My first visitor

On Tuesday of my first week at Cambridge, Katherine arrived from Madrid for a few days visit. Unfortunately on this same morning I had to start in the lab for a couple hours. So around 8am I walked the 2.5 miles to the train station, found out Katherine missed the train and would not arrive for one hour, so I walked 1 mile back to my college to get coffee and food, then 1 mile back to the train station, picked her up, took the bus 1 mile back and walked 1.5 miles, then ran 1.5 miles back to lab to get there... just on time. All in all, it was a long morning of walking, about 9 miles after the walk back to the room to get Katherine for lunch! I could not wait to move out of my temporary housing, far away from Cambridge center, and to my actual house on 30 Sept.

While I was in lab, Katherine slept off a sleepless night of traveling. For the rest of the day we proceeded to tour Cambridge. That evening, we went to see a concert, the Treetop Flyers at the Portland Arms club. The concert was great and the venue was really nice and relaxed (also it has Portland in the title).

Photo from "The Portland" courtesy of their website.

On Wednesday morning we ate at King’s College before heading off to London to visit with Katherine’s uncle and enjoy a stroll through Covent Garden and Shepherd’s Bush. After dinner at a great Indian restaurant in London we headed back to Cambridge on the late night bus.

On Thursday we were able to go see King’s College Chapel, one of the most iconic images at the University of Cambridge. The inside was beautiful, but I had forgotten my camera! I will definitely be going back to take photos and enjoy performances in the chapel itself. In fact, during my third week at Cambridge I will be able to take a once-in-a-lifetime tour of the roof of the chapel with other graduate students.

On Friday Katherine and I went punting, and being my second time doing so I felt a bit more capable. We went with Kenzie, another Cambridge Marshall from my class. Kenzie and I went first, showing our practiced skills at punting, looking fairly competent. Unfortunately, when Katherine took a turn to go punting for her first time the worst possible scenario happened. No… she didn’t fall in the water. Rather, she took it up immediately like a pro, punting the entire way back up the Cam and making Kenzie and I feel a little embarrassed.

Katherine punting and Kenzie as the passenger, on the Cam.

After the punting experience I was able to finally move into my permanent (for the year) home at Cambridge, in Grasshopper Lodge at King’s College. Grasshopper is about a 10 minute walk from King’s and 15 minutes from the city center, much closer than I was at Fitzwilliam for the previous week. My accommodation at Grasshopper is beautiful. The lodge is a 28 person building that looks more akin to a mansion than college housing. I will be sure to take more pictures to come, but enjoy the view from my room window of our backyard (the garden). 

View from my room at Cambridge.

After 14 days on my journey as a Marshall Scholar I have finally moved into my permanent housing and no longer have to live out of a suitcase! Katherine leaves tomorrow (the 1^st of October), which is my first official day as a member of the University of Cambridge and King’s College… should be exciting!

First Impressions

My first weekend at Cambridge was great! The Marshalls from Cambridge all hung out with each other on Sunday, going punting on the river Cam. For those that do not know, punting is propelling a boat on a river using a long pole (like they do in Italy). I had never done anything like that before, but it was great fun and did not take too long to learn how to do it successfully, and I didn't fall in the river either.

Nate, Jessie, and me punting on the Cam. Thanks to Jessie for the photo.

King's College from the Cam.

Being in Cambridge also meant that I could finally settle down for a few days, after a week straight of orientation events. On my 10^th day of my Marshall experience, I was able to meet with my research supervisor. My supervisor is a professor in a Drosophila (fruit fly) lab in the Department of Zoology at Cambridge. My degree will be a Master’s in Biological Science, through one year of research and a thesis. Everyone in my future lab was very nice and welcoming, and the cooperative and relaxing environment of the lab works really well with my experience at the Oregon. Having never been to Europe, my supervisor was very supportive of my desire to take a few days off here and there to travel around the U.K. and occasionally Europe. Needless to say, I was very excited to start in the lab, and made a plan to do a little work during the next two weeks before starting up full-time once introductory events end around campus.

Next stop, Cambridge

After little sleep and a difficult morning, all of us had checked out of our hotel and were loading our belongings onto the “Marshall” bus. We were to be dropped off at the appropriate train station after a brief detour to the U.S. Embassy.
 

