I figured that this would be a good time to start this blog as I've finally begun to make preparations for my trip. This is officially my last week in Washington, DC. Next Saturday, I'll be on a train to Boston. After that it's California, then Boston again, then England.
On Wednesday I filled out the paperwork for my student visa. The only part that made me a little bit nervous was FedEx-ing my passport to the British Consulate in New York City. Recent screw-ups at the State Dept. have made the waits for getting a new passport unfathomably long, so mine had better not get lost in the mail.
Today, I picked up a copy of Notes From a Small Island by Bill Bryson, which catalogues the author's travels in the UK. I've really enjoyed a few of his other travel books (A Walk in the Woods, In a Sunburned Country, etc.), and I heard that this one is particularly funny. Mostly, I'm hoping to get a better idea of the cultural differences between England and the US. Bryson's book has already taught me that in the UK, a "public school" is actually a private school and "streaky bacon" has a lot of fat in it. Hopefully, more useful information is forthcoming.
I know that the page says this post was made at some ungodly hour in the morning, but I assure you that it's only about 10pm. I set this blog up on Greenwich Mean Time so that there wouldn't be any confusion later on.
About Me
As you may have gathered from the title above, my name is Ross. A short while ago, I left the San Francisco Bay Area to attend MIT. I settled into an economics major after nearly four semesters in academic limbo. And in order to complicate things further, I’ve decided to spend my junior year abroad at the University of Cambridge. I set up this blog as a convenient way to keep my friends and relatives up to date. But if you have no idea who I am, feel free to read along anyway. After all, this is the internet – a voyeur’s paradise – so there's not very much I can do to stop you, you creepy son of a bitch.
Gonville & Caius College
In April, I was told that I would be living at Gonville & Caius (pronounced "keys") College. According to Wikipedia, the College has a rich and cherished history. Strangely, nobody knows quite when it was founded. In his journals, Sir Gerald Cambridge claims that it was, "just sort of there already.” Notable Gonville & Caius College alumni include John Venn, inventor of the Venn diagram; George Green, inventor of the color green; and Edward Bromhead, whose name is hilarious. Upon graduation, students of Gonville & Caius College pass through the “Gate of Honour”. The word “Honor” is deliberately misspelled as a tribute to famed physician and college namesake John Caius (pronounced "keys"). Dr. Caius insisted that his last name, along with many other words, should be spelled with a "u". The evidence of this is still visible in the butchered u-heavy version of the English language used in the United Kingdom today.
4 comments:
Now on VHS: Ernest Goes to Cambridge!
=) what a pretty blog! I like the header. I might be coming to visit over Spring Break, so hopefully your blog will provide some good insight on where to go!
Hmm, maybe I should have signed in first. Have fun!
Hey Ross! Long time no talk, but I hope you have a great time in England and I just wanted to wish you the best of luck. Maybe ill just have to read your blog :)
Post a Comment