July 24th - Of Synagogues and Sonnets

Shalom and welcome back!

Today had a bit of everything: history, religion, drama, and dairy. So let’s dive in.

Breakfast was simple but satisfying: yogurt with chocolate bits, orange juice, and a croissant. Nothing groundbreaking, just fuel for the academic storm ahead.

In Technical Communications, we reviewed writing samples and gave feedback to each other. Think: giant group project meets grammar boot camp.

After class, I was able to go on an exclusive tour of Jesus College's 17th century library. The crazy part is that the books and the shelves remained practically untouched since the 1600s and everything was original, including the bookshelves, the benches, and the books themselves. 

We were able to see a second edition book of a collection of Shakespeare plays from 1632.

Title page

The Tempest play

In addition, we had the privilege of seeing a first edition copy of Newton's famous Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, published in 1687 and considered one of the most important books in all of science. If there was a fire in the library, the librarians would probably save this book before themselves.

Title page

Defining the 3 laws of motion

An example of finding the area under a curve

Calculating the elliptical orbit of a star

After the library tour, we had lunch at Gusto, an Italian restaurant right up the street. I ordered an Italian Orange Spritz, which was very refreshing. As my starter, I ordered the calamari, which I'll admit was one of the best I've had, with crispy and flavorful breading, and tender squid. For my main, I ate carbonara, which was tasty—just the right amount of smokiness and creaminess.  It was so rich and filling I briefly considered skipping dinner. (Spoiler: I did not.) 

After lunch, I got my midterm grade back for world religions (I got an A 😄) and then we took a field trip to the local synagogue. There, we met Alexander, who gave us a lecture on Judaism and answered any burning questions we had about his religion. The synagogue we were in actually served different denominations of Judaism under one roof, which, according to Alexander, is the only place in all of England to do this. I was also chosen to reveal the Torah scrolls by opening the main cabinet and pulling back the sacred curtains, which was pretty cool.  

After the synagogue, I went back to my dorm and started reading the chapter on Christianity (because nothing says relaxation like 50 pages on Christian history, denominational schisms, and interpretations of creationism). This is because I have a Christianity quiz tomorrow (really, right after the synagogue?).

After reading for a while, we went to this place called Knoops (ka-noops), which is a chocolate drink shop. Everyone was raving about their dark chocolate milkshakes so I figured I had to give it a shot. I ordered the 80% dark chocolate milkshake, and WOW, this thing was so rich, decadent, and chocolatey, it took me an entire hour to finish it (I regret nothing). I'll definitely come back; it was absolutely delicious.

To round out the evening, we traveled to University Parks, where we watched a live performance of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. I'll admit I did initially have some reservations since the English in the play is pretty archaic and it might be hard to understand. Luckily, it was a modernized version and surprisingly easy to follow, given the actual script was the same. It was hilarious and heartfelt, with some moments that genuinely cracked me up. They even broke the fourth wall a few times, which I always appreciate. I had a great time, and the actors were very amusing and interactive. 10/10.

After the play was over, we walked around trying to find a late dinner. We initially went to the Crown Pub, which is a place Shakespeare actually used to frequent (how cool is that??), but unfortunately the kitchen was closed, so we were forced to look elsewhere. I still managed to get a cool picture though. Maybe one day I'll get to try their famous pies.

We actually passed by Itsu again, and since they were closed but had extra food remaining, they let us take whatever they had left for free, which was very generous of them. I loaded myself up with food and shared the haul with Connor and my dorm neighbors. Feeding college students is always better than wasting food!

And now I’m back in my room, typing this up and feeling very full, intellectually and otherwise.