At the beginning of this trip, I wrote a post about how quickly I felt at home in Cambridge. Now, with less than a week before my flight back to the States, I’m getting ready to pack up and leave this new home. And I think I’m okay with that.
 
For my first few weeks in Cambridge, I was enamored by the city. The flowers are constantly in bloom, I drink about a gallon of tea every day, and, as my architecture professor says, “I think that if I walk around these buildings long enough I will somehow become intelligent by osmosis.” I still love all these things, of course, but the more time I’ve spent here the more I’ve gotten into the rhythm of daily life. That’s good in some ways. I’ve gotten to experience what it is like to be a local more than an average traveler who spends a week or less in one location, which is a privilege. However, I’ve also grown immune about what makes it so special to be here.  I don’t gape at King’s Chapel when I walk past it anymore, partially because I walk past it every day and partially because I have five minutes to get to class and there are approximately five million tourists I need to dodge in order to arrive on time. The city is as charming as ever, but the novelty has worn off and homesickness has hit me hard. I miss drinks with ice, free public toilets, and Starbucks coffee (fortunately I’ll be returning to a new Starbucks back at MSMU, am I right??). In short, I miss my real home. I am so grateful for this experience and I don’t want to leave exactly – I just want to get back to my normal life more. I actually feel a bit like Sandy from Spongebob:


 I’ve spent the majority of the past three years at school, so for me, normal life isn’t being with my parents and dogs. It’s being at the Mount. I’ll be back to that very soon; my flight lands on Saturday and the fall semester begins on Monday, so I’m heading straight to campus from the airport. And so begins senior year!
As much as I’d like to be back in the States right now, one of the most valuable lessons I’ll be taking away from this summer is not taking things for granted. Right now I feel immune to all the special parts of Cambridge, but I know I’m going to miss the experiences I’ve had and the people I’ve met. Meanwhile, senior year is going to fly by and in less than a year I’ll be graduating. I don’t want to waste this year because I’m so focused on my routine and not on what makes MSMU special.
I never used to question being able to roll out of bed and walk across campus in less than five minutes, getting my breakfast order as soon as I walk into Patriot because the cafeteria workers memorized it, having professors and staff know my name, or even doing my hallmates’ hair for dances. These things are all specific to my Mount experience and I’ve missed them. I know I’ll miss them even more after I graduate, just like I’ll miss Cambridge after I leave. You can get used to anything, even once-in-a-lifetime experiences like studying at PKP, but that can teach you to appreciate just how good your normal life is.


Before I close out, I want to share a playlist that really exemplifies my emotions this week and that I can guarantee I will be listening to on my flight home:

  • Born in the USA - Bruce Springsteen
  • The Star Spangled Banner - Francis Scott Key
  • Party in the USA - Miley Cyrus
  • Somewhere Out There - American Tail Soundtrack
  • Home - Daughtry
  • I'll be Home for Christmas - Frank Sinatra
  • Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue - Toby Keith
  • Hold On, We're Going Home - Drake
  • American Pie - Don McLean
  • Kids in America - Kim Wilde
  • We the People - Billy Ray Cyrus
  • Far Away - Nickelback
  • Take Me Home, Country Roads - John Denver
  • You're a Grand Old Flag - George M. Cohan
  • This Land is Your Land - Woody Guthrie
  • Surfin' USA - The Beach Boys
  • Color Me America - Dolly Parton
  • Who Says You Can't Go Home - Bon Jovi


   

 
"Haste ye back" is an expression in Scotland that means "Hurry back". It was everywhere this past weekend when Anna and I made a trip to Edinburgh. If you've ever traveled to Edinburgh, or anywhere in Scotland, I think you'd agree that it is most certainly a place one wants to hurry back to. I had a feeling when I was planning for this weekend that I was absolutely going to fall in love with the city of Edinburgh. Do you ever get those feelings where you just know you are going to love a place without having been there yet? (Normally, I really dislike typical study-abroad post type things, but this is going to be one of those posts. I'm human and I'm a hypocrite, what can I say?!) Anyway, I just had this feeling.

