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!
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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! |
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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