Central College Abroad

I’m not really sure who will be reading this but for anyone who does, I’m Trent.  Right now I am expecting this experience to be great because I have actually never been out of the United States.  Really, I am actually lucky to make it outside Nebraska (for any of you not familiar, yes it is part of the United States…yes, we have electricity…and no, I don’t wear overalls)   Can’t wait to get out and about the world though.  However, since I am a chemistry major, I am already dreading getting back to college after this brief hiatus from my class load.  From now to the end of college, I have a full class load so that I will actually be able to graduate.  I hope this traveling experience will give me a better understanding of the world and will let me see some of it for once before I become entangled by the strains of medical school and later a job.

Now, to the meat of the post.  Waiting until the last minute is never good, but it happens to most of us doesn’t it?  As of this moment, I have not packed my luggage, don’t have the appropriate power adaptor, and haven’t even considered what to take.  I for one don’t recommend taking my approach because this is going to be a long night…

Hello again! I just returned from a weekend trip to Shanghai with my fellow Central College Abroad classmates. With Li-laoshi, there were a total of 8 of us, which made taxis very convenient when the subways/buses didn’t go directly to our destinations: four of us in each taxi. I haven’t downloaded any pictures from my camera yet, so instead I will talk about some of the activities of the week prior to Shanghai.

Cynthia with Umbrella

Last Saturday, I hiked with one of my Chinese classmates, and one of my American classmates. It also happened to be one of the hottest days since I’ve been here. Cynthia, the Chinese girl, brought an umbrella on the hike. I’d been trying to get used to seeing umbrellas on hot days, but bringing one onto a hike seemed a little too strange. As the day went on, I realized that having an umbrella wasn’t such a bad idea: that Saturday was one of the hottest days I’ve experienced so far. Cynthia further explained that her umbrella blocked both UV-A and UV-B rays from the sun, so it was also healthier to carry it. The picture on the left shows Cynthia posing for the camera, as well as other people carrying umbrellas even into the shade. I’ve begun to detach the idea of an umbrella from rain, but I still don’t think I’ll start carrying one.

Aside from Cynthia, Sarah Yang, and Wang Zhe, our group has been meeting many other international students. Jarrad and Joel from Australia, George and Natalie from Russia, about 25 Swedes, Ash from New Zealand (though born in Hong Kong). I know there is also a Spanish-speaking group here, but I don’t know if they’re from Spain, Central America, or elsewhere. Most of the Chinese students moved in while we were in Shanghai, and I am excited to start befriending native Chinese students. The day before we left for Shanghai, I met many of the “Zhe Da” (Zhejiang Daxue) English-language professors. They were all Chinese women and all of them had–at one time or another–taught at Central College. Every one of them spoke English very well. Unfortunately, the day that I met these professors was the same day that the Central Abroad group went boating on West Lake, and the same day that I forgot to wear sunscreen; my face, neck, and arms were extremely red due to the sunburn I had.

Tomorrow is the first day of classes at Zhejiang University. I do not know which Chinese-language class I am in, but I am excited nonetheless. I took both the oral and the written placement tests; however, my name was not listed under any of the language levels here. There were two other students from Central Abroad whose names were also missing, so Li-laoshi will be calling the office tomorrow morning to get things straightened out. I hate to miss the first day of class, but there’s not much to be done about it now.

See you next week!

Ich heisse Erik

Hallo! I’m Erik.  I’m currently studying abroad with the Central College Abroad Vienna Program.  Right now, I’m in the process of a two month intensive language study in Germany, which is a lot of fun.  More on that later.

So, study abroad… Why am I studying abroad with Central’s program?  Well, for starters, its a nationally ranked program, but what sold it to me the most was the recommendations I received from friends or acquaintances that had been on the program before.  I never really heard a bad thing about it, it sounded fun, and it’s always been something I wanted to do.  And so now, I’m here…

One thing I’ve noticed throughout the whole ordeal is that Central really tries their hardest to make their Study Abroad programs a unique and fun learning experience for everyone.  They have hired coordinators for all the different travel sites that help you with everything you need, and they help a lot with all sorts of things, like travel and academics and such.  I know the Vienna directors are very helpful with our academic advising and give us advice on all sorts of travel.

