It was completely dark out today by 4 in the afternoon. Winter can be so depressing. I spent the whole day in the library working on term papers that are due next week. Funny how the time of year when everyone is gearing up and embracing Christmas season is also the time when students are the most stressed out because all of our end-of-term projects and papers are due. I refuse to let the stress of school interfere with my Christmas spirit though.
The other, obviously important, matter I've been pondering today has been the weather. I got several messages from friends back home about the snow this last weekend. I can't decide if I miss it or not. Snow is beautiful... but it always means that that frigid bajillion below zero weather is right around the corner. Again, here is another case where students don't have it so good. Instead of being able to hide from the weather inside our vehicles and only be exposed to the elements during our dash from the car to the door, students have to park forever away from our classes and walk through the elements.
Here in Swansea it has been raining pretty much 5 out of 7 days of the week. Not a downpour, more of a constant drizzle mixed with some downpour. Because we're on the coast we get some of the blustery winds which can be tricky because your umbrella has a tendency to turn inside out, but the temperature hasn't been below 50 F. So I don't find myself cold often, but I do find myself wet.
So the million dollar question today is... which would I rather have? Cold... or wet? Now don't worry Mom and Dad, this question is not loaded- I am not pondering whether or not I will come home at the end of the year. More or less, my mind has simply been wandering from one thing to the next in an attempt to avoid focusing on writing these silly term papers.
I suppose its time to refocus...
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Kobenhaven
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lessons in Welsh history
I decided to take an opportunist's approach to traveling Europe this year. Instead of operating with a list of places I'd like to see and checking them off as I go, I am taking the method of ceasing opportunities to travel as they present themselves. So when my good friend, Nicole, from Oregon emailed and said she'd be in Copenhagen for a pharmaceutical conference, I jumped at the opportunity to visit a friend and see Denmark's capital city.
My plane was set to fly out of Cardiff (Wales's capital) at 6am on Sunday... so I emailed my Rotarian friends Gareth and Jan Cheeseman, who live in Cardiff, and asked if they would mind if I stayed at their home Saturday night so I was closer to the airport to catch my flight the following morning. Rotarians never seize to blow me away with their kindness and hospitality. Gareth and Jan not only opened their home to me for the evening, but provided transportation and took me out for dinner Saturday night (an absolute treat for college students who mainly live on cereal and pasta).
Gareth and Jan are a wealth of Welsh knowledge! One of my courses at Swansea University is an Intro to Welsh History class, so while Gareth and Jan were inquiring about my studies, we ended up delving into a world of Welsh trivia. Did you know that 16 of the 56 signatures on America's Declaration of Independence are Welshmen? Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, Abraham Lincoln, Calvin Coolridge, and Richard Nixon all have family roots in Wales. We also discussed the Welsh resiliency in the face of oppression. My family surnames... Edwards, and my mom's maiden name, Jones, are both Welsh in decent!
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I am developing a genuine respect for the Welsh nation and their history the more I learn. English Parliament established Penal Laws against Wales in 1402. These laws were infamous. The Welsh weren't allowed to gather together, to hold any sort of office, their children were denied education, they weren't allowed to carry arms or to live in any of the English cities or towns. This code applied to any Englishman who married a Welsh woman as well. Talk about oppression! The Welsh were treated by law as second-class citezens.
The Penal Code was lifted in 1535 by Henry VIII's Act of Wales, but a 130 years of oppression is hard to forget. That's one of the reasons I am coming to admire the Welsh. Even though they occasionally have their friendly banter directed at the English, they haven't let it ruin them. Most of the natives that I have had the chance to discuss Welsh history with speak of overcoming the adversities, taking to home education and realizing that they simply needed to work harder and press on. They didn't comprimise their integrity or let the labels the English placed on them set them back. They maintained hope, waiting for a leader to restore Welsh dignity. The leader they found was Henry Tudor, the first King of England with Welsh ancestry. He was the one who set things in motion to get the Welsh their equality back.
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Gareth and Jan picked me up at the airport after my trip (pictures from Copenhagen to come in next blog) and delivered me back to Swansea, but not before taking a detour to see and tour St. Donats castle. The castle was so cool. At least part of one of the remaining walls dated back to the 1100's, but most of the castle was from the Tudor era, around the 1500s. The castle was renovated and opened as Atlantic College in 1962. College as in what would be grades 11 and 12 to us Americans. The set up and education is top notch. Gareth retired two years ago after working for eleven years at the college, but still has the priveleges of bringing guests to show around the grounds and castle. The College itself was impressive, with 70 countries represented and only 320 students.
