through watery areas or came into contact with stinging nettles, but to witness the triumphant return of all just minutes before the 11 curfew was heart-warming for the teachers.

My experience with boarding schools and student trips pre-dates the birth of any student in this group, and I can honestly say that we have been blessed with this group of students. They are individuals, but they have also identifiably bonded with each other. They are polite, respectful to the authority figures, and have positively engaged with each learning opportunity (inside or outside the classroom) with which they have been presented. Given all the negative temptations towards which they might have turned, the joyous and innocently playful game tonight speaks volumes about the character of our students. I felt like I was in Mayberry or in a ‘Leave it to Beaver’ episode: such is not the usual expectation with today’s generation. So, as the students would say, “Big ups” to you parents for raising these daughters and sons – it is a pleasure to teach some and know them all.

- JGN

July 18, 2008

Today was another typical school day. We were up early, and then went to class. There is exciting news though. Blocks were taken off of the school internet. This means that websites which we so heavily rely upon, like MySpace and FaceBook, are now accessible. We are enjoying reconnecting with our friends and family at home, while adding new friends from here.This evening’s activity was going to the play Romeo and Juliet on the St. Edward’s campus. Despite its hilarity, the general consensus among students was negative because of the modern dress and the youth of the actors. But, all that can be solved and forgiven with a few rounds of Mario Kart before bed.

July 17, 2008

It hasn’t rained at all this week, which is a good sign. Although it has been cloudy today, spirits are still high. Today was a typical school day. The students woke up bright and early, had a nutritious breakfast, and then headed for class. Ms. Henley’s grade 11 class went for a four hour walk through Portmeadow Downs where they looked for good spots to deliver their poetry presentation. They continued to Oxford where they enjoyed a treat of deep-fried Mars bars. Mmmmm. After lunch, some of the older girls went into town to Starbucks and the local library. There they enjoyed the world of regular internet (without blocks on MySpace, FaceBook, etc.). Meanwhile, the movie Hellboy was playing in the common room for entertainment. Afterwards, a few boys went outside to play soccer (I should say football), while others chose the time to focus on schoolwork. The night was finished off with a scary, yet amusing, showing of the movie The Messengers.

- Samantha M.

Tuesday July 15

On Tuesday, most students woke bleary-eyed, but happy, having been tired out by the late night trip to Stonehenge. They hazily made their way down to the cafeteria and enjoyed breakfast before realizing that ‘um...we have two minutes to get to class,’ leading to speed-walking through the campus to their classrooms. The Writer’s Craft students in particular who, unlike the English students, were not permitted thirty extra minutes of sleep due to the previous night’s late arrival back to St. Edwards (hint hint), were quite out of sorts. Class consisted of a work period on Stonehenge pieces.

There were no plans in place for after class, hence, students did several different things including laundry, sleeping, enjoying the looks of certain members of the neighbouring ABC program, and going shopping in Oxford. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, so all these activities were done both inside and out (well, perhaps not laundry).

After dinner, 'Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street' was shown in the common room. The girls of the program were excited, and so were the guys...until they realized that it was a musical. Surprisingly, though, everyone stayed throughout the movie, until one lad felt the urge to regurgitate after a bloody scene. After a spectacular finale, students trotted off to bed, tired, but happy.

Wednesday July 16

Wednesday began with students waking up, getting dressed, and, on their way out the door to breakfast, discovering a sign lovingly drawn by Mr. Nugent with a cartoon head proclaiming that, weather permitting, the Writer’s Craft class would be participating in an English countryside ramble (get the double meaning?). The class travelled to a nearby cemetery and examined the tombstones for preparation for their next assignment, Dialogues with the Dead.

They then went on a long walk through plains, rivers, valleys and wooded areas (Portmeadow Downs). It was absolutely beautiful, but not without its perils. First, the class witnessed particularly amorous cows participating in activities ... both amusing and slightly discomforting to witness. They then tossed bread at picky ducks who refused to accept their offerings and swum away in the opposite direction. After arriving at a playground, the class took a quick break and returned to their childhoods; climbing play structures, including a mini rock wall (score!) swinging, riding now too small rides, and, in one girl’s case, being quasi-stalked by a child bent on copying her every move.

