Quotes of the day!

· Loud voices: The way I woke up this morning since my phone alarm was off.
· “AHH!!”: My scream to another cold shower—still working on getting warm water.
· “I didn’t pay attention at all!”: Talking to a guy from my D&B class after lecture today. I seriously think our professor is speaking another language and I don’t mean Hungarian. I don’t know how to spell half of the chemicals he talks about.
· “Will you punt my boat?”: Caitlin asking one of the program assistants to help us when we decide to go punting on the river by King’s College. That comment definitely got a weird reaction.
· “CRUMPETS!”: Grocery shopping in Cambridge and finding all the different food here! I got scones for breakfast.
· “How do you stay so skinny while working at a chocolate store?”: Caitlin befriending the worker at the chocolate store…we’ll be back there, I guarantee it.
· Deep conversation with Meg: We sat outside in the King’s courtyard “reading” for our classes while actually eating chocolate and just chatting.
· “I feel like I’m forgetting something…what is on the fourth of July?”: Greg, our program director, letting us know that while we are on our program trip, they are going to throw a 4th of July party for all us Americans. Luckily I brought some American flags. We also found out that it stays light until 11 pm in Scotland.
· “There? No. There? No.”: Searching for dinner for Meg. We got to wander the city and finally ended up at an ice cream/sandwich shop. The ice cream was very rich and VERY delicious. Yum.
· “I want a lion tattoo.”: Ken telling us about his tattoo ideas. Caitlin, Meg, Ken and I sat out on the wall in front of King’s chatting while we ate ice cream.

Overall, it was a pretty chill day. I am going to have to find out what I want to do on the days when I don’t have much class and have a lot of spare time.

June 30

“No Down Time Tuesday”

8:30 Wake up
9:00-9:50 Read for my class
*These readings for Drugs and the Brain (D&B) class are HARD! Good thing I have some experience reading scientific journals and am able to kind of cut away the information that I don’t know. Thanks Harvard for preparing me for this!
9:50 Leave for my 10:25 class because I am nervous for being on time
10:25-11:40 Seminar for D&B
*The seminar was very similar to classes that I’ve had at Harvard with a discussion of the papers we read, the methodological flaws of the studies and the future questions and implications. I felt the same pressure I feel at school to speak in class. I thought I was getting away from that!!
11:50-1:05 First session of Spirit and Matter (Drawing)
*There were only three of us in the first session because there is option for which class to attend—(although Thomas, our professor changed it to 3 1 hour 15 minute sessions!!!) I’m still not quite sure what to think of Thomas but he has made it clear that he hates all technology and has no computer or cell phone. He introduced himself as being “very irresponsible.” It was one of the most interesting conversations I’ve had in discussing the purpose of the class.
Key Points: Art is not about technique and realistic portrayals but about leaving a part of yourself on the paper. It is not about pleasing others, but about drawing really what you see. It is less about your ability to draw and more about your ability to see. I really struggled at first, resorting to almost line drawings of a vase, and it was clear that I have a long way to go. Thomas is somewhat intimidating because he is so theoretical and deep, and oftentimes the class will be completely silent for as much as 30 seconds at a time! It is definitely uncomfortable, and I think that definitely at the beginning, people are shy about sharing.
1:05-2 Lunch
*Meg and I met another girl in our drawing class and ate with her. She goes to Yale so it was interesting to hear about her life there.
2:05-4:45 Two block sessions of Spirit and Matter
*Again, really intense session where we had lots of deep conversations and got to draw again. We had to draw the same stupid vase again and I was really getting sick of it. I didn’t really know what to do or what would get good comments or bad comments from the professor. This seems like it is going to end up being the hardest class!
4:45-6:00 Chill and get ready for the formal hal
6:30-9:30 Formal Hall
*Ken, Duc, Caitlin, Ben, Meg and I all sat together at the formal dining hall event and had the best time. We played some games while we were sitting and just had the best conversations. It was such a blast and the food was amazing. It was a very long dinner but it didn’t seem that long since I was in such great company.
9:30-12:00 Hit the town…again
*Not much was going on again tonight, so we hung out in Caitlin’s room for a while, and then went back to the Eagle. Going out here seems to be a much more social event in the sense that you go out with people that you already know and get to sit and talk. It’s really fun!

