Journey of a Muslim

-The university

When it comes to Cambridge, it’s all about prestige (just see how they rhyme ;p). It has been the home for a myriad of Nobel Prize winners, even multiple-winners! The University of Cambridge is also the leader in a number of current ongoing world research projects, where new discoveries are made here! Not to mention, you would bump into notable figures like Stephen Hawking, if you’re lucky! Cool, huh? So congratulations! And yeah, you do deserve a pat on your back for making it to the world top university =)
Cambridge takes pride in being one of the very few collegiate universities in the UK. There are 31 colleges, 3 of which are for female students only, and another 3 are for mature students (over 21). The colleges are spread all over the city (there are arguments whether to say Girton to be in the perimeter of the city, but we’ll leave it a that..hehe). The same goes for the Departments and Faculties. Some department buildings are on their own, like the Engineering Department, but most departments and faculties are located in areas called ‘sites’, where a site has a few departments and faculties, not necessary related to each other. Downing site, New Museums Site, Sidgwick site are among the popular ones (because most of the Malaysians dwell around these sites).


-The city

When you hear the university is spread all over the city, do not be scared, as Cambridge is not really a big city. You can easily finish a tour around the city within a day, even by foot. Cambridge is a tranquil city, with lots of the architecture, especially of buildings which are owned by the university, dating back to the Victorian age (The university is 802 years old, by the way). The view of the city is simply breathtaking. That is why you will always see streams of tourists walking around the city, with their cameras flashing non-stop (no, not to the extent that you need shades to avoid being blinded by the flashes ;p). It’s quite the opposite of the hustle and bustle of London.
Geographically speaking, Cambridge is located north of London, only around 1 hour plus, by train, bus or car. So yes, weekend trips are very possible, trust us! One of the major attractions of Cambridge city is of course, punting! Oh, and some say the the Mathematical Bridge in Queens’ College too. And of course, us!
Ehh.. ;p





Facilities

Since Cambridge is a collegiate university, the life of students are very much centralised around the college. Hence, every college is well equipped with all the usual facilities. Libraries are the least to worry about (duhh.. it’s Cambridge…). Every college have their own libraries, not to mention all the department and faculty libraries, and other central libraries like the Central Science Library. Other facilites like sports grounds or courts, internet access, photocopying and printing etc. are all usually well provided by the college. Every student would also have a pigeonhole in their college, so your mails are well taken care of.



Course

Undergraduate courses in the University of Cambridge are called ‘Tripos’ (because supervisors used to sit on tripod stools when teaching… =.=). There are quite a number of Tripos taught by the University. At first glance, it might seem there is only a limited number of Tripos available. Be sure to look more carefully, because most Tripos usually start with a broad combination of subjects in the early years, and then allow sudents to specialise in a wide variety of courses in the later years. Switching between Tripos is also possible. Malaysians usually study one of these Tripos (Some tripos have nicknames! Usually referring to the person studying that particular tripos):

- Natural Sciences (Biological or Physical) a.k.a NatScis [nat-skees]
- Medical and Veterinary Sciences (mostly medics, vets are a rare breed)
- Law
- Engineering
- Economics
- Mathematics a.k.a Mathmos

Courses are taught as lectures and seminars (depending on the Tripos). The special thing we have here (and also Oxford) are small group teachings called Supervisions (Oxford calls them Tutorials). You would have a supervision for each of the subjects you are doing in your Tripos, once per subject per week. One supervisor would teach around 2-4 students. Be sure to squeeze all the knowledge out of your supervisors! On top of that, you will have a Director of Studies (DoS), who will oversee your academic life, and this goes by college and tripos.




Accommodation

All colleges provide accommodation for the first 3 years of study (usually the whole duration of study for most tripos, definitely not for the medics..hehe). You can see the envy in the eyes of students of other universities when it comes to this matter. Students then would have to live outside college if they are carrying on a fourth year and so on. But, it is PERFECTLY fine to stay outside college before completing the 3-year period. Residency contracts are usually signed yearly. Some colleges even go by term, or month. So if you decide to stay outside of college, just inform your tutor. Living outside college can be more convenient sometimes, ESPECIALLY for muslims, and living outside college is just as fun, or even better! =)
It’s also worth to note that one very special thing about Cambridge is that bicycles are the second most widely used mode of transport in the city! Bicycle racks are everywhere in the city, and there’s even a bicycle lane on the roads. See how significant bikes are in Cambridge..hehe. Almost all students would own a bike, especially those in colleges which are quite a distance from the city centre. Eventhough you’re in a college which is just next door to your lecture theatre/department/faculty, it’s still good to have a bike. You’re definitely going to have to go to somewhere else other than those places, which might be far from your college. The train station, or the exam hall (!), to name a few. Bikes can make up for delayed or cancelled buses, or when you want to go around after the last bus. Not to mention, it’s cheaper to get a bike as a mode of transport, in the long run.





