First of all, I have to explain the circumstances under which I am blogging. I met a friend in Swansea, Juliette, who is from France. She invited Megan (who I usually travel with) and myself to stay with her with her family in Bordeaux. So here we are and, interestingly enough, they have different keyboards!! Its like someone took all the letters and punctuation marks, threw them in a blender, and then spit them back out all over the keyboard. I am struggling to find anything I need-- for instance, there probably will not be any contractions in this blog as I cannot find the apostrophe!!!
My main purpose for blogging today, though, is to talk about what I have observed while travelling in Europe. We have chosen to fly RyanAir and EasyJet for most of our travels because of their typically low fares. There are a few things that are unique about flying in the airports here. Rather than give you the gate number for your flight right when you arrive at the airport, they have a common waiting area for all travellers and a screen listing the upcoming departures. About 30 minutes prior to your departure- at what seems like the very last minute, the screen announces your gate number and the race begins!!
Everyone stands, pretty much in unison, and begins the race to the gate. This practice is made even more interesting because air carriers like Ryanair and Easyjet do not give seat assignments. Therefore, when the gate is announced, the mass of people all moving together towards the gate gets competitive, everyone vying for a premier spot in the queue. My initial reaction to this process found me apathetic, not minding being towards the back of the queue. But more recently, I have found myself really getting into it. Megan and I were standing and at the ready when the gate announcement signalled the start. We took off, speed walking along the moving walkways. If it were a real race, we came in third. Our prize-- getting to be able to board the plane first. Haha! It is the same thing in the train and bus stations as well.
More to come on my trip here in France another time.............
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
Wales in a nutshell: Castles and sheep
It was a blustery, rainy day in Wales Wednesday when Paul and I set out on our adventure to see some of South Wales' treasures. From what I've gathered from being here seven months now, I would call the rainy weather something like, "typically Welsh." There are exceptionally beautiful days, but rainy is by no stretch of the imagination uncommon. Nor is it the most ideal for climbing mountain trails, exploring caves or sight-seeing. Most Welsh tourist attractions are outside. So here's the thing I've realized/learned: In Wales, you let weather slow you down in any way, you will most likely miss all of the wonderful things this country has to offer. With that said, Paul and I pressed on. (For those of you who don't remember, or have joined my blogging world recently, Paul Murray is my host counselor here in Wales. He and his family have been absolutely wonderful to me-- making sure I have my neccesities and staying out of trouble! Wednesday, Paul was able to take a day off of work and volunteered to take me around Wales to see some of the sights off the main road- or at least the one the bus goes to!)
-->The main stop of our day was at Carreg Cennon Castle, Paul's favorite castle and now mine as well. In this picture, you can see it perched atop the hill. Most castles are on top of a hill-- having a cliff on two sides of your castle means two less sides to worry about being attacked from. Nowadays it means two things: breathtaking views and steep hikes to get to them!
--> This picture is from the inside of the castle looking out over the cliffs at the Welsh countryside. There's a few reasons why this castle has become my favorite. Wales is the country with the very most castles per land mass of anywhere in the world. They are everywhere-- in town, out of town, next to each other (there was actually another castle within a mile of Carreg Cennon), some are round, some are square... Anyway, although I know that all of them have had some sort of restoration work done to preserve them, I really appreciate when they are left as close to how they were as possible. Some are rebuilt so that tourists can see how it would have looked when it was alive and well, but I feel like the ones that are toppled a bit and missing peices have the most character. You walk in and can feel the history within their walls. There are small stairs that wind and twist into small chambers... your imagination can't help but soar into a different world full of knights and princesses, horses, bows and arrows, cannons and battlefields. Carreg Cennon is also unique because of the natural cave below the castle. Pictures don't do the dark tunnel justice, as the flash takes away all of the ambiance created by the darkness-- but it was pretty cool. You climb down into it by way of old, crackled steps, and it isn't lighted so you have to make your way with a flashlight, ducking because the space is kind of crampt. Mom, you would definitely be too clostrophobic to do it. And I made it all the way to the very back!
