home sweet home

I arrived back in Iowa on Tuesday night. I gave myself a few days to process before attempting to blog about completing the year and saying the final goodbyes and re-entry into America. My mom picked me up at the Chicago airport in the afternoon and we made the 4 1/2 hour drive home-- chatting the whole way of course. Somewhere between Galena and Dyersville, looking out over the sea of cornfields, I was struck by a sudden, "I can't believe I'm finally home," and at the exact same time, "I can't believe I was gone for a whole year." Basically, the whole ten month experience dropped into the same realm as dreams in about two hours. Funny how our minds do that. So I needed a few days to get my bearings.

Goodbyes were hard. Really hard. The thing is, I know that that means that I made good friends. Saturday the basketball team had our end of the year awards dinner, Sunday I met some of my friends for one last go at the pub near to my house, Monday day I spent saying goodbyes to some of my closest friends (I really miss you guys already!), and Monday night I went to my hosting Rotary club to say a farewell and officially exchange banners.

The honest truth is that my brain is still a bit fuzzy. I am jet-lagged, which in this case means crashing mentally from exhaustion around 6 or 7 in the evening, not even physically being able to stay awake past 9, and waking up between 5 and 6 in the morning. I am still trying to get my head around all the experiences I had and everything I had to opportunity to see and do.

As apart of my Ambassadorial Scholarship, I have to put together a "Final Report" document, reflecting on the year. I am in the process of reflecting and once I put that report together I will post bits of it on my blog so that there will be a more coherent evaluation on here. Then I will also be giving presentations at various Rotary clubs throughout my district in Eastern Iowa about Wales and my experience this year. If you are interesting in having me come speak to your club-- please get ahold of me: lauraedwards13@yahoo.com If you are family/friends and aren't apart of Rotary, but are interested in hearing my presentation, also get ahold of me and I will see if there is a club that you could come as a guest with me when I am speaking. I have learned so much about Rotary this year and it truly is a wonderful organization-- I am so grateful for this opportunity.

As for my summer plans... Tomorrow I will be heading to St. Charles, Iowa to volunteer for the week at Wildwood Hills Ranch. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Wildwood is the non-profit dearest to my heart-- it is a horse ranch that serves as a summer camp for at-risk youth. At-risk meaning kids 8-18 who have been abused, neglected or come from poverty. The camp is designed to give them opportunities to experience the outdoors, horses, swimming, teambuilding activities, hiking, etc. all the while being shown love and that they are worthwhile individuals who are valued, and being taught character and integrity. It is an incredible organization to be apart of. This particular week is especially dear to my heart because the kids who are attending camp are from Waterloo. Please keep the staff and kids in your prayers this week-- the weeks can sometimes be difficult because of habits and environments that some of the kids come from, but the opportunity to be exposed to an environment where these kids know that they are valued and cared about can change their lives.

Besides spending time at Wildwood, I will be spending the summer catching up with friends and family, hopefully getting some hours at Edwards Smith Family Dentistry so I can start replenishing my bank account, and moving myself to Iowa City so I can be settled in time to begin classes at the Univeristy of Iowa Dental College in August. It's going to be an exciting summer!

Thanks to those of you who bearing with my outpouring of words over the last 10 months. :) Thank you for all of the encouragement and support throughout my journey. Like I said before, I will post my final report document on my blog when I complete it, but aside from that... this is me signing off. It's been a good year. I can't believe its passed already. Ta ra! (a British goodbye)

the smell of education

There are times and places where the atmosphere of education is so attractive to me. It doesn't take much to get caught up in thinking I could be in an academic atmosphere forever. I just love it. (I can hear my friend Megan reading this and saying, "You really are my favourite nerd...") Oxford was one of those places. In addition to the beauty and tranquility of the city itself, having a college around every turn that breathed academic excellence was so cool. Oxford is nicknamed "the city of dreaming spires." I mean, how romantic is that?!

Oxford University is the oldest surviving English-speaking university, and third oldest university in the world (behind the University of Bologna and University of Paris). Although not exactly certain of a foundation date, historians do know that teaching was going on in Oxford in 1096. The university is a federation comprised of over 40 self-governing colleges and halls. When I visited Oxford on Tuesday, I visited several of the colleges and let me tell you, each is beautiful.

<-- One of my favorites was Christ Church College. It had a magnificent courtyard, a cathedral (the only university in the world to have a cathedral as opposed to the many who have chapels), a world famous cathedral choir, a war memorial garden, and 150 acre meadow aside it for the enjoyment of the students. This is a photo of me in the courtyard. Out of Christ Church College has come thirteen British prime ministers and loads of recognized individuals, author Lewis Caroll, theologian John Wesley, scientists like Albert Einstein and Robert Hooke and so many more noteables I could make a whole blog out of the list of people (John Locke, Robert Peel, William Gladstone, W.H. Auden, David Dimbleby, Rowan Williams, Richard Curtis, Howard Goodall...). I thought this was sort of interesting-- some places in Christ Church College are inspiration for several parts of Lewis Caroll's Adventures in Wonderland.

<-- When I was visiting Oxford I opted for a self-guided tour, which I really enjoyed because I could go at my own pace and make pit stops as I wanted. One such pit stop was at the Grand Cafe-- the very first coffee shop in the UK, serving the first cup in 1615. On my walk I also stopped off at the Botantical Gardens, known for being the oldest teaching gardens. There was a memorial surrounded by rose bushes commemorating the discovery of Penicillin that I thought was pretty cool.



<-- Oxford's central research library is the Bodleian library. It is home to 117 miles of shelving, the second largest library in the UK (after the British library). It is a "legal deposit" library, meaning that they are entitled to a free copy of every book published in the UK and is therefore growing at a rate of 3 miles of shelving per year! On one side of the library is the Radcliffe Camera, a dome shaped building affiliated with the library, used to house the science books. On the other side is the Clarendon Building, which used to house the Oxford University Press... think dictionaries! In 1975 the Clarendon Building was handed over to the library. This photo is the library with the Radcliffe camera behind. The day I was visiting it was really crappy weather, so this photo really just doesn't give the old historical buildings any justice. Standing outside the library you could just feel the prestige of centuries of great minds coming and going to use the books and do their work. Walking the streets in Oxford, I was struck by a sense of being honored to be able to visit the places where these great people had done so much of their work.

I have to tell everyone-- I finished my exams!!! Wooo!!!! It always feels so good to complete yet another year in my academic journey :)

knighthood still exists

With two exams completed and only one more to go, the pressure was on. And when the pressure is on to be studying, the pressure to come up with even better reasons not to also looms even more closely. Luckily, my commitment to exploring the UK and getting the most out of the cultural experience provides material from which to draw excuses to sneak away from Swansea and the daunting task of traditional studying. Don't worry, I took my study materials with me on the train :)I am really passionate about making sure I see and do all that I can while I'm here, so that means that even in this last week, I have been trying to make the most of it.

