It's official. I am back in the US of A. But before I talk about that, let me tell you about my pre-Christmas adventures! The first weekend in December was my last real weekend in the UK, so I figured I'd make the most of it! First, I headed to Bath for the crowded Christmas Markets, where I stocked up on Christmas presents for my family, and the Roman Baths. It was quite a fun little trip! Next on the list of places I had to visit was Northern Wales. I got on my first train of seven for the day on my way to Blaenau Ffestiniog, a slate mining town, home to Bounce Below--the largest underground trampoline park in the world! I had a blast at the underground trampoline park! Then, I made it to the town with the longest name in the world--Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. Back in Cardiff, I had my last Taco Tuesday with my flat, we had Secret Santa, took our last couples trips to Fattoush, played our last rounds of contract rummy, and said our final goodbyes. It was one of the toughest weeks I've had in a long time. This semester, I was blessed with the best flat in the UK. I haven't even been home a week yet and I already miss them all so much. I can't believe I was able to study abroad in such an awesome part of the world with such great people. I hope every student who spends a semester abroad has as good of a time as I have had. Following the goodbyes was a pretty exciting hello--I met Jake and Emily in Geneva, Switzerland to start off my week of travel with Jake before we both left Europe for good. In Geneva, we happened across a giant festival and a nice old woman who showed us the whole thing. Geneva was pretty neat, especially for me, because this semester I had been studying the history of the Protestant Reformation, which had a lot to do with John Calvin in Geneva. We got to see a lot of the typical tourist spots and a few added bonuses along the way. Jake and I continued our travels down into Italy. We didn't stay too long in Milan, getting there late Sunday night and leaving early Monday morning. On our way down to Rome, we stopped in Pisa and saw the famous Leaning Tower, along with the Baptistery, the Cathedral, and the Campo Santo--an old cemetery that is said to rot any body buried in it's sacred soil within 24 hours. One of the best parts about Pisa, other than the warm weather, was eating at a little Italian restaurant--5 euro pizzas in Pisa! It was some of the best tasting pizza I have ever had. After racing to our bus, I slept most of the way to Rome to prepare myself for the full day ahead. When in Rome...yes, Jake and I watched the movie, but only after seeing the city on the Tuesday of our week of adventure! First, we went to the Vatican Museums and saw the Sistine Chapel, which was pretty impressive, as were the rest of the exhibits in the museums. Then, we went to the Scala Sancta, or the Holy Steps that were moved from Jerusalem to Rome. They are said to have traces of Jesus' blood on them and are only to be climbed on one's knees. Our next stop was the Papel Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, which was Jake's great-grandmother's church when she lived in Rome. We also went down the street to see the house she lived in and the spot she was picked up by his great-grandfather on their wedding day! As we made our way into the afternoon, we headed over to the Colosseum, which was pretty amazing. We didn't get to go inside, which we were kind of upset about, but it only made us want to come back, knowing there would lots more we wouldn't get to see and do that day. We managed to squeeze in seeing the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, and the Mouth of Truth before it was dark enough for us to go back to the Colosseum and see it all lit up at night with a beautiful full moon in the sky. We had a giant meal of spaghetti when we made it back to our hostel for the night, but saved enough room for gelato, and, man, we were glad we did. If you ever go to Italy, the one thing you have to do is buy gelato from every gelato shop you see! It made it in my top 5 favorite foods for sure. The next day, we arrived in Florence and spent the day with Jessica as our tour guide, showing us the tourist sights, like the Duomo and one of the fake David statues, and the neat little finds (gelato included!) she knew about from her semester abroad there, like another 5 euro pizza place! When we left the next morning, I was afraid we were going to miss our plane back tot he UK when our bus was delayed, but we made it to Cardiff that night safe and sound. On my last latenight Fattoush trip, the Fattoush man asked me about everyone else I spent my semester with, recognizing me because of my flatmates' and my frequent visits there. The next day, I took Jake to see the Cardiff