Koelner Dom

Enough of the boring stuff… more with my adventures!  So far, I’ve done a lot of traveling in Germany. I flew in on August 1st/2nd,and I’ve already been to Berlin, Köln (Cologne), Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Rothenburg, and München (Munich).  For only being here a little over a month, that’s a whole lot.  I’ve taken tons of photos (which will be put up over the course of my blogging) and had plenty of fun!

Schwaebisch Hall

Right now, I’m at the Goethe Institut, which is in the small town of Schwäbisch Hall.  It’s a decent size town, and at first glance, it looks like the size of Pella, but it’s actually much bigger.  The town is nestled right in-between two mountains.  It’s beautiful here!

I have meet a lot of people here too, but most of them are from other foreign countries, since the Goethe Institut is an international German language school.  I have friends from Venezuela, Italy, Spain, Greece, and Great Brittan, to name a few.  I’ve learned a lot about many different cultures, and the teachers here incorporate intercultural learning in the lessons.  For example, every week, we make a presentation based on the unit we are learning about and how it is different or the same in our home nation.

The Deutsche Bahn

So, I want to end my blogs with something helpful I have or am learning while over here.  The first lesson is: The Germans are always pünktlich (punctual).  Even if the culture seems more relaxed and laid back, they are always on time.  This especially goes for the trains.  Trains are hardly ever late, and when they are, it’s only a few minutes, and they easily make that up by not stopping as long at stops.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at donnere1@central.edu.  I am good with email, and I will most defiantly email back (and probably publish it in the blog).  I didn’t know what to expect when coming abroad, but by reading the blogs and asking a lot of questions, I felt more prepared for what to expect.

Alright, tune in next week for my adventure to… I don’t know where yet.  Dresden maybe?  Who knows!

*PS, clicking on the pictures makes them bigger!

No matter how long I live, I will never forget flying into the dawn with the Atlantic Ocean stretched below me. It was an awesome sight, comparable only to the bus ride to Bangor, a ride that offered me a roadside glimpse at not one but two magnificent castles. Sights like these are why I decided to study abroad. They are why I want to work abroad, to live abroad, to spend as much of my life as I can exploring this remarkable world.

I’ve been asked to introduce myself. So here I am: My name is Sarah Jones, and I have always wanted to travel. To achieve this end I became an International Studies major at Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio. I am also a freelance journalist, and I plan to pursue a career as an international journalist. During my semester in Wales, I will be serving a journalism internship with a local newspaper. Not only will this give me experience in my chosen field, it will offer me opportunities to become more familiar with this area and its residents than I would as a regular student.

I chose to study in Bangor for several reasons. One, my family is proud of its Welsh heritage. In fact, I’ve owned a Welsh flag since I was five years old. Two, I love history and mythology. Wales has an incredibly rich history and an equally rich culture that has spawned some of the most captivating stories I’ve had the pleasure to read. And three, I love beauty. The pictures I’d seen of Wales promised awesome beauty.

The pictures didn’t lie.

That is the view from Caernarfon Castle. The castle is as magnificent as the countryside that surrounds it. It was built in the 13th century by Edward I of England as a defense against the Welsh, who were conducting a campaign of guerilla warfare in response to Edward’s victory over Llewellyn ap Gruffudd, the last native Prince of Wales.

Caernarfon Castle is quite large, and was the site of the investiture of Prince Charles in 1969.

Wales’ beauty extends beyond its castles. Today (Sept. the group visited Lake Idwal in the Snowdonia National Park. Since we were caught in the kind of rainstorm I did not believe existed outside the borders of the state of Ohio, I have no pictures of the lake. However, I did manage to take a picture of a waterfall near the lake.

