First up: May Week highlights. Let me overload you with pictures of me having a great time frolicking about England. That always cheers everyone up.
May Week, to recap, if you have not yet read my post on May Week from last year (HERE!, if you're interested), takes place in June (don't ask) after exams, usually the third week. It starts with Suicide Sunday and ends the next Sunday with (for Johnians) the SBR Garden Party. The week is jam-packed with garden parties, May Balls, dances, pub crawls, Pimm's, strawberries and cream, sunshine (if we're very, very good students), and the relief that comes with being finished with exams.
Here are some highlights from that week:
Suicide Sunday: Punt Race
Every year on Suicide Sunday there's a punt race on the River Cam. Each college can register a punt and the teams race from Darwin to Trinity. A few of our Lady Margaret rowers got a team together. A group of my friends gathered on Clare Bridge with champagne and snacks, and we watched our boys punt to victory!
Oxford vs. Cambridge Cricket Match at Lords
An Aussie friend convinced my group of friends to attend the Oxbridge cricket match in London. Having never attended such an event, and wanting to do as many "English" activities as possible before leaving the UK, I readily agreed. I figured that even though cricket is a lame version of baseball, it would be fun. (PS: I no longer think cricket is a lame version of baseball. I have the utmost respect for the sport, and find it very fun to watch. So don't get your knickers in a twist.)
First of all, do not be deceived by the photos. It stayed bright blue and sunny for a total of four minutes. Then it rained. On. And off. And on. And off. All day. What I discovered about cricket and rain is that as soon as it starts raining they stop the match. Which meant we only watched cricket for about ten minutes at a time, and spent the majority of our time huddled on hard bleachers, drinking warm white wine out of the bottle since we forgot cups. Despite what sounds like a miserable scenario, we had fun together. Finally we called it quits and went for Pakistani food in town.
Not a bad way to end the day. Especially since we spent the majority of it looking like this. So glamorous. Any port in a storm.
PS: Fun Cricket Tip That May or May Not Be True: In professional matches they stop the game for tea breaks. How very English!
Making Use of the Backs
With some semi-nice weather going on in Cambridge during May Week, we made sure to make the most of the sunshine and have a few picnics. During Easter Term you're allowed to sit out on the Backs (what a novelty!), and the wide expanses of untouched green make the perfect picnic location. My lovely friend, Katy, came from London to visit me during May Week, and being a big foodie herself, we put my small kitchen to good use. Then we grabbed a few more friends and made an evening of it. It also gave us a good spot to watch the Trinity fireworks later in the evening.
Out in Cripps Court we also attended the JCR Garden Party. We ate burgers, drank cocktails, and played on the bouncy obstacle course (way more fun after the cocktails) before heading into the "Boiler Room" for a silent disco.
The Backs were also the best place to see the May Ball preparations. I loved that the college would be all lit up, even before the Ball begin. Really added to the anticipation!
Finally we got to visit the gorgeous house/garden of the college Master, Chris Dobson. All graduating students get to attend a "tea party" at his house. The "tea party" was actually unlimited Pimm's and scones with clotted cream and jam. Not a bad way to spend the rainy afternoon. The Master gave a fabulous speech that warmed our hearts as his fireplace warmed our chilled ankles.
The SBR Garden Party
The May Week SBR Garden Party is one of the biggest events the SBR organizes. We pull out all the stops when it comes to delicacies. This year we had multiple casks of hand-chosen ale, endless bottles of chilled cava, and more Pimm's than you could shake a stick at. On top of that we had sandwiches galore, snacks, piles of cakes, and, of course, strawberries and cream. We had a live band, we danced, we played croquet, we laughed, and I got to say a proper goodbye to a lot of amazing friends.
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