The train ride from Cambridge to Edinburgh solidified that this was going to be a good weekend. In fact, after we got off the train Anna said that if we had just turned around and gone back the same route that would have been worth the trip. She was right because the views as we were within an hour of Edinburgh were simply amazing. We were traveling right along Scotland's eastern coast so we had views of the ocean and small seaside villages. We passed lighthouses, and big cliffs jutting out over the water.
This picture really doesn't do these views justice!

After this beautiful train ride in, we grabbed a taxi to head to where we were staying. Getting a taxi was an event, as Anna and I never grab taxi's, living in a place like Emmitsburg. I ended up asking the guy through the window if we could go to said address and he said, "You can, but not by standing out there." Point taken, sir. He ended up being very nice, albeit sarcastic, and for a second thought that Anna and I could not speak english because we were having a hard time deciphering his thick Scottish accent, which was muffled behind the thick plastic cab screen. Eventually, feeling like pretty dumb Americans, we ended up at the place where we were staying.

The sister of a good family friend lives in Edinburgh and she and her husband were gracious enough to let us stay with them for the weekend. I felt bad that we were arriving after 9PM as they do have young kids, but they were so welcoming and made us feel right at home. They had two rooms ready for us on the top floor of the house and she had even left us a tea pot with a selection of herbal teas which was the very best thing after a long train ride. Anna's room had a balcony attached which had an incredible view of some of the city and the mountains that surround it. After a good night's rest, we were ready to conquer Arthur's seat!

Anna's view (I wasn't jealous, it's fine.)

Arthur's seat is at the top of a very (much more than Anna and I realized) steep hill (more like mountain) right in the heart of Edinburgh. Arthur's seat is actually a dormant volcano, and legend has it may have been where Camelot once stood, thus it was named after King Arthur. Anna and I felt less like kings when we reached the summit and more like Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music. The pictures really don't capture the beauty; I just wanted to run around, spinning while singing like Maria Von Trapp and that's what I did. 

Channeling Maria

The hills were alive

Once we got to the very top, we sat and just looked for a while. It was so very windy when we got to the top that you had to sit down and just take a minute. From this point (one of the highest in the city) you could see for miles. We saw the old medieval buildings, castles, the ocean on one side and more mountains on the other. We commented on the beauty of God's creation and were just in awe--it's important to be taken aback every once and a while. It reminds you to be humble, and thankful for this beautiful world that we live in. 

Windblown hair and Arthur's seat in the background (this was the most difficult selfie we've ever taken)

After a wonderful morning of hiking and changing body temperatures drastically (hot while climbing, freezing when at the top), we decided to explore the city and go get some good coffee. We wandered down the Royal Mile and found small passages with staircases that led to winding roads with the prettiest shops. Eventually, we wound up at The Elephant House (if you know me, you should not be surprised) which is where J.K. Rowling wrote some of the Harry Potter Books. The bathroom is dedicated to her--people from all over the world have written her notes of thanks and quoted the books, showing the deep love we all have for the series. I freaked out at the idea that J.K. Rowling once sat where we sat, penning the greatest novels of our time and paid homage by signing the bathroom wall myself. 
The last quote of the best series, written in pink pen by me!

I've rambled on long enough and I'll be sure to include more pictures at the end of this post. The rest of that day and the next were spent taking in all of the beauty Edinburgh has to offer. Anna and I grew very fond of the medieval architecture that made you feel like you had traveled back in time. We bought way more than we thought we would but everything was so cool it was too hard to pass up! Edinburgh is definitely one of those cities that instantly feels homey. Our host said she loves it because it doesn't really feel like a city, and I'd have to agree. 

Victoria Street, Edinburgh (Pinterest told us to go here and it was right!)