Snowdonia is rugged. It is also the most beautiful place I have ever seen in my life, and I look forward to returning there on one of the program’s field trips.

I’ve only spent four days in Wales, but I am already in love. It’s a truly amazing place. So, croeso i gymru! Welcome to Wales!

Hello!

My name is Michelle, and I will be your Paris blogger all semester. I am a senior at Bradley University. I am double majoring in Political Science and Religious Studies, with a minor in Philosophy. I decided to study abroad because I wanted to experience something new and have fun along the way.  I am applying to law school now, with the hope of entering school in the fall of 2010. 

You will notice that I am not majoring, or even minoring in French, but I came to France for study abroad, and I am so happy I did!  Last Sunday we got to Tours, where we are spending the first three weeks in a language intensive program. When I met my host mother, I was surprised that she didn’t speak any English! I don’t speak French very well; I have only taken 2 semesters of french in college.  Surprisingly though, not being able to communicate well is a challenging and rewarding experience. You have to think in a totally new way.

On the first night, our program director Shelly, took us out for crepes

We started school last Monday. It is hard, but my professors are really nice, and class is interesting. Two other students from Central are in my class, which is nice. I have also met other people from all over the world. In my class alone there are 2 Lebanese, 1 Serbian, 1 Mexican, 1 Korean, 1 Japanese, 1 Chinese, 1 Belgian, 1 Iraqi! C’est tres interessant!

Cooking class

There are only 6 other Central students in the France program right now (there are usually around 12-15). I wasn’t sure what to expect, but they are all really awesome, and we hang out all the time. We meet and get lunch between classes. We also took a cooking class together.

On Friday night we went to the Place Plumero, which is the square where all the students in Tours go on the weekends. We sat outside a cafe, and had drinks. 

On Saturday during the day we went on a group excursion to two chateaus. they were beautiful. One, the chateau Chenonceau, looked like a fairytale castle.We were going to check out the discotheques on Saturday night, but we were all exhausted! What a week- new friends, new school, new language.

The Chateau Chenonceau

Maybe discotheques next weekend ;D

Salut!

Michelle

Greetings, those surfing the vast ocean of the World Wide Web. My name is Ian Gillespie, and I will be your trusted blogger for the Leiden study abroad program for the Fall ‘09 semester (given that I don’t offend too many people with my tales of travel). First let me say that I was born and raised in Austin, TX and have never ventured outside of North America, so when I was given the chance to study in the Netherlands, I quickly jumped on the opportunity.

At this very moment, I have been in the Netherlands for six days. For better or worse, I have probably experienced more in these last six days than I had previously all summer. So let’s start from when I touched down in the Amsterdam airport. Immediately after leaving the plane I had a revelation that what little Dutch that I studied over the summer was utterly worthless given that I can only communicate through writing and my pronunciation is sloppy at best. Luckily for me, everybody who I have run into so far has spoken near perfect English and been very kind to help. I had no troubles at the airport. I found my bags quickly, and even when I went through customs, the officials literally paid no attention to me.

The train ride from Amsterdam to Leiden was only around 15 minutes (maybe a little longer, after taking a 12 plane ride, a short train ride seems to last mere seconds). But I’m pretty sure I annoyed the little old woman whose personal space was greatly reduced due to my large suitcase. When I got off the train, I started running into a number of dilemmas. In my little official Student Survival Guide, I was told to go directly to the taxi stand outside of the train station. Only when I got out I didn’t see any taxis, just a bus stop, thousands upon thousands of bikes, and a parking lot filled with Mercedes Benzes. I spent about 30 minutes lugging my luggage back and forth in front of the station aimlessly looking for the taxi. Finally I realized that the parking lot full of Mercedes Benzes had a big sign that said TAXI on it. So I put two and two together and thought this might be the most expensive taxi ride of my life. When I got in the taxi and told the driver to go to the address I was given by Central College, he looked at me blankly as if I told him to drive me to Egypt. So I asked him to just drop me off at Leiden University and figure things out there. The driver was very nice to me until he asked where I was from, in which I told him I was from Texas. In which he responded rather coldly, “Oh, George Bush.”

