“Watch your right!” That was the first thing Libby, the Programme Director at CBL International, told us at the Welcome & Orientation whilst we were saying Hi to each other and amazed by the wonderful architecture Oriel College (University of Oxford, UK) has to offer. (She was explaining why we should watch out for bicycles in the streets of Oxford). While waiting I had the opportunity to sit in the Hall room, surrounded by portraits of the former Provost of Oriel College, and the Queen. I was imagining myself in a Harry Potter movie.
CBL International gave us a warm welcome, immediately showed us the college and explained to us how these two weeks will work. We had the chance to talk about ourselves, and were amazed by the different nationalities that were filling the room (Chinese, Australian, Ukrainian, German and Colombian) and chat a little before the tour started.
Oriel College is like a dream dormitory, especially for me (I’m from Colombia) where on-campus dorms don’t exist in my country. This particular college is well known for their rowing teams and its great choir, and the mascot is a turtle! A blue turtle!
After our tour, we hit to the unknown and found an amazing place to eat, which was quite reasonable for students. As a typical Colombian living in Germany, I hit to the bar and order a Guinness and some fish and chips (which I later changed for a sandwich).
By the end of our lunch we all wanted to explore the city a little bit more, so we start walking around the streets and discussing the buildings which are all from popular movies (like X-Men), until a bicycle crossed our way. You have to be careful with the bicycles as they don’t stop, and I believe they speed up when they see you crossing the road.
Our first class was Legal Theory, which introduced us to how law in England functions. In the EU the legal system is ruled by Civil Law but in England (even if they are part of the European Union), they are ruled by Common Law. Different law systems, different sides of the road to drive a car on! Yes, this will be a new experience for me.
Tonight we have the Welcome Reception, and we all have to wear business casual wear. I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone, as well as starting these two weeks with CBL International, and learning more about the English system and Oxford.