Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Glorious Blue
The sun is out and the sky is blue!! Amazing. I'm going to go walk around the town to celebrate this fact, and maybe get some more coffee, because I am definitely getting sleepy again. This can't still be jet lag, can it?
Out and About
A few days ago we walked all around Cambridge with our adviser/professor, Rod, and got a bit of a feel for the city. To be honest, I still have no idea how to get around much beyond the immediate area, but I'm getting more of a hang of it as we go. They don't really have street signs like we do, so you're lucky if the road name is on the side of a building, other than that, you just have to know, or guess! Rod seems very nice, and very knowledgeable in art, history, and English lit. He's teaching our Space and Time in Contemporary Art class. I got my other class assignments, Philosophy of Art for my individual and English Architectural History for my group, which means I am taking three Art History classes!! Crazy. I hope I don't get too sick of it.... We have to e-mail our professors to set up appointment times to meet this week, and then we figure out class time from there. Only 3.5 hours of class a week, which is weird, but apparently loads of reading. I found a few good coffee shops nearby (a necessity for me): one that's good for breakfast, with cheap coffee and good pastries (I had the butteriest scone EVER there. So good. But apparently I should be pronouncing it "scohn"...so...), and another one that is literally almost outside my door, with great pastries and a great Americano.
Two days ago we had a champagne get-together (I'd call it brunch but there was hardly any food) with us and some student leaders on campus, and our "parents," two students, male and female, designated to help individual "freshers" get accustomed to the college. We all just stood around and mingled and it was really good to meet some people who seemed happy to help us get acclimated, etc. My "parents" are Dave and Helen, he's a third-year Chem major and she's a fourth-year (super senior, because they graduate in three) Theology major. (Yay!) She said she'd help me find Religious Studies lectures to go to and things, so that's great. They both seem very nice and interested in helping me get settled and happy. I'm Dave and Helen's only "kid" this semester, but they've had other people from my school in the past. I met a handful of other people, but another that stood out was a girl named Alma, who was a member of the Jewish society and is my friend Andy's "mother." She invited me to services and Friday night dinner this coming week, and says the group is actually quite cool. Ironically enough, Jesus college apparently has the biggest Jewish population of all the Cambridge schools, apparently because they offer Kosher housing, which most of the other schools don't. And by large Jewish population, I mean, of course, like 15 or so Jews.... She and Helen are planning a dinner for our respective families soon, so that will be very nice, as well.
We also got inducted to the Library and IT facilities, got our Jesus College cards, went to the Jesus and Emmanuel bars (yes, each college has its own bar for the students), and met some more people there. Mostly, everyone seems quite friendly, and I'm enjoying getting to meet so many new people.
Now I'm off to go explore the town and get some food with Andy. I'm excited because it's reaching a whopping high of 40 degrees today! :-)
Two days ago we had a champagne get-together (I'd call it brunch but there was hardly any food) with us and some student leaders on campus, and our "parents," two students, male and female, designated to help individual "freshers" get accustomed to the college. We all just stood around and mingled and it was really good to meet some people who seemed happy to help us get acclimated, etc. My "parents" are Dave and Helen, he's a third-year Chem major and she's a fourth-year (super senior, because they graduate in three) Theology major. (Yay!) She said she'd help me find Religious Studies lectures to go to and things, so that's great. They both seem very nice and interested in helping me get settled and happy. I'm Dave and Helen's only "kid" this semester, but they've had other people from my school in the past. I met a handful of other people, but another that stood out was a girl named Alma, who was a member of the Jewish society and is my friend Andy's "mother." She invited me to services and Friday night dinner this coming week, and says the group is actually quite cool. Ironically enough, Jesus college apparently has the biggest Jewish population of all the Cambridge schools, apparently because they offer Kosher housing, which most of the other schools don't. And by large Jewish population, I mean, of course, like 15 or so Jews.... She and Helen are planning a dinner for our respective families soon, so that will be very nice, as well.
We also got inducted to the Library and IT facilities, got our Jesus College cards, went to the Jesus and Emmanuel bars (yes, each college has its own bar for the students), and met some more people there. Mostly, everyone seems quite friendly, and I'm enjoying getting to meet so many new people.
Now I'm off to go explore the town and get some food with Andy. I'm excited because it's reaching a whopping high of 40 degrees today! :-)
Sunday, January 10, 2010
My room is unseasonably hot, thanks to its small size and voracious heater. It's absolutely fabulous, except that it does mean I have to shed many many layers when I walk in. It's still a mess now from being half-unpacked, so I won't take pictures just yet, but they'll come soon enough.
