St. Fagans!

After our wonderful trip to Big Pit, Angela and I drove about an hour south to the west side of Cardiff and arrived at St. Fagans National History Museum.  I know you are probably thinking, "yeah yeah, I've been to history museums before," but I bet you haven't been to one like this... at least I know I hadn't.

Old farm house with thatched roof.

At St. Fagans they have a collection of over forty old buildings (many centuries old) from around the country that they have taken apart brick by brick, labeling each one, and then transported them to St. Fagans and rebuilt them so that they are exactly as they were.  Through a little research I found that St. Fagans was voted one of the UK's top ten FREE attractions by TripAdvisor!

There is a pretty good video at the bottom of this page, plus more information about it.

A long house from 1734 which housed both animals and people!

A couple of other things I liked about St. Fagans was that there were signs with information about each building AND there were also employees who were very knowledgeable and willing to answer any questions we had.  They also had some of the buildings actually functioning as their intended purpose with artisans working in them.  A few I remember seeing were the bakery, the blacksmith, the cobbler, and the general store (see below).

An old general store where we got some delicious Italian ice cream for a snack :)

You could easily spend a whole day here.  We just had the afternoon, and saw a lot, but did not have time for everything.  For example, the museum is actually located on the grounds of a late 16th century manor house, and we did not have time to see any of that.  On a nice day, like the one we had, it would be wonderful to bring a picnic, or get a few things at the bakery and general store, and enjoy the gardens!

Here you can see more about the manor home and gardens.

A round house.

Overall, a GREAT day!  Thanks again to Angela for the wonderful experience.  I highly recommend it!

Things that are more difficult than they should be:

• Counting money.  When you don't know which coins are which, it is quite difficult to count out money, especially without dumping all of your change on the counter or just handing it all to the cashier and asking them to do it.  

Big Pit and St. Fagan's

Although I am no longer in the UK, I still have a few more posts that I would like to do, so I'm just going to go ahead and do them.  The only thing I will say about being how is that it is a bittersweet thing.  I am loving being home and living with my husband again (not that the student village wasn't great ;), and also seeing my family and catching up with old friends.  I also really appreciate the everyday things more than I ever did before I left... however, at the same time I miss Wales and all the wonderful people I became friends with, and realize that it will be a while before I get to see any of them again.  But more on that later.

Swansea to Big Pit.

For now, I would like to tell you all about the wonderful day I had at Big Pit and St. Fagan's!  I went with my supervisor in the International Development Office, Angela Jones, during my last Sunday in Swansea.  (Just a side note, but Angela Jones is one of the most lovely people you will ever meet, and if you take the Swansea pre-sessional, you will likely get the chance to meet her, and if not then you should make it a point to meet her while you are in Swansea!!)  All visiting international students (including all ISU students) have the option of taking the 2-week Swansea pre-sessional, during which they learn about British (primarily Welsh) history and culture.  As part of the class they take a day to visit Big Pit and St. Fagan's, so that is what we did.

We started by driving about an hour and a half to Big Pit, which is a National Coal Museum, including a fully functional coal mine.  The drive there was unbelievably beautiful, which looking at the map above makes sense considering we were driving right by a national park.   

I hadn't heard anything about Big Pit, so I didn't have any expectations, but in the end I was REALLY impressed by it all.  It was incredibly interesting learning about the lives of the miners, and how difficult life was for them.  Coal mining played such a large part in Welsh history.  This mine was used until 1980.  We got to go 300 feet underground into the mine (see picture below :) and see the conditions they worked in, and that I'm sure people still work in who work in mining.  

Angela and I getting ready to go into the mine at Big Pit.

Our tour guide was an old miner that worked in the mine before it was shut, and one thing I remember him telling us was how the owner valued the horses more than the people, because if a man died he knew there would be someone else that would be looking for a job and able to replace him for just as cheap, but if a horse died he would have to buy another one (sounds like the situation with our economy today - but I guess that is another discussion).  He also had us turn off out lamps to see how dark it really was, and how people worked for many years, including women and children.  If they wanted a candle they would have to buy it themselves, and most did not have the money for it.  

Bit Pit!

We also walked through a couple of the exhibits including the baths.  I enjoyed learning about women's role in working in the mines, and then their involvement in fighting for better working conditions, including the building of the baths.  In the end we didn't have enough time to see everything, but what we did see was wonderful.  This experience is exactly why students should study abroad.  I know you could easily sit in a classroom in the US (or any other country for that matter), and learn about the industrial revolution, and British history, but it is a completely different experience when you are able to visit places like this.  It makes history come alive.