--> Paul and I made a day of it. The family (Bernard is in the picture with me) whose land Carreg Cennon is on are friends of the Murrays. It is a working sheep farm in addition to also having long horn cattle. Spring is lambing time.. which means baby sheep! Although we didn't get to see born while we were there, I did get to see several day-old baby lambs :) They are a little bit more cozy looking than the pigs and cows we're used to in Iowa, haha. After hiking up to Carreg Cennon and exploring the grounds and cave, Paul and I had a bowl of homemade "cawl" (Welsh stew). It was delicious. The rest of the day we drove to Brecon and stopped in at the cathedral and then drove back to Swansea through Brecon Beacons National Park, which was a beautiful drive through the South Wales mountain valleys. The only thing we forgot to do was get a photo of Paul and I together!
-->The main stop of our day was at Carreg Cennon Castle, Paul's favorite castle and now mine as well. In this picture, you can see it perched atop the hill. Most castles are on top of a hill-- having a cliff on two sides of your castle means two less sides to worry about being attacked from. Nowadays it means two things: breathtaking views and steep hikes to get to them!
--> This picture is from the inside of the castle looking out over the cliffs at the Welsh countryside. There's a few reasons why this castle has become my favorite. Wales is the country with the very most castles per land mass of anywhere in the world. They are everywhere-- in town, out of town, next to each other (there was actually another castle within a mile of Carreg Cennon), some are round, some are square... Anyway, although I know that all of them have had some sort of restoration work done to preserve them, I really appreciate when they are left as close to how they were as possible. Some are rebuilt so that tourists can see how it would have looked when it was alive and well, but I feel like the ones that are toppled a bit and missing peices have the most character. You walk in and can feel the history within their walls. There are small stairs that wind and twist into small chambers... your imagination can't help but soar into a different world full of knights and princesses, horses, bows and arrows, cannons and battlefields. Carreg Cennon is also unique because of the natural cave below the castle. Pictures don't do the dark tunnel justice, as the flash takes away all of the ambiance created by the darkness-- but it was pretty cool. You climb down into it by way of old, crackled steps, and it isn't lighted so you have to make your way with a flashlight, ducking because the space is kind of crampt. Mom, you would definitely be too clostrophobic to do it. And I made it all the way to the very back!
--> Paul and I made a day of it. The family (Bernard is in the picture with me) whose land Carreg Cennon is on are friends of the Murrays. It is a working sheep farm in addition to also having long horn cattle. Spring is lambing time.. which means baby sheep! Although we didn't get to see born while we were there, I did get to see several day-old baby lambs :) They are a little bit more cozy looking than the pigs and cows we're used to in Iowa, haha. After hiking up to Carreg Cennon and exploring the grounds and cave, Paul and I had a bowl of homemade "cawl" (Welsh stew). It was delicious. The rest of the day we drove to Brecon and stopped in at the cathedral and then drove back to Swansea through Brecon Beacons National Park, which was a beautiful drive through the South Wales mountain valleys. The only thing we forgot to do was get a photo of Paul and I together!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
everyone is Irish on St. Patty's Day!
<-- Dublin is the top destination in the world the week of March 17 every year. So I thought to myself, what better time to visit the capital of Ireland than when everyone else is too? I am not normally a large crowd, thrive on chaos type of girl, but spending St. Patrick's Day in Dublin was a worthwhile experience! Three friends and I took the 45 minute flight over, wore some green, experienced the over-full pubs, tasted the Guiness, and celebrated the patron saint of Ireland with the rest of the world!
<-- It was a short 2 1/2 day stay in Ireland. We explored Dublin: the Guiness Storehouse (of course), St. Patrick's Cathedral, Christ Church Cathedral (In the picture), Trinity College, O'Connell Street, and Temple Bar were the main highlights. Ireland, like the UK and the rest of Europe, has incredibly rich history. The cathedrals we visited, although most had had extensive restorations done in the 1800s, still had parts of them dating back to the 1100s. Amazing.
<-- Taking advantage of being on the island, we took a rail tour south to Cork to visit Blarney Castle. Those of you who know me know that the "gift of blab" isn't exactly something I need, but nevertheless I climbed the winding stairs of the castle to the top, grabbed the rails and leaned back to lay my lips on the sacred stone. I have not noticed a huge difference in my speech or my desire to speak yet, however, my presentation at the Swansea Rotary Club last night went exceptionally well. Maybe the stone really does have magical powers!
