Bermudians soar in Oxford’s hallowed halls
Admission to one of the world’s top universities might intimidate anyone.
Bermudians Alexa Virdi and Aliyyah Ahad found Oxford University quirky, and were delighted with the beautiful, old city it’s set in.
Mrs Virdi is studying for her PhD in law, and Miss Ahad is pursuing a master’s degree in migration studies.
Mrs Virdi said with a laugh: “With the old British style architecture and some equally old Oxford professors, and the black dinner robes we wear to formal dinners at Oxford University, sometimes I feel like an extra in a Harry Potter film.”
In fact, scenes from the blockbuster series were made at several Oxford University locations including Christ Church College and the Bodleian Library.
“Oxford is a beautiful and incredibly historic city,” she said. “Parts of Oxford University were founded in the 11th century. At the same time there are very modern parts to it where they have high street shops and restaurants. There is a lot of activity along the River Cherwell.”
Miss Ahad, a 24-year-old Rhodes Scholar, became a master’s degree candidate in October. The thing that most surprised her about Oxford was the weather.
“I was expecting the weather to be much worse than it is,” she said. “It is spring now and people aren’t even wearing jackets anymore. Later in the week it will be the same temperature here as in Bermuda.”
Miss Ahad is a fellow at St Hilda’s College, one of 38 colleges that make up Oxford University.
“St Hilda’s has only been co-ed for the last seven years,” she said. “These days there seems to be just as many men as women. All the colleges have their own flavour. Mine has really nice accommodations but is on the outskirts of the city near the River Cherwell. You can go punting easily from here.”
Mrs Virdi is at Pembroke College where famed fantasy writer JRR Tolkien was a fellow. In order to keep up with the high level of competition at Oxford, both women spend a lot of their time studying.
Miss Ahad said it was exciting that the academic calibre of her fellow students was so high.
“That only encourages me to work harder and strive for more,” she said.
Mrs Virdi particularly loves reading in Oxford University’s famed Radcliffe Camera library — a large circular building with a dome, built in the 1700s in the neoclassical style.
She is focused on international law, asset recovery, anti-corruption and human rights. She previously worked for the Ministry of Legal Affairs. She hopes to eventually work for the Office of the National Anti-Money Laundering Committee.
Miss Ahad is focused on human rights and migration studies. She has interned with Bermuda’s Cabinet Office and worked as a consultant for the Human Rights Commission.
A common interest in human rights led the two women to join forces with two other Bermudians at Oxford University. They, along with Emily Ross and Eleanor Gardner, will screen the Bermuda civil rights film When Voices Rise as part of the Race and Resistance network.
Miss Ahad said she has not experienced any overt racism at Oxford University, but is concerned that there are not more professors of colour at the university.
She is co-president of the Oxford Migration Studies Society, and has been involved in the Rhodes Scholarship Southern Africa Forum. She also recently took part in the Black Lives Matter protest at Oxford University, protesting police brutality in Ferguson, Missouri last August.
“We did a lot of chanting,” she said. “It was all very powerful.”
When Voices Rise will show at Pembroke College on May 8 from 12.30pm to 2.30pm. Kingsley Tweed, who is featured in the film, will speak at the event.
For more details see www.torch.ox.ac.uk/race-and-resistance-0. Also see the news section of today’s The Royal Gazette.
Oxford is one of England’s tourist hot spots.
Each year crowds flock to the city between April and October, to check out the museums, architecture and culture. If you plan to stay in Oxford, book a hotel a couple of months in advance.
Here are the recommendations of Bermudian Oxford University students Aliyyah Ahad and Alexa Virdi.
Getting there: Fly from Bermuda to Gatwick Airport, England on British Airways and take a two-hour shuttle bus trip directly to Oxford. Oxford is also very accessible from London via train at Paddington Station or by bus.
Music scene: Oxford has many jazz and classical concerts throughout the year. Mrs Virdi’s favourite place for music is the Sheldonian Theatre at Oxford University. This historic building is the official ceremonial hall for Oxford University, but there are also many concerts and events throughout the year. See: www.admin.ox.ac.uk/sheldonian. Mrs Virdi loves Salsa dancing and recommends The Bridge at 6-9 Hythe Bridge Street, which has salsa dancing every Wednesday night. There is a class for beginners from 9.15pm to 10.15pm followed by social dancing until late.
The academic scene: The are always lots of interesting public lectures going on in Oxford. To find out what’s going on download the app Ublend at ublend-app.com/Students/.
Things to see: There are tours of various parts of Oxford University including the Radcliffe Camera. For more information see www.visitoxfordandoxfordshire.com/Oxford-Radcliffe-Camera/details/?dms=3 & venue=2915011.
See the famous staircase from the Harry Potter movies at Christ Church College. For more information about Harry Potter movie sites, see www.visitoxfordandoxfordshire.com/see-and-do/harry_potter.aspx.
For great views of the city climb the hill at South Park in Oxford.
One of Miss Ahad’s favourite museums is the Pitt Rivers Museum at Oxford University. This museum houses the university’s anthropological and archaeological collections.
“They have a nice diversity of collections,” said Miss Ahad. See: www.prm.ox.ac.uk.
Food: Coffee lovers should check out the Grand Cafe which sits on the site of one of the oldest coffee houses in the United Kingdom.
“It is beautiful,” said Mrs Virdi. “It is very ornate and very luxurious. And they make a great, if expensive, cup of coffee.” See: www.thegrandcafe.co.uk/.
Oxford is not a cheap city, but there are many relatively inexpensive old pubs and restaurants that cater to students. Miss Ahad loves a trio of ice cream cafes known as G&Ds. Each cafe has a slightly different name, George and Delila, George and Danver, and George and Davis. The owner, George Stroup, named the restaurants after his wife, his dog and his horse. Miss Ahad recommends the Cookie Monster which is ice cream between two warm cookies.
Things to try: Punting. A favourite pastime in the city is renting a little boat and punting up and down the River Cherwell. Mrs Virdi recommended renting a punt from Magdalen (pronounced Maudlin) Bridge in Oxford. For information on this, see www.oxfordpunting.co.uk.
