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.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Photos From the First Day
King's College
A View from the Hill
Another
Another, I felt sorry for the random British couple we interrupted with our noisy American tour group
St. Edmunds - my temporary college
Me, post trip
My bathroom
My delightful view
My bed
My desk
There and Not Back Again, Yet
My trip to merry old England began simply enough with a car ride to the airport with Heather. We got there without incident, although at check-in, we snuck a weighing of my bag to find that it was 56 lbs., meaning that I could be charged $100 each way for this bag. Heather sprung in to action and quickly divvied up my belongings so as to distribute the weight among my carry on and my newly unpacked backpack. All was well after this because the check in clerk was content to let a 52 lbs. bag slip by.
Heather and I made our goodbye's and I was alone starting at 10:30 AM. This will begin the countdown known as PHTT (Post Heather Travel Time). Security was frustrating, but I was not searched or detained, which is always good. Then I waited a bit and flew to Atlanta. The flight was uneventful with the exception of the obese girl next to me who kept having to shove the arm rest under her fat roll. I assume that my arm weight on the rest was pinching her love handles. Two hours PHTT. Thankfully, I had the aisle seat.
Atlanta was fine, I made some calls to say farewell, and then I was boarding the plane. For an hour and a half. We kept hearing on the intercom that maintenance was making some repairs etc., but it wasn't specified until an hour in to the process. Apparently on the previous flight someone vomitted ferociously because after two cleanings the smell was still impossible to remove. They actually had to find spare carpetting from the repair yard and replace the vomit carpet. Ew. All trhough this, the back plane door was open and we were treated to the delightful Atlanta air in our metal tube that steadily cooked us. 7.5 hrs PHTT. I kept envisioning hot dogs wrapped in aluminum foil. I think the delusions were starting to set in.
Finally, vomit carpet removed, we were free to fly away. On this flight I was next to a very large and hairy man, although I was in the aisle. The only issue is that we both wanted the armrest. Badly. This lead to an uspoken agreement that I would take the back portion and him the front. While this arrangement worked for a time, it also created a disturbing situation involving the rubbing of arm hair on forearms. I put on my jacket. It was cold. And awkward.
The movies were fine, but I don't think the Edge of Darkness and the Wolfman were good choices to watch when you are wanting to sleep. There's something about a movie with radiation poisoning mixed with airplane food that makes you feel terrible. It also didn't help that the hairy (Wolfman!) man next to me never seemed to want to sleep. He just watched his war film while I kept nodding off for 10-12 minute intervals. 15.5 hrs PHTT.
I gave up on sleep when the stewardesses emerged once more from their caves in the rear of the plane. Unbeknownst to me, broad shoulders are a severe disadvantage in air travel. I was clipped four times by the massive cart carrying either food and drinks each time they passed from behind me. I'm certain I seemed a twitchy fellow because every time I heard something resembling the cart's rattling I huddled inward. The stewardesses were unapologetic sadists. Especially when they provided the breakfast. Half-nuked egg and pepper jack cheese product biscuits with a nub banana.
Stomach filled, if not content, I left the plane to navigate to a line that could only be said to resemble Centipede, the arcade classic. Every once in a while the clerks would take another individual (the centipede getting shot) and the line would move avoiding the barriers (mushrooms) that kept us in line. This culminated for me with a very surly British man who was put out that I had no program information to show.
"Hello."
No response, but then, "What is your purpose here?"
"Study abroad."
"Where?"
"St. Edmund's College at Cambridge University"
"I need your program information."
"I don't believe I have anything, I can look."
"You have nothing?"
"I'm afraid not, I think I can dig something up from my profess-"
I start rummaging in my bag...
STAMP STAMP STAMP
"Go on."
16 hrs PHTT.
I got my bag and found the National Express Coaches booth where people were delightfully friendly and helpful. I also tried to get on the internet thinking the airport may have free wi-fi. This, however, was not America, so I was locked out. The bus showed up an hour and a half later.
This was easily the single worst travel experience of my life. Half-starved and blind with exhaustion I just wanted to curl up in my seat and play Pokemon. Yes, Pokemon, Heart Gold for the DS, try it, you may enjoy it. I was soon defeated in this endeavor because the driver seemed determined to either flip the bus, or to at least push the limits of how quickly it could take the turns, of which there were several billion, for a rough estimate. Pun, anyone? I was motion sick, and decided I would try and stare out the window. This attempt earned me a seat mate and cramped quarters. I then capituatled to exhaustion and proceeded to nod off every 10 minutes or so until I was awakened by my head banging in to the window on one of the devilishly intrepid driver's hairpin turns. After another four hours (21.5 hrs PHTT), I got to Cambridge, and that was the important part.
Something about the massive lawn and old buildings I drove up to pushed away the memories of the trip. And after an amusing taxi ride with the man's family in the back seat (odd), I was at St. Edmunds and my study abroad began.
I will post some pictures that I took on the first day, including my room, my self, and some panoramas from the top of the hill where the old Norman castle used to be. My personal favorite is King's College that we saw the outside of on one of the group's sojourns.
There will be more to come, and don't worry. I'm delighted to be here, now. The trip was worth the reward and I'm incredibly excited.
Next Up: Lorn, Cyclist Extraordinaire, a look at the city and University of Cambridge
Also, see the Beer List for continued updates. Feel free to post suggestions as well.
The Beer and Alcohol List
I'm going to be trying many new things abroad, one of which will be alcoholic beverages, and most notably, beers. This is a running list of the beers I have tried and my ratings of them.
Cheers!
1) Adnam's Bitter - (Draft, Pint) certainly bitter, but with a good hops flavor regardless, a darker beer. I hardly noticed it was room temperature. ****/*****
2) Greene King St. Edmund's - (Draft, Pint) served cool, darker than a pilsner, but with a similar, if heavier, flavor ****/*****
3) Greene King Abbot Ale - (Draft, Pint) also served cool, much darker and fuller tasting than St. Edmund's. It was not at all to my taste. *.5/*****
4) Everard's ______ Ale - (Draft, Pint) I can't recall the exact name, but it was a decent beer, just not that great. **/*****
5) Symond's Cider - (Draft, Pint) served cool, much more stout than Strongbow, though short of Magner's. Very tart, I liked it. ****.5/*****
6) Strongbow Cider - (Draft, Pint) served cool, actually a disappointment, it was watery and not nearly as tasty as the Symond's. I will avoid in the future. Sorry, Ian.
Cheers!
1) Adnam's Bitter - (Draft, Pint) certainly bitter, but with a good hops flavor regardless, a darker beer. I hardly noticed it was room temperature. ****/*****
2) Greene King St. Edmund's - (Draft, Pint) served cool, darker than a pilsner, but with a similar, if heavier, flavor ****/*****
3) Greene King Abbot Ale - (Draft, Pint) also served cool, much darker and fuller tasting than St. Edmund's. It was not at all to my taste. *.5/*****
4) Everard's ______ Ale - (Draft, Pint) I can't recall the exact name, but it was a decent beer, just not that great. **/*****
5) Symond's Cider - (Draft, Pint) served cool, much more stout than Strongbow, though short of Magner's. Very tart, I liked it. ****.5/*****
6) Strongbow Cider - (Draft, Pint) served cool, actually a disappointment, it was watery and not nearly as tasty as the Symond's. I will avoid in the future. Sorry, Ian.
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