July 4th in the Motherland

I started the morning out with a bit of Frosties and a hot shower.  We had to meet in the Cambridge Union Society debating chamber at 9:00 for a commencement speech of sorts.  Part of it was a welcoming ordeal, part of it was rules and recommendations.  This was made much more interesting by the speakers,

"I think that it is most wonderful to see that so many of you have decided to return from the colonies, to the motherland, on this particular day."
"Someone has been telling some of you that you can't drink the water here and so you've been going out and spending money on these bottles of water.  Don't do that!  The water is perfectly fine to drink here!  Don't waste your money on water, waste it on alcohol!"

Afterwards but before class there was time in which I managed to procure an adapter for my computer and a few other sundry items.  Back at the CUS class started (for me, anyway) around 3.25.  The teacher for the course has a very thick accent.  I believe it is something Dutch.  Me and a few others I had been speaking to before we could go into the classroom decided to sit up front.  At the start of the  class the teacher asked to borrow someone's watch.  I complied, probably a mistake.  The material was not too bad as it was all introductory material.  The way the courses are taught here is through two different class meetings: lectures and seminars.  In the lectures everyone meets and the teacher presents materials.  In the seminar only half the class meets and the students present scientific articles and they are discussed.  The first seminar was the next day, and shortly after the end of the first lecture we were required to go to a formal hall, so there wasn't really any time to do much.  He picked two people (one for each article) and guess who the very first one was?  The one who he remembered because of the watch he had been looking at.

Afterwards I freshened up and donned my coat and tie.  I arrived at King's College to meet the group of PKP students to be walked to Queen's college as we had never been there before.  We were led out of King's College, down an alley, and into Queen's college to a lawn.  It was a bit funny, as the leader of the line led us to the lawn, but no one walked on it at first.  Only after being assured that it was ok to walk on the grass at this time did anyone dare set foot on the sacred green turf.  Drinks were served and we chatted it up for an hour or so before being led to Queen's great hall for a three course meal consisting of caesar salad and a roll, a steak and vegetables, and apple pie and coffee for desert.  The people around me were interesting to talk to when I could hear them.  The table was pretty large so it was difficult to hear women sitting on the other side of it.  At this point I learned from one of the PA's that Charles Darwin used to live on the same street that I am staying at now.  He told me there is a marker somewhere, but I haven't found it yet.  We left the dinner about 9.30.

Returning to my room I began working on a powerpoint for the presentation I had to give the next morning.  The professor had said that he didn't feel he could require us to have a powerpoint and all done for the article as he knew it was very short notice with no time, but I was determined to get one done anyway.  After a couple hours of labor, my presentation on the effect of cocaine on Drosophila was complete.