Thanks to Sue Smith, I have had in my hands this term the first season of the television show, The Tudors. For those of you who aren't familiar with it-- I would first advise that it is probably not suitable for kids. It is a soap opera style TV drama following the story line of Henry the VIII, his life as King of England, and his six wives. Although it is a little "trashy," it has provided a more interesting backdrop from which the history of the British monarchy, and I have grown to love it. In addition to watching The Tudors, I have also made an effort to watch period dramas like The Other Boleyn Girl and Elizabeth I. Luckily, I have a friend here who is equally entranced by these shows-- so I'm not alone. I know that TV producers have added their own twists and drama to the stories, but I've kept my computer close and have been googling individuals out of curiosity how close their TV characters were to the real thing. I know that the personalities are hard to pinpoint historically, but what they are pictured doing is surprisingly accurate.

--> Take this whole fascination with the monarchy one step further, and I've accidentily reinforced my TV habits with real history. Monday I went and visited Windsor castle, which had so much to see and learn, but along the Tudor line, was where Henry VIII himself, along with some of his closest friends (like Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk for those of you who know the TV show) as well as Jane Seymour were buried. Also buried in St. George's Chapel at Windsor was Edward IV, Henry VI, Charles I (among many others) and more recently the queen's mother. It is also where the current queen intends to be buried.

--> For a little bit more history-- when William the Conquerer came over to Britain in 1070, he decided that he wanted London to be his capital. In order to protect the city, he built 9 castles around it. Two of those are still standing: the Tower Castle (which I visited in March) and Windsor. While both house heaps of history within their walls, Windsor is still an "official residence" of the Queen. Across the lawn in this photo is the "private apartments," where the queen stays when she is there. Apparently she didn't get my note about coming to visit, she wasn't there when I was there.

--> The big attractions in Windsor for tourists to see are the queen's dollhouse, the state apartments, the round tower (pictured behind me here) and the chapel. Unfortunately, the only one you can photograph is the tower-- from the outside. While the Tower Castle was originally built in stone, Windsor was originally wood. Obviously the original wood wasn't able to survive a thousand years of wear and tear, so they have had to rebuild. The round tower is the oldest structure standing, being built in stone about one hundred years after the original wood was put up (so during the 1100s).

The State Apartments were my favorite, particularly St. George's Hall. Inside this massive hall where the queen hosts banquets there were knight's sheilds up on the ceilings and along the walls, just over a thousand of them. I was fascinated by the "Order of the Garter." I guess I didn't know that knights and stuff like this still existed, even though nowadays it isn't as hardcore as it was originally. So the Order of the Garter is the highest order of knighthood. Yup, knights still exist-- they originated in medevil England, created by King Edward III, were warriors, and were all apart of the order of chivalry. At any time in history, the Order of the Garter was comprised of the monarch, the Prince of Wales, and 24 companions (appointed by the monarch). The knight's sheilds are all on display in St. George's Hall because the order is dedicated to St. George, the patron saint of England. There are some sheilds that are blank, though, instead of showing the particular coat of arms. I learned that rather than take the sheild down when a knight is degraded from the order, for committing a crime like treason, the sheild is left up, but blank, to remind everyone the cost of treason.

ketchup... no-- catch up!

In an effort to attempt to study for my exams, I told myself I needed to take a break from the computer-- at least from facebook and blogging. Ha, yea right. What actually happened was I just found myself finding other things to do with my time and my blog got backed up and now I have to play catch up!

<--Not this last weekend, but the weekend before, I went to Cardiff to visit Gareth and Jan Cheeseman. Now this is a memory jogger because I have mentioned them before, but it has been awhile (time flys I tell ya!). Gareth and Jan are the lovely Rotarians that chaperoned the Ambassadorial scholars at district conference and took me to see Atlantic College in St. Donat's castle. I just had to see them once more before I hopped back over the pond. I stayed overnight at their home in Cardiff Bay and we got a perfect couple days- sunshine and heat!! Gareth and Jan both grew up in Cardiff when the bay was considered a really rough area. Sunday evening when we strolled around the bay, checking out all the unique boutiques and restaurants, massive hotels, million-plus pound residences, the opera house, etc, they were able to tell me about how the docks used to be dangerous and dirty. It's amazing how much can change!

<-- Monday we walked into the city centre by the new mall and pedestrian streets for shopping, the library, government buildings, the rugby stadium (the national football and rugby teams' home stadium is in Cardiff), by some of the university buildings, and into Bute park where we met Emily, another of the Ambassadorial scholars studying in Wales (in Cardiff), from Australia. I had met Emily in November at district conference. Gareth and Jan had arranged to take us for lunch at a pub in Bute park to catch up and say goodbyes since the year is drawing to a close. I'm beginning to work on my Final Report for Rotary, and one of the things I've found has been most beneficial to my year abroad and my learning process is the incredible people I've met from all over the world. Gareth and Jan have been such incredible people to get to know; passionate about Rotary and its initiatives and genuinely kind. Meeting other scholars, like Emily (and Claire) has opened my eyes to the people across the world who are doing great things-- if we just connect and work together the possibilites of what we can achieve are endless.

On another topic, I am fearing I didn't do Christian's German meal or Barbara's Italian meal justice, so I decided I should include photos, a visual will complete the experience. The following is Christian's meatballs in sauce, and then Barbara's super fresh brushetta and then her pasta. I didn't get a photo of her marscapone dessert because we ate it too fast. :) Mmmm....

the art of distraction

It's funny how changing circumstances can change a person's perspective on things. Like how with the onset of a need to be studying for exams, suddenly so many things become important-- like cleaning the house, doing the dishes, and blogging of course! (Haha)

We students call this the art of distraction. Don't let me deceive you, exams are definitely important. Because of this fact, the student must frame the distraction in a light that portrays it to be more important. Thankfully, this term is offering much material to work with: given that it is my last weeks in Wales, not only is packing or cleaning a priority, but so is spending time with friends I may not ever see again. Thus, socializing becomes very important. :)

I am an emotional person (I can hear my mom chuckling already). I don't know who came up with the idea of putting exams at the end of the term, but don't they know that we students, especially international students, already have a lot on our plates this time of year?? Goodbyes are hard enough, let alone figuring out how I'm going to fit everything back into the TWO suitcases I came with, realization of how much less money I have, and then add to it the stress of exams. Not to mention that its finally been starting to feel like Spring/Summer around here.. Mom, can you even imagine the rollercoaster my emotions are on? It's no surprise my face has broke out a little bit!!

If you remember, at the beginning of this term I shared with you about how my American housemate and I made an "American dinner" for our international housemates. Well, we have continued the project to share our cultures-- My housemate, Jon, is from France and I have to be honest, his English isn't always the best (don't worry, he doesn't follow my blog), but he didn't quite understand the project and rather than sharing something French, made us one of his favorite new dishes-- fajitas! Haha! Christian, from Germany, made us a dish that he explained was really traditional and he'd grown up with his mom making it for him. It was meatballs in a cream of mushroom-type sauce over white rice, served it with a yummy cucumber salad on the side. Delic'! I have to admit that my favorite was our most recent-- Italian! Barbara is an amazing chef and she really treated us. Fresh bruschetta starter, pasta with a homemade cream sauce with mushrooms and ham in it, and marscapone dessert! Wowwy it was so good.