June 29

First Official Day!

6.27.2010 at 4:40pm

I slept like a rock. I didn’t have any way to wake up since my phone doesn’t work here so luckily Meg had an alarm clock. It took her several knocks for her to wake me up, very unusual! We got ready really fast from the excitement and got introduced to the Pembroke dining hall. The King’s accommodations and Pembroke accommodations are split up so half of the students eat in each dining hall. We can switch cards with other students though so we can experience both. The meal plan is a sort of debit system. We had our first orientation and it was pretty much just basic information. It’s really nice seeing familiar faces and having friends here already from school back at home.

I was able to buy a 4£ phone (!) and got to kind of walk through the city a little bit. Meg and I have already noticed that there is GREAT shopping—could spell trouble for our budget. We had a second orientation to learn who the program assistants are (basically undergrads and grad students who help out and plan social events) and had a tour of the Pembroke grounds. We did some more errands picking up adapters and hitting up the ATM.

We grabbed a long lunch and then I headed to my first class: Drugs and the Mind—The Science of Addiction. I have a great Hungarian professor with a pretty thick but understandable accent. We are going to be learning about the biology of different drugs like opiates and their effect on the brain. I already have 6 articles to read for tomorrow! Looks like I know what I’ll be doing after this. I was able to call my parents and give them my number, (phone numbers are way different here!).

I am still overcome with how incredibly beautiful it is here. It is really warm here today and there is NO air conditioning. It’s about a 15 minute walk to classes for me which isn’t too bad since it is a very pleasant walk and it’s been nice out. That’s about it for now!

1:00 am
I met up with some people for dinner at King’s College. I had to head back to the room to do some reading afterward, (yes—I already have a LOT of reading to do!!!), and then started the night at 9:30ish. Meg, her friend, Kevin, Duc and I started at a pub called the Anchor and got some of the cider. It’s basically sparkling cider with a little alcohol in it and it was pretty good! It was a very very relaxed environment and I really enjoyed it. We met up with Caitlin and Ken after and headed to another pub called The Eagle. That was the pub where Watson and Crick announced their discovery about DNA. It is so cool to be surrounded by so much history. We learned that some of these buildings, well most of them actually, were built in the 13th and 14th century—way older than our country even! From pub hopping, I learned that it is pretty expensive to drink here. We met some other kids and then finally ended up at the club, Revolution. When the song, “California knows how to party” came onto the radio, a bunch of kids started singing really loudly. I asked one guy if they were all from California and they are actually from UC Irvine and there for a shorter study program. It is really cool because there are a lot of UC’ers here and a lot of Ivy Leaguers here so I can relate to almost everyone.

All in all, it was a good Monday night. It will be interesting to see how other nights compare. It wasn’t too crazy until Revolution. Only time will tell, I guess. Gotta wake up early tomorrow to finish readings and then I have two classes!

June 28

Let the adventures begin…

I wasn't able to get internet until just now, so this describes my day of traveling!
6.26.2010 at 11:30 am

This last month at home has flown by and the time has finally come for me to begin my grand England adventure. I’m currently on the 4 hour flight from LA to Atlanta and then will have another 8+ hour flight to London. I should get into London around noon and then I’m planning on meeting up with Caitlin Rowland to wrap up the 24 hours of travel by taking a 2-3 hour bus to Cambridge. It’ll be a strange experience being sans cell phone and being unable to call Caitlin or Meg to meet up and to reassure my parents that, yes, I made it to Cambridge and no, my luggage wasn’t flown to a small rural farm in the middle of Russia.


Trip Expectations:
I’ll check into the program and immediately meet the sincere, sensitive, musician that helps me find out my father is actually a member of the British Parliament while also transforming the English social customs with my charming charisma and funky American fashion sense.

Oh wait… I just described the exact plot of What a Girl Wants. Let’s try this again.

Real Expectations:
I’ll meet some awesome kids from different parts of the world and make some great friends
I’ll get to explore Cambridge and London
I’ll hike in Edinburgh and imagine living in the castles there
I’ll get to venture to several other countries in Europe
I hope to watch a world cup game in a pub with lots of people and cheering
I’ll have tons of stories and pictures for the most epic scrapbook EVER!

Have to conserve laptop battery for my long flight, although hopefully (fingers crossed) I’ll be able to sleep most of the time.

