Inductions

I still can't find my camera card- usb cord, so apologies for no new pictures!

Durham is a beautiful city on a hill or bailey. In the bailey sits the castle and cathedral, and fortunately, my college, St. Chads. Around the hill (bailey) is a moat and to orient myself around Durham I have to figure out which side of the river I'm on.

My college is lovely. It has lots of little libraries to go and study in, a dining hall (set up like Harry Potter), and a Middle Common Room (MCR) for the postgraduate students. There's a chapel and a lawn, a Junior Common Room (JCR) with a tv and pool table. Its kind of like a dormitory but better.

My Induction into the University was wonderfully inspiring. My induction into the English Department couldn't have been worse. The man just stood there reading off a sheet, as dead pan as ever. The other students seem lively enough though every single person I've met is focusing on modern literature. [grimace] Poor dears.

I go down tomorrow for my University Matriculation. We all wear our black robes (again Harry Potter) and march about the town, walk in a procession to the Cathedral, and there, we are matriculated into the University. In a few weeks time, I'll have my college matriculation, which is a formal dinner, again with the black gown and high table, where we'll formally meet our tutors. Our tutors are persons within the college to whom we go to for any sort of support.

I also meet my advisor tomorrow. This will be the make-or-break point-- in deciding if this is what I really want or not. I think it is, but its all coming on so very fast.