Since writing last I have completed my second year reading Biological Natural Sciences. The exam term was much more gruelling than the last, and the workload almost doubled, but with the conducive study environment of the new Corpus Taylor Library this was somewhat offset. I have realised my passion for Biochemistry in the past few months (none-the-least because of my time in Africa, but more on that later) and am pleased to have been accepted into the Biochemistry department to undertake my Part II and
III courses over the next two years.
My commitments inside of Corpus have been varied over the year. As Corpus is such a small college, there are always sports teams and other societies short of players and in need of assistance. Because of this I have found myself playing Basketball, Hockey, Lacrosse and Cricket sporadically for college. As has been the scholarly tradition, I am fully committed to the Mixed Netball Team, which disappointingly took second place in the Cuppers Tournament this year over a golden goal in the finals. Corpus’ reign as Cuppers champions has come to an end, but will come back next year if I have anything to do with it.
Over the Easter vacation I spent two weeks travelling. The remaining majority of the vacation was spent studying in the Corpus library for exams in Easter term.
Once exams had finished, my friends and I had a week before May Week started, so we decided to take a quick and relaxing five day adventure to Tours in the Loire Valley of France. We spent our time walking, reading, drinking coffee, eating breads and good food, visiting chateaus and sleeping. You really couldn’t ask for more in a post-exam holiday. The freedom to do something like that is really unique here also.
The highlight however of all the following six months must be my time in
Africa. The opportunity arose through my home church, which has developed a relationship with the Jubilee Centre in
Zambia through TearFund. I went out with a team to work for three weeks alongside of their many different initiatives. These included: HIV/AIDS programmes on; training volunteers to look after sick and vulnerable people in compounds around Zambia where people are sick with HIV/AIDS; youth clubs, to teach young people the realities of HIV/AIDS, the routes of transmission and the value of abstinence and contraception; and, home-based care, to visit ‘chronically ill patients in their homes and provide spiritual, physical, material and emotional support and work’.
For the final week and a half in
Africa the team did some travelling together around
Zambia. The highlight of this was going to
Victoria Falls. No picture could describe how amazing it is but it was so great to be awed by nature and enveloped in it after a long term behind books, and a vigorous three weeks of volunteer work.
Now that
Africa is over, there is still much to look forward to in
England! I have been accepted as a Summer Student with Cancer Research
UK. This is a very large privilege, and will promise to be both a great learning experience and experience to have for future employment.
