My Excellent Oxford Adventure

Nearly 3,500 miles, a five-hour time difference, and the experience of a lifetime at one of the best universities in the world. I still ask myself how I came to have this amazing opportunity. Growing up, I would listen to my uncle tell stories about his travels around the world. As much as I wanted to visit different countries, I never thought I would ever get on a plane and fly unaccompanied to a country I hadn’t visited before to enroll in a five-week summer course. Yet, that was exactly what I did this past summer.

I’ve had the privilege of traveling on two different short-term trips offered by Moravian, one of which was made possible through the Global Greyhound funds included in the Elevate Experience. These trips helped me feel confident in myself and my ability to navigate other countries. I had become comfortable enough to embark on this new journey as a solo traveler.

I was one of 22 college students that had been accepted to the St. Peter’s College Summer School at Magdalen College, University of Oxford, which offers five weeks of study in one of three academic disciplines: English literature, medieval studies, and environmental studies.

An English major, I chose a course in literature studies that explored a group called the Inklings at Oxford, which included J.R.R Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. Our class of seven met once a week for two hours, and then smaller groups met for two additional hours. In these small gatherings, we discussed our essays and how we might improve them. In total, we wrote three 1,500-word essays and gave a presentation on the topic of our choice. My presentation focused on what happens when Frodo puts on the One Ring in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. I compared the 1978 animated version of the film to the live-action version produced in 2001.

Each week the students from all the Oxford summer programs (there are several) would attend a lecture given by a guest speaker, which was followed by a rather fancy three-course meal. That same week, we would take a field excursion to a location that corresponded to the lecture. In the second week, our group from the St. Peter’s program journeyed to Wales for four days—most of us didn’t want to leave.

As interesting as my course was, I didn’t spend all my time with academic work and in the library. In Oxford, my new friends and I visited different trinket shops and cafés. We explored the Bodleian Library, where a few Harry Potter scenes were filmed, and Blackwell’s bookstore (think Barnes & Noble but better). During our last week in Oxford, we indulged in high tea at the Ashmolean Museum—it was absolutely delicious. The tiny sandwiches and homemade scones with jam were my favorite.

We ventured outside of Oxford as well. We conquered public transportation and took a spontaneous weekend trip to Edinburgh, Scotland, as well as a day trip to London where we took in a few of England’s famous cultural landmarks, including Big Ben, Tate Britain, and the British National Gallery where we saw some of Vincent van Gogh’s paintings.

It wouldn’t be a full experience without some kind of hiccup. My trip home from England to the United States was challenging, involving 34 sleepless hours, a 14-hour flight, and a reroute from Newark to Boston, but despite all of that, I’m not discouraged from future travel.

I’m immensely grateful for this opportunity, and I would recommend this program at Oxford University to anyone who is interested in studying abroad, even if their major isn’t within the realms of literature, environment, or history. The connections I made with the professors and the other students from the United States are invaluable; some of these new friendships are going to last a lifetime. My memories and thousands of pictures from this trip are precious.

This experience wouldn’t have been possible without the help and support of my parents and grandparents (who never fail to support me in whatever I’m pursuing), President Grigsby for recommending this program and encouraging me to apply, the staff at the Center for Global Education (especially Bryn Wiragh and Dr. Appel), my academic advisor Dr. John Black, the Oxford program director Dr. Ken Addison, graduate advisor Caitlin, my closest friends for keeping me up to date with what was happening state-side, and so many other amazing people that I’ve found at Moravian, especially those in the Office of Admission.

I can’t wait until my next adventure, whether that be in the United States or across the pond!

—By Liliana Brockway ’25