Day 1

Leaving the States a little disheartened by the Ghana, US match, I found relief in the flight. Despite the 7 hours, the abhorrent food AA decides to call dinner, the flight itself was smooth and relaxing.
Arriving in London around 6:30 in the morning my day had just begun. Standing in the customs line I attempted to take a picture, forgetting the auto focus, it blurred everything into an Escher like tessellation. A man standing behind me, short wearing a black suit spoke up "They don't fancy pictures too much here in customs, it makes them nervous." His voice, the first British accent I had encountered here, as the airport could have been anywhere America, made it all the more exciting. I never got his name, but he was just in from Sydney and headed to Gibraltar. I asked him if he had ever been to the States and he said New York, but never the Carolinas, although he wanted to go to Savannah.
The maze of Heathrow is overwhelming. Baggage claim lead to a train transfer to terminal five and then outside to the bus station. Along the way, it was surreal to encounter a Krispy Kreme kiosk. From bus station 11 we waited for the Oxford Shuttle, as behind us Epcot-esque fountains burst alive in the morning light, the water waving goodbye as we boarded the bus, 20 pounds and a disgruntled driver. The steering wheel on the left side, I settled in at the very back against the window and dozed off while pastures moved away on the other side of the window; waking to intricate stonework and scenes that could only remind a tourist as myself of Harry Potter.
Everywhere all around was beautiful, from the bus station the half mile walk to Somerville College collapsed around me in a haze, and only now can I take it all in. The lively streets, the smells of the bakeries, the heroin addict strung out with his two black dogs, dreaming on the corner. Even now as I write it floods me.
The college itself is a fortress of Victorian Art. One must pass through a gate to gain entrance, and the whole of the place is encompassed by walls, and gardens. Ravens gather in the quad between the dorms, and as I stare out my window now one is perched in the distance atop a sign I know reads "way out".
My room is large for a dorm, old wood, older smells. I wonder who has sat at this very desk peered through the window onto the green lawn, seen the oak tree conversing with itself in the wind, against the blue sky?
Before writing this I had come from the Oak Pub, where a young man about my age suggested I try the cider because of the warm weather. It was a treat to say the least. I stumbled across this pub on my way out to explore, running into Professor Barnhardt who was on his way back into the college. He turned right around and directed a small group of us to the Oak. Talking with Professor Barnhardt I admit I got a little carried away and ordered what I am deeming one of the greatest beers ever created: Leffe. One sip is like christmas, the hoppy flavor lingers in the mouth and dances sweetly into the stomach. Only after standing up did I realize that a pint of this beer was truly 3 pints back in the states, but for 2 pounds I couldn't resist.
At 2:30 our Grand Tour De Oxford was postponed for the England v Germany game. Myself and 4 others made our way down to the very crowded, very lively Jericho Bar. Inside the room was thick, the English not yet understanding the concept of air conditioning, and the building was packed to the teeth. Flies buzzed like static during the entire match, darting in front of the screen as the crowd grew more disheartened with each second.
After the loss, we darted back through a small hole in the wall that surrounds Somerville, the door being hobbit sized and locking from the inside to meet for dinner. And upon concluding the meal, the twenty of us seemingly solitary in the grand dining hall, we walked back into the courtyard where a Magpie was chirping at the high sun (which as I write this at 10 o'clock is still fairly bright in the sky).
Then it was back to another pub for Argentina v Mexico. Not much to say there, a great game. Now I am sitting in my room about to fall asleep, I have been up now for 32 hours and am dead tired. More to see tomorrow!