After getting out at Leiden University, I went through a string of events that eventually landed me at the Central College office in Leiden. Where I was kindly greeted by program directors Steef and Dennis. They gave me the keys to my dorm and sent me off. I spent the rest of the afternoon settling in and wondering around town with one of my new neighbors. At 6 p.m., I met the rest of the students in the Central program, and then Steef and Dennis introduced us to Dutch cuisine. Which believe it or not, are pancakes for dinner. Now I’m at home. The Pannekoeken (or Pancake house) is an old Dutch restaurant that serves pancakes that are over a foot in diameter filled with all sorts of fruits, veggies, and meats. Needless to say, it was pretty damn good. According to Dennis, there are restaurants like this throughout the Netherlands and the average Dutch person probably eats pancake dinners once a week. After 24 hours without sleep, I hit the hay right after I got back from dinner.

Over the next two days, Steef and Dennis helped us all get acquainted with the Netherlands, giving us a full tour of downtown Leiden and explaining various customs that make life in the Netherlands different from life in America.  To finish the week off, we were all introduced to our new Central College professors with a Dutch tradition called a “Borrel.” Pretty much we just drank a couple of beers with our future professors, which is kind of cool because I couldn’t imagine having a couple of cold ones with my American professors.

Over the weekend, my classmates and I decided to explore our new environment. From Friday through Sunday, the city of Leiden was hosting a small music festival on one of the many canals just a few blocks from our dorm. In general, the music we saw was mediocre, but it was still cool to be outside alongside a canal listening to music at night.

Probably the most enjoyable part of my first week was on Sunday when a couple of friends and I biked out to the North Sea in Katwijk. The bike ride is only a handful of kilometers and takes about an hour each way. The biking lanes are fairly open and the land is always flat, so you don’t have to be an avid biker to enjoy the ride. When you get there you are greeted by surprisingly sandy beaches, an abundance of waves, and loads of kite surfers. After walking along the beach for a while, we made camp and watched the kite surfers and the nice beach sky. I would highly recommend this to anybody visiting the Western Netherlands. I imagine that I will bike back out there at least once more during my stay. 

Despite being in the Netherlands for only six days, I can already see the subtle differences between here and America. Maybe it’s because I’m still on my “Honeymoon” period, but so far I unanimously take the side of the Netherlands as opposed to America. The main difference between here and America is how fantastically energy efficient the Dutch are. Almost everybody rides bikes, takes a clean energy train, or walks around town. And what few cars there are, you don’t see the gas-guzzlers like you do in the States. The Dutch also do so many little things to conserve energy. For example, in your dorm room, the constructors made it physically impossible to leave the lights on in your room after you leave the dorm, because you need your keys to turn on the lights. Also there is almost no water in the toilets and the refrigerators are small (especially for five people). These small acts that are non-existent in American life make a difference overtime.

 The other difference that I’ve noticed is that people are not nearly as stressed out about daily life as they are in America. Shops close when they want to as opposed to staying open longer to squeeze out a couple extra pennies. People on the streets aren’t speed walking with a cell phone attached to their ear, but seemingly walking coolly taking in the day second by second.

In short I have had a great time so far in the Netherlands and look forward to future adventures throughout the rest of the Netherlands and the rest of Europe.

Hello all,

My name is Rob, and I’ll be the Hangzhou blogger for Central this coming semester. I’m an Asian Studies major at Austin College in Sherman, Texas. My biggest goal abroad is to become conversational or fluent in Mandarin. I would also like to learn more about the country’s culture, both historical and contemporary. Beyond learning, I feel that this study abroad opportunity is a great way for me to teach others about American culture, so I’ve applied to intern in teaching English as a Second Language (ESL).