At the embassy we were treated to American security measures, including no photographs or electronic devices, so again… no photos! Tea and coffee were provided, I opted for tea this time, and we had a nice reception with members of the embassy before hearing a speech from the U.S. ambassador to Britain. He gave us advice on living in Britain and our role as American representatives. A few more speakers spoke about the U.S. and their important relationship with Britain.
 

Leaving the embassy we were all very excited to get along to our universities, and for Cambridge students (the 7 of us) that meant being dropped off at King’s Cross station. I would hesitate to call myself the biggest fan of Harry Potter, and it took a reminder from a member of our group before I realized that King’s Cross is the station Harry Potter goes to when he leaves for school. This explained the numbers of tourists taking photos around the station. Since several aspects of Harry Potter were adapted from scenery and tradition at Cambridge, it seemed appropriate we were boarding a train to Cambridge from Platform 9 at King’s Cross (Harry boarded from Platform 9 and 3/4).
 

Upon arrival into Cambridge, a 2010 Marshall Scholar greeted us and helped us work our way into a Taxi to get to our respective colleges. I was temporarily staying at Fitzwilliam College for the week, because King’s College did not have my accommodation ready for me to move in. After moving into my temporary room, I set off to find the center of Cambridge. Instead, quickly found Fitzwilliam is very far from the Cambridge center, but around an hour of walking later I arrived outside of my college, King’s College.
 

King’s is undoubtedly the most iconic college at Cambridge. If you have ever seen a photo of “Cambridge” you are very likely looking at an aspect of King’s College. The college certainly lived up to the hype. As you can see from my photo (more will come later), the entrance alone is stunning. After 7 days of orientation events and travel I had finally arrived at Cambridge and could begin to relax, catch my breath, and explore my new home.
 

King's College entrance, chapel in the background

London reception

What a great night’s sleep! Who would have thought how tired being awake for nearly 40 hours would make you? Yes, my second day in London started much better than my first, and I remember it a little clearer as a result. After getting ready I went downstairs to have a quick English breakfast, full service from our hotel complete with a great buffet and selection of tea and coffee (still feeling very American and very tired, I opted for coffee). We then went on to Parliament, which was surprisingly easy to get into compared to all of the events in our D.C. orientation (but still no cameras allowed in many areas). A guided tour brought us through Parliament and both the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Our tour guide was a hilarious Englishman that must double as a standup comedian in the evenings.
 

Area inside Parliament where I could take a photo of great windows.

From there, we moved outside for the Marshall Class photo in front of Parliament, before going back into the offices where MPs (Members of Parliament) work. We were able to talk to an MP from the Labor party, who talked at length about the recent riots in London and the social and political factors that were at play. He also talked about the relationship between the U.S. and the U.K., which was a common theme of our orientation. Every speaker, in both countries, emphasized that no two countries in the world are as close as the United States and Britain. Though they also quickly quoted Churchill, that the two are countries separated by a common language.
 

Parliament from outside looking at Westminster Clock Tower (Big Ben).

After Parliament we took the tube ourselves back to the hotel, having an hour to find lunch and get to the Marshall office… needless to say we were all a little tense. Although we were all very smart, being led around 24/7 by tour guides and Marshall Organizers can leave you in a comfort zone reminiscent of field trips as a child. Fortunately, after a small bit of confusion we were all able to find our way back to our hotel and grab food in time for our briefing at the Marshall office on our bank accounts and a panel with current (2010) Marshall Scholars.
 

In the evening we had a reception to celebrate our arrival, sponsored by “Her Majesty’s Government.” The reception included bottomless wine (as did nearly all Marshall events), as well as finger food and other drinks. Funny aside – we were not allowed red wine at the reception, because the floor was a beautiful marble that red wine would stain. At the event I met many of the 2010 Marshall Scholars as well as leaders from many of the universities around the United Kingdom. I was able to talk for a while with the provost of King’s College, Cambridge (the head of my college) and his wife, which was lovely. They were very supportive of the Marshall Scholar program. I also had the opportunity to talk with some board members on the Marshall Commission and get an idea of where the future of the Marshall program will be going and what I got out of the application process. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures in the foreign office (we had to leave all cameras at the hotel).
 