<-- If you look closely at the photo, you can see through the bars down to the ground. Apparently years ago, people actually had to hang to kiss the stone. After one death, they changed the tradition by adding rails and a "trained assistant." The stone that you're meant to kiss is down a little bit. Being that I am on the shorter side, I had to keep scooting off and bend back far enough that it did give me a whisper of fear for my life. One can't help but wonder how incredibly un-hygenic this particular tourist site is either. I'm not saying I licked it or anything, but after making the journey to Cork and trekking throug the grounds and up the castle stairs, you have to make sure your lips touch!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
23 candles
<--I started my 23rd birthday day, yesterday, being greeted out front of my house by a Welsh friend singing, "Penblwyd Hapus A Ti!"(Welsh "Happy birthday to you!"), with a bag of Minstrels in hand (my new favorite chocolate candies here that you can't get back home). Definitely one for the memory books! My favorite part of the day was my friends that took me to the local cafe for a yummy breakfast, but I also got ice cream in the afternoon and went out for pizza and drinks with the rest of the gang that evening! I can't say I feel older quite yet... however, I do feel a subtle whisper in my ear encouraging me to act more like an "adult", whatever that means!Thanks for all of the birthday wishes from home! I missed not being with you all to celebrate-- we can make up for it this summer :)
Friday, March 12, 2010
springtime swans
It's days like these that I am reminded why I could stay in school forever. While I am aware it is not unique to any particular college campus, there is something about the first day when Spring is really in the air and everyone is out on the lawn socializing, reading or just soaking up the sun. There's usually music coming from somewhere, and there is that extra energy of youth mixed with Spring fever. It makes you want to skip your lectures and have a picnic! Spring is finally in the air!
Monday evening I gave a presentation at the Mumbles club- unique because it is one of the one of the only remaining "male-only" clubs in Wales. They were warm, hospitable and encouraging as all Rotary clubs are!
The academic term is flying by! One more week until Easter break. I have a couple of adventures, some near and some far, planned for my upcoming break, in addition to setting aside time for essay writing. Easter break in the UK is 4 weeks long-- US universities could adopt this tradition and I sure wouldn't mind! Following my return from break I will have 2 weeks of lectures remaining and then their final exam schedule is 4 weeks long. Educational philosophy here is largely based on independent learning. I can't remember if I mentioned this before, but my lectures here meet only once a week. Now, while I, at almost 23 years of age, am really loving the flexibility in my schedule and can manage my time and get my work completed, I am not sure if I would have been able to do that as successfully at 18/19.
This more independent learning model does not only pertain to universities either. At the school and college levels (high school age), they also appear to have a lot more flexible schedule, and longer breaks, than the high schools I attended. Neither is better or worse-- just different I suppose!
Monday evening I gave a presentation at the Mumbles club- unique because it is one of the one of the only remaining "male-only" clubs in Wales. They were warm, hospitable and encouraging as all Rotary clubs are!
The academic term is flying by! One more week until Easter break. I have a couple of adventures, some near and some far, planned for my upcoming break, in addition to setting aside time for essay writing. Easter break in the UK is 4 weeks long-- US universities could adopt this tradition and I sure wouldn't mind! Following my return from break I will have 2 weeks of lectures remaining and then their final exam schedule is 4 weeks long. Educational philosophy here is largely based on independent learning. I can't remember if I mentioned this before, but my lectures here meet only once a week. Now, while I, at almost 23 years of age, am really loving the flexibility in my schedule and can manage my time and get my work completed, I am not sure if I would have been able to do that as successfully at 18/19.
This more independent learning model does not only pertain to universities either. At the school and college levels (high school age), they also appear to have a lot more flexible schedule, and longer breaks, than the high schools I attended. Neither is better or worse-- just different I suppose!
Friday, March 5, 2010
bring on the SUNSHINE
I woke up this morning to the sunshine in my window (YAY) and had the immediate urge to run down to the beach to soak it up like it may never come back. This whole week has been like that-- and it has been amazing. I hadn't even realized how much I had been missing my daily doses of Vitamin D! I did have to slow myself down though.. its beginning to be time to start thinking about research and essay writing..
A short pep-talk with myself about investing the time for research and writing now so that I can enjoy the sun down the road as it gets nicer and keeps warming up, and I ended up investing 3 of my morning hours to Iolo Morganwg, a Welsh polymath, collector and forger. I am writing one of my four essays on Morganwg and his influence on Welsh history and culture.
