Gregory Mulholland

I arrived in Cambridge yesterday afternoon. My plane was delayed at Dulles, and, since it had been sitting at the jetway for a long time, I couldn’t figure out why. Once everyone was one, the pilot informed us that there was a suspected security breach and that they had strip-searched the plane. Not a very reassuring way to start a long flight. I somehow was able to sleep some on the flight, but that really only helped pass the time. When I finally landed in Heathrow, I felt like I hadn’t slept a wink.

Immigration was easy. When they saw I had a visa, they simply asked where I was studying and what I was studying. With that out of the way, I retrieved my bags and made my way toward the bus. I had two huge roller suitcases and two carry-ons. This combination did not suit me. I couldn’t carry everything. After much painful trekking, I came upon one of those industrial-grade airport carts (trollies here) which are free at Heathrow. That made life easier. With my bags under control, I was able to find a payphone and make a second attempt (the first one, with all the bags, was a miserable failure) to call Kelly. Success! I was able to tell a very sleepy Kelly (it was 5:30 AM or so in the US), that I had made it safely.

Then I finally made my way to the central bus station. After navigating what seemed like eleventy billion miles of tunnels, I finally found the station. I was there about an hour and a half early, but at least I didn’t miss my bus. When my bus finally came, I boarded for what seemed like a very full ride. I slept almost the whole way to our first stop, the Stansted airport. Then, after changing seats so I had more room, I watched the last 45 minutes of English countryside go by and talked to a few of the other Cantabrigians on the bus. I got some good tips from them and verified others I already had been told.

When we finally arrived in Cambridge, I grabbed a taxi (which looked like a tiny minivan). My driver was very friendly and knew exactly where I needed to go. This was very nice, since I had no real idea. When the taxi dropped me off at my residence, I saw the porter, who checked me in and told me that my actual building was on the other side of the site. I carried my bags the last 500 yards and finally got into my building. There was another new Cambridgian Cantabrigian (thanks, Amit) sitting in the lounge who was kind enough to help me with my bags and help my find my room.

Then the unpacking began. I realized I had forgotten a few things. Nothing major, but I would need to run into town. I unpacked what I could, then began the hike to city center where I could check in at my college, find my pigeon hole (no pigeons were harmed in the making of this post), and buy some things.

It took me over an hour to find my college.

After that, I only had a small amount of time to go to a few stores before most places closed up. I got a SIM for my cellphone. That was about it. I realized that I had not eaten anything since a snack at the airport, so I set off for dinner. There was a soccer match on, so I didn’t even dare enter the exceedingly rowdy pubs. I found a pizza place (similar to California Pizza Kitchen) and grabbed something there. Not traditional British fare, but I wasn’t in a mood to walk any farther.

Finally, I returned to my college for a welcome back social. It was nice to talk to other students: new and old. They were all very friendly. I am really happy with my college. It may not be the biggest or richest, but it definitely seems like a fun group. And we have a great rowing team (May bump results: 3 bumps out of 4). I left the social early and trekked back to my room by about 10:00 (I really need a bike). I finally could get some real sleep.

More to come later.