It feels strange to be leaving home after just having arrived but I am really looking forward to the Gatsby Plant Summer School. Left early this morning to get the 12:00am train from King's Cross. However, the piccadilly line was down so mum had to give me a lift to Ealing Broadway with my green wheelie suitcase. I took the fast train to Paddington and rushed to find the circle line (later realised that it would've been better to take the Hammersmith and City..). It was only a few stops to King's cross and I was running just on time. At the stop before King's the driver announced that the station had been closed due to someone jumping on the tracks so everyone would have to get off at Euston! I rushed off the train and, using all my strength, ran up the stairs out of the station to find King's Cross station. I had no idea where I was. After asking a couple of people, someone pointed me in the direction of the station. I SPRINTED, dragging my suitcase behind me. I heard something fall while I ran but didn't pay any attention to it. A man later came up to me and handed me my book, "For Whom the Bell Tolls", and told me that my rucksack was wide open. Shocked, I checked and luckily it still had my camera, wallet and passport inside. phew.
After another sprint I got to a HUGE crowd of people blocking the pavement and road to the station in the distance. An air ambulance had landed in the middle of the road to collect the person who'd jumped on the tracks. Getting past all the tourists was a nightmare but I did manage to have time to whip out my camera and take a quick shot of the moment.
Sprinted into the station and couldn't find the right platform. After going to the Info point I had 2mins before the train left. Of course I had the cheapest ticket which was in the second to last carriage. Got on the train seconds before the doors closed. very lucky indeed.
Once at Gatsby I told Jeremy and Liz my AWFUL story (and may have exaggerated a little too..). It felt so good to finaly arrive and swap my suitcase for a super-cool badge and bag filled with plant related stuff!
We had an ice-breaker tutorial where we were all split into groups and had to do a presentation on a plant we think should be prioritised when it comes to storing the seeds in seed banks. My group chose to do a play on Jack and the Hashstalk. It was awful. At dinner I got to meet other people from different universities; they all seemed a bit taken aback when I told them I was from Oxford. Honestly, its not like it makes me a super-genius! Fpr pudding I had oht chocolate pudding with chocolate sauce. It was DIVINE! Later on in the evening we had a Pub Quiz which was also entertaining. Went to sleep very exhausted.
