Oh dear, it seems to have been almost another 5 months since my last blog. Where does the time go?! Literally feels like a month ago since I last wrote. I was talking to Brody on Skype this morning, I realise 5 months is lost in adopting a new accent, as I spent many minutes receiving a ribbing for my slight English tinge. However there’s a whole lot more to fill you in on, so I’ll give it a go.

I left off at the Easter holidays, entering into the Exam term. There’s not a lot to report on that term. We continued on as usual with normal lives, but with the added pressure of examinations looming. I spent most of my waking hours either in lectures, or the corner of the new college library I had managed to steal for myself. The new library is very incredibly fancy, but too much so for its own good because nobody can fix it. The heating system is monitored by a computer to create a dynamic control between the heating, the windows, and the atmospheric temperature. The only problem was for the whole term it was controlled at a temperature around 30 degrees and stifling, but nobody could do anything about it! I guess it is worrying that my one of my points of note from Easter term was a bad heating system in the library… In the hours I managed to find for myself, I spent them with friends either at church or in my house. It was so great to have their support and friendship. We really get along great. The below photo is from our ‘mid-term forced study break party’.


But each night as well, 3 or 4 of us would gather in someone’s room after finishing work and just chat away. It is so great living with your friends (but not too closely – I imagine sharing bills would be harder.) It was supposedly the beginning of summer, but I am still to see real evidence of that and it is now becoming Autumn. We did however manage to have a few days in the sun, evidenced below with the water balloon catapult. I expect however, like the snow in Easter, there’ll be a few weeks of uncharacteristic sun in October. Global warming, maybe?!


Exams came and went (if only it felt like that at the time) and I got a 2i. That’s the same mark that I achieved as last year. It’s by no means incredible, but it is a good mark, and on track to do what I want in years to come. Plus to do anything better I’d really have to give up being a normal person, so let’s not do that.

The week after we finished we decided to repeat our Bremen trip of last year, but instead this year, to go to Tours in the Loire Valley of France for a week. So we packed up and boarded the cheapest, nastiest airline you can imagine (yes…Ryanair, every students best friend, and the environment's nightmare) to head for the land of cigarettes and wine. Oddly enough there was very little smoking and wine drinking occurring. But we spent 5 days wandering the city and taking in the beauty of the region. France really knows how to build a city. They keep it clean, they blend it with the country, and it is just genuinely a lovely place to be outdoors. I say this in the kindest way possible though: I just couldn’t live there, the people really hate English speakers. I’ve included some pictures below of our trip.

At the airport

Strolling...

The steps of our house, having returned

Wallabies at the botanical gardens?!

Jonny and I at the gardens

The Loire Bridge

A random fountain in the city centre on a stifling day

The whole trip was just a God-send, because we were absolutely spent after the exams, and needed a place to unwind afterwards that was away from all of the metaphorical noise of Cambridge. So we just relaxed most of our time there. There was a lot of pate, cheese and baguette eating, as well as coffee drinking. And the weather was stunning to just sit on the sidewalk and people watch. Favourite moment has to be our first night there. We found ourselves a bar on the street and river’s edge to sit at, with the sun going down, and enjoyed a cold French beer. One of those perfect moments. We spent a day out at Chateau Chenonceau. It’s this incredible chateau built over the Loire River. Some aristocrats back in the day decided they’d buy the land with the only bridge over the river for miles, make it private and build their home on it. Whilst it was an inconvenience then for sure, it makes for a good day out now. It just made me think of that castle in Beauty and the Beast. And they know how to look after a garden. It would make a pretty good house really.

Chateau Chenonceau Gardens

After returning to Cambridge, it was time for May Week. You may remember my posts about this last year. But basically it is the first week where every exam in Cambridge is finished, and all the colleges throw these giant Balls, and all the societies have their garden parties (and on a less glamorous note, everyone gets trashed). I wasn’t able to indulge in the Balls this year because they are a ridiculous sum for one night, and my treat was France. I was saving to go to Zambia you see (more later). But that didn’t stop my friends and I from spending our days at Garden Parties drinking Pimm’s, eating ice-cream and playing croquet. (How English!) We also did an overnight punt to Grantchester orchards. You just hire the boat for the night and go down river to the orchard, and set up camp under the stars with a fire and BBQ and chat the night away. It was certainly the best moment of the week. As expected, photos below!

A random photo frame...

Milling around at the Corpus Garden Party

Late night fire

At the end of that week, everyone’s rent runs out (except mine, yay for being international) and they are kicked out of college. So on the Saturday, one by one all my housemates parents came to take them and their stuff home, and I spent the morning moving my friends out. It was pretty empty after that, but who should be around to rescue me from my loneliness but the lovely Paul and Priscilla Collins! I tell you, that was a very welcome treat. As always it was wonderful to see some special and familiar NZ faces mingling with the Cambridge scenery. We took a tour from my room, to town and had a pub lunch. After which we went punting and then to Marks and Spencers overlooking the town square for a coffee. They were staying with some friends in Bury St. Edmunds, so I went back with them to Bury and had dinner with them and their friends before very kindly being driven back to Cambridge (the trains were a bit sporadic). It was the perfect day. Thank you Paul and Priscilla!

After the day of the Collins’ visit I had a week to fill in before going to Zambia. But it was spent pretty much every day organising myself so I could actually go; a week of doing tasks to spend a month away, a tad ridiculous. The best one is always going to the pharmacy to pick up all the travel soap, the ridiculously high DEET content insect repellent and the sun screen that’s off the SPF scale. And before the hypochondriacs get worried, I had 11 injections throughout the course of the Easter term. They were actually really fun, if not a little expensive. (I suppose on reflection, enjoying a needle in the arm is a little sadistic.) So the week flew by and I walked out my door on the morning of July 31st not to return until August 1st. It was quite a difficult walk actually, big bag, little bag, communal bag for the team and my guitar, loaded up on my back on the way to the train station. We flew Kenyan Airways (amazing airline! Cheaper than South African airways, just as modern, no turbulence; but that’s not a guarantee, and really friendly.) from Heathrow to Lusaka and were met by Allan, the office manager and driver (interesting combination) for the Jubilee Centre. This is his beautiful family and us, in our guest house:


I realise at this point there may still be confusion as to why I am even in Zambia at this point of the story…so to clarify. I went to Zambia with a team of 9 students from my church; Holy Trinity Cambridge, in partnership with TearFund, to the Jubilee Centre; a Zambian Christian NGO, to get alongside the work they do. In simple terms, a mission trip. Meet my fabulous team…

Left to right: Dave, Me, Katie, Jasmine, Emily, Cat, Phoebe (JC), Allan (JC), Jamie, Becky, Emma, Chileshe (JC)


The Jubilee Centre’s vision statement is, “working to empower churches, communities and their leaders to grow spiritually, flourish physically and have a voice in the world.” Now I was skeptical about just how they would make that work in a worthwhile way. I mean they are nice words right, but how do they turn into actions? However, after arriving, my doubts were very quickly humbled, and they could actually make it longer I think. They have so many amazing ministries tailored perfectly to address the needs of the Zambian people. Whilst they are not big enough to cover the entire country, their work is very active in the Copperbelt province (Zambia being the largest producer of copper in Africa and second largest in the world). Their ministries include HIV/AIDS programs on; training volunteers to look after sick and vulnerable people in compounds around Zambia where people are sick with HIV/AIDS; youth clubs, to teach young people the realities of HIV/AIDS, the routes of transmission and the value of abstinence (noticeably not contraception); and, home-based care, to visit 'chronically ill patients in their homes and provide spiritual, physical, material and emotional support and work.' The orphans and vulnerable children program identifies those within a community who need support for schooling and food, and then they meet those needs. The child-headed homes initiative seeks to support those children whose parents have died due to HIV related illnesses. The Jubilee Centre is also the Zambian arm of the Micah Challenge, an organisation that lobby’s government to meet their commitment to the UN Millenium Development Goals by leading with example. They rally churches to meet the goals on the ground and use it as leverage to tell the government to do their bit too. It is a salt and light approach to development. And people are really captured by it.
They are also keen to train leaders about patriotism, as many Zambians leave the country who have any form of training. So they want to inspire in Zambians a sense of national pride and a desire to contribute to making the country better.
They have still more but it is best not to bore with admin.

As for us, we got stuck in teaching at local primary and secondary schools again on issues surrounding HIV and presenting the message of the gospel, as well as teaching lessons on patriotism, Maths, English and Science. Furthermore we had a building project, a toilet block for Mapalo Bread of Life School in the Mapalo compound. (Mapalo means blessing. They have such nice names.)

Assembly at Northrise Basic School

Our patriotism drama

Laying the toilet foundations

On Sundays we would go to one of the churches in the local area to teach and be taught. These times were so important because what we were seeing and doing was so draining on body, mind and Spirit so I really treasured the time we had sharing our hope in Christ with our Zambian brothers and sisters. There were afternoons we also spent running bible studies or sports clubs in various areas. They have an incredible liking of football (which is a little unfortunate as I do not support an English football team and they all seem to know them. I tried to teach them Rugby, but they just found it fun to try soccer with a funny ball.)

On our way to church
Preaching at Revival Worship Centre
Hand Shakey Shakey outside church. It's a really cool thing they do. They all sing as you go out, and when you get outside you shake the hands of all the people in the queue, and then you join it and shake the hand of everybody else going past, so you meet everyone. Also, they just add random y's on the end of words when they same it. Queeny, shakey, turny etc...

One day we spent in a very remote village on the DRC border with a family living as Zambians. So we learnt to cut and gather firewood, work the ground, fetch water, sweep, wash clothing, and most importantly of all, how to cook food! Nshima that is, obviously we could cook food already. It is amazing watching these Zambian women prepare a ‘fresh’ chicken ;) And then the baby starts crying so they pick it up and continue on just as well with one hand! I was a little nervous about this day, because I really did not want to intrude, but my fears were very quickly put to rest as we arrived. We couldn’t find Ruth who we were spending the day with, and after calling for her, this Zambian mama literally jumps out from around a corner shouting for joy that we’ve arrived and comes up to us so filled with excitement and glee. She was so much fun. So she showed us the workings of the home which she runs for her family of 12!

Ruth doing all the work...
The boys aren't so good with the water
Playing jacks; it's like knucklebones. They got so into it, amazing really. 
Ruth and her daughter, Jazzy, Phoebe, Emma, Pastor Rogers and me.