Upon the discovery of an English cat, the students were particularly happy, with even a few lads coming forth and professing their love for the creature. Alas, the fun had to come to an end, and the class soon finished its trek along the canal and returned to St. Edward’s, where the rest of the period was spent working on Stonehenge pieces and the Dead Dialogues. Consensus is in - this was deemed the best class yet. The afternoon was free of planned activities, thus the students spent their time as they liked: going shopping in Oxford, completing various assignments, reading deliciously trashy magazines (hello, UK Glamour), playing video games, responding to e-mails, playing tennis, and watching cinematic greatness in the form of P.S, I Love You.

-Ronnie L.

Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi) west of Amsesbury and 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) north of Salisbury. One of the most famous prehistoric sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of eathworks surrounding a circular setting of large standing stones. Archaeologists believe that the standing stones were erected around 2200 BC and the surrounding circular earth bank and ditch, which constitute the earliest phase of the monument, have been dated to about 3100 BC.

The Georgia Hardy Tours group enjoyed an optional excursion day at the site....

Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral - July 14th Blog
By: Jason A

We awoke to the buzzing of alarms in the air: a sound we have all become accustomed to. As students dressed for breakfast and classes, a sense of impatience filled the air. Classes were very similar to what they always have been, and the students were counting down every second. For after class we were heading to the Salisbury Cathedral and the historical site of Stonehenge, the second excursion of our tour. The two hour wait after lunch whisked by and students buzzed with excitement as they boarded the coach bus heading to this World Heritage destination.

The bus ride was long, so to pass the time students slept, worked on assignments, played word games, or enjoyed a relaxing sleep as we headed through the majestic country-side. Our bus pulled to a stop in front of the gates of the Cathedral in the town Salisbury. We eagerly stepped into the grounds of the cathedral, instantly overwhelmed by the breath-taking sight of the tallest spire in Britain. As we stepped inside the main hall, we were yet again amazed at the intricate details on every aspect of the cathedral. Our cameras shot away at the elegant statues, the pristine walls, the oldest clock in Britain, and beautifully preserved tombs. A highlight of the cathedral tour was being able to personally see Magna Carta. The highly secured document was truly a sight that can only be truly appreciated through firsthand experience. After we had toured the cathedral, the students headed back to the bus to start our journey to Stonehenge: well, almost all the students. As the teachers counted our group to make sure none were left behind, three students burst through the gate, running full tilt towards the bus. After a short laugh and a few gasps for breath we headed out of Salisbury and towards our main attraction.

Our excitement continued through the half hour ride beside the grassy fields on either side of us. Suddenly, we turn onto a road with low mounds on either side of the bus, showing Stonehenge and all its glory. We stared, glued to the sight of these powerful and magnificent rocks. We parked and got out, thrilled by our surroundings. Quickly, we grabbed our information speakers (electronic walkie-talkie devices that provide a historical background for certain parts of the site), and headed for the stones. As we walked around the fenced area, we stood in awe at the size of these stones. We listened to our little informant in our hands and got amazing pictures, but we waited anxiously for the afterhour’s tour that promised to be quite an experience. We finished our tour and ate the dinner that was graciously provided for us. The place cleared and we excitedly headed to meet our tour guide, Marie. She took us directly into the middle of the site, where we were able to touch the ancient stones. It was a magical hour spent hugging the stone obelisks, finding energy lines, and spelling “rock” with human letters. With our cameras full and our heads high, we headed back to the bus to start our journey home for bed. The bus ride home was filled with exciting tales for a while, until sleep overtook us, and the bus became quiet with the slow breathing of tired students. Satisfied, when the bus returned to St. Edwards, we walked into our residence and, exhausted, prepared for bed as we reflected on the day’s excitement.

July 13th

Sunday being a day synonymous with rest, the participants on the Experience London/Oxford trip took time to relax and unwind. This was the first full day without a scheduled activity or classes since we arrived in England. Some slept in late, missing breakfast in the dining hall in favour of toast and hot chocolate made in the small kitchens located in the dorm building. Others woke up early to do laundry in the nearby Launderette (the British term for Laundromat). This was quite an adventure as some students have never done their own laundry before. A bright fuchsia towel had to be hastily removed from one students white load before she started the wash cycle. A few girls went into Oxford to explore, shop, and take pictures. Many spent their free time outside lounging on the lawns, listening to music, and taking advantage of the sunshine. Every now and then they would rise to toss around a beach ball with a Canadian maple leaf patriotically drawn on the side. Now, fully rested, we are prepared for the week ahead and excited for the Stonehenge excursion tomorrow.

- Emma R