Cambridge: Travel guide, prices and free housing · 2026

GSGaliyabanu SeytimovaDec 13, 2017Read

And finally, lesson number 3 - plan your trip well!!! Otherwise, it will turn out like it did for me. Of course, I was incredibly happy with my trip, but it could have been even better if we had taken care of it in advance. Everything happened in a snap... September... tired of working... and there were still almost 3 weeks left before flying home. Probably the only thing we planned exactly with friends was the date of our meeting in New York... So, the morning of September 13th... suitcases packed again... accommodation booked on https://www.airbnb.ru. My beloved and I are going to Boston... I'm not just happy, I'm insanely happy! What could be better than traveling with a loved one? Boston is an incredible city! Many who come here say they would stay to live here! I felt the same way... The city is very clean, well-maintained, with incredible architecture, yet it lacks the hustle and bustle of New York. Downtown... cute little shops... city bike rentals... aquarium... and then.... ...20 minutes by subway... and you're in Cambridge... and here, for a moment, is the oldest and most famous university in the world - Harvard. Beautiful buildings all around, proud students and professors, a bunch of tourists with cameras... These few days spent in Boston left the happiest memories of America in my memory... but... Not everything went so smoothly. Due to our carelessness, we booked accommodation in Boston for one day less than we needed! Unfortunately, it is difficult to quickly find good accommodation for reasonable money, and we didn't know where to go. A solution was found, and we returned for a day to our then-native town of Ogunquit. We were taken in. It wasn't pleasant wandering around the city with suitcases, not knowing where to go. So be very careful with accommodation. Next morning... bus again... Ogunquit-New York route... Now there are more than just two of us... A big group of friends is going to the city of dreams. Everyone is anticipating their first impressions of New York... I expect to discover it from a new side... Which is what happened! We spent more than a week there... every day I discovered this city in a new way and was pleasantly surprised by its diversity. We didn't calculate the time... and were left without the much-desired Washington... But, on the other hand, I don't regret anything... because we managed to enjoy these cities without rushing... Friends left... just the two of us remained. We only had one day left to spend together. Our best decision was to go up to the Empire State Building and watch the sunset there... Our last sunset in the USA... but only for this year! It was incredible... it was tear-jerking... The happiest evening spent in the USA. Don't miss this moment. Enjoy the beautiful view from the 86th floor... Even if not everything went as we wished, we were so inspired that everything seemed like a trifle... This trip gave me a lot... it gave me new hopes, new life plans, and new dreams... it gave me love and loyal friends. America will always remain a part of me... because it radically changed my life. America hasn't gone anywhere... it is now always with me...