A couple of days were spent in the compounds (another name for a very poor, high populated area) visiting the Home Based Care patients with HIV, bringing them food, doing their chores and praying with them. In the compounds we were also privileged enough to join the orphan feeding program for just one day, dishing out food and eating with them. They have these big piles of Nshima that would have made me sick on my first attempt, and they just demolish it. For many the 3 meals a week the ‘Love Kitchen’ (told you they had cool names) provides are the only they get. And around 300 children get fed each time (which is sad enough). But it only costs £300 for the weeks 900 meals I think; that’s just a pound per child a week.

And finally in the Chifubu compound we spent time in the child headed homes, getting to know people our own age who spend all their time looking after their family because both parents have died. I tell you, there’s nothing quite as sobering as meeting these people. Except the realization that the Good News of Jesus was meant for them, and that the power of his death on the cross stretches 2008 years forward in time to bring hope and support into their lives.

I just want to say one thing about the volunteers for the Home Based Care (HBC) programs, because they are just the most phenomenal people. Day in day out they care for others, carrying their burdens as well as their own. They are normal Zambians, not rich themselves, and with their own mouths to feed. Yet they do this! They get trained to do it, and below is a video of some of their time of praise together, so much joy.

They are really struggling at the moment because obviously the point is to pray with and physically help people back to health, but many are dying at the moment. Did you know 2 million children in Zambia are orphaned also?! There are only 11 million people in the country! So I’ll finish the Zambian mission tales with two stories from our time. One heavy, one light.

On one of the days working with the HBC we were taken to a lady called Loveness (beautiful names yet again.) Her family had lain her outside on a bamboo mat in the sun, and she was just lying there limp and unmoving as we first saw her. She had clearly covered herself with a rug for the shame of the white people seeing her with HIV. This was pretty awful cause I was just feeling like I had no right to be with this woman, like she was just far too good for me, and I could not be doing anything harsher than seeing her under such circumstances, so I was feeling pretty ashamed too. So because of the rug, literally all we could see of her were swollen ankles at one end, and a weak, yellow roaming eye at the other peering out to the world seemingly given up on her. As we arrive, her family of 20 or so pile from out of their hut, goodness knows how they fitted in the first place, and they arranged themselves in a semi-circle on the other side of Loveness, looking on and listening to what was going on. To make our shame worse, they all sit on the ground, but fetch water cans for us to sit on. And then the HBC volunteer who was there to translate to Loveness for us simply turned to us and said, “you bring encouragement now.” I mean, every ounce of faith fails me and I fail to think of anything that I would possibly be able to say that would be an encouragement to Loveness with such advanced HIV and a ring of pained relatives. Thoughts run around my head, “What am I doing here? What right do I have? How dare I be here!” Anyway, I wrote a relatively mediocre poem about this day, and this time in particular, that I wanted to share with you. Its’ main purpose is to simply contrast hope and sorrow, but in this segment of it, it uses Loveness on one hand and this little girl we met earlier on in the day on the other, to do so.

Eyes. Heaven’s dichotomy.
White, sparkling, full of hope.
With innocence and unbrokeness you observe your world, you know only joy.
Yellow, dim, saddened by life.
Knowing now, only misery, HIV eats not only your immunity, but your dignity and joy.
You observe the world with one eye from under shame’s rug.
Dichotomy…

(It must be poetry if it causes lots of grammatical green underlining in MSWord!)

So I am still sit in front of Loveness with two others from my team, still thinking crazy and unhelpful thoughts, contrasting her to this little girl. And then I slowly realize the joy of the little girl never needed to leave Loveness because she has joy in Jesus whose very mission was not for people like me or you, but for people exactly like Loveness. And he conquered on this earth everything that could afflict her. Me being there was not because I was to be saying anything else, cause nothing else I could have said would have been of use, but the power of the gospel – that is Good News – is just that, good news for all who hear. We began to chat with Loveness and share from the bible, and finally to pray with her. Now she wasn’t healed, nothing dramatic like that, but she did smile, she did find a little joy from what we shared, and for me that was the biggest miracle of the trip.

…

Obviously photos of that would be seriously insensitive, but below is my very good friend, Joy. She pastors the church I was privileged to preach at In Chifubu, the very poor area where we spent a lot of time. She was also the translator for us at the child headed-homes (not with Loveness, that was someone else) and the co-ordinator of the Chifubu compound for the HBC program, so she practically runs the HBC for the area. She is amazing.

...

So moving onto slightly lighter things; obviously my name is Blake (obviously), but that is not exactly an abundant name in Zambia. So every time I would meet someone new, which happened a lot, they would come bounding up to me in their friendly and flamboyant Zambian way, shake my hand with the secret Zambian handshake and say, “Muli-shani?” (How are you?) To which I’d reply, “Bwino, Muli-shani?” (Good.) And they’d say “Bwino. Mawebo ni ishina?” (What is your name?) I’d reply, “Ishina lyandi ni Black.” Or at least that’s what they thought. It turns out I have the most racist name in all Africa, I mean I really get to the heart of racism, and keep it simple. Black. So to avoid confusion, and also to avoid stating the obvious, that indeed the people I was meeting were Black, (and obviously as a term of affection) Phoebe, the most amazing woman at the Jubilee Centre renamed me Bupe (woo-pay). It is the name she has always wanted to call her son (I know, soppy, get over it!) and it means Gift. Meet phoebe…

Well I could really go on with stories, but I’ll just include some more random photos and another video that is an excerpt of us singing our favourite Zambian song on the ‘tour bus’. Takwaba uwaba nga Yesu (There’s No-one like Jesus). Look out for the older man with the glasses dancing in the back corner of the bus, he was an absolute character! His wife happened to be the most disinterested person ever. They were a hilarious contrast.

Coffee fields!
Some bus love on the way to Ndola
Playing with the children in Mapalo compound.

So all up that was 17 days, and we took another 14 days to travel around Zambia. First stop was Lusaka, the capital to just rest a bit. It was 6 hours south of Ndola where we were with the Jubilee Centre. That was 2 days, and then we headed further south for another 6 hours to Livingstone and the Vic Falls. Simply put – amazing. We stayed in these adventure tents on the edge of the Zambezi river. The place itself was a contrast of high end and ‘student’ accommodation. So they had great facilities. It was very strange being surrounded by so many white people, I really didn't like it. The highlight of being there was our first night: we’d just arrived from 8 hours of dodgy bus trips (6 hours if all works to plan) and the sun was setting, so we went to the bar, got ourselves a Mosi (A Zambian lager, named after the falls, really good!) and sat on the pontoon edge with our feet hovering above the river, said grace and in the most idyllic setting watched to sun go down. And Africa knows how to hold a sunset! For those of you who, like me, take photos of scenery that in no way do justice to the moment…

Actually it may not have been THE highlight, cause the next night was a full moon, so after our River and dinner cruise (our luxury for the trip, well worth it) we headed into the Falls national park to see the lunar rainbow. Basically, the moon casts a rainbow in the mist of the falls. PHENOMENAL! The sun, moon and earth all have to work together on that one. It’s really spectacular to see this silver crescent in the mist, which upon inspection actually contains all the colors of the rainbow. But, that was all a bit much, because the falls during the day were in themselves breath-taking enough. I metaphorically passed-out from awe. And there were a few surprise visitors in the park area also, as you'll see…

The boys...erm, looking out at the falls

The falls (about 400m of the 1.8km's of them)

The bridge joining Zambia and Zimbabwe

A bush-trek to down the gorge to the boiling pot. We walked straight through a family of babboons. That was exciting :S

Gerry the Hand-puppet meets a friend.

The lower Zambezi river begins, as viewed from 'The Boiling Pot'

The following day some of us went into Zimbabwe. Sadly, all the media reports of the economy are true, but thankfully also those reports on the solidarity of the people are true as well. The shell petrol station was in ruins (why would you need one with no petrol right?) the supermarket shelves were barren except for floor cleaner and even McDonald’s was boarded over. It was so sad. Really, to survive you need to live on the border and do your shopping in another country, as well as having access to foreign currency. When we went to Zim in the morning, all the locals were crossing through No Mans Land in the opposite direction to do their months shopping in Livingstone, and at night when we returned, they were going back home. The centre of the country, we were told, is almost empty. But, the place is absolutely stunning. Only a few of us went in becausee it was pretty expensive for British people, but not for NZers :)

So from Livingstone we headed around the Botswanan coast to Bovu Island, where we relaxed under the sun and stars for a few more days. It was basically a privately owned island, and we were the only ones on it (except for those running it.) The set-up is so clever, it’s all done from native bush, with huts for the bar, library, toilets and showers, and chalets on stilts to stop you being attacked by hippos in the night. They have a fire to heat the water for showers, and there is one power socket run by solar panel. But you miss nothing, and just take the time to relax. We went out in the Makoro’s to a secluded beach and they made us a packed lunch to take and all. Really a relaxing paradise.

Transport from Livingstone to Kasane

The outdoor eating area

The bar hut

On our way to watch the sunset at the beach. (The boat is a Makoro)

The big race - I can gladly say I won.

The manager of the island was a lady called Margery and she joined us on a couple of nights for worship. It was just so cool how God provided Zambian friends for us everywhere we went. After this 4 of the girls went home because they had various things o be back for. And the remaining four of us went to the Western Kingdom because we wanted to escape the tourist routes and nobody goes there. We hopped on a 10 hour long bus to Mongu, and got there an hour before sunset not knowing if they even had places to stay. Thankfully, yet again, God intervened and waiting at the bus station was a lady from Scripture Union who was picking up some people from America helping her with a camp. She’d being living there as a missionary for 5 years and knew the place very well, so she helped us find a place, and within 30 minutes we were out exploring the town having checked in. It was great to get back to our Zambian routes for our final leg. The people were so open as we’d come to know, and because it was not a tourist route, we weren’t treated as money bags, but rather real people. They are a major fishing centre for the country, so we had a lot of fish with our Nshima there, and walked around exploring the Barotse flood plains. They are just a vast expanse of flat land that floods in the rainy season. The sky feels huge, and you feel so small and insignificant, and we only walked 2km’s into it (it was 24km’s to the river, and more again to the other side).

The Mongu-crew: Jamie, me, Emily and Dave

This was fairly common-place. Amen!