If you would like to learn more about it, check out their website and as always wikipedia :)

Since this entry got a little long, I'll wait until my next one to write about St. Fagan's.  Stay tuned!

Things that are more difficult than they should be:

• Turning on the oven/stove.  Shouldn't be difficult, right?  Well, let me tell you, haha.  
First thing to know when traveling in Europe is that you almost always have to flip a switch on to make an outlet work.  Usually the switch is located on the outlet plate immediately next to the outlet (see below).  This doesn't usually cause me any problems, however when I went to use the stove top for the first time, it did, haha.  
I turned the knob to turn on the burner, but nothing happened.  So I did actually look for a switch but did not see one.  After about 15 minutes of messing with things (and thinking that I had been successful since I put the pan of hot water on the burner which heated it up just enough for me to think that it was working, but was not) I finally figured it out.  There was in fact a switch, but it didn't look like any other switch.  It was a big orange switch about three times the size as those below.  Probably to make it abundantly obvious, but whatever. It didn't look like a switch to me, but turns out it was.  So, although most people will probably laugh at me for this, I decided to share the little story so that others will not have to have the dinner delayed like I did :)

Outlet with switches.

Cardiff!

CARDIFF!

I have been lucky enough to have the opportunity to travel quite a bit in the last week and half.  Most of that time was spent in Ireland with my family, and was wonderful!!  So much fun! But my travels began with my husband a few days before.  Our first trip was just a day trip, but was one of my favorites!  On Saturday we took the train (for only £7.70 round trip!) to Cardiff.  It was a great city.  Right when you leave the train station you see the huge Millennium Stadium, home to the Wales Rugby team.  It was built to host the 1999 Rugby World Cup and holds up to 74,500.  Made me wish I had been able to go to the Rugby match the previous weekend even more.

                                                              (picture from Wikipedia)

Millenium Stadium 

When we arrived we wondered off the train and just walked around for a little while.  For some reason we both wanted a doughnut, and lucky for us we happened upon a Krispy Kreme (wish granted!).  Now, I know that Krispy Kreme is not exactly authentic Welsh or British food, but it was just what we wanted. 

So after our American breakfast of glazed doughnuts and lattes, we continued to wonder around.  The city had all of these great covered alleys with all kinds of shops that led to large pedestrian streets with even more shopping.

Shopping in Cardiff

Some there were many modern chains like H&M and Top Shop, but there were also small local shops of all kinds.  If I had money I would love to spend more time in Cardiff!  However, since I don't, we moved on to the tourist attractions.

We were planning on jumping on the open-top tour bus, and knew we were supposed to catch it at the Castle.  We weren't quite sure where the castle was, but knew it was not far from the train station, so we just wondered for a little bit and sure enough ran right into it.  It was quite amusing really, we turned a corner... and there was a castle!  Not something that happens in the States.

Cardiff Castle

So we took the bus around the city.  I'm not sure if it was totally worth the cost, but I'm sure we wouldn't have seen as much of the city otherwise, so I guess it was.  If we would have had more time we would have gotten off and looked around the bay area because I've heard it's really nice, and I'm sure would have been extra exciting the weekend we went since the Canoeing World Cup was taking place there.  However, we didn't have a ton of time, so we just rode around once and saw everything.  We did hear about a very unique restaurant they will be opening soon called the Clink.  It is unique because it will be in the prison located in the middle of the city, and the inmates will be the employees of the restaurant.  I would love to hear about this if anyone does go there!

When we got back we went into the castle.  It was really cool to see and hear about its history.  Well worth the visit.

In front of the original castle.

While we were there I saw a poster about a jousting competition that was going to be taking place the next weekend.  I wasn't able to make it, but Sarah, who works at the International Development Office did and said it was really cool.  I stole this picture from her:

                                                                             Picture taken by Sarah Spitzauer
Jousting at Cardiff Castle

After the castle we decided to walk over to the art gallery that was only a couple of blocks from the castle, and on our way there we were quite surprised to see a naked bike ride going through town.  There were probably about 100 riders.  I did not know this at the time, but they were riding to raise awareness of cyclists and the dangers they face on the road.  (I think I will skip this picture).  We went on to the museum.  The building itself was quite nice.

After our visit to the museum we caught a train back to Swansea in time for dinner at the Bryn where we watched the beginning of one of the Euro Cup games.  Definitely a great day!  I would highly recommend a trip to Cardiff to anyone!!


