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
<-- Copenhagen was a blast! As I said in my previous blog, I took advantage of getting to see a good friend from Oregon that was there because of a pharmaceutical conference. I was only there for two and a half days, but we made the most of it! I didn't really know much about Denmark's capital so I did some internet research prior to my journey. Copenhagen, like most major cities, is on the water, so one of our stops was at the old harbour. As you can see, the colors of the buildings and ships made this area very unique feeling- like something out of a movie! What you can't see is behind the boats there were loads of stands set up selling original arts and crafts. It was a fun place to explore. 
<-- This was a display set up in the city center. I had to include it because I'm sure you'll be hearing about the global climate justice conference that is going on in Copenhagen next week. We just barely missed the hustle and bustle but you could tell that it's going to be big. There were posters up everywhere advertising the event. "Hopenhagen" I thought it was clever... This particular display had some of the best photography I've ever seen in my life-- of beautiful places in the world. Once you got through it you learned that all of these places will either disappear or be radically changed in the next hundred years due to the climate change. I don't know if it was just because of the conference next week or not, but you could tell that environmental issues were near and dear to the people's hearts. 
<-- This picture is of our other major stop during our stay, Tivoli gardens. This place was cool. It definitely got me in the mood for Christmas too! We spent a whole day wondering around this small theme park/village. There were small Christmas shops everywhere, food stands, and AMAZING Christmas decorations. When the sun went down-- which was around 3:30/4 in the afternoon because we were quite far north, the lights came on and were wonderful! I cannot even explain them and I didn't include the pictures because it just didn't do them justice. If anything has gotten me in the Christmas spirit this season, it was walking around Tivoli!
<-- Another display in Tivoli was this barn where you walked through a Christmas elf scene. This is just one of them behind me but there were scenes where the elves were skating or skiing or making a Christmas dinner or even in snowball fights. I learned that a lot of Tivoli and Copenhagen are inspiration to Hans Christian Anderson's stories. 
<-- The Christmas tree out front of city hall. Nicole and I were fortunate enough to have randomly been in Copenhagen for the Christmas parade where Father Christmas makes his entrance into the city and they light the tree for the first time this season. Father Christmas came in with a bunch of dancing girls in front of a firetruck. It was really fun! In addition, you can see the outside of Tivoli behind the tree.
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!
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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!
I have the most awesome set of friends on my basketball team ever! I am one of only two Americans on the team and they all agreed to help create and participate in a Thanksgiving dinner for us lone Americans! It wasn't exactly like mom's Turkey day feast but we had roast chicken, veggies, potatoes, stuffing, gravy, apple pie, crumble, and custard! I will admit I've never really participated in the creation of a Thanksgiving feast-- its always been left up to my mom and aunts, so it was a bit of an adventure, but it turned out fabulously. We chose to have chicken instead of turkey because a big turkey wouldn't fit into the ovens they put in student residences, and you can see from the pictures that we served the meal and ate it like proper college students.. on the floor around a living room table, but it served its purpose and if nothing else, made me feel loved. 
The other American and I shared with the team what we knew about the history of Thanksgiving and what our "traditional Thanksgiving" at home would look like. One of my traditions I shared was that my family goes around before we eat and says what we're each individually thankful for, so of course the girls agreed that it would only be appropriate for us to each share something. I shared with the group that I felt exceptionally thankful this year for the opportunity to study in Swansea, and that being away from home on a more family-oriented holiday was hard, but that I felt exceptionally thankful to have met and made friends with this group of girls. I will admit that our basketball team is not the best basketball team on the planet, we have a long way to go, but most of my closest friends I am making here are from the team. We hang out outside of basketball-- classes, studying, eating, social events, movies, just hanging out, and now we've even shared a holiday!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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