Life as a Muslim

Good news! Life in Cambridge as a muslim is not a problem at all! Cambridge has quite a large community of muslims, who are really really friendly! The muslim community is mostly centred around the east side of the city, and this is where the mosque is (Yeayy, there’s a mosque!). They are also in the process of building a new purpose-built mosque in Cambridge. Even more good news! So time to shed those worries away, especially about where to have Friday prayers etc. =)

The university also has a very active Islamic Society (ISoc). They have managed to secure a prayer room in Sidgwick site. They also sometimes book rooms in various colleges, or in some place in town for have Friday prayers. So you have a choice whether to go for Friday prayers in the mosque in the city, or go for the jumu’ah organised by the ISoc. The khutbahs are really really good too, whichever congregation you go to! I suggest you going for the latter, as it is a good avenue for you to meet with other muslim students who are studying here (you’d be surprised by the number!)





Halal Food

As mentioned earlier, Cambridge has a thriving muslim community. Hence, finding halal food is never a headache. It’s just that there aren’t as many options as there are in major cities like London. Most of the halal restaurants like kebab shops, fast food outlet, or a grill restaurant, is located at the east side of the city, specifically on this street called Mill Road. There are a few though in town, but it’s easier to grab your lunch here, say, right after prayers in the mosque =)

There is also a muslim groceries store called Al-Amin, which sells halal meat. If you feel homesick, there’s a Malaysian grocery store along Mill Road, which sells your usual Malaysian brands e.g. F&N condensed milk, Milo(!!), kicap etc…
Bet you can tell that Mill Road is our favourite destination here..hehe ;p

The above applies if you feel like eating outside (usually lunchtime, where you have to rush back to labs for your practicals..huhu). When dining in college, be sure to check with your buttery/hall whether they have halal options. Some college do, on certain days for example, or for formal dinners (this is another posh thing associated with Cambridge..hehe). If they don’t, then there’s always the vegetarian option, or seafood, which are not as bad as you think they would be! Then again, even with these 2 options, be sure to check if they use any alcohol while preparing the dish (it’s really frustrating to find that the vege option comes with wine sauce… =.=~~)




Malaysian Community

There aren’t that many undergrads here in Cambridge (quite the opposite for postgrads). Each year, around 20 or so Malaysian undergraduate students gain admission to this university, and of that only around 2-3 are muslims. That’s why we’re so happy that you’re here to add to the number! =)



What to Prepare

- Foodstuff.
Better pack up with what you think you will miss the most from home, like all the spices, Milo (again!! ;p), ikan bilis , perencah nasi goreng etc..

-Electrical appliances
It’s quite a good idea to bring a small rice cooker along. Just in case you miss the meal in the hall/buttery, or craving for rice out of the blue. Kettles can be bought here. Make sure you bring all your chargers for other appliances like phone and laptop. They use the same kind of plug here in the UK, so adaptors are optional. Same goes with extensions

- Clothing
Bring all the basics and essentials. You can get clothes here, especially winter clothing. Just make sure you have a jacket when you first arrive here. A better idea would be to arrive much earlier than when term starts, spend a few days in London, then we can go shopping for other stuff if there’s a need.. or just simply jalan-jalan around London (exactly what we did..hehe).

- Mentally
Prepare yourselves for challenges you might face when living far away from home. Most importantly, on how to carry yourself as a muslim abroad. Fret not, for we are always here to help =)

-Miscellaneous
There are loads of things to talk when it comes to what to prepare. There will surely be some points that we missed, and if it it appears to be something that really bothers you, be sure to contact us, your uber-friendly university representatives as per below.





Contact Person

Muhammad Farid Nazer Bin Muhammad Faruqu
Natural Sciences (Biological)
farid_10191@yahoo.com (ym, email)
mfnm3@cam.ac.uk (email)
farid.nazer (skype)
+447547159016

Iskandar Zulqarnain Bin Mohamed
Medicine
iskandarmohamed@yahoo.co.uk (ym, email)
izm20@cam.ac.uk (email)
etdominion (skype)
+447581436994

Zakwan Bin Zainuddin
PhD in Chemical Engineering
zack1_89@yahoo.com (ym, email)
zz260@cam.ac.uk (email)
zack1_89 (skype)
+447518578051