Reflections on the UK!

It is June 2nd, it’s cold, windy, with no sun, and I have on a cashmere sweater, a light down jacket, a scarf and flip-flops for my pedicure today (crazy but true)! When the sun does shine, it is very beautiful, but it just doesn’t happen enough!

I just love it here, I would use words like stimulating and civil, to describe the environment, and the people are reliant, resourceful, hardy, and dependable, they don’t suffer fools lightly! Cambridge, as I have said, has 126,000 people and I am told 36,000 bikes, I believe you are more likely to be hit by bike than car. There is so much to do such as, attend lectures, conferences, the theatre, and enjoy music! I have attended a conference on Africa, (getting me ready for my trip to Goma DRC in September) at the School for Social Innovation, for the first time I heard comments like, “corruption has to be stopped”, and “people have to carry out and finish what they have said they will do”. I also attended a conference on “International Development”, worldwide and how it is changing, for example Ambassadors are talking out South and North Korea. On the lighter side I’ve gone to festivals, movies, and I was even invited to go Salsa dancing, which I declined! My friends here are of all ages, which I love and I meet new people all the time!

My mode of transport is walking, bike riding, taxi, I have great driver when I need, his name is Sasa, from Croatia, for longer trips, and I take the bus, I have my free pass which saves fortune, each bus trip is 2 pounds 50, which is close to 5 Canadian dollars, so the bus pass is brilliant! There are so many words I’ve had to learn, for example “the boot”, is a “car trunk”, “sorted”, is “done” and “on offer”, is “sale”.

The Queens birthday is next week, and I have been invited to party‎ to celebrate!

I had a very fast trip to London (half a day) to have a chat and visit with Sister Jayanti (Jayanti is in charge of the UK and Europe, and was extremely helpful with many of my travels) and the BK family; I had to be back for a coffee meeting, and the train takes 45 minutes for a trip back to Cambridge!

So all in all it’s “brilliant”, as they say! ‎

P.S

I ordered all of my prescriptions for year before I left Canada for cost of 400 dollars, well that was a mistake because it’s all free here, not even a dispensing fee!! Also, as of today exams are over, and the party is on, students walking around with open bottles of beer and wine, with party hats on, just having good time!