So today is my last day in the UK. Tomorrow I head back home. I'm super excited to see my family and friends and I've missed them so much! It still is sad to leave. I hope I can come back and visit England again someday! I've had so much fun and it feels like home away from home! I'm so blessed to have been able to spend this time here! I have grown so much as a person and this experience has been good for me! And not to mention it's been a blast!
I've been so blessed to get to know and live with my fellow study abroad students! I knew a few before and it's been good to know them better as well as meet new people and grow close to them! I'm not going to lie it's not always easy and there has been some tension, but it could have been a lot worse, and I love all these people and I'm so glad that I've been able to know them and I'm excited to see them around junior year.
I've done so many cool things and have visited so many cool places. I got to go to Norway which was such a blessing and a dream come true! I still can't believe that I was able to do that and it was fantastic! I got to go to Spain and practice my Spanish! I also got to go all over Germany and France, and be in three countries in one day! I just think of all the things I've done this semester. I think it's easy to think about the things I didn't get to do. But it's better to think about what I did get to do. I didn't get to go to Scotland like I wanted to, but I got to go to Wales and absolutely loved it! I didn't get to go to Prague, but I got to go to Berlin! I didn't get to go to Seville or Grenada in Spain but I got to go to Madrid and Barcelona! It's all been fantastic! It's hard to chose a favourite city...people have asked me which city was my favourite and that's really hard. I like them for different reasons. I love London! It's so iconic and it's just pretty awesome! I loved Oslo and love Norway! I loved Berlin because of the history. I loved Madrid because of the architecture and the Spanish. I loved Paris because I could relate it to what I was reading in Les Miserables. I loved Brussels because of chocolate and waffles! Ok not just that Brussels is just cool! I loved Cardiff because it was so different than what I expected and the Welsh are pretty awesome! Etc. Etc. Etc. So I don't have a favourite city that I visited. Maybe Oxford. But that's because I really got to know this city!
Tomorrow I head home! This time has flown by but yet it seems like forever that we arrived in Oxford, went to Dorchester, and now it seems like it's been forever since I went to Norway. Yeah I'm going to have to go back to Norway! I've loved being here and it's been a great experience! Now I go home for a month and then head off on my next adventure! Montevideo!
11 December 2012
04 December 2012
England: "A Nation of Grumblers" and Other Observations
I wish I would have done more observations about life and my observations about the British here rather than what I was doing but alas I didn't do much of that. But here is a bit about what I've noticed about the British so here goes it.
I love the Narnia books! One of my favourites (though I'm really not sure why) was The Silver Chair. There was a character called Puddleglum. He was rather a pessimistic character and gloomy. Glum is a good word to describe him. If someone would say something good or happy he would retort saying something bad was likely to happen. I can't think of a decent example right now (it's been way too long since I read the book). So that was Puddleglum, he was based on C.S. Lewis' gardener, but he is very much like a lot of British people. For example if you mention that the weather is good today (because British talk about the weather a lot), some British people will say "Yes, but it'll likely rain later today."
When we were coming back from Cardiff this last weekend our train was delayed on the last leg of the journey. We were cold, tired, and there were quite a few people at our platform who were also cold an tired, and complaining quite a bit. One of them made the comment, "we are a nation of grumblers." It reminded me of Puddleglum.
One of our first reading assignments in our INTS:Great Britain class was a chapter from a book about the English. It was quite an interesting section at first but as it went on it was really rather depressing. So hopefully without going into too much detail it basically talked about how Britain has some very distinct cultures and really the one mainly thought of is the English culture, being the largest and most populous. Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland have their own very distinct cultures as well but this article focused on the English. Why it was depressing is because it talked a lot about the lack of identity that the English have. Wales and Scotland know who they are and have their very distinct identity. They have national songs and are very prideful to be what they are, but the English don't have that. Basically it made the English sound like lost, miserable people, who don't know what their identity is or what to align themselves with. They don't know how to define themselves. I read that at the beginning of my time here and have been living in England, and now spending some time here I'm not sure if I agree. I don't really disagree because after going to Wales and talking to people in Scotland, I feel like maybe the Welsh and Scottish (sorry I don't have much experience with Northern Ireland) have a stronger feeling and are proud to be Welsh or Scottish or Northern Irish more so than the English. Maybe because it was match day when I was in Wales, but people seemed really proud to be Welsh, and not just because of the match. And the Scotland independence, push has been in the news a lot. I'm not 100% sure where I'm going with that, but basically I feel like I've love being in England and I've had a great time living here and what not, but I'd like to see what it is like to live or at least spend more time in Wales and Scotland. I love the English but I think I'd really like the Welsh and the Scottish too and would love to get to know them.