TTakhirmrweweg · Jun 29, 2012Read

It's been a month since I last wrote. A long time. Honestly, I wouldn't even be writing now if it weren't for what happened to me today. But first things first. Work isn't a wolf... Working is good. Especially once you get used to it and settle in. Both in the country and at work. It's easy to tell when you've settled in—you stop feeling like you're 'living in a movie' and the constant smiles don't make much of an impression on you anymore. Besides, not everyone here smiles or says hello. Getting used to work happens, but it depends on the type of job. I got lucky with my job because at the very least, I get to talk to Americans, which is definitely a plus. On the other hand, I have to run around a lot with food, orders, etc. Being a waiter isn't bad at all, but I couldn't do it for the rest of my life. We have about 5-6 waitresses, mostly immigrants from different countries, who work at the restaurant full-time. It's not fun, let me tell you. But as a seasonal job, it's great. You need good English for that, at the very least... Now, closer to the smiling Americans and a bit more about the USA, and then to today's events. The Dark Side of the Moon People are the same everywhere. Whether in Russia or the USA. The only difference is that if you smile at everyone everywhere in the USA, it's normal. At work, it's actually very encouraged. In Russia, nobody cares. I don't know how people will look at me on the subway when I get back home, but the thought of it just makes my smile wider. A little American note. Actually, here in Massachusetts, even though people smile much more often than in our vast Motherland, there are plenty of individuals you don't even want to look at. In particular, one American cook at my restaurant—all the world's sorrow is reflected on her face EVERY DAY. I don't know how one can live with a face like that :) In general, Massachusettsans (if you can call them that :D), and all other New Englanders, are considered stuffy and hypocritical by all other Americans because they don't smile as much. Maybe it's a stereotype, maybe not. I also went to Boston—a beautiful, calm city. It was nice to be there after the American countryside. A beautiful park, people sunbathing—a smaller, not a copy, but rather the 'mother' of Central Park in NY. Boston Common—the Boston park—is the oldest public park in the USA. We walked around Chinatown a bit, felt like we were somewhere between China, Japan, Korea, and Thailand :) There are a lot of monuments in Boston—to the founding fathers, those who died in the Civil War, those who died in the War of Independence. It's interesting to see how old buildings sit next to huge skyscrapers. Near Boston is Cambridge (not the Cambridge in England, but the Cambridge where Harvard is located)—it's a separate world. A world where there are few cars and a lot of bicycles. Where it's quiet, where students gather in cafes in the evening, where old buildings built in the 17th century sit next to new, ultra-modern buildings, where musicians play guitars on the streets. Here you feel that this is the place where you would want to study. Honestly, I was wildly jealous of the guys and girls playing volleyball in their dorm courtyard (there was even a pool!). Who wouldn't be jealous, right? :) We wanted to go into the Harvard museums, but they were already closed—it was too late. After saying goodbye to quiet Cambridge, where squirrels were running brazenly through the park along with people doing their evening jogs, we got on the subway, which is called a 'train' here because it comes to the surface, rode to South Station, which is a 3-in-1 here—subway station, train station, and bus terminal, and left, but I will definitely come back here again—for the sake of the museums and for MIT. Don't let it get to you Now directly to what prompted (or rather, who prompted) me to write this page. Today was my first (and last) day at my second job. According to the official version told by my manager, this j

ЕКЕлена КуницаLenKa1 · May 27, 2011Read

I had been waiting and waiting for my ticket booking, couldn't wait any longer. I didn't want to call and argue with the CMO, because I was already calling and arguing all the time with the agency where I'm taking my Cambridge certificate (finally finished it all today^^). On Wednesday night, I was messaging Ulyana and asked her to call those lovely people to find out how their booking process was going. Ulyana promised to call on Thursday. And then on Thursday morning, I opened iec.ru as usual and saw the booking! I should have asked Yana earlier, do they have a sixth sense or something:)) But the main joy was something else: the flight is via London, and the layover is from 22:20 to 18:05!! And that means I will finally see the capital of Great Britain!! I shared my joy with Yana that it's the fact of getting to know the capital of Great Britain that makes me happy. She felt the same:D Why are we even going to the States then?:)) Immediately +a bunch of plans and -the desire to think about finals, total fail. Well, okay, we'll sort out our studies, and then we'll see. I'm amused by the time zone changes. I fly out of Moscow at 9 PM, four hours later I'm in London at 10 PM, I fly out of there at 6 PM to NYC, and 8 hours later I arrive at 9 PM:D I still can't believe any of this..

