Thoughts? It is somewhat thin at the moment, but it has only been a week and a half since I last shaved. We shall see...
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
By Popular Request
I have returned to blogging due to numerous people expressing interest and because I know that I told everyone I would. So, here goes.
I have just gone beyond the half-way point in my study abroad at Cambridge, although this does not include my Germany trip. Thus far, it has been incredible.
The first week involved a lot of settling down and getting to know various members of the group, which was fun. There was also a fair amount of pubbing, which also never goes amiss. I have tried numerous beers, and have posted a fair number on the alcohol blog. I toured or saw numerous colleges here, including Trinity College, which was founded by Henry VIII and is gorgeous and King's College, which is where all the pictures of the chapel are from. The city itself is beautiful with many old shops, historic pubs, like the Eagle which has signatures of American Airman from the Second World War or the Fort St. George which has buildings from the 14th Century.
Classes also began, which have been interesting, especially because I have not studied the First World War in detail before. Just recently, Dr. Giles read out some poems from the First World War, including some by Siegfried Sassoon, who has actually made me appreciate poetry as a medium. They were devastatingly sad, but I at last saw how verse could evoke emotion in ways that prose fails to. His satire is also fantastic, which I think this example will show.
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/repression-of-war-experience/
Some of them were much more emotional, but I think this one is a good balance of satire and sadness.
The first week culminated in a trip to London to see my favorite museum in the world, the Imperial War Museum. As usual, it was incredible, but there was also a visiting Holocaust exhibit that Dr. Giles said rivalled the one in Washington D.C. I have never been confronted with helplessness on that scale, and it was frightening. The problem with studying the past, and more specifically the horrors of the past, is the impotence. The story doesn't change, the dead will still die even if you stop reading or if you cry out to stop it. The only solution is the sense of purpose that has evolved from episodes like the Holocaust, the determination of "Never again!" And this statement is not simply for the Jews, or races, but for religions, sexualities, and for every group or individual that finds themselves oppressed. It is one of the reasons that I am interested in studying resistance movements, because it is, at least nominally, the role of these groups to end that oppression.
I also met up with Heather that weekend, and we had a fantastic time. We saw the Apsley House, where the Duke of Wellington lived, and the changing of the guard in full. We were actually in the front row, directly in front of the gate, and we got to see everything. We also toured Hyde Park and Green Park. The next day we saw the Natural History Museum, which was actually a little disappointing. It was inferior to the one in New York with the exception of the building, which was gorgeous. We then moved next door to the Victoria and Albert Museum to see all kinds of historical objects from around the world. My personal favorites were the molds of ancient Roman pillars. They were massive. After a brief foray to Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross I parted ways with Heather and her mom and I was off again to Cambridge.
Once back in Cambridge we started going to class again, but we also went to visit the Duxford branch of the Imperial War Museum. Duxford was a Royal Air Force base during the Battle of Britain in World War Two. They had an incredible amount of airplanes there, including the classics: Spitfire, BF 109, Mustang, etc. But there was also a modern aircraft room with things like: Harrier, B-52 (massive, easily the biggest plane there), Blackbird (the spy one that got shot down), and lots of others. I really like the Paratrooper exhibit and the elderly man there who was wearing his paratrooper beret. During the visit there were pilots practicing flying low (simulating strafing runs) and doing aerial acrobatics like climbing straight up, flipping when the jet stalled and then diving to regain speed and control. It was really fun to watch.
I'm no longer sure if this was that week, or the past one, but we also took another day trip. This one was much more tedious due to the 5 hour drive it took each way to get to our destination. Furthermore, I was hungover beyond all reason. Cider is bad for your health when mixed with Jack Daniels. Who knew?
We first went to see Lawrence of Arabia's country cottage, which was underwhelming. He was about Elizabeth size, or 5'3" and so I had to crouch the whole time I was in the house. It had some posters and photos, and it smelled funny. I think if he was a foot shorter, my Uncle Joe might've liked living there (no indoor toliet), but I would not. Next we went to the Bovington Tank Museum, which was incredible. There were so many vehicles there, and they set it up so youy could see the evolution from the first tanks seen in the First World War to the modern ones used today. The highlight was the German tank from World War Two, the Tiger. It is the only working one in existence, and it was special to be able to touch it and be near it. From Bovington we left to see the ruins of Corfe Castle. This castle was largely destroyed when Parliament took it from the Royalists during the English Civil War. I was in my element. If I had a sword it would have been a perfect moment. As it was I took it all in and just breathed, standing in the heart of the former keep with the wind blowing around me. It was a speical moment and it made me feel very young and content.
