It's currently Friday of 8th week, and I've been saying goodbye both to the friends I've made here and to Oxford. It's likely been the hardest and most demanding term I've ever had, but it's also been the best, and I would not trade it for anything. The Summit term has helped me to consider my interests (which are extremely varied) and allow me to consider how I might best combine those for a career. Meanwhile, the Oxford term has helped me in developing my skills in writing (and reading) as well as my German. I feel that I have benefited immensely from these studies.
I also have been saying goodbye to my friends here in the U.K. I had lunch yesterday with a fellow New College student who I met within my first week of tutorials here named Matt. He's a brilliant student currently studying Science of Humanities here. When I told him I was studying worldviews like Christianity, Islam, Marxism and Secular Humanism, he said, "Wonderful! Every time I tell someone I'm a secular humanist I have to explain what I am." That lead to many great discussions over lunch and dinner in the college dining hall. Today we had what will likely be our last lunch together. I commented on how I have found that in Britain, people are much more willing to have discussion over contentious issues and have arguments that are really exciting and intense. Afterwards, they don't take the disagreements personally. We just shake hands and ask when we'll get together next. In the U.S. I've had times (one in particular comes to mind) when I was arguing with a fellow over what I considered to be an essential of the Christian faith, and a pastor came over and tried to break up the argument, getting angry with me when I tried to renew it. But with people like Matt, we can have all sorts of great discussions, and I personally found his questions about my faith to be very probing and helpful to me in my growth. I gave him a copy of Dinesh D'Souza's What's So Great About Christianity as a parting gift, and we went our separate ways.
Last night I went to a Christmas party with some of the other American students here in Oxford. I'm had a great time. I've gotten to have some great discussions with many of them. One in particular, Chris, is a really great guy. We come from very different perspectives both religiously and politically, but I feel I've gained a friend and we both have mutual respect for each other as men who try to think critically about the world.
I'm going to miss this place so much.
I also have been saying goodbye to my friends here in the U.K. I had lunch yesterday with a fellow New College student who I met within my first week of tutorials here named Matt. He's a brilliant student currently studying Science of Humanities here. When I told him I was studying worldviews like Christianity, Islam, Marxism and Secular Humanism, he said, "Wonderful! Every time I tell someone I'm a secular humanist I have to explain what I am." That lead to many great discussions over lunch and dinner in the college dining hall. Today we had what will likely be our last lunch together. I commented on how I have found that in Britain, people are much more willing to have discussion over contentious issues and have arguments that are really exciting and intense. Afterwards, they don't take the disagreements personally. We just shake hands and ask when we'll get together next. In the U.S. I've had times (one in particular comes to mind) when I was arguing with a fellow over what I considered to be an essential of the Christian faith, and a pastor came over and tried to break up the argument, getting angry with me when I tried to renew it. But with people like Matt, we can have all sorts of great discussions, and I personally found his questions about my faith to be very probing and helpful to me in my growth. I gave him a copy of Dinesh D'Souza's What's So Great About Christianity as a parting gift, and we went our separate ways.
Last night I went to a Christmas party with some of the other American students here in Oxford. I'm had a great time. I've gotten to have some great discussions with many of them. One in particular, Chris, is a really great guy. We come from very different perspectives both religiously and politically, but I feel I've gained a friend and we both have mutual respect for each other as men who try to think critically about the world.
I'm going to miss this place so much.
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