So anyway, these days have been filled with coming up with a packing strategy, beginning to say goodbyes to friends as they finish their exams and start leaving town, trying to enjoy the sunshine that Swansea has been offering lately, wrapping up paperwork from the university and my final report for Rotary-- oh, and studying for exams!!

one down, two to go

Completed my first exam this morning. Honestly, this blog is more of a distraction from studying for my second exam than anything. Not that you all aren't important, but my days lately have been filled with attempts to study and learn last minute things before being evaluated. I have to say, though, in my studying with my friends from the UK, we've gotten into a lot of discussions about coursework and grades and one thing I'm realizing is there are so many differences between the US and UK educational systems.

I cannot even begin to explain the high school system here to you. To me, it sounds like they are in high school for two years and then they do two years of courses that are more focused on their interest area and structured in a way that is more transitional to a university-style schedule. Then, university and college are not the same thing here. The way I understand it, college is more like a technical school education and university is like our universities and colleges. Some people go to "college" instead of doing the last two years of high school. I think I have discussed this before, but the concept of a liberal arts education is definitely more rare in the UK. The US university system requires a much broader spectrum of classes, and therefore takes longer to achieve an undergraduate degree. While it takes at least four years in the States, undergraduate degree programs in the UK hardly ever take more than three years.

The differences abound when you start talking about how things are evaluated. We call it grading, they call it marking. While we have the gradepoint system that we are all familiar with-- I never realized how complicated it really is until I tried to explain it to a friend here. Hah! Maybe I'm just not very good at explaining! Nevertheless, for evaluating a specific assignment or exam, our grading is based on taking away points while theirs is based on earning points. So our professors give you 100% and then take away points for what you answer wrong or are missing. Here, they start at zero and give you points based on what components you have.

On a larger scale, our numerical grades are converted into letter grades while theirs are converted into another numerical system. Our top grade is an A+ depending on where you go, and theirs is called a 1st (so the top grade is a 1st, the next is a 2-1 followed by a 2-2, and then a 3rd). Step back another step and while our grades are converted into the gradepoint system and averaged based on the credit hours and accumulated as you take classes, theirs again, is different. The first year of their degree program is pass/fail. Then the next two years are weighted- sometimes each year is worth equal parts, but sometimes it is split where the second year is worth 30% and the third worth 70%. Like I said, it is very complicated.

In any sense, I must be getting back to my studying. One down, two to go!!

sun in swans

--> You will never believe what I saw today-- the sun! Haha. I was starting to wonder if it even still existed... My Welsh friends got a kick out of my playful complaints about how my complexion has gone all wrong due to being so white I feel reflective and how I've just got to be vitamin D deprived.. They all laugh and say, "This is Wales!" The Welsh embrace their pasty skin tone and sing and dance in the rain... Ok, not quite. It has rained and rained and rained up until today. Today, the sun showed its marvelous face accompanied by none other than its lovely sister-- heat!! Today, it was summer. Ah.... finally the Wales that they put in the advertisements for the university online. :)

--> We all are in the midst of "revising" (the British word for studying) for our exams, but we felt compelled to embrace the day, "sharpen our saws", and head to the beach. What a wonderful choice we made!! My friends Jess and Ceridy insisted that I could not leave Wales without having swam in the sea, and I may not get a better day, so today was it. Digging my "swim costume" (as they call it) out, we packed our bags and headed for Caswell, a nice beach west of Swansea. And the water was COLD!!!!! So COLD. Probably the COLDEST water I've ever swam in in my life. It was also SO FUN. We took a frisbee, caught some rays, and prayed our toes didn't freeze off.

--> Reverse a couple of days... Tuesday I went with Ceridy and her sister, Immy, and Immy's boyfriend, Francesco, to stay a couple days at her grandparent's farm outside of Tenby. Tenby is a coast town in west Wales known for its stunning beaches. Of course, the two days we set out to explore the beaches some of the densest fog I've ever seen rolled in. We opted to bypass some of the beaches on account we wouldn't even be able to see the water or appreciate the view, but we made the most of it exploring other options. Wednesday we went into the Tenby village and shopped around at the surf shops and boutiques. This photo, in a way, tells a story for me. First of all, you can see how absolutely dense the fog was-- you can't even seen the water!! Second, the tide in Wales is unreal-- the second largest in the world! As such, when tide is out, the boats rest of the sand. The combination of these two things makes this picture almost sort of creepy...

--> Ceridy and Immy took us for several "traditional" meals. Tuesday night we got fish and chips in Kilgetty from a "proper chippy." Doused in vinegar and wrapped in paper to take home (like it traditionally was done), it was the best fish and chips I've ever had. Wednesday night, we went to a local pub in Tenby for dinner. They insisted that we experience "white bait," one of their long-time favorite snacks. Ehhhh.... while breaded fish is nothing new to me, I hope this picture is clear enough for you to see that the fish were whole!! I manned up enough to try them, and will admit that they did taste alright (like any breaded food), but I couldn't keep it up- it was just too much for me to see their beady little eyes, skin and tails!! Bleahhhhhhh......

--> Thursday we went to Pembroke Castle. Now, I have been to A LOT of castles. And the truth is they are starting to look similar. The significance of this castle, though, is that Henry the VII, the first king of the Tudor Dynasty, was born in Pembroke Castle. And even more significant in my little world, I did my essay for my Welsh History class last term on Henry the VII. Being in Europe this year has brought a lot of history to life for me, and this was yet another one. They had an exhibit set up in one of the rooms, marking the exact place where he was born. Very cool.

Between touring around, we spent time with Ceridy's grandparents. First of all, it was so good to be around a family, particularly out in the country around the animals. They had dogs and chicken and horses and ducks... "Bampa," as they called their grandpa, showed us how around the chicken pen, explaining how to know when they are about to lay eggs and how to get them to have chicks. He also got out the dogs and showed us some examples of the ways he trains them to retrieve when he's hunting. Lastly, "Batman," as they call their grandmother (who is usually called "Nan" by British people), was so hospitable-- it made me really miss my grandmas at home (Shout out to Grandma Jo and Grandma Emma! Can't wait to see you soon!). Over the course of three days, I think we had tea about a zillion times. I LOVE this British tradition. It is such a great way to sit down and have a chat with whoever is around and relax. Tea, tea, tea. All the time!!

When I get home and start getting together with all of you-- I think we should have tea!

busy busy bee

There is a magpie that lives outside my window. They say that magpies mate for life. The one out my window is always alone so I think his mate may have died or else he just never met the "one." Either way, he has decided that we're roommates because he's always sitting outside my window like the roommate no one ever officially invited in. I think he was uninformed about a few social "norms". He starts singing quite loudly around 4:30 in the morning! Maybe he thinks I should be getting up earlier? I haven't had lectures to attend so I don't have anything scheduled to be getting up for in the morning, but contrary to my magpie's opinion, I have been getting up plenty early! I have been seizing my days around 8 and packing them full of last minute sight-seeing, reading on the beach, packing in time with friends I won't see for who knows how long, visiting Rotarians I have met, and studying in between!