6/27/10 at 2:10 pm
Well I’m on the bus to Cambridge. Score one point for Rachel’s traveling abilities. I managed to make it to where I want to be with no mistakes and only a few asked questions.

Initial Observations:
-In getting directions to the Central Bus Station, the attendant called me “love.” Soooo cool
-People just look British…I can tell. Between the shoes, cuffed pants, hair styles and accents, I’ve pretty much become a master of identifying the English.
-Despite the 3 hours of sleep that I am running on, I am still experiencing just an amazement of being on a different continent and in another country. I’ve never been to Europe and just knowing that I’m here is so cool. I’m soaking everything in with a fresh eye and it makes me think back to my first days at Harvard when everything was brand new. Hopefully I can maintain this excited attitude throughout my trip!
-They drive on the wrong side of the road! I knew to expect it, but that doesn’t make it any less weird when I look up to the front of the bus and see a gaping hole where the driver should be and then pan to the right to find the driver. So weird. I’m glad I don’t have to drive. I’m already an average driver in the US.
-International flights are awesome, free movies, games, tv shows and food! Unfortunately I sat in front of nocturnal and very talkative men who severely affected my ability to sleep. Looks like I’ll have no trouble falling asleep tonight.

I’m pretty sure there are about 15 students on this bus so luckily they can guide me to where I need to be when the 3 hour bus ride is over. So. Much. Traveling.

~3:30
Our bus broke down. We are in a small town called Hemel Hempstead I think. I was finally asleep when the bus came to a stop and it was so hot in the bus. It is a pleasant little town with a little creek and ducks and bridges. It seems there are a lot of PKPers on this bus so I started talking to a few of them. There was a bar right next to where we broke down so a few of us went in to watch the England Germany World Cup game. It was so exciting in there, even with just a smallish group. They started cheering so loudly when England scored—hopefully I caught some of it on video. I really hope England wins so that we can watch again. On the road again now in a different bus. Probably a one hour delay, but I’ll get there eventually, and hey-at least I have a story.

11:20 pm
I’m in my room finally and ready to get to bed. Good thing we’re so far forward here in time and I’m so tired. We finally made it to King’s College and the minute I stepped out of the taxi (from the bus stop), I was instantly amazed. It was almost the best time to get there because the whole city was basked in a golden halo of light. I immediately started taking pictures, but I don’t think the pictures will do it justice. We were just in time for the welcoming dinner. It definitely felt like a flashback to freshman year of college where there were tons of people that I didn’t know and I was overwhelmed with the possibility of meeting everyone. Luckily Meg found me and we met up with Caitlin Rowland. We stuck together for dinner and just soaked it all in. They served wine with dinner which was so strange. I know we're of a legal drinking age but I guess I didn't expect that it would be encouraged.

After dinner, (which was very good!), I took my stuff to my room and I’m living on the same floor as Meg. I have a little cute single room with all the furniture. We got a tour of the campus area and again, it was absolutely breathtaking. Meg and I couldn’t stop giggling because it was so amazing.
Orientation and first day of classes tomorrow—hopefully I’ll get to meet some people at meals and scope out the area.

Things to do:
Find out how to get internet (so weird being disconnected from the world!!)
Buy a cell phone!!
Exchange money
Learn my way around!

I’m exhausted. Also, I had to take a freezing cold shower—and I mean like Shamu water at Sea World cold—because I couldn’t figure out the hot water. Meg couldn’t figure it out either so that makes me feel better. How many Harvard girls does it take to figure out a shower??? I’ll keep you posted.

July 27

Pre Trip Thoughts

Well this is my first post! True, I'm not in either Cambridge and am instead sitting at my dining room table in sunny San Diego, but I thought I should start with my early pre-trip plans and expectations.

I leave in 15 days, and I couldn't be more excited! I've been talking to various friends who are already in Europe or headed there soon and coordinating schedules and figuring out where/when to meet up. I still have a lot to get together before I make the full day trip, and I'm planning on using this weekend to figure everything out. One primary concern: Do I bring two gloves so I can practice softball or just hope there is a softball/baseball player in the program???

Off to help Dad run to Home Depot and fix the toilet, (glamorous work-I know!), but I have to cram all of my home time into a short few weeks before I head off for my grand adventures in England!