Jasmine on Juliette

What were you hoping for?

An ally in the Divinity Faculty.

First impressions?

Juliette’s fun fact about herself in our first lecture was that she liked broccoli (after a long pause, whilst she cooked up this little quip); I found this funny, but unfortunately no one else did, as it was met with a deafening silence. I enjoyed watching this scenario unfold and Juliette didn’t seem to mind the awkwardness, which I thought was good. And I liked her coat.

What did you talk about?

For the first and only time in our friendship, Juliette and I dutifully discussed the questions set to us by our academic supervisor.

Any awkward moments?

Juliette spent a decent portion of the lecture noisily and conspicuously trying to tear paper out of a notebook, which was a bit off putting to both myself and our A7 lecturer Jörg Haustein but made for good entertainment. I also saw her baby name list in her Notes app by accident which felt weirdly intimate, and 'Patricia' was the top name — I was baffled by this.

Biggest ick about the other person?

After the lecture we reconvened at the Arc Cafe where Juliette purchased a falafel salad wrap, and proceeded to peel out most, if not all, of the salad items, eating only the damp wrap. I’ll let this speak for itself.

Best thing about the other person?

I found it refreshing that Juliette was prepared to be honest about her moments of humiliation and despair in Freshers’ Week; this was both entertaining and comforting in the face of the theatre of war that is the University of Cambridge.

Did you go on somewhere?

We reunited later that day at lecture room 2 for paper A1a, Elementary Hebrew.

What do you think the other person made of you?

I thought Juliette thought I was a damn fool, especially after my little collision with the Sidgwick Site bike racks and my enduring incompetence in Biblical Hebrew — Juliette was trying to teach me the basics of phonics using nursery level language. However for some reason she kept messaging me on Whatsapp (odd choice of platform for a new friend, I thought) and that’s when I knew it would be okay.

And... did you kiss?

No, but we did find ourselves bonding over who we’d problematically got with in freshers’ week - a sign of real trust, I’d say.

Would you meet again?

I suppose our friendship was written in the stars, being course mates in the hallowed Divinity Faculty. I can't wait to sit next to her again in Lecture Room 2 — the rest will be history.

Juliette on Jasmine

What were you hoping for?

Someone to navigate the horrors of Tripos Part 1 with.

First impressions?

Jasmine remembered to bring her laptop to the lecture. I had forgotten to do this, so I was impressed with her organisational skills. She also had cool shoes on.

What did you talk about?

We discussed what constitutes a world religion, and how many world religions there are. Hot stuff.

Any awkward moments?

I felt a bit embarrassed when I told Jasmine that I was vegetarian, then promptly told her my favourite sandwich was tuna mayo. That was pretty weird of me.

Biggest ick about the other person?

We parted ways outside the Div Fac. I was shocked to see Jasmine putting on a bike helmet — I thought she was cooler than this. The bike helmet proved ineffectual though as she managed to crash and fall after cycling only a few metres.

Best thing about the other person?

I thought Cambridge was going to be full of twerps. In meeting Jasmine on my first day, I was immediately comforted by knowing that this is not the case. Of course, there are many twerps in Cambridge, but it’s a great joy having Jasmine by my side, to bitch about them together.

Did you go on somewhere?

We reunited later that day at lecture room 2 for paper A1a, Elementary Hebrew.

What do you think the other person made of you?

I thought Jasmine only put up with me to reap the benefits of my basic Hebrew skills (having already learnt the Hebrew alphabet in my youth). However, she soon found out that I was just as shit as her and still sat next to me in lecture room 2, so was forced to the conclusion that she must see something else in me, besides my capacity as a linguist.

And... did you kiss?

No, she has a girlfriend.

Would you meet again?

Yes. Her lecture notes speak for themselves. I will do anything to maintain this relationship; my essays need her. Also she’s my friend so I guess we’ll hang out.

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