now where was i?

hmmmmm, i think i left you all in new york when i'd just arrived.....after a very comfortable 4 hour ride on the chinatown bus. word of advice for anyone travelling between cities where this is an option - just go for it. the bus was clean, the driver seemed safe, they let me get on the bus that left an hour earlier than the one i'd booked (just cause i'd arrived 5 minutes before it left!), it was quicker than getting a plane, and it only cost $15 us....!

great value!

and, it meant that i had to learn how to catch a new york cab real quick once i got there cause that was the only way i was going to get to squad's house. as it turned out, it is fairly simple - just stand on the footpath and wave....eventually one'll stop - and in my case politely tell me i was standing on the wrong side of the road :)

but i got there after only a couple of minutes but with the overwhelming realisation that i was in this incredibly BIIIIIIIIIG city! with no real idea where i was going!!!!!

squad's apartment was on this street that just absolutely matched my image of a new york street - maybe cause it was just near the bakery and street that featured in 'sex in the city' - wow!!!!!

and that was just the first of many 'wow' moments.

once i'd met squad it was time to meet the dogs - and obviously, being australian cattle dogs, they recognised the accent. we got on immediately to the extent that they were more than happy to share the sofa with me at night :)

and of course, time to meet squad's bike, see her office and ring Al to find out where to meet him for the walking tour the next day. which was my next 'wow' moment - this time with some trepidation........it turned out that i was to meet al in times square, which meant a subway ride, all by myself.....eeeeeeeekkkkkkkk.........

and so to bed.....

the walking tour in my next post!

Home at last

whew...finally home again. i've just uploaded all the photos from new york and sometime over the next couple of days will catch up the new york blog entries.....

cya then....enjoy the photos

Last leg.....

hey all, i'm now in new york - having just arrived this afternoon (it's now 5pm new york time on monday)......new york is completely enormous and CRAZY mad with the traffic etc.....

i'll be spending two nights with someone from here but not too sure whether i'll be able to get to the internet too often. so this is more in the way of a 'i'm letting you know where i am and i'm ok' post rather than too much about what i've been doing. a report on the bus trip will have to come later when i've got more access.......

well, catch you all later.......

Last day in Harvard......

well, this is it. my last day at harvard. i'm graduating to the big time - head off to new york tomorrow........

i spent most of today just walking around - it is amazing that many of the buildings in this whole city of cambridge are owned by just the one university......although there are apparently a number of different universities here.....

overall i have taken about 5 hours today just walking from one part of the campus to another - past the harvard law school, the harvard business school, the harvard school of government, the playing fields.......

and i have seen more squirrels too. hopefully the photos will have turned out!

it seems like harvard square is a big tourist spot - there are more people and cars around today than there were on thursday and friday! (and i don't think it has anything to do with it now being spring break........i would have thought in a university town that would have meant less people?)

tomorrow morning it will be time to find the fung wah bus company depot in boston (taking a taxi - less chance of getting lost i hope) and then four hours travelling to new york.....a great chance to see some of the countryside and maybe take some more photos from the bus.

and so to the last leg of this adventure.....two nights in new york.....possibly going on a bit of a ride, the tour of manhattan with al, and maybe a coffee night with new york bikers.......(although rain has been forecast - but as yet no sign of it materialising - fingers crossed).

(and right now it is 5:00pm on sunday.....)

(oh yeah, and you'd never guess - but i had to buy another bag to fit all my stuff in hehehe - will have to keep my spending to a minimum in new york :( )

Last working day at Harvard....

today was the last day of the meetings in harvard. we started with breakfast and then went into a full day of meetings and working on what we will be doing for the next two years.

i am the only person there who is not working at a university and it is interesting listening to all these academics talking. they are very good but it is different because all the things i talk about is from the viewpoint of someone who has been working in the area. i am also the only one who is not getting any sort of financial support at all!

and also, the one who has travelled the furthest to be at the meetings. it kinda blows my mind away a bit.

i've added some more photos of the buildings at harvard where we have been meeting......

but it was exciting talking about the book that we are going to be writing, and seeing the journal that will be publishing our papers. this is a big step for me as a student and it will be good to have some experienced people helping me with it. and it will be exciting when the book actually gets published. but i did get lost in all the conversations.......

the meeting finished at about 3pm so then some of us went across the river to boston via the underground. apparently there was a shooting on the underground yesterday!!!!!!!!! but today it was fine - although i did feel a right idiot when trying to work out how on earth to get a ticket..........

we went for a walk around some of the sights of boston - saw where paul revere did his big ride and the building where the rally took place that started the whole boston tea party revolt.....there are photos that will be uploaded to my album next........and i also saw the 'cheers' pub......

one more day here - so if the weather stays fine i will walk around some more of the university buildings and stuff. then organise all my packing ready for the bus on monday to new york......so the homeward journey is about to begin......

(for those who care - it is now 10:15pm on saturday......)