<-- My housemate Lauren, and I at the Roman baths in Bath, England. One week ago today we took the train to Bath to explore the historical village. Bath was established around 43 AD by the Romans, who called it "Aquae Sulis," because of the hot springs. The only hot springs in the UK, they used the naturally warm water to heat the largest public bath in all of the Roman Empire. That's what is behind Lauren and I in this picture, and although you're not supposed to touch the water, I couldn't resist and it is warm! I have to say, now that I've been to Rome and see Roman architecture and remains in pretty much every city I've visited, I cannot help but be totally impressed. Those Romans were busy, efficient and obviously intelligent. I love going to the gym-- and they started the trend sooo long ago.

<-- Sunday, my friend Ceridy and I went to explore some of what the Brecon Beacons have to offer. The Brecon Beacons are the mountain range in South Wales, forming the centerpiece of the Brecon Beacons National Park. It was stunning and we got a perfect day. Our first stop was at the Dan-yr-Ogof caves. Claiming to be the largest show cave in all of Europe, it was massive. This photo is from inside one of the smaller pathways, but the next photo is from inside one of the larger caves.




<-- This is the "Cathedral Cave." They actually use it for weddings sometimes! It wouldn't be my pick of wedding location, but how unique! Truthfully, the photo doesn't really do it justice either because it turned a bit to the left so you can't see any of how big it is that way and all of what is behind me. There was a spot in one of the caves where you got quite a ways back and it was blocked off to the public. We found out later that only people a part of a special caving club can continue on because its not lit and a bit more rugged terrain, but that it continued on at least 20 more kilometers! These caves were the most amazing caves I've ever seen in my life!


<-- After exploring the caves, we drove to Glynneath, still in the Brecon Beacons and hiked along one of the rivers. It reminded me a lot of hiking in Oregon, dirt paths along the water up and down mountain sides. Every so often trees would open up to a breathtaking waterfall. We got to this one and there was a family sat down picnicing. Their dog, as you can see, was enjoying the water. It was picture-perfect. We were enjoying ourselves so much we didn't even realize we'd hiked for over two hours! It was awesome!


<-- Yesterday I caught the bus to Aberdare to visit Robert and Marilyn Bratman, Rotarians I had met when I visited the Aberdare Rotary club in November. We've kept in touch since, and I wanted to see them at least once more before I headed back to the States. Of course a simple visit is just not how the Bratmans roll. Marilyn took me to a cute little museum and art gallery in Aberdare, spoiled me with "study treats" from Tesco, and then we picked up Robert before going to a local pub for lunch. After lunch we had tea and chatted at their home until I had to catch the last bus back to Swansea. The Bratmans have been such wonderful people to have connected with!


<-- The pub that Robert and Marilyn took me too was out of fish and chips so I opted to try the "American burger" they offered on the menu. I don't know if you can tell from this photo, but it was THE BIGGEST piece of burger meat I've EVER seen in my entire life! I couldn't help but laugh-- it was 20 ounces!!! I think I maybe ate a fourth of it before calling it quits, but I couldn't help wondering where the pub owner had gotten the impression that American burgers are that huge?!

reflection is in the air

On the way back from Stonehenge last week, my friend Alex asked me what the best and worst things about the year have been. A fair question. I've been starting to reflect on my year and put together ideas for the Rotary presentations I will be doing when I get home and part of that has been thinking about the best and worst things.

There have been a lot of "bests." I mean, look at my entire blog! Daily routines, friendships, travels.. the entire experience has been amazing. Today, as I sit here, if I had to pick just one thing that was the best, I wouldn't be able to do it. I would have to categorize: Academically.. the best part has been the chance to take classes that incorporate literature. I have a re-inspired love for reading.

Socially... the basketball team. I've said it before, but these girls have become my best friends. Not only have we played basketball together, but we've hung out, shared meals, traveled together, studied together, laughed, cried... Most recently we went and did an "assault course" together. We crawled through tunnels and mud and water in not-so-warm weather, through tires and over walls and on rope walkways through the trees, laughing the whole way through! They say courses like this are to build a team. We already are a close team so the experience helped to create yet another memory...

Traveling... this one is hard to put a finger on because its really hard to compare a city like Copenhagen or Amsterdam to Barcelona or Rome. I loved every minute of the traveling I've gotten to do. I took advantage of every opportunity I've had to spend time in London and fell in love with that city. It has so much to offer! Barcelona definitely stands out in my mind though, it was just SO unique from all the others, and the architecture and art were probably the most appealing to my eyes. That one is hard!

Rotary related... My favorite club I visited was Aberdare. All of the clubs were warm and inviting and encouraging, as all Rotarians are, but I particularly enjoyed the atmosphere that night. That night I met Robert and Marilyn Bratman, who had me over for lunch a couple weeks ago. District conference was pretty fun too! Getting to hang out in Torquay with the other scholars, Emily, Andrea, Wendy and Claire and dancing the nights away was a blast. As I've been reflecting, I have to say that having a host counselor/host family definitely made this experience top notch. While I am confident that I would have been OK on my own, having the Murrays' help to get around, show me things, and just knowing that there is a family nearby willing to look out for me took my experience to the next level. I am forever grateful to Rotary for setting up the scholarship that way, and to the Murrays for being those people.

In Swansea... The beach! Swansea Bay isn't the absolute prettiest beach I've ever been to in my life, but having the chance to live a five minute walk from the ocean has rocked my world! I love getting up in the morning and going for a walk on the sand, or just peaking out the window during a lecture to notice that the tide had come in, or being able to go out and BBQ and sit around a bonfire with friends. What can I say?? There aren't many beaches in Iowa, and the nearest ocean is at least 1,000 miles in any direction! How can I not enjoy what is new to me?

You may be wondering how I responded to the "worst" part of the question. Overwhelmingly, my time on this side of the pond has been positive, but of course there were moments. Nothing negative related to people or the places though. The things I have found myself most frustrated with have been the rain and when I miss the convenience of having a car. When I say the rain, I don't mean rain in general-- I just mean on those days when it was pretty hard AND the wind was gusting, blowing my umbrella inside out, AND I had to walk the fifteen minutes to campus for class. Which is where the convenience of private transportation comes in. In those same moments, I missed being able to make the dash to the car and zip to class or zip to the store. But truthfully, in hindsight, I know those moments were "character building." I still made it to class and I didn't melt.

I've got a few more exciting little day trips planned for the next couple weeks before my return to the States... and the daunting task of preparing for and completing my final exams, but I can feel the adventure is winding down. Living in house full of international students, I can feel it in everyone's attitudes and emotions. Dreading the goodbyes, cleaning up the house to move out, and packing. Reflection is in the air, and I can say with a smile that my reflecting is full of great memories.

most fascinating old rocks

<-- I'm sure most of you recognized this famous circle of massive rocks known as Stonehenge. The bottom line is that they know they've been there for about 5000 years but they really don't have a clue why people took the time and effort to put them there. There are hypotheses of religious symbolism, the rocks also seem to line up like a giant sundial indicating the summer and winter solstices, or maybe it was a power thing. Then there is the issue of how did they get there? 5000 years ago, the type of rock came from over a hundred miles away, and they each weight about 5 tons. To be honest, I really don't know what I think. This massive structure is in the middle of a countryside field with sheep wandering around and it left me kind of speechless. Maybe they should have left an inscription for future generations?


