From Cambridge to Cambridge: Part 3

Sanyee Yuan '12

House Affiliation: Eliot House
Hometown: San Francisco, California
Concentration: Psychology, citation in Spanish
International Field of Study: Arts journalism, short story writing, and novel writing
Destination: Cambridge, England

Sanyee is spending the summer at the Pembroke-King’s Summer Programme through the David Rockefeller International Experience Grants Program. This is a final installment in her personal account of the experience.

I am going to miss the shower in Cromwell Court.

Thinking back to the first night on campus, I recalled how I’d turned the brassy knob to the shower room the wrong way, nearly tripped over the elevated step, and stared in horror at the way the low-hanging window didn’t close entirely at the top.

Now, I am going to miss its gleaming shower head, spacious side counter for toiletries, and even the darn window that always let me hear wafting footsteps and voices from the stairs to the second floor.

On the last day of the program, there I was—bemoaning the last time I’d ever step foot in my dorm shower. That was when I realized how much I was going to miss the Pembroke-King’s Summer Programme (PKP) experience. 

After what I’d deemed “The Last Shower,” I strolled around the cobblestone-lined streets of Cambridge, ready to buy souvenirs and sweatshirts. At the back of my mind, I remembered the stack of postcards that I’d eagerly purchased during my first week—selecting pictures of King’s College in its towering magnificence and snapshots of the overhanging willows along the River Cam at night. Seven more weeks had slipped by stealthily, and I hadn’t gotten a chance to buy stamps, write on the cards, and send them back home. Instead, when it came time to finally stop procrastinating and pack, I ended up tucking them neatly into my oversize luggage along with my new sweatshirts, PKP-themed shirts, and approximately 12 British chick lit novels.

I’d taken advantage of the “buy three for the price of three” deal at Waterstone’s, one of my favorite bookstores (along with Oxfam and Heffer’s). It had been a home base for me—where I’d gone to hide from the surprisingly sleet-like rain when I was caught without an umbrella, my welcome distraction from finals when I found it easier to peruse the colorful “staff-picked” paperbacks to actually writing my own pieces for my creative writing courses, and the soothing spot I’d found one lonely Friday night after my closest friends had left for the train station, ready for a guys’ weekend in Amsterdam. During one stay at Waterstone’s, I had made a list of everything that I’d miss “across the pond.”

The separate, side-by-side hot and cold water spigots in the sinks, making warm water impossible.

Baked beans in a traditional English breakfast. Mushy peas in fish and chips. Toffee and mint brownie bars in every deli display.

The phrase “top-up,” used often to refer to adding credit to one’s phone card, laundry balance, or printing credit.

Floral print shirts that would never go out of style. Rummaging through sales at the giant Primark, TopShop, and New Look stores that ran rampant at every shopping center.

Sprawling parks and green fields that made lazing around, eating lunch under the clouds, and watching the bobbing Cornish game hen a staple of the summer day schedule.

Saying and hearing “cheers.”

And I realized that I’d miss walking down a street and knowing that I’d hear a different language within mere minutes. I thought about the tour buses of people that I’d found myself elbow-to-elbow with while viewing the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. The French and German that I’d hear walking on the way to the Cambridge Union Society for classes. The Mandarin that familiarly tickled my ears when I stopped myself from walking into a photo in front of the Corpus Christi Clock. Cambridge draws so many people, bringing them in awe of the architecture of the churches and campus buildings, while simultaneously welcoming them with the cozy feel of the town, with its open market, diversely talented street performers, and outside afternoon tea tables.

I am so thankful that I’ve been able to experience this side of the world, before returning to the Cambridge back home. I’ve met new friends who I’ll always have in my life now, since we’ve bonded so much through this program. I’ve taken creative classes that have stimulated and pushed me to produce thoughtful and thorough work. I’ve bought an “I Heart Cambridge” bag that I can still use at Harvard. I’ve learned how to navigate airports, bus lines, and pocket maps in stressful situations. And just like I mentioned in my first post, I’ve also learned that it’s okay to put the map aside and just explore.

Most important, I’ve found out that what seems foreign one minute may not turn out to be so foreign after all. It simply takes letting one’s guard down and drawing nearer for a closer examination.

It’s kind of like getting used to an unfamiliar shower.

Read Sanyee's previous post here.