Oxford Man?

“To call a man an Oxford man is to pay him the highest compliment that can be paid to a human being.”~William E. Gladstone

Last night I was invited to attend a formal dinner at Pembroke College. It really was one of the quintessential events of my Oxford experience thus far. I got a little dressed up, blazer/tie/dress shoes and rolled up fashionably late with Ryan who is a former Westminster Seminary student (West) working towards his doctorate here in Oxford. Since he is a grad student, I was privileged to sit away from the undergrads, with the big boys.

It was interesting to see what being a real Oxford student was like. I imagine most students on the program I’m in don’t get opportunities like this, but it really did feel like I was in some sort of chilled-out Harry Potter dining hall. The meal was opened by a prayer in Latin. The young man who read the prayer sort of half-heartedly rushed through it and the dining began. I thought it was funny seeing the regulars talk about the dinner setting. None of the chatter around me seemed to be about academics per se. It seemed more just like regular chit chat of college kids. I guess I expected everyone to be talking about the latest discoveries on the possible existence of Dark Matter in alternate universes or something.

Afterwards, we went back to the MCR which is the hangout place for graduate students on the college campus. It wasn’t a big “to-do” but it was wonderfully neat to be part of such traditional element here at Oxford. I suppose I’m one step closer to becoming an Oxford man.