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
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