Tonight is the closing of my second day on Zhejiang University Yu Quan campus, the site of Zhe Da’s international college. After checking in and unloading my bags in the dorm, I spent the rest of yesterday evening meeting classmates. We were greeted with a welcome dinner, and courtesy of Carlos Carrillo, I have a picture of the food.

A traditional Chinese welcome dinner

One interesting note about this dinner was that it featured noodles. I asked Li-laoshi (the Central College program director in Hangzhou) and she told us that noodles are standard for a welcome-dinner, as a way of wishing a long stay. She said that when we leave, it is customary to serve rice since rice is much shorter and signifies the hope for a quick return.

Later that evening, I was invited by a few Chinese students to bike around Hangzhou’s West Lake. We biked for about an hour, and Cynthia (Li-laoshi’s assistant) told me about a few student groups that I may be interested in joining. One is an online group that discusses and arranges bicycling outings, and another is an organization of students to play table tennis. Time allowing, I hope that I can meet many Chinese friends through both groups.

I still have a lot of unpacking and adjusting to do, so I’ll sign off for now. Until next week,

Rob

I can’t believe it’s already been a month since I came back to the US!  Time has flown by while I’ve been catching up with friends and family and “relearning” how things work in America.  When I left to study abroad, I was really excited to be in China for a semester, but I thought for sure that I would be ready to return home when the five months were up.  I was definitely not expecting to feel so completely attached to Hangzhou, and so hesitant to come back to the US.  I can say with complete honesty that my last month in Hangzhou was the most amazing time of my life.  Since my class obligations finished up early, I spent the last few weeks of the program enjoying China to the fullest.  I went to the West Lake at least once a day, gorged on all of my favorite foods, and spent as much time as possible with friends.  I traveled across the country to see a completely new side of China, learned how to weave a bike through Hangzhou traffic, bargained like a local to get the best deals on souvenirs, and checked off most of the things I had been adding to my “to do” list for the past four months.  My relationships reached a whole new level of closeness, and my absolute love for the city of Hangzhou grew more than I thought was possible.  Needless to say, it was incredibly difficult for me to say goodbye to my city and my best friends.

The lotuses at the lake were in full bloom by the time we left Hangzhou.

When I flew back in to Cedar Rapids on July 1^st, we came in for a landing right as the sun was setting, and I teared up a little as I looked out over the fields below me.  Of course it’s always comforting to return home after a long trip, and I remembered how much I love Iowa and all of the people here.  At the same time, though, I felt uneasy because I knew how much I had changed over the past semester.  I’m trying not to sound too overdramatic here, but I really feel like living in China for five months has given me the confidence to handle anything that’s thrown my way in the future.  Studying abroad really does force you to grow as a person and do some soul-searching.  I am so glad that I decided to take this opportunity during my last semester of college.

The first few weeks in Iowa were pretty rough.  Even though I had made a huge list of American food I had been craving for the past five months, once it was all actually available to me, I discovered that my stomach no longer accepted American food.  I just wanted to eat my favorite Chinese dishes instead!  I also spent the first few weeks waking up at 5 am for no reason while I tried to return to a somewhat normal sleep schedule.  The first time I went to the grocery store, I was shocked by how huge and clean it was, and how all of the employees tried to make conversation with me while I was shopping.  I missed the crowded, messy markets where I had done all of my shopping in China.  Things are slowly starting to return to normal, and I’m starting to appreciate certain parts of “the American way” again.  However, I know that I will always have a little bit of China in my heart, and I will continue to long for the culture that I grew so attached to.  I can only hope that my path will lead me back to Hangzhou in the near future.

What I wouldn't give to have some Western Chinese food again! These were our favorite dishes at the upstairs Muslim restaurant on campus.

Anyway, this blog is way too sentimental, so I’ll leave you with some practical advice that I learned while living in China.

1)      DON’T LOSE YOUR PASSPORT!  They’re not kidding when they tell you how important this is!  I learned the hard way that it will take you at least a few weeks and several hundred dollars to replace it if it’s lost.  If at all possible, leave your original passport in a safe place and keep copies of it with you while you travel.

