It's been something like two days since I last posted and in those two days I've moved myself and 100 lbs of luggage from Italy to Cambridge, seen the city and the University for the first time, moved into what will be my house for the next year, bought essentials, and generally started nesting on Storey's Way.
Not much needs be said about my trip from Italy, except that it was ridiculously long (about 11 hours altogether) and pretty uncomfortable. However, I didn't care so much once I got to England. When you go abroad, they tell you that the first part of the trip is like a "honeymoon." Well, that's what it's like right now.
Number one, I love being able to speak English and talk to random people on the train or at the college. I don't know why, but everyone is really nice. Like really really nice and polite and British. I met a girl on the train who wrote down for me every department store she could think of in Cambridge to help me find a place to get sheets, and last night when I came too late to go to the dining halls, some girls living in my house basically made dinner for me. Plus the whole College staff is really welcoming and wonderful, so I can't help but be excited to be here.
I was kind of apprehensive about my housing situation here. I knew I would be living in a "hostel" but had no idea what that entailed. Turns out that this means a really cute house with six bedrooms, a dining room, a kitchen, a washer/dryer combo machine, and a garden in the back that has apple and pear trees. While most of Churchill College is, sorry to say, hideously ugly, my house is nice and brick and looks like a little English cottage. My room is really nice and actually pretty big (lots of space for visitors!). I have all of the usual stuff (bed, desk etc.) but also a reading chair and a sink, so it is a pretty nice set up. The only disadvantage I can see is that it is quite far from the center of town (about 30 min walk). There is a bus though and I think I'll likely get a bike while I'm here.
So last night was mostly spent nesting (i.e., putting up tons of pictures) and sleeping after my epic travel day. But today I realized that I needed a lot of stuff (towels, sheets, etc.) so I walked into town to explore what they had. It was great to get to see a little of the "old Cambridge" and walk by the gorgeous gothic colleges (Kings, Trinity etc.). I thought that everything would seem super different (different shops etc.) but actually I was surprised by the amount of cross-over. There are GAPs and Starbucks here, and even an Apple Store (which charged me a ridiculous amount of money for a new charger).
The only drawback I can see so far is the weather. I went from sunny, gorgeous, 80-degree Italy to freezing, rainy England. And it's only September! Now I know why they drink so much tea here. It's the only way to get warm. The food is also not the best. I went to the store today to get some basics, and bought pasta and pesto sauce, because it is probably the easiest thing to make. But it turned out to really not be very good (compounded by the fact that I just left Italy, the land of pasta). I think I'll do better the more cooking I'm able to do by myself. I'm lucky because the kitchen is basically well equipped. There are pots and pans and a water heater and a toaster all belonging to the house, so I dont need to buy too much besides the actual food supplies. I think it will take a while to learn how to best cook here, but I'm feeling pretty optimistic right now.
So that's a quick update of what I've been doing. Tomorrow I'll set up a British bank account and hopefully buy the rest of my essentials before I go on an Orientation retreat with other students on my scholarship. We're going to the Lake District (think Pride and Prejudice), and I was really excited until I learned that it will probably be even colder and wetter there, and now I'm kind of nervous. But I think it will be nice to get to know the other scholars. I'll post some pictures of Cambridge as well as the retreat probably after we get back!
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