<-- On our way home from Stonehenge we drove by the Westbury White Horse, a giant figure of a horse carved in chalk on a hildside in Wiltshire. As you can see, its huge. Sort of like Stonehenge, its another mystery in this part of the English countryside. They suspect it was originally carved in the 1700s and speculate it may have commemorated a battle of some sort, but they really have no idea.





<-- Coming over the bridge back into South Wales from our day out in the English countryside at sunset. My friend Alex, and another friend Claire, and I had made a whole day out of exploring around Wiltshire. It was so good and the sunset was the perfect end.

I finished my essays yesterday and got everything turned in which means that I have a little bit of a break before final exams start. Whooo!!! On another note, yesterday marked five weeks until I head home... I cannot believe it. With essays to work on, I hadn't really thought much about it, but today, on my first free day, I can't help but be a little sentimental thinking about how much I've learned and done and the people that I've done life with these last nine months. Ah... 'tis life :)

Colour my world

--> During my time in the UK, I have had the opportunity to visit the Hillsong London church several times. Well, this last weekend I attended the Colour Conference, a women's conference hosted by Hillsong. It was in London at the Royal Albert Hall and it rocked my world. It was two days full of inspirational speaking and teaching, workshops and great music. I was a bit overwhelmed so I have been pondering the last couple days what exactly I walked away from the conference with. First of all, from a tourism point of view, its worth mentioning that the Royal Albert Hall is breathtaking. The conference hosted about 5000 women hailing from 29 different countries.

One of the main initiatives that the Colour Sisterhood partners with is called A-21, and they work to help get women out of sex trade. My eyes were opened to the vastness of human trafficking on our planet. I had no idea. 27 million people, mostly women and children, and mostly for the purpose of sex, are in captivity on our planet-- more people in slavery than ever before in history! And they say its on the rise. My heart broke. One of the speakers explained that in instances like Haiti's earthquake and other natural disasters, often human traffickers show up before humanitarians and steal children off the streets. What kind of world do we live in?? I haven't been able to get these women and children off my mind since. I know I've got to do something, I just don't know exactly how that will manifest itself yet. Watch out world. Check this out for more: Click here and Here.

--> The keynote speakers were Bobbie Houston, Holly Wagner, Priscilla Shirer, Dr. Robi Sondregger, and Christine Caine. There was so much to take in. I found myself learning new truths about God's Word, inspired and motivated. One of the cool teachings was about the Israelites headed to the promised land. Priscilla Shirer pointed out that God offered the promised land to Moses among 2 million people. When God fulfilled his promise, of that 2 million, only Joshua and Jacob were the only ones from the initial generation to actually see it. The question presented was, what did Josh and Jacob have to be that one in a million? They acted immediately, acted fearlessly, they gave the glory to God, and they confidently expected the miracle God provided. I think, for me, I could stand to have a lot more confidence in God's ability to provide. I am ready to expect miracles :)

This last weekend was so enriching to my soul. Thank you to those of you who were praying for me to have a good weekend-- it was!

Welsh varsity photos :)

<-- My whole basketball team together before the game. We had a pasta dinner the night before at my house-- it was so much fun!! I love these girls, they have truly become some of my best friends here in Swansea.


<-- Like I said before, the rugby match is the biggest event of the day...











<-- ... And Swansea won! Yay!!

Welsh varsity

I don't really think there are words that can give this event justice. This last Wednesday was "Varsity," an annual university sporting event day in which all of the sports teams compete against all the of the sports teams from the other large Welsh university, our rival, Cardiff. (Boooooo....)

I have never been to an event that I can really compare to this. It sort of reminded me of weekend tournaments from when I was in middle school, but then add to it that there was every possible sport going on at the same time and all of the games were Swansea vs. Cardiff which really amped up the competition because people could walk from game to game and you were always cheering for your university. And I only mention it because it truly was a significant part of the day, (and Welsh culture in general) add a lot of alcohol.

It was a beautiful day out- perfect for watching the various football (soccer), lacrosse, or field hockey games. Plus there was netball, badmitton, squash and basketball going on indoors. Because this is a competition between the universities, the idea is that they keep track of how many teams from each side wins and the university with the most is the champion. The reality is that the finale of the day is the rugby match in the evening and the winner of that is the champion. I learned that Welsh Varsity has been in held in Cardiff for the last several years, so it was a pretty big deal that it was in Swansea...

Of course you want to know how my basketball team did... not so pretty. Cardiff women's basketball were some of the strongest, most fit girls I've ever played basketball against in my entire life. I am not, and have never been a girl that gets tossed around easily, and I felt like the Cardiff girls could have smashed me like a bug if they wanted to. Needless to say we lost by a margin that does not even need to be recorded. BUT we had fun. It was my last basketball game of the year and the girls on the team have become my best friends.

And now, the information you've all been dying to know, who won the rugby match-- Swansea!! It was so exciting! The crowd was loud the entire game, chanting back and forth between opposing fans, the game was close, and Swansea pulled it off! All of the students rushed the field, jumping around screaming "Swansea!!" The Varsity event concludes with the buses that take all of the students from the rugby stadium to the bars to celebrate... The rest is history.

Pictures to be posted once I get them uploaded. The whole essay writing thing has gotten in the way of keeping up on posting photos-- but I'll get to it soon!

some things I didn't mention before: home edition

One thing I've learned from observation is that there is one overwhelming theme throughout all of Britain: space consciousness. :) Anyone who has been to the UK can understand what I'm talking about-- small rooms, even smaller hallways, tiny roads, strategically placed gardens, steep stairs... In many restaurants, don't be surprised if you get seated at a table with other people!! Any open space is free game!

My house in Swansea... to start-- our neighborhood uses up every inch of free space. It is a "terraced house" meaning that even though it is considered a house, it is attached to the houses on both sides so that basically our entire block is just one long building.

We've got three floors and let me tell ya, the stairs are steep! My room is the "shoebox," kindly nicknamed because of being the smallest in the house. It's about 8 by 10 feet... yes, tiny tiny. Good thing I was only allowed to bring two suitcases with me for this year because there wouldn't be room for more than that! In order to fit in a desk and a bed, the door to my wardrobe doesn't even open all the way. I also have a sink in my room- which comes in handy when someone is in the bathroom, but is also kind of funny when I really stop to think about it. I've had friends over before to watch movies or hang out-- maneuvering in the small enclosure is a bit like doing a dance.