After the reception we headed to a gorgeous apartment in downtown London where a 2010 Marshall was staying for the summer. We had a much less official celebration among the 2010 and 2011 Marshall Scholars. The 2010 class is very close and organized many events together last year, so they have really set the bar high for social interaction, but I think the 2011 Marshalls are up for it. A few hours of partying, eating, and drinking later we were ready to find our way back to the hotel. London was certainly just as beautiful in the evening, and I looked forward to traveling to Cambridge the next afternoon.

Arrival in London

During our final day in Washington, D.C. (day 4) we were given great advice by recent Marshall Alumni that had just returned from the U.K., as well as a final briefing on what to expect during our two years. Afterwards, we had lunch near the British Embassy, where we all continued to get to know each other, before heading back to the hotel to grab our luggage and go to the airport.

Despite having a group of 33 students traveling overseas, many with several pieces of luggage, we were able to quickly get through the check-in process and security. Waiting at the gate everyone made a few last calls or emails to family before we began boarding the plane, where we all sat very close to each other on a relatively empty flight.

Unfortunately, we were taking off at 3pm Oregon time, 6pm D.C. time and yet needed to sleep to avoid being exhausted the next day. I was unable to sleep right away, and ended up watching a couple movies on the plane, and before I knew it we were beginning to land in London at 6:30am London time.

London from the London Eye

Customs and baggage claim went well for all of us, and we met up with our leaders in the U.K., Mary and Lizzie, who had a coach waiting for us nearby by a company appropriately called “Marshalls.”

Our us for the few days in London

When we arrived at the hotel our rooms were not ready, so we had a 5 hour briefing on life in the U.K. and details about our scholarship conditions. Since none of us had slept the night before, it was a grueling process. While many of the Marshalls had their rooms ready by 1pm, four of us were unable to get into our rooms before 2pm, where we had to quickly shower to prepare for our trip to the London Eye.

London Eye

The London Eye, a gigantic attraction constructed this past decade, was a great experience and chance to view the entire city of London from every angle. Although a bit expensive, I should thank the Marshall Commission for paying the bills on this trip. We even had a London Eye 4D Experience, where the 4^th D was the bubbles and water sprayed on us in the theatre. 

London from the London Eye.

After the London Eye, we rode the tube (London subway system) back to our hotel. In the evening we went out with 2010 Marshalls living in London. I chose to go to Mexican food, which was far different than U.S. Mexican food. After the dinner most of us, having been up for nearly 40 hours, decided to go to bed. Overall, my first day in London was very successful and it was a fantastic city. Tomorrow, when not jet lagged, we will be going to Parliament as well as the London Reception, for my 6^th day as a Marshall Scholar.

Me on the London Eye with Parliament in the background.

Washington, D.C. reception

I awoke on the third day of my Marshall experience at 6am ready to leave for the NIH.  British guide in D.C. told us to dress for “smart-business,” which we all assumed meant no tie or jacket, but nice pants and a nice shirt. We were very wrong, and many of the Marshalls had to run upstairs, including myself, and quickly change into a full suit. At NIH we were told about their research facilities and partnerships with Cambridge or Oxford, including an 8-year PhD and MD program. Since I have already decided to attend medical school, and plan for at least 6 more years in school, I wasn’t too interested in adding two more years.

After the NIH we moved on to the State Department, where we were given a talk by Marshall Scholar Alum William Burns, the Deputy Secretary of State. He had great insight into many international issues and fielded several questions from the Marshall group. No cameras or cell phones were allowed into the state department, a theme for the majority of the day.

For lunch we ate at the senate office buildings, having many D.C. Marshall Alumni come by to chat with us about opportunities in politics for Marshalls. After lunch, we went to the Supreme Court, where we waited to have a lecture in the main court and then were brought to a smaller room to hear from Jeffrey Rosen, another Marshall Scholar Alumni.

Lobby of Supreme Court

After the Supreme Court tour, we walked around the capital building to our bus, bringing us back to the hotel to prepare quickly for the evenings reception at the British Embassy. At the embassy, we met Sir Nigel Sheinwald, British Ambassador to the United States, and each of us got a photo with the ambassador as well as a group photo at his residence. The reception was great, with many past Marshalls, including some from Johns Hopkins that helped me make my medical school decision. The speaker for the evening was Harold Koh, a former Marshall Scholar that gave us a great, hilarious speech about the 5 mistakes he made as a Marshall Scholar.

