July 30, 2016

It's about two months from the time when the fact that I was going to study abroad was sinking in. It's hard to believe that I've been back in America for a few weeks now; adjusting to life in Mississippi

was easy but I am still missing Oxford so much. In my last few days in England, I stayed in London where I visited Hampton Court, the home of Henry VIII and William III (obviously at different times), I shopped on Oxford Street and I saw Les Miserables at the Queen's Theatre.

Hampton Court is a beautiful place, a few train stops outside of London, and it was home to Henry VIII. Inside, Anne Boleyn helped Henry decorate his halls and you can also take a tour of the kitchens to see how they prepared his food and how much wine they drank -- hey, it was a freaking ton. I loved Hampton Court. It was my first day in London alone, and I really just got to wander and enjoy the grounds and rooms alone. I love doing things like that alone or with people but at different paces -- it's much more fun most times to just take these things in by yourself. And Hampton Court was just gorgeous; the grounds were lovely and the decorations of the rooms were breathtaking. In this picture to the right, this a ceiling which follows up the stairs, across the ceiling and onto the other side of the wall. And I'm not joking when I say it honestly took my breath away.

The next day I shopped in a few stores on Oxford Street but the most exciting part was seeing Les Miserables. A few girls in my house decided to go a couple of weeks before but didn't really extend an invite to the rest of us, so after hearing about it, I booked my own ticket. Cause, come heck or high water, I was gonna see my favorite musical. And oh it was worth it. I was terrified to ride the subway by myself at night but I was on a high. The man who played Jean Valjean was phenomenal and had me in tears within the first ten minutes of the show. It was ridiculous. That show was life changing. I was so in love with everything about it.

My flight back to America was easy enough, though it felt like it was years long. And now I've been back here for a good few weeks and I... I don't even know that I've processed going. I know that I feel different, that I've read more Hemingway than I ever thought I would, I know that I could get you around Oxford easily, and I know that I definitely felt like I belonged there throughout my time in Oxford. While there, I bought this vintage camera -- which is kinda my thing. I like to take pictures and I like to look at cameras. Aesthetically, they add something in my opinion. I've added it to my shelf and every now and then, I just stop and think about the things I've done.

Oxford was such a positive experience. I still cannot believe that I've lived there and understood how the people worked, how the traffic moved, how to become part of the society. I've been a bit depressed since coming home just because I had to leave such a marvelous setting for one that I'm so used to. My time in Oxford is something that I couldn't trade for anything else. I wouldn't have chosen to go anywhere else for any other set of time -- unless I could have stayed longer, because I definitely would have done that. It was unlike anything I could have imagined and I thank God every day that I got to live out something that I've wanted to do since I was probably nine years old. I'd go back right now if I could.

catch you later,
Karleigh

July 1, 2016

The Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, tacked onto the back of the National History Museum, houses an odd collection of objects from surgical equipment to toys. The setup of the Pitt Rivers blatantly seems to reject the ‘traditional’ way to set up a museum – that is following a setup that travels through time periods or that follows the narrative decided upon by the museum. Instead, the Pitt Rivers has chosen to keep like-objects together, combining objects from all over the world based on their similarities. Most times, museums group objects and works of art together by their region and the regions are grouped together based on the time in which they were around. For example, you are likely to find Ancient Rome, Greece, and Egypt in the same area of the museum. These places are using similar types of tools but they are grouped by region to keep the objects organized and make touring the museum more streamlined.

However, the Pitt Rivers has rejected this idea of organization and instead groups the objects by use and not on region or time period. Weaponry, like swords and shields, are grouped together from all over instead of with their region or time period for example. When you first walk down into the Pitt Rivers, it already gives of an eerie vibe as the lights are dimmed and the cases are all very close together. Already, the atmosphere of this portion of the museum gives the visitors the feeling of uneasiness. Straight off the stairs and you’re in front of a case full of dolls modeled to look exactly like humans – here is a hint as I don’t have a picture, they look like creepier versions of people. From the creation of man, the human form has been the subject of many types of art. People have always tried to capture the exact proportion to explicitly show the human form; however, it never really works out. We aren’t as ugly as some of these artistic versions and we are not all as beautiful as Michelangelo’s David. However, these figures do set the tone for the rest of the museum.

The Pitt Rivers’ organization leads you in circles around the room to observe the clothes of different areas, which are separated by their area on the ground floor, but still follow the theme of attire. Upstairs, the floor covers objects from tools for surgery from all over the world. The ones I noticed immediately are from Mukden, Manchuria; with these tools, it must have hurt terribly to have surgery. And in the same breath, you can turn from these tools to see toys found in areas in America. One of the most notable ones to me was the puppet of the cow, which was used to teach children moral lessons. I believe the cow was from the Midwest and it’s noticeably older, as you can see somewhat in the picture I took.

It’s interesting to look in the Pitt Rivers Museum; I wish I could have devoted more time than I had at the time I visited, which was twice, to really explore all of the floors and to read more about the objects. The organization of the museum leaves you in awe of the adaptations of people around the world, just in a different manner than you would normally find in a more traditionally set up museum. 

catch you later,

Karleigh