Fun Phrases: 

"Proper" I know this isn't a new word to most of you, but I love the way the Welsh use it.  They use it sort of like the word very.  For example, someone said a lid to a bottle was "proper stuck" when they couldn't get it open.

"Toilet" Again, I realize you all know this word, but here in Wales, they use the word toilet instead of bathroom.  So people always ask where the toilets are, not where the bathrooms or restrooms are.

"Rubbish" means trash.

I love Singleton Park!

First I wanted to start out by sharing my good news that the UK has decided not to kick my out of the country the day my internship ends.  The embassy said they would amend my visa and issue a new end date!! Good news.  Now I don’t have to find a way to leave the country and come back within one day (although if I could have gotten a group to go with me to Dublin it could have been fun!).  A big thanks to Siew Oh in the International Student Advisory Service Office!! She was so wonderful to work with from the beginning.  So kind and helpful, and obviously very effective J 

Having interned in the International Students and Scholars Office at Iowa State, it was quite an interesting experience being on the other side of things.  I now understand how the international students feel at Iowa State, and why there is often a sense of urgency and even panic.  Luckily, my situation has worked out quite well!  That is, as long as I get my passport back in time :-/

My lesson for today was to remember to always take the time to explore.  I have walked through Singleton Park on my way from campus to the city centre almost daily but have never gone anywhere else in the park until today.  It was so nice out that I decided to go for a walk during lunch and started wondering around Singleton Park.  I didn’t really realize how big it is, and how beautiful it is, especially when the sun is shining!! 

Singleton Park

There was a cute little pond, some wood carvings of mushrooms, and a bunch of little walking paths.  I didn’t feel like I was in Swansea while I was walking around.  There was an old man feeding a bunch of squirrels, which I’m usually not a big fan of squirrels, but I found it amusing.  I always wonder how people decide to start doing things like that.  

Another view of Singleton Park

Another beautiful area I discovered the other day was the gardens on the side of the Abbey opposite the stable building that I work in.  There is a nice fountain and some well tended flowers overlooking a huge yard that takes you all the way to the road, across which is the beach.  These would all be great areas to study, or play sports (too bad I am athletically challenged). 

Fountain by the Abbey

Gardens by the Abbey

Things that are more difficult than they should be:

• Typing on the keyboard.  This isn't really that difficult, but the keyboard is unnecessarily different.  I don't know who changed it, but they shouldn't have.  The most annoying difference is that the " and the @ are in opposite positions on the keyboards, and every time I get used to the UK layout at work then I come home and type the wrong thing on my laptop. 

Fun Phrases:

“Shattered” or "Knackered" just means tired

“Pissed” if someone says they are pissed it does not mean they are angry, it means they have had too many alcoholic beverages

A fun, relaxing, British day!

Quick Note: I added a new picture to the The Jubilee Weekend (Part III) if you would like to see it :)

A couple Saturdays ago the weather was amazing!  It was somewhere in the mid-70's F/about 25º C (see new section "Things that are more difficult than they should be" below), so I went to the beach with a couple people I knew and a couple of their friends.  One of their friends was actually from America, but had been living in the UK for the past eight years, since she started her undergrad in Northern Ireland (Jealous!).

Oxwich Bay

It was actually at this point I realized I did not know any Americans in the country, and yet had a number of friends.  I think it's pretty cool that I am actually part of life in Swansea and not just living my own life on the side (much of which I owe to my friend Silas who introduced me to many of these people, so thanks Silas!!).
          While studying abroad during undergrad in Ireland, I was often with other American students since I was assigned an American roommate, lived in a building with almost all American students, traveled with American students, etc.  It's not that I didn't interact with Irish students, but more of my time was spent with Americans, and I think my experience would have been even better if I had developed deeper relationships with the Irish students.
          Based on this experience a piece of advice to those studying abroad: if you are going to study or intern abroad, try to chose a program (and a living situation) that will allow you to be fully immersed in the new country and culture, and not just partially participating in it.  Swansea is great for that with the living arrangements in the student village.

Anyway... back to my Saturday story.  So, they picked me up at the student village, and even the drive there was fun.  The the roads are a little windy and small, and people drive sort of in the middle of the road, but the views were great.  I also always love riding in cars in other countries.  It is such a normal, everyday thing for me in the States, but since I obviously don't have my car with me while I'm abroad I really enjoy being able to get in a car and go somewhere so easily, especially after taking the bus, walking, or paying a ton for taxis to get everywhere most of the time.

