Well I'm terrible at keeping blogs. I'm so busy here I just completely forget I'm supposed to be blogging. So much has happened since my last blog post: Amsterdam (!), trips to Tenby, Whitesands Bay, Aberystwyth, and St. David's, classes starting, beginnings of rehearsals, more shenanigans, etc.
First off, Amsterdam was AWESOME. I couldn't ever find anyone to go with me, so I said screw it, I'm going by myself! I'm a big girl, can generally take care of myself, and I don't want to waste the opportunity, so off I went. Public transportation in a foreign country where you don't speak the language is scary! I booked the train to Bristol, and flew out of Bristol Airport into Schipol Airport, Amsterdam, Holland. Traveling by myself was actually really fun, mainly because I didn't have to worry about much more than just myself. Once I got to Amsterdam airport, I had to get a train to Leiden, and then a bus to a certain part of Leiden because I was staying with a Dutch family who kindly agreed to put up a crazy American girl for a couple of nights. My friend Sarah knew them and had stayed with them before, so she got me in contact with them and it turned out to be incredible. They are incredibly friendly and generous people and made sure to drive me around most of Holland so I could get the full Dutch experience. The family had two boys roughly my age, who took me around Amsterdam and Leiden and generally helped me have an awesome time. Pictures are on Facebook and my Picasa website. Check 'em out!
Classes started. I only have one actual class right now, but it's a five week module, so once that's over, I start in on rehearsals for the touring production! Rehearsals start tomorrow morning so I'm pretty excited to actually get cracking. A little terrified because apparently I'm signed up to do sound AND lighting. I don't know anything about designing lighting! Help! Hopefully the other DP 3rd years will help me figure out what to do.
Tenby is officially awesome. If you ever get the chance to go to Wales, make sure you go to Tenby. It's on the Pembrokeshire coast and is a walled seaside town. There's a friggin awesome castle thing that you can only get to at low tide (unfortunately it's private property and off-limits, but still epic). The beach is awesome and there's all sorts of caves to run around. The people are super friendly and the fish and chips shops are tasty. The actual town is still kind of laid out like a 13th century medieval town and there's a monastery on a nearby island. Sadly, the larger chain stores like Tesco are starting to be built in Tenby, so the fun little shops are going out of business and the town may be dying.
Whitesands Bay is pretty epic as well. We went on a cultural excursion to Whitesands and St. David's last weekend. Whitesands is this beach surrounded by cliffs and is absolutely stunning. St. David's cathedral is very important and impressive because St. David is the patron saint of Wales. St. David's is also the smallest city in the United Kingdom, and basically looks like a regular town.
There are tales of all the shenanigans I've been getting into in town and at the Student Union, but I probably shouldn't put them out on the Internet for everyone to see. If you want details, Facebook or Skype me and I'll fill you in!
I will try to keep this blog more up-to-date, but with rehearsals starting and final project coming up soon, it may be difficult. Wish me luck!
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Picasa Pics
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Part Dos. No clever titles for me!
A. Welsh food is really bland. And they reeeeaalllly like their potatoes. Enough to have at least 2 types of potatoes at every meal. Not kidding.
B. 14 girls, one shower. Not a good combo. The rest of the campus finally moved in on Sunday, so my showers are now nice and cold and very short. Shaving is still an issue as the shower is about 2'x2' and doesn't not allow for much movement, especially not bending down or propping up of the legs. I'm thinking No Shave November might turn into No Shave Fall Semester, as I still haven't attempted the sitting in the sink method. Might be an obstacle in my quest to score a fabulously wealthy and accented husband, but who cares. I'd rather not break anything while walking to Tesco every day is still a necessity. Also, the bathrooms never have toilet paper and the toilets don't always flush. Dear residents of Myrddin 4, please wait to make sure everything goes down. I don't really appreciate the "presents" you leave for me.
