Allie in Wales: 6/27/12

Every time I stop and have time to think, I still cannot believe I am here! It's so shocking to me that I am fortunate enough to experience this. Of all places, I never thought I'd end up in Wales but I am so glad that I did. It's much like America in many ways but also very different. Everything here is just perfect; I am in love with this country. Today, we traveled to St. Fagan's which is an open-air museum. They have disassembled buildings and put them back together on their land. There were buildings there hundreds of years old. We saw everything from barns to post offices to candy shops to a mansion. It was a very neat opportunity to learn more about Welsh history. They have such a rich culture here which they take a lot of pride in. I got to hear someone speak in Welsh today, and we will be taking some Welsh lessons tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be able to come back with a few Welsh words in my vocabulary! I had a very embarrassing moment today. We had heard that St. Fagan's ice cream was delicious, so we stopped to get a flavor called Celtic crunch. When I went to pay for it, I majorly shorted the cashier on what I owed. I mean by about 75% of the cost of the ice cream. He had to help me pick out the right coins to use to pay for my cone. I am still getting used to the pound system here rather than dollars, and obviously still need a bit of work! I'm also still working on a few language differences. It is habit of mine to say restroom or bathroom, but the British call them toilets. Today I told a woman that all of the restrooms were full and she had thought I meant restaurants. The few differences in words and currency have really been the only thing that have been difficult for me to adjust to (and the weather, but that's been easy). Living in Wales is very comfortable. Tonight, we all made spaghetti and had dinner together which was a fun time. I've also been trying a lot of new foods (surprisingly). I tried Indian food for the first time the other night which was absolutely delicious. I also had a pork trio for lunch today and Welsh cakes for dessert. I've already experienced so many new things and look forward to what else I will encounter in the next 5 and a half weeks.