2)      Even if you’re a naturally shy person, let out your “real you” as soon as possible.  When you only have five months to make friends and become adjusted to a new culture, it really does pay to be completely open and honest from the start.  You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to form bonds with people in your new environment.

3)      Chinese vendors will try to rip you off as much as possible!  I didn’t realize until several months in how much I was being cheated whenever I bought clothes, shoes, souvenirs, etc.  At a touristy market, never agree to pay more than half of what they originally ask for.

4)      You really can find almost all of the personal hygiene products you need in China.  90% of the things I packed were completely unnecessary.  A few things that you SHOULD bring with you from home: deodorant, moisturizer, and, for you lovely ladies out there, feminine hygiene products.

5)      If you have the time for it, take advantage of Central’s internship opportunities.  Although finding an internship in China takes a little more work than some other areas, it’s well worth the effort.  I interned in a company that facilitates international exchange programs for Chinese high school students  One of my favorite experiences was working with these students to prepare them for their visa interview, and ease their curiosity about American college life.  Overall, internships are a great way to get more involved with the local culture.

6)      Travel as much as possible!  China is a huge place, and the lifestyle differs dramatically between different areas.  If possible, head west to get away from the modern city life that’s concentrated on the east coast.

Whether you are planning on heading to Hangzhou in the future, or are just a casual reader, I hope you have enjoyed hearing about my time in China.  Studying abroad has truly been a life-changing experience for me, and I hope everyone gets the opportunity to experience it for themselves some day.

Signing off for the last time,

Jenna

Last week, we traveled to Xinjiang, which is in the far northwest of China and home to a large minority group (Uighurs).  This post is written by Jessie Larson, one of my fellow Central students.  She grew up in Xinjiang between the ages of 5 and 12, and I thought it’d be nice to share her perspective on returning to her old home.  Plus, I’m sure you’re tired of hearing my same old stories in every blog!  Anyway, here’s what Jessie had to say about our trip:

On our last day of classes, we boarded a plane early in the morning to Urumqi.  I knew returning to the place I grew up would be an experience.  When we first arrived, we were shocked by the dry, cool air which was a totally different feeling than Hangzhou’s humidity.  Driving back from the airport, we noticed that all of the road signs were in Uighur and Chinese, instead of just Chinese.

Our next full day in Urumqi began with visiting the local police station and getting registered to stay at my mom’s.  Although the police man wasn’t too friendly at first, he gave us a few laughs.  After waiting a few hours while the police meticulously wrote our names, passport, and visa numbers hundreds of times, we finally headed to Erdaoqiao.  Erdaoqiao is a big Uighur market filled with dried fruits, knives, instruments, jade, and other tourist items.  We were excited to do some much needed souvenir shopping and found many interesting and unique items.

Some of the cool architecture in the Erdaoqiao area.

After visiting with some friends from my childhood, we all followed my mom to a Uighur restaurant.  As we ate some amazing food, we were entertained with live Uighur music and dancing.  One of the most interesting traditional dances the Uighurs do is a dance with tea bowls.  The dancers balance a stack of about five tea bowls on their heads for the entire dance, and then take them down one by one as they spin around at the very end.  Ginger also got a chance to experience Uighur dancing first-hand when one of the men asked her to come out and dance on the floor.  She spent the rest of the time there avoiding eye contact with the dancers!

The Uighur dancers balancing tea cups on top of their heads. So talented!

Nanshan was our destination the following day.  Nanshan is about a two-hour drive from Urumqi.  Since many Kazaks live in the Tianshan mountains, there are many yurts up there (the traditional tent-like homes of the Kazak people).  When we arrived, it was much more touristy than I remembered.  Instead of there being just a few yurts up in the mountains, there were about a hundred yurts clustered around the entrance.  The yurts have turned more into business ventures, so we were mobbed right away with women giving us address cards to the yurts.  We decided to hike up the road a little before checking out a yurt.  We walked up a ways and sat down on some rocks by the river with some of our new cow friends.  After exploring for a couple more hours, we went back down to the entrance and to a yurt off to one side.  We got the whole yurt to ourselves and got to sample some yak milk tea and yak cheese, which some of us liked more than others!

