High teea, spies, and The Globe!

I participated in the Pembroke-Kings program in summer of 2012, which was during the London Olympics. It was possibly the best 8 weeks of my life! The group of us all bonded pretty quickly due to the small size of the group and how contained all our classes were. The initial trip to Edinburgh at the beginning of the trip was a great time to get to know people quickly and form friendships that lasted through the summer and beyond. I met so many cool people during this program, one of whom is still one of my best friends.

The classes were interesting and challenging enough to keep me engaged without making me sacrifice fun experiences, whether that was visiting Amsterdam for the weekend or spending a Sunday punting down the Cam river. One of my classes, which covered the beginnings of the American CIA and the British MI-5 and MI-6, also gave me the opportunity to see Bletchley Park, which was a definite highlight for a history nerd. Getting to see Richard III performed at The Globe theater was also a memorable experience.

The accommodations were also great--most people had single rooms! The area we stayed at felt very safe, and we would often go out to pubs at night and walk home through the square, stopping of course at the schwarma truck that was open until 3am. Since I went to a large university, I was really looking forward to having a small liberal arts college experience for the summer, and that's exactly what I got!

Overall, the Pembroke-Kings program fulfilled all of my hopes for a summer of studying abroad in Cambridge. My only regret was that it was only 8 weeks!