Mongu market

The Mongu 'harbour'
In the flood plain

A random photo yes: but the birds in this tree sounded like flying pigs! That would make a whole lot of things possible if they were flying pigs.

These kids just started cart-wheeling in front of us. So we joined in, and then they went crazy and started back-flipping off everything in sight. We didn't join in on that.

The famed fish Nshima, a Mongu specialty, at the cost of a mere 5000kwacha, or 80p (which is very expensive actually, food price rises!)

So after Mongu we caught an overnight bus back to Lusaka and after another day flew back to England: impacted, eyes-opened, and not quite sure what to do next. I must say I really really miss my friends from the Jubilee Centre, and whilst we’ve been emailing, I keep finding myself thinking of how I can get back there. Though obviously I shouldn’t go just because I want to, we’ll wait to see what God says, but it would be so cool to see them again, and for a decent period of time. Maybe I could go live there one day…

Before I left I thought it probably wouldn’t be the best to be on my own for the next short while after such an intense and powerful experience, so I had arranged with Adam to spend the week in Belfast with him. This was another God-send. It was like coming home to you guys really, just another home in another place. I love Adam and his family, they are really special! He got a friend of ours from uni to surprise me at the airport. He’d arranged for him to get the flight an hour earlier than mine and be at the airport to jump on me. I had no idea, so it was a very welcome surprise as Adam was going to be working 9-5 all week anyway, so I had someone to keep me company for the days. I turned out to be his tour guide which was a bit odd, you’re not often a tour guide in a country that’s not your own. We got shown around the Avalon guitar factory also. If you don’t know Avalon guitars, you should basically. They are all hand made, and I left the factory wanting to make guitars for a profession, but I think there are probably better things I could do.

I spent the weekend in Cambridge (at this point, out of 6 weeks of holiday, 2 nights have been spent in my normal bed) and then took my youth group to Soul Survivor. Think of it as a bigger version of EasterCamp. They have 10,000 people come each week over 3 weeks. It is an incredible ministry. My youthies of 11-14years absolutely loved it, and it was so cool to see them just so mature in their faith. We were a small group of 9, but they weren’t too worried about that. They really got along well, which is good for a group of 11-14 year olds who only see each other once a week. They really wanted to join in on all that was happening, and that was the coolest thing ever. One of the kids has ADHD, which we were worried about how he would handle 2.5 hour meetings morning and night, but by God’s grace he just sat there captivated by the hype of all that was on around him. And they all had some pretty amazing encounters and times of prayer for each other, I was almost redundant, which is the best way to be. A couple of people from Zambia were also there with youth groups from their home churches so it was neat to catch up with them and talk about life after Zambia. My poor guitar as well, dragged all around the African continent for a month, and then to an agrictultural showgrounds in South England for a supposed summer camp. The weather was a ctually VERY wet, and the whole grouping of fields turned into mud. But that was ok because we all had our gumboots on. (At least by the end of the week we did. The start of the week everyone was wearing some bizarre item they call Wellington boots.)

The worship leader banter photo...

The main tent

A wet day in the caravan

Florence, me, Carys and Ben waiting for the meeting to start

The girls take to the stage

Essential - enough said.

So Soul Survivor lasted a week and I returned to Cambridge this time for good, to start a summer internship for 6 weeks at Cancer Research UK. (I didn’t realise it before the holiday started, but I really packed it in. It is an amazing time though – so blessed!) If you were ever a person disheartened by the state of funding for the sciences (which I am sure many of you are…) then this place will bow your mind. It’s just like CSI, all brand spanking new. It was an initiative between Cambridge Uni, CR-UK and some private investor in China called Li Ka Shing. CR-UK now entirely runs it which is amazing, cause it costs around £50 million a year to run CR-UK’s labs alone and 90% of that is public donations. What a machine.

So aside from being wowed by charity propaganda in this job, I have actually been getting really good experience in many of the routine biochemical disciplines. Some things just can’t be done in Uni labs for 200 students, so it’s great to be trying my hand at all the stuff we talk about in lectures. For those of you interested I am working in the area of genetic imprinting, and looking at interactions of proteins with the differentially methylated region of the IGF2 gene. I am coming to the exciting results in the next couple of weeks. And who knows, maybe even an authorship on a paper at some point. The job really appeals to my inner geek – we talk science over lunch. But better still, it also appeals to my inner coffee addict, because the whole labs spends an hour setting up in the morning, and then takes a coffee break in the staff café downstairs. Legends! It is also encouraged to have an afternoon pick me up ;)

It’s nice to be in Cambridge whilst there are no students around. It gives me a chance to build on my relationships with the real people here. The 9am-5pm thing works great too. You come home in the evening and it is up to you what to do. I’ve either been meeting up with some of my ‘real people’ friends or wading through my list of things to do, (gotta love lists).

And that leaves the future. The next 3 weeks I will be at CR-UK still. This weekend I’m up in Birmingham for a Zambian reunion, and we’re going to try to make Nshima, who knows how that will go. The following weekend Katherine Barraud is visiting me, so if anyone has a message for her, let me know and I’ll pass it on. The weekend after that is my friend Anna’s 21st up north for the weekend. And, on my last day at CR-UK, Brooke Fraser is giving a concert in London so I’m going to treat myself to a celebration with some Brooke mad friends (yes, I’ve been indoctrinating people to Brooke). Then I have a week during which I move into my new college room (recently refurbished, with a stunning view into Kings College, an ensuite, fantastic kitchen and very central. – it is good to be a third year.) The new Kiwi is coming up that week, and I’ll be taking her to meet the Girdlers’ as the acting senior scholar (the oldest guy, Ryan will still be in NZ so that leaves me in charge ;) She is breaking all the moulds – the first girl in years, doing music and the first ever person from the South Island. It can only be a good thing, and from emailing her about what to expect, she sounds like a great person to be welcoming into our wee kiwi-family here. Finally there is our Christian union’s houseparty and my first day in the Biochemistry department follows that, signalling the end of my freedom. It is pretty exciting all that’s going on, and it is keeping me busy. I’m getting sleep too so don’t worry…

And in the becoming not so distant, but still distant future, I will be coming home. Over Christmas I will be returning to the shores of NZ, and I cannot wait. It’s been to long since I saw you all, hugged you all, and shared life with you. Plus coffee, pie, L&P, burger fuel, kumara and driving withdrawals are all as strong as ever.

Right, well I’ll leave it there. Thank you so much for reading. I hope it was of interest to you. I am still very keen to hear how you are; the news from the homeland is wearing thin, so even if you want to tell me you bought a new pair of jeans, it would be great to hear from you. And my prayers are that you are well, and being challenged to new and greater things.

With lots and lots of love,

Blake

Hello!

After 7 months of being away I finally get around to writing on my blog...but I assure you I am not drifting from NZ even if my vowel sounds may be! I still continue to think of you all often, and especially at this time of the year as EasterCamp, holidays and the last great moments of summer pass by.

So what has occurred in the last 7 months?
After arriving back to Cambridge in late September the following few weeks were spent catching up with friends and having free meals. Following my sadness at leaving, I needed some molly-cottling, so I made sure I went to the families who could cook the best. The Taines (a Walker family friend) The Chaplins (they look after us scholars) and the Charkhams (my vicars' family) ranked very highly. Though I do not really go there for good food, as my mum would have had them believe, it was nice to be welcomed back by them. Michaelmas Term (first term) went by so quickly I'll just highlight those things that occurred.

-The New Zealand Studies Group I have found myself president of held it's first two talks. The first given by Jonathan Hunt about the independent mind of New Zealand. To make his point, he was an hour late, by which time half our patronage exercised their independent minds and left. However the talk itself was very good, and I learnt a lot, including the existence of a lucrative (NZ$19M) onion economy in South Auckland. The second given by Barbara Ewing (actress/author) was severely under-attended but thoroughly interesting; "Race Relations from a Pakeha Perspective, 1950s to present".

-Ross Noble stand-up comedy at the Cambridge Corn Exchange (the local venue, once a corn exchange, now a theatre)

-Two Besom projects (a Christian charity existing to spread the Good News through social action) over two Saturdays painting the inside of this guy Jojo's house. He was originally from Scotland, but has had a bit of a hard time from life: basically he was all alone, could barely walk, and is coming out of a period of drug dependence: so it was arranged for a team of us to go to his house and make it nicer for him, and spend a bit of time over a warm cuppa chatting. It was great times.

-My responsibilities as JCR Treasurer stepped up as I wrote the budget for the undergraduate body and eventually had it passed by all necessary parties. Since then I've been writing cheques and doing my share of the accounting. It's a pretty good lesson for future money management really. Start with somebody elses money...

-I went to Worship Central run by Holy Trinity Brompton Church. It was awesome! Basically a day of teaching and worship for worship leaders run by Tim Hughes and Al Gordon. Pete Greig (from 24/7 prayer) spoke as well. Such a great day and I went with a couple of my friends from Holy Trinity Cambridge. The day was on "the Father's Heart", and to say I learnt loads is an understatement. Ask me more if you're interested. Best of all though I happened to bump into a visiting Kiwi whilst there. Sam Harvey from Soul Survivor New Zealand (spoke at EasterCamp recently and also at the Windsor d:Camp in '07) was there looking around at how things were done, so it was good to catch up with an old friend and go out to the pub for a pint. One of my friends (a girl) who was with me was totally enraptured by him and now considers it her calling to go and work for Soul Survivor New Zealand.

-I continued with my youth group which grew in numbers from 4 to 11 such a blessing and answer to prayer. The kids really began to feel like they belonged and were becoming more comfortable around each other. We held a mince pies and mulled wine evening closer to Christmas for all the families and youth. The evening was really well attended. We could not have asked for God to have done more, so both Sarah (my co-leader, see later photos) and I were froathing (not mothing!) on that.

-I started leading a student group at church also. Quite possibly this is the highlight of my year. The group is so amazing, and the way the Freshers' integrated and really became part of the family...brilliant! My co-leader Clemmie is wonderful, but basically her and I just use the whole thing as an excuse to meet up for coffee.

-The classic events occurred: Laura (Adam's fiance) visited and we went out places. Bonfire night (which apparently is not really called Guy Fawkes cause that's the bad-guys name). Work. People's birthdays. Skype conversations. Concerts. Mulled Wine.

