Salzburg

Hello from a smokey internet cafe in Salzburg (which they like to say "Salzboorg), where it is a warm -6C in the muggy alpine air. Christmas in Munich was good, we spent most of the day in the hotel that was graciously provided us by Jacque's parents because everything was closed on Christmas day. I went to Mozart's house today, and tomorrow we will ride a cable car to a cliff top to see a fortress that overlooks Salzburg as well as take the tour of the Stiegl Bräuhaus...can't wait. Anyways, I know that this is a short email, but free internet is a very very American thing...along with free ketchup and free refills. I miss everyone so much, and look forward very much to seeing and talking to everyone again. I will be visiting home in the Spring break (dates later), and am anxious already to see you.

Much love as always,

Cody

Güten tag!!!

Got into Munich yesterday and went to the Christmas markets here which are more expensive, but infinitely more awesome than those in Berlin. Munich is a beautiful place, and we got to see a lot of it on the free tour that we took today. Jacque and I are about to go out to one of the most famous beer houses in the world... the Haufbrauhaus! I am incredibly excited, and love Germany very much. I miss you all, especially this close to Christmas, but I do get to spend Christmas in the Marriott here in Munich thanks to Jacque's parents! More later and much love.

Cody

Hello from Berlin!

Sorry that I can't post any pictures because I don't have my computer with me, but Guten Tag from Berlin! We got in last night from Amsterdam (really cool, but really expensive), and looked around the town a little. In Amsterdam, we saw the Rembrandthuis (his house), the Van Gogh museum, the Rijks museum, and bunch of other cool stuff like the smallest house in Amsterdam (about 4 feet wide and three or four stories tall). We are about to go on a free walking tour of Berlin, and visit the Christmas markets later today. This is just a short update, so I will keep you posted as much as possible later in the trip. Love to all!

Cody

I'm a liar

I know that I said the last one would be the last for awhile and I was wrong. I am staying at a friends house in Cambridge for the next day or two before I fly to Amsterdam to meet up with Jacque and Nicole at the Stayokay hostel there. I think that a lot of people are going to meet up in Amsterdam from our Oxbridge group, so that should be a lot of fun. I just back from the choir tour to New York, Vassar, and Boston, and I am wiped. I have a meager day to gather myself before I get on a coach at 4:50 AM to go to Stansted airport and I'm off again....The tour was great, but I don't know what I think about New York. It was cool, but overwhelmingly huge and ominous. I like London better. Harvard was really cool, and of course I got a t-shirt. Got to see my parents in New York, and all of the British people love the alliteration of my dad's name (Jodie Johnson) and the rhyme of his and mine, they are so petty, so I must pity them a little for it. The trip back to the states has led me to decide that I will spend my next break there, and perhaps bring James (Shangus) Angus with me, he is the one who seems the most keen to following me to the South. Anyways, I will try to update at internet cafes and stuff as much as I can... Much love to all.

Cody

Last one for a bit...

Well everybody...this is the last post I will be able to make for awhile. I am leaving Saturday for New York with my choir. After that, I will return to London, stay with a friend in the choir, then take a plane to Amsterdam in the Netherlands. After Amsterdam, we will be taking the train to Germany where we will spend Christmas in Munich as well as Berlin and Neuemberg. We will spend the New Year in Vienna, Austria, and then spend a couple of days in Prague before we go back to England for the start of the second term. Choir rehearsals have made things pretty busy recently, but I really enjoy it. I am going to the Christmas dinner there tomorrow night where it is black tie and Christmas Carols sung by the choir to all of the other attendees to the event. Anyways, I don't know how much contact I will be able to have while I am abroad, but I wish all of the best to everyone, and will update you as much as I possibly can. Oh, this is a picture of Me, Luke, and Derbphla (you say it Dervla, she is Irish and they spell everything funny) at Homerton's Irish formal. Best to you all. Keep me in your prayers as you are in mine.

Cheers!

Cody

Just for fun this time

Yesh...things have been very busy here and I am sorry that I haven't posted yet this week. I haven't done anything spectacular recently, but I figured for all my friends at Jewell, you can procrastinate and read, and also so that my family knows that I am still breathing. Oh, I did get to hear the billionaire oligarch Boris Berezovsky at the Union...that was cool. Ah, I know what I'll do...

Here is the story of my good friend James...

James William Angus was born in 1987 on the Isle of Jersey. The child of an English diplomat, he is the most conservative (politically) Englishman I know. A millionaire at the ripe age of 21, he studies Classics (that is, Latin and Greek, and the most prestigious degree at Cambridge) at Queens' College where I sing with him in the Chapel Choir. I hope all of you enjoyed this little cameo of my friend James...maybe I will have an English Person of the Week thing from now on. Anyways, pictures of James because I haven't taken any this week. Sorry.

