Castle and the Christmas market in the city center. We raced back to my flat to pack up my bags and turn in my key. I said goodbye to what had been my home for the past three months and we got on our bus to the airport to head to Dublin to fly home. That night, in Dublin's airport, we spent unpacking and repacking our bags to make sure we were under the weight limits for our flights the next day. Somehow in the midst of all our travels, I caught one of those dreaded holiday bugs, probably in one of the many airports Jake and I had been in less than 24 hours. There's not much you can do when you're traveling to treat a fever, headache, cough, etc., so I sort of just kept on keeping on with Jake there doing everything he could to make me feel better until it was time to go. We said our goodbyes around 4 a.m. and spent the next 16 hours travelling back to the United States. And now, here I am: home for a week and a half and already itching to get back on the road and have my next adventure. Wales was one of the best things that could have happened to me. I was pushed out of my comfort zone, I was forced to be an adult, I met lots of new people and made many new friends. I wasn't really challenged academically while in university, but, now that I'm at home and have five final papers to write, each one worth 100% of my grade, I definitely feel the weight of the semester on my shoulders. If that's not a wake-up call into adulthood, I don't know what is. However, if I've learned anything this semester, it's that no matter what gets thrown my way, I can always figure out a way to catch it and throw it right back. I've also learned a lot about myself. I've learned just how great my love of travel is and how to ball on a budget because of it. I've learned just how long I can go without doing my laundry or showering. I've learned that I could totally live off of hummus and crackers if I ever need to. But most importantly, I've learned some names of some pretty awesome people who I am going to miss a lot this upcoming semester. I owe most of my semester to all of the amazing people I met while abroad--my flatmates, my floormates, the IFSA staff, the people of Cardiff, and even a few of the nice strangers I managed to meet on all of my adventures. Talybont South became my home away from home becasue of all the people I connected with. Without them, I would not have had the wonderful experience I had. I am so thankful for all of the people I met, adventures I had, and memories I made. I'm looking forward to the day I can go back! Bye for now, hwyl am y tro!!
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Have you ever gone to school on Thanksgiving? Up until today, I hadn't. The UK doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving, remember? So last Thursday was a normal school day, filled with professors, reading assignments, lectures, and a full on American Thanksgiving feast. Yes, that's right--my flat celebrated Thanksgiving! We had turkey, stuffing (oh my gosh, so much stuffing), mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green beans, rolls, corn--we went all out. For dessert, we even had apple crisp and pecan pie! We made hand-turkeys, listened to Christmas music, and shared lots of laughs. In case you missed the stellar video we all made, please watch it here: After my Thanksgiving in the UK, I got on a plane to Amsterdam for my US squad weekend with Emily, Bailey, Sara, and Jessica. We went all over the city on a canal tour, saw the Anne Frank Museum and House, pet lots of rescued cats on a cat boat, went ice skating in front of the Rijksmuseum, and took tons of photos in front of the famous "I amsterdam" letters and, of course, the big yellow clog. We ate giant Dutch pancakes, blue-colored cheese that tasted like lavender, and stroopwafels--all delicious! The weekend with them made me realize just how much I've missed seeing each of their faces every day like I have for the past two years at school. Lately, I've been missing a lot of things, actually. Mostly, it's just been little everyday things that I took for granted before moving to a different country--97 cent Suave shampoo and conditioner, Wendy's junior cheesburgers, dryer sheets, etc. It would seem silly to me if I were the one reading this, but, as I write it, it makes perfect sense. These things used to be constants in my life, and I never thought a time would come when I wouldn't have the option to have them. It's made life a bit more interesting. Trying to find a deoderant that wasn't spray-on, or a box of Kraft mac and cheese to make for dinner, while trying to keep the "trolley" (shopping cart) under control--all of the wheels move, not just the ones in the front, so they can be kind of hard to steer--has been quite an experience, I'll admit.