Americans in Oxford don't surprise people. It is such an international town though. People literally live here or study here from just about everywhere. People were a bit more confused for there to be Americans visiting Cardiff. Granted not a lot of Americans even know what Cardiff is. I may have mentioned this is my last post but people were surprised when we started talking and we didn't sound Welsh, or British. I guess some places it's more likely for Americans to be. Like Oxford or London. And there were a ton of American tourist in Paris. But sometimes it's fun to go other places and not just do the touristy things. So one piece of advice I'd give people studying abroad or travelling Europe is to go somewhere a bit more random. In Norway we were just outside of Oslo so we did go see the touristy things in Oslo but we also got to see the more typical Norwegian life. Which I loved. In Spain we went to the big cities like Madrid and Barcelona, but we also went to Avila. Though some people didn't like Avila because there really wasn't much to do and we were there for quite a while, I though it was great! It provided for me a real look into Spanish life and getting to see a smaller town and having to use Spanish and such. Also in Spain we stayed in Santa Coloma (I believe) outside of Barcelona and on the way to the metro station to go into Barcelona someone heard us talking, asked if we were North Americans and wondered what we were doing there. We went to Lille in France and it maybe was a bit boring and sure not as fun as Paris, but it was great to see that part of French culture and to get to see a quieter town which would be much nicer to live in. Germany too we were in Wiesbaden and spent a day in Karlsruhe. So that was long for what I have to say but I loved getting to see that. That's one reason I'm glad I'm in Oxford rather than London. It's still close enough to London though that it is easy to go in for a day trip (not that I really have much, but it's being able to say it). Besides it's the people who make places like Asker, Avila, Lille, Wiesbaden, and Karlsruhe fun. And even Oxford. I would never really think of being a tourist in Oxford. Maybe because I live here. But I feel like all a tourist would need to do is see a couple of the colleges, C.S. Lewis' house, and The Eagle and Child. Which I really haven't done since I live here. I mean I've loved being in Oxford and taken advantage of my time here but if I were to visit Oxford again I wouldn't go to those places. I'd go to Canterbury Road, On the Hoof, University Parks, Oxfam, G&D's, the Covered Market, places that are a part of my everyday life. They're places I frequent and that make Oxford home.
Well this time next week I'll be packed up and it'll be my last night here. Which is quite sad. But it's good to be going home to Texas! This semester is about over as I knew it would but I'm going to miss these people so much. I mean after next semester we will still be in Abilene together but it's just not the same. I've made some great friends and have really been able to experience what it's like to live in community. Though at times it can be tough it is great and I've been so blessed!
I love the Narnia books! One of my favourites (though I'm really not sure why) was The Silver Chair. There was a character called Puddleglum. He was rather a pessimistic character and gloomy. Glum is a good word to describe him. If someone would say something good or happy he would retort saying something bad was likely to happen. I can't think of a decent example right now (it's been way too long since I read the book). So that was Puddleglum, he was based on C.S. Lewis' gardener, but he is very much like a lot of British people. For example if you mention that the weather is good today (because British talk about the weather a lot), some British people will say "Yes, but it'll likely rain later today."
When we were coming back from Cardiff this last weekend our train was delayed on the last leg of the journey. We were cold, tired, and there were quite a few people at our platform who were also cold an tired, and complaining quite a bit. One of them made the comment, "we are a nation of grumblers." It reminded me of Puddleglum.
