Journal Entry 4: The First Day, An Angry Cyclist, One Giant Burrito, and Calling Home

Today was yet another exciting day in my travels in England!  First, it was our first day as interns at Anglia Ruskin University!  It was great to tour the campus and to get to see some of the staff that I met when they visited Wright State and to meet a few others for the first time!  After the tour we had a group lunch and shared a number of laughs while swapping stories about the United States and Britain.  Our stories ranged from discussions of student affairs/student services practice, to Star Trek Christmas Trees!  Needless to say, it was both an engaging and hilarious conversation.  Ryan and I also discovered that opening a sealed sandwich package is next to impossible.  As a result, we were left with a package that looked like raccoons had broken into it.  Needless to say, this display brought much joy to our new colleagues. 

Next, after work Ryan and I set out to solve the internet dilemma that had been occurring in our flat.  We made our way to a local computer store called Maplin, where we were able to get the adapters we needed to boost our signal in Anastasia House...So I am proud to say we finally have WiFi!!!  On our way to the store we cut through a large recreation grassy area called Parker's Piece.  This area (like much of Cambridge) has a number of cyclists that ride through the area.  I will say that I have still not mastered the system of sharing the sidewalk with cyclists in these types of areas.  In the United States, usually one side is reserved for oncoming and the other is reserved for traffic going the other way.  However cyclists here bike everywhere so are practically professional and have little patience for an American that walks slowly and takes in the scenery.  I wasn't quite able to make out what the woman said about me, but I know it was not good.  I have tried to determine what the system is in Cambridge where pedestrian foot traffic and cyclists meet on the sidewalk, I am making it a priority to solve this riddle.

As Ryan and I made our way back toward Anastasia House, we stopped by a restaurant called Nannamexico that had some great Mexican food.  We both got one of their gigantic burritos and I must brag we emerged victorious over the gargantuan cuisine.  While there we were happy to note this restaurant's dedication to recycling seemed to be a cut above the norm.  This was a refreshing sight indeed.

As I mentioned earlier, Ryan and I were able to get the internet working for ourselves in a way that will provide internet to our fellow interns! :) After completing this seemingly insurmountable tasks (I am still not quite sure how we got it to work) I was able to call my fiancé Susan as well as my parents over Skype.  It was nice to have the opportunity to catch up with them and see how things are.  Though I was worried that I was monopolizing the conversation by excitedly telling all that has happened here and all the differences between the United State's and England.  Though I am sure they will understand.

Finally, I have been thinking about my work that I will be doing here at Anglia Ruskin.  I am conducting research and doing a comparative analysis of student conduct systems, policies, and procedures in both the United States and England.  While at work I had the opportunity to do a bit more digging into Anglia Ruskin's student conduct system.  I feel that from what I have seen so far, this would make a fascinating publication.  So I think I am going to try to see about publishing my findings, of course I will have to discuss this with people at both Wright State and Anglia Ruskin.  However, I feel that it is important and would love to do it.  So more on that later, time to end this entry, I look forward to another exciting day tomorrow!

Song of the Day:  The Cure - "Pictures of You"