It's not that I don't enjoy trying new things and being in a new place--I absolutely love it! All I mean to say is it has made me a bit more thankful for the things I used to take for granted. I am really looking forward to getting my hands on some of these "delacacies," but also know that when the time comes for me to leave in just a few short weeks, I will be missing the things I've come to see as normal here. I'm already dreading the goodbyes I'll have to say in 12 days... In other news, CHRISTMAS IS ALMOST HERE! If there’s one thing I’ve learned from the past two weeks, it’s this: if you ever want to see a part of the world—and really see it, like the locals and tourists see it—open up your geocaching app and start walking. Cork in Ireland, Fort William, Glencoe, and Glasgow in Scotland, and soon to be Cardiff in Wales, would not have been as interesting if it weren’t for the geocaches along the way. The different caches hidden around these cities and villages tend to have a little description about the place they are hidden in, and that little description is usually pretty interesting to the wannabe queen of quirky fun facts (hey, that’s me!). For example, did you know there’s a clock tower in Cork that is called the Four Faced Liar because each of the four faces on their respective sides tell a slightly different time until the hour hits and they all read the hour correctly?? Or that the “fort” in Fort William wasn’t completely destroyed during a war or battle like most castles and forts were, but by a train company in 1894, temporarily turning the fort into a rail yard?? I didn’t think so. As you can see, some of the tidbits of information are a little more historical than others. Sometimes the information about the location of the cache is a memory of the person who hid the cache. Other times the descriptions are blank or don’t have any fun facts, just hints. It’s still fun looking around the area each one is hidden in. Some caches are teeny tiny, only big enough to fit a log for you to sign, while others are huge and hold neat little treasures to trade in and out.
If you haven’t been geocaching, or don’t know what it is, you totally should, especially if you want to know more about the town you’re living in! Even if you just want to pretend your Nicholas Cage, hunting for your own little National Treasure (like me), that’s cool, too! For all my E&H friends back home, there are a couple by Emory that are fun, quick finds—I’d totally recommend it. I’m looking forward to finding more geocaches in more of the places I plan on traveling to. It really has been the best way to find all of the best spots in town. Give it a try—you might just find a new hobby, too! I’m off to find my next cache! Wish me luck! Dear [insert name of professor here], I realize I have missed a few classes and seminars (and blog posts!) the past few weeks, but I have some pretty great excuses—would you like to hear them? I thought so. A couple weekends ago, I woke up later than usual and missed a very important bus of mine to Stonehenge. I know what you must be thinking—Casey, how does missing a bus to Stonehenge on the weekend have anything to do with you not coming to my class? Well, professor, when I missed that bus, something snapped inside of me, something dangerous. It was a side of me I have always known was there, but have failed to see in its full form until now. It was my fernweh (a cooler word for wanderlust, or a desire to travel). When I realized I had missed that bus, I opened up my computer and, without thinking twice, booked a train and a bus ticket to Salisbury where, upon arrival, I ran to a taxi, begging him to speed (safely, of course) to Stonehenge, which closed 4 minutes after my taxi driver dropped me off. (Stonehenge, by the way, is magnificent. Please go someday if you haven’t already.) After seeing the stones, I got a lift back to Salisbury by a tour bus driver, where I saw the outside and courtyard of the Salisbury Cathedral, where one of four remaining original copies of the Magna Carta is located! When I finally returned to Cardiff, I was exhausted after a long day of absorbing information, I didn’t read for class, so felt I wouldn’t be able to fully understand or grasp the concepts presented in the lecture, which is why I felt it was alright for me to miss it and go to the Lake District (where I hiked up the highest peak in England!) with IFSA-Butler—the program giving me this wonderful opportunity to study abroad and learn about myself via experiencing a new culture, which is exactly what I’m doing! Don’t you want to me learn and engage with my studies? Ta-da! I am, all the way from Ireland (Dublin, Howth, Cork, and Blarney—yes, I kissed the stone—to be exact)! This past week, half of my lectures were cancelled, giving me a reading week to prepare for big, important papers I will have to write very soon. You know how much effort you want me to put in to writing your papers, right? So isn’t it fair for me to miss one of your lectures to spend time reading and writing for my other class’ essay [on a plane to Dublin] as long as I take just as much time learning and