-The Douglas Myers and Girdlers' NZ scholars arranged to meet up for a formal, and again I seemed to be the one sorting this out. But it was a great night, we hosted the Doug Myers Scholars at Corpus, with NZ wine and general NZ banter. It was good to see Sam Coldicutt settled and doing well also.

-Corpus Drama Society did a rip off of the Sound of Music called the Sound of Corpus, which of course was the natural next step for me in my dramatic career. A total farce, the whole thing had two rehearsals and was the most fun I ever had on stage. It was about a fresher girl who found herself in a magical wonderland called Cambridge to study but ended up falling in love. I was the girls father before you start thinking I was the girl...

-The Girdlers' made their way up to Cambridge to follow our progress. It was great to see them, and after the formalities were over it was nice to take the ties off and go out for a meal as friends. I am really loving the way this whole thing has taken on the shape of a family, and whenever the Girdlers come to visit, it is like the uncles are coming.

-HT had it's annual houseparty (a funny British way of camping. You can't go tenting cause you'll drown, so hold your church events in an old manor house and call it a party.) So much fun though - a definite rival for d:camp! It has go-karting...but I guess that's not really why.

The whole Houseparty

EXCITEMENT at the races

-And of course, the wonderful Rachel Walker paid me a visit. It was great to see her face, and hear she was doing well. It would have been very close to her returning home so I was very honored she put in the miles to see me. It is always nice having her visit.

Holidays came around, and you will have noticed I did not make it back to New Zealand. After helping direct the children's nativity play (young people are classic - the archangel Gabriel was a 10 year old boy who didn't want to be an angel cause they're all instrument playing girls. After we convinced him that angels were warriors and that he could have a sword he agreed to read the lines.) I was off to Northern Ireland. Adam's family took me in and loved me as a son over Christmas (pretty much to the standard of being back home so I was nowhere near as home sick as I could have been thanks to their care.) I had such a great few weeks with them - so relaxing, fun and always good to be with Adam's and his family. Then something unseen in the history of Europe occurred. Mum came! On the 28th she arrived after spending Christmas at home she then brought it with her to me :) I tell you I was as excited as a little girl with a lollipop on Christmas morning who was just given a pony. I'll let the pictures tell that story (if Mum hasn't told you already), but to summarise. Mum came to Belfast, then we went to London for New Years, followed by Rome, Florence, Venice, Paris and finally Cambridge!

Belfast

Mum and I at the Giants Causeway, North Coast, Northern Ireland

Adam and Laura at the Giants Causeway

The wonderful Gordon Family (l-r): Noel, Emma, Adam, Ben, Linda, Mum and Me

London

outside We Will Rock You on the West End - New Years Eve

New Years mayhem at Waterloo Bridge, so much for a quiet stroll along the Thames!

Mums favorite place: the Underground

Westminster Abbey

Up the London Eye

One for Trent...

Keeping it artistic in front of the London Eye

We met up with a familiar face. It's great for mum to have coffee buddies all over the world.

The NZ Memorial

One for Brody...

Rome

Some nice Italian students who helped us get from the airport to the train station. Probably the only nice Italians we met, but then we don't speak Italian.

No guesses for what this is...

Entrance of the Colosseum

Arch of Constantine (a few handy photo stitches used there)

Mum and I at the Roman Forum (Terrace of the Quadrigas in the background)

Our favorite piece of art in all Europe

At the Trevi Fountain

Local cuisine courtesy of Cafe Bernini

View of the Colosseum from the Terrace of the Quadrigas

The Pantheon

Post at the Vatican

Breakfast in the convent where we stayed. "Suore di Santa Elisbaetta"

The dining hall of the convent

Inside the Cupola of the Vatican

Inside St. Peter's Cathedral - the Vatican

St. Peter's Square - Vatican City

The Colosseum with two very funny looking people

Florence

Inside "Duomo" - the largest domed Cathedral in the world.

Santa Maria Novella Train Station

A common sight of lights lining one of the many shopping streets

 

Mum with a replica of the David (we did see the real one, photos weren't allowed though.)

A typical Italian restaurant.

Venice

The mouth of the Grand Canal

The Grand Canal

I think they got their sports wrong.

Gelato and a view of the lights on the canal in the evening. Could you want more?

The Grand Canal in the evening.

Saint Mark's Square (San Marco - all signs point here, none actually get you there though)

Another view of the Grand Canal

Mum with L'Academie behind and the Grand Canal to the left

A beautiful hidden chapel on the island of Murano (where the glass comes from)

On Murano Island

Paris

Galeries LaFayette! Blasphemously more beautiful than many of the churches we visited

:)

Mum on a stunner of a day at Champs du Mars - the park facing the Eiffel Tower. We had just finished our breakfast of Croissant, Cheese, Pain au Chocolat and Coffee. Well worth it!

Palais Royal: The Louvre. Funny long story cut short, we bumped into Kirstie Gray and her family outside, totally by random! I couldn't believe it, such a small world we live in. I think Kirstie has the photographic evidence. It was lovely to see her.

The Rue Cler markets. We stayed on this street and the grocers were irresistible.

Notre Dame at dusk

Jardin des Tuleries (I think is how it's spelt, Louise will correct me if I'm wrong for sure)

Mum on a suitable backdrop of authentic Monet at L'Orangerie Museum

My favorite view of the Paris Skyline from Place de la Concorde

Champs Elysees on a freezing evening. A beautiful street to stroll up!

A little bit of Parisian art on my part

Cambridge

In front of St. John's college

Looking formal before Formal Hall

In front of Corpus carrying the final shop before mum left. It was so nice having her there. You always see everyone else with their parents come and go and fix everything and make life seem lovely again - so it was great to have that happen to me.

As soon as mum left, I was a few days into lectures so there was no time to settle down without her, just straight into things. I had actually missed two mock exams because of our return time from Paris, but that wasn't actually my fault because they were set 24 hours before I got back to Cambridge, and outside of full term, so I didn't have to do them in the end. Well done mum!
-Early in Lent Term the Watoto Ugandan Children's Choir came to HT to tell of what's being going on back in Uganda. That was very cool to say the least, and nice to see something that reminded me of Windsor back home.

-I continued on with leading the youth group with great anticipation. The were some strong 'words' and direction from God of where we really ought to be taking the group, so it is amazing to be able to look back on that term now and really see them as fulfilled. The term really culminated in us taking the guys on a night away in a Hostel we hired out in Great Yarmouth on the South Coast of England. We all met and took the train out - the train ride alone was the longest period of time these guys had spent together in one place, as youth group normally last 1 1/2 hours each week, so it was really good for them to make stronger friendships. We tried our best to keep them away from the lollies, but by the end a whole tub had been eating and they were bouncing off the walls a bit. I felt sorry for the other passengers really. At the hostel the guys went mental, especially once they found out they had full run of the place. We had themed the night "Love" and had two session of teaching, the first on loving God and the second on loving your neighbor. It was pretty daunting really, trying to get that across to a bunch of 11-14 year olds in two sessions totaling 3 hours. But in amongst all of the mayhem of youth work there were so many little blessings that confirmed they were getting it. I mean such leaps and bounds were had in this one night, as a group they actually worshipped together without worry of the person next to them, and were praying on top of each other it was so exciting. We played some beach games at night down on the beach, followed by (desugared) hot chocolate and bed. The next morning we had another session of teaching, to challenge them to think outside of themselves as people (loving our neighbors) and then headed to the beach for some cricket before returning home. I can't put up any pictures of our time for child protection reasons, but here is a picture of Sarah and I looking happy walking to the station.

-Pancake Day, some friends from my house and I all cooked some pancakes and had a race around market square with them. It was pretty silly, and the locals weren't too impressed to have people charging past flipping pancakes in frying pans, but it was a good laugh.

-Waitangi Day I was down in London with the Girdlers to celebrate with a feast and a service at the NZ Society's church. That was an event to be had: because of the renovations the Girdlers' are doing to the their hall, the feast was in the Armourers and Braziers hall down the road. Wall after wall was lined with swords, suits of armour and shields. There was even the suit of armour used by Queen Victoria's champion.

-I have taken the opportunity to go to Zambia this Summer on a mission with my church. It's pretty exciting, I'm not gonna lie, but it did mean that I was constantly filling out massive grant application forms all term (and still am). It is a massive time drain, but the rewards are slowly coming in, and it will SO be worth it in the summer when we actually go. It's in partnership with Tearfund and the Jubilee Centre in Zambia. We'll be based in the north in Ndola, running HIV/AIDS youth action clubs, helping disperse food, spending the day with a Zambian family, teaching in schools, and visiting the sick to pray with them (among other things). After the 17 days we'll be doing that, some of us are staying on to travel. Not quite sure where yet, if you've any suggestions I'd love to hear them! All in all I'll be out there for a month. SO EXCITED!

-I've been looking around for places to do a summer studentship and have got my first real lead this weekend. it'll be looking at primary drug design for TB, but nothing is for certain yet. (It's with one of the labs whose head is a world leader in HIV research so mega-keen to meet him!) Searching for that has taken up the other major chunk of my free time this term (outside of work) so it's been really hectic. (Hence no blog during that time :( ) There is a lot to apply for cause I'll need funding for this also, so there's more applications too. I guess the one great thing I've noticed is that there really are ways to do something, and people who will help you to do them, if only you spend the time to look and ask for help.

-More food with friends. More church. More work. More time at the pub (not a cafe but I am becoming accustomed to a nice warm ale in winter). Less sleep. More clubbing.

Out at the Cindies (a local club)

-Saturday nights we've taking to having a whole house meal where someone cooks and everyone chips in £2 or so. It's really nice to sit down all together and share a meal. A of course liking food I'm always one for a meal.

-The 2nd years around Cambridge have started a prayer, worship, fellowship, "community" night which has been the most influential and challenging thing in my life this past term. There's so much to share from these times, but I won't in this 'short' blog, ask me if you're interested in finding out more. I will say though, committing to dynamic community is a great thing!

-Our new college bar opened, always big news. As did the library. After 5 years in construction it was about time really. There were 3 separate occasions where burial sites were found so construction was halted. I guess with nearly a thousand years of history you're bound to unearth something. They're great though. Nobody else really likes them because they're really modern, but they remind me of an Albany cafe so I'm loving it.

-The NZ Society held another talk by a New Zealander who is Senior Tutor and Law Fellow at Brasenose College in Oxford. For some reason I cannot remember his name, but it was a very interesting talk on the evolving relationship between judges and politicians in New Zealand. Something I knew nothing about, and still don't really, but it made sense at the time.