A park that looks up to to Edinburgh Castle

Scott's Monument (which you can climb if you haven't hiked Arthur's Seat the day before)


Edinburgh, thanks for an awesome weekend getaway. I'll try and hurry back soon!
Kelsey 

"We can only see a short distance ahead, but we can see plenty there that needs to be done." - Alan Turing

 Long post incoming, so go grab a coffee first. But while you're heading to the kitchen, ask yourself:

What are you doing with your life?

While attending the International Security and Intelligence program in Cambridge, my peers and I spent a good amount of time talking about why people do what they do. What separates the personal drive between someone who watches Netflix all day and someone who joins the Peace Corps?

In order to do something great you're going to need some type of inspiration. Besides coffee, you need something to get you going. Certain determined individuals already have it figured out; they are able to be sitting on the toilet when an idea comes to them and they think, "I'm going to do something great today," and then proceed to devote their lives to the development of some sort of world-changing idea. That's an extreme example, but it does happen.

But most of the time, inspiration is going to come from some outside source. When I was a little kid (around ages 6-11 or so), for whatever reason, I was inspired by Arnold Schwarzenegger. I remember watching the first two Terminator movies with my dad. I didn't realize who this giant human being was at the time, but as I grew older, I could see why millions of people use him as a stereotypical example of inspiration. He first became famous for lifting weights, then made some movies, then got into politics, and now he's spending most of his time performing charity work. Sounds like a fulfilling life, no?

"I'll be back... as the governor of California."


What Arnold accomplished is nothing to sneeze at, but it is worth noting that everything he has done that has resulted in glory has been openly presented to the public. What bodybuilder doesn't want to be Mr. Olympia? What aspiring theater student wouldn't jump at the chance to star in a dystopian robot movie? Simply put, there are rewards involved - money, connections, happiness, fame. Arnold's profession was multifaceted, but overall, it revolved around notoriety. What I want to talk about is an inspirational profession that involves none of that.

Many of the jobs within the intelligence community are some of the most thankless jobs anyone could ever pursue. If something goes right and you discover information or draw certain connections during the analysis phase, and you prevent a nasty terrorist attack, you can't disclose the details because your enemies will know how you stopped them. And if something goes wrong? Every single person in your country is now pointing fingers, shoving the blame onto you. (See: 9/11)

After some type of unforeseen attack, it's very easy to take a step back, look at the evidence that your intelligence community provided, and say, "How did we not see this coming?!" Most of the time it's not very fair to take this stance. This is called "connecting the dots" and it can be done in two ways: before the event and after the event. Preventing an attack would require connecting the dots in a timely manner before the attack, which is often very difficult. After an attack occurs, however, it will become exceedingly clear which dots were relevant and which were not. That's a simple explanation. It's an inherently tough job and the factors that influence your intelligence collection, validation, analysis, etc. are incredibly numerous.

Know this - there are tens of thousands of people that are working to keep you safe. They are working every hour of every day. They devote their lives to preventing the next attack, and they do it all for the purpose of national security. The important bit here is that they do it all discreetly. I'm not in one of those positions, so I don't know how I would feel if I worked a 120-hour week and was able to provide intelligence that prevented people from dying. Anyone not immediately relevant to the case would have any idea of what you did, and there would be but one reward: the knowledge that you had saved people's lives.

 I'm not trying to make a huge statement here. This post isn't meant to sound like it's being given from atop a soapbox. Rather, I just want people to acknowledge the "man behind the curtain" that stopped the subway car they're on from being gassed, or the hotel they're staying in from being shot up, or the plane they're on from going down. Yes, of course it's not fun to think about these issues. They're morbid. But if a select group of people wasn't willing to spend such large portions of their lives preventing these things from happening, we would be in a pretty bad position. The people that play these roles deserve praise, too, even if we can't directly attribute it to individuals.

But enough about this! Let's move on to one of the field trips we went on and also one of the baddest dudes that lived during the 20th century.