I had no idea who he was when I started, and he has since captivated my interests. He's an interesting chap... born and raised in Wales, incredibly gifted... he started off as a antiguarian, collecting mainly the poetry of the Welsh bards. He was a poet himself, so as part of his studies, he began transcribing pieces of work. Inspired by slightly misguided, but passionate patriotism and impulsiveness (plus a slight opium addiction) he began "transcribing" pieces of work based on his own theories of 'Bardism'.
Basically, he wanted people to respect the people of Wales and Welsh culture so badly that he was mixing up genuine history and his own material to accentuate how enlightened the people of Wales were. For instance, during the latter half of the 1700s, when Iolo Morganwg was alive, the dominate theory was the literacy indicated intellect. Iolo made up a historical Welsh alphabet that he 'discovered' to prove that the Welsh were among the pioneers of literacy in Britain! A lot of his work romanticised and highlighted the Welsh people and culture.
His transcriptions and forgeries were so accurate that they were not found out until after his death, and by then had left a profound positive impact on Welsh nationalism. He's recognized not only as one of the most infamous forgers in European history, but also one of the strongest contributors to the 18th century renaissance, upholding the reputation that Wales has as a civil nation and being the first to suggest that the people of Wales need their own national institutions: libraries, museums, etc. Fascinating.
Hope all is well back home! Happy Friday!
A short pep-talk with myself about investing the time for research and writing now so that I can enjoy the sun down the road as it gets nicer and keeps warming up, and I ended up investing 3 of my morning hours to Iolo Morganwg, a Welsh polymath, collector and forger. I am writing one of my four essays on Morganwg and his influence on Welsh history and culture.
I had no idea who he was when I started, and he has since captivated my interests. He's an interesting chap... born and raised in Wales, incredibly gifted... he started off as a antiguarian, collecting mainly the poetry of the Welsh bards. He was a poet himself, so as part of his studies, he began transcribing pieces of work. Inspired by slightly misguided, but passionate patriotism and impulsiveness (plus a slight opium addiction) he began "transcribing" pieces of work based on his own theories of 'Bardism'.
Basically, he wanted people to respect the people of Wales and Welsh culture so badly that he was mixing up genuine history and his own material to accentuate how enlightened the people of Wales were. For instance, during the latter half of the 1700s, when Iolo Morganwg was alive, the dominate theory was the literacy indicated intellect. Iolo made up a historical Welsh alphabet that he 'discovered' to prove that the Welsh were among the pioneers of literacy in Britain! A lot of his work romanticised and highlighted the Welsh people and culture.
His transcriptions and forgeries were so accurate that they were not found out until after his death, and by then had left a profound positive impact on Welsh nationalism. He's recognized not only as one of the most infamous forgers in European history, but also one of the strongest contributors to the 18th century renaissance, upholding the reputation that Wales has as a civil nation and being the first to suggest that the people of Wales need their own national institutions: libraries, museums, etc. Fascinating.
Hope all is well back home! Happy Friday!
Monday, March 1, 2010
Happy St. David's Day!
March 1.... I spent the day today traveling home from London. It was one of those journeys where, in order to get the best deal, you take the slow train that makes a couple extra stops, then opt for a little longer lay-over to take a little later train that costs a little extra because its "super off-peak" instead of just an "off-peak" time. It was alright though because I was able to get a spot by the window, the sun was shining, I had a good book, and no one seated around me brought stinky tuna sandwiches for their afternoon snack!
In addition to premium reading time, the journey gave me time to reflect a little.
First of all, I had a great weekend in London. That is one city I could visit a zillion times and always discover something new and exciting! Highlights from this last weekend include time spent in Hampstead, a borough in the north that reminds me of what I always imagined London being like... hilly, red-brick flats lining the streets, boutiques and coffee shops along the narrow streets with giant trees down the edges-- moss growing on the walls to give it that warm, earthy feel in the midst of the city. We also got to go to the musical Mama Mia- a new favorite of mine now.. and took the audio tour of the National Gallery. I will admit that I always tend to bypass the option for an audio tour because I've always thought it looked a bit "geeky"... but I am a recent convert-- I got SO much more out of the art displayed because of the pre-recorded tour and geeky headphones than if I would have tried to walk around and read the signs and do it myself. My favorite colletion they had was probably the several paintings by Monet... beautiful!