-Three of my youth group girls got confirmed this term so it was nice to be invited to that.

-Dara O'Briain, an irish comedian came to the corn exchange, so to support Adam (and because the guys is hilarious) I went along to see that. There's always something on at night too. If you want to go see a play, just go see one. A choir or orchestra will normally be performing 4 of 7 nights a week. It's awesome.

-The kiwis had a return formal swap, so this time the Douglas Myers hosted us at Gonville & Caius college. Stephen Hawkings didn't show up, but his massive self-portrait couldn't really be missed.

-We had our halfway hall. I'm not actually halfway yet cause I'm four years, but for those whose degrees are 3 years, this meal represented halfway through their lives in Cambridge.

The whole year, looking somewhat annoyed at the photographer

Me, Jan (the lovely Tutorial office lady), Jonny, a DoS (I have no idea who actually :S) and Anna after hall. Anna's face is like that because we had to bring one thing that represents us in Cambridge to the dinner. See below photo...

Rebecca (she says hi to all you NZers she met when she was over), Anna and Luiseach

-It snowed on Easter Sunday! I love snow...

My house in the snow, that's my room on the bottom floor, right bay window

St. Bene'ts garden

Hi...

Kings Bridge over the Cam River

Kings College

Holy Trinity in the Snow

So term finished and Easter came. I helped out at HT with the children's program during that time, and left only last Wednesday to go to Northern Ireland to stay with Adam for a bit. On the Tuesday before I met up with some friends from HT in London just to hang out. It was so great to get away and just be silly.

James, Rachael, Elaine, Sian and I in Leicester Square

Sian, Elaine and I on the underground

The time in Northern Ireland was also good just to get out of Cambridge really, and be taken into the wonderful Gordon home where I've really become one of the family.

Stepping Stones at Tallymore Forest. The wettest walk I've been on in my life. Waterproof, Jacket, Jumper, Shirt and still wet to the bone.

Chris Cupples and I. Chris is another Northern Irish friend of mine getting married next summer. He's a bit of a legend actually.

After leaving Adam on Sunday, I'm now on the train from Stoke in the north having stayed with another friend, Jonny, for a few days. He took me up to the Peaks District where we went cycling and walking. Man it was nice to see some hills and mountains again. I also nipped over to Wolverhampton where my girlfriend Sally is studying sign language. Long story there so you'll have to ask for more info, but it's going well thanks...I'm now on my way back to Cambridge to really get down to some study because in 2 months (which sounds like ages but will pass in the wink of an eye, especially with the work to be done) I have EXAMS!

Manifold Valley in the Peaks District

The Manifold Valley

Jonny and I up at Thor's Cave with the valley flowing out behind.

Sally and I.

So that is me in a rather large nutshell. Well done if you are still reading. I apologise once again for the extreme slackness in updating you all. Please know I am well, and that I hope you are also. I do think of everyone often, but I guess I am keeping my head down so I don't feel like I am missing you all too much. If you can find some time to get in touch, please do (also if you can forgive me for my laziness) cause I would be very interested to hear how you are. Alternatively we could arrange a Skype call if you have Skype; we could even make it a coffee date ;)
And the final question..when am I next home? To be honest I don't know. It could be as soon as Christmas or as late as August '09 but I'm still trying to figure that one out. You will see me sometime between those very broad dates though. I really look forward to it.

For now, God Bless, and best of luck with the transition into winter :P
Blake x

Kia Ora meinen FreundInnen,

How are you all?

I have finished my exams! (Well 2 weeks ago I finished, but celebration have been somewhat intense, as you will see!) So there is really nothing to report before 2 weeks ago. The exams went ok, nothing brilliant to tell of, and my results are not out for at least a month yet. During the exam study, the seasons changed from winter to summer and the sun tortured me with its rays through my windows as I sat in my room working.
The day of real summer outside St. mary's church in Market Square


As term progressed more and more bizarrely Cambridge things happened, and this is one of them

The choir's 'Corpus Christi Day' concert on the lawn. The first time I had seen students on the grass. I got my turn on the grass at the may ball. Oh and I suppose the culture I was exposed to in this photo was more important than being jealous of my fellow peers on the grass, so I should add they sounded good. But none of this is bizarre. The odd thing was, they didn't tell anybody, but at 9am in the morning they just walked out and started singing for 15 minutes. That's bizarre. Apparently they do it every year.

So two weeks ago....The day after I finished exams everybody else finished, and we went to the Eagle Pub for a celebratory drink in the sun. The english know how to celebrate seasonally - Mulled Wine in Winter and Pimm's in Summer.

Note the post-exams pastiness on my part.

That afternoon Adam and I flew over to Northern Ireland on Air Berlin in terrible weather. As we were landing and descended below the cloud the plane started moving all over the place, and seconds before we landed the tv screens came down from the roof and said "Auf Wiedersehen Ihre" (Goodbye) Basically I had to laugh because Air Berlin was wishing me a goodbye to the end of my life...but we landed to tell the story - though after reading the story, you're probably not so sure it was worth telling. We went to see Rob Bell speak that night. He's very tall in real life, that was most unexpected. I had a brief chat to him afterwards and he's really good quality, though like all famous people, is somewhat wearied by all the people who have small talk with him. So we talked about dots that you see when you have loads of photos, and how it's annoying that you can never look directly at the dot cause it keeps on moving. Needless to say it was an uplifting experience for all...


Ben, Me, Emma, Adam and Rob. (Ben and Emma are Adam's younger siblings)

The following day Adam and I flew back to Stansted to meet our friends from Corpus for a trip to Bremen, Germany. The trip to say the least was somewhat awesome! I will let the photos tell the story. But, for most of the time we were just relaxing in the park, in the pub, eating sausages and talking German. It was good craic.




Bremen City Centre at night


More of the city centre


Jonny and I outside the Windmill Park


Jack, Anna and Adam in the Beck's Pub, after our Beck's Brewery Tour (all they seem to do in Europe is brew alcohol)


All of us outside the Beck's Brewery


The gang on the bridge over the River Wese


The boys shopping...Jack, Adam, Jonny and I


The group strutting outside the main station


Rhys and Jack show off their knowledge of the German language by browsing through the daily copy of Der Zeit. They actually brought it to stuff a couple of glasses purchased from the Beck's brewery.


Shinanigans in the Park


The hassle we went to for the earlier photo


In the old town (what I pictured all of Europe to be like)


If there were 8 charlie's angels (and outside the Hostel where we stayed)


Xavier, Jack and I next to the Bremen town musicians. If any of you have seen the Muppets you will know the story. But basicall, this Donkey, Dog, Cat and Rooster got together to go and make their musical fortunes in Bremen. On the way they had nowhere to stay so they spent the night in this abandoned old farmhouse. However in the middle of the night a robber came and stole all their instruments so they never made it to Bremen to become famous musicians. And the Bremen people love the story so much there are statues to these guys everywhere. If you can see the Donkey has a shiny leg, because you are suppose to rub it for some reason.


When we arrived in Bremen, Rhys informed everyone about the basics of German he learnt in GCSE (5th form). Pointing to this sign he said "Terminale" and stated that all German words are exactly the same as english words except you add an E to the end. It actually says Terminal 'E'


Frisbee in the park. Probably the very throw I shamefully hurt my leg on. Who hurts their leg playing frisbee?


We lost the frisbee. Disappointment reigns.


Our communal meal cooked by Rhys. Das Shmeckt Lecker


Feeding the pigs


Everybody on the pigs. Anna is not liking this too much.


The album cover. (or a view of the Cathedral through the bank archway)


Rhys, Anna and I in the pub for lunch

We arrived back in Cambridge Saturday evening, for Sunday and the first day of May Week. Sunday is notorious for being 'Suicide Sunday'. Basically it is the first day where everyone in Cmabridge is finished exams, and the students of Cambridge drink so much alcohol they almost kill themselves. It is not the mos pleasant of days to be on the street. Fortuntately for myself, more of the light-hearted fun-loving type, Holy Trinity had it's Life Sunday that day (like the word play they have going there?) It's a picnic at Jesus' Green Park with a bouncy castle and loads of good sport and food. Fun times for all. The following week was May Week and loads of fun - just partying and picnics and punting (what I call the three Cambridge P's) all week long. It goes well with the two R's (rest and relaxation) if I do say so myself.

Monday: Anna's 20th Birthday in the park

Anna's 20th Birthday in the park. This slingshot fire's waterballoons up to 200m...enough said

Tuesday: Sports at Leckhampton and John's Fireworks

St. John's May Ball fireworks above Cambridge. St. John's May Ball ranks the 5th best party in the world, apparently. Above the Rio festival, and tickets cost heaps!

Wednesday: Liz's Corpus Birthday (it's actually in July but we're on holiday then) and Punting

Liz's birthday punting trip. All year people had been saying "In summer you have to punt to Grantchester with a glass of Pimm's and sit in the sun. So we drank Pimm's, sat in the sun and went to the Grantchester Orchard. It was so beautiful. And I now know why they said to do it so much.


Punting to Grantchester


Liz's Birthday at Grantchester


Thursday: Packing and preparation for the holiday

Friday: May Ball!!!! It kind of dwarfs any previous experiences. To describe it, think the end of Grease Lightning at the carnival - minus the leather jackets, replace it with Black Tie and change the time of day. Even more good times! The theme for the Corpus Ball was Carnivalia, which was some kind of Latin American theme. Basically an excuse for funky music, scantally dressed waiters and waitresses and great food. Anyway, see below for one of the best nights ever.


The beuatiful people wait in anticipation


The girls


Jack, Liz, Me, Emma, Rhys, Vicky, Ross


Emma, Vicky and Jonny waiting to go in


An aerial view of the ball from my old staircase


Jousting on the inflatable bouncy poediums. That's me in blue kicking Chris in Red's butt. He's a lawyer so show no mercy.


Adam and Me


Sarah Shcuksmith from Holy Trinity worked at the Ball that evening. She normally attends Fitzwilliam College. Her and I lead the 11-14 year old youth group.







The Masters' Garden. I had not seen this garden before, and it is beautiful. And so large for just one person. He should really open it up fully to the whole college. There's just his beautiful garden hiding away, and nobody knew it existed. But also ideally suited for the ball as you see.


