You know when you're reading a really good book, you can't put it down, but you start to realize you're running out of chapters? It's partly exciting because you want to know how it's all going to end, yet at the same time you want to slow down your reading to make the book last longer so you don't have to say goodbye to that world?
That's how I feel right now.
This week really made me reflect on relationships. I have been very fortunate to have lifelong friendships - I am still close with people that I have known since I was 3 or 4. I know how rare that is and I know how strong that bond is. What I can't fully understand or articulate is how strong the bonds are here in Cambridge. Some of these people I've known since September, and others I didn't talk to until January. All of these relationships are less than a year old! I used to think time was what was needed to get close and be vulnerable with others, but now I'm not so sure.
Yesterday, Rebecca posted in our class WhatsApp this definition from UrbanDictionary...the most reliable of all the dictionaries. If this isn't the definition of so many of the relationships that I've made while in Cambridge, I don't know what is. Only, perhaps our blue is more of a Cambridge blue ;)
Monday night ended at Queens' when a group of us unexpectedly all ended up at QBar. All hoping for bar food, and only some hoping to study. Cody, Emily, and I reluctantly left the group to go study for our M&A exam. The fun crew was still at QBar when we finished. Hoods galore.
Tuesday brought more studying for M&A, but this time we took it outside and had a nice little catch-up in the secret gardens at Queens'. Always finding new hidden gems in the college!
That afternoon we had a 'board impact' class, which turned into a t-shirt folding competition class, and I was transported back to life skills week of senior year at STE. This class was all about how you communicate and why that matters. It also gave Jo, Dom, Rebecca, and me a chance to practice writing with our non-dominant hands.
Wednesday was both fun and stressful. Wednesday was the day that I had to turn in a seating chart for ~300 people to a venue for our Judge May Ball. Wednesday was also the day of my M&A exam. Wednesday was also the day of the 2nd MBA Talks. Wednesday was also the day of my radio debut. So overall, not a lot happening on Wednesday.
Chad and I had the chance to talk about Texas and country music on Hadeel's radio show! Chad talked country music, and I talked Texas and Texas A&M University - thanks and gig'em. If you're interested in listening, fast forward to the 11-minute mark! https://www.camfm.co.uk/player/43481
Thursday meant lectures all day and facing the music to start writing essays for this term. But the day ended with another weekly happy hour at The Anchor - forgot to snap pics this week, oops. Did a quick workout with Rebecca then grabbed my newly found favorite meal in Cambridge.
I had no lectures on Friday so I typed and typed and typed. Let me know if you want to talk about the UN Sustainable Development Goals and how the space industry can support them, I got you. Friday was perhaps one of the most fun nights I've had in a while. We had plans to attend a beer festival in Jesus Green, but instead sat on the grass outside of the festival and tried our best to break our bodies. At one point Emily looked at everyone and said we should make a human pyramid. That was a good enough reason, so we did it. And it only got crazier from there. We laughed the night away, truly, so much fun.
On Saturday, Rebecca and I hung out allll day. I went over to her place to make salsa and tacos for some people then we had an ESG clothing swap for all the ladies in the class. Good to clean out the closet a bit!
Today I checked another College Chapel service off my list at Jesus. Then met up with Rebecca and some of her friends from the US! Helped be a tour guide - it's pretty fun to be a tourist in your own city. We learned that we need to go back to the St. John's Buttery. Also did our first punt tour with our guide extraordinaire, Jaime. He even let me punt for a bit! Met up with Thomas, Emily, Maddy, and Bharath for Chinese dinner and Jack's Gelato. Made for a wonderful end to the week!
I have avoided writing this blog post because it is the end of a chapter in many ways, and quite frankly, I am not ready to turn the page. For once, I find myself at a loss for words...I'm just as surprised as you are. As always, thank you for reading, and please bear with me one last time as I reflect on my Cambridge experience. As I look back on my time at Cambridge, I can't help but smile. This program, this place, and these people have changed my life in ways I still can't possibly know or appreciate. How can I find the words to express what this programme means to me? As much as I've tried to find an eloquent and succinct way to summarize it, I have realized I can't. But, I have documented it - here. This blog details the experiences, the emotions, and the incredible people that made this something I don't want to say goodbye to quite yet. They say don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened. I say that's a grand trivialization. B
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