Trip to Peterborough

I jumped out of the bed on thursday 24th because I hardly could sleep thinking about my future. I kept thinking in the train: what will I do if I finally get the bursary? I made a decision in the train and I had no doubts, but if I hadn't two options finally there wouldn't be anything to decide. I arrived to Peterborough station, quite ugly, old and dirty by the way. I went to the cathedral and I got spaced out: the building is awesome and smashing (you can see the photos below if you click on them). Most of it is from the Norman Period, very plain but well illuminated, with unbelievable painted wooden roofs. And I was almost alone there. I bumped into Catherine of Aragon's grave, whose tomb I had no idea it was there. I spent a long time having a walk inside the building until I went to have lunch because the interview was at 14:00.

I arrived to the place and the five members of the panel introduced themselves. They asked me to explain something about former jobs (I brought my laptop for that) and then they started to ask me questions. I blocked speaking a lot at the beginning and words didn't come out. I got nervous because I could hardly explain my former experiences, what I think is exactly my strongest point. We spoke a lot about documents and databases and just a bit about buildings and surveying (what actually interests me) but I also had good moments. I went out a bit disappointed, not only for the way I started speaking but also for the kind of interview. Well, I know it was to do a GIS but I expected something different. However, I kept my hope intact.

After going out I spent another long time in the cathedral, taking plenty of photos and admiring all the details that would allow me to develop a different job I was supposed to do but much more interesting for me: plinths, cornices, stones' carves, builders' marks, mouldings, breaks, walled bays... "spoke" to me and revealed a challenging constructive history to be decoded. But in one afternoon I don't have time enough to decode 800 years of History so I came back to Oxford. I kept thinking in the train and reasserted the decision I made that morning.

It took very short to answer me and two days later I had a letter at home telling me that they wouldn't take my application further: I was discarded for the bursary. Well, they were other who finally made the decision for me. It didn't matter what I decided and reasserted in the train: there were no choices. I stay in Oxford for a longer period. It's a pitty I didn't get the bursary to be me who made the decision but the truth is that I'm really happy to stay in Oxford. And with a very clear idea in my head: if there's only one mother, there is still only one cathedral for me.