During my time attending the ISI program, we visited Bletchley Park and Madingley American Cemetery.

Bletchley Park was a top secret code breaking facility opened in 1938 and it was converted into a museum during the 90s. There were thousands of people who worked here during WWII and very many of them have gone unnoticed, their deeds done primarily in blacked-out "huts." By far, the most prominent person associated with this place is Alan Turing.

To keep things somewhat short, Alan's team of mathematicians and cryptologists is the reason that many of us are here today. The Battle of the Atlantic lasted more or less the entire war, and because of Alan's work with the German Enigma machine, the Allies' fleets could traverse the seas much more safely.

But his work at Bletchley is only a small part of his legacy - he's considered the founding father of computer science. From his numerous papers detailing computer programming and instruction sets to biological experiments with nature and Fibonacci numbers, Turing was, in every sense of the word, a genius. His arguments regarding artificial intelligence have set the standard and they still hold up even today, bridging the gaps between philosophy and computing and generating questions such as "What is intelligence?" and "Can machines think?"

If you're interested in these topics AT ALL, go look them up. A good number of his papers (published and unpublished) are online and they're actually quite readable. He's one of the few people who could explain graduate level topics without completely going over your head. Even if you just want an interesting read, check out his objections and replies to whether or not strong AI can exist.

Some estimates claim that his work shortened the War by as much as two years, saving millions upon millions of lives. That's somewhat debatable but it's still astounding.

It was great to finally meet Alan in person. He was a nice guy. Didn't talk much though.

Notice the dates on the above picture of his statue. He died when he was 41. If you think about it for too long it becomes upsetting. Someone who understood Einstein's papers at age 16 and contributed a mountain of beneficial scientific knowledge to the entire world still had half of his life to live.

While Turing is famous for his actions, many of the people who worked alongside him are not. As many as 10,000 people worked at Bletchley during the War. They all kept the nature of their jobs secret. We'll never know exactly the names of everyone who contributed to keeping our grandparents alive, but we can use their selfless work to give us inspiration. The few people we can thank, though, deserve it. So thank you, Mr. Turing. Your work helped put a man on the moon, a computer in our pocket, and kept many of our grandparents alive. Without you, our lives would be much smaller and our cemeteries would be much bigger.

Madingley contains 3,809 headstones and its Wall of the Missing bears 5,127 names of missing servicemen and women. While most of the names represented soldiers, there were also cooks, housekeepers, janitors, and the like.


I hope the above ramblings have been informative, but my real purpose here is to have you ask yourself two questions: What inspires you? and What would you die for?

I want you to really think about this. I mean really think about this. Let these questions keep you up at night.

Too often we approach these questions broadly. 

"That inspirational quote on the wall inspires me."

"Steve Jobs inspires me."

"I would die for my friends."

"I would die for my family."

If those are your answers, just be aware that they're also everyone else's answers. Ask any of your friends and you'll most likely hear some of those exact words. Don't get me wrong - those are honorable causes but they should be examined in a more specific capacity, so let's get real for a moment.

If you had the choice of giving up your life so a member of your family could go on living, would you do it? What if you could give up your life so a member of your family wouldn't have to endure intense suffering, even if they were going to live afterwards anyway? Would you die for a member of your family if it meant they wouldn't stub their toe while watering their spice garden, preventing them from crying for 20 minutes? It's relative, it's not black and white, it's tough, but it's easy to see that there's a threshold somewhere. It's up to you to decide exactly where that lies. 

For what it's worth, I'll throw my answer in here. I don't know what I would die for. If you told me, "Hey Joe, the earth will explode unless you drink this cup of lava," my answer would be easy to make. If you told me, "Either you or a family member must drink this cup of lava," the answer would be a bit more difficult.

This is lava. I'm not sure of this lava's exact temperature, but it's somewhere in the neighborhood of "like, totally super hot."

