A little over ten years ago, when I moved into a different group within the Department of Chemistry, I was invited by my co-workers to go on a trip outside the Department. The trip included going to a pub for lunch, then punting on the river Cam and afterwards they would join a big, outdoor concert in one of the parks in Cambridge. That first year, I decided to sign up for that trip in a new environment and I wasn't particularly enthusiastic. Still, I thought it was good to go because of the friendship with the new team and the people around me.
Emma is the administrator and organizer of these trips, so I wrote to her, and she kindly replied that I was added to the list of participants.
And so, it started many years ago. Lunch in a pub is a pleasure for me, and I almost always choose a typical English dish, fish and chips. But the lunch itself is not what permanently tied me and made me a faithful follower of Emma's trips, it was the punting. Punting is driving a wooden boat that is steered with a long stick. The driver of the boat stands on the back of the boat and pushes the boat away, touching the bottom of the river with that stick. I can tell you that it only seems easy, at least if you observe people who know what they are doing. That rod is slippery and light so it tends to float on water, and pushing away requires strength. It is not uncommon for this stick to get stuck in the mud at the bottom of the river, and the driver ends up swimming in the river with his clothes on. It hasn't happened to me, but just in case, I usually bring spare clothes when I go punting.
We have some experienced guys, in recent years they are Garry and Matt who are very skilled, so we can relax while they drive us down the river. This year, the main star was Harriet who surprised everyone by being quite good as well. I also tried for a few minutes, but mainly for the purpose of getting a picture. The river is absolutely beautiful, especially outside of Cambridge in the countryside and in relation to the nearby village. In my opinion, it is difficult to experience the beauty of the river from the perspective of the shore, and only the view from the boat reveals all the luxury.
During the last 10 years, I haven’t missed any of Emma's trips and I often ask months in advance if and when we want to go. We missed a year or two because of Covid, but this year we were able to enjoy a wonderful day that ended with a concert. This year, I had the opportunity to take my Sara on a trip as well, who was embraced by the community and made a wonderful day for her to remember. This year, the team included Emma, Matt, Garry, Chloe, Harriet, Lisa and Andrew, and you can see them all in these wonderful photos.
Love,
Kristina
Monday, July 4th, 2022
Slijedeći Emmu
Kad sam pred nešto više od dest godina prešla u drugu grupu na Odsjeku za kemiju, bila sam od strane svojih suradnika pozvana na izlet van Odsjeka. Izlet je uključivao odlazak na ručak u pub, zatim punting na rijeci Cam i poslije be se pridružili velikom, otvorenom koncertu u jednom od parkova u Cambridgeu. Te prve godine sam se odlučila prijaviti za taj izlet u novom okruženju ali nisam bila nešto posebno entuzijastična. Mislila sam tada da je dobro da idem zbog druženja sa novim timom i ljudima oko sebe.
Pisala sam organizatorici Emmi iljubazno mi je odgovorila da sam dodana na listu učesnika.
I tako je krenulo pred puno godina. Ručak u pubu mi predstavlja zadovoljstvo i gotovo uvijek biram tipično englesko jelo, pohani bakalar sa pomfrijem. No sam ručak nije ono što me trajno vezalo i učinilo vjernim sljedbenikom Emminih izleta, vec je to bio punting. Punting je vožnja drvenim čamcem kojim se upravlja sa dugačkim štapom. Vozaččamca stoji na stražnjem dijelu čamca i odguruje čamac dotičući dno rijeke sa tim štapom. Mogu vam reći da je to naizgled lako, barem ako promatrate ljude koji znaju što rade. No, taj je štap sklizak i lagan pa ima tendenciju da pliva na vodi i odgurivanje zahtijeva snagu. Nije baš rijetko da se zaglavi u mulju na dnu rijeke pa vozač završi u rijeci, plivajući obučen. Nije mi se to još dogodilo, ali za svaki slučaj obično ponesem rezervnu odjeću kad idem na punting.
Mi imamo iskusne dečke, u posljednjim godinama to su Garry i Matt koji su vrlo vješti pa se možemo opustiti dok nas voze niz rijeku. Ove nas je godine Harriet sve iznenadila jer je njezing prvi pokušaj upravljanja čamcem bio izuzetno uspješan. I ja sam se okušala u puntingu, ali ovaj put svega nekoliko minuta u svrhu dobivanja lijepe fotografije. Rijeka je absolutno prekrasna, posebno izvan Cambridga u prirodi i na relaciji prema obližnjem selu. Ljepotu rijeke je po mom mišljenu teško doživjeti iz perspective obale i tek pogled iz čamca odaje svu raskoš.
Tokom zadnjih 10 godina ne propuštam Emmine izlete i često pitam već mjesecima unaprijed hocemo li ikada. Propustili smo godinu ili dvije zbog Covida, ali ove godine smo mogli uzivati u divnom danu koji je završio koncertom. Ja sam ove godine imala priliku povesti na izlet i svoju Saru koju je društvo prigrlilo i napravilo i za nju jedan divan dan za sjećanje. Ove godine u ekipi su bili Emma, Matt, Garry, Chloe, Harriet, Lisa i Andrew i sve ih možete vidjeti na ovim divnim fotografjama.
S ljubavlju,
Kristina
Ponedeljak, 4. srpnja 2022.
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