It has been raining really really hard here for the last couple days, and as a result, the river is flooded. This univeristy is situated right in the town, the tiny town with 3 streets. As you exit the university gates, you are on one of the main streets of Lampeter. As you walk into the actual gates, there are all the buildings, and then there is a tiny river, and over the bridge there are the student housing. So to get to the supermarket, it is less than a 10 minute walk, 5 if you go fast. But really, no reason to rush here, just dawdle. Continue reading
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Dinefwr
When I first set up this blog, I was still in Victoria and I had all these ideas about writing in it, thinking I would have the time, the inclination, and the content. I kind of do, but everytime I think I should write a post, I remember that I have a 2500 word essay due in a couple weeks, and so much reading to do. So, I go to Facebook instead, because I have become one of those people who use only Facebook to keep in contact! Before I joined I did not really like it, but really, it is a pretty good way to stay in contact, and upload hundreds of pictures at once. So apologies that I have not posted as much as I originally intended!
But to explain the title of this post, Dinefwr. It is Welsh, and pronounced Dinehver, and it’s a castle about an hour away from here, and so gorgeous! Right next to a town called Llandeilo. The castle part is from the Normans, and then there is a house that construction was originally began in the 16th century. Really lovely place, and I went as part of the International Cultural Programme. Unfortunately I did not take that many pictures, but I am going again next term, so hopefully then.
Another thing that happened was my birthday! I turned 19, and had a little party to celebrate. It was really great, I got a few really nice presents and cards, and it was just fun to hang around with new foreign people! Lol that sounds a bit weird, but it was a really awesome birthday evening. The kitchen was decorated by my hallmates, and then a few people came over, then went to a bar, which I was already legal to go to here, but now in British Columbia I can go to bars too!
Classes are another thing that is going on, I have lectures 3 times a week, each 3 hours long. So it’s good and it’s bad that they’re so long. Something else that’s really weird is that I live so close to the classrooms. At home to get to Langford to Camosun it took me over an hour, here I can leave my room 5 minutes before class begins and still make it with plenty of time to spare. And there is less work, kind of. Each class I only have 2 essays to write, but in all it’s going to be 15,000 words. But no exams or marks for attendance or seminars, so that’s a bit different. It just means that the essays count for so much more!
Oh, violin issue has pretty much been sorted, I have bought a violin for £100. It is full size, because there were no good 3/4, and if the violin didn’t sound good I wouldn’t have wanted to play it, so useless. I have found 2 places where I can play, the Lampeter Chamber Orchestra, which is a higher level of difficulty than I am used to, but hopefully it shall be alright. There are only 3 rehearsals before a concert, way less than at home, but as there are wind instruments and percussion the violins can kind of hide in that! Where I can’t really hide is the second place I’ve found, which is the student Folk Music Society. There I am the only violinist, and then there’s a couple guitars, a mandolin, and a bouzouki, a type of string instruments that sounds really cool! So I get to play the tune, and have a nice accompaniment:) And as it’s folk music it is not so difficult or complex, so it does sound really good.
I’ve just written 600 words, and this time probably should’ve been spent on the essay, but I did just want to update. Maybe I’ll just do a picture post soon, but there are just so many pictures I don’t know which ones to put up!
Cardiff!
So finally, after several years of really really wanting to go, I was in the capital of Wales! It is such a beautiful city, typical European architecture I suppose, but being from British Columbia, from Langford, that type of architecture is very welcome. The going to Cardiff was part of the Cultural Programme that this school offers, however, it takes 3 hours to go from Lampeter to Cardiff, and they were just going to let us have a few hours in the city. Definitely not enough time to see everything So, I booked a hostel. Yup, first time ever doing something like that, and it was actually pretty easy. And worked out really well. It was a private 6 bed (3 bunk beds room, with tall ceilings. It was very satisfactory for what we – enough people to fill the beds – needed. It was just for 1 night, and not as if we really did see everything that Cardiff has to offer, but as you can see from the opening photograph, basically the only reason I wanted to go was accomplished. Continue reading
Castle! And Stuff
Today was the beginning of the week for all the students here at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, so finally here are people here on campus! Well, that may not be a good thing, as that mean now the Student Union building is open. Which means the bar is open, and also the club. Which means I can hear the club music, at least the underlying beat, while I am trying to sleep. Soon classes shall start, and then I’ll be too tired to notice! Anyways, today there was a welcome to Lampeter speech, and then we went to a welcome BACK to Lampeter speech, as we are exchange students, so technically in the second year of study. In all, 4 speeches. luckily though all the international students already had the orientation on how to use the computer and library and stuff, so we don’t have to go to those this week. Which means, it is a pretty free week. I want to get a violin tomorrow, and to do that I will have to take an hour long bus ride to Carmarthen. That’s not too bad though, same distance from home to Camosun.
But oh yes the castle! The trip was part of the cultural programme the university offers, one of seven. We had to leave at 9am and it took a little over an hour to reach the bottom of the hill where the castle is situated. Continue reading
5 More Days…Getting Things More Organized
It’s my last Tuesday this year! And yes I will keep thinking about it that way. Today I finished doing pretty much everything that I could do out of the house, so staying inside the rest of the week and packing! Well not really, still need a haircut, but otherwise yeah. My sisters have all their activities beginning again, and all I’m doing is staying home. Of course that will drastically change by next week, so I’m not really complaining. Just a fact really. Continue reading
Part 2 of European Journal Entry
In October 2009, for my 16th birthday I went on a 3 week European guided bus tour with my mother with Insight Vacations, a very generous present from my grandmother and uncle (whining and persistent “I want to go to Europe” does actually get you somewhere sometimes 
)It was amazing, and during our trip I write a journal. I have finally transcribed it, at least some of it, so I have decided to put it on the Internet so it is here forever! Most of journal 1 of 2 is on the computer. This is second half of journal 1.
I have tried to keep as much of the spelling and sentence structure the same, so there are inconsistencies, which I would hope that I do not do anymore. And yes, I do know how to spell ‘highway’ now…you’ll know what I am talking about once you read a bit further. If you click ‘read more’ it is quite a bit more, nearly 15 pages, so just a warning that it is long. And again, I was 16, and tired and jetlagged while I was writing, so if anything doesn’t make sense, I really can’t help it now. It will just be interesting to see how my writing on this exchange to Wales differs from then. Continue reading
Part 1 Europe 2009 Trip Transcribed from hand written book.
In October 2009, for my 16th birthday I went on a 3 week European guided bus tour with my mother with Insight Vacations, a very generous present from my grandmother and uncle (whining and persistent “I want to go to Europe” does actually get you somewhere sometimes 
)It was amazing, and during our trip I write a journal. I have finally transcribed it, at least some of it, so I have decided to put it on the Internet so it is here forever! Most of journal 1 of 2 is on the computer.
I have tried to keep as much of the spelling and sentence structure the same, so there are inconsistencies, which I would hope that I do not do anymore. And yes, I do know how to spell ‘highway’ now…you’ll know what I am talking about once you read a bit further. If you click ‘read more’ it is quite a bit more, nearly 15 pages, so just a warning that it is long. And again, I was 16, and tired and jetlagged while I was writing, so if anything doesn’t make sense, I really can’t help it now. It will just be interesting to see how my writing on this exchange to Wales differs from then.