An answer might be an immediate "Yes" and involve unconditional love, but realistically, it might not. The family member could be elderly and extremely sick and tell you that you are capable of bringing much more joy into the world than they are, or the family member might be a mere toddler and be showing signs of incredible intelligence and have their whole lives ahead of them. You might even end up weighing your accomplishments and potential accomplishments against the other person's in order to make your decision. If you do that, you'll be faced with some inner reflection that brings us right back to the start of this long-winded post: What are you doing with your life?

As for inspiration, I think it's easy to see who inspires me. Turing's work ethic was crazy. He devoted years of his life to working alongside a team that had a purpose of saving others, and most of it was done without any expectation of an external reward. That's what really gets me, as many of the things we do in our lives are done for the advancement of ourselves and not for the good of others. Additionally, the person or place that ends up being a source of inspiration for you is not going to be the same as the one for me. On the field trip, a bunch of my friends found Madingley more powerful than Bletchley. Both places represented people who devoted lives or portions of their lives to protecting others, but in the end, Bletchley spoke to me more deeply because I'm a computer scientist. Some of my peers who are history majors or international studies majors or future soldiers got more out of Madingley. Ergo, your inspiration is deeply personal and largely relevant to the paths in life you've already taken.

Both the soldiers buried at Madingley and the people who worked at Bletchley didn't do what they did for fame or fortune. We can even relate their actions to a Catholic teaching (as I do attend The Mount and all). There's a Bible verse in Matthew that goes: 

"When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you."

This is just like a job in the intelligence community. This embodies the idea behind the Unknown Soldier. No one sees the great things that you try to do, but you are rewarded by inner knowledge that you contributed to saving the lives of others.

To sum this up, and to be direct, here's what you can walk away with today:

  • There are a lot of people trying to keep you being not dead. They go to work every day without expecting thanks from anyone.
  • Don't be afraid to be cliche and ask yourself the big life questions, but don't overgeneralize. Come up with some specifics and you'll learn more about yourself.
  • Find something that actually inspires you. Inspiration is not overrated, and half the time the only real difficulty is getting off the couch.

Studying at Cambridge or any other university puts you in direct contact with others who are on the same journey that you're on. It gives you a lot of time to talk to others who are like you, allowing you to develop thoughts that you haven't really spent time entertaining. Traveling to significant historical sites puts those thoughts into perspective. And combining your newly formulated thoughts with your newly gained perspective helps you create a better worldview, a stronger sense of self, and a more definitive grasp on what you truly desire to pursue during your limited time.

So I'll ask again:

What are you doing with your life?

-Joe
         It is a truth universally acknowledged that when a visitor comes to Cambridge they must punt* at least once, lest their visit be considered null and void. If you forget this, you will be helpfully reminded by the people holding cardboard signs, clustered outside King's College and St. John's, advertising historic punting tours. Walking along the river, you see large punts filled with tourists, who relax (perhaps with wine and a cheeseboard) while the punter smoothly maneuvers the boat like it is the easiest thing in the world.

A view of Clare College from the river Cam

             As PKP students, we get to rent punts from King's College, so last Sunday the Mount girls and a friend decided to try our hand at punting. Caitlin bravely volunteered to be the punter. After getting the key from the Porter, and a small adventure trying to find the punt cushions, we went down to the river Cam with our equipment.

             Our punt was named Edward VIII (1). That, if you'd like, could be taken as an omen of things to come. The cushions were laid down, we gingerly stepped into the boat and settled ourselves in, Caitlin and our friend removed the mooring chains, and we were off! Off on a voyage of slight terror, it seemed. The punts had never seemed as low in the water as ours, and every rock and wobble of the punt made us cling more tightly to our purses, brownies, drinks, and cameras. To add to the adventure, we were reliably informed by signs everywhere that Cam water could cause gastroenteritis. We didn't need the signs - a closer look at the water was enough to convince us that falling in would be (at the very least) a disgusting prospect. Caitlin was discovering the difficulties of using the heavy wooden pole, especially to steer.