My favorite part of my house is the bathroom. Keeping in mind that my house was most likely built in the early 1800s, I am content to be satisfied with not understanding the original architect's thoughts when designing... For starters, the light switch is not only outside of the bathroom, but above the door. I am not the tallest, so yes, this means I have to jump to turn on the lights every time I need to relieve myself. Not only is the light outside the room but it is also motion sensored- in theory. In reality it just pretty much has a mind of its own. 9 out of 10 times, while relieving oneself, the lights go off and you're forced to flail your arms around until they come back on. You may ask why, if the light is motion sensored, we don't just leave the switch on. Well, because it also has a mind of its own, that means it also switches on on its own as well. It gets better. The shower... aside from being tiny (which makes shaving ones legs incredibly difficult), has a switch to turn on the water. I don't really know if this is normal or not throughout homes in Britain, as I haven't seen it in anyone else's homes, but we have it. And just like the awkward light switch, the water switch is equally awkwardly placed-- out in the hallway. For those of you who have devious minds-- yes, that means that in theory you could turn the water AND the lights off while someone was inside. Luckily, none of us housemates have gotten to be close enough friends to feel comfortable playing any practical jokes!

This last bit is unrelated to the inherent architecture of our house, but has still been something I've had to cope with. One of my housemates is on the university surfing team. While this is super cool, it means that he's got a wet suit that needs to be hung to dry from time to time. Wales is a wet climate, eliminating the effectiveness of hanging something to dry outside, so the best place in the house to hang a damp wetsuit is in the shower. I cannot even count the times I have stepped into the bathroom, sometimes half asleep in the middle of the night-- and seen the dark outline of a person in the shower. My heart stops each time!!

I learned recently that they don't make "big" refrigderators in Britain. While this may not be entirely true, there is definitely less of them. Which explains why instead of having one big fridge, we have two small fridges. This gets complicated sharing between five, but usually just ends up meaning having less in the house and more frequent visits to the grocery store. It also brings up a few grocery discrepancies I have come across-- namely, eggs and milk. In the UK, they do not keep their eggs in the fridge. That is one habit I have had a hard time changing, but there have been times that the space in the fridge doesn't allow for my carton of eggs. I have not gotten food poisoning or anything, so it must be OK. The other thing is they have milk that doesn't need to be in the fridge. It does once its opened, but it allows for my housemate who likes to buy his food in bulk to store bunches of milk in the cupboard until he's ready to use them. I can't bend on this one, it is just too weird to me, so I continue to buy fresh milk. When I was staying at Juliette's in Bordeaux, I learned that they don't even have a fresh milk option in France. Weird.

Living in a house with 4 other people, sharing a tiny bathroom, and strategizing how to organize the "shoebox," have all been learning experiences. Lots of laughs and lots of memories. I think that its going to make me appreciate the day that I have my own bathroom and kitchen utensils that much more.

Today marks six weeks until I head back to the States for good. I cannot believe how fast things have gone... but I'll save that mushy stuff for another blog later. Spring is one of my favorite times of year in Iowa, and let me tell ya, I miss a good thunderstorm. So, the next thunder-boomer that rolls through, take a moment and enjoy it on my behalf :) Miss you all!

some things I didn't mention before

I've decided that it is not fair to leave all of my faithful blog followers believing that all of my adventures and traveling have gone off without their moments of lost-ness or confusion. My blog thus far reads a lot like a movie, editing out the bloopers... However, trust me. There have been a few.

Let me start by talking about money. One of my biggest questions when I first arrived on this side of the pond was related to how everyone claims that "traveling Europe is SO cheap and easy." Ok, so how do I do it? I suppose I could agree-- but only if you're willing to eat less, sleep less comfortably, and travel at the mercy of the system, sometimes taking a roundabout way or leaving at a less convenient time. Let me explain... traveling Europe is not technically cheap by any means. My bank account can attest to that. It is less expensive to travel around once you're over here relative to if I were to start in the States and come to each place separately. We have found ways to reduce cost, like being willing to stay in less desirable places or take the longer bus or train ride.

Traveling on a budget means cutting corners and being willing to be very flexible. The least expensive train to Wimbledon was at 3:58 AM. Most of Megan and my adventures have begun at some ungodly early time in the morning in order to avoid "peak" travel times. On our particular train to Wimbledon I only vaguely remembering getting on the train, I believe we were the only ones to board in Swansea, and while I recall falling asleep the only one on the train, I woke up with my head on some kind businessman's shoulder on a packed train somewhere just outside of London! Ah!

That same weekend, our night in Brighton was our first experience with a youth hostel. After having stayed at several hostels and budget motels, I can tell you first hand that there are definitely differing degrees of nice-ness when it comes to places to stay. And truthfully, while you can get lucky and find some diamond in the rough, mostly you just get what you pay for. The reviews for the hostel in Brighton had mentioned it being a louder place to stay, but for 15 pounds a night we were willing to give it a try. What we didn't expect was the hostel to be above a pub and the bartender to double as the receptionist. Sketchy doesn't even begin to describe the vibes coming off this place.

Because it was our very first experience with a hostel we agreed we would try to participate and meet people, because we'd heard that was common in that environment to meet up with other travelers and make friends. We'd only been in the pub for a half hour when a crew came in that transformed the place into a full blown music-blasting dance club. People of all shapes, sizes and styles started pouring into the room. While we are not above a good night out, this was not the scene we'd been looking for. Suddenly thankful for the three flights of stairs that separated us from the ground floor and our room, we turned in for the night. After being woke in the night to a false fire alarm (probably set off by the impromtu smoke machines being carried onto the make-shift dance floor) and sleeping with one eye open all night, we packed our stuff up and carried on our way to our next destination early the next morning.

I have discovered since being in Europe that I get motion sick from time to time, particularly on buses. I had my first experience on a day trip to Cardiff with actually being sick on a bus. It was awful. I will spare you all the details, but this truth has since made travelling a little more difficult because buses are usually the cheapest way to go. Sometimes motion sickness can be combated by sleeping, but other times I feel like I'm being tortured slowly.

Ever heard the Scottish song I Would Walk 500 Miles by the Proclaimers? "And I would walk 500 miles and I would walk 500 more..."? It might as well be my theme song minus the falling part. Any time the walk won't absolutely kill us, we have. I have walked across the entirety of London, Dublin, Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Rome. I have walked under sunshine, in rain (lots of rain), wind, fog, and snow. There are times where we've been tempted to take the bus or a tram-- and times we've given in, but I am sure that we have saved significant amounts of money by using our God-given transportation mechanisms. :)

Have we ever gotten lost? More than we'd like to admit. Luckily, none of our mishaps have been significant enough to leave us sleeping on a bench in an abandoned parking lot or been for any significant period of time. When we were in Irun, Spain we decided we'd explore the area. Being lost wouldn't have really been that big of deal because Irun isn't that big, except it started raining-- complete with gusting wind. We were miserable. Wandering around the streets in a non-English speaking city drenched wasn't my idea of fun. Obviously, we found our way back to our hotel and survived, but I can only imagine what locals who saw us trudging through puddles with my umbrella blown inside out must have thought. I mean, Megan and I are both blonde hair-blue eyed girls. We obviously weren't locals. Haha.