The scenery at Nanshan was so gorgeous - pictures don't do it justice!

Our yurt from the outside.

The inside of the yurt was completely covered with colorful rugs. It was so comfortable for lounging on a hot afternoon!

A camel at the Flaming Mountain, chilling in the sun while he waits for an over-excited tourist to come ride him!

The ruins at Jiaohe, smoldering in the 100+ degree weather.

This Last Blog is an accumulation of many thoughts and stories from the past couple of weeks. Hope it’s not too much or too little….enjoy.

Leaving could be either the hardest or easiest thing you’ve done in a long time. For me it’s one of the hardest. The people I’ve met and the relationships I’ve enjoyed are priceless and will continue on…some for the rest of my life. Leaving brings about the realization that I will no longer be a 15 minute walk from the ocean and a 20 minute bus ride from the mountains. I know that where I will soon go to school and live, none of this will be available. If you go to Wales I hope that you will embrace the culture and the people like I have. I hope you will grow to love the beautiful landscapes and the kindness and pride of its people. When the time comes to leave, make sure you plan time to say goodbye to everyone — even those who are going to the U.S. You might even say goodbye to your flat or the hills. Whatever floats your boat. I said goodbye to these places and more. Everyone is different… but some places you just MUST go to! Here’s a partial list: Mikes Bites, Belle vue, Yellow Pub, Pizza House, Whether spoons, Varsity, University, Octagon, Time, Academy, The Pier, Roman Camp, Bar Uno ( especially for football and Rugby games) Tap and Spil.

Here comes the randomness for this blog…So many memories!

While my friend from Spain visited he was able to watch Tyler (a student from Central) and I perform for a class. Tyler played guitar and I sang. My friend and Tyler both play guitar…so I brought them into the kitchen, made them breakfast and listened while Tyler played the Gibson and my friend played the acoustic guitar. Yep, the kitchen is often the hot spot. Eight hours later they were still ‘jammin’ in my kitchen while my flat mates and I studied for upcoming finals. Often there is a huge tele (TV) in the kitchen where all the men revert to boys and play “Call of Duty” among many other video games. I will always be missing that ever busy kitchen where there was some kind entertainment while we were cooking. Sometimes, in the evening, a good card game or game of poker is definitely the best option! While you are here, facilitating things to happen around you involving people you enjoy will keep you busy and always of good cheer.

Up in the early morning to catch a train…and yes I mean catch as my flat mates and I ran to catch our train into Chester! First stop the Chester Zoo…now personally, I don’t like zoos; mainly because free and amazing animals are being caged. However, the fact that this zoo has many programs for endangered species and conservation efforts enticed me to a visit. So on this sunny day (during which we all got burnt — so put your sun block on kids…haha) we enjoyed this spacious and dazzling animal filled zoo! We saw every exhibit in a six hour day. Note to the wise; take a packed lunch as we did because the food is very expensive.

BBQs here are different and more plentiful. It is common for one of your friends to get a disposable barbecue, grab drinks, meat and snacks, head out into the grass by the buildings or out into the hills, and enjoy a great meal. (A disposable barbecue is like a turkey baking tin with coals in the bottom and a grate; use it and throw it away.) I’m used to a BBQ being a huge deal with so much preparation it becomes stressful at some point. Being here has opened my eyes to quick, easy, worry free spontaneous meals in the beautiful outdoors of Wales. (It’s a good idea to make sure the coals are completely out before you put the barby in the dumpster; I’ll never forget the flaming dumpster surprise waiting for us one evening.)

If you are a baker be aware that pie is non-existent in Wales. But, if you make them a pumpkin or apple pie, or some kind of baked treat…it will be a hit! Baking or cooking often speaks to the heart of your flat mates…and is something of our tradition you can share with them! They will love it!

