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successfully at some stores to make purchases (although thinking back my debit card had stopped working), but had not withdrawn money.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.

I saw the Beatles last night

After work today, I met up with with some friends to grab dinner at the pub, and on the walk there we turned a corner... and there was the ocean.  It was beautiful!  I know the ocean is right there, but I’m still surprized to see it, especially when turning a corner in town. 

It sprinkled a little on the way there, but not enough to use my umbrella, and since we were walking, I wasn’t cold at all.  We got to the Bryn Y Mor (or “the Bryn” as everyone calls it) at about 6pm and ordered our food and a pint. 

I had planned on going home after dinner to get some laundry done and get to bed early, but once we were at the pub we realized a Beatles cover band was playing at nine, which I didn't want to miss, so I decided I could do laundry later ;)

More people we knew happened to show up, and we ended up having a group of about eight watch the band.  I love live music, and the band was pretty good, so it ended up being quite a fun night!

I got home much later than I had planned, but it was worth it... I mean, how often do you get to watch the Beatles in the UK?

Fun phrases:

"Cwtch" pronounced kutch (rhymes with butch). According to what I have been told, and what I have found on a Welsh blog, a Cwtch is "a small, cozy place... like a cupboard beneath the stairs."  It also means "the act of creating a small space between you and another. It is like a hug ... but much much better! ... What's wonderful about cwtches is they reach out, and they engage with feeling."
-according to the Blog, "The Cwtch": http://the-cwtch.blogspot.co.uk/2008/08/what-is-cwtch.html
An example of this being used was my friend saying "Not much better than cwtches with your goddaughter"

My flat in the student village

Well, I am getting settled into my flat now.  I have five other flatmates who are all incredibly nice.  Four of them are first year Welsh students.  Their names are Tom, James, Adam, and Jack.  My other roommate is actually an undergraduate student from Iowa State!!  Cynthia is a materials engineering major.  All of them have been incredibly helpful, letting me use their internet to communicate with home, while I get my computer set up. 

The flat consists of six bedrooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom.  Each bedroom has a twin bed, a nightstand, a desk, two shelves, a wardrobe, and a small set of drawers.  

                                           

Just enough for what I need while I’m here.  The kitchen has three small refrigerators and a freezer, although I don’t do much cooking at home, so I doubt I’ll be doing much here.  But, I will need a place to keep my cereal and milk, so this should work fine.  The bathroom, although quite different, is nice because it is split into three separate rooms.  The toilet is in one, there is a shower and sink in the next, and another sink in the third.  This works well with five other roommates, so that more than one person can be getting ready at once.  I think it’s worth noting that not all of the flats are exactly the same (for example, my friend said he had a sink in his room when he stayed in the Student Village) but they are all similar.

My room has two outlets, and luckily with my adaptor, my blow dryer and computer charger work.   Both are dual voltage, so I don’t have to worry about a converter; I just had to turn a little knob on my blow dryer to switch it over. 

Here is a picture of what the outlets look like, since I am always afraid I have the wrong adapters.

As I mentioned before I had to buy bedding.  I would suggest bringing it with you if you can fit it.  It wasn’t too expensive to buy, but it isn’t the highest quality either; however, it will be fine for the next 6 weeks.  I also purchased hangers, laundry detergent, a bowl and silverware (I’m a little bit of a germaphobe and wanted my own), and a cheep plastic bag to carry it home in (only about 45p) since they do not give free bags with purchases here in an effort to prevent people just throwing them away after one use. 

The student village has a little convenience store called the Spar, which is nice to have so close.  I grabbed a box of cereal and milk, some cookies (or biscuits as they say here), and a couple of yogurts there so that I had some food at my flat. 

The hill I live at the top of in the student village, aka my exercise.

I live at the top of a rather large and steep hill in the student village (as seen above), which will be nice because it will ensure I get my exercise everyday since the bus stop is at the bottom.  The bus system is very easy and the drivers are quite friendly, always willing to help me figure out if I’m on the correct bus and which ticket I need.  So far I have just been taking the bus to and from the Student Village, campus (or the uni as they call it here), and the city center. 

The third day I got an extra workout since I decided to do laundy, which entailed three trips up and down the hill.   It also entailed another pleasant interaction with some friendly Welsh student workers at the Spar because I wasn’t paying attention and did not see the hours for the laundry room on the door.  So, when I went to get my things out of the dryer the door was locked and all the lights were off.  Luckily the girls working had the key and were nice enough to let me back in, which was nice because I was almost stuck without a towel for the morning.  I’m sure I won’t make that mistake again!

Fun phrases:

"Fab" as in, That dress is fab!

"Cuppa" meaning a cup of tea, and FYI, white means with milk.

"Cheers" a great word that can be used for many purposes including thanks and ok.

First days in Swansea...

I just arrived in Swansea a few days ago, and have been adjusting to my new surroundings. Luckily for me, the weather has been amazing, and the people are wonderful!

I arrived wearily on May 11 at Heathrow airport after my, approximately, eight hour flight from Chicago. I made my way through the airport and found the Heathrow Express train to Paddington Station in London. Once I arrived, and drug my luggage up and down a couple of flights of stairs to the main lobby area.  I looked outside and saw a red double-decker bus pass by on the street, and it finally hit me... I am in London!

I went to the ticket machine and printed my ticket, grabbed a coffee in the train station, looked at the touristy merchandise (mainly stuffed Paddington Bears, one of which I plan to buy on my way home... I mean how often are you in London? ;), and sat to watch the TV monitors and figure where I would need to get on my train. I watched the variety of people walk buy, some families, some alone, some British, some American or another nationality, some speaking English, some speaking Russian and other languages, the diversity was exciting.

My train popped up on the board, and I watched for it to say it was boarding. Eventually, it flashed up, Platform three. I grabbed my luggage, and headed to the platform. I found my seat, and almost immediately remembered one of the things I love about the UK (and Europe in general)... people bring their dogs with them everywhere! A woman had her cute little, well-behaved Cocker Spaniel looking dog with her who just laid under the seat in front of her quietly. The train began moving quite unceremoniously, and for the next three hours I alternated between watching the beautiful countryside hills and dozing off. After a number of stops in small towns along the way, and what seemed like no time, the train reached Swansea station. I felt a sense of accomplishment in making it to my destination unscathed.


Photo from https://www.facebook.com/pages/Study-Abroad-Swansea-University/145053856729

I have a friend from Iowa State who is currently here in Swansea visiting friends (he studied abroad in Swansea during his undergraduate career and also participated in the same internship that I am here for, last summer). He met me at the station, and we grabbed a taxi to the Hendrefoelan Student Village. The rest of my first day entailed taking the city buses to the city center, purchasing some bedding at Wilkinson's (sort of like a Walmart), grabbing a bite to eat at a pub, returning to my flat at the Student Village to clean up, and going out for my first night in Swansea. It was an exhausting and exciting start to my summer here! I'm looking forward to all of the adventures to come...


I have already started to notice, and love, the language differences here (in addition to the accent), so I have decided to share these, along with other little observations, at the end of my entries :)

Fun phrases:

"You alright?" this is like our "what's up?" Just a brief informal greeting not intended to solicit a long response.

"Hiya" a very friendly way to say hello.