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.