C. Tesco. HAS EVERYTHING.
D. Freshers' Week is an experience. All of those students who moved in on Sunday? Yeah they stay up partying until 5 am. Every night. And get up at 8 am. Apparently Welsh people are all robots and have no need of sleep. Said earplugs were quickly bought when I realized that the room next to mine is home to a wildly enthusiastic couple who like to "express their love" every morning while I'm trying to sleep. Also, the guy has a really annoying voice that surprisingly carries quite well through the paper-thin walls and HE NEVER STOPS TALKING. Ear plugs are my best friends.
Most of the gang that I hang out with went to Ireland this week. I was a little bummed that I couldn't go due to (surprise) theater requirements. School hasn't even started and theater is already taken over my life. However, I got sick Sunday night, so maybe it was good that I wasn't traveling. Spent the next two days either sitting in bed watching superhero movies or walking around Carmarthen. Took a trip to Tesco to buy food since us catered kids are required to come with our own meals for lunch and on weekends. It's kind of hard to cook when all you have is a hot water heater and a microwave. Oh and a mini-fridge. For 14 girls. Silly Europeans. It's not like we need space or anything. Today I was feeling much better and aided by actual breakfast and a ready supply of Tylenol, myself and one of the other internationals left in Myrddin, Sarah, took a day trip to southwest Wales. The day was absolutely beautiful, with blue sky and no clouds, so we took advantage of the rare occurrence and headed outdoors.We caught a bus to Llandeilo, a quaint town on the River Towy. From there, we caught a cab, which drove us the four-ish miles up to Castle Carreg Cennen. The castle was originally built in 1100s by the Lord Rhys ap Gruffydd and later captured by the English during the Welsh rebellion. It was partially destroyed during the War of the Roses in the 1400s, and later transferred hands in the 1930s when accidently included in the deed of a local farm purchase. It's located on limestone cliffs and has a stunning 360 degree view of the surrounding countryside. After climbing the hill to the castle and pretending to be Norman invaders, we reached the castle ruins and proceeded to take about two thousand pictures each. Might as well live up to the touristy expectations. The wind was blowing pretty hard on top of the cliffs, so I kind of felt like I was straight out of Lord of the Rings. Pretty epic. There's also a natural cave that runs underneath the castle and accessible through one of the tower ruins, so we tried to explore that with Sarah's dinky little flashlight. I got about halfway down before the claustrophobia kicked in and I had to go back. Sarah kept going but said it wasn't that impressive. We went over to the cliffs and took some more epic pictures and left just in time to miss the masses of children headed up the hill. Had a small lunch at the farmhouse and headed out on the four-mile hike back to Llandeilo. The day was nice so we decided to get some exercise and just walk back to town instead of calling a cab. Had a proper British tea in Llandeilo and then it was back to the bus stop and Carmarthen. All in all a really good day. The rest of the crew gets back tomorrow night so shenanigans may soon ensue. Will try to keep this thing updated on the new adventures!
B. 14 girls, one shower. Not a good combo. The rest of the campus finally moved in on Sunday, so my showers are now nice and cold and very short. Shaving is still an issue as the shower is about 2'x2' and doesn't not allow for much movement, especially not bending down or propping up of the legs. I'm thinking No Shave November might turn into No Shave Fall Semester, as I still haven't attempted the sitting in the sink method. Might be an obstacle in my quest to score a fabulously wealthy and accented husband, but who cares. I'd rather not break anything while walking to Tesco every day is still a necessity. Also, the bathrooms never have toilet paper and the toilets don't always flush. Dear residents of Myrddin 4, please wait to make sure everything goes down. I don't really appreciate the "presents" you leave for me.
C. Tesco. HAS EVERYTHING.
D. Freshers' Week is an experience. All of those students who moved in on Sunday? Yeah they stay up partying until 5 am. Every night. And get up at 8 am. Apparently Welsh people are all robots and have no need of sleep. Said earplugs were quickly bought when I realized that the room next to mine is home to a wildly enthusiastic couple who like to "express their love" every morning while I'm trying to sleep. Also, the guy has a really annoying voice that surprisingly carries quite well through the paper-thin walls and HE NEVER STOPS TALKING. Ear plugs are my best friends.
