Instructions For Saying Goodbye
It is never easy to say goodbye. To take a path away from your friends and loved ones. To leave home behind. It is important to cry. Not only tears of heartache, but tears from fear of stepping into the unknown. Acknowledge the facts. You may never see these people again, but embrace them while you can. Smile down at the dog fur on your clothes. Retrace the familiar routes and savor the air you have acquainted yourself with. Ride around town and park in the spot with the peculiar divot. Grab a coffee from the café that knows your order. Stroll through the grocery store that smells like steamed carrots and mackerel. Throw a party. Retrieve the camera from the back of the storage closet. Enjoy the silence. Realize that goodbyes are simply transitions.
Close Families
A family in Neolithic Period Cyprus can be found residing in round houses that contain just a singular room. This one room is however divided up into areas for various tasks such as sleeping, cooking, and eating. It seems the families living in these houses have strong ties as they bury their deceased beneath the floors they sleep, cook, and eat on. It is amazing to think about just how many people share the one space.
Handshake
In ancient Greece, handshakes symbolized family unity in the present world and the next life. Handshakes also represented proper family relationships.
Handshakes have lost their original meaning. Today, they are just used as a way to greet. In fact, I never shake hands with a family member as that feels a bit too proper. I often question the purpose of these formalities, but I still find it interesting to learn how they started.
Cycladic Figurines
Once considered ugly marble figurines, Cycladic figurines are now appreciated for their simplistic beauty. Interestingly enough, the largest category of these figurines is of nude, pregnant women with arms crossed over their stomachs. Also quite thought-provoking is that the figures visibly become less curvy over time. Women’s roles have changed. The oldest figurines celebrate “achieved fertility,” while later models show more slender women with “potential fertility.” Women became possessions to win.
Two Young Boys
“Look through your glass. Look through your glass!”.
“What is this supposed to be?”.
“A hand”.
Jade
Requires patience, time, and is labor intensive. Thus, it has great value.
A green stone.
Hand and Forearm of Buddha
Pictured above is a hand gesture that I imagined to be saying “halt” or “stop” when in reality, it is a way to give a blessing. Even hand gestures differ and change over time and by location.
It is always important to remember when somewhere new, the meaning of something you are doing can differ significantly from the meaning at home.
Ceramics of the Middle East and Back Home
The ceramics with familiar arabesque and colors reminds me of home in Winchester.
My father, an immigrant from Turkey, was left with pieces like these when his mother died.
Family heirlooms that were passed down through generations.
They are displayed throughout our house in carved wood cases with glass fronts.
My family does not collect art, but we value the objects' history and have kept them safe.
Our ceramics are not nearly as old, but the personal connection makes them more valuable to me.
These vases and plates will one day be mine.
I must keep them alive so others can enjoy their beauty just like I have.
Heard in the Ashmolean
An exchange between a mother and her young son.
Mother: “They look so modish.”
Son: “They look so fresh in the box, but they aren’t.”
How does ‘Colonialism and Collecting’ make you feel?
Various viewpoints from varying age groups:
I appreciate the reach of this exhibit. Everyone has their unique perspective on any issue, and it was nice to see the opposing viewpoints sitting right next to each other on a little “carousel.”
Pitt Rivers Museum
Stolen
All around the Pitt Rivers and Ashmolean, objects that don’t seem to be in their homes are scattered about. While I don’t know the stories about how all of these items appeared in the museums, I know that 97 objects taken from Benin City are still housed here. Nigeria has requested the return of these items, but the process appears to be taking longer than it should. Equally disturbing to me are the burial items and offerings that I assume are not grounded where they should be. I hope some of these objects can make their way home to rest peacefully.
Cures For A Headache
Today, some standard Western practices for treating headaches include:
Rest
Fluids
Ibuprofen/Paracetamol
In 16th Century Europe, snuff (inhaled smokeless tobacco) was used for the same purpose.
Snuff bottles of various materials, shapes, and sizes were displayed in both museums, which I found quite peculiar. Why was the collection split between the two museums, and why do the museums here have such an extensive collection of these bottles?
Abigail
Her mother asks how she feels. Abigail, who I estimate to be around 6, replies, “I am sad, but I don’t know why. My brain hurts. I want to go somewhere else”. Her mother asks her to explain further, but she says she can’t. Abigail breaks down and starts to cry in the corner of the Pitt Rivers Museum.
Tradition
1. All the characters in Noh to this day are played by men, even if the character is a woman.
2. Women can’t touch the ring at sumo tournaments. Grace tells me that a female EMT was yelled at for touching the ring while trying to do her job.
3. The Empress of Japan, an intelligent, educated woman who went to Oxford and Harvard, is now confined to royal duties. The stress made her ill for many years.
While tradition can be important, so is change.