EPEmiliia PivtoratskaiaDec 12, 2025Read

Emilia Pivtoratskaia on Instagram: "how I spent the summer of my dreams in America?🇺🇸 exactly a year ago by pure chance I learned about the «Work and Travel» program - a unique opportunity and cultural exchange for students! After a month of studying all the details, I decided to apply. Already on April 9, I received the cherished «your visa have been approved» in Yerevan and at that moment my life changed dramatically lots of anticipation, packing, the flight, and then, finally, I arrive in the city of my dreams - NYC! Arriving in Manhattan, I quickly checked into a hostel and ran off to wander around the city! The moment I walked into Central Park, I was so overwhelmed with emotions that I was literally crying with happiness, finally fully realizing where I was Then the road to my workplace for the next few months, gaining confidence in my English, a huge number of new meetings and acquaintances with people from different parts of the world, and then the most interesting part - traveling around America!🗽 I went to New York several times, visited Boston and Cambridge, traveled almost the entire West Coast, visiting Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco and other cities, fulfilled a childhood dream and saw Hogwarts in Florida with my own eyes, bought myself new tech and my first designer bag, and the cherry on top was celebrating my birthday in the city of my dreams! this summer definitely became for me one of the most vivid events that have ever happened in my life, it is an incredible experience and emotions that I received and that will forever remain in my heart🥹💔 the main thing I realized — everything is possible if you really want it! don't be afraid to take risks, friends, perhaps it is precisely this step that you take that will become the key on the way to your dream! thank you @workandtravelspb and @iec.workandtravel , for helping make mine come true🫶🏻" Video: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DRr-9YuiIaF/?igsh=MXdpYW03c2E2YXBpNg==

SYSandugash YelyubayevaAug 18, 2015Read

Our lesson followed a strict plan every day, and composed listening, reading, speaking and writing parts. We had a huge amount of home task which was terribly useful for us. Our professor checked the work of every student and after it checked attentively, showed us our mistakes, and explained why it was wrong or appropriate. As the phrase goes, learning from past mistakes is the best tool of teaching. We had two breaks between the lessons, whereby we had an opportunity to communicate with each other, to get acquainted with different cultures, to ask about the current situation in their own states, and just to talk in order to improve our speaking skills. My lessons started at 9.00 a.m. till 13.00 p.m. every day. I lived in East end of London, and my Academy was located in the West end. It took me an hour and a half to get to school. Regardless of the fact that my route seemed too complicated, I felt no difficult ties in it. Every morning I took bus number 105 up to Greenford station, and then changed it for a tube. I liked to use subway, because in my home town we do not have it. It was so interesting to observe people sitting in the tube, some of them were reading books or morning newspapers, “times”, “morning news”, name but a few, or listening to music, talking to each other, sometimes you can even be an evident of a performance of some talented musicians playing in the tube thus boosting your spirit. I liked two aspects in London. the first one is that Londoners are polite and well-bred, they are always ready to lend their hand and show which direction you should better to go if you are lost in the streets, and they are never tired or are lazy to ask you in polite form respectively if they notice that something is wrong with you. The second thing that I fell in love with is that they are able to follow the rules with ease, to listen to and obey. I think that thanks to that quality the Londoners solve the problem connected with traffic in the streets, and hustle and bustle in the tube, thus avoiding every day nerve-wracking which is easily appears in all huge cities. The picture shown above was taken in Cambridge town near well-known Cambridge university press. As the UK is very popular with such historical places as Cambridge University, Oxford castle and royal kew gardens, I could not stand visiting these places. My two weeks in London passed so fast and without being noticed. Every morning when I got up I made a plan where I should go and which places I should visit. I understood only one thing, this is that London is actually tremendous city which needs more than a week in order to visit all three parts of London, precisely city, west, and east parts. The architecture of London is worth to be mentioned also. All buildings have their own history, style and shape. For that reason London attracts tourists intensively from all over the world. Though I went to study to London alone from Kazakhstan for that moment I was not scared to go to the nearest cities of England. I was lucky to visit oxford and Cambridge . I met new friends from turkey and Kazakhstan in oxford who travelled and also have been studying there for more than two years. I was impressed Especially by Cambridge town, may be because it is the students’ town. The streets, people and even Cambridge library seemed to me so warm and close. May be it sounds lackluster; however I entered to Cambridge library and asked librarian to register me in their place as a constant reader. I was interminably happy to give my exclusive attention to it, to dedicate some of my time just to seat in that library, to look through the books which I am interested in, and then finally I bought two books for reading as a keepsake. For the first time before I had come to London I thought that for me it would be sometimes hard to understand Londoner’s accent, Because I heard several times that English of Londoners and their speech are ghastly difficult to understand. But my doubts fell aw

