Jump Right In

I have safely arrived in Cambridge and settled into the house! I can't believe that it's already the beginning of the week and that classes have started. It seems like I was just at home, and at the same time, so much has happened that I feel like I've been gone for at least a few weeks. 

The trip didn't start off so well because the night before I left, I got a very bad cold (that I'm still recovering from). I am not one to get homesick and want to go home, but that very first day I did, because there's no place like home when you're sick. 

I got over that really fast when we started walking around the town. Cambridge is such a pretty place. I am so lucky to be able to spend the next nine months here. They have an outdoor market in the city center that's there nearly every day, selling all kinds of fruits, vegetables, breads, cheeses, souvenirs, you name it. The few pubs I've been two are very cozy and friendly, and their crepe cart is fantastic. 

One of the things that has amazed me (and will continue to amaze me, I'm sure) is how much history there is in this little town. In America, our history is not very long. Wildly interesting, but short. In Europe, that's not the case. Their history spans over a thousand years. Different people over the centuries return to the same spots, and do amazing things here. 

For example, on our walking tour of Cambridge on Thursday morning, our lovely tour guide Mary took us to her favorite pub in Cambridge called the Eagle. She had many cool stories to tell about this pub (which I can share with you later if you're interested) and the people that had been there. Shakespeare's company probably performed there, Charles Dickens went there, Watson and Crick went there to tell everyone about their discovery of DNA, and American pilots went there during World War II when they were in England for pilot's training. 

What's even more amazing is that all of these historic things coexist with modern day things. People here think nothing of walking by a hill that's nearly a thousand years old, or by chapels on college campuses that have been there since 1250 and later. But that astounds me. It is so cool to live in a place that has so much history wherever you turn. 

No signs of homesickness yet (I'm not surprised) and no culture shock yet (although our history professor had quite a lot to say about us "stereotypical" Americans). I just take each day a step at a time, and hope for something interesting to happen. 

Until next time,

Stephanie