understand the material and write up an awesome essay for yours? I think so…I hope you do, too… Just know that I am having a blast in this country and others. I am learning a lot about myself, different cultures, people in general, etc., which is exactly why I came to Cardiff University in the first place. Did I mention I also had a legitimate excuse and (finally) went to the doctor? Yep, still sick. *cough cough* Although I’ve enjoyed traveling a ton and don’t regret any of it—even if my slowly diminishing bank account says otherwise—here I am, asking for forgiveness from you, professor, because I really do love the classes I’m taking here at Cardiff and feel bad for missing class, since it’s something I’d ever do back home. Emory professors always know… #smallschoolprobs Sincerely, Casey [in Cardiff] **For those of you reading this who are thinking Oh my goodness, Casey, what do you think you're doing sending that to your professors, please know I am NOT actually sending this out to anyone! The good little E&H student that I am actually emailed each of my lecturers and seminar tutors and told them I wasn’t able to make it in to class. Apparently that’s not normal here, or at any other university larger than 1,200 students. They all just laugh it off via email, which is really awkward to read, in case you didn't know. So the joke is really on me! Whoops! 6 boxes of tissues, 5 cartons of orange juice, 4 hours of sleep a night on average, 3 packs of lemsip, 2 bottles of cough syrup, 1 day of missed lectures, and about a million cups of tea later... Yes, it's true. I have a cold. Or the flu. Perhaps even both. Regardless, I am sick, and have been for about a week and a half now. Not cough-cough-I-feel-icky sick, but body-aches-all-over-can't-stop-coughing-up-my-spleen-lungs-filled-with-snot-fever-gives-me-cold-sweats sick. It has been absolutely horrible. BUT it hasn't kept me from having a blast here in Wales! Last Wednesday, I visited Cardiff Bay. I took the touristy pictures (all of which can be seen under the Places I've Been tab above), went to a pub, saw lots of pigeons and seagulls, and went home on the train. It was a perfect little afternoon outing. Friday, I got to participate in the Student Sleepout with my flatmate Meg (until we had to leave because I was too sick to be outside all night). The Student Sleepout was a fundraiser/volunteer experience to bring awareness to the amount and severity of homelessness in Cardiff. A group of students raised money and/or showed their support for a couple homeless shelters in the city by sleeping out on the streets as long as they could. We were each given a cardboard box to sleep on and could only bring whatever we could carry. Some people brought sleeping bags, others snacks, and some just brought the clothes on their backs. At the beginning of the event, two members of the homeless community came to speak to us along with a staff member of one of the shelters in the city. The conversation was very open and honest and helped ease some of the nerves and aided understandings of the experience. It was eye-opening for many of us there. Monday, I went to the Big Pit National Coal Museum (also under the Places I've Been tab above). It was awesome! I got to wear a helmut with a headlamp and go underground in a real coal mine for a tour given by a retired miner. Every time a question was asked to our miner/tour guide, he answered it with a story from his, his father's, or grandfather's mining days. I thought going to school in Appalachia gave me some insight into the mining world, but, boy, was I wrong. There is so much more to it than I could ever imagine. The culture, history, and traditions behind the entire coal mining industry here in Wales is rooted deeper (haha, deeper--get it?) than anything I've ever known. Every night, my flatmates and I play a game of cards, specifically the game Contract Rummy. If you don't know how to play, any of my flatmates and I are well-versed and would be happy to teach you, I'm sure, as we've played it practically every night for the past two weeks. I've only got a few little life updates for now. This weekend I'll hopefully travel some more and be able to give some more exciting updates other than "I smashed my thumb in my bathroom door after being woken up by the fire alarm this morning." Until next time! Thanks for reading! Now that I've accomplished what seemed impossible last weekend--enrolling in classes--and have completed my first week of classes, I feel like I've had a decent amount of time to compile the list below:
10 Things to Know About Uni When Studying Abroad in the U.K.:
Side-note: I don't mean to generalize with this list. It is just what I found to be true with my experience. Although some of these things will probably be a little difficult to get used to, I still feel like I am a normal college student, boarding the struggle-bus and fighting the battles of non-essential spending and procrastination. In the end, my lectures seem like they're going to be pretty interesting! I'm already super excited about this semester, and it's only been a week! 10 more weeks to go! Wish me luck!