          "You use it like a rudder," came a voice from the bridge. A porter had appeared from nowhere, like some guardian angel (2), and he tried to guide us as Caitlin turned the punt. "You know what a rudder on a boat is?" A few tips, scrapes, and a willow later, we were on our way. After a while, we were even able to get a unique tour experience from our punter:

"Who was Clare College founded by?"

"Clare College was founded by a princess, who was an independent modern-minded woman who decided that women should all have access to an education. She had three husbands and three ugly children, who were so ugly that she never registered them for an education."


We got some funny looks from professional tourist punters as they heard Caitlin's stories. We had a few scrapes and near collisions, but Caitlin soon got the hang of steering and we glided down the Cam. Mooring took a few tries, but we got back safely - in Caitlin's case, as safely as she could be when covered in Cam water.


          The porters had a little laugh - "You should have seen them, it was hilarious!" - and we emerged having paid 4 "squids" total for our hour of punting. Then we went down to the river, pulled out our drinks, and relaxed. Until it rained, of course. 

-Kathrine

*punt - noun. Generally a word used in Britain to refer to what looks like an oversized canoe, with a covered back. It is operated by a punter, who stands on the back of the punt and pushes it forward with a pole, which is also used to steer. Also in verb form, i.e. to punt, as in "Johnny punted down the river in a punt."

(1) aka "the king who abdicated in order to marry the divorced Wallis Simpson". I did not quite believe that the boat's name was Edward at first, but at a second thought, punting in a boat named Henry VIII would hardly have been any better.

(2) It was afterward that we imagined how we looked when we came in - a gaggle of 6 clearly amateur punters. The porter probably had sprinted out to make sure no one drowned or broke the punt.

Buckingham Palace 
Hi everyone! This is Caitlin and I am extremely excited to retell this weekend's London adventure to you all.

This weekend PKP students headed to the beautiful city of London. Before we stumbled, bleary-eyed, onto the coaches waiting to take us on the short two-and-a-half hour journey we were given the option to return to Cambridge that night or to stay in London for the weekend. Of course I had to stay! There is nothing worse than going to a city for a single day and feeling as though you did not fully experience it. I never want to regret missing anything after traveling, so this overnight option seemed too good to be true.

In order to get the most out of my weekend, I came up with a reasonable plan of attack with fellow Mountie and PKP student, Molly (look forward to a post from her soon!). We made a list of priorities and created a diverse list of "must-sees." Since this is my second time to London, I wanted to visit some favorite places from my last trip and some new places. We were dropped off at the London Eye at 10:30am on Friday, July 3rd. From there, Molly and I shlepped our backpacks across the Golden Jubilee Bridges to the National Gallery. After perusing the various rooms filled with world-class art (including one of the most outstanding Monet collections I have ever seen), Molly and I headed to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guards. Unfortunately, we were a little late to the party as people tend to gather a good amount of time in advance to uncomfortably press themselves, cameras in hand, against the walls of the palace in order to get the best pictures possible. Luck was on our side, though, and we were able to get an up-close view of the guards leaving on a side street as we made our way up the Mall (see video clip).
The oldest door in Britain
Located at Westminster Abbey, the door
dates back to the 1060s

Queen Elizabeth I surrounded by Tudor Roses
After taking our fair share of pictures when the crowds dispersed, we made our way to Westminster Abbey. Molly is a History and English major while I am a History and Music major so Westminster Abbey made the short list while we planned our excursion. Besides the fact that I got to see the graves of Elizabeth I (I'm writing my Honors Project about her!) and Mary, Queen of Scots (one of my favorite historical figures), experiencing the stunning gothic architecture and coming upon memorials or graves of various musical and literature elites made Westminster Abbey the highlight of the day.