My favorite meal in Oxford
Without a doubt, I can say that my favorite café in all of Oxford is Society Café. It might even be my favorite place in Oxford. Over the past two weeks, I have only missed two trips to Society (which I also usually regretted). I recognize all the people behind the counter, though I have yet to learn all their names. I think they know me too because I once ventured from my usual order to get a latte for a friend, and they made sure I knew that I was ordering with regular milk (I always get oat milk in my lattes). Sometimes, I like to watch them make my drink. They carefully weigh out the grounds and skillfully make a foam design of a heart, tulip, or swan. I can’t even describe why the coffee is so good, but the combination of the creamy oat milk and nutty roast always makes my day just a little bit better. I have tried coffee at other spots in Oxford, but nothing has been able to top my experiences at Society. Most times, I feel disappointed and then regret spending my money on coffee that is just not as good. While the coffee at Society is some of the best I have ever had, the tranquil atmosphere and the friendly staff have made the coffee shop my little sanctuary. It’s the perfect place to do my work, talk to friends, and get some caffeine.
The Botanic Garden
Comfort
Despite being approximately 3,200 miles from my home in Winchester, Massachusetts, I have felt at ease in my new environment. It helps that the language is familiar, but the town itself feels more homey to me than Atlanta ever did. Throughout my trip to the botanic garden, I was greeted with reminders of home and my childhood.
Hydrangeas: I took pictures of almost every hydrangea I could find. They are my dad’s favorite flower. At home, we grow hydrangeas of a couple different varieties (mostly green and white ones). My favorite hydrangeas in the garden were the ‘Vanille Fraise’, which not only have a very yummy sounding name but are white with what almost looks like hints of pink painted over some of the flowers.
Rose Arches: One of the last places I spent time with my friends before leaving Boston was the Kelleher Rose Garden. The garden was filled with hundreds of varieties of roses and contained lots of arches that they grew on. Seeing the rose arches at the Oxford Botanic Garden reminded me of the final moments with my friends at home.
(2 photos of Kelleher Rose Garden followed by a picture of Oxford Botanic Garden)
Agave: I sweeten most foods at home using agave. This includes when I make tea, lemonade, or even cakes. I don’t even know why I started doing it, but it became a habit. I haven’t seen much agave, and I definitely haven’t used it since starting college. Today, when I saw the large agave plant, it was a reminder of the sweet flavor that comes from the sap in the monstrous leaves
Lavender: I was born in Doylestown, a small town in Pennsylvania where land was cheap and plentiful. As a result, the first house I remember had an expansive garden which contained at least 20 lavender plantings. Lavender is and has been my favorite flower for as long as I can remember. As a child, I battled the honeybees to smell the lavender plants, so seeing plenty of lavender at the botanic gardens brought me some joy. I love the simplicity of lavender. The shape, the smell, and even the taste. When I bake using lavender, my friends are less inclined to try my creations, but my parents enjoy the flavor of lavender just like me. Maybe it's like cilantro; some think it tastes like soap, but to me, it adds necessary flavor to many foods.
The Window
On my way back from the garden, I noticed that a few people were walking into the doors of Magdalen. I spontaneously decided to step in and spent 7 pounds to enter. There were some beautiful windows right when I walked in, and I figured it would be the perfect place to take my stop.
I was greeted with the sound of a lawnmower and the smell of freshly cut grass. These things would have made me turn the other way 10 years ago due to my bad pollen allergies. Today, I don’t need my sublingual drops to enjoy pretty gardens (springtime is still rough without Claritin or Xyzal).
I watched a family walk around with their two young children, reminding me of my brother and me when we were the same age. Like my brother, the youngest wanted to enter every room, even those marked ‘private.’ The oldest kept saying things like “Look at the signs” or “Keep walking”. The older sibling’s experience of a wandering younger sibling must be a well-shared stressor. I often wish I was as carefree as my little brother. Instead, I have always been a rule follower who doesn’t like the feeling of doing things out of my comfort zone.
Even more so than at the botanic gardens, the Magdalen grounds were filled with more of my father’s favorite type of flower. Light green and white hydrangeas surrounded the courtyard. After I left the window to walk around, I noticed more of these delicate (but quite large) flowers by the waterways.
I am amazed by how much work each Oxford college I have visited put into their gardens, but I greatly appreciate it. Every time I have seen another college, there is some person in the garden doing some form of maintenance work. While the architecture of Oxford is impressive enough, the gardens give some softness to the old English Gothic buildings.
I hope to return to the city of Oxford in the near and far away future. I don’t think I ever would have chosen to visit Oxford on vacation, so I would never have experienced this magical place if it wasn’t for school. I love walking, so each day, I try to walk and visit a new site or just walk on a different side of the road. I have tried to be more spontaneous, leading to some of the city's most amazing stops and views. Every day, I feel like I am in some sort of picture book, like the pop-up books with the fairies and weeping willows. Even though I am settling into a routine, I will actively try to explore each day so I don’t miss any opportunities over the next four weeks.
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