The Experience of a Lifetime

After being back in the United States for about 2 weeks now, I am finally having enough time to make my last blog post about my trip. Looking back on my experience, I wonder how I got to be so lucky. I would have never been able to travel out of the country without the help and support of the Fulbright Commission. Not only was I able to travel, I became part of a prestigious and wonderful programme known worldwide. I feel so honored and indebted to the Fulbright Commission for the experience that they gave me this summer. Coming into the Summer Institute, I knew nothing about Wales. I have vastly expanded my knowledge on this amazing country, but that is not all. I learned about myself academically, socially, and personally. I formed strong relationships with the most amazing 7 students I could have imagined to spend my summer with, but most importantly, I had the time of my life. This past summer is something I will remember forever. I am already looking forward to the next time I will be able to see my cohort again and when I will be able to make it back to Wales. Thank you so much to the Fulbright Commission and especially Rebecca Cobby. Without your help and support, I would have never had this life-changing opportunity. In Cardiff: thanks to Bill, Cerys, Rhys, Ed, and the rest of the Cardiff staff. In Bangor: thanks to Tecwyn, Molly, and the rest of the Bangor staff. In Aberystwyth: thanks to Rachel, Kate, Jen, and of course Iona. I miss you all already! You made this summer one that I'll remember forever. Coming back home was bittersweet; I got to see my family, friends, and sorority sisters, but I had to part ways with 7 of the closest friends I've ever had. Teary goodbyes in the airport will hopefully be followed next summer with a cheerful reunion. I will be talking about my trip for weeks to come in my boring life here back in Kentucky. I still can't believe that I was chosen for such an amazing experience; I have so much to be thankful for.

7/30-8/2

Sorry I haven't updated for the past few days! Things have been so busy here. We're trying to fit everything in before we have to leave to go back home :( Between the journals, presentations, field trips, and social life it's been a hectic past couple of days (but so much fun!). On Sunday night, we hung out with our friends that we met on Saturday. They are all so sweet and welcoming! Believe it or not, we stayed up all night with only a 30 minute nap! For breakfast, we all went to a pub and got so-called American pancakes, although they were not nearly as good as the ones back home. Pancakes here are completely different from those in the states. The people here all take a strong interest in what our lives are like back in America. And I am still so surprised at the amount of knowledge the people here possess of the United States. I can't determine if it's just because they are really smart or if it is because America is such a global force. On Monday, we went to IBERs farm, which is the university's research farm. It was interesting to see all of the really innovative ideas they are coming up with through all of their research. They are very into sustainable energy, as well as efficient farming techniques. That evening we went to see a film on Welsh culture and then did some journals and caught up on our sleep! On Tuesday, we went to the Centre for Alternative Technology. This was a place where they had all different types of exhibitions on different energy forms such as wind power and wave energy. This area of Wales is very much into researching alternatives to conventional usage of energy. After CAT, we went to the Corris Railway, which is a cute old steam railway. We took a ride and the conductor even made us bacon sandwiches right on the steam engine. That evening we went to our friends' house to hang out again. It's going to be sad to leave them, because they've been so welcoming and fun to be around. Yesterday we had an assessment with Dr. Cobby from Fulbright. She came in to get our feedback on the Wales Summer Institute. Needless to say, there was barely any criticism of the program. It has been more than any of us could have ever imagined. The staff has been amazing, the program was nearly perfect, and we've learned a lot. We've all had the time of our lives here and it's so sad to think that in three days I will be back home. I'm excited to see everyone, but devastated to leave the amazing people I've made friends with here and this awesome country. The assessment made me truly realize what an opportunity this has been for me. The Fulbright Commission has given me so much and I am forever grateful. After our assessment with Dr. Cobby, we went to the Arts Centre which was really cool! We met a local shoemaker who makes all of her shoes by hand that last over 20 years! We also met some local artists and got a tour of the Arts Centre where we will be seeing Hairspray the musical tonight. This morning we had our presentations and a class discussion, then marketing interviews in the afternoon. Tonight will be spent seeing Hairspray, which I am super excited about, and then finishing up journals to be submitted tomorrow morning. With tomorrow being our last full day in Wales (and my birthday), we have some really fun things planned to make the most of it!
P.S. Sorry there haven't been any pictures lately. Like I said, we've been so busy and I haven't really taken the time to take any pictures like I should have!

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!