After the night we had yesterday evening, waking up in time for breakfast this morning was a real struggle. The Welcome Reception was fun as it was a good opportunity to meet the other delegates in the programme. Even more so for me, as I managed to meet seven more Australians, which is always exciting! The Reception lacked any formal component, such as an official ‘meet and greet’ or welcoming speech.

After the Welcome Reception, we headed to a bar known as Freud, which had a really cool atmosphere, as it’s the former St Paul’s Church converted into a café-style venue. The Brazilians in the group were thrilled as there was a live band and couples doing salsa dancing. It was a late night to say the least!

This morning after breakfast, we had a walking tour of Oxford, which was truly fascinating as I picked up heaps of interesting facts about the city. What really intrigued me was how the colleges work. Back home in Australia, it’s quite rare for students to live on campus. But here in Oxford, college life is inherent to the university student’s life. It’s interesting that each college has its own feel, its own pet, its own lodge staff and kitchen specialties. Some colleges even have Michelin-star chefs working there!

The afternoon was our second class of International Criminal Law. The class is challenging because it’s aimed at varying levels. Firstly, a lot of the students are not proficient in English, which makes the class slow-paced for those of us who are experienced in the language. Secondly, some students do not come from a law background, meaning that time is spent explaining relatively basic concepts. While these variations are to be expected, it means that the lecturer struggles to make the content accessible for all the students involved. The target audience is extremely wide.

Be that as it may, today’s class was interesting (although slightly depressing). We learned of the mass atrocities that have occurred in history, including in Cambodia, Rwanda and Srebrenica. For a more light-hearted discussion, I’ll be heading to an evening talk organised on student life in Oxford this evening. I’m looking forward to learning more about this beautiful city!

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