After a short 10-20 minute drive along the coast we arrived at the beach.  We parked and walked down to the beach, and it was beautiful!  There were kite surfers everywhere.  I don't know how they could surf that close together and not run into each other, but it was so cool to see all the kites in the air.

Kite surfers at Oxwich Bay

Now, as I said the weather was beautiful, and there was a slight breeze so it was not hot, like every other time I have gone to a beach.  I never even broke a sweat... however, that does not mean that I was not getting a lot of sun.  In fact, I ended up getting way too much sun, especially on my legs which hadn't seen daylight in a very long time.  Here is the proof:

Very sunburned legs!

Lesson learned!  Don't forget your sunblock, and even if it doesn't feel like you need it, put it on anyway.  


When we got back to Swansea from the beach, I made my way downtown because the Olympic torch was coming through town.  So I bought an ice cream bar and stood on the side of the road waiting for it.  By the time the torch came there were people lining both sides of the street for as far as I could see.  Everyone was waving the Union Jack and cheering.  It felt quite patriotic and was a neat thing to get to be a part of! 

People lining the street to see the Olympic torch.

Mel Davies with the torch.
(You can read more about Mel here)

After seeing the torch I was quite hungry, so I grabbed some fish and chips at the corner fish bar called Monni's.  The food was greasy and delicious!

             

         

  
I would highly recommend having fish and chips wrapped in paper at least once while in the UK!


After my dinner I walked back to campus to catch the bus back to the student village and saw a little bit of the crowds that were in Singleton Park for the torch celebration party.  Once home I just relaxed the rest of the night.  There isn't much that will make me more tired than a day in the sun! ... except maybe a day in the sun followed by a large greasy meal :)




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I have decided to create a new section, and I'm not sure what I want to call it, but for now I will just call it "Things that are more difficult than they should be."  Sorry I can't think of anything more catchy.  Let me know if you have any better ideas.  So here is my first installment.

Things that are more difficult than they should be:

• Converting temperature between celsius and fahrenheit (see explanation above).  

I realized I am very bad at converting between celsius and fahrenheit.  The actual conversion is C= (F-32) x 5/9 or F = (C x 9/5) + 32.  My dummy way of doing it, so that I can get a rough estimate is to take F-32 times one-half to figure out the degrees in celsius, or double the temperature in celsius and then add 32 to figure out the degrees in fahrenheit. 

The Jubilee Weekend (Part III: The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and my birthday!)

Tuesday was the last day of the long weekend and it was off because it was the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, which meant she has been the ruling monarch for 60 years!  (conveniently it was also my birthday!)

The Queen's coronation in 1952 when she was 26 years old, same age as I am now :)
Photo: AP Wire at http://www.smh.com.au/

The Queen during the Diamond Jubilee
(Photo by: Reuters/Toby Melville from http://www.theatlantic.com)

She is less than four years away from becoming the longest reigning monarch, a privilege currently held by Queen Victoria.  The celebration had been going on all weekend.  If I would have known more about all the events, I think I would have gone to London for the weekend, especially for the huge concert they had Monday night in front of Buckingham Palace.  There were tons of British performers including Elton John and Paul McCartney!  Would have been fun to see.

Anyway, we celebrated by going to my supervisor’s beautiful home in a smaller town outside of Swansea called Llanelli (pronounced in a way that I have no idea how to describe).  It was so much fun to see another little town, and to be inside a local’s house.  This may sound funny, but if you think about it, it is very easy to study/intern abroad and never go inside someone’s house or apartment.  For students, even if they are friends with many Welsh students, those students may be living in student housing, or in my case I’ve always met people out.  So it was nice to be in a home and be able to just relax and watch TV. 

Celebrating the Queen's Diamond Jubilee at Angela's house!

We had proper British party food which included sausages, sausage rolls, crisps (see fun phrases below), sandwich halves, cheddar and pineapple, blue cheese and grapes, and cakes provided by Ari, the nine-year-old guest at the party and the source of much entertainment.  

Photo of Duchess Kate by UK Press Association

They sang happy birthday for me and let me blow out some candles.  We drank champagne and watched the concert from the night before and part of the ceremony that took place that morning.  I loved seeing what all of the royalty wore to everything, especially the hats and fascinators (the little head pieces many of the women wear J). 

We watched some shows about the queen for a while and talked about British history.  It was a perfect way to celebrate the Jubilee.  Thanks, Angela!! I’ve decided that if the royal family decides to throw a large celebration for either the Queen’s 64^th or 65^th Jubilee that I will definitely try to make it back to London!

