Hey Y'all

This is Amanda Price! I am blogging from Atlanta, Georgia, where I am staying for the next few days because of the Truman Fellowship interview. There is a pre-interview dinner tonight, and then tomorrow I and the ten other finalists will be interviewing in front of the regional panel at Georgia Tech. It took almost 24 hrs. of traveling yesterday to get here from Oxford, but now that I'm here I don't really have much to do...I should be prepping or something...but instead I'm blogging...

I am really enjoying this semester abroad, although I do miss everyone at Stetson. I still get the emails from all the groups--Bonner, the Coalition, etc.--which helps me to feel still connected. I really appreciated the card, although it took me a while to find it in my mailbox!

Oxford is fun, although the term is way too short--there are only eight weeks of tutorials (one-on-one meetings with your tutor), and only two tutorials each week. I kind of wish I could start over again knowing now the expectations and how to do it...eight weeks is really only long enough to get a tantalizing taste rather than the full experience. I am almost positive that Oxford is where I want to go for grad school now, whenever I get around to going to grad school. I am going to be really sad when they make me leave...I've already gotten the email about my email account and library access expiring. How sad! The libraries are amazing.

I haven't gotten the chance to do hands-on service like I am used to doing at Stetson. There has just been too much going on, what with tutorials, lectures, this whole Truman thing, and rowing. By the way, I rowed this semester for Magdalen, my college (Oxford is made up of a bunch of small colleges rather than one 'Oxford' college). Last week was our championships an our boat came in second in our division! It was the lowest division, but still! :-)

I've been able to see Matt about once a week at his college, Green Templeton, at a discussion called Welfare and Wine. We talk about controversial issues like medical information privacy, judgment, and animal rights, and eat crackers/drink wine. It's pretty fun. I figure what with these discussions and my tutorials on ethics and prosocial behavior I'm getting the more abstract service experience this semester. Or at least that is my justification. Hey, if I win the Truman scholarship that'll count as my service for the semester! ;-)

I'm going to go now to think about what I'll say tomorrow. Hope all is well with everyone! Please wish me luck and keep me in your prayers tomorrow with this interview. I am pretty nervous. Thanks! Hope you are enjoying Spring Break!

Best wishes,

Amanda