Monday, September 24, 2007
By the way...
For those of you in Seattle who've been having bad weather, well...for the next 10 days in Cambridge it is supposed to rain and be cloudy with temperatures in the 50s and low 60s.
The day has arrived...
I'm FINALLY off to Cambridge today! In a couple of hours, I'll be on my way to the airport and by tomorrow at 6:20 am (England time-- 1:20 am East Coast time), arrive at London Heathrow to catch the bus to Cambridge. It is very exciting!
Friday, September 21, 2007
No more keys...
Last week, as I was getting rid of, selling, and packing all of my belongings, I discovered a simple way to describe exactly what was happening in my life...
My key chain has always been heavy and overwhelmingly filled with keys-- in Seattle, I had 2 keys to my apartment, 2 mailbox keys, 2 keys to my best friends' apartment, car keys, and a PCC shopping card. Personally, I liked having a large set of keys because I could always find it in my purse or apartment and somehow it made me feel secure-- I knew I had a home (or 2 or 3), a reliable mode of transportation (= freedom), and ties to other comforts and pleasures (such as organic produce at the PCC) in Seattle.
One by one, as I relinquished each key, I realized that I was simultaneously giving up all the things that I believed had made me feel safe and secure in Seattle. It began with my apartment, my car was next, then both mailbox keys, and ended with my friends' apartment keys (where I stayed until departure to Pennsylvania).
What was surprising to me was that while I did feel a sense of sadness at leaving everything behind, I also felt liberated. I had shed most of my Seattle life, I no longer had keys to anything and there was basically no material thing left to tie me down. My keychain didn't exist anymore because I had no keys!
In 4 days, when I arrive in Cambridge, I anticipate the new, albeit different, set of keys I'll acquire over my first couple of weeks-- 2 for Fossedene (my house), 1 for a bike lock (my new mode of transportation), probably a few to open the gates of St. John's College, and I know that there will be more that I am not even aware of yet.
New keys and a new start.
My key chain has always been heavy and overwhelmingly filled with keys-- in Seattle, I had 2 keys to my apartment, 2 mailbox keys, 2 keys to my best friends' apartment, car keys, and a PCC shopping card. Personally, I liked having a large set of keys because I could always find it in my purse or apartment and somehow it made me feel secure-- I knew I had a home (or 2 or 3), a reliable mode of transportation (= freedom), and ties to other comforts and pleasures (such as organic produce at the PCC) in Seattle.
One by one, as I relinquished each key, I realized that I was simultaneously giving up all the things that I believed had made me feel safe and secure in Seattle. It began with my apartment, my car was next, then both mailbox keys, and ended with my friends' apartment keys (where I stayed until departure to Pennsylvania).
What was surprising to me was that while I did feel a sense of sadness at leaving everything behind, I also felt liberated. I had shed most of my Seattle life, I no longer had keys to anything and there was basically no material thing left to tie me down. My keychain didn't exist anymore because I had no keys!
In 4 days, when I arrive in Cambridge, I anticipate the new, albeit different, set of keys I'll acquire over my first couple of weeks-- 2 for Fossedene (my house), 1 for a bike lock (my new mode of transportation), probably a few to open the gates of St. John's College, and I know that there will be more that I am not even aware of yet.
New keys and a new start.
Friday, September 14, 2007
A Roman Holiday
So, since my life in England won't officially start until September 24th, I thought I'd give you all the link to my best friend's blogsite set in Italy.
http://a-roman-holiday.blogspot.com/
She just moved to Rome less than 2 weeks ago and I've been enjoying reading about her daily adventures about the city. Please feel free to peruse her blog, just don't forget to check in with me every once in a while. :)
http://a-roman-holiday.blogspot.com/
She just moved to Rome less than 2 weeks ago and I've been enjoying reading about her daily adventures about the city. Please feel free to peruse her blog, just don't forget to check in with me every once in a while. :)
Friday, September 7, 2007
Nearly there...
I'm not exactly in Cambridge yet...but in just a couple of weeks, I will have (hopefully!) gotten myself and the essentials to my new home in room 10, Fossedene, Mount Pleasant. My accommodation is located just behind St. John's College at the University of Cambridge and according to my brother, who also lives near St. John's, there is a "quaint" English garden behind the house. Who wouldn't love that?
It has been such a long process preparing for my big adventure. It began last year at this time when I applied to the M. Phil (Master's course) in Psychology & Education-- no easy feat. While I can only make this observation based on my own limited experience and from the stories of a few people I know living in England, it seems as though applying to do ANYTHING in the UK is complicated. Upon finding out that I had been accepted, it was a challenge to first gather up and then actually send the copious number of documents needed to secure my place not only in the MPhil program, but also as a member of St. John's College, and finally to procure my student visa allowing me to actually study at Cambridge. I'll spare you the details. Which reminds me...
THANK YOU to everyone who helped me (and continue to help me) make it through this process. :) Please come visit and I will attempt to repay you with my hospitality and guided tours through Cambridge.
Anyway, in the last few weeks I've turned over my apartment to a friend, sold my car, packed, repacked, packed again...made nearly daily trips to the Goodwill, and continue to spend time with friends before I leave. To sum it up, everything is changing and though it has been stressful and somewhat sad, I am still quite excited about my upcoming adventure.
Cheers to my new life in Cambridge!
It has been such a long process preparing for my big adventure. It began last year at this time when I applied to the M. Phil (Master's course) in Psychology & Education-- no easy feat. While I can only make this observation based on my own limited experience and from the stories of a few people I know living in England, it seems as though applying to do ANYTHING in the UK is complicated. Upon finding out that I had been accepted, it was a challenge to first gather up and then actually send the copious number of documents needed to secure my place not only in the MPhil program, but also as a member of St. John's College, and finally to procure my student visa allowing me to actually study at Cambridge. I'll spare you the details. Which reminds me...
THANK YOU to everyone who helped me (and continue to help me) make it through this process. :) Please come visit and I will attempt to repay you with my hospitality and guided tours through Cambridge.
Anyway, in the last few weeks I've turned over my apartment to a friend, sold my car, packed, repacked, packed again...made nearly daily trips to the Goodwill, and continue to spend time with friends before I leave. To sum it up, everything is changing and though it has been stressful and somewhat sad, I am still quite excited about my upcoming adventure.
Cheers to my new life in Cambridge!
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