To PhD or not to PhD... THAT is the question

I have been giving a lot of thought to whether or not I want to stay in Cambridge for another three years. Actually, I am pretty certain that I do want to, it is just a question of whether I want to stay badly enough that I am willing to invest considerable time and effort NOW in applying for grants to fund my study. Uck... have I mentioned that grant and scholarship applications are not fun? After last year, when applications were my job, the thought of starting it all over again seems daunting.

But I am happy here, and there is no doubt that if I want to get a PhD, than this is the place and the time to do it.

I was talking with one of my housemates about her PhD research, and I realized that this endeavor would be a massive leap of faith: faith in myself to be disciplined, persistent, optimistic (and healthy!) enough to work independently for three years on a project. I do believe that it can be what you make of it, but I am also certain that I truly have no idea of what I would be signing myself up for.

Long Time, No Write

Hi Everyone! A lot has happened since I last wrote. Over the past weekend I went with my Archaeology department on a field trip to Stonehenge, Avebury and a bunch of other Bronze and Iron Age sites across southern England. It was a pretty neat trip, and a great way to see the English countryside. Thank goodness the weather was unusually nice or it would have been rather unpleasant, trekking up hill forts and along longbarrows. My favorite site that we went to was the ruin of an old cathedral, torn down in the 12th century to be rebuilt in the nearby town of Salisbury. Now the Salisbury cathedral is the tallest in England and quite beautiful! I also liked going to Stonehenge, as it is kind of an archaeological must-see. Avebury is a better site than Stonehenge, however, as it is less touristy and more picturesque. It was a pretty exhausting weekend, and had been sick the week before, so I am still trying to feel like myself again.

On Friday, however, I got news that I would be able to move to a room on-campus! So today, Tuesday, I packed up my room in 102 Barton Road and moved into the Leslie Barnett House. It is a very pretty house, with big, airy rooms and friendly occupants. Most importantly, however, it is on-campus, which makes my life a million times easier. I was a bit sad to leave my old room, mainly for sentimental reasons, but also because I will miss living with my old housemates, Kira and Sarah. Now everything is closer though, and I will have internet in my room soon! (Which means pictures on this blog!) I am exhausted from the move this morning, but want to keep on unpacking and getting settled in. Therefore I am going to get back to work!

Finding Balance

Today is Monday, and therefore my day to run errands and catch up on reading. I have a fairly wonderful schedule, as I actually don't have any lectures on Mondays or Tuesdays, which is awesome! Usually there are meetings and seminars to go to, but those don't usually start until the afternoon. Therefore I basically have a four day weekend, which I am thoroughly enjoying! On Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays I have two lectures, each about 2 hours. There is so much reading that I have to do for these lectures that my days off aren't reeeeally days off, but they are still very flexible and enjoyable. It is a very nice pace of life actually, as I spend the majority of my time curled up in my room, reading. The reading load is a lot, but not too much to handle. I am getting far more sleep now than I did as an undergraduate!

I also have been going out a lot and meeting new people. Between my housemates and college friends there is almost always someone to go out with! I have also joined my college's social committee to help organize parties and events. I have found that the more work I do independently the more I need to be around people! So thankfully it all seems to be balancing out, with plenty of time for both work and play :)

Really Old Tools

This morning I went to a class on South Asian archaeology with a professor who wrote the book on the subject... literally. The class was held in his office, on the top floor of the Archaeology museum tower. He has an incredible closet full of antiquities and hands them out to the class as a supplement to the discussions. I have never handled 20,000 year old stone tools before, and it makes everything I have ever studied up until now pale in comparison! I don't think I can ever go back to looking at slides now that I have handled the real thing! How many people are lucky enough to be able to study archaeology this way? Definitely worth getting up early for and braving the insane 8:30 am Cambridge roads.

My Brain is Tired

It is the end of a busy day, and I am exhausted but satisfied. I have just sat through 5 consecutive hours of seminars, where everything from Polynesian cave burials to the history of archaeological thought was discussed. This place is amazing in so many ways, I feel as though I have become a sponge that can never seem to absorb enough information. The brilliance of the people around me is both humbling and inspiring. I am beginning to understand why people come to Cambridge and remain academics for the rest of their lives.

First Weeks' Update

All has been pretty well since my last post. My department had various orientations on Wednesday, and then lectures started on Thursday. I am taking three two-hour lectures a week, and then have additional seminars, workshops and field trips that vary by week.

On Wednesday I met my advisor, who is wonderful! He is quite a funny guy, and is an authority on the subjects I am interested in. Myself and three of the other students he is advising went out to a pub on Wednesday night. I think we were there for about three hours, talking about our research ideas and what not. Everyone here is so brilliant, I feel like I have to soak up as much as I can while I am here! It is so exciting to be at a place where people get really passionate about their interests. I really think this is going to be a great place for me this year!

Last night I went on a pub crawl with a group of students from my college. It was great to actually go to a bunch of the pubs in town, as there are so many it is hard to keep them straight! It was a fun evening, and a good way to get to know more new people.

Today I was kind of a big, lazy bum, which was a nice change of pace. I slept in late and didn't get dressed until afternoon. Then I went and ran some errands around town, including picking up my new bike. The bike I had up until today was just on loan because they custom assemble the bikes for you once you purchase them. After that I went and had lunch in my favorite cozy cafe, walked around for a while, and then attended services at the King's College Chapel.

This chapel is spectacular! The building is breathtaking, and the choir is famous around the world. You can see the chapel by going to : http://www.kings.cam.ac.uk/chapel/ .There were a lot of tourists at the service, as they tend to innundate the city on the weekends. Regardless, it was a very relaxing and enjoyable evening. The weather has turned rainy and cold now though, and I am trying to decide if I want to go out again tonight or curl up in my room!

Baptism by Fire Into British Traffic and Lexicon Systems

This morning I was finally successful in my quest for a bike! This is a big deal for me, as it means I can finally get places around town in a reasonable amount of time. It also means, however, that I am now an active participant in the British traffic system! My baptism by traffic fire was a bit terrifying, as the streets are very narrow and I keep forgetting which side of the road to bear to. I am fine as long as I continue on a straight path, but as soon as I turn my bearings go kaput. There is also a lot of traffic and those huge double-decker buses wiz by far too close for comfort. My survival strategy for the day was to follow the lead of other cyclists on the road.

I am doing my best to try and do what those around me do, and follow their lead in regards to British behavior and ettiquette, however I invariably manage to mess up. Yesterday I went on a lovely walk with a bunch of other students to a quaint nearby village named Grantchester. Along the way I was talking with a guy who happened to be 6'9'' and it somehow came up that I asked him if I had a hard time buying pants... not knowing that the word "pants" here means underpants. He thought this was quite amusing. There seem to be so many examples of words that have different translations here, and it is only a matter of time before foreigners like myself make fools out of themselves by not knowing better. Oh well.