Somehow during the fall of 2000 I managed to relocate myself to the British "college town" of Cambridge in order to commence a year-long Masters degree entitled Environment and Development. Thanks to the move, I now find myself surrounded by heaps of folks who are, quite frankly, far wiser than I will ever be. Currently, I am keeping myself extremely busy by trying to act smarter than I am in reality, with varying levels of success.

As I study about International Development issues, I am being blessed with the opportunity to learn about poverty and global inequality and environmental degradation and various economic policies and population health and the myriad of relationships that link them all. It is rather overwhelming to confront the magnitude of difficulties in this world, but I am extremely thankful for the opportunity to become a little bit less naïve to reality.

Cambridge has also managed to bless me by surrounding me with a wonderful group of fellow students that I am in the ongoing process of befriending. Due to the demographics of the specific college I am at, few of them are actually British, and even fewer are female (neither of these is a particularly good thing…at least not the lack of females). Nevertheless, I really enjoy the company of my (predominantly American male) friends….

CHURCHILL COLLEGE. My stomping grounds and living quarters for one year. Cambridge is a funny place. The University is comprised of 30 or so separate colleges, each with separate campuses spread throughout the city. The colleges are places of residence, and are rather independent of the academic departments. Thus, any given academic department at Cambridge will be comprised of students from many different colleges... I am at Churchill College, "the living memorial to Winston Churchill" or something to that nature. Apparently leaders originally wanted to pattern Churchill after MIT. Most assuredly, if nothing else, they have definitely succeeded in reproducing a monstrous MIT-like male-to-female ratio.

Peter and Greg. Peter is the most subtle, gentle, tactful person in all of Cambridgeshire. This guy has "BORN DIPLOMAT" written all over him. Meanwhile, Greg is busy pondering Theoretical Chemistry issues that are so far beyond me that I don't stand a chance of commenting on them.

Dave Thompson. He's a chemistry Ph.D. student... But if you get this guy talking chemistry, he'll just tell you how it is with the girls. Hey Dave, by the way, who are you staring at?	Jess and Jenn. Or….Jenn and Jess. Regardless, these two are in the process of attending an intimidating list of academic institutions. Check it: Harvard, Yale, Cambridge, Stanford Med, Johns Hopkins Med. Those miserable Taiwanese underachievers!

Cambridge is a pretty place and all, but the weather is awful; a cruel mix of rain and wind. I personally don't understand the British at all. Generations past, they exported their prisoners to a sunnier, warmer, and larger island (Australia) that was home to cute animals like koala bears and crocodiles. Some punishment that is! Man, I would have gladly committed a felony if it meant I received a one-way ticket out of Britain to sunny Australia.

	In a detailed Cambridge study, Aaron demonstrates the profound effects alcohol has on the human body. BEFORE: Aaron is standing, investigating his drink of choice. AFTER: Aaron is no longer standing, and quite frankly he looks like he is not doing too hot. The results are conclusive: Alcohol debilitates humans.

So, what is Cambridge like? Well, the British may hate me for saying this, but it isn't all that different from the States. There are a few relatively minor differences: For one, stores close at 6 PM. So do school libraries. And this is necessary to allow students an excuse to congregate in the pubs before the pubs, in turn, close at 11 PM. Pubs, of course, are the location of most social gatherings...as you might be able to ascertain by the prevalence of alcoholic beverages in these pictures. Why all the alcohol in Britain? Well, I imagine it's just the ongoing British way of trying to cope with the heartbreaking loss of their "better half" when America won their independence of few years back.

William (Ghana) and Dan (Germany). One of the best things about William is that he demonstrates a proper respect for my country... he loves America. As for Dan, this really just isn't the most flattering picture of him.

Me in my favorite reading chair, located in the corner of my room, 3-4 meters away from my bed (and thus 3-4 meters away from the temptation to sleep). Please note the goatee; I am quite proud of it. Of the females I have surveyed thus far, I have received an overwhelmingly positive response. These results have prompted me to let it survive for at least another season.

Dan and Jen. Aaron, behind the curtain, continues to successfully provide conclusive evidence that alcohol affects the human body.

The Churchill College postgraduate bar before one of the numerous formal dinners

Our hike to the top of Scafell Pike, the highest peak in England (at a modest elevation of 3,000 feet). See the clouds that are hovering low above the lake on our ascent? Well, we managed to break through those clouds at the summit, affording us sun and sweeping views of absolutely nothing. Rueven (Canada), Ken (Scotland), Jen (America), and Ian (England) represent a significant cross-section of the English-speaking world.

At the older, prestigious colleges of Cambridge, for some inexplicable reason, the miserable proletariat students are forbidden from walking on the grass. Only the fellows of the college enjoy such freedoms. Thus, before me at St. John's College are a legion of ducks who are mocking me, flaunting their grass-walking priviledge just because university policy doesn't exclude small animals. Go swim in your ponds, losers. The fact remains that I have more opposable thumbs than all of you combined.

This is the house I live in, along with 7 others. Rumor has it that Ludwig Wittengenstein died in my room back when the house was owned by a Cambridge doctor. If you don't know who he was, don't feel too bad; I had never heard of him either. Wittengenstein was a famous Austrian philosopher who studied at Cambridge (...which explains why I had never heard of him). But if this is supposed to count as my 15 minutes of fame, I am protesting...