Fun Phrases: (food edition J)

"Crisps" vs. "Chips" crisps are what Americans call chips, and chips are what Americans call fries.  This can get quite confusing when talking to another American in Britain!

"Biscuits" what Americans call cookies are what the British call biscuits.  Biscuits are not the doughy breakfast pastry that you pour gravy over. 

"Welshcakes" these are delicious pastries that are similar to scones, or sort of like an American biscuit/pancake/muffin combo type of pastry.  They are made primarily of flour, sugar, and butter with raisins or sultanas and often have cinnamon and nutmeg. Delicious!

The Jubilee Weekend (Part II: Rhossili Bay)

Monday was a Bank Holiday (see fun phrases below), so Brett and I decided to go to a beach for the day.  We were deciding between Mumbles and Rhossili, but decided we had to go see the iconic Rhossili Bay, and it was beautiful.  The Bay is found within an area designated as the first “Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the United Kingdom.”

Rhossili Bay

The only small hiccup in the day was the bus ride there.  According to Google maps it should take 40 minutes to get there from the bus station... and somehow it took 2 hours on the incredibly full bus (luckily we had seats!).  At one point I heard an older Welsh lady explain to someone that we had gotten on the scenic bus route that took us around the countryside.  We did see quite a few beautiful landscapes, but it was quite a long ride nonetheless. Lesson: Ask around before getting on a bus!

Once we did arrive, we grabbed a quick pizza bread for lunch and then took a walk around the cliffs.  There were sheep grazing all around.  I am still surprised every time I see animals that are not fenced in whether it be on the sides of the road or on the cliffs at Rhossili. 

Sheep at Rhossili Bay

At the southern end of the Bay is the small island called the Worm's Head, which we did not walk out to.  I am told it takes quite a long time, and we were content seeing it from a close distance.  
Also, I have read that at low tide, it is possible to see the remains of a few shipwrecks. 

Cliffs at Rhossili Bay with Worm's Head in the distance

The weather was beautiful for us.  The sun came and went behind the clouds, but there was no rain, so it was quite enjoyable just walking around the area.  We grabbed some ice cream and sat overlooking the beach for quite a while before we left.  It was a simple and beautiful day!! I would highly recommend Rhossili to anyone, especially on a nice day!

Fun Phrases:

“Bank Holiday” British bank holidays are public holidays.  The name Bank Holiday comes from the time when banks were shut and so no trading could take place. There is currently a total of 8 permanent bank and public holidays in England, Wales and Scotland and 10 in Northern Ireland. In Wales they include New Years Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, May Day, Spring Bank Holiday (last Monday in May), Summer Bank Holiday (last Monday in August), Christmas Day, and Boxing Day/St. Stephen's Day (December 26).  Even though banks are still closed on these days many shops today now remain open.

The Jubilee Weekend (Part I)

The timing of the Jubilee could not have worked out any better.  This last weekend was a four-day weekend because of the Jubilee, and it couldn’t have been better timing. 

SATURDAY: My husband, Brett, arrived on Saturday for a two-week visit, so it was very nice to have the extra time off.  Since I didn’t have anything to do on Saturday before he arrived at 6:45pm at the train station, I decided I would just walk there from my flat in the student village... in retrospect maybe not the best idea I’ve had here.  It was nice to see some new parts of Swansea.  There were some lovely houses, many decorated with Union Jack decorations, but it was a LONG walk and it doesn’t help that I have the worst sense of direction of anyone in the world, so my path ended up looking something like what is below, which according to Google Maps is about 4.5 miles.  I would suggest taking a walk some day, but maybe take a map with you!

My very long walk from the student village to the train station.

Luckily the weather was pretty good, and after killing a little time in the city center, I made it to the train station.  As I waited, I watched hundreds if not thousands of Swansea rugby fans get off the train after spending the day in Cardiff watching Wales beat the Barbarians 30-21.  I definitely would have been there if I could have.  

Photo from: WalesOnline.co.uk
(http://www.walesonline.co.uk/)

Since the Swansea train station is very small, I easily found my husband once his train arrived, and we grabbed a taxi back to my flat (there was no way I was walking any more).   We were going to go out for a little while that night, but after walking in the rain to the bus stop and waiting about 10 minutes we decided to just go across the street to the Toby Carvery for dinner (which was really good, and a LOT of food) and then call it a night.   

SUNDAY: Sunday was a rainy day, but we ventured out to the city center, and due to the rain on Saturday, Brett realized his shoes were not at all good for the rain. So we found some cheap shoes and a rugby jacket that he wanted, and enjoyed a cup of coffee at Starbucks.  Sunday evening we went back out for a pint at the Bryn Y Mor, so Brett could meet some of the wonderful people I’ve gotten to know over the past few weeks.

