7/27-7/29

Can this be real? Am I really approaching my last week here in Wales? I remember my bus ride to Cardiff thinking how long 6 weeks was. Boy, could I have been any more wrong. These past 5 weeks have flown by and it it's hard for me to grasp my mind around the fact that this time next week I will be landing in the Cincinnati Airport, back to my normal everyday life. I have had the most amazing time here. I've grown so much, made lifelong friends, and had the time of my life. Rather than reminiscing now (trust me, I'll do that plenty in the last blog update), I'll fill you all in on what I did this weekend. It was probably one of my favorite weekends since being here! On Friday, we went on an archaeological tour with the Royal Commission where we visited some mining sites and old churches. That night we went to the pub to watch the opening ceremony of the Olympics. It was really interesting to watch it here where the Olympics are taking place (in the United Kingdom). Rather than being mesmerized with the ceremony, the pub would burst out into laughter at a lot of the parts. I know a few people weren't huge fans of how their areas were represented in the opening ceremony. We watched it in a pub that was an old converted chapel, which was really neat (but sort of ironic). Saturday we went on a ropes course which was so scary! It was a lot of fun, though. We were so high up and got to do zip lines, too. My nickname for the day became "mulchy-pants." Why, you ask? I went down one of the ziplines so confidently, but midway down I turned so I was forced to land backwards. Instead of landing gracefully, my entire back landed on the ground and I was drug a couple of feet in the mulch, getting mulch all in my pants. I wasn't too confident after that little incident. That night we went out with some of Iona's friends to the pubs and a club here. We loved getting to meet some of the locals and hang out with them! This morning we went shopping down in town where I bought quite a few souvenirs! The weekend was great, but we're back to the grind tomorrow. We have quite a busy week planned out for us!

7/24-7/26

The past two and a half days have been really great! On Tuesday, we went to on a tour of the National Library of Wales. It sounds really boring, but it was actually pretty interesting. It's a bit like the Smithsonian Museums in DC, and it was right next to campus. It had lots of art, history, and really old books. We were supposed to have class that evening, but it got cancelled so we had time to work on journals, but I just procrastinated (as usual). The journals really aren't bad to write at all, it's just gaining the motivation to actually do it! I don't have too many left to do, which is a sign the trip is coming to the end :( That night we went to dinner at a pub, then had a bon fire on the beach. That's something I've always wanted to do, and it was so much fun! We just collected driftwood and lit in on fire (well, the boys did!). It was very relaxing and fun to hang out with everyone around a fire on the beach. Yesterday was one of my favorite days in Wales so far. We went to the Royal Welsh Show. I guess the best way to describe it is a state fair on steroids. There was everything there from farm machinery to shopping to horse shows! I had so much fun and felt right at home. I spent a ton of money in the craft hall, ate way too much food, and got to pet some adorable farm animals! I even got a bit of a tan. Yes, that's right, a tan in Wales! It is possible! All in all, it was an amazing day. This morning we had a class session on migration within Wales, which was informative. Then we went to the Ceredigion Museum, which was interesting to say the least. Tonight we have a dinner at the Vice Chancellor's House, so we're all looking forward to that! The one at Bangor ended up being really nice, so hopefully tonight will be too!

 Girls on the beach 

 Successful jumping picture!

 Love these girls so much! 

 Girls at the fire 

 Our wonderful fire (thanks, boys!)

 Milking a fake cow

 Cute sheep! I actually got to pet a sheep after dying to do so for the past month 

My favorite horse :)

7/23/12

Today we had a campus and course orientation. We learned about what we'll be doing while in Aberystwyth, and then took a tour of the campus. Unlike Cardiff or Bangor, Aber's campus is much more compact. And the best part of it all is that our dorms were moved to the campus! We were not on campus before, but we are now. We now have our own rooms and are all in one flat, which is so much better! The only bad part was that we had to re-pack all of our stuff then lug it over to the new flat, then unpack it all again. But I'm not complaining, this one is so much better! We also took a historical walk of Aberystwyth. It sounds totally boring, but it was so much fun! The old man that took us around he was a riot. He was brutally honest with his opinions on all of the old buildings, so he kept us laughing the entire 3 hours! We also saw how beautiful this city really is.

 Aberystwyth is filled with rows upon rows of pastel houses 

 Boat at the harbour 

 The beach! 