Much love to all. I miss so many people, but it would take the rest of the night in order to tell you who, so just assume that if you are reading this that I miss you very much and can't wait to get back see all of you...even though that is a very long time from now.

Yours,

Cody

A Rainy Day in London town...

We took a day trip to London last Saturday, and it was absolutely amazing. I cannot describe how awesome the experience was. We basically just walked around and took pictures all day, but we'll be back to do the museums and theatres and stuff. We saw Buckingham Palace, Parliament and Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the Eye of London, and a lot more... I took like 70 pictures. St. James park in front of Buckingham Palace has the coolest assortment of birds and it was really picturesque. We also toured the inner temple of the Knights Templar (celebrating their 800th anniversary). It was really surreal knowing that most of the buildings are older than our country. We had a really good pub lunch that was suggested by some of the locals after we met up with some of the people from Oxford. Also, we got to see one of the most amazing fireworks displays I have ever seen. It was for the celebration of Guy Fawke's Day (watch V for Vendetta), and we watched all of the fireworks from the Blackfriar Bridge on the Thames river!!! We waited for the fireworks in a wine bar called El Víno and some really good mulled wine (it was really cold and rainy all day long...very English). Anyways, this is getting kind of lengthy, but the whole experience was great. We walked along the Thames and saw street performers and the National Theatre. The train ride was really pleasant (and we got to take pictures at Platform 9 3/4 from Harry Potter at King's Cross Station). Okay. Really done with London now. Saw an ABBA tribute band tonight as well, that was cool. Later everyone, hope you are well. Don't do anything I wouldn't do.

Cheers,

Cody

P.S. I'll try to update all of my pictures to Facebook soon...there is just so many of them!

Colleges of Cambridge

So, Kristen came to Cambridge for a couple of days and we strolled around Cambridge looking at all it has to offer (which is more than Oxford at least).To the right is Kristen and I at Trinity College, and to the left is me in front of the lawns at King's College. Not a whole lot to say this time, but things are going well. Still writing a lot of papers and reading a lot of books. Choir and rugby are keeping me very busy, but I really enjoy being involved as much as I am. Happy Guy Fawkes day to anybody who cares, if you don't know what it is, watch V for Vendetta. We are going to watch fireworks tonight for it. Also, a lot of us from Cambridge are going to London this weekend to blow our life savings because that is apparently what you do when you are in London, oh well, just money right? I hope that the country calms down a little now that the elections are over, and although my candidate did not win, I am glad the election is finally over. Love to all.

Cheers,

Cody

One month anniversary!!!

So yesterday marked the one month anniversary of my arrival in England, and I have to say that it has not been without excitement. I have had so much fun, and I look forward to eight more months! Anyways, recent news. Last Thursday some of us went to a wine tasting at the Cambridge Union Society that was sponsored by the Cambridge Wine Merchants. It was really cool to have a sort of guided tour of wine (they even added a very interesting ten year old Islay whiskey at the end). Friday was Halloween of course, so we all got done up and went to the Homerton College Bop...it was a really good time. Hope you all enjoy the pictures. I have an entire album devoted to Halloween and some of King's and Queens' Colleges on my facebook if any of you are keen. Also, we're all gearing up for the election and Guy Fawke's Day. Much love to all of you.

Cheers,

Cody

And the beat goes on...

Okay, so, lots to tell, lots to tell. This past weekend, Kristen and I went to a town called Corby in Northamtonshire. We went to see a decrepit castle called Kirby Hall and it was really cool. Unlike many of the other castles around England, the historical society decided to not completely refurbish it to its original grandeur. It was still really beautiful. We got to see a lot of English countryside (full of lots and lots of sheep), and also go to explore some small English villages. These villages didn't have so much as a gas station, just really old houses and couple of pubs (because it wouldn't be English if there wasn't a pub or two). We rode the trains out and back, so that was an experience in itself. I spent a grand total of fifteen minutes in London switching trains, but what I saw was cool. I think the other JYAs and myself are planning a trip to London soon. We are all so busy here that we forget to travel. For instance, the Cambridge Union Society is having a wine tasting Thursday night that Jacque and I are going to. Still grappling with how much it costs to live in general...buying groceries sucks. Other than that, things are great. We had our first rugby game last Thursday...we won 12-8. I play a forward, and if you don't know what that is, you should go watch a rugby game, because it is awesome!!! My favorite quote so far from an Englishman is that "Futbol (soccer) is a gentleman's game played by barbarians, but rugby is a barbarian's game played by gentlemen." Here's to the gentlemen. Well, that's all for now, but I will try to post again before another week passes before my unsuspecting eyes. Much love to all.

Cheers!

