Hello!

Hope all is well with you. My apologies for taking so long to write - the past few weeks have been quite a whirlwind (but loving every moment of it!). I thought I should drop you a line to let you know how I'm getting on.

I arrived here 2 weeks before my course was officially due to start. This gave me time to attend to various administrative matters - setting up a bank account, registering with a doctor and settling into my new place. I also arrived in time to participate in 'Freshers' Fortnight' - 2 weeks of social events organised by various committees to help ease the transition to Cambridge. These orientation events have helped me get up to speed on life in Cambridge and at the University quickly. Orientation at the University is not really centralised - rather, each person's orientation is, by and large, structured around their college and department affiliations. Sometimes this can be rather confusing as there's no one place to get all the information. But this means that each orientation event tends to be in a smaller group where it's easy to get just the information you've been looking for, and to meet people since you automatically have at least a few things in common. Having so many different social functions occurring at the same time can be a bit hectic to keep track of, but having so much going on all at once means there is always something to do.

Cambridge is a wonderfully picturesque place to live and study. The first time I walked along the cobblestone pavement of King's parade, with the magnificient architecture of King's College and the River Cam to my right, I felt as if I had been transported back in time (or to a movie set!). The main part of the city where the university faculties and most of the colleges are located is compact and easily navigated quickly atop a bicycle (I knew that my Cambridge experience would not be complete without one so I quickly invested on a bike within a few days of my arrival).

As to the academic side of things, it's early days but I am enjoying every (challenging) moment of it. I find that the LLM programme is very much a self-teaching exercise. Contact time is limited to a two hour seminar/lecture for each of four courses that make up my LLM degree. Much of the focus is on reading and considering material covered in the lectures and seminars. The LLM programme is strongly international, with the majority of the students in the papers I have enrolled for coming from countries outside of the UK. Socially and intellectually, it is exciting and enriching to meet and talk with people from such diverse backgrounds.

Well, that's all for now but I will continue to keep in touch.

Best wishes,
Grace

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