Experiencing Autumn

Matriculation and the River Cam

My day started at 6 am yesterday. For those of you who really know me, know that Shannon + early mornings = a struggle. I met a few of the girls on the rowing team in front of reception at 6:30, and then we rode our bikes down to the boathouse that we share with Trinity Hall. At 6:30 am it is still dark and there aren't many cars on the road so it was a quick and easy 10 minute ride. We then had to wait for everyone else to get there so we could take the boat out. Around 7:30 am we finally had everyone there, the oars were positioned along the river, and so therefore we were able to lift the boat over the tops of our heads and place it in the water. The stern side gets in the boat first, while the people on the bow side steady the boat. The bow side then gets in and pushes the boat off of the side of the river using their oars and away you go...or so I thought.

Our first launch was not as graceful as it should have been. Instead, the worst possible thing that could happen when you are rowing, happened. That is right, our boat tipped and in we went into the River Cam. The water was absolutely freezing, we were lucky in that there was no frost that morning. We then had to tip the boat over so it was facing the right way up again and carry it back into the boathouse. Carrying it back to the boathouse required us to lift the boat and carry it above our heads, which of course meant that all the water that was in the boat, was now going to pour down on us. To make matters even worse, I then had to bike home in the freezing cold while dripping wet. Not the greatest first experience in rowing. I spent the rest of the day trying to warm myself up and catch up on some reading before my matriculation ceremony.

The matriculation ceremony is the official ceremony that initiates you into Cambridge University as well as your individual college. The ceremony begins with a prayer said by the Dean in Latin in the chapel followed by the induction of Masters, Fellows, and then first year students. Your name is read and you must go to the front to shake hands with the St. Edmund's master who has a brief conversation with you and then you sign the Matriculation registry. When the ceremony was over we then followed the Masters and Fellows out into the Garden Room for pre-dinner drinks of Sherry. The butler then rings a bell and invites us into the Formal Dining Hall for a candle-lit dinner. We all had to stand behind our chairs and wait for the Dean to read another Latin prayer before we were able to sit down. During the dinner, no one is allowed to leave unless you receive permission from the Master. We were served a four course meal that started with soup served with white wine, the main course served with red wine, dessert and sherry, and finally a cheese platter and coffee. The meal ends with another prayer read by the Dean as students follow the Masters and Fellows out into the Combination Room. Unfortunately I do not have any pictures because it is not allowed during the ceremony.

The whole Matriculation ceremony lasted for four hours. It was a long, tiring evening, but one that I will never forget. The tradition of formal candle-lit dinners dates back to when the University was first founded in 1209. I am very honored to be able to take part in such a long-standing tradition, even though I look ridiculous in my Harry Potter robe.

Week 1 of Lectures

I survived my first week of lectures. This term I am taking three classes that actually go towards my degree: Perspectives in Education, Research Methods, and Children's Literature. Research Methods isn't much fun, but hopefully I will learn a lot about the ways paper are written at Cambridge since every school is different. The way that my Children's Literature class is set-up is kind of like a Socratic Seminar. We (the students) are sort of responsible for our own learning by posing questions and having an intellectual conversation about the week's reading. I am also taking Irish. That's right, I am trying to learn Irish. And let me tell you, it is certainly not easy. I feel as if one cannot actually learn Irish, one can only memorize all the words and phrases. It isn't like Spanish or French in the sense that you can pronounce the word as it is spelled.

For example:

1. Dia is Muire dhuit. (meaning: God and Mary to you)

actually sounds like: Dis ee-sh Moy-ra hwitz

2. Ta se go deas bualadh leat. (meaning: It is lovely to meet you)

actually sounds like: Ta shay go dat boo-y-la lat

Not sure how long this class is going to last.

soon reality sets in

Tonight marks the final hoorah of Fresher's Week. An International themed bop, or as we say in the states party, will be held in the CR with a DJ providing us with some tunes. The fresher events have been helpful in getting to know some of the people that live with me in college, but I am also looking forward for classes to begin. Now I am not looking forward to reading, writing, homework, stress, anxiety, etc. but I am excited to experience Cambridge lectures.

These past few days have been filled with running various errands, going to society meetings, and a visit from my friends Sam and Sophie. Sam has been in London for the past two weeks visiting various people, including our British friend Sophie so they decided to come up for the day. There isn't much in Cambridge besides the numerous colleges so we just spent the afternoon walking around town and stopping in Auntie's Tea Shop to warm us up a bit.

Saturdays at St. Edmund's means a full English breakfast served at 11 am. I must say that this is probably my favorite day and probably the only day that I will wake up in time for breakfast. After my stomach was filled, my friend Jen went with me to buy a bike. My grandparents have been very generous and sponsored my purchase, which will make my commute to lectures a whole lot quicker. After getting my bike we stopped in a pub called The Granta, which is probably my new favorite place. Let me just say, they make the best Veggie burger. Pub food is very filling and a bit fattening so we probably won't make it a weekly dining-out experience, but I say that once a month is probably all right.

Fresher's Week

The past 5 days have been very busy over here at St. Edmund's. Saturday marked the first official day of Fresher's week. The day began with a trip to Amies and Ryder's to get our gowns for the Matriculation ceremony, formal dinners, etc. Jennifer and I decided to walk back on our own because we figured we knew how to get back to college (which we did). We decided to take "The Backs" which is a path that runs parallel to Queen's Road and provides a picturesque background of King's College. Jennifer and I then went to the "Buddies Dinner" and since neither of our buddies showed up, we decided to make our own group and even met a new buddy named Nate who plays for the Cambridge Rugby team.

Monday was filled with mandatory events like the Welcome Meeting, where we were introduced to our Tutors. Tutors are sort of like our welfare angels; whenever we feel stressed, or overwhelmed, or just need someone to talk to, our tutors are there to help. We also had our Matriculation photograph taken, in which everyone was required to wear our newly purchased gowns.

The Cambridge University Student Union (CUSU) held a Fresher's fair on Tuesday and Wednesday. The fair consists of a wide range of clubs that students can join; I joined the St. John's Film Society (discounted movie screenings), the Vegetarian Student Union, the Irish Student Union, and a club that sends students to either Kenya or Uganda for a month during the summer. The Irish Student Union even offers Beginner's Gaelic to its members so I think I am going to take advantage of that. In the evening, all the Freshers went on a Pub Crawl to Sir Isaac Newton, The Maypole and two other pubs but I don't recall their names.

Today I had my Induction Program with the Faculty of Education. My department and classes are located at Homerton College, which is on the other side of town (about a 50 minute walk). I had meetings from 1-4, an hour break for tea, and then more meetings that went until 7:30. I did get to meet the other students in my program (there are about 20 of us), and the five supervisors. I will be assigned a supervisor in the next week or so; they are required to meet with me for a total of 11 hours over the program to discuss my two essays and thesis. The Induction Program ended with a drink reception in which they served wine...I am definitely not at Pepperdine anymore. Unfortunately I wasn't able to make it to St. Edmund's Socities Fair but I believe I am going to join the Croquet and Garden Club, and the Yacht Club. The Yacht Club teaches you the ins and outs of being on a boat and members are given opportunities to go on overnight, weekend, or week-long excursions. Afterwards, I met up with Jennifer to watch our friend Nate play rugby. The game was advertised as Town vs. Gowns, whatever that means. If I am going to attend games on a regular basis, I will need to learn a few more rules.

Tomorrow I have another Induction meeting at Homerton College and a meeting to sign up for Gaelic classes. I also need to look into buying a bike...