Week 3 at Cambridge

Week Three at Cambridge consisted of lots of homework, a formal hall and a visit from Tayla.

Classes

Walking from class.

In Business Management and Ethics, our final projects are getting into full swing. It's been interesting working with people from different countries. In my group we have 3 American students and 4 Chinese students. We have decided to do a business plan for a handbag company that we are naming La Reine. We are currently trying to do market research through online surveys and observing the people of Cambridge. 

Tayla and her first cuppa in a month.

We watched "The Counterfeiters" in order to look at a real life example of how to apply ethics. The movie was about Jewish people working in a concentration camp to counterfeit first the British pound and then the American dollar. The ethical dilemma occurs when they realize they are helping the Germans prolong the war, but if they stop then they will be killed. At the same time the work in a better environment than their fellow men who are only a few yards outside their enclosure. I found this movie to be very moving and really enjoyed it. After the movie we talked with our Mr. Silberzahn about his experience growing up in Germany and how Germans view World War II and the Holocaust. I personally am obsessed with Holocaust movies, but I never even imagined talking to a German about their thoughts on the matter. It was very enlightening to find out more regarding how the subject matter is taught in schools and how Jewish people are viewed today. As someone who's grandparents directly felt the effects of WWII (being from Holland and the Philippines) I always viewed the war through the eyes of occupied nations but I never sat to consider the effects on the German people. Learning about a different world view was very beneficial. 

We now have a new lecturer for Business Creativity and Innovation who will be lecturing on Creativity in a very academic manner. I am very curious as to how this will go because when you think about creativity you don't typically associate it with academic endeavors. 

Formal Hall

Yuwen, Mr. Silberzahn, and I at formal dinner.

Kirsten and I switched our formal hall day to the one on Monday because I had the movie to watch for class on the day that I originally signed up for. The formal hall was a lot of fun because I didn't know a lot of people going to this one at King's. It forced me to meet new people even though we are only three weeks into the program. Kirsten and I ended up sitting separately with different groups, so we put ourself into a position to have to talk to others. My teacher, Mr. Silberzahn, sat next to me as well as one of my classmates, Yuwen. Yuwen is in my Ethics seminar and we are working closely on our presentation and business plan. 

Our table enjoyed talking about various topics including politics, travel, and living in different countries. I think my favorite conversation was with Yuwen about the different laws in China. Specifically we talked about the one child rule and various stereotypes in China regarding women. Something I have very much enjoyed about this program is that it is international and you can learn so much about nations that you never really learn enough about from textbooks or the news.  

Fruit salad, yummy yummy! (with Megan) 

After the formal hall Yuwen, Kirsten, Mr. Silberzahn, and I got a group together to hang out at some of the bars and continue our conversations. Something unique from this experience is realizing that many of your teachers are PhD candidates and they aren't that much older than you. They really would like to get to know their students from other countries because as cheesy as it sounds, they want to learn from you as much as you want to learn from them. We started out by going to the BATH HOUSE and then carried onto the COW after the Bath House closed. It was a great time having a laugh with friends and getting to know everyone better. Something else about British culture that I have grown to love is the pub culture. People don't always go out to party. Rather they go out to hang out and meet new people. 

Playing 10 Fingers/Never Have I Ever is ridiculous.

HINT: get to know your teachers and be sure to go hang out with them. They have a lot of insight and can be really fun people. You have this opportunity that you rarely see in other countries where the teachers are around your age and they want to be in a sense "friends". You never know what opportunities could come from getting to know your teachers. Many of them hold jobs that are in the field you want to go into, so why not gain as much knowledge from them as possible?

Tayla Time & Nightlife

Skipping through the rain after Magic Mike

Tayla arrive on Tuesday after a very hectic and sad day. Unfortunately after her month walking across Spain her purse was stolen at Heathrow. I felt so bad for her because her camera was stolen! What a terrible thing to happen to someone. I feel that pictures are the ultimate keepsake from travels and in life. I know my pictures would be the first thing I would save in a fire. It is unimaginably painful to lose something like that. But Tayla was happy that it wasn't worse. She still had her passport which was the most important part, as well as her credit cards and debit cards.

Tayla, Spencer and I covered in foam

On Wednesday I took Tayla to see Magic Mike and then out to FEZ which is right next to Ta Bouche. 

As mentioned in my first post, I had already seen Magic Mike, but because of the dancing I was willing to pay to see it again. It was fun to watch everyone react to the movie differently. Seeing it a second time I was able to pick up on different things I hadn't noticed before. The general agreement was that the acting was terrible and the plot got really lame at the end BUT the dancing was to die for. 

Chrisitine, Tayla, Tevita, Zack and I at Fez

I had never been there before, but it was a lot of fun. Many PKP and UC Travel Study people went because our PAs got us discounts for the foam party.I wasn't quite sure what foam meant but it was pretty much TONS of bubbles that got everywhere and made you soaking wet. Overall it was a fun experience despite getting drenched. HINT: Wear a swimsuit! It is so helpful to be able to take off your good top and not have to care what happens to your suit. I cannot stress how nice it was wearing my rain boots, shorts, and a swimsuit and not having to care. So much easier! 

Kirsten, Zack, Tevita, Tayla and I in our VIP area at Lola Lo's!

The next night Tayla went out with Tevita and Zack while I stayed in to get my homework done and sleep. On Friday we went out to Lola Lo's because we got free VIP access! It was awesome! They put up a promotion saying that if it was anyone's birthday to write on their Facebook post and they would email two winners of a VIP table, free entrance, and a free bottle of vodka. I wrote on the post saying that my friend from the States was here and got her purse stolen and although it isn't her birthday we would like to treat her as if it were. I received a message shortly after saying that we got the table!! It was a lot of fun and just what Tayla needed :) We were given a £95 bottle of vodka and mixers as well as our own waitress for the night. Although Lola's wasn't as crowded as it is on Thursdays and Saturdays, it was still a great evening. I think I am finally inheriting my mom's uncanny luck! HINT: On Facebook, always add clubs and venues to your likes. This will enable you to see promotions going on so that you can save money and have a great time!