Fun phrases:

"Top" sort of like saying "great".

"Lush" and "Posh" means high quality, stylish, fancy.

Sunday in Swansea

I’m a little late with this entry, but better late than never, right?  So my second Sunday here I woke up and decided to go for a short “jog.”  I use that term very lightly.  You see, I tore my ACL the day before new year’s eve attempting to ski in Minnesota, and ended up having knee surgery in February.  I am supposed to be continuing my physical therapy (or physio as they say here), which I have not been doing the best job at.  So, as I was “jogging” I passed an older woman with a little dog and stopped to say hello.  She was probably about 85 years old and her name was Christine, but she said everyone called her Chris.  I thought the dog was a puppy because it was so small, but it was actually 14 years old.  It was a small Bichon named Pierre, but she said she just called it “dog.”  I had a brief conversation with Chris and she told me that she inherited “dog” was her brother who passed away.  I learned that she is from Swansea originally and lived in the neighborhood just next to the student village with her son and daughter in law.  We talked for about 20-30 minutes, and she said if I ever wanted to stop by her house I could.  As I walked away back to my flat I realized why Swansea is such a great place… the people. 

Almost every person I’ve met here is incredibly friendly.  Once people realize I’m not Welsh they all want to help me out and give me advice about what I should see.  In addition to Chris, I have also talked to a woman at the bus station while we waited for the bus.  She told me all the great places I should go to along the coast.  Even the taxi (not cab! I’ve been informed they say taxi here) drivers are friendly.  Another small friendly behavior I noticed is that everyone thanks the bus driver when getting off the bus. 

After my morning exercise, I got ready for the day and met up with some friends for “Sunday dinner” at The Woodman.  I’m not 100% sure about this yet, but from what I can tell Sunday dinner (which is actually lunch) is kind of like brunch, but no breakfast, so really just lunch (wow! that doesn’t actually make much sense, haha).  I guess I feel like it is similar to brunch because I believe restaurants often have a different menu for it.  Anyone out there able to help me out with this?

Anyway, we ate at the Woodman, which was just down the beach a little ways from the uni (see fun phrases below) and it was very good.  I actually split a seafood platter for two, and although it was good, I want to go back so that I can get the traditional Sunday dinner.  I’ll let you know how it is!  After “dinner” we walked back along the path right next to the beach to campus and had a pint at Pub On The Pond.  This is a great Pub located right next to campus.  It was beautiful out on Sunday, so we sat outside.  As the name suggests, the pub is on a little pond, and there are paddle boats shaped like dragons that I kind of want to ride in some time.  There is also a mini golf course right there as well.  Everything was packed with families since it was such a great day.

Next we went to a vintage “garage sale” which was in a bar called Whitez. It was a really cool sale and I got a nice vintage shirt (I’ll post a picture later) and ring for only £10.  Then we went upstairs and played pool for a while.  Well, the guys played pool, and I hung out with them.  We finished the day at Uplands Tavern, which is a really great old pub where Dylan Thomas, the famous poet and writer from the mid-20^th century, used to hang out and write.  We sat outside under the heat lamps and it was perfect.  Overall, a really fun Sunday!

Fun phrases:

"Uni"  First of all, college is called university, and everyone calls it “uni” for short.

"Ta" I mentioned tada, tata, and ta earlier, but I have learned that ta also means thanks.

Side note: if anyone has any corrections or additions to my fun phrases (or anything I say) please leave a comment about it below!  I’d love to hear from you :)

The troubles of travelling abroad

There is nothing better to teach someone how to relax and “go with the flow” than travelling abroad.  It doesn’t matter how much you plan and prepare, check and double-check, things are going to go wrong (or at least not as you planned them)... and when they do, it often feels like everything happens at once.  If these things were to go wrong at home it would not be a big problem, but when they happen abroad, there is the added stress of the unfamiliar, the time difference, the distance, etc.  

Having travelled quite a bit myself, I have come to expect these hiccups, and believe I am pretty good at dealing with them; however, when they do arise they are still frustrating nonetheless.  For me, the first issue I came across on this trip was when I tried to withdraw money for the first time.  I had used my debit and credit card successfully at some stores to make purchases (although thinking back my debit card had stopped working), but had not withdrawn money.  So, Friday I went to withdraw money on campus and was not able to.  I thought perhaps it was the machine and I would try another.  I tried the machine in the student village and no luck!  By this time it was too late to try to find another machine, so I called my bank to make sure there were no holds on my account (which they ASSURED me there were not) and decided to deal with it in the morning. 