One of our first reading assignments in our INTS:Great Britain class was a chapter from a book about the English. It was quite an interesting section at first but as it went on it was really rather depressing. So hopefully without going into too much detail it basically talked about how Britain has some very distinct cultures and really the one mainly thought of is the English culture, being the largest and most populous. Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland have their own very distinct cultures as well but this article focused on the English. Why it was depressing is because it talked a lot about the lack of identity that the English have. Wales and Scotland know who they are and have their very distinct identity. They have national songs and are very prideful to be what they are, but the English don't have that. Basically it made the English sound like lost, miserable people, who don't know what their identity is or what to align themselves with. They don't know how to define themselves. I read that at the beginning of my time here and have been living in England, and now spending some time here I'm not sure if I agree. I don't really disagree because after going to Wales and talking to people in Scotland, I feel like maybe the Welsh and Scottish (sorry I don't have much experience with Northern Ireland) have a stronger feeling and are proud to be Welsh or Scottish or Northern Irish more so than the English. Maybe because it was match day when I was in Wales, but people seemed really proud to be Welsh, and not just because of the match. And the Scotland independence, push has been in the news a lot. I'm not 100% sure where I'm going with that, but basically I feel like I've love being in England and I've had a great time living here and what not, but I'd like to see what it is like to live or at least spend more time in Wales and Scotland. I love the English but I think I'd really like the Welsh and the Scottish too and would love to get to know them.
Americans in Oxford don't surprise people. It is such an international town though. People literally live here or study here from just about everywhere. People were a bit more confused for there to be Americans visiting Cardiff. Granted not a lot of Americans even know what Cardiff is. I may have mentioned this is my last post but people were surprised when we started talking and we didn't sound Welsh, or British. I guess some places it's more likely for Americans to be. Like Oxford or London. And there were a ton of American tourist in Paris. But sometimes it's fun to go other places and not just do the touristy things. So one piece of advice I'd give people studying abroad or travelling Europe is to go somewhere a bit more random. In Norway we were just outside of Oslo so we did go see the touristy things in Oslo but we also got to see the more typical Norwegian life. Which I loved. In Spain we went to the big cities like Madrid and Barcelona, but we also went to Avila. Though some people didn't like Avila because there really wasn't much to do and we were there for quite a while, I though it was great! It provided for me a real look into Spanish life and getting to see a smaller town and having to use Spanish and such. Also in Spain we stayed in Santa Coloma (I believe) outside of Barcelona and on the way to the metro station to go into Barcelona someone heard us talking, asked if we were North Americans and wondered what we were doing there. We went to Lille in France and it maybe was a bit boring and sure not as fun as Paris, but it was great to see that part of French culture and to get to see a quieter town which would be much nicer to live in. Germany too we were in Wiesbaden and spent a day in Karlsruhe. So that was long for what I have to say but I loved getting to see that. That's one reason I'm glad I'm in Oxford rather than London. It's still close enough to London though that it is easy to go in for a day trip (not that I really have much, but it's being able to say it). Besides it's the people who make places like Asker, Avila, Lille, Wiesbaden, and Karlsruhe fun. And even Oxford. I would never really think of being a tourist in Oxford. Maybe because I live here. But I feel like all a tourist would need to do is see a couple of the colleges, C.S. Lewis' house, and The Eagle and Child. Which I really haven't done since I live here. I mean I've loved being in Oxford and taken advantage of my time here but if I were to visit Oxford again I wouldn't go to those places. I'd go to Canterbury Road, On the Hoof, University Parks, Oxfam, G&D's, the Covered Market, places that are a part of my everyday life. They're places I frequent and that make Oxford home.
Well this time next week I'll be packed up and it'll be my last night here. Which is quite sad. But it's good to be going home to Texas! This semester is about over as I knew it would but I'm going to miss these people so much. I mean after next semester we will still be in Abilene together but it's just not the same. I've made some great friends and have really been able to experience what it's like to live in community. Though at times it can be tough it is great and I've been so blessed!