Capital at a distance

At the end of the reception, we boarded our bus and went back to the hotel before going out for food as a group to a restaurant across the street, and then later to a British pub around the corner of the hotel. This was the last full day in D.C., as the next day we were all excited to have a relaxed morning at the British embassy and travel to London in the afternoon.

White House visit

Bright and early on my second day in Washington, I got up and left with Jacob to see the monuments and buildings around Washington. The first stop was the White House, a short walk from the hotel.

This would not be the closest I got to the White House all day, more below.

Moving from the White House we saw the great architecture of the treasury department and the department of commerce, before we reached our goal of the Washington Monument. In the 8^th grade, I remember going up and touching the walls of the monument, but now the surrounding perimeter had been blocked off and you were no longer allowed to approach the monument.

Washington Monument

After the Washington monument and enjoying views of the capital building and the Lincoln memorial in the distance, we left to visit the Thomas Jefferson memorial. 

Jefferson Memorial

Jacob and I got a photo on the steps before heading up to read the quotes inside the memorial.

After visiting the Jefferson monument, we went through the Franklin D. Roosevelt memorial, a long walk through the history of Roosevelt’s many years as president. Although less aesthetically pleasing than some of the larger monuments, the memorial was very memorable because of the inclusion of Roosevelt’s dog.

Franklin Roosevelt and dog

Since I visited D.C. in the 8^th grade, a World War II memorial and MLK memorial have been built. The first I was able to see was the new MLK memorial, which I was told had received very critical reviews. While less impressive than many of the older memorials, the MLK memorial certainly drew a large crowd.

MLK Memorial

After visiting the Korean War memorial, we went to the Lincoln memorial, which was as impressive as always. Unfortunately, the government was constructing on the reflecting pool, so the regular beauty of the memorial as you look back toward the Washington Monument was lost.

View from the Lincoln Memorial

 

A trip through the Vietnam War memorial brought us to the new World War II memorial, an amazingly large monument in between the Washington monument and the Lincoln memorial.

WWII Memorial

 

We were able to read some great quotes from George Marshall, whom the Marshall Scholarship was named for. After viewing the WWII memorial, Jacob and I headed back to the hotel for lunch with other Marshall Scholars, and we met our hotel roommates. Through taxis, although it was only a 15 minute walk away, we made our way to the National Gallery of Art. We were able to see some pieces of art from nearly every area of Europe. Unfortunately our tour guide thought we were Fulbright students, so she continually asked us where we were going, only to respond “Sure seems like a lot of you are going to the United Kingdom, that’s strange.”

Back at the hotel after the National Gallery of Art, I decided to change from Jeans to Khaki pants, since my next trip would be to bowl at the White House. By now, most of the Marshalls had arrived and we were able to meet each other in the lobby. From the beginning, everyone got along fantastically, although it took me some time to find others going to Cambridge (only 7 this year). I also found another Marshall, Allie, who like me had never been out of the United States.

After the hotel interlude we made our way, by Taxi again, to the White House. Telling a Taxi driver to drop you off at the White House is surprisingly difficult; as many are not properly licensed in D.C. and are worried they will be spotted by the numerous undercover police.

Outside the White House entrance

Despite a little delay outside, we had no problems getting through the two levels of security. We walked into the Old Executive building, which is the building next to the White House but within the White House compound, and went to the basement. Funny enough, the walk in the basement of the White House was through a very uncompleted, dirty, and dark corridor that looked more akin to a construction site than the White House bowling alley entrance. Once at the bowling alley we had take-out Chinese food and beer, followed by a little casual bowling (I did terrible!) 

White House bowling alley, no electronic scoring!

Before we left we were sure to get a group picture of the 12 Marshalls and 3 Marshall alumni that were bowling together.

White House bowling group

Fortunately, our trip was not concluded. We were able to get a private tour of an area in the West Wing never shown on official tours, though I will be intentionally vague again since I am not sure if we were allowed to tour that area. No photos were allowed inside the White House… something I found out the hard way after pulling my camera out of my pocket. Although I have a photo of us waiting to get into the West Wing.

Doors to White House west wing

Finishing our trip at the White House we were again going to take a Taxi back to the hotel, but I elected to walk the 10 minutes and enjoy the D.C. evening. Fortunately for the Marshall Commission, the other group of Marshalls elected to walk as well, and we enjoyed some frozen yogurt before heading to bed in preparation for our 7am trip to the National Institutes of Health the next morning.