Jousting on the inflatable bouncy poediums. That's me in blue kicking Chris in Red's butt. He's a lawyer so show no mercy.


Adam and Me


Sarah Shcuksmith from Holy Trinity worked at the Ball that evening. She normally attends Fitzwilliam College. Her and I lead the 11-14 year old youth group.


Boxing in the Hall


The fire dancers in front of the chapel and the fountain hired in for the evening.


The Arch and Anthers (Archaeology and Anthropology)


Adam loving Luiseach's attention


Luiseach, Anna and Rebecca


Xavier, Jonny, Me and Michal


Me, Cat and Oli


Me, David, Liz and Vicky


Anna, Xavier and Rhys


Rebecca and Luiseach. (Rebecca is the one coming to visit for three weeks in September. And again, NO, we're not going out!)


I'm now in Northern Ireland again, helping out with a Christian Festival here, Summer Madness and StreetReach. Summer Madness is like Easter Camp, and StreetReach is a mission in Belfast cleaning up the streets and helping to improve Catholic Protestant relations. It'll be wild. After that I'll be back in England for two days staying with Rebecca in Reading, hopefully to reassure her parents she'll be safe and have a good time visiting me in NZ later in September. I'll then be leaving England for home (that's you guys!) on the 11th July - and starting work at a lab in Auckland University researching in the field of tumour immunology the following Monday. I'm very excited about seeing everyone again and starting there. So all of you keep safe until I return and I'll see you soon!

God bless my friends,

Blake

Hello!

I have nothing noteworthy to pass on to you I'm afraid, so all the news for this time around will be in brief...

-Cricket season has started and we won our first game by 1 run, quite a nail biter in the field that one.

-Exam term has arrived and all of Cambridge has fallen into a comma of study. I'm soon to be joining them. (please don't be upset if I stop replying to emails)

-Some friendly frisbee action on Jesus' green



-Last weekend I was out painting a house on the outskirts of cambridge for a social action project which was really great fun. The lady was really appreciative, and her room is now pink. I was the lucky person charged with painting the roof, but I think I ate most of the paint as it flicked off the roof from the roller into my mouth.

-Now I am officially JCR Treasurer, people keep asking me for money, and the novelty of tearing off a cheque for somebody else's money is yet to wear off.

-Kate-o, Mikey and Chel visited and I had the pleasure of squiring them around town with the Taines. We had a great picnic on castle mound overlooking the city. I'm sure Kate has shown everyone the photos already, but here are some great pics courtesy of Kate herself!





-I have begun leading the 11-14 year old bible study at church, which I am super amped about. The kids are so cool, and some are really smart. But afterwards if you asked them what they did, they always say, "We ate lollies and played games." They get lots out of it clearly.

-There was an amazing concert of J.S.Bach's, St. John's Passion in the Corpus Chapel. They had professional singers come in from London and a baroque orchestra from Germany. It was spectacular, as you can see in the photo.



-I travelled to London for two days to see Alice. She misses everyone but is having a great time. I also got a tour around Cancerbackup, more of a networking type thing for my future, but a great prospect and insight into the world of cancer, charity and research. I guess that was kind of a major actually. I got the contact through somebody I met at the NZ Society Reception after Waitangi Day in London and they were very pleased to have me through which was nice.

-The cartoon character's 'slack' in the college bar. Good craic! Oh, they are smurf's, and where's wally?



-Adam, the guy I went to Northern Ireland with, is officially engaged to his girlfriend of 3 years. Kind of exciting, but also quite soon. However they will be engaged at least for another 2 years as college rules don't permit undergraduates to marry. Let's all take a moment though to be happy for him....

That, along with lectures and shed fulls of work is everything happening with me. It will be for the next 5 weeks I imagine...but it won't be long and after that will be 'May week' with all the balls and garden parties, so I'm just keeping my eye on the exams until the celebrations draw near.

I pray you are all well back home, and overseas. 'Til we next meet again,

Blake

P.S. Sorry about the lack of pictures, there just isn't many picture taking moments right now. And the suggestion for the title of the blog was not my own. Apparently there was a tv programme called 'Blake 7' back in the 70's that was quite big over here. I'll change it at some point.

Hello my homies!

I've just arrived in the homeland of my friend Adam, in Northern Ireland, and seeing his families shocked reaction to his lack of regard towards updating his blog and how his grandparents checked every day to be continually disappointed, I thought it was best to update mine! However, as sure as I am that none of your weeks are complete without logging onto my blog, I really just love to hear from you all when I have finished writing my most recent one.

I must have to rewind to about 1 1/2 months ago now, apologies. (Adam says, "It's ok you didn't, we were busy") Week 3 of term was the first NZ Studies Seminar Group, which I seem to have inherited, and went rather well, accept for the fact that it was a boring talk about an Austrian taxidermist who shot the last two stitch birds of some species in NZ. Avert your eyes ornithologists! Mid-week was the start of the University Christian Union's Mission, a series of 10 evening talks explaining Christianity. On Wednesday night, our Corpus Christian Union had an open mic night in the bar that a friend and I played at, to release the talks, it went well, and was good fun, almost like the Windsor Cafe... Thursday night was a concert in the Chapel by a London Quartet, nothing to write home about (accept I am). That Sunday I was invited around to the Vicarage where I had lunch with a couple of friends from Church and the Vicar and his family. Mrs. Vicar (Linda Charkham) does fantastic Red Spinach and Stuffed Turkey Sunday roast, they're such a great and supportive family to have. Post-lunch was a guys versus girls taboo game and then the 6 nations rugby match, with a couple more guys from church over. It was so great to be in a families home with a fire place and sunshine and sofas. The small things...

Week 4 was fairly uneventful, with a few well-passed tests ;) and some hard work. On the Friday however Rachel Walker came to visit me, which was very nice! She got the train and bus all on her own from her little village up North to come visit me in my little village in the southeast - it was so lovely. I took her to a Formal Hall that night, and then a fairly uneventful slack (this time without the Rubick's cube action). Saturday I had lectures and she accompanied me to my Chemistry lecture, and then Rebecca, a friend of mine who is coming home over Summer for a month, took Rachel shopping in town. I met up, and after a healthy hoice of Cornish Pasty lunch (don't worry Kate) we met up with the goose cuppers for a Punting Trip. She didn't seem to mind the induction of hugging a stranger and walking like a goose over the bridge. That night we had Gardi's (more greasy food, we walked loads though so not too worry) for dinner and then a concert in the Corpus Chapel. I think Chel was dead bored but she sat very politely. Bed followed to say the least. Sunday morning we met up with the Taines, a Walker family friend, and they were lovely, though I'm not surprised by comparison.



Chel and I punting with Alex and Jonny

I was getting the family treatments around that time ;) Rachel left mid-day and I went to see Francis' (7th year Girdler) baby Emma-Luisa Reid. She is absolutely gorgeous!!!!

Monday I had my second Gospel Choir rehearsal and 6 hours of practical which was very boring. Chemistry should be about pretty colour changes, but this was start with a white powder and finish with a white powder, most upsetting. My first Pancake Tuesday (i think) ensued and 10 of us got together to make pancakes for about 2 hours, which was fantastic, I haven't had pancakes in a long time, and probably won't again for a while now ;) Thursday I had lunch with the NZ Deputy High Commissioner and the Corpus Development Office to discuss the donation of a piece of artwork by the government to the college. It was quite interesting, I learnt a heap about 'politics' at the lunch, possibly the not so nice side but that's for a conversation in person. The nicest thing for me was to get a list of NZ Cafe's in London from Rachel the Public Diplomacy Manager (a very nice person with an affinity for NZ Coffee also, and she even posted me some in the mail which was so sweet.) I guess I haven't changed too much in that respect. Saturday was Emma Luisa's Baptism in the Corpus Chapel and the Northern Irish Society dinner that I was invited along to as Adam's guest. It was a black tie evening and my first try of Guinea Fowl, I thought it was Chicken but it was well good.

Adam and I at the Northern Ireland Dinner

Luiseach, Adam and Sara were all fighting over what I should go visit in Ireland when I go, which got me very excited and was quite sweet. That was so long ago now, strange as I'm here already. It was a beautiful day today, and we went to the seaside town of Donaghadee, really pretty, and got ice-creams to walk along the harbourside. I love it here (though not more than home). Oh and Luiseach and Adam are college parents together, so this following photo should make more sense...


Week 6 was pretty hectic again, for some reason my supervisors thought it would be a good idea to double my supervisions until the end of term, so I was working over-time. Until then I had managed to stay away from all-nighters, but I did my first 5am bed-time that week and I feel more of a person for it. Never again, and how stupid was I? are phrases that come to mind, however. The Monday was a Freshers' Tea at my church which was another good chance to meet more first year Christians around Cambridge. On Monday night was the second and final of the NZ Studies Groups talks I am organising for the year. It was on Matter and the Universe. How does that relate to NZ? Well the Professor giving it was Head of the Department of Philosophical Astronomy and Cosmology, and he is a kiwi. Prof. Gerry Gilmore, perhaps better known as brother of Tony Gilmore, ex-All Black coach, and uncle of Tony Gilmore Jnr., a teacher at my intermediate school. What a small world! He was a really down to earth sort of guy (except for his profession and that his partner is Stephen Hawkings) so it was a nice refresher of what the homeland was like. Plus the talk was fascinating, a big bonus. On Saturday, Adam's girlfriend came down from Dundee Uni in Scotland and we went Punting, no surprise there. That night was the JCR (Junior Combination Room - i.e. the Student Body) Hustings, and I ran for and was successfully elected to Treasurer. Dangerous I know, but it looks like I will be able to provide the funds for a few extra flights home. (Kidding!) Sunday was the start of technical rehersals for 'The Queen Is Dead', a play I had stupidly decided to Stage-Manage. Not because the play was terrible or anything, but because as I said earlier I was overly busy. I had accepted the offer however way in advance of any clue that I would be as hectic as I was, so it made things rather interesting, and I couldn't really turn them down. It was just more character building, and I kind of like the stress. The play itself was about the responses of 3 groups of people to the death of the queen, not really ground-breaing stuff but still good fun. The majority of the following week was encompassed in performances starting on Tuesday night, and running till Saturday. They started at 9:30, so on Wednesday, Adam and I were still able to host the youth group from HT at Corpus for Formal Hall, which was blast. It's been a while since I'd spent time with people still at school, so I was lapping up my youth once more. Thursday night was the Chemistry dinner before the play, and again it was a great night. I feel like I really get along with my chemistry supervisors now, despite one of them being head of chemistry in Cambridge and advisor to the EU on all scientific matters slightly Chemical related.