of Welcome doesn't exist. I was literally dropped off at my flat, handed a sheet of paper with a couple events on it, and told "Good luck. Call if you need anything," despite not having an international phone plan at the time. Picking classes (the term used here is modules) has been an absolute nightmare. Everyone in Uni here in Cardiff gets put in to classes for their specific school (or major) and only for that school. A liberal arts education does not exist here. Students take classes that apply to their degree and then they graduate--all in three years. And here I am, trying to squeeze everything I want to do in to four! However, I will say that I feel pretty accomplished now that I've got a working schedule (everyone here says "timetable")! Although it was difficult, it got done. I am taking Cross-Cultural Management, Managing People in Organisations (have to make sure I spell it "correctly" here), Reformation History, Globalisation and Social Change, and Power, Politics, and Policy (In class today, there were four stabs at the United States, thanks to last night's debate...). Not bad, eh? Freshers Week--Orientation week, if you subtract the academic parts and multiply the social parts by 10x--was lots of fun. I met lots of new people and got to know the city a little better. I still have a lot to explore, though! I plan on exploring more of it this week. Tomorrow, hopefully, my flatmates and I will head on over to Cardiff Bay! This past weekend, some of us took a trip to Brecon Beacons National Park and hiked to the peak of Pen y Fan--one of the best hikes I've ever done! I was blown away--literally and figuratively, meaning it was absolutely breathtaking, but the wind was so strong, I found myself almost blowing off the mountain a few times! Check it out under the "Places" tab under the "Connections" tab above! There, you'll also find photos from my trips to London, specifically from the day trip I took to see Sara and Bailey! It was great seeing them. #wheredasquadat #squadabroad I'd love to share more, but my tummy is pretty full from my flat's second Taco Tuesday, which is making me kinda sleepy. I have to write up some notes from my lecture today (Yes, just one! Another fabulous difference between the US and UK! I only have each class once a week and no more than two classes in general a day!) and prepare for my two lectures tomorrow. Wish me luck as I brave the next week! I'm super excited for everyone else I'll get to meet, everywhere else I'll get to go, and everything in between! Cheers mate! This post is coming to you from the UK! London, to be exact! Yes, you read that correctly: London. I'm not in Cardiff yet! Let me explain; IFSA-Bulter (the program I am studying abroad through) has an orientation of their own for all 190 students studying on the island of Great Britain (Fun fact: out of the 190 students, I am the only one studying at Cardiff University!). So, here I am, staying in a nice hotel one street away from Oxford Street--one of the places I was told I had to see. Despite the minor jet lag I experienced, I've already had one heck of a trip, starting before I'd even left the country! Having experienced the fastest check-in and security check in an airport ever, I had plenty of time to hang out before boarding my Icelandair plane. While waiting, I noticed a man who kept walking back and forth in front of me, occasionally stealing a glance my way, and then a woman doing the same thing. My red flags were flying higher than ever before when the man and woman, now together, approached me and asked if I knew a "fun woman" named Monica Hoel (Shout-out to Monica for being a fun woman!). Well, of course I know Monica, just like every other Emory & Henry College student and alum! The couple proceeded to explain their stalker-ish behavior--they were trying to read my t-shirt and tag on my bag to make sure they read "Emory & Henry College." They had both graduated from Emory years ago! We chatted about the school, different people we knew, the study abroad programs, and much more! What a small world!! Since arriving in the UK, I've met even more nice people, seen more cool things, and been to more neat places. The guy I sat next to on my second flight told me all about the different places he's been, making me envy his world travels. He recommended lots of different places and things to do, and told me that Wales is one of his all-time favorite countries--Italy and Chile being the only two that top it! The nice man who stamped my passport told me the ins & outs of London--what to and what not to do while here, and to take the train everywhere I go, especially when I head to