Further reflections... I cannot believe that I've been living in the United Kingdom for 6 months now! I feel SO blessed to have this opportunity. Rotary-- THANK YOU. Mom and Dad-- THANK YOU. I am learning so much and getting so many amazing opportunities I can't help but feel like I'm living in a dream.
I gave a presentation at the Swansea Bay Rotary club last Wednesday (which was awesome.. this particular club in small enough that they eat dinner around a big round table and can all have conversation together... It was really cool. They were so kind and inviting too!) and I spent time sharing about what I have been learning from this experience... I will share one of the main points: This is my first time over the ocean and I was definitely scared before coming. I was scared of the hurdles of meeting new people and learning a new "system" and culture and of navigating a foreign country... But I did it! And every day I feel like I am faced with a new challenge-- some big and some smaller-- that I have to overcome. And I am! And with each of those accomplishments I feel myself growing as an individual, becoming empowered to believe in myself and my abilities and my mind that much more. Because of that, I can feel myself setting my goals higher. I can feel myself believing in dreams that are bigger. This experience is teaching me that I am capable of more than I imagined.
And all of that with a newfound international perspective. I have met people from all over the globe and because of those connections, the way I see the world and issues and conflict is "wider".
Thank you to all of you who encourage and support this adventure that I'm on. :)
Lastly, just a note that today is St. David's day. St. David is the patron saint of Wales and therefore today is a sort of "Celebrate Welsh Nationality" day. It's not a bank holiday but the schools and churches often have plays or kids choir programs. This whole last week there have been community events-- music or plays celebrating Welsh heritage... And of course, there have been lots of Welsh cakes around!
In addition to premium reading time, the journey gave me time to reflect a little.
First of all, I had a great weekend in London. That is one city I could visit a zillion times and always discover something new and exciting! Highlights from this last weekend include time spent in Hampstead, a borough in the north that reminds me of what I always imagined London being like... hilly, red-brick flats lining the streets, boutiques and coffee shops along the narrow streets with giant trees down the edges-- moss growing on the walls to give it that warm, earthy feel in the midst of the city. We also got to go to the musical Mama Mia- a new favorite of mine now.. and took the audio tour of the National Gallery. I will admit that I always tend to bypass the option for an audio tour because I've always thought it looked a bit "geeky"... but I am a recent convert-- I got SO much more out of the art displayed because of the pre-recorded tour and geeky headphones than if I would have tried to walk around and read the signs and do it myself. My favorite colletion they had was probably the several paintings by Monet... beautiful!
Further reflections... I cannot believe that I've been living in the United Kingdom for 6 months now! I feel SO blessed to have this opportunity. Rotary-- THANK YOU. Mom and Dad-- THANK YOU. I am learning so much and getting so many amazing opportunities I can't help but feel like I'm living in a dream.
I gave a presentation at the Swansea Bay Rotary club last Wednesday (which was awesome.. this particular club in small enough that they eat dinner around a big round table and can all have conversation together... It was really cool. They were so kind and inviting too!) and I spent time sharing about what I have been learning from this experience... I will share one of the main points: This is my first time over the ocean and I was definitely scared before coming. I was scared of the hurdles of meeting new people and learning a new "system" and culture and of navigating a foreign country... But I did it! And every day I feel like I am faced with a new challenge-- some big and some smaller-- that I have to overcome. And I am! And with each of those accomplishments I feel myself growing as an individual, becoming empowered to believe in myself and my abilities and my mind that much more. Because of that, I can feel myself setting my goals higher. I can feel myself believing in dreams that are bigger. This experience is teaching me that I am capable of more than I imagined.
And all of that with a newfound international perspective. I have met people from all over the globe and because of those connections, the way I see the world and issues and conflict is "wider".
Thank you to all of you who encourage and support this adventure that I'm on. :)
Lastly, just a note that today is St. David's day. St. David is the patron saint of Wales and therefore today is a sort of "Celebrate Welsh Nationality" day. It's not a bank holiday but the schools and churches often have plays or kids choir programs. This whole last week there have been community events-- music or plays celebrating Welsh heritage... And of course, there have been lots of Welsh cakes around!
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