                                                  Picture from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

Saturday morning came and this was the day I went on the trip to Stonehenge, so I got on the bus with my £8 in change in my pocket and hoped I wouldn’t need any cash (side note: this is not what I would suggest doing.  Looking back I should have tried to withdraw money while I still had at least £20 left, but as they say, hindsight is 20/20.  Just a suggestion to others who may read this.).  Luckily, I had enough to buy myself a cuppa at Avebury, and my credit card still worked so that I could purchase some unnecessary souvenirs at Stonehenge. 

When I got homem, I had plans to meet some ladies out for the night, so I tied the bank machine at the student village once more with no success.  I used my last few quid (see fun phrases below) to catch the bus downtown.  Once there I tried the bank machine at the Tesco (grocery store), and then tried to get cash back after purchasing something.  All good ideas... but none worked.  At this point I was starting to get a little nervous, so I called home and ask my family to call the bank. 

I received a call back saying that there was a hold on my account because of “suspicious action overseas” and that I would have to call the bank to clear it. I was a little furious at this point since I had called the bank before I left AND just spoken with them the night before.  No I mentioned how all things seem to happen at once, well of course at this point I was almost out of credit on my phone.  I tried to call the bank, but my phone ran out of credit in the middle of it... very frustrated at this point. 

Luckily I made it to the pub, and found the ladies. 

Eventually everything sorted itself out.  I ran to the store before it closed to top up (see fun phrases below) my phone (remember I was still able to charge to the credit card at this point), and then one of the women I was with just handed me £10 so I could make it home, and another handed me £20 so that I could still have a good night.  Oh how I love the Welsh, always thinking of the important things J.  Anyway, I did have a good night, and the next morning I called the bank, straightened it out, and got to campus to take out money.  Turns out the student village machine doesn’t work with my card anyway.

I have paid the ladies back, and everything turned out fine.  What I have found  through these events is they often lead me to meeting wonderful people.  In the end this time, I am left with a working bank card, cash in my pocket, and some good friends who I know will help me out if I need it.  Overall, a pretty good end to a problem

Lesson learned: Don’t wait until you are out of money and phone credit to get more money! (Honestly I wish I could say this will never happen again, but who knows.  As the Welsh would say, if it does I’ll sort it out later.)

Fun phrases:

Quid: means pounds, as in the British currency (£).  I checked to see where that came from and most places seem to think it comes from the Latin phrase “quid pro quo” meaning “something for something else.”

Top up: means to add credit to your pay-as-you-go phone.  You can do this at pretty much any convenience store or grocery store.  Basically you pay usually £10 or £20 and then you get a receipt with a number that you call from your phone, and once you call it that amount is added to your phone.

Saturday at Stonehenge!

Today was brilliant!  The best part about studying/interning abroad is that you get to know the culture in a much deeper way than when you just travel as a tourist... however, I still enjoy doing all of the tourist activities, and seeing Stonehenge was on my list for this trip!  I was nervous about the weather because it was supposed to rain all day, but it held off and the sun even broke through while we were at Stonehenge. 

The bus picked up from the village at 8am and then stopped on campus to pick up the rest of the students.  There were students from America, Canada, Georgia, and China.  It was fun chatting with all of them and hearing where all they had travelled.  Many had gone to Cambridge, Oxford, and Liverpool, which I now hope to find time to visit!

We made the three hour drive through the lovely countryside, to our first stop at Avebury in England. I was a little surprised at how there was practically no indication that we had crossed into England except a sign on the side of the road that said Welcome to England.  It was just like driving across a state line.

 Avebury is not as well known as Stonehenge, but it is another Neolithic (4000-2500 BCE) henge.   Although less famous (in fact even most British people I spoke to didn’t know about it), Avebury actually has the largest stone circle in Europe.  It is believed that there were originally around 100 stones making up two smaller circles within one large circle measuring over three hundred meters across.  Some of the rocks weigh in excess of 40 tons.  What is unbelievable is that people moved these stone with no machinery over about a 1000 year time span. 

Huge neolithic stones at Avebury.

The size of one of the stones at Avebury.  Seriously impressive that they moved these without machines.