My first food pennying at formal. If someone penny's your food, you must resuce the queen from certain death in your pudding by eating your food with no hands. Go figure. And at a serious dinner!

On another note of star-struck-ness: the person who discovered the 3:2 ratio of the Na+/K+ pump for all you biologists doing IB back home, is the person who runs my practical classes for physiology, a little bit insane I think. Saturday was the Netball Cuppers tournament, which is the university-wide knockout for mixed netball, pitting each college against another. We won which was super great, after they came second last year. So the four kiwis got their chance to sing the national anthem in the face of the english (from other colleges of course), but nonetheless, a proud moment for all NZers concerned. The following week until Wednesday was just seeing out the final stages of Lent Term, which is now, thank goodness, over.

The kiwi boys celebrating the great cuppers victory. Left to right: "Matthew Flinn, 3rd year Lawyer. Adam Khanbhai, 4th year Chemical Engineer. Ryan Harper, 2nd Year Engineer. Me :)"


The whole netball squad

And what Lent Term would be complete without more snow? We've had some moments of absolute glorious weather.

Snow at Corpus, It's so beautiful.


Snow at Kings Chapel

The Thursday was the Girdlers' Livery Dinner, their annual company wide event which exceeds all my previous experiences of opulence. The three other kiwis and I trained down to London that afternoon and checked into the university hostel we were staying at for the night. After 'Bond'ing ourselves up with the super hot Corpus bow-tie you see below, we trekked to the hall for 5 courses of craziness. They opened up the doors to the back-garden of the hall, which was slightly out of place with sky-scrapers surrounding the edges on all sides. The evening itself was super, bringing together the many facets of the Girdlers' company. They have relationships not only with New Zealand, but also the Irish Guards. So the speeches of the evenings celebrated the close ties between the three, and of course Mr Hunt was there to give a reply, which I am pleased to say was fitting for the occasion. A quartet sang Po Kare Kare Ana and Danny Boy, and then all the Girdlers' Scholars of past and present (about 15 in total) replied with a Haka. It was a bit gob-smacking to see some of the past-scholars from 15 years ago at the dinner, and to hear their stories. For my part, I hope not to end up entangled in the 'system' as many of them have. I sat opposite the head of the Irish Guards at dinner, a sobering arrangement by any measure. We talked a bit about me, something that made me feel very insignificant, as this man had just returned from Iraq weeks earlier, having lost 4 of his younger men, and knowing he was going back again in a couple of weeks. However we found common ground when I said I was going to Northern Ireland in a week, staying in an area that turned out to be his home town; naturally he instantly recommended me a pub. The night wound down around midnight and we tracked our steps back to the room. Next day I left London on the 8:15 to get back to Cambridge to roll my arm over with some friends down at the cricket nets. Upsettingly, the nets are not going to be installed around the frame for another month. Perhaps we were to keen to utilise the weather, but that's apparently global warming. That day was the England vs. NZ cricket match, that I am very very thankful we won. It's ok to have boasting rights and not exercise them, but when several hundred english have them, they use them (I suppose because they come so rarely). I don't know how many back home are following this world cup but I'd be going mental right now if I was home, it looks amazing, every day I check what's happened.

On Saturday we had a surprise birthday celebration for Adam. It is great how we all celebrate each others birthday. Someone starts organising collection of money from people for presents and something to do, and generally we surprise the person, unless they're accidentally included in the mailing list. But it is really sweet.

Adam's birthday cake, as designed by the engineer team surrounding him.


Sara and Adam looking goreous at Adam's birthday bash


Johnny and I being very serious

Likewise when somebody is sick everyone turns up with their mummies remedies, which can be annoying when you want to sleep, but regardless, is really kind. I say that cause I seemed to pick up some kind of stomach bug on the saturday morning, and by saturday night I had teas, wet-towels, marmite and body-salt drinks. It was so cool! If you don't like details, stop reading now\.../it ended rather abruptly with me vomitting the remains of a sandwich I will never purchase again from a shop I have now permanently crossed off my list.../I think I missed my mummy a little bit there.

Sunday I flew to NI with Jack and Adam, and I am still here, but Jack left today. We've been up to the Giant's Causeway, Bushmills Distillery, trekking up the Mourns, walking around Donaghadee, shopping in Belfast, and walking the dog in Newtownards. Coupled of course with some much needed R&R. The above list is rather lacking description, but I guess the photos below give more details about how much fun it is, and how damn pretty in parts.

Satisfied with the path trodden through the mourns, Blake adopts the third person to make his odd expression seemingly passable


The mighty mourn. It was particularly windy, apparently up to 70mph at the top.


The view down the saddle from Hair's Gap on the mourns. Quite breath-taking...


A tiny bit of Tom-Foolery at the causeway


Plummeting to certain death over the organ pipes at the giant's causeway.


Adam and Jack, and I'm not quite sure...


Adam and I in Belfast


Jack, Adam and I in Belfast


Newtownards where Adam lives


Jack and I going up the ridge whilst walking the family dog.

Adam's mum is heavily involved in StreetReach, a christian organisation aimed at bringing peace and safety to the streets of Belfast. Becuase of this she has an amazing insight into the political and cultural past and present which she enlightened Jack and I with on a tour of the city on our first night. It was so incredible, and if the history department did trips there I would totally hire her! Eye-opening, more so than dinner with the Major. It's an amazing, and from a non-emotive angle, really interesting history. Last night we went to Tiny's cafe, an initiative started by their church for the kids of a village called MoneyReagh to have something to do on a Friday and Saturday night. Some of the people there came from quite troubled backgrounds, but were really great guys. However, there was a fight and two of them went through a very thick bit of glass. Thankfully nobody was hurt and we were able to keep them all away from the glass because there was some very sharp and dagger like shards around. It was exciting to say the least, but they tell me that has never happened before, I think I just got lucky :)

I love Adam's family, but I feel really guilty cause they're treating me so nicely, maybe if they threw in the occassional bit of verbal abuse I would feel slightly better about staying in their home for 2 weeks, a week of which has gone already! We went out for a book trip to Belfast today, but the greatness of this trip is realised when I tell you I had my first REAL, PROPER, DECENT, GOOD CUP OF COFFEE ever in Europe. It was at Clement's in the city square, and the guy apparently won the UK barista champs, which I reckon wouldn't be too hard, but full credit to the guy, he can make a good one.

In a week I will return back to my corner of Cambridge and begin preparation for my June exams, with the 3 weeks of study I have allotted with just me and myself and my books. Should be a good time to catch up on all I have forgotten, and to consolidate that tiny bit I can remember. I may even venture down to London to visit Alice, a treat perhaps from such an intense time of learning.

So that's it, I apologise this is so long, but hopefully by the time I write another one it will be timed such that you all have just finished reading this one. I miss you all, and will see you soon hopefully.

God Bless!

P.S. For all of you signspotters: Spot the implications in this sign from the roadside in N.I

Hello beautiful people! And a Happy Waitangi Day to you all!

I've been in term for over 2 and a half weeks now (over 25% of this term already) and am back in full swing. Obviously I've been a bit slack as this is my first post for 2007, so apologies all for that. I've come out the other side of my exams a little bit worse for wear, having learned a few good lessons about the process, and I don't think I shall ever think of our eating hall the same way again (as that is where they were held.)

Lectures started two days after exams finished, but those two days were a great time to relax get settled and reintroduce myself to everybody as they all came back from their respective Christmas holidays. Getting underway for a second time has been so great, I have had time now to think about Cambridge, and get my bearings there, so that I really feel even more at home now, and more capable to tackle the challenges thrown my way. Plus, seeing friendly faces and familiar sights the second time round has really made me feel like I belong.

In the second week of January it snowed! A momentous occasion in anyone's books! I got a text from Ryan, the 2nd year Girlders' Scholar telling me to look out my window. It did not snow at all last year, and we were both experiencing it for the first time in Cambridge. And it was breath-taking, literally, as on my morning run (oddly enough it was warmer than normal) I went up the hill I discovered to take these photos, which really don't do the whole morning justice, but believe me, it was. And it is not very often at 19 you get to experience such a basic thing as the weather for the first time, I have seen snow, but not woken up to it, so I was like an excited little child at Christmas, running outside (with my winter-woolies on) to play in it.




The first night of lectures was the 80's slack (another word for disco). My friends and I went to Formal Hall first, which I really missed outside of term, it is just so much fun.



People migrated back to my room after hall to prepare for the 80's formal. I release these pictures to the public with great trepidation - especially should I ever desire to carry out any political campaign in the future, but that is unlikely. They do need explaining. I am the yellow segment of the rubics cube. I know dressing up as a geomteric brain-teaser is a particularly nerdy thing to be doing, but I have decided not to notice. However it was a great night! The cross-dressing guy is a male maggie thatcher, strange yes, but that is what happens when you go op-shopping with a gaggle of girls.





Everything else has gotten back underway now. I have had my first netball game, and we are still undefeated. I also joined a gospel choir which is realy good fun. This Ethiopian guy from mmy College did a solo last week and it is the most incredible voice I have ever heard in my life - such power and control but mixed with raw emotion, it sent shivers down me. I was organising the college bike scheme as one of my roles as the first year rep, but after a couple of days of sorting out insurance and a disclaimer I was informed the bikes were sold. That was a total waste of time.