 Ruins of the old castle 

 War memorial 

Old seaside hotel, then turned into University of Wales

7/22/12

Internet is back! And we're working on either getting a new flat or making do with the one we currently have. (First world problems) But Aber is amazing! When we arrived, we checked into our flats, then went out to dinner at a nice Greek restaurant. I had never had Greek before, so I can add that onto my list of new things I've tried since coming to Wales. After dinner, we went for a walk along the water. I was thrilled to see the beach and stick my feet in the sand! Although the water is too cold to swim in, there were people having bon fires and shooting off fireworks on the beach. We're definitely planning on having a bon fire before we leave. The weather has been so nice since we've been here! To get from town (where the beach is) back to our flat, it's quite a hike up a big hill. Yesterday we went to a mansion here in Wales that was designed by the same architect that built Buckingham Palace. It was really insightful to see how the wealthy lived hundreds of years ago. The place was beautiful; it had a mansion, gardens, a farm, chapel, and a lake. So much for modesty! After the mansion, we went to get fish and chips in Aberaeron at a place that was voted best fish and chips in all of Wales. I must admit, it was pretty tasty! I really wish that the states had more fish and chip shops. They're quite yummy. Then we headed back home and spent last night working on journals (I guess lack of internet forces productivity). Macey, Chrissy, and I stayed up late talking so we didn't get much sleep last night. Poor Macey has been sick, so she's going to see the doctor today. Hopefully she's feeling better soon. This morning we were welcomed by one of the vice chancellor's; he was so nice and funny. When I told him that I was pre-med, he went down to his office and came back up with a styrofoam box. I opened it and inside was a human skull! He said they found it when they were cleaning out one of the buildings on campus and they think it is from when the university was founded in the early 1800's. The skull even had a huge crack in the top from what they think is a sword. It was super cool, and I got to hold it! So far, Aberystwyth is turning out to be amazing. Different from Cardiff and Bangor, and something new. To make the most of our last 2 weeks in Wales, we've made a to-do list with the fun things we want to do before we leave. 13 more days left, so we're living it up!

 Overlooking the water on the beach in Aber

 Some of us on our first night here

 Rolling hills right by the ocean...can it get any more beautiful?!

 Feet in the sand! 

 Danny and I 

 Mansion we visited (same architect designed Buckingham Palace)

 Gardens at the mansion 

 Chrissy. Love her :)

 The lake at the mansion 

All of us at the lake (minus Macey) with our course director, Kate

Hello Aberystwyth!

I'm writing from Aberystwyth! Today has been quite interesting. When we arrived, we went into the dorms and were disappointed to see we have to share bathrooms (we were spoiled in Cardiff and Bangor). Not only that, the boys and girls are in different flats again which is sad :( In the girls' flat, 3 of us are on the top floor and 2 are on the bottom. There's a bathroom on each floor, but there's only a shower on one. So us 5 girls all have to share 1 shower which will be interesting to say the least. We're hoping that we will be able to switch accommodations come Monday, but they can't do anything about it until then. We also won't have internet until Monday. So it's been quite an eventful day and hopefully we'll be able to get things all worked out on Monday. On a lighter note, Aber is a super cute town! It's right on the ocean and has all of these colorful terraces, lots of cute shops, and a good small-town feel. It seems like the program here will be really fun. We even get to go to an agricultural show, which will make me feel right at home! I may be updating tomorrow if I go to an internet cafe, but if not I will be back on Monday! 

7/20/12

I'm so sad that today was our last day in Bangor! We had presentations this afternoon, and it is remarkable to see how much we've learned in just one short month. Coming into this experience, I had no knowledge on Wales at all. In just 4 weeks, I've gained so much knowledge and a much better understanding about this amazing country. I've also fallen in love with it and know I'll come back here in my future. Luckily, I still have two weeks left before I have to worry about leaving for good! Then tonight we went out for a farewell dinner with Tecwyn. That will be the saddest part of leaving Bangor is leaving him. He's just been so welcoming, sweet, caring, and funny. And he has the best stories! Tomorrow morning we are catching a bus to go to Aberystwyth. Luckily, it's a private bus just for us so I'll be able to pack as many bags as I want rather than cramming all of my stuff into one suitcase :) We'll be stopping in a town for lunch and a music festival, then we'll be in Aber! I'm so excited to see what the last two weeks of this experience bring. I'm already getting sad thinking about leaving Wales and leaving these amazing people. I have to focus on having an amazing last 2 weeks and be sad later! On a lighter note, we hear Aberystwyth is beautiful. It's a beach town, so that will be good as long as the weather cooperates for us! Also, we're looking forward to watching the Olympics open while we're there. I'll update tomorrow and let you know how Aber is :)

