Today’s been a busy, busy day! I kicked off the morning with some amazing English breakfast, whilst conversing with new, delightful people. It’s so diverse here with people coming all the way from Hong Kong, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, etc. I feel like I didn’t come far at all. With only a two hour flight away, I can’t say that it’s that impressive coming from Norway. England and Norway are basically neighbours.
Right after my delicious morning meal, everyone was gathered into a huge auditorium (huge in Norwegian standards). We were updated on what was going on and what OSC really does. The speaker was so excited, but strict, telling the boys in the back to sit upright and constantly asking us to quiet down.
After that hour long session, everyone gathered around the office wall to see what classes they were going to have. Yes, we have classes, and yes we’re assigned homework. My first class was TOK (Theory of Knowledge) and I was beyond excited. I love being analytical and critical about the world and how we as individuals perceive things. The whole TOK lesson was basically about our 5 main senses and how we perceive the world. How do humans see the world compared to dogs? Fun fact: dogs see less color (scientifically proven) and can hear higher-pitched sounds than humans. Other fun facts: Pigeons can see 340 degrees (so basically everything around them without moving their heads), moles have more sensors in their nose than in an entire human hand, bees can taste with their legs! Imagine that! Tasting something with your legs. I’m glad I can’t do that, just image what it would taste like wearing jeans everyday. 🙂
We also learned about optical illusions and how they can trick the mind. We saw how our brains eliminate words that don’t make sense, and interpret it in a different way. For example, if a card flashes by very fast with this written on it: Once in a a lifetime, we wouldn’t even notice the extra “a” in the sentence. Why? Because it doesn’t make sense with that “a”.
We discovered later in the lesson that the teacher hid some interesting objects in the room. It took the class almost halfway through the lesson to notice that the teacher’s tie was wooden. Yes, it was literally made out of wood! Then, we noticed that his clock was ticking anti-clockwise! That’s even stranger. Imagine looking at a clock going the opposite way. It just makes you feel uncomfortable, because it just isn’t natural. Anyway, I thought his class was really fascinating.
Next class was math, and it was super fun (if you enjoy math). I learned what this is: ! Which is so cool. I also met some really nice people. Soon after that, was lunch. Out of the three choices, I chose a chicken breast that was nicely marinated and cooked just perfectly. The vegetables on the side were spectacular.
Not long after that, we had another meeting in the auditorium. This time about the IB diploma and it’s benefits. We also saw a very interesting movie that’s most likely worth your time to watch: Shift Happens
Next was our last class of the day, mine being English. Wahoo! The English teacher was very nice and enthusiastic and I just learned so much in that one lesson. First off, we analyzed the famous painting “The Scream”, by the famous Norwegian Edvard Munch. It’s one of the most popular paintings in the whole world.
Yes, it’s very horrifying. The painting just carries so much emotion.
Later in the lesson, we did some analyzing of literary texts. Nothing out of the ordinary.
After that amazing lesson, our photo hunt began. We had 6 stops to go to (in groups) and take pictures of ourselves proving that we were actually there. We walked all around the city of Oxford, and explored the “new” area. There were so many university buildings: colleges, research centers, halls, etc. Most of them being a part of the University of Oxford. The buildings were just spectacular with their rustic, ancient facade. They must’ve been hundreds of years old.
University Park
So green
Town
University building
Amazing university buildings…
I had the time of my life exploring Oxford. The buildings were so ancient and reminded me of Hogwarts. I was so filled with curiosity that I wanted to go look in all of the colleges and buildings to see what it was like inside. I had my chance when we passed by a research center. We peered through the glass windows and saw that the scientists were experimenting with gloves covering they’re hands and white suits draping over their bodies. It was so fascinating and just plain cool.
After a long day of walking, it was finally time to do my homework. Most of it was thinking outside-the-box and being both critical and analytical. It was tough at times, but all it really was, was to state what we thought about different things.
Soon, I went to grab some delicious Domino’s pizza with my new, awesome friends. We had to walk for like 15 min to get to the restaurant, but it was totally worth it. Domino’s makes such great pizza. We hailed a taxi and were driven all the way back to the college (thankfully). The pizza was spectacular and it was so fun being with my new friends.
So, that’s a wrap. Tomorrow’s going to be another busy, but very interesting and exciting day.
My High School Journey 
