Here I go again on my own...

Greetings,
It has been almost a full week now since I left the land of my birth, the land of my ancestors, to travel far across the sea to expand my intellectual horizons in the land of…my other ancestors. So much has happened since then. I’m married now. Ha, no, not really. But I have been rather slow in my communications, and I apologize to all injured parties. A combination of computer difficulties, the orientation schedule, and the lure of all the shiny pretty things in Oxford have all conspired against me.
So, let me explain...No...there is too much. Let me sum up:
Travel: On a scale of one to ten, travel rated as “not so fun,” with rampant delays and mechanical issues (on the ground, thankfully) that seemed to be pushing the patience of many of my fellow passengers. But then, it just adds to the adventure right? I mean, braving the harsh environment of the Detroit airport with only my compensatory meal vouchers standing between me and predatory raids on the pet kennels? What stories I can tell the grandkids! And I even got from the airport to the bus station all by myself. All in all, I arrived late for the pre-introductory orientation orienting.
Accommodations: I am staying in a magical place known as The Vines (so rechristened [from the unimaginative “Pollock House”] in honour of the original owner, an eccentric botanist named, you guessed it, Vine, who had originally called the manor, in a fit of predictability, “Vine House”).
The Vines is a hundred and thirty year old Victorian (the math works, see?) three story manor house that has been converted to board students. Some thirty students reside here, mostly on the second (guys) and third (girls) floors, with two married couples and our house junior dean (think RA or RD) comfortably established on the ground floor.
**Begin Explanation of Idiomatic Anglicism**
You see, boys and girls, in the United States, we begin labelling a building’s floors starting with the first, and continuing on in sequential numerical order. Obviously, this can lead to Massive Confusion, often resulting in the deaths of thousands of people, and often household pets. The British system, sidestepping these obvious errors, labels the bottom floor of a building the “Ground Floor” (because it sits on the ground. See?). The next floor, which in Yankee parlance would be the “second” floor, is instead known as the “First Floor”.
**End Explanation of Idiomatic Anglicism**
My “room” (as they are called here) is on the second floor, shared with my roommate Justin McGeary. Justin is an English Major, and a fine chap. Also on the ground floor is a dining room, a common room, and a kitchen. We must, alas, share the bathrooms scattered throughout the house, eight in all.
Also, some twenty to twenty five more students live in a building on Woodstock Road, a building affectionately known as “Woodstock.” Sadly, not a single band or musical group has yet performed there. Woodstock has the advantage of being closer to the city centre, and therefore closer to the colleges and “neat things” in Oxford. We of the Vines are on the edge of town, but our facilities are more extensive, and our community is a bit stronger (Woodstock is separated into three flats, so the students there do not interact with each other as regularly).
Academics: Oxford, instead of semesters, is built around eight-week terms, each with clever British sounding names: Michalmas, Hilary, and Trinity. We are now standing on the cusp of Hilary term (this is permissible in Oxford because here cusps are constructed out of durable and ancient stones which can withstand the weight of many students). This week is ”0th week”, to be followed by 1st week, and so forth. I suppose now would be a good time to introduce the famed and much ballyhooed…
*OXFORD TUTORIAL SYSTEM!*
The Oxford system dispenses with pesky concepts such as “classrooms” and “classmates” and instead allows the tutor (Professor in the States) weekly or biweekly with individual students. Traditionally the tutor assigns a nigh impossible amount of reading, and an essay topic for the student to complete by the next session. The student then returns and presents his essay (usually reading it aloud). Occasionally, the tutor viciously deconstructs the essay and forces the student to defend his arguments. Other times, the tutor simply hits the student in the head with a "cricket bat".
None of the actual classes have started yet (as the 0 in 0th indicates). Once they do, we will each have two tutorials, as well as a seminar course in our particular field (theology, philosophy, etc). After 8th week, we visiting students keep going for another four weeks, when we will conduct our Christianity and Culture seminar.

Hmmm. I think that is probably enough of my life for one sitting. Tune in next time when I will discuss the wonders of the City, public transportation, and my relations with my fellow students