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The pictures included in this post are from the castle. The first is of the inner courtyard. This is where the wall dating back to the 1100s is. The second picture is looking through to the main entrance. The castle is the central hub of the college's campus. The presidents office, the dining hall, and some of the classrooms are in rooms in the castle. I have to say that a lot of it reminded me of the Harry Potter movies- especially the dining hall. They even renovated the dungeon down in the basement into the women's restroom. Each cell had a toilet in it! The last photo is of the view from the dining hall down to the church. Getting to see castles and things like these is so unreal sometimes-- nothing like history we have in the States!
Copenhagen to come in my next post...
My plane was set to fly out of Cardiff (Wales's capital) at 6am on Sunday... so I emailed my Rotarian friends Gareth and Jan Cheeseman, who live in Cardiff, and asked if they would mind if I stayed at their home Saturday night so I was closer to the airport to catch my flight the following morning. Rotarians never seize to blow me away with their kindness and hospitality. Gareth and Jan not only opened their home to me for the evening, but provided transportation and took me out for dinner Saturday night (an absolute treat for college students who mainly live on cereal and pasta).
Gareth and Jan are a wealth of Welsh knowledge! One of my courses at Swansea University is an Intro to Welsh History class, so while Gareth and Jan were inquiring about my studies, we ended up delving into a world of Welsh trivia. Did you know that 16 of the 56 signatures on America's Declaration of Independence are Welshmen? Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, Abraham Lincoln, Calvin Coolridge, and Richard Nixon all have family roots in Wales. We also discussed the Welsh resiliency in the face of oppression. My family surnames... Edwards, and my mom's maiden name, Jones, are both Welsh in decent!
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I am developing a genuine respect for the Welsh nation and their history the more I learn. English Parliament established Penal Laws against Wales in 1402. These laws were infamous. The Welsh weren't allowed to gather together, to hold any sort of office, their children were denied education, they weren't allowed to carry arms or to live in any of the English cities or towns. This code applied to any Englishman who married a Welsh woman as well. Talk about oppression! The Welsh were treated by law as second-class citezens.
The Penal Code was lifted in 1535 by Henry VIII's Act of Wales, but a 130 years of oppression is hard to forget. That's one of the reasons I am coming to admire the Welsh. Even though they occasionally have their friendly banter directed at the English, they haven't let it ruin them. Most of the natives that I have had the chance to discuss Welsh history with speak of overcoming the adversities, taking to home education and realizing that they simply needed to work harder and press on. They didn't comprimise their integrity or let the labels the English placed on them set them back. They maintained hope, waiting for a leader to restore Welsh dignity. The leader they found was Henry Tudor, the first King of England with Welsh ancestry. He was the one who set things in motion to get the Welsh their equality back.
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Gareth and Jan picked me up at the airport after my trip (pictures from Copenhagen to come in next blog) and delivered me back to Swansea, but not before taking a detour to see and tour St. Donats castle. The castle was so cool. At least part of one of the remaining walls dated back to the 1100's, but most of the castle was from the Tudor era, around the 1500s. The castle was renovated and opened as Atlantic College in 1962. College as in what would be grades 11 and 12 to us Americans. The set up and education is top notch. Gareth retired two years ago after working for eleven years at the college, but still has the priveleges of bringing guests to show around the grounds and castle. The College itself was impressive, with 70 countries represented and only 320 students.
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The pictures included in this post are from the castle. The first is of the inner courtyard. This is where the wall dating back to the 1100s is. The second picture is looking through to the main entrance. The castle is the central hub of the college's campus. The presidents office, the dining hall, and some of the classrooms are in rooms in the castle. I have to say that a lot of it reminded me of the Harry Potter movies- especially the dining hall. They even renovated the dungeon down in the basement into the women's restroom. Each cell had a toilet in it! The last photo is of the view from the dining hall down to the church. Getting to see castles and things like these is so unreal sometimes-- nothing like history we have in the States!
Copenhagen to come in my next post...
Thanksgiving!
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I hope everyone at home had a great Thanksgiving! Thank you to everyone who has contributed to helping me be in Swansea this year-- I really appreciate it!
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