Hello everyone!
I am very sorry to have taken such a long hiatus to update you on how my adventure has been going! Let's get started with Day 5...
I think the defining moment from Day 5 was my excursion to see St. Paul's Cathedral. Designed by Christopher Wren, it is considered a very Enlightenment Era building. It is iconic to London, and almost looks like the White House. I was able to climb to the very top of it...a couple hundred steps...and look out over the city. While the view was nothing like the Burj Khalifa, it was gorgeous. London is such a more well-developed city, and I managed to be at the top for the noon chimes. I took a video to take after mom, and I will have to show you all the video at some point. While within the Cathedral, I had a sense of awe very much like the Grand Mosque of Abu Dhabi...only for the Anglican faith. It was ornate and beautiful, and I even got to see the original wooden model that was created to help pitch the idea of the cathedral. After this amazing time, we had a very boring lecture at Gresham College. I once again tried to get to the Tate museum and this time I went alone. I was determined to make it...but I ended up meeting with a Summit graduate at the door and getting a Nutella waffle. These two things spelled my doom in making it on time. While I missed the Tate for SECOND time, I still have the memory of talking with the women working behind the counter at the small waffle stand, talking about Scotland, the U.S., and other miscellany.
Days 6 and 7 kind of blend together. These were the days that I moved into my dorm at Cambridge to enjoy a life that could have been. It is a very small town that still has a touristy feel to it, but to a much smaller extent than London. I have my own room now, a luxury I have not had in an academic setting for a very long time. I listened to lectures, wandered around the town, and was blown away by how far behind academically I am to the brightest minds of the world. Some students globally read 200 pages for EACH CLASS SESSION. Lectures are optional and done only for entertainment. Teachers do not believe in teaching from a book because you can merely read the book. Sign me up for this place! I had the pleasure of listening to Professor Piers Bursill-Hall, a very eccentric man who offended several of my classmates. I loved his course take on scientific history and found myself wishing that more teachers were as passionate about their subject matter has him. He was like a British Mr. Kelly, my "Dead Poets Society" English teacher from high school. We went to another museum, and saw more beautiful things. It was that night that we went to the pub The Eagle, the notable site where Watson and Crick famously made their declaration of discovering DNA. I had a beer named after the famous chemical, but made the mistake of not realizing the conversion factor for what exactly a "pint" is. I had a couple drinks, but since they were larger than in America I definitely noticed myself feeling it more than I expected. While I definitely was in no real danger, nor did I make a real fool of myself, I learned a valuable lesson about having a drink or two in a foreign country...that the idea of a "drink" changes across countries! I guess lessons come in all forms here in Cambridge.
Finally, today was the conclusion of my final day in Cambridge-Day 8. We began with an amazing breakfast, and then a dismal three hour walking tour of Cambridge town houses. It is as boring as it sounds, with a man who looked like a bird and spoke like a funeral home director. After finishing this, I relaxed for a few hours before going to what has been one of the best moments of my trip-the Ponto. It is a cultural tradition here that is short for "pantomime", and it is a gaudy Christmas performance that showcases cross dressing, double entendre , and richly choreographed musical scenes...and it is meant for children. It was a Chinese take on Aladdin...which I am not sure would have gotten through in the states. It was hilarious, kept my attention the whole time, and made me feel like a kid again. The entirety of my class, alongside the professors, went to this event and enjoyed it immensely. I would recommend it to anyone who is in the U.K. during the holidays.
Anyway, I should go get my laundry to prepare for the second half of my journey that begins in two days-the part where it is only Jonah and I wandering through the British Isles! I am very excited.
I hope to write to you all soon!
Cheers!
Logan Nagel
I am very sorry to have taken such a long hiatus to update you on how my adventure has been going! Let's get started with Day 5...
I think the defining moment from Day 5 was my excursion to see St. Paul's Cathedral. Designed by Christopher Wren, it is considered a very Enlightenment Era building. It is iconic to London, and almost looks like the White House. I was able to climb to the very top of it...a couple hundred steps...and look out over the city. While the view was nothing like the Burj Khalifa, it was gorgeous. London is such a more well-developed city, and I managed to be at the top for the noon chimes. I took a video to take after mom, and I will have to show you all the video at some point. While within the Cathedral, I had a sense of awe very much like the Grand Mosque of Abu Dhabi...only for the Anglican faith. It was ornate and beautiful, and I even got to see the original wooden model that was created to help pitch the idea of the cathedral. After this amazing time, we had a very boring lecture at Gresham College. I once again tried to get to the Tate museum and this time I went alone. I was determined to make it...but I ended up meeting with a Summit graduate at the door and getting a Nutella waffle. These two things spelled my doom in making it on time. While I missed the Tate for SECOND time, I still have the memory of talking with the women working behind the counter at the small waffle stand, talking about Scotland, the U.S., and other miscellany.
Days 6 and 7 kind of blend together. These were the days that I moved into my dorm at Cambridge to enjoy a life that could have been. It is a very small town that still has a touristy feel to it, but to a much smaller extent than London. I have my own room now, a luxury I have not had in an academic setting for a very long time. I listened to lectures, wandered around the town, and was blown away by how far behind academically I am to the brightest minds of the world. Some students globally read 200 pages for EACH CLASS SESSION. Lectures are optional and done only for entertainment. Teachers do not believe in teaching from a book because you can merely read the book. Sign me up for this place! I had the pleasure of listening to Professor Piers Bursill-Hall, a very eccentric man who offended several of my classmates. I loved his course take on scientific history and found myself wishing that more teachers were as passionate about their subject matter has him. He was like a British Mr. Kelly, my "Dead Poets Society" English teacher from high school. We went to another museum, and saw more beautiful things. It was that night that we went to the pub The Eagle, the notable site where Watson and Crick famously made their declaration of discovering DNA. I had a beer named after the famous chemical, but made the mistake of not realizing the conversion factor for what exactly a "pint" is. I had a couple drinks, but since they were larger than in America I definitely noticed myself feeling it more than I expected. While I definitely was in no real danger, nor did I make a real fool of myself, I learned a valuable lesson about having a drink or two in a foreign country...that the idea of a "drink" changes across countries! I guess lessons come in all forms here in Cambridge.
Finally, today was the conclusion of my final day in Cambridge-Day 8. We began with an amazing breakfast, and then a dismal three hour walking tour of Cambridge town houses. It is as boring as it sounds, with a man who looked like a bird and spoke like a funeral home director. After finishing this, I relaxed for a few hours before going to what has been one of the best moments of my trip-the Ponto. It is a cultural tradition here that is short for "pantomime", and it is a gaudy Christmas performance that showcases cross dressing, double entendre , and richly choreographed musical scenes...and it is meant for children. It was a Chinese take on Aladdin...which I am not sure would have gotten through in the states. It was hilarious, kept my attention the whole time, and made me feel like a kid again. The entirety of my class, alongside the professors, went to this event and enjoyed it immensely. I would recommend it to anyone who is in the U.K. during the holidays.
Anyway, I should go get my laundry to prepare for the second half of my journey that begins in two days-the part where it is only Jonah and I wandering through the British Isles! I am very excited.
I hope to write to you all soon!
Cheers!
Logan Nagel