Most of the gang that I hang out with went to Ireland this week. I was a little bummed that I couldn't go due to (surprise) theater requirements. School hasn't even started and theater is already taken over my life. However, I got sick Sunday night, so maybe it was good that I wasn't traveling. Spent the next two days either sitting in bed watching superhero movies or walking around Carmarthen. Took a trip to Tesco to buy food since us catered kids are required to come with our own meals for lunch and on weekends. It's kind of hard to cook when all you have is a hot water heater and a microwave. Oh and a mini-fridge. For 14 girls. Silly Europeans. It's not like we need space or anything. Today I was feeling much better and aided by actual breakfast and a ready supply of Tylenol, myself and one of the other internationals left in Myrddin, Sarah, took a day trip to southwest Wales. The day was absolutely beautiful, with blue sky and no clouds, so we took advantage of the rare occurrence and headed outdoors.We caught a bus to Llandeilo, a quaint town on the River Towy. From there, we caught a cab, which drove us the four-ish miles up to Castle Carreg Cennen. The castle was originally built in 1100s by the Lord Rhys ap Gruffydd and later captured by the English during the Welsh rebellion. It was partially destroyed during the War of the Roses in the 1400s, and later transferred hands in the 1930s when accidently included in the deed of a local farm purchase. It's located on limestone cliffs and has a stunning 360 degree view of the surrounding countryside. After climbing the hill to the castle and pretending to be Norman invaders, we reached the castle ruins and proceeded to take about two thousand pictures each. Might as well live up to the touristy expectations. The wind was blowing pretty hard on top of the cliffs, so I kind of felt like I was straight out of Lord of the Rings. Pretty epic. There's also a natural cave that runs underneath the castle and accessible through one of the tower ruins, so we tried to explore that with Sarah's dinky little flashlight. I got about halfway down before the claustrophobia kicked in and I had to go back. Sarah kept going but said it wasn't that impressive. We went over to the cliffs and took some more epic pictures and left just in time to miss the masses of children headed up the hill. Had a small lunch at the farmhouse and headed out on the four-mile hike back to Llandeilo. The day was nice so we decided to get some exercise and just walk back to town instead of calling a cab. Had a proper British tea in Llandeilo and then it was back to the bus stop and Carmarthen. All in all a really good day. The rest of the crew gets back tomorrow night so shenanigans may soon ensue. Will try to keep this thing updated on the new adventures!
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Part 1
Got to Wales. Was extrememly jet-lagged. The first few days were a little rough because I didn't know anyone and was too tired to be friendly. Plus the fact that my promised single room had suddenly become a double room was not quite the best-received news. Roomie had insomnia the first night, which kept me up and made the jet-lag hard to get over. Will be investing in a pair of ear-plugs ASAP at the local Tesco, which is basically a Super Wal-Mart, Target, and department store rolled up into one giant mega-awesome place. It's cheap(ish), good(ish) quality, and has EVERYTHING. Plus it's only a ten minute walk from the Trinity campus. Day two was much better. I was still tired and jet-lagged, but managed to pull myself out of my funk enough to actually bond with some people so I didn't feel quite so alone. We went on a walking tour of Carmarthen, which is surprisingly a lot bigger than described. There's a cinema, multiple pubs and restaurants, and a massive Debenhams, which is like a higher-class Belk's. The variety of shopping is incredible for a town this size, so I must be careful with the monies or else they might slip away without my noticing. Day three was even better. Got a good night's sleep, ate a good breakfast, made friends, and got drunk. After registration and filling out an endless number of forms, some of the other international kids and I hung out in the Student Union (it's a bar and a disco!) for a while, and then went back to the dorms to pregame before heading out to check out the local pubs. We managed to make quite an impression at three different places before stumbling back up the hill in the rain. (It's Wales. It's always raining.) Registration for modules (classes) began today and surprise! I'm only signed up for 2 actual modules. These modules are worth 50 credits, which translates to about 15 credit hours back in America. Hopefully I can manage to fit in some travelling in between classes and touring with the theatre production. We'll see! New post in a few days. Freshers' Week starts Sunday. Gotta get prepared.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)