Settling In

Welcome to Cambridge

My new and beautiful home

On Sunday, July 1st, I moved into my new home in Cambridge at King's College. We left Basingstoke around 10 AM and arrived at our destination at 1 PM. Some suggestions when moving into Cambridge...HINTS: most people I know who moved in were not as lucky as I to have family friends who happen to live in England and are eager to help you move in, if you are a normal person there are many easy ways to get to the college that are cost efficient. My suggested route to Cambridge that I took with my mom when we visited last Spring is to take a train and then catch a bus or take a taxi. The public transportation in England, in my humble opinion, is fantastic. The train is fairly close to the college and taking at taxi will get you close enough to move your luggage. 

Housing

View from the stairwell

From the front gates I got my key from the porter and moved into my dorm called 'A' staircase at Kings. Let me just take a moment to describe the marvel that is the Kings campus. I don't think I have seen a campus that is so majestic and picturesque. This is no knock on Pembroke College which I took at tour of last Spring. Pembroke has stunning, peaceful gardens, but the personality of Kings is completely different. Kings has this air of grandeur that is palpable when you enter its grounds. Getting to wake up everyday and see the chapel is something that I am not sure I will ever get used to. Back to my accommodations though, I suppose the only way to describe my initial reaction was a little surprised. I had hoped that I would have a view of the chapel or of the river, but 'A' staircase goes quite far back and has an interesting view of a courtyard instead. Another surprise was that the bathrooms are co-ed which is something I have never experienced. The bathroom is fully equipped with a bathtub, which is hilarious because if you think about the dorms at UC schools at least, taking a bath really isn't an option or something I think anyone would find hygienic. These are a few minor things that I will need to get used to in the same way a freshman has to adjust to dorm living. Some pleasant surprises included my room being quite large, having great closet space for all my clothes, and that a lady comes in once a week or more to clean the rooms. I have also learned that the porters are fantastic at helping with all your needs and inquiries. FACT: Get to know the porters because they are going to be your lifeline if you need help with anything and will start recognizing you. Also meet new people as soon as you move in! It's always better to have friends to eat with. Nobody wants to be alone on their big adventures. :)

Classes

The first day of classes with Julie

On July 3rd we started our real classes. I am taking Business Management and Ethics and Business Innovation and Creativity as my Module 1 (first 4 weeks)classes. Every day I have two lectures and a seminar (a total of three classes per day). This is normal if you choose to take two classes during one module. I have chosen to do my schedule this way because it means I only have one class for Module 2. The Olympics is going on during the second module which means I will be spending a lot of time in London and don't want to stress too much about classes. The other option students have is to take one class in each module and a supervision or a module three class which would be over the entire time here in Cambridge. The classes have about 30 kids in them and the seminars have about 10. If you are not used to participating in class this could be quite a challenge for you because there is virtually no way to avoid participating. HINTS: Get to know your teachers. They are very helpful at explaining what they expect of you with the reading and with the papers, etc. Also get to know your classmates. Some classes have group projects, midterm papers, and other activities. You want to have friends to bounce ideas off of, so it is in your best interests to meet as many people as possible and figure out who you want to study with. In my case, during my seminars there are case studies we work with and pretend to be consultants using our knowledge of different business theories and applying them to real life situations. In my Ethics class I will also be working in a group to create our own trading company. Tomorrow I find out who is in my group and in a matter of weeks we will have to throw together the project. Something to note about the classes is that they are very intensive and there is no room for procrastination. Of course the teachers and program directors are well aware of the fact that we are here to have a good time, but as a Cambridge student it is expected that you will also do your work and do it well. FUN FACT: The term "professor" is only used for very highly esteemed members of the University. You should address your teachers as Mr/Ms/Mrs or Dr depending on their title. 

Food

Celebrating the 4th of July 

Being completely honest, the food in the dorms is not spectacular. There are lots of choices though which makes it nice. I love all the different desserts! Be sure to pay attention to prices because everything is on a money system, not a swipe system. If the cafeteria food isn't your thing, the cafes both at Cambridge Union Society and in the colleges themselves are excellent. I am obsessed with the panini selection. The bagels are also really filling. Kirsten and I also found an awesome restaurant that has a set menu until 7 PM costing only £9.95 for two course and £11.95 for three course. I am blanking on its name, but I am sure we will go again and I will take a picture. I almost cried of happiness when I tasted the fresh fish. 

Nightlife

New friends (Haven and Julie)

There are a lot of pubs in Cambridge. If you don't already know, England is famous for what I would like to call a "pub lifestyle". This means that having a nice beer in the afternoon and drinks with meals is something very normal. Also pubs tend to be family friendly and have a welcoming environment. Each pub has a different personality, so I highly recommend trying them all out. I watched the EuroCup final after move in day at THE COW which was quite good. The bar tenders were very friendly and helpful figuring out which clubs to go to on a Tuesday night after the first day of classes. FACT: I have found that your average drink will cost £5, so be prepared! Also clubs are approximately the same price as well. There is an Irish bar that I want to try out but it was full during the soccer match. Additionally I hear that THE VAULTS is very good. I will report on that once I see how it is. The club we went to on the first night of classes was REVOLUTION which is a restaurant as well and can be found all over England. We went on a Tuesday night, which meant it was international night. Funny thing about international night is that all the songs I heard were songs from about 3-5 years ago in America. It's very strange to think that anybody would consider Americans international, but I suppose I only say that because I am American. FUN FACT: Many people dance differently at these clubs. Some people will dance in the genre I will call "freaky", but most will be bobbing around, jumping, and a lot of swaying. Maybe this is just an observation I have had in my one club experience thus far but I hear it is actually more common to see bobbing. Haha. More to come in the nightlife department including reviews of where I go and what I see. 

Recent Events in the World

• Spain won the EuroCup 2012
• Federer won Wimbledon, but Brits did win doubles at least
• McFLY will finally be coming to America in September! (A personal victory for me :P )

I apologize for being so late with this blog, but the Scotland blog is coming up next! Also excuse my poor grammar, as it is nearly 1 AM and I should get some rest. My brain has turned a bit mushy since I am not used to all this schooling. haha!