Oxford: A Journey Through Time
On our trip to Oxford this year, we bought a new version of a T-shirt that had been given to me a long time ago. We placed the old one next to the new one. Just like Oxford itself: a ceremony where history and the present walk side by side, stretching from the past to the future...
Oxford is one of the first cities that comes to mind when you think of England. On the other hand, Oxford is much more than just a city; time is imbued in its stones, and its towers reaching up to the sky seem to whisper to you.
‘I am here, where are you?’
When I first heard its name, the words ‘There was an Oxford in Urfa, but did we not go?’ that reached my ears from the screens of the 90s opened an almost legendary door in my mind. Years passed, and stepping through that door was no longer a dream; it became a reality I experienced first-hand.
When I came to England, the desire to see Oxford was a deep calling within me. I first responded to this call with the ‘Fantastic Literature’ seminar organised by the Oxford University Centre for Lifelong Learning. At that moment, I wasn't just attending a seminar; I was meeting the wisdom accumulated over centuries, listening to the stories echoing in the stone streets, saying, ‘I am here.’
Oxford is not only a unique narrative of academia, but also of life itself. What reminded me of this most was a tiny T-shirt from years ago. When my brother went to language school in Oxford before my son was born, he brought back a T-shirt with ‘Oxford’ written on it for my daughter, who was four at the time. Years later, when my son was born, that little T-shirt accompanied him too. The fabric wore out, the colour faded, but it continued to carry memories. When we went to Oxford with him this year, we bought a new T-shirt. We placed the old one next to the new one. Just like Oxford itself: a ceremony where history and the present walk side by side, stretching from the past to the future...
When you explore Oxford, you see not only the buildings but also the traces of literature and cinema. The enchanting scenes of Harry Potter come to life in the halls of Christ Church; the inspiration for Alice in Wonderland stems from Lewis Carroll's days in Oxford. J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis met in this city with the ‘Inklings’ group, step by step crafting Middle Earth and Narnia. Philip Pullman's ‘His Dark Materials’ series echoes across Oxford's bridges and libraries. For centuries, countless writers, thinkers, and dreamers have left their mark on these stones.
Beyond all this, one of the most emotional moments for me was a story of pride stretching back to my years as a teacher. When a student of mine told me that she had been inspired by my love of writing and was now doing a master's degree at Oxford University, my happiness was indescribable. Although we couldn't meet here, my heart was filled with the belief that my dear Asia would create her own great story from these lands.
Finally, the trip to Oxford with my children... As a mother, seeing the curiosity in their eyes... An old T-shirt, a new T-shirt; an old university, a new life; the magic of films, the magic of books... Oxford is just such a place: a stage within time, offering both the past and the future with every step.
Oxford always whispered to me:
‘There is not only history here; your story is here too. You have added a line to this story.’
Dear reader, let us add unforgettable lines to many stories with the spirit of enlightenment that will revive and restart the many valuable centres of science in our country.
