Caitlin and I outside of the New College Boys Choir
Over by the Harry Potter Great Wall place
This place is gorgeous!
My friend Johnny and I... we are not really kissing. :)
Heather and me showing the cobblestone walkways
This is what you see everywhere you look! These buildings are incredible!
This is where C.S. Lewis wrote The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe. The story goes that he needed a new character and he walked out the door and saw this door. :) Do you recognize the character?
My friend Danny taking a picture of someone taking a picture of... well you get the idea.
One thing I have missed during this study abroad where we learn about singing is actually singing. We’ve studied these incredible pieces and I’ve wanted to sing along with the recordings but not mess them up. :) Anyway, this morning we finally sang! We will be performing a couple of songs in the Oxford ward on Sunday. We rehearsed “I Stand All Amazed” and “I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say”. It was so nice! There is a unity that happens as we sing together and I’m so glad we were able to rehearse. It’s nice to have Dr. Staheli and Sister Hall get on us and tell us to sing in tune and cut off together and all those things. :) Really though, it was a wonderful morning just because we sang together finally.
We rode the coach to Oxford and when we got there, Sister Hall invited 5 of us to go observe a rehearsal of the New College boys choir. I was so grateful to be one of those 5. What a blessing! I can’t tell you how amazing these kids are!!!! They sight-read stuff that it would take me a week of rehearsal in Women’s Chorus to get. They sing in tune, they sing really high, they sight-read beautifully. It was so inspiring to go to their rehearsal. I was also really impressed with their conductor. He treated them like adults. There was an expectation that they act like adults while in rehearsal. And they did just that. They were very professional little boys while they were in rehearsal. The conductor also taught them organ theory during the rehearsal. He asked them if they were to play the accompaniment to one of the pieces, which stops would they use? The students told him what they would use and why. It was a very interesting discussion to listen to. I was very impressed and came away with the feeling that children meet the expectations placed on them. As adults, we should not be placing limitations on their progress. It was such a great experience.
After the rehearsal, we walked around Oxford and toured some of the buildings. We had a baguette with delicious stuff in it. :) I really love the sandwiches here. The bread makes the sandwich I’ve decided. European bread is amazing. mmm... yes.
Walking around Oxford really puts you back in time. It is a nice atmosphere. The roads and pathways are made of stone and cement. It’s like cobblestone except they are actual rocks and not bricks. During WWII, Hitler wanted to use Oxford as a headquarters of some kind so he made sure it was never harmed. It’s a beautiful campus. I’m really glad we got to go there today. A little later in the day, a few of us went outside of the Harry Potter Great Hall and we took a nap on the grass. It was so beautiful! It was a warm day and the sunshine on our faces was exactly what we needed. I loved it.
We listened to Evensong at New College. It was so heavenly. I wish I could remember all these things I hear forever. I pray Heavenly Father will help me to burn them into my memory. I love this place.
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