Cody

Just a Short One

Hello all. Sorry that it has been a week since my last post, but things got really busy really fast. I feel like every time I actually have time to write, all I want to do is vedge. I made it to Oxford to see Kristen last weekend, and it was a lot of fun. We went to a pub called the Turf, which is apparently a pretty popular landmark in Oxford. I also got to see Christ Church (beautiful!). However, despite the fact that I saw all of these wonderful sites, I didn't take any pictures, sorry. One the other hand, I was running some errands today all over Cambridge, and I randomly stumbled on the wall in the picture above. It just goes to show that history is literally around every corner here....really cool. I finished my first paper Sunday, and have another due next Tuesday. The first one went okay, so I'm hoping that the rest are the same. Again, hope all is well with all of you.

Cheers!

Cody

Rugby, Lectures, and my first Evensong

As the title suggests, yesterday and today have been pretty eventful with activities. First, I had my first rugby practice of the term, which was awesome! We didn't play contact because so many of us hadn't played before, but even still I am very very sore today. I actually had to leave practice early to get to choir in time, but it was very worth it. We had an hour and a half long practice before the service, and then had the hour long service. The choir did great and I really enjoyed being a part of the service. It was very different from what I am used to. High Anglican Church of England is far from a Southern Baptist service what with the bowing to the altar and the responses between the dean of the chapel and the choir.
My first lecture was this morning in a class called Understanding Religion. It is basically a look at the Sociology of Religion, which turns out to be pretty cool. I have two supervisions tomorrow (which is like a small group that discusses the lecture with a professor from the subject's faculty), and I get to go to a screening for a film class. One of the cool things about being a student in the university, is that if you want to go to a lecture that you aren't in, it doesn't matter! You can just go for the sake of going, or because you think it is interesting. Ah, academia. Anyways, this weekend I am going to Oxford by bus to see Kristen and some of the other Oxforders. I look forward to it. I hope all of you are well.

Cheers mates!

Cody

Punting and the Homerton Horn

Today was such a beautiful day so far as weather is concerned. It was sunny and was beautiful!!! We went punting, which, for those of you who don't know, is pushing a boat down a gentle river with a long stick. It was fun and apparently I am a natural. A couple of days ago we had the Matriculation dinner (a tradition that Jewell should adopt) where we sit with our tutors and eat and drink and be merry. At the end of the meal, everyone drinks from a traditional Saxon drinking horn as you see me with to the left. It was really awesome!!! I perform my first Evensong with the Queen's College Chapel Choir tomorrow, and I'm kind of nervous, but excited as well. It is GORGEOUS...Anyways, I hope that all of you are well as you read this, because I am doing great!

Cheers,

Cody

I made it!!!!

I just wanted to inform everyone that I just got an email that told me that I made the
Queen's College Chapel Choir....not only does this choir perform in one of the most beautiful chapels I have ever seen, but it goes on tour to New York and Boston on Dec. 8 (including Carnegie Hall), and to France Mar. 8....Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!! I am so freaking excited...sorry. Very late and must go now. To the left in the slideshow are pictures of the chapel I will be singing in 3 times a week. (Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday for rehearsal and Evensongs). The chapel is Church of England, so imagine a high Anglican approach, and that is pretty close to what we will be doing and practising.

Cheers,

Cody

Quite nice here

So, these are just a few of the people that I have met so far. From left in the first pic: Lucky and Jeremy (the Austrailians) and my fellow JYAs Carly, Nicole, and Jacque. From left in the second: Luke (I'm going to be on the rugby team with him), Fiona, Yusef, Vin, and Jeremy. Nationalities from left: English, Austrian, Irish, Shrilankan, and English. I live with five Austrailians on my hall, and it is so cool to be in such a diverse place.
We are still going through some of the Freshers week stuff, and I am about to go see Henry V. We don't start lectures until Thursday, so that is probably when I will update my blog again.
I am going to audition for the Queen's College Choir and maybe go on tour with them, but we will see. My audition is tomorrow at 3, so I should know soon enough. I will post a couple more pics from the tour that I went on today around Cambridge, and I'll keep you all posted on what is going on. Cheers!!!

First Week

I have been in Cambridge for almost a week now and am trying to finally get acclimated to everything going on. I have just gotten my bike and spent more money than any college student should.
I am absolutely in love with this place. We have to walk or bike almost everywhere because Homerton is pretty far away from City Centre where all of the other colleges and shops are. We have gone out on the town several times and have met tons of new people. This place is so international that it honestly sometimes doesn't feel like England. Other than the eleven Americans on my hall, we live with several Austrailians and a couple of Englishmen.
The food is not as bad as everyone said it is, but the beer is just as good as everyone said it is. More to come...lots to do.

Cheers