Having made the final pick-ups from London airports, Tuesday was the first full day with all the participants settled here at Christ’s College. After a filling breakfast the students, separated into their subject groups, became more confident and comfortable engaging with the academic material and had two very successful tutorial sessions. Debates and discussions filled the room as the students, educated across the globe, shared their common enthusiasm for their chosen subjects.
Time to Explore
The students were free to explore Cambridge town during their lunch period and get a taste of the best local cafes and hangouts. In particular, a group accompanied by their mentors enjoyed a Cambridge student favourite, Cucina Siciliana Aromi. Others chose to bask in the August warmth and take their lunch out to one of Cambridge’s many picturesque spots.
Sightseeing and Movies
When the day’s teaching was over, the group took advantage of the summer sunshine and strolled with their mentors to magnificent Magdalene College. Here, they enjoyed the quintessential Cambridge experience of chauffeured punting. The relaxed students floated down the Cam, taking in the scenery and the stunning architecture of the most historic colleges lining the river banks. This punting tour included the holy trinity of Cambridge’s Royal colleges: Trinity, St Johns and King’s. The Scudamore punters and mentors shared some interesting and amusing facts about the town’s unique heritage, and also debunked some Cambridge myths.
After a delicious dinner finished off with pavlova, the participants took ice cream outside to soak up the last of the sunshine before making use of the lecture-theatre-cum-cinema. We watched the exciting film Now You See Me, a complex movie about the cynicism surrounding magic despite our human desire to be enthralled. Fully bewitched, the students went to bed ready for the excitements of the day to come. Tomorrrow’s programme includes a twist on the classic Cambridge game of croquet and the growing student phenomenon, ultimate Frisbee.