After checking out a few hostels, we decided we prefered the atmosphere of a budget hotel. Budget hotels are a little like pulling a hotel's name out of a hat. Each experience has been different. We stayed in a hotel that was like a house that someone had converted into rooms for rent in Amsterdam. The steps up to our 4th floor room had been steeper than any I'd ever encountered and just wide enough for my shoulders to go through. It was less than clean, and our room had 3 single beds in it (in case we wanted to invite a friend?) and one of those 'wet room' bathrooms where the shower floor is the whole bathroom so water spreads out all around even the toilet. Our hotel in Barcelona had been absolutely lush, one of those diamonds in the rough I'd talked about. It wasn't in the middle of the city but we'd lucked out and it was right next to an underground station that took us straight into downtown Barcelona.

Most memorable award goes to Rome. Hotels in Rome, particularly around Easter, were incredibly expensive. We agreed to book a hotel that was less expensive but on the edge of the city, hoping for another experience like Barcelona. Ha. Not so much. Our first clue was when the transportation desk at the airport described our hotel as "by the sea." (Rome is about 30 miles inland) But the website had said there was "complimentary bus service." While the actual hotel was really nice, and we had plenty of room for the three of us, getting into the city each day was an adventure in itself! Our hotel was out in the middle of the countryside, and the complimentary bus service meant walking a quarter of a mile down the access road and standing on the side of the highway to flag down a bus.

Our first morning in Rome was so frustrating. We went out to the bus stop like the man (who, bless his soul for trying, spoke very poor English) had told us to. Three, obviously not Italian, girls standing on the side of the highway... 5 buses passed without stopping. We had no idea what we were doing wrong when finally a local stepped out. I bet her family had a good laugh over dinner that night as she told them about how silly we looked standing out there. We learned from watching, though. While we'd only just been standing below the bus stop sign, we observed that you have to stand, pretty much in the middle of the road and flag the oncoming bus down. A 20 minute bus ride dropped us off at the outermost underground stop where we transferred onto that and made our way into the city. Every day was an trek flagging the bus down and then on the other end, trying to remember which random spot on the highway to get off at to get back to our hotel. Considering all of the ways in which that situation could have gone poorly, we did quite well.

Traveling has been incredible and exhausting. Looking back, I have to say just how lucky I feel that things went as smoothly as they have. I am aware that at every turn, each train and each hotel or hostel there was potential for disaster. The experiences I have had will be with me forever.

18 days running and here I am, inside

Hopefully those of you who have been following my blog have started to recognize the weather patterns in Wales. Rain.. Rain.. Cloudy.. Rain.. Bit of sun.. Rain.. Haha. You'll be able to understand then, the significance of the fact that for 18 days straight now, Swansea has been full of sunshine! It has been absolutely wonderful. It is so much easier to get out of bed in the morning or walk to class when I don't have to worry about puddles or my brolly turning inside out.

Of course then, its only appropriate that it be essay and exam time. With only two more weeks of lecture remaining in term, I have FOUR essays, totaling more than 12,000 words of intelligent discussion, due in the next week and a half. With a strategic plan in place, incorporating short and long term goals, as well as implementing a personal reward system, I am hoping to complete my essays with time to spare. I am not a procrastinator. Procrastinating makes me anxious. Thus, making up systems and plans to complete my work helps me to keep from stressing out.

Sitting by the window, longing to be out under the lovely blue sky, I am researching and writing about the Fortunes of the Welsh Language since 1900. Just like my essay writing, the history of the Welsh language has not always been an easy road. Prior to 1900, schools had a wooden paddle they called a "Welsh not." Students overheard speaking Welsh were given the not. Throughout a school day, they could pass the not along to other students whom they caught speaking Welsh. At the end of the day, the student left with the not was paddled.

Being an outsider, the question I had to ask was, "Why is the Welsh language so important?" It is only spoken in Wales and Patagonia, Argentina, and the truth of the matter is that everyone can speak English just as well or better. After asking around and doing some of my research, the answer to that question seems to be a matter of pride and patriotism. Wales never wanted to be apart of Britain, they just didn't have a choice. There are committees and groups in place for the purpose of preserving Welsh National Identity, furthering Welsh nationalism, and seeking more international recognition as a separate identity from Britain. The truth is, though, that at this point, the Welsh language is pretty much the only thing that distinguishes Wales from the rest of Britain.

Only half of the population of Wales can speak Welsh, and significantly less consider it their first language. Because so many English people are moving into Wales and so much business is done in English, the Welsh language continues to slowly decline. However, there seems to be an ever so slight comeback in the wind. While Welsh has traditionally been the language of the working class, campaigns to promote the language as a means of Welsh national identity have sparked an interest in upper class citizens who can afford to take Welsh language classes in their free time. I have met Welsh people who are passionate supporters of promoting Welsh nationalism through preserving and advertising the Welsh language, and I have met Welsh people who are indifferent to the issue. Sometimes it seems a little bit silly to have every single road sign and public notice written in both English and Welsh, but regardless of your stance on the duplications, the Welsh language IS unique and you won't see it anywhere else (unless, of course, you find yourself in Patagonia).

In conclusion, yes, it is a beautiful sunshiney Saturday morning and I am working on an essay. I don't know if that makes me more dedicated to my studies, or just that much more of a nerd. I guess I am just hoping that I will be rewarded for my commitment to my work with more sunshine after this next week and a half of essay-ing. :) Don't worry... its not really that bad. According to my goal-reward system, 100 more words and its break time!

ironic?

--> I had to take a break from writing the other day. There was just so much to say about Rome! But it was not where the story ended. During our time in Italy, we took one day and made the journey south to see Naples and Pompeii. I had remembered learning about Pompeii in middle school but never really grasped what it meant or the implications of the history associated with it until now. Behind us in this picture, mostly covered up by clouds (unfortunately) is Mount Vesuvius. The still-active volcano six miles from the village of Pompeii erupted in 79 AD with such force and magnitude that the initial gas from the eruption killed everyone in the village from asphyxiation within three minutes of the initial blast. Everything was buried in 60-some feet of ash and pumice. In the 1500s, archeologists began to uncover the city, which had been extraordinarily maintained by the ash.

--> Excavation work has been going on for a couple hundred years now, and there is still much to be done to uncover the city. They know that the village had suffered from a destructive earthquake a couple years prior to Vesuvius and was in the process of being rebuilt when terror struck again. As you wander the streets, I was struck by how advanced people were 2000 years ago. 2000 years, which I am now realizing in the scope of time isn't that long, I had perceived to be very primitive. These people definitely weren't. You can still see sliding doors, a plumbing system, remnants of art, open-air markets, restaurants, an arena, and an outdoor theater with accoustics as good as any built today... It was unreal. They say that there were about 15,000 people who lived in Pompeii and while they did not have the technology to predict volcanic eruptions like we do today, they lived by instinct. 12,000 people evacuated the city based on intuition prior to the eruption. The remaining 3,000 were killed and buried in ash.

--> One of the methods that archeologists are using to learn more about the people of Pompeii is plaster-cast molds. While some of the actual arifact, or in this case, bodies, are not preserved by the burial, the original shape still remains. They have been able to create several plaster-cast molds of people who would have been killed and buried.