Two big highlights to let everyone know about:
In the first week of term all 6 resident Girdlers' Scholars were invited to our friends, John and Jenny Chaplins home for dinner, but with a difference because Jonathan Hunt came along also. We had a fabulous dinner and after talking for about half an hour on our '07 world cup sporting chances and the stadium debacle, we got stuck into the politics. He is an interesting man Mr. Hunt, and really likes to see a person who has thought through what they say. So I was of little help, but the oldest scholar, Francis who was awarded his PhD last week, got stuck into some meaty conversation with him which lasted until midnight. He offered us his assistance should we need it in the future which was very generous, but we'll see if he means it at some point I imagine. It was great, and I think I left a mark, which was not too bad. Especially since he remembered my name when it came to the second big event of mention: (just on the side, we walked back to college that night, it's a half hour walk, and it was to coldest night here to date of -7 degrees, I was a tad nippy to be honest)
I travelled to London this Thursday just past to give a presentation to Girdlers' Hall on my development and progress as a Girdlers' Scholar to date. When all four of us arrived we got stuck straight into Lunch, and I was introduced to the man who would be taking control of the scholarship programme (and most of the company for that matter) as of July. Lunch lasted about 2 hours and was more lavish than I remembered from my last visit, but the whole time I could not help but think in the back of my mind, every sip of wine I took was worth a days food for a family in Africa, I know that's a dramatic perspective, but the extravagance that goes into just one lunch is beyond me, I would be happy with a coffee and a sandwich, but I cannot deny I am not grateful for the experience, hospitality, and my scholarship :P so I should not really comment. After lunch I gave my speech to the court and they seemed pleased with what I have been doing. Cause it was Adam and Matthews last speech we wet to the pub afterwards to celebrate. It got a bit emotional during Matthew's last speech actually, especially when he sang Po Kare Kare Ana. It really brought home to me just how much this scholarship does and will mean to me. Following all that was the Waitangi Day church service with the NZ Society (the relationship with whom actually was the original cause of my scholarship in 1933, I have a really boring book about it if anyone is interested) It was held at the mutual hurch of the society and the Girdlers' in London. It is very weird turning a corner to see this 400 year old cathedral in the middle of 20 storey buildings. That was rather pleasant, and I especially enjoyed Ngati Rananana's performance of Amazing Grace in Maori. They had a reception after that at Girdlers' Hall, which was very nice, getting to meet NZers that are dispersed through London and England. Jonathan Hunt was there again and I he remembered me, and very kindly asked me to follow him with a 5 minute speech (entriely different in nature to the one I gave earlier). After choking on my chipolata which I was eating at the time, I accepted, which was very silly because the speech I was to give would be in 5 minutes. So I gave it, but it was a little awful, however the High Commissioner now owes me one (at least I think so). I got back to Camrbidge and slept like a rock, and now I have come to the end of another weekend, poised to throw myself into the fury of another week.

In two weeks time the Christian Union here is holding a series of talks which are already sparking interest through the student body. It is an incredibly exciting time. I cannot wait for what that will hold. Church is great, my small group and I are going cosmic bowling (At this place with a 50year old DJ and one of those light up disco floors) should be great.

And for all of you Coffee enthusiasts, I have found hope, albeit a fading glimmer of gold dust (or fine ground coffee bean) I have found Bene't Cafe on Bene't street, next to my college, it sprung up over Christmas and is being run by this cute little old couple, that make an alright cup of coffee. So I am thinking I rather love these people, and will make myself known to them many more times this term.

I have missed you all loads, but I have to admit I am rather enjoying myself here. Stay special, and I will pray and think of you all constantly.
God Bless,

Blake

P.S. Some punting initiation photos, just because no blog post would be complete without them

Good day to you all,

The sun is shining and I've been awake for 3 hours...barely. Today is my last day of lectures, and is a welcome relief. Tomorrow I welcome 'freedom' and a chance to sleep in. However since we last met many exciting things have gone down. So Hopefully I can clue you.

I made it to London to see Vinny, Alice and Tamzin (Ananth didn't come, no surprise though right?) but not without event. I had a genuine English car-spraying on my way to the station as I walked along in rain that would have drowned the little mermaid. When I pulled into King's Cross Station a message was put over the speakers "Please remain calm and evacuate the station, follow the instructions of security personnel" So that held me up for about 20 minutes before we could re-enter. Probably just some silly person who left their bag on the platform. I made it to meet Alice and Ollie at Wetherspoon's in Farringdon, where Alice was relaxing with her uni friends. It was good to see her again and to see her happy at uni. She couldn't come with us to see Tamzin as she had an ealry morning rehersal the next day, so we parted. I tubed to Camden Town with Ollie, which has lovely markets by day, but I was going at night, and the 'market' at night is just as active but slightly less nice. Tamzin warned me to turn right and walk straight and make no eye contact, I thought she was joking, but within ONE minute of leaving the station I was offered drugs four times. It was Tamzin's last night in Europe so we aptly we went to the World's End pub and shared some good times. Below is the gorgeous NZ three.
I got back to Cambridge at 2am and still made the 9am lecture on Saturday morning. Is that not dedication?

Ther night after was the Bene't St Gathering which co-incided oddly with the floor appreciation societies meeting. Hopefully if you put those two together the following photos will make sense.


It was actually a really fun night. Probably the first time that we all came together and were totally comfortable with each others company. It is so cool to see the friends we have all made. It gets me quite excited. We talked for a very long time and that was it. Good and relaxing. I find when you have worked 8-10 hours straight at labs and lectures and your room, that at night time, people really make the most of and know how to enjoy themselves well.

Monday a week ago, we went to the Eagle Pub to try the Sticky Toffee Pudding we constantly see being served, and it was well worth it! About 20 of us went, I mean that is the drawing power of non-hall food that is bad for you here. on the upside, my fudge addiction has long since subsided. At the eagle, Catherine, a philosopher and the only non-natural sciences student there, decided that she would prove philosophers were the best by racing me in a lemon eating contest, problem was she got her hand stuck in her glass before she could eat the lemon. Classic.


That Tuesday night was Hustings, the elcetion process for first year rep, and I was elected, yay. It was alot harder then I thought, but Meryl's speech techniques and Peter's impromptu lessons paid off well. Basically I get to sit on the Junior Common Room (student board) and the College board, and vote on thigns...that's not worrying at all. It is actually really good, because I felt there was an aspect of Cambridge I wasn't quite seeing, and now I found what it was - I never see the place being run. Alot goes on that I do not understand and am just oblivious too, but at these meetings I see some of it discussed so that is a good lesson both in admin and how Cambridge works. We went out for a celebratory movie after Hustings that night which unfortunately was Borat - I was not impressed. Do not see it! On the bright-side I am looking forward to seeing the new bond film, and also Happy Feet. Those penguins look so cute, and who taught them to dance?

The past two weeks we have entered the Bath House Pub Quiz and come away victorious. It's quite alot of fun doing a pub quiz. I don't really understand it because it's all about English counties or events - but still, some people have alot of 'useless' knowledge which is funny. Unfortunately we cannot go for the triad this week because our friend Ros is acting in a pantomime, Iolanthe, that were going to see. Should be spectacular.

I had my last assessment Thursday last week and did rather pleasingly so I am happy with how thigns are going. And so too are the Girdlers'. Past Master Trimmingham and Lt. Col. Richard Sullivan came up to Cambridge yesterday for their annual Corpus visit. Fancy! They get esquired around Cambridge and meet with our Tutors about our progress, and then they meet with each of us Scholars' individually to see if we're happy, to check report back to us, and to just get to know us a little better. Peter and Richard are the two most involved in the running of the scholarship so I have alot to do with them and have become quite fond of my two great uncle's by now. We went out to dinner with them at Brown's (a very nice Cambridge establishment) and ate until we could no more, then retiring to corpus for an evening chat by the fire. I apologise I have no photos of them or the other scholars to show you, they all insisted that no photos could be taken until the official NZ Dinner at Girdlers' hall in March next year. Strange! It was a fantastic night actually, not formal at all, just a really great chance to get to know each other, and probably the reason that it is such a rare way for me to be here as they are actually involved and care about my life and development at Cambridge.

Thursday night a week ago now, was Christmas Formal Hall, it was brilliant, Christmassy and fun. It was my first black tie event at Corpus and Adam and I did look smashing :)

We all managed to get seats next to each other, and although photos weren't allowed in hall because the fellows were there, you'll have to believe me it was awesome. They strung up tinsle across the roof, and xmas lights, and we had special Christmas napkins and Christmas crackers (so the entire hall was wearing those ridiculous paper hats). There was an alcohol quota so it was also a very civil evening, and they said a special Latin grace. The icing on the cake was almost literally that, with desert being Christmas Pudding and Brandy sauce, wow! Below is a pre-photo of us.

An after-photo would have looked like the floor-appreciation society. We were so full and satisfied we practicaly all fell asleep afterwards.

It was our dear friend Rebecca's birthday yesterday so we blew up balloons and broke into her room to decorate it (in a semi-legal, no damage done kind of way...) When she came back from lectures we jumped out of the rooms surrounding hers and almost killed her with fright. She did say it was made up for by her presents. She is a big dark chocolate fan, so Jack found her some 100% cocoa chocolate. It was revolting. Imagine the texture of dissolving panadol in your mouth and mix that with the taste of pure cocoa, badly burnt coffee and a mound dirt and that's it. She also loves panda's whichm again coupled with the floor-appreciation society, should explain the photo below.

She does Archaeology and Anthropology so Luiseach made her chocolate brownie birthday cake in the shape of stonehenge, it collapsed, but was a lovely thought. (It collapsed before the candles were lit)




I included this just cause it was a nice photo taken at a different formal hall...aren't they friendly looking.


This is my friend Kirstin from HT. Which leads me onto the Carol Service this Sunday gone by. I sang in the choir which was a nice chance to be back involved in my church. (I will be joining the worship team in january next year too) It was all by candlelight which was very impressive considering the sheer number of candles to light. Literally the first one must have gone out by the time they had finished lighting all of them. I made some more friends in the choir which is always nice to have more people to care for you and you them. It also made me miss all of you at home more, thinking not only of the preparations going on for the Windsor Christmas Services, but also the people and tradtions I would be taking part in leading up to Christmas. Not to mention mum's Christmas fruit cake, but I will and it is good! I'd be licking the bowl now if I could. This weekend is the HT Houseparty so I will be going away with everyone and getting to know them all better. Vinny is coming to stay for 4 days after that, and then I have some free time until I come back home to explore Cambridge. I have found a lovely running track along the side of the river Cam, it's eactly like the english countryside, but not, because it flows into the heart of a city.


And finally this stunning photo. Probably my favorite (except for Jack's fat finger). We were bored one night and decided to go walk. As you can see the Christmas lights are on in Cambridge's market square, and it is gorgeous. The sun goes down by 4:30pm which is a bit depressing, but being in the market square when it turns slightly cooler, then sun sets and the lights are on is so beautiful. It is quite a magical place. But I will gladly trade it in for sunshine shortly, so be working on that for me.

I will see you all shortly, but stay classy for now,
God Bless,

Blake