Welcome to Washington, D.C.

My adventures as a Marshall Scholar began with an early trip to the airport, flying out of Lewiston, Idaho. I had to fly out of Idaho because I had just spent the last three weeks living with my parents in Joseph, Oregon, for which Idaho is the closest airport. We spent the night before I flew out at a campground in Washington, before driving over the border early in the morning. Saying goodbye to the parents was very difficult, but we handled it as best as we could and I was off for Washington, D.C.

I landed at Washington around 4pm and met up with another Marshall Scholar from Oregon, Jacob White, and we split a cab together to D.C. I had not been to D.C. since my trip there at the end of the 8^th grade, where we also went to New York. Our hotel was near Dupont circle, about a 10 minute walk from the White House and 15 minutes from the Washington Monument. The hotel was beautiful, and a frequent spot where foreign guests of the British embassy stay.

My hotel room, a room with two beds, though this photo does not show the other.

After a quick rest and an hour of college football (the Ducks were playing), I went down to the lobby to meet the other 7 Marshall Scholars that arrived a day early from the west coast. The group was fantastic, a number of amazing people, and we quickly were ushered into cabs to leave for an Indian restaurant, a type of food very common in the United Kingdom. Dinner was a great three-course tour of Indian food, with excellent spicy curry. At dinner I had a chance to talk with a former Marshall living in Switzerland, who helps organize the annual Marshall Thanksgiving dinner at Oxford. I also talked with the head of the Association for Marshall Scholars, the alumni group organizing Marshall Scholars past and present in the United States.

After dinner, six of the Marshalls and me walked around Washington, D.C. for an hour or two talking and enjoying a (happily) cool evening in D.C. before heading to sleep. Although I knew I had a big day tomorrow, it did not start until 2:30pm, so we could sleep in as late as we wanted. Jacob and I opted to get up as early as possible the next day and enjoy as much as we could of D.C.!

Marshall Scholar UK Orientation Schedule

I arrive in London on the 21st of September, at 7am! And we start going right away with events. We tour around London and visit the London Eye. At night, we'll have dinner with former Marshall Scholars.

22nd September: House of Parliament, Westminster, London reception with HM government

23rd September: Visit US embassy, travel to Cambridge

Marshall Scholar USA Orientation Schedule

I have received the final schedule for the Marshall Scholar Washington, D.C. orientation! The orientation takes place from September 17th to September 20th in Washington, D.C. In summary, it features dinners and tours with Marshall alumni and other British representatives. In more detail...

Saturday (17th): Arrive by plane, dinner at Indian restaurant with president of American Marshall Scholarships.

Sunday (18th): National gallery of art tour, dinner and bowling at the white house!

Monday (19th): National Institutes of Health tour, Department of State, Congress, Supreme Court, Marshall orientation formal dinner at British Ambassador's residence.

Tuesday (20th): Former Marshall Scholar panel, flight to the U.K.

Update from Joseph

At the end of August I left Eugene after a great summer relaxing with friends and preparing to move to the United Kingdom. I have been in Joseph, Oregon since the end of August and will stay here until I leave for Washington, D.C. on September 17th. Joseph, the small, rural town where my parents live, is one of the better places to relax before moving to a foreign country.

In Joseph I have been enjoying time with my parents and the outdoors. From the end of August until yesterday I was spending nearly every morning and evening archery hunting for elk and deer in the Eagle Cap Wilderness. Fortunately, I have been successful for both deer and elk earlier than usual in the season, getting enough meat for my parents to eat healthy alternatives to beef all year long. With that early success, I have about one week left in Joseph to relax and prepare to pack and ship my items to the United Kingdom.

New Adventures

For my first blog posting I hope to describe the purpose of this blog as succinctly as possible. To begin with I should explain what has inspired me to create this blog. I will soon be leaving the United States for two years to studying in the United Kingdom. Simply put, it will be nearly impossible to keep everyone in the U.S. up to date on my travels individually. Rather, I hope this blog serves as the go-to-place for family and friends that wish to read up on my adventures abroad.

With that I will begin my blog experience, one that will hopefully be lengthy and exciting. I welcome comments and feedback from family, friends, or anyone else interested.