02 December 2012
Cymru: Caerdydd
I love England and it's been great to live here for the last few months. But the United Kingdom isn't just England and before I left I wanted to see a part of the United Kingdom that wasn't England and experience that. I really wanted to go to Scotland, but that is quite a long ways away so I went to Wales! Cardiff to be exact! It was fantastic! I loved Wales! One thing about Wales is that they love Rugby! It was match day in Cardiff and the Welsh team was playing Australia. There were a lot of people out for the match and it was really cool to see everyone all dressed in dragon hats, their rugby gear, and wearing flags. Unfortunately we couldn't get tickets early enough to get the cheap ones so we had to skip out on the match. In Cardiff we walked along the streets a bit seeing the shops, and people in the streets selling goods for the match later that day. We went to the Cardiff Castle! It was really cool! The castle is pretty cool but one of the parts I really liked was seeing the tunnels that they used in WW2. The castle wasn't really anything extraordinary in itself though. It was cool to look at and had a good view of the city. It is really old though and some of the walls are from the Roman era. After that we went and explored a bit more of the city. We ate Welsh cakes and they were fantastic!!! They're kinda like English scones, but better! We were going to buy a bunch to take home but unfortunately the shop closed before we could get to it. There was a Christmas market going on that day too! After we had lunch we walked down to the bay. We saw the Millennium Centre which was cool! The bay was really pretty and it would have been cool to stay longer but we wanted to walk back before it got dark. There is also a Norwegian Church down at the bay. But kinda the real reason that we went there was to go to the Doctor Who Experience! I'm a bit of a fan so I kinda had to go while in Cardiff! It was so cool!!! The beginning was a walk through experience and you could walk into the TARDIS and then walk though some other scenes. The second part had some stuff from the show and they have a lot of the stuff that was actually used in the show. They have the outfits for each of the doctors and a couple of the TARDISs and an old TARDIS set, and David Tennant's TARDIS set! They also had a lot of the sonic screwdrivers, several Daleks, weeping angels, cybermen, the Face of Boe, the companion's costumes, and a ton of stuff! It was really cool! We went back into the city centre after we had gone through the exhibit. The match was over and unfortunately it wasn't good news for the Welsh...they had lost 12-14 in the last two minutes. Back in the city centre we ate dinner, looked around a bit more, and then headed back to Oxford.
It was such a fun day! I loved Wales! The people are very different than the English, which I had heard but it's interesting to see. I would love to go back and see some more of Wales and Cardiff, and go to a rugby match! It was cool to see everything written in both Welsh and English and hear people (though not many) speaking Welsh. I wish more did, it is a really cool language! The girl I travelled with said that she felt like Cardiff wasn't very British. I mean it's certainly different than London or other English cities, but it did feel more European. I loved it though! People sure weren't expecting American accents when we talked though. That may have been because I was wearing a Welsh team scarf...You hear a lot of people saying that Cardiff is boring or what not but I liked it a lot!
(P.S. Recently I haven't been posting pictures here on the blog. I just want to clarify that it isn't because I'm lazy, it's because it's a pain to put them up with the WiFi as it is and all. No promises but maybe I'll post a bunch of pictures on here when I'm back home in the States. )
It was such a fun day! I loved Wales! The people are very different than the English, which I had heard but it's interesting to see. I would love to go back and see some more of Wales and Cardiff, and go to a rugby match! It was cool to see everything written in both Welsh and English and hear people (though not many) speaking Welsh. I wish more did, it is a really cool language! The girl I travelled with said that she felt like Cardiff wasn't very British. I mean it's certainly different than London or other English cities, but it did feel more European. I loved it though! People sure weren't expecting American accents when we talked though. That may have been because I was wearing a Welsh team scarf...You hear a lot of people saying that Cardiff is boring or what not but I liked it a lot!
(P.S. Recently I haven't been posting pictures here on the blog. I just want to clarify that it isn't because I'm lazy, it's because it's a pain to put them up with the WiFi as it is and all. No promises but maybe I'll post a bunch of pictures on here when I'm back home in the States. )
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