I'm living at Emmanuel College, even though we're all enrolled at Jesus College, because they didn't have room for all of us at Jesus. The three other girls are also at Emmanuel, in my dorm, whose name I can't remember, and in my staircase, or section of the dorm, which is T Staircase. Emmanuel is beautiful, though I have yet to fully explore it, but from what I can tell, it's old, church-y, and very British! Emma, as they call it, is a short walk (10 minutes, perhaps?) from Jesus, and is right near a good shopping district with bars, restaurants, stores, etc. The college is really old and therefore really, really weird. It seems like most floors have a couple of "suites" on each one, though they're not like the suites at home where you draw in with friends, rather, I believe they just get placed randomly. Seems like there are mostly first-years around here, too. They pay a different rate depending on what size room they have, which is interesting, and they can essentially choose what level of room they'd like. Each suite in my staircase is 2-person, and a bit different from the others. They each have a little entryway (I guess its a small common room, but without furniture or anything), and then the two doors to the two singles off of that, and then something random that the other suites don't have...one suite has the bathtub, for example, while another has the showers, for the whole floor. Weird. The toilets are independent and at the end of the hall, which is, again, strange. My suite has a "gyp room" which is cabinets, a sink, a hot water heater, and a microwave, I think think it's supposed to be a kitchen of sorts...but it's definitely not close to a full kitchen.
That was a bit of a let-down because I really wanted to cook while I was here, but my friend (and fellow abroad student) Tanya and I figured out a remedy. This afternoon, we went out and bought a double hot plate and a toaster, along with various pots, pans, and utensils, and decided that we'd make the best kitchen we could, given the circumstances. We were fully planning on cooking in it today, but it turns out the grocery stores (along with almost everything else except the pubs and bars, it seems) close at 5:00 on Sundays. boo! So, it'll be out to dinner for us again, and then hopefully grocery shopping and cooking tomorrow! I want to stop burning through money for food by eating out all the time and also want to get to be a good cook, so luckily, that can be two birds with one stone.
More about meeting people, my college "parents," classes, and the town soon to come!
It's snowing outside. The novelty has definitely not yet worn off. :)
I'm living at Emmanuel College, even though we're all enrolled at Jesus College, because they didn't have room for all of us at Jesus. The three other girls are also at Emmanuel, in my dorm, whose name I can't remember, and in my staircase, or section of the dorm, which is T Staircase. Emmanuel is beautiful, though I have yet to fully explore it, but from what I can tell, it's old, church-y, and very British! Emma, as they call it, is a short walk (10 minutes, perhaps?) from Jesus, and is right near a good shopping district with bars, restaurants, stores, etc. The college is really old and therefore really, really weird. It seems like most floors have a couple of "suites" on each one, though they're not like the suites at home where you draw in with friends, rather, I believe they just get placed randomly. Seems like there are mostly first-years around here, too. They pay a different rate depending on what size room they have, which is interesting, and they can essentially choose what level of room they'd like. Each suite in my staircase is 2-person, and a bit different from the others. They each have a little entryway (I guess its a small common room, but without furniture or anything), and then the two doors to the two singles off of that, and then something random that the other suites don't have...one suite has the bathtub, for example, while another has the showers, for the whole floor. Weird. The toilets are independent and at the end of the hall, which is, again, strange. My suite has a "gyp room" which is cabinets, a sink, a hot water heater, and a microwave, I think think it's supposed to be a kitchen of sorts...but it's definitely not close to a full kitchen.
That was a bit of a let-down because I really wanted to cook while I was here, but my friend (and fellow abroad student) Tanya and I figured out a remedy. This afternoon, we went out and bought a double hot plate and a toaster, along with various pots, pans, and utensils, and decided that we'd make the best kitchen we could, given the circumstances. We were fully planning on cooking in it today, but it turns out the grocery stores (along with almost everything else except the pubs and bars, it seems) close at 5:00 on Sundays. boo! So, it'll be out to dinner for us again, and then hopefully grocery shopping and cooking tomorrow! I want to stop burning through money for food by eating out all the time and also want to get to be a good cook, so luckily, that can be two birds with one stone.
More about meeting people, my college "parents," classes, and the town soon to come!
It's snowing outside. The novelty has definitely not yet worn off. :)
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Jet-lag? What jet-lag?
Sooooo, I used to kind of think jet-lag was a myth.....yeah, not so much anymore. It is 8:43 in the morning here, and I've been awake for 2 hours. I went to bed around 1:30 local time, and I'm not tired enough to get back to bed, so looks like I'll be working off of 5 hours of sleep. Fun times. I'm feeling ok, though, and I'll just force myself to stay awake until a reasonable time tonight and then crash and hopefully reset by tomorrow! Also, my bed sucks. My back is killing me after 5 hours of sleeping on it. I'm going to try to find a Tempurpedic mattress topper (or something like that) today and maybe even a better pillow to take the edge off of it. I'm sure it'll be fine, though!
In a couple of hours, we meet with our liaison/professor/coordinator for an info session and a tour of Cambridge. I still feel like I have no idea what I'm doing here and am looking forward to feeling more clued-in. Hopefully I'll also get my phone set up today as well. I think I might get back in bed and try to fall asleep for a little bit...then it's wake up, shower, and start my day. Starting will, of course, immediately involve coffee. :) Lots and lots of coffee.