Avebury now has a town built around it, so we had a chance to grab a cup of tea and a scone, and check out the little museums located there, including the one in the 17^th century barn.  I also visited the St. James church which is believed to be originally constructed around 1000AD.  Located in Avebury is also the newly renovated Avebury Manor, but I did not get a chance to check that out... next time J

On our way to Stonehenge we saw Silbury Hill, a 40 meter tall prehistoric human-made hill that now looks like a big mound since it has been overgrown with grass, but at the time would have been all white from the chalk material it is made out of.  I had never heard of Silbury before, but it is the tallest prehistoric human-made mound in Europe.   

Me at Stonehenge!

Then on to Stonehenge. Stonehenge was impressive because it is something I have always seen pictures of before, and you are able to see all of it at once, unlike Avebury.  However, it is much more touristy with fences and pathways built around it.  There were also hundreds of people there at the time.  It was great to be able to see both Avebury and Stonehenge, a great day trip!  Highly recommend it if you get a chance.  The International Development Office puts the trip on, so be sure to watch for information about it!

Fun phrases:

"Tada", also can be said as "tata" or just "ta".  This is one of my new favorites.  It does not mean someone has just completed a magic trick, like in the US, but actually means goodbye in Wales.

"Fortnight" although I have heard this word before, I don't think I have ever heard it used in everyday speach.  It means 2 weeks, and it is commonly used here.  For example, the International Development Office has a meeting every fortnight on Tuesdays. 

"Stone" is another measurement term, but this time it is for weight.  1 stone = 14 pounds.  It really threw me off when the scales measured in stones!  I am somewhere around 9 stones.  Sounds so little :)

Finishing the first week

As always, the first week in a new country has been a rollercoaster ride.  Wales is a beautiful country, Swansea has wonderful people, and it hasn’t been rainy!  It has actually been sunny every day except one so far, which is crazy.  Although sunny, it has still been cool outside.  It was actually a little bit of an adjustment coming from an abnormally warm spring in Iowa.  It has been in the 40’s and 50’s here.  Most mornings and evenings I would have probably been wearing a light winter coat had I brought one, but it has started to get a little warmer, and I have started to get used to it.  I am beginning to enjoy it now.  It is nice to be able to walk to the bus stop, or across campus, and not be sweating by the time you get there.  Plus, there is not the extreme highs and lows like in Iowa.  The average temperatures range from about 45F in January to about 65F in July.

The only things that have been less than wonderful is just missing everyone back home, and of course adjusting to a new job is always a bit of a transition.  I also realized that my visa has the wrong end date, which is a little frustrating.  Currently the end date is set at June 30, which is the day after I’m done with work.  I saw this before I came, but I incorrectly thought that only meant that I could not work after that date, when in fact I am supposed to leave the country by that date.  However, my flight home is booked for July 10, and I have plans to travel during that time.  I’ve spent a bunch of money on those travel plans, so hopefully I can work that out!  I have an appointment with someone in the international student services office Monday to try to sort it out.  Having interned in the International Students and Scholars Office at Iowa State, it is interesting experiencing first-hand what I have seen the international students at ISU go through.

My internship is wonderful, and the International Development Office is great.  Everyone here is so friendly and helpful!  Plus, I love the office space.  It is located in a building that used to be horse stables, which I think is the most beautiful building on campus. 

The building I work in.  Used to be the stables of the estate.  I think it is the most beautiful building on campus!

There is a kettle in every room for tea, and a fridge for the milk.  I had been drinking my tea plain back home, but now that I have started adding milk and sugar, I don’t know if I’ll be able to go back (bad idea to start!).  I am currently using an extra mug that was sitting around the office for my tea, but I want to get my own.  Don’t know what it should be... stay tuned.


My desk is upstairs with the international recruiters, and I am sitting next to people from China, Germany, and Brazil, as well as Wales.  There is also an intern from France downstairs.  She speaks French (obviously), Italian (her mother is Italian), English (her mother is an English teacher), AND Spanish (she studied abroad in Spain during her undergraduate degree).  This is why I love international education so much.  I may be in Wales, but I get to work with amazing people from all over the world!  So exciting!  The student body at Swansea is also very diverse.  Just walking from my office to the Fulton House (the student union), I see students from just all over the world.


With Sarah and Molan from work at Uplands Tavern.

Fun phrases:

"Jumper" is a sweater.  A sweater means...?

"No worries" is a common saying meaning exactly what it says.  They are often not worried about things here, which is very nice :)

"Sort it out" means figure it out, and is usually used in the sentence, "We'll sort it out later."  There is a much less sense of urgency here about most things than there is in the States, where there seems to be an urgency about EVERYTHING.