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It is absolutely beautiful here! I cannot believe that i am here and seeing what I am seeing! My dormitory is in Gonville Court and is in the oldest of the towers, built in 1380 but recently renovated (we are spread out over 4 dorms the youngest built in the 18th century). I have to go up a huge wooden staircase that splits at the top and one way goes in the the college masters apartment and the other leads to a hobbit hole of a door, wood with black bolts and funny round latch which leads to a 2flight spiral staircase lined with windows which leads to my hallway. My room is pleasant- it was renovated in the 70s so it looks like a typical dorm room. i have a window above my desk that opens out like shutters and the glass is original so it gives the distorted shine. The street outside my window is narrow cobble stone lined with shops. it looks like the village in Beauty and the Beast (some girls and I sang that song at breakfast this morning “little town, its a quiet village, everyday like the one before”-Belle) I have made friends already. I already know everyones name it is a grand group and i have picked out 5 girls that i want to spend time with- very sweet but we haven’t talked about faith yet. My room is on the 4th floor so i am just above the windows across the way and i can see somewhat into the next court yard over which is Trinity College and if I hold my head just right, i can peek between two chimneys and see their clock tower. it is black with gold roman numerals so i can check the time that way! How perfect!!! Unfortunately dad’s memory card is not compatible with my camera- either that or something else it wrong- it wont work. i’ll have to figure something out. my room is in the same building as the dining hall which is huge and gloriuos- it looks like the hall from the harry potter movies and there are paintings of great scientist from my college on the walls including steven hawking. different discoveries and inventions are in stained glass on the windows which are high in the ceiling by gold-stenciled rafters. like a venn diagram above the picture of venn and the double helix which was discovered by Watson and some various physics and mathmatical drawings. i am also right above the university’s pub. called The Buttery. I did drink a half pint of local ale last night and it was nice. i get free a coffee thrice a day and tea whenever i want. Oh! The library is amazing!! I almost cried standing in there! Itlooks so traditional- lots of wood, wooden tables and anything that is not wood is delicately stenciled. It is like a long hall with high banisters on each side and spiral staircases leading up to them. wow. there is an open market right around the corner i bought fruit there yesterday, the best strawberries i have EVER had!! they tasted like sunshine. the sun was out all day yesterday which they say is rare. Mornings and evening are brisk-cool it is a good thing i brought jackets-thanks mom. the sun sets at 10:45 pm and rises at 5am because we are so far north. i went into a church of england chapel yesterday and talked to the minister for about 30 minutes. He gave me a great history lesson that i will spare you but he did mention that the first openly protestant (as in legal) sermon ever spoken in england was from THAT pulpit! wild huh. Although it is called “cambridge university” the town is actually just a concentration of about 32 seperate colleges all built between 1284 and 1800. This town is so old and when i walk outside i am in the very oldest part of it. I can see 5 churches when i step out. And the campus is not open. there are 3 four-high-walled courts in my college and one gate for coming and going which is monitored by a porter to keep visitors out. During the day, the BIG wood door is just opened but at night, they open only a little hobbit hole of a door in the big one that you have to step up and over to get through and they channel you through the office. it is like A&M, you cant step on the grass ANYWHERE except the local greens (Queens Green and Jesus Green) where they play cricket and “football.” only fellows of the college and step on the grass and those a re graduates or professors. I cant say enough about the beauty of the buildings. there is shop after shop and then narrow staircases between them leading to the apartments above them. Oh and i crossed the river cam yesterday- people go punting on it- flat boats with a stick to push your way off the shallow bottom. i will do that at some point for sure. my first class is today at 2:00. I have to write 3 papers, one of which is 10 pages for my king arthur class and i do not yet have my shakespeare syllabus. I will write again later. there is not possibly a better program out there for me than this!

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