In a couple of hours, we meet with our liaison/professor/coordinator for an info session and a tour of Cambridge. I still feel like I have no idea what I'm doing here and am looking forward to feeling more clued-in. Hopefully I'll also get my phone set up today as well. I think I might get back in bed and try to fall asleep for a little bit...then it's wake up, shower, and start my day. Starting will, of course, immediately involve coffee. :) Lots and lots of coffee.
Friday, January 8, 2010
I made it!
I'm here, I have internet (which I totally didn't expect to have yet, and I am overjoyed that I do), I met up with my friends, I had dinner and my first (and second) real, legal beers at real English pubs, I found my room (but don't really feel like unpacking yet), I Skyped with my mother (yay! Thank god for the people who invented Skype, really!), and I'm going to try to get to bed soon. I'm most likely going to be jet-lagged, but I'll try my best to fight it. My room is cute--small, approximately the size of my room at school this past semester, but with a nice half-sized bay of windows overlooking a bus station and a park, and a boarded-up fireplace (which, despite being boarded-up, looks pretty cool and has a nice mantel on which I can put pictures and things).
Pictures of the room (and dorm, and town, and everything else!) will soon follow. It's been snowing here for a while (and snowed on us as we were walking to dinner--this LA girl was freaking out! hehe), so everything is covered in white. Beautiful, but I do miss my California sun. I've already had a small bout of homesickness, but I guess that is to be expected. Having internet helps so much, because I immediately feel more connected to everyone.
So, I should be off to bed. Goodnight, all, and I'll write again tomorrow!
Pictures of the room (and dorm, and town, and everything else!) will soon follow. It's been snowing here for a while (and snowed on us as we were walking to dinner--this LA girl was freaking out! hehe), so everything is covered in white. Beautiful, but I do miss my California sun. I've already had a small bout of homesickness, but I guess that is to be expected. Having internet helps so much, because I immediately feel more connected to everyone.
So, I should be off to bed. Goodnight, all, and I'll write again tomorrow!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Day 0 (?)
Well, today's the day and it's...weird. I've been coming to terms with the idea of "being abroad" for 5 months, but for some reason, thinking of it in the negative, i.e., "not being in the country" for 5 months is something I'm still not entirely ok with. It reminds me that everything here is going to continue on without me. My friends at school, the semester, people graduating.... I'm going to miss it here--I'll miss my family, my friends, familiar places, my dogs, driving on the right side of the road, knowing where I am (most of the time), and not having an accent wherever I go, among other things. I'm pretty sure I'm going to miss Fahrenheit and miles and pounds, too. :) But, nonetheless, the day is here. I'm spending the morning with some last minute packing and rounding out my to-do list. Most of it's the normal stuff, "move your car," "check in online," "don't forget your passport" and the like, but it also, unfortunately, includes the ever-lovely "pay Inyo county $211." Damn speeding ticket. So, I'm off to do all of this and get myself ready to go. Wish me luck!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
All that must be done
I'm getting ready for my trip now, back in the real world after an amazing vacation to San Francisco for the past week with R. Honestly, it was the best vacation I could have asked for, and the perfect send-off for England. Now that he's heading back home, and I'm here, it's off to work (read: time to prepare and pack) for me.
I've spent the better part of the last three hours combing through my mother's recipe boxes, looking for anything I (a person with very little, if any, cooking experience) could make in a small kitchen in Cambridge. I've come up with some good ones, and dutifully copied down the recipes, asking questions all the way. I've got, among others,: homemade mac and cheese, turkey chili, lentil soup, enchiladas, oven-baked talapia, four-cheese baked casserole, cauliflower rotini, Moroccan vegetable stew, roasted balsamic green beans, gingerbread, and chocolate cake. Note the emphasis on one-pot meals. :-) Right up my alley. Who knows?, maybe along with a turning into a travel blog, this may become a cooking blog as well!
Now to make lists, sooo many lists, of all that is left to be done.
I've spent the better part of the last three hours combing through my mother's recipe boxes, looking for anything I (a person with very little, if any, cooking experience) could make in a small kitchen in Cambridge. I've come up with some good ones, and dutifully copied down the recipes, asking questions all the way. I've got, among others,: homemade mac and cheese, turkey chili, lentil soup, enchiladas, oven-baked talapia, four-cheese baked casserole, cauliflower rotini, Moroccan vegetable stew, roasted balsamic green beans, gingerbread, and chocolate cake. Note the emphasis on one-pot meals. :-) Right up my alley. Who knows?, maybe along with a turning into a travel blog, this may become a cooking blog as well!
Now to make lists, sooo many lists, of all that is left to be done.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Ch-ch-ch-changes
Its been forever, but the blog will soon be back.
I'm going to Enlgand in a couple of weeks for the next semester, so this will soon be transforming into a travel blog of sorts. Expect pictures, short updates, and stories from abroad!
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