If you are searching for Welsh Love Spoons while you are away; wait until you get into Cardiff. Find Mark Davies (a famous Love Soon Carver) and look at his masterpieces. He’ll even engrave something on one for you (by hand!). He’s known throughout Great Britain and has done several commissions for the Queen. This month his work will be on exhibit at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.! He is a real person and seeing his amazing hand carving talents is glorious. If you want the real thing go to him!

Indoor climbing was one of the last things we got to do in Outdoor Pursuits. It’s a great big playground for climbers. What a great hobby to acquire! After the initial expenses for equipment, it is relatively inexpensive. We all had a great time trying different grades and levels of climbing. If you are okay with heights it is very relaxing and a great was yo pass the time on a stormy day. (If you aren’t one to be chasing storms.) Again, when you come to Wales I definitely suggest you take Outdoor Pursuits. It’s a blast!

When it came to those last precious weeks; I began to take advantage of every moment, even more so than in the past. So a spontaneous jaunt down to the pier to see the sunrise was a brilliant idea. This idea occurred on the same evening as the Summer Ball. This event is an extravagant evening with men in tuxes and women in gowns. There are bargains and deals from all the venues around Bangor…even breakfast in the morning. However, the Ball itself was 50 pounds. So those of us who didn’t want to pay that steep price chose to make the evening fun in our own way. The Pier was breathtaking! We arrived at 3:30am just as the light trickled from the sea’s edge. As a group, we inhaled deeply…the sweet fresh morning ocean breeze. I looked at the faces surrounding me and they all seemed lost in the recollection and the nostalgia of our time spent in Wales….most of us cried…(if only to ourselves) while marveling at the sun rising above the sea. How beautiful it all was! How lucky I am to have had this experience! This was another moment when I tried to photographically and emotionally ingrain it into my mind. I know I’ve said that for many of the experiences here in Wales. However, it’s all true. I was once asked what negative things there are about Wales and it was hard to think of anything. The best I could do was say the peanut butter tasted different. That being the worst thing, I’m pretty sure you’ll agree that Wales is as brilliant as I’ve always described.

After a missed train, a flight delay…and then a flight re-route I finally got on a plane from Wales to Boston. The flight was long, as it always is. However, on this flight behind me two Russians spoke incessantly. To my left four French men shared many cheers over drinks. In front of them, surprisingly, a group of Spanish women were all watching American style shows. And at last in front of me two people from Cardiff and three people from London. I enjoyed all of the languages. I will miss the cultures and the accents of the different languages. All of which enriched my life during those precious five months. This experience was life changing. It made me want to discover the complexities of the cultures and accents of the U.S.as well as other countries. When I stepped off the plane, went through customs, and stepped out into the neon signs and the humidity of Boston…a great sadness hit me. When I returned I was faced with finding those last few sentences to finish this last chapter of my life in Wales and not knowing how to start the next chapter of my life. I was faced with seeing old friends and trying to keep in touch with the new friends as well. There is also the fact that you may want to share all your experiences and excitement with those around you. Remember they may not want to hear it all. You have changed but they may not have. Be wary of telling too many stories as some people may be envious of your experience. Try little things like my friend Caitlin and I made a deal to always use a Welsh or British term in every text we send one another. In this way we will not let the magic die. It really helps to keep a journal of your feelings and the experiences you had while abroad, and how it felt to come back. I just know this will be so valuable to you in the future when you are in a different place in your life.

There is no way to fully describe all of my thoughts and feeling about such a brilliant experience. Nor can I tell all the stories which should be told. I definitely have been putting off this last blog; purely because it is a symbol of the end of something so pleasurable, so meaningful, and so educational. So…with that said, all I can add is I hope that you come back from Wales with as much joy as I did. The sadness and pain felt upon leaving is completely worth it, and I would not change a thing!

Here is a final Quote!

“Our lives are defined by opportunities, even the ones we miss.” Don’t miss this one!