Throughout our whole Oxford as Text course, one major theme that kept reoccurring within every lesson discussed in class and has certainly remained evident during our experience at Oxford is place. Place, not only in terms of location, but also in terms of sense of place, has definitely impacted our way of seeing, knowing, and understanding the world. For example, the way we view the world back home in New York is not the say others residing in Oxford views the world. In other words, according a reading on defining place we read for class, "a meaningful place" can without a doubt establish one's perspective of life.
In terms of thinking of place as a location, New York is very much different from Oxford. Located in two different countries, continents, and areas of the world. New York is more populous than Oxford. Also, New York City's urban environment can be appreciated for its' diverse residents, whereas Oxford is more quiet and has a more suburban environment. One aspect of place I highly appreciated during my time in Oxford was that it appears to be darker much later (approximately 10:00 p.m.) than it does in New York. As a result of this, I cherished my time there, because with the sun out for so long, it made the length of the day seem much longer, leaving there to be more time in the day to find activities to do. I also greatly admired the scenery, which is very much different from New York, as the buildings in Oxford were much more antiquated. Just being in the environment allowed me to enjoy waking up each morning to start a new day and explore all there was to see. I believe the scenery also served as a stimulant for engaging in intellectual conversations anywhere, whereas in New York, having an intellectual conversation outside of school is rare unless it is for a homework assignment.
Being in a different place allowed me to want to step outside of my comfort zone and only use my phone for its' camera and not for its' messaging or music features. I did not have to use my headphones one while walking or taking the tube, like I usually do in New York to avoid strangers or catcalling. Although being in Oxford was a different experience, I did not mind it at all, and it even helped me to realize that viewing and understanding the world differently doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing!