Completely famished after fulfilling so many historical dreams, Molly and I made our way to Grafton Arms for a pie, a pint, and some Wimbledon. After walking about 8 miles at that point, we were more than ready to kick back with a hearty meal and rest our feet!

After breezing past Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, Molly and I walked to the Borough Market, a trendy outdoor market with almost any fresh food product you can imagine. I immediately fell in love with this area, as the Market is also surrounded by small pubs and eateries to which crowds of fashionable, young locals flocked after work. Navigating these crowds was certainly not easy, but we eventually found the Globe Theatre tucked away near the Thames. By this time, it was almost time to head back to the London Eye for our sunset ride (which PKP generously bought for us). Instead of retracing our steps, Molly and I completed a loop and decided to walk along the Thames to return to the London Eye. Again, there were multitudes of people along this walk that was complete with a welcome river breeze, outdoor pubs, eateries, and the famous food trucks. This vibrant walk along the Thames was a very close second to Westminster Abbey. After enjoying my second ride on the London Eye, Molly and I made our way to my aunt and uncle's house in Ealing to turn in for the night.

(Fun fact: according to Molly's FitBit, we walked a total of 15 miles that day)

After sleeping in until 10:30am or so and sharing a delicious breakfast with my aunt and uncle, Molly and I were ready to take on Day 2 of our London adventure. Taking the advice of our amazing hosts, we steered clear of joining the Wimbledon queue and headed straight to Notting Hill to see the
Notting Hill homes = life goals
infamous residences and the Portobello Road Market. Hundreds, if not thousands, of people were out and about enjoying the abundance of goods in the market stalls. Molly and I certainly underestimated the size of this market - it goes on for miles, or at least it seems like it does! We made a few purchases and eventually made our way to Kensington Palace Gardens, Royal Albert Hall, the Royal College of Music, and Hyde Park before we made our way back to our Ealing Broadway residence for a very lively dinner party in the garden.

At this point, you might wonder why I chose the title 'Family Matters' for this post. When I first received the news that I was selected for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study in Cambridge, I knew that it also meant I would be able to visit my family living in the UK. I was over the moon to spend the past few days with my aunt and uncle in London. From late breakfasts, to old family stories, and a dinner party the lasted late into the night, my experience in London was not just a whirlwind of seeing as much as possible, it was something much more than that: it was spending time with people I would not have had the true pleasure to see if it was not for this trip; it was conversing and even debating with Londoners about current world issues; it was listening to Classic FM and Radio 3 while talking about our favorite musical pieces and composers; it was sharing a laugh at whatever BBC program was on television; it was realizing that family matters. I am so blessed to be able to study at Cambridge for these two summer months where I will hopefully meet up with a cousin of mine who lives in Cambridge and whose family performs Irish folk music around the UK. This first week has been one of the most memorable experiences of my life and I hope to share more memories with you soon!