School carried on, and last weekend was consumed in the writing of our first paper. I did some research, wrote my outline on Saturday, and then spent about five hours writing it. I have never stayed up late to write a paper, and the 2:45 AM finish was something I was proud of. My spirit animal eluded me, but I'm certain I'll have more opportunities in the future to meet my soulcreature. I just got my grade as well, it was an A, so I'm doubly pleased.
Yesterday, we journeyed to Bletchley Park, where the project code-named ULTRA took place. It was here that Great Britain and the United States worked to decode the German secret message machines, the Enigma and the Lorenz. The Enigma was solved by a mechanical checking device with several rotors, called the Bombe (named for the Polish mathematicians who were vital in the early stages of the decoding process and their favorite ice cream flavor), while the Lorenz, used for contact between the high commanders and Hitler, was decoded using the world's first semi-programmable computer, Colossus. It was really interesting to hear about this in the video, and to see the beautiful Bletchley mansion. The rebuilt Colossus machine was also really neat to see.
That brings me to today, with me sitting in my room, writing a blog, due to both popular request (Ian and Heather) and the fact that I'm gimped and can't be playing soccer right now. I played yesterday and I am now paying the price because my hip hurts to lift and stairs are a serious undertaking. I'm resting with the intention of recovering before my trip to Scotland which I will blog about very soon.
More blog updates coming soon. Certainly there will be one about my travel to Scotland, and I believe you can expect one detailing my adventures in the local Gallon Challenge, where I must drink nine pints from nine different pubs in a two week span. I'm looking foward to it.
Cheers!
I have just gone beyond the half-way point in my study abroad at Cambridge, although this does not include my Germany trip. Thus far, it has been incredible.
The first week involved a lot of settling down and getting to know various members of the group, which was fun. There was also a fair amount of pubbing, which also never goes amiss. I have tried numerous beers, and have posted a fair number on the alcohol blog. I toured or saw numerous colleges here, including Trinity College, which was founded by Henry VIII and is gorgeous and King's College, which is where all the pictures of the chapel are from. The city itself is beautiful with many old shops, historic pubs, like the Eagle which has signatures of American Airman from the Second World War or the Fort St. George which has buildings from the 14th Century.
Classes also began, which have been interesting, especially because I have not studied the First World War in detail before. Just recently, Dr. Giles read out some poems from the First World War, including some by Siegfried Sassoon, who has actually made me appreciate poetry as a medium. They were devastatingly sad, but I at last saw how verse could evoke emotion in ways that prose fails to. His satire is also fantastic, which I think this example will show.
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/repression-of-war-experience/
Some of them were much more emotional, but I think this one is a good balance of satire and sadness.
The first week culminated in a trip to London to see my favorite museum in the world, the Imperial War Museum. As usual, it was incredible, but there was also a visiting Holocaust exhibit that Dr. Giles said rivalled the one in Washington D.C. I have never been confronted with helplessness on that scale, and it was frightening. The problem with studying the past, and more specifically the horrors of the past, is the impotence. The story doesn't change, the dead will still die even if you stop reading or if you cry out to stop it. The only solution is the sense of purpose that has evolved from episodes like the Holocaust, the determination of "Never again!" And this statement is not simply for the Jews, or races, but for religions, sexualities, and for every group or individual that finds themselves oppressed. It is one of the reasons that I am interested in studying resistance movements, because it is, at least nominally, the role of these groups to end that oppression.
I also met up with Heather that weekend, and we had a fantastic time. We saw the Apsley House, where the Duke of Wellington lived, and the changing of the guard in full. We were actually in the front row, directly in front of the gate, and we got to see everything. We also toured Hyde Park and Green Park. The next day we saw the Natural History Museum, which was actually a little disappointing. It was inferior to the one in New York with the exception of the building, which was gorgeous. We then moved next door to the Victoria and Albert Museum to see all kinds of historical objects from around the world. My personal favorites were the molds of ancient Roman pillars. They were massive. After a brief foray to Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross I parted ways with Heather and her mom and I was off again to Cambridge.
