Cambridge Culture

Before our lovely excursion to Wales last weekend, the group had a whirlwind of a week. We were booked with a number of fascinating things to do that gave us a better perspective of what life used to like in Cambridge, and what English culture is like today.

The first thing that we did was visit the Imperial War Museum at Duxford Air Field. This air field is where pilots went to train during World War II. On display are many old airplanes from different wars, and even pieces from a Nazi plane that was taken down. There were also a lot of interactive activities where you could see how they make a hot air balloon fly, or understand what a plane looks like when it is flying into the wind.

My favorite part of the Imperial War Museum did not have to do so much with the planes, but the people involved with them. One section of the museum was dedicated to pictures and profiles of British veterans who served during World War II. Many of them were paratroopers who parachuted down into France during the D-Day invasion of Normandy. I always get emotional with anything that has to do with the military, but these struck me as even more special than before. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to visit the beaches of Normandy. Many of these veterans were standing in places that I had visited. I felt the enormous weight of history on me, and I am very grateful to them for risking their lives so that I can travel here and look at their pictures and see their stories.

Our week continued when we went to Newmarket for the Rowley Mile Horse Races. A lot of us had never been to any kind of horse racing back in the US, and we weren’t quite sure if we would like it. By the end of the day, however, I think we all would have agreed that it was a lot of fun. Horse racing in the UK is different from the US in several ways. The biggest way is that they horses race along a flat, straight-lined track, not in a circle. In the US, you watch the Kentucky Derby, and it’s an all day event with only one race that’s a few minutes long. Our day was also quite long, but we got to see seven different races. We had fun picking horses and betting on which ones we thought would win.

It was a fun week full of lots of culture and events. This week marks our first week long break, and just about everyone is traveling to parts of Germany and France, with some going to Austria and the Czech Republic. Classes at Anglia Ruskin have also started, so for those of us not taking a class at the Study Center, it is nice to finally get going and have some other work to do. I’m looking forward to sitting around and reading books for fun :).

Until next time!