Until next time,
Caitlin

The sunrise on my walk to 8am Latin Mass at St. Benedict's Abbey, Ealing

 
Hi friends! I’m Anna, and I’m going to walk you through our first few days in Cambridge. I definitely have a lot to talk about!
The journey to Cambridge was pretty uneventful. The flight from Dulles to Heathrow took about eight hours (I slept, not very well), customs took an hour, and then the bus to Cambridge took another two hours (I slept, very well). Suddenly we had arrived. Just walking from the bus stop to Pembroke College, where we are staying, was awe-inspiring and was really the moment I knew okay, I’m in England. The entire city is a mix of old, very old, and modern buildings that combine into an impressive sight.
That day and the next consisted of a lot of orientation activities. I saw Kings Chapel and the River Cam, I met people whose names I instantly forgot, and I learned where my classes would be and what fire extinguisher to use if there was ever an emergency. It felt a lot like the first few days of freshman year, where you are trying to figure out a million things all at once: how to get from your room to the dining hall, how to use your student ID, how to mingle and make friends.
I didn’t really feel comfortable or settled until our formal dining hall, which took place in the evening of our first full day here. We all put on our best dresses and suits, stood on the otherwise off-limits lawn, and drank unlimited wine. Very classy! It was so much fun to sit in the ancient dining hall with my new classmates from all over the world and get to know each other. The four course meal wasn’t too shabby, either!
Classes began the next day. Everyone in PKP takes three classes while we are here. Two of mine are philosophy classes, which allows me to add a double major that I otherwise would not have been able to fit in my schedule. One of these classes is Metaphysics, which I was a bit nervous for because it’s a pretty complex and confusing topic. Once the class got started, though, I loved every minute of it. If you googled “stereotypical philosophy professor”, I’m pretty sure the professor of this class would pop up. He bumped into the same table at least ten times, he snuck countless snide little jokes into his lecture that most students were afraid to laugh at, and he interrupted his explanation of Cartesian Dualism to complain about the scientific accuracy of BBC programs, especially the children’s show Peppa Pig. He told us to go ahead and interrupt him if we were confused at any point, and that the discussion days were going to be based mostly on the Socratic method. I have gotten very used to small discussion-based classes at the Mount, so I felt right at home.
Cambridge is filled with gorgeous architecture and gardens and it’s steeped with history, but it’s the details that have really stood out to me so far. Everyone rides bikes here, with bells and wicker baskets and everything. Hollister is hip for everyone, not just middle school students. The birds and ducks walk right up to you (which is actually terrifying). I keep interrupting the flow of traffic because I walk on the right side of the sidewalk instead of the left, but the locals apologize to me. I am constantly discovering new little gardens and courtyards that can only be reached through a hole in the hedge or by an ivy-covered gate. Tonight, we went to dinner at a local pub with a few new friends. We had fish and chips and talked about how we feel like we’ve been here forever, even though we’ve only been here two days. Cambridge has already exceeded my expectations - I can’t wait to see what the rest of the summer has in store!
It's hard to believe we are just 5 days away from traveling to Cambridge! My name's Kelsey and I'm writing this first post to introduce all of us before the trip. We are six students from Mount St. Mary's University and we are each going to be taking three classes at Pembroke College this summer. This blog is meant to keep you updated on life in Cambridge and our adventures around Europe! We are all seniors except for Katherine, who is a junior (she'll have seniority someday). Katherine is majoring in Biology and Theology. Caitlin Flay is double majoring in History and Music. Joe Appleton is majoring in Computer Science. Anna Bradley is double majoring in Criminal Justice and Philosophy. Molly Gerwig is double majoring in History and English. Finally, I'm majoring in Elementary and Special Education.

I cannot believe that on Saturday I will get on a plane and fly to England. For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to travel to England. I think it all began when I read Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. I was convinced that I was the next Hermione Granger and that my letter from Hogwarts would arrive any day. Alas, it didn't, but I received something almost as good back in March: a letter from the University of Cambridge saying that I was accepted to study at the Pembroke-King's Summer Programme. I say this news is almost as good as a Hogwarts letter because  - come on! It's every fan's dream for the Wizarding World to be real. All Harry Potter craziness aside, I am very honored to have this opportunity to study at one of the oldest universities in the world, and I am so indebted to the the wonderful faculty and staff at Mount St. Mary's University for giving me this great opportunity.

I have never traveled abroad before, so this is going to be insane. I keep trying to picture myself walking the streets of Cambridge, listening to lectures in halls built 800 years ago, and punting the River Cam but I can't seem to do it. This all still seems like a dream. I can't wait to share with you all of the awesome, dream-come-true things that are bound to happen this summer. And I can't wait for you to get to know my fellow Mount students through their posts - I have an awesome group of people to share this experience with!

Stay tuned!
Kelsey




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About Us

About Us

Hello!

We are six Mount St. Mary's University students. This summer we are studying abroad at Cambridge University's Pembroke-King's Programme, and we're blogging about our experiences.