Blimey! I’m in Cambridge for the Summer (guess I just couldn’t stay in the US for more than two consecutive months…) So far I have been settling into the flat, exploring Cambridge, and hanging out with my adoring sister. There is so much to do as a Cantabrigian, which apparently is a term used to describe people in Cambridge. I just “can’t” seem to figure it out. Get it? Like CANT figure it out and CANT abrigian? Anyways…we kicked off the week with a 4th of July celebration in the yard behind our flat. For some odd reason the Brits forgot to have any festivities on the 4th of July. But there was a wonderful fair today, comparable to a small scale version of the State Fair. There was a man dressed as a Redcoat pulling a wooden cart with an enormous inflatable lobster, a French market with gigantic shrimp, and an Australian synth playing spaceman. The latter showed me his secret hand signal to be granted entrance into the inner sanctum. I apologize, but since it is secret I am treating it as classified material and refraining from posting it on this blog. The British-Indian musician Panjabi MC (he is famous for fusing hip-hop with bhangra) also performed, and there was a slew of assorted carnival rides there such as carousels, Ferris wheels, and pony rides.
On Thursday night my sister and I went to a play about Palestine called Al Nakba, or “The Catastrophe.” Although very disturbing and moving, it was extremely well done and I was really excited to catch one of the limited viewings in Cambridge. Three quarters of the actors are all Palestinians who came to the UK specifically for the performance. Again, lucky for me, there was a Q and A session after the show so we got to hear in-depth information on the actors’ lives and the inspiration for the play itself.
Currently our program is working (what a concept!) on reducing Cambridge’s Carbon Dioxide emissions as Cambridge is the test site for the whole of the UK. My part of the project right now is research into how residential buildings and businesses can lower their C02 production. The overarching task which we will all collaborate to complete is a web based tool to allow users to find solutions to lower their Carbon emissions. Speaking of classes, Cambridge posts everyone’s’ grades in public. I am glad UNC does not do so. In the math department at Cambridge the person with the highest grade stands at the front of the room and everyone else takes their hats off and throws them at said person with the highest score. Personally I think it sounds more rewarding to get a lower grade. Whatever the reasons, this happens to be where the expression “hats off to you” originated. Guess I’ll be throwing a hat…
However, despite this work I still have time for pleasure reading. Currently I am working on John Le Carre’s novel “The Honorable Schoolboy.” It is the second book in the Karla trilogy, preceded by “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.” For those who haven’t read either one, I highly recommend delving into the series. “Tinker Tailor” also has a fantastic BBC miniseries starring Alec Guinness. Later this year a theatrical version will be released with a cast including Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, and Tom Hardy. I’m pretty psyched for it.
Well, that has been week one of Cambridge. Many more fun things to look forward to like tea and scones at Grantchester Meadows as featured in the Pink Floyd song from Uggamugga, the next Harry Potter movie, a Shakespeare festival, art galleries…stay tuned for more adventures!
For more info on the play, visit http://www.junction.co.uk/artist/3258