--> On a lighter note, though, this is a picture of the best preserved house they have on site. There are several rooms, this one is the room you walk into when you first come through the front door. It has an open spot in the middle of the ceiling and a spot on the floor beneath it for catching water from rain. You can still see paintings and artwork on the walls. The other thing we were told about here, that I found quite interesting, was how resourceful the people of Pompeii were. In their bathroom, there were seperate places for urine and defecate. This was because they would sell the defecate to farmers to fertilizer and use the urine for a source of ammonia. Kinda gross, but resourceful!

As you all are aware by now, the volcano with the really long, unpronouncable name in Iceland erupted a few days ago and has caused all sorts of problems here in Europe. I feel I am definitely getting my dose of volcano education between my trip to Vesuvius and now the more recent chaos. Who knows, maybe I will be needing to take a boat home in June? Anyone willing to come pick me up? Haha.

life is learning

Just when I thought I was starting to get a handle on things that were history and the concept of "old," I was exposed to a whole new kind of "old." Last week, my friend from home, Chelsea, made the jump over the pond to visit me during my Easter break. She, along with my usual travel buddy, Megan, and I made the trek to Rome for the weekend.

I am struggling to put the words in place to describe all I learned and realized in the four days we spent in Italy. I have to admit that while I was familiar with Rome, I didn't really know what to expect at all. While I am aware of the basic plot line of the movie Gladiator, I've never actually seen in, and while I am in no way criticizing the education I received from the Waterloo public school system, I also feel I have never learned more about history (including the history of America) than I have this year. I would almost even venture to say that I learned more this last weekend about history than I learned during the entirety of my middle school years.

I grew up with my mom always saying in my ear, "Life is learning." We were the family that may miss a day of school here or there for traveling or the "take your daughter to work days," things like that. When I was younger, Mom's anecdote, "Life is learning," was an excuse to cut class. I am a true believer now. Anymore, every day I step out of my doorstep is a new experience. I feel like if our brains grew in proportion to the knowledge we were exposed to, mine would have blown up to the size of a hot-air balloon this year. Anyway... don't worry, I won't bore you with all of my educational enlightenment, just a few highlights.

<-- Our first stop was the Colosseum. I had no idea that this Roman engineering genius (the invention of cement) had been built in just eight years-- completed in 80 AD. Yes, 8-0. Chelsea, Megan and I opted for a guided tour of the Colosseum and barely made the start time our first morning in Rome due to struggling initially to navigate Rome's public transportation system. We came running up 20 seconds before the tour was going to start, hustling to get our radio sets and headphones plugged in, and were immediately hit with the date of the massive structure next to us my knees got a bit trembly. To be honest, I just can't believe its still there. Testimony to Roman enginuity. So the cool thing about this particular picture I included for you, is that in the last 2000 years the actual stage, made of wood, is no longer there-- so you can see down into the intricate passages where the people who would have been facilitating the Gladiatorial contests were able to lead the exotic animals or contesting Gladiators, whatever the occasion called for, in and around to any number of trap doors on the arena floor, in order to enhance the element of surprise. The current Colosseum staff has also kindly built part of what the wood floor was like so your brain only has to some of the imagination work to figure out how it would have looked.

<-- Right next to the Colosseum is Constantine's Arch. It was built in 315 AD to commemorate the victory Constantine had over Maxentious. While the arch itself is interesting, because Constantine had the builders use not only new art on it, but also re-use art from older monuments, and because it outlines the battle and how God helped Constantine defeat Maxentious, it was also interesting to me because of its significance. After this victory, Constantine reversed the persecution of Christians in Rome. I have grown up hearing about religious persecution and reading about it in my Bible, but the history and reality of it became real to me at that moment. Standing between the arch that signified the relief that Christians in Rome had to have felt, and the Colosseum, where many of them were fed to lions for their beliefs, I was awestruck. (This same day we also visited Palatine Hill, walked through the ancient Forum, people watched while tossing wish coins into the Trevi Fountain, visited Raphael's tomb in the Pantheon, and strolled through the markets of the Piazza Navonna... but if I told you all I saw, learned or noticed, we would honestly would be here for a week)

<-- One less historical thing about Rome that I appreciated was the abundance of water. The Romans are known for their beautiful piazzas and stunning fountains. But I learned that they also serve a purpose. Because it gets so hot in Rome, the city has always made sure that the water is clean enough to drink. While I wouldn't suggest picking up a cup from the bottom where its been sitting or been littered with dirty coins, it wasn't unusual to see people drinking from the faucets. So this is me drinking from the fountain in the Piazza de Spagna, right in front of the Spanish Steps. In addition to the fountains, they also had water faucets for people to fill their water bottles on every block. What great ideas those Romans had! Day two began with a visit to another country... Vatican City. Only 110 acres and with a mere population of 800, it is the smallest country in the world. Despite its small size, it packs a serious punch. Inside the Vatican walls are the Vatican Museums, St. Peter's Basilica, St. Peter's Square, and the pope's residence.

<-- The queue was a mile long it seemed. Luckily, we'd pre-booked a tour and had queue-jump priveleges. Everyone we'd spoken to had said doing a tour of the Vatican Museums was the only way to go. The place is too huge and there are too many things to see a person would get lost on their own. Our guide even said that if a person were to spend just one minute at each peice of work, it would take something like 15 years to see it all. All the ninja turtles were accounted for: Michaelangelo, Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael... you know what I mean. It is legal to take pictures in the Vatican Museums by the way. Of the hundred plus photos I took, I am sharing this, one wall in one of Raphael's four rooms of painting, because I really liked it. Its called the School of Athens, in the room called the Stanza della Segnatura. Each wall depicts a branch of knowledge, and this particular one is philosophy. One reason I really liked it was because they say that each of the great Greek philosophers can be seen in the painting, like Plato and Aristotle (and from the number of people you can see in the photo, many more).

I did get to go in the Sistine Chapel, however, it is illegal to take pictures so I have nothing to show you, but I will tell you that it was much more impressive than a photo could ever do it justice anyway. Michaelangelo was a genius.

<-- Our last stop in the Vatican was at St. Peter's Basilica. The one people see today is actually the second St. Peter's. Pope Julius II made the decision in 1505 to demolish the first and rebuild a bigger and better one. Obviously a controversial decision, but either way it was done and the one that is there today is huge and beautiful. Built right over the top of St. Peter's tomb, it is cleverly known as "the church on the Rock," with reference to Peter's biblical reputation as the "rock" for whom God would build his church on. As you can see in the picture, it is not a humbly designed place. The altar in front is a mere 5 stories high, the architectural design of the place made so that the paintings and monuments got larger the higher up on the wall they are, to keep the perspective from being too daunting.

<-- Chelsea, Megan and I chilling out on the Spanish Steps. This photo is taken immediately after I consumed the best gelato I have ever had in my entire life. Unfortunately, there is no photo of the actual gelato due to the fact that I was so captivated by its flavor I didn't want to put it down. I am looking pretty happy post-gelato, though, aren't I?