Once back in Cambridge we started going to class again, but we also went to visit the Duxford branch of the Imperial War Museum. Duxford was a Royal Air Force base during the Battle of Britain in World War Two. They had an incredible amount of airplanes there, including the classics: Spitfire, BF 109, Mustang, etc. But there was also a modern aircraft room with things like: Harrier, B-52 (massive, easily the biggest plane there), Blackbird (the spy one that got shot down), and lots of others. I really like the Paratrooper exhibit and the elderly man there who was wearing his paratrooper beret. During the visit there were pilots practicing flying low (simulating strafing runs) and doing aerial acrobatics like climbing straight up, flipping when the jet stalled and then diving to regain speed and control. It was really fun to watch.
I'm no longer sure if this was that week, or the past one, but we also took another day trip. This one was much more tedious due to the 5 hour drive it took each way to get to our destination. Furthermore, I was hungover beyond all reason. Cider is bad for your health when mixed with Jack Daniels. Who knew?
We first went to see Lawrence of Arabia's country cottage, which was underwhelming. He was about Elizabeth size, or 5'3" and so I had to crouch the whole time I was in the house. It had some posters and photos, and it smelled funny. I think if he was a foot shorter, my Uncle Joe might've liked living there (no indoor toliet), but I would not. Next we went to the Bovington Tank Museum, which was incredible. There were so many vehicles there, and they set it up so youy could see the evolution from the first tanks seen in the First World War to the modern ones used today. The highlight was the German tank from World War Two, the Tiger. It is the only working one in existence, and it was special to be able to touch it and be near it. From Bovington we left to see the ruins of Corfe Castle. This castle was largely destroyed when Parliament took it from the Royalists during the English Civil War. I was in my element. If I had a sword it would have been a perfect moment. As it was I took it all in and just breathed, standing in the heart of the former keep with the wind blowing around me. It was a speical moment and it made me feel very young and content.
School carried on, and last weekend was consumed in the writing of our first paper. I did some research, wrote my outline on Saturday, and then spent about five hours writing it. I have never stayed up late to write a paper, and the 2:45 AM finish was something I was proud of. My spirit animal eluded me, but I'm certain I'll have more opportunities in the future to meet my soulcreature. I just got my grade as well, it was an A, so I'm doubly pleased.
Yesterday, we journeyed to Bletchley Park, where the project code-named ULTRA took place. It was here that Great Britain and the United States worked to decode the German secret message machines, the Enigma and the Lorenz. The Enigma was solved by a mechanical checking device with several rotors, called the Bombe (named for the Polish mathematicians who were vital in the early stages of the decoding process and their favorite ice cream flavor), while the Lorenz, used for contact between the high commanders and Hitler, was decoded using the world's first semi-programmable computer, Colossus. It was really interesting to hear about this in the video, and to see the beautiful Bletchley mansion. The rebuilt Colossus machine was also really neat to see.
That brings me to today, with me sitting in my room, writing a blog, due to both popular request (Ian and Heather) and the fact that I'm gimped and can't be playing soccer right now. I played yesterday and I am now paying the price because my hip hurts to lift and stairs are a serious undertaking. I'm resting with the intention of recovering before my trip to Scotland which I will blog about very soon.
More blog updates coming soon. Certainly there will be one about my travel to Scotland, and I believe you can expect one detailing my adventures in the local Gallon Challenge, where I must drink nine pints from nine different pubs in a two week span. I'm looking foward to it.
Cheers!
Friday, July 9, 2010
Life Lesson # 278
Don't drink heavily the night before an early-morning road trip.
Some things it takes time to learn, others experience, and still others it takes a four hour car trip with stifling heat, roiling stomach, and a splitting headache for passengers. Twice.I call this learning the really hard way.
On a side note, a more extended update is coming soon. Due to its ease of uploading pictures, I think I will be shifting the picture portion to facebook, but I'll link it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)