Cardiff--in the 2 minutes it took him to make sure I was legit. After getting lost, walking around looking for the hostel I had a reservation at, on the hottest day of the year (literally--it said so on the news later last night), the woman at the reception desk greeted me with a smile and kept the smile on her face every time I came back to the desk with a new question. She even called me a cab for this afternoon when I couldn't because of not having a phone plan here! My cab driver today chatted with me about my Religion major while waiting in traffic, advising me to keep up my studies, "even when the world seems to hate people who like studying religion." I've got to say, so far, my trip has been worth every penny, and I'm not even a full 48 hours into it yet! All of the people I've met and advice I've been given has been wonderful, and has helped to erase my nerves. Now for some advice of my own: If you're going to fly to Europe, fly Icelandair!! They're cheap to fly; you get glacier water on the plane, along with a pillow, blanket, complimentary drinks, and awesome movie choices; the overhead lights aren't like normal, boring, yellow airplane lights--they change colors and mimic the Northern Lights; and you have a layover in Iceland, where you get off the plane on cool stairs like Lindsey Lohan does in The Parent Trap when going home to her father in Napa, CA, so you actually step foot in Iceland and can say you've been in Iceland--by far, my favorite perk! That's all for now! Friday morning, I'll get on a train (thanks to the man who stamped my passport) to Cardiff, where I'll officially move in to my flat! Thanks for reading! That's right, folks; this girl is leaving the country in two days. Not for good or anything (although, with the upcoming election, I might stay a little longer than planned...). The fall semester of my junior year in college will be spent abroad. For three months, I will be studying at Cardiff University, which is located in Cardiff, Wales. Before you open a new tab and type "Where is Wales?" into your favorite search engine, let me try to help you out a bit. Wales is a country in the U.K. North of Wales lies Scotland, England can be found to the right, and Ireland and Northern Ireland are just across the pond to the left. People in Wales speak English, but some also speak Welsh. Welsh is full of cool words like Cymraeg. Cymraeg is the word in Welsh for Welsh. Cymru is the word for Wales, the country. Cwn is valley. And my personal favorite: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch is the name of a small town. It translates to "St. Mary's Church in the hollow of the white hazel near a rapid whirlpool and the Church of St .Tysilio near the red cave."
While I'm going to be studying abroad in Wales for the next three months, that doesn't mean I'm going to stay in Wales and only Wales. I plan on traveling everywhere I possible can while in Europe. Traveling is slowly becoming a passion of mine. I love getting to experience new cultures, learn about their traditions, each place's history, try their foods, etc. Right now, I have a growing list of places I want to visit, things I want to see, and people I can't wait to meet while abroad. Along with that list, I've been adding to another list of my own every time I talk to someone about my upcoming semester abroad. I've formed a list of advice I've been given and would like to share it with you all. Some of you reading this might even see something familiar! Advice for Casey, provided by many.
As you can see, I've been given all kinds of advice (and too many places to visit to list them all). Will I follow all of it? Probably not. Will I try? Probably. What I am going to promise to do, though, is compile a list of advice based off this list given to me and my experiences while abroad to share with others wanting to spend a semester abroad.
As my friends who are also studying abroad either settle in to their cosy new beds for the semester or settle into their not-so-cosy plane seats for the next 8-12 hours, I will continue to cherish my last couple days in the good 'ole U.S. of A., sipping on a smoothie, snacking on leftover Chinese take-out, and watching Gilmore Girls on Netflix. Until then, see you soon, Cymru! P.S. Keep the advice coming! I love all of it, even if it's something I've been told a million a one times! I want to know all our your suggestions, too! Thanks! |
Casey HeinleinI'm Casey [current world traveler, food & drink enthusiast, novice blogger, lover of the ampersand, & the connections that come with it] in Cardiff. Contact me here.
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