АААблайхан АхажановGreat_kazakh · Jan 26, 2010Read

Introduction. Cross Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. August 26, 2029. 3:00 AM. - Where is he? – a female voice whispered, slightly annoyed, from under the dark blue hood of a graduation gown with the inscription "MIT Graduate - 2014". – It's time! - Calm down. He'll be here soon. – replied the tall guy standing next to the girl with confidence, his black curly hair peeking out carelessly from under a "Cambridge Pizza" baseball cap. His pale face was occasionally visible when the dim light from the streetlamps managed to hit his glasses, despite the long visor of the cap. On this night, for some reason, the bright signs by the sidewalks were not lit, and the street was darker than usual. - It's five past three. I'm going to kill him. – the girl hissed after nervously tapping her heel on the asphalt. - Quiet! There he is! – the guy said, as confidently as before, pointing his finger toward a stranger who had just turned off Massachusetts Avenue. The man in the same gown that covered the girl quickened his pace after the guy in the baseball cap waved at him. - Hi, Penny! – the stranger greeted the girl energetically after shaking his friend's hand. - Why so long? – the girl snorted in response and immediately added, noticing the judgmental look from both guys – Sorry, hi Leo. - I was looking for the gown, it was… - Forget it. Did you bring it? – a cold, dry voice interrupted. Its owner had just emerged from the shadows of the street. He was a tall, thin man of about forty. He wore a black leather jacket, tight dark jeans, and shoes that began to glisten under the streetlights. He was the only one who did not hide his extremely pale face with a strange goatee, which was worn in the early 21st century. - Hello, Sheldon. Yes, I brought it. I promised, didn't I? – Leo replied, slightly offended, and pulled from his pocket a device resembling cell phones used twenty years ago. - Excellent. Howard, start the car. Raj is waiting for us at the main entrance. – Professor Sheldon commanded. All four got into a car parked nearby with the inscription "TSMO - 2009". A minute later, the car was no longer visible, and the sidewalks were once again illuminated by a dry cleaner's sign that suddenly lit up after the four friends left.

АААблайхан АхажановGreat_kazakh · Jan 26, 2010Read

Introduction. Cross Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. August 26, 2029. 3:00 AM. - Where is he? - a female voice whispered, slightly annoyed, from under the dark blue hood of a graduation robe with the inscription "MIT Graduate - 2014". - It's time! - Calm down. He'll be here soon. - replied the tall guy standing next to the girl with confidence, his black curly hair peeking out carelessly from under a "Cambridge Pizza" baseball cap. His pale face was occasionally visible when the dim light from the streetlamps managed to hit his glasses, despite the long visor of the cap. For some reason, the bright signs on the sidewalks were not lit that night, and the street was darker than usual. - It's five past three. I'm going to kill him. - the girl hissed after nervously tapping her heel on the asphalt. - Quiet! There he is! - the guy said, as confidently as before, pointing his finger toward a stranger who had just turned off Massachusetts Avenue. The man in the same robe that covered the girl quickened his pace after the guy in the baseball cap waved at him. - Hi, Penny! - the stranger greeted the girl energetically after shaking hands with his friend. - Why so long? - the girl snorted in response and immediately added, noticing the judgmental look from both guys - Sorry, hi Leo. - I was looking for the robe, it was... - Forget it. Did you bring it? - a cold, dry voice interrupted. Its owner had just emerged from the shadows of the street. He was a tall, thin man of about forty. He wore a black leather jacket, tight dark jeans, and shoes that began to shine under the streetlights. He was the only one who did not hide his extremely pale face with a strange goatee, which was worn in the early 21st century. - Hello, Sheldon. Yes, I brought it. I promised, didn't I? - Leo replied, a bit offended, and pulled from his pocket a device resembling the cell phones used twenty years ago. - Excellent. Howard, start the car. Raj is waiting for us at the main entrance. - commanded Professor Sheldon. All four got into a car parked nearby with the inscription "CMO - 2009". A minute later, the car was no longer visible, and the sidewalks were once again illuminated by a dry cleaner's sign that suddenly lit up after the four friends left.