Dr. Cambridge shares the Diary of studying abroad: Xiao Shuo in the Cafe

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Yan Zhaoqi, who has a doctorate in literature from Cambridge University, laments that many Chinese scholars, including those in Britain, are no exception, BBC reported on the British website. He feels that a person's learning style in Cambridge will change with the flow of the season. The excerpt of his diary of studying abroad is as follows:

In spring and autumn, it is suitable to stay in the dormitory, while reading, while listening to Scottish folk songs, occasionally staring out of the window full of catkins or colorful falling English.

In summer, voices are mixed in the streets and lanes, and laughter ripples on the Jian River. During the holidays, most of the students return home for the holidays or travel abroad, and the college is quiet and suitable for reading and writing in the pavilion. When you are lucky, you own the huge old building from morning till night.

In the middle of winter, the study in the dormitory is lonely, and the book pavilion is dark and gloomy. This is the best time to pick a cafe, order a cup of hot chocolate and cut a piece of blueberry cake to spend the afternoon in a romantic story of music, voice, coffee and books.

There are many cafes in downtown Cambridge, each with its own characteristics and attracting different groups of customers. Starbucks, Costa and Caff è Nero, which are loved by tourists, office workers and students, are naturally available. The cafe attached to Waterstones is full of books, light and elegance. There is no shortage of local tea shops in the alleys, where handmade cakes, biscuits and soups are particularly attractive.

My favorite Marks & Spencer Cafe, which has a spacious and bright space, does not play breathtaking music and has no time limit, so it is suitable for people who are used to reading and meditating slowly. Marks & Spencer offers a lot of fine food and drinks, and about 80% of the customers are British ladies and gentlemen over the age of 60, with few tourists and not many young people. Inside, you can listen to the conversations of experienced elders and analyze their intonation and language.

During the more than a year of studying in Cambridge, I have encountered many anecdotes in the cafe.

I once heard English women shouting abuse in Costa in Mill Road. In English, the level of filth is unheard of. The old lady sitting opposite me put down her pen and paper and stared at me as if to ask what had happened.

While reading in Starbucks, I used to record the words of "love" that sounded in my ear, such as "Lovely, thank you." , "Give my love to Mary." .

Once in Marks & Spencer, a woman in her 70s was stunned when she found a piece of unattended luggage. She immediately took the cup and plate to the farthest seat and called on the shop assistant to deal with it. It turned out to be a false alarm and the owner of the luggage just went to the bathroom.

Of course, there is also a little luck in the cafe.

Take today, for example. I ordered a set of assorted sandwiches, added a pot of tea, sat in the window seat overlooking Market Square and began to read. A white woman of about fifty sat down next door. I felt her looking at my book, so I looked up and smiled at her, and the two began to talk. Her son, who studies Middle East politics at Oxford and will earn a degree next year, is writing papers day and night and will not be able to return to Cambridge for the holidays until a day or two before Christmas.

The lady smiled helplessly as she spoke, and it was not difficult to see a trace of sadness. She ate tea alone in the cafe and took the initiative to chat with me as a stranger. She must have been very lonely. During the chat, I outlined my dream, and she immediately put aside her sentimental mood and kept wishing me "Good luck!". When she left, she didn't forget to smile and wave to me and say "Good luck!". A warm feeling arises spontaneously in my heart.

In ordinary life in Britain, there are always some adventures that can dispel the haze and cheer people up. Just like more than a year ago, when a man was exploring a small fishing village in Scotland, the old gentleman sitting next to me ran from the back of the car to the front of the car to watch and made me happy all day in order to help me make sure that he had arrived at the station. And in the cafe, there are many such warm stories waiting for us to explore, because it is a wonderful field of emotional and intellectual blending.