7/18 and 7/19

The past two days have been amazing! Yesterday we had another outdoor pursuits session. The two of these here in Bangor have probably been one of my favorite parts of our trip. Yesterday we did gorge scrambling. It sounds intense because it is! It's a combination of rock climbing, swimming, hiking, a little bit of everything. The jist of it is that we were climbing up waterfalls. There were a lot of really challenging climbs, but we all always managed to complete them (with only a few falls). We climbed up this pretty steep heavy-flowing waterfall which was so difficult! We also did a lot of rope-climbing, where Sally (our leader) would attach a rope to rocks and we'd use that to help get up a steep part of the gorge. It was a lot of fun and I'm only a little bit bruised :) Then last night we went to a barbecue at the vice-chancellor's house. The vice chancellor is the Welsh equivalent of the university's president. Their house was very beautiful and it was the fanciest barbecue I've ever been to, that's for sure! There was wine, chicken, sirloin, sausage, salmon, a ton of salads, and a couple of yummy desserts. We also met a lot of really great people from Bangor University. Today we went to Conwy Castle, and got a tour which was really interesting. Of course, it was raining again (although yesterday was clear!) so it was cold. We also got to walk along the walls built around the city of Conwy hundreds of years ago to protect it from outsiders. The highlight of my day was getting a Welsh dragon TY Beanie Baby. I didn't even know they made Beanie Babies anymore and since I collected them when I was younger, it was practically the perfect souvenir! We also went to Llandudno, which is a Victorian seaside resort town. It was so cute, nestled right on the water with beautiful views and tons of little shops, hotels, and restaurants. Tecwyn bought us afternoon tea and cake, which was so nice of him. He is by far one of the sweetest and funniest people I've ever met. We're really lucky to have him as our professor and it's going to be so sad to leave him. Tonight we are headed to the theater to see a play. I cannot believe today was our last field trip day in Bangor. Time is flying by! I'm trying to enjoy every last second of this experience here. I don't even want to think about leaving!

 We attempted lots of jumping photos (not too successful)

 View over Llandundo 

Chrissy and I with the goat statue 

7/16 and 7/17

I told myself I wasn't going to get behind on my blog updates but I have! I've also been getting behind on our journals that we have to write. We've just been so busy and by the time we get home we just want to sleep! The days are jam-packed, which is awesome and lots of fun, but totally exhausting. The past two days have been so rainy! Even with the rain, I still am enjoying how beautiful North Wales is. Yesterday we went to a copper mine, but it was so rainy that we didn't get to walk around much. Then we went to a nuclear power station for a tour and  to St. Cwyfan's Church. The church was definitely my favorite part of the day. It was almost 1,000 years old and was in the middle of the sea! You could only get to it during low tide, because at high tide it is surrounded by water. Today we went to Harlech Caslte, then to a little town called Portmerion. This was a town in North Wales, but built to resemble an Italian village. The buildings were all so colorful, the gardens were beautiful, and it was all nestled right on the beach! It was super nice and even had a 5-star hotel on it. It's on my bucket list to go back there and stay overnight. I just wish it would have been sunny! The last thing we did today was take a ride on the Welsh Highland Railway. It was a cute old-fashioned steam locomotive. Tomorrow we are going on another outdoor pursuits session, so I hope the weather is cooperative! All my pictures from the past couple days have a recurring theme: rain jackets.

 St .Cwyfan's 

 Up by the church 

 The water surrounds the church at high tide

 We went to the town with the longest place name in the world!

 All of us at (too long to type out)

 Harlech Castle

 Pretty views from Harlech Castle

 Emily and I in the castle tower

 Macey and I at Portmerion 

 Felt like we were in Italy!

 In front of the 5-star beachside hotel

 Welsh flag by the beach at Portmerion 

After our train ride

7/13-7/15

Sorry I haven't updated all weekend! I guess I got a bit lazy on my time off. On Friday, we went to an enormous castle and then another smaller one that was more of ruins. It's amazing to me that these castle were built so long ago yet still stand so strong. The first castle we saw on Friday was only 150 years old, much different from the rest that we've seen. It was built off of the wealth a family accumulated from the slate mines. It was rather modern for a castle and was so extravagant, so it was fun to look at. The weather Friday was absolutely dreadful, so we called it an early day. Saturday, we got to sleep in which was amazing! Then we went shopping all day on High Street. I love the stores here! We'd been dying to have a shopping day so luckily we got it in on Saturday. Then that evening we went to the cinema. We had to ride a train to get there, which felt a bit silly. It was quite fun though. The train is an interesting place after 10pm on a Saturday night. Yesterday we also got to sleep in! I was thrilled about this if you can't tell. Then we met up with our Welsh friends again. We went to the pier to go crabbing which was a blast! We caught a bunch of tiny little crabs and a few medium-sized ones. After that we went to a traditional Sunday roast at a pub. It's a Welsh thing they do and it was really good. The roast consisted of chicken, potatoes, veggies, and a few other things I can't remember the names of. Most of the conversation around dinner consisted of Peter (one of our friends here) teaching us Americans how to properly use our silverware. Supposedly Americans don't use it right, so he was teaching us how while having a blast laughing at how silly we looked. After the roast we had a bonfire at their house in their backyard. It was a hill that overlooked the water and it was so pretty. We even introduced them to s'mores! (We had to compromise with digestive biscuits for graham crackers because they don't have graham crackers here, so they weren't quite as tasty.) All in all, the weekend was amazing and so relaxing which all of us needed! I cannot believe I only have 20 days left here. I feel like I've known these people for my entire life. It's going to be so sad to leave them!

 The girls at the bon fire

 Yes...we played baseball with rotten vegetables

 Gary trying to scare me with the crab

 Macey, Chrissy, and I at the bon fire

 There was a chapel in the castle

The elaborate dining hall