It is update time (or well past it). But this time I will limit the excitment (we'll see...) to a few good stories and essentials.
Essentials:
How are lectures? They are very interesting...some more so than others. Our leturers as expected as lightly eccentric, but then they are allowed to be when you hear about what they have done. One of my lecturers was explaining one of the features of the Proton Pump, and then said "which incidentally i discovered about 3 months ago" And then they go on for a bit longer, and add "and the room upstairs was where the electron microscope was first tested" or something of the sort. I had my first biochemistry taste today in my cells lectures, it is only a 5 lecture series, but after this first one, I was really excited and I can tell this is where I am meant to be.
What is Corpus like? It covers the 3 areas really. Small, Central and Beautiful. It's right on the edge of the city-centre, and within walking distance of everything, but is far enough out that you don't get any rowdy student noise. It is very old but very beautiful. And the college itself owns random buildings all around cambridge, so you can actually walk about halfway across the town through buildings that our magic A20 key opens. It is right next to the Old Cavendish laboratory where Enrest Rutherford worked, and Watson and Crick announced their DNA structure. Everybody is very friendly, and meals in hall are great times to be with friends. The food varies greatly in quality, but it's cheap so we're not complaining. I live in 'I' Staircase, at the very top so my thighs are coming along nicely. It's in the main court of the college, and about a 3 minute walk from most of the first year accomodation. It's funny, whenever people visit me, (which you only do once because of the distance up) they all knock on my door puffing. I have a view out over the tops of Cambridge once you are up here though, very cool. And I am also right next to the bathrooms, toilet and kitchen - all very handy.
Do you really drink heaps of Tea? Yes, I average about 6 cups a day, bordering 10 if friends come over and you stat chatting. You just always seem to have the kettle on. Despite the distance, my room has become entertainment central because of it's size and brilliance of hospitality. Those in the photo below turned up at my room and we watched Anchorman on my laptop.
Do I have a regular haunt? It's called the bathhouse and is a pub just down the road. Pub culture is very much like cafe-culture in NZ, you go and have a social drink and a chin wag.
What are the people like? For the most part they are really cool. i haven't met a bad egg, and everybody goes out of their way to make you feel welcome. I had the label upon arrival of being the new-kiwi so that helped a bit because everybody was quite keen to see who the new kiwi would be. I have also met a great bunch of people, and we're from all parts so it's a very diverse bunch, and the accents a varied. By the end we will have settled on a melting pot of tomayto and tomarto.
Is the work hard? YES! Enough said, let's not dwell
Are you doing anything else? I am helping with the university student charity RAG, or Random Acts of Giving, but at the college level. This term we are holding a Miss Corpus competition, a Halloween Party and a Christmas Party. I had my first mixed netball practise on Saturday, all the Kiwis play in a team together. Basketball starts now but clashes with my Saturday lectures (yes I have Saturday lectures from 9-1).
Have you found a church yet? Yes and No. I have been to two properly now for the 3 weeks I have been here (one morning and one night) and they are both fantastic, with lovely people, worship, teaching and a real sense of God. And already I have made some of the most important friendships I will make over here, but I still don't know which one to choose. God will let me know soon I hope.
Well that is a very qiuck summary, we'll leave the rest till my return but I will pick out three major events now.
#1 I WENT TO A DELIRIOUS? CONCERT! this gets better, the opening act was TIM HUGHES! Basically it was amazing, a couple of my friends from church (below, sorry about the quality, it was Adam's phone) got tickets and went.
Tim Hughes started off with some really upbeat worship and then rocked away for about 45 minutes. Pulling out the classics, of course Heart of Worship was in there too. Then Delirious came out and the place just erupted. It was at the corn exchange and although quite a small venue, that didn't make any difference. It was just brilliance, and so powerful. It was great to be really led in worship again. They did all the greats, and half way through they brought out this board of 5 small keyboards and played 'Happy Song' on them. It was like a dance remix on the synth. The night ended on Majesty which in itself was worth every pence of the 13pounds. We then went to the greek takeaways down the road and got double cheeseburgers, and sat outside Kings College Chapel and ate them looking over the Cam river. It was the best evening. So yes, I want lots of emails saying how jealous you all are!
#2 Anchorman in my room was another definite great moment. Nothing too funny happened (off screen that is) but it was nice to have a feeling of real friendships again. We all had popcorn and hot chocolate and afterwards just spent the night chatting.
#3 Dinner at John and Jenny Chaplains. They are a lovely retired NZ couple who live in Cambridge. They, through a series of random meetings, have ended up holding an annual dinner each term at their home for us kiwi boys of Roast Lamb, veges and desert. The desert was pavlova of course, and the wine of choice for the evening was Stoneleigh Pinot Noir, a very NZ affair. They are also quite a well off couple and take the Girdlers' sailing around the UK each year, so looking forward to that one. It turned out that as well as the random meetings with us, they had random meetings with NZ House, and that formalised itself also and next time we go for dinner, in January it will be, Jonathan Hunt will be joining us. We made sure that Jenny was putting in an extra leg of lamb.
These are some more random photos taken during my time. They say picture speaks a thousand words.
Adam, Cat and Harry Potter (no wait, that's me) in formal hall.
Adam from Northern Ireland, and myself, looking intelligent and cambridge-like. (I feel alot better now I am here about being normal, because people always make really stupid mistakes like I tend to, and everyone just laughs because we go to cambridge)
Rebekah, Jack, Vicky, Rhys and I outside the infamous eagle pub (right next to where we live, it's quite noisy.
So I miss you all, and just in case you think I don't care when you send me emails or texts, I really do! I actually makes my day to read what is going on back home, so I am always very grateful for a report and a hello. I apologise I can't always get around to replying to everybody, but it is always really special to hear from you all.
I pray all is well with you,
Blake
