Craig's Experience in Wales A personal documentation of my journey as an exchange student in Great Britain

Whew, it has been way too long since I last wrote an entry. In my entry before the rugby one I mentioned how I would continue to write about my Austria trip. Well… I’m not going to do that. Due to various distractions such as paper writing, hanging out with friends, playing soccer, etc. I haven’t been able to keep up with my documentation of Austria/Switzerland. So, in that case, let me know if you’re really itching to hear about the rest of my excursion to the Alps. I come back to the States on June 14th and would be more than happy to meet up and talk about the trip. June 14th… officially less than one month away. As I look at the clock in my flat it reads 12:04 a.m. 5/15 Tuesday. You might be wondering if I am ready to come home. You might also be wondering if I am doing anymore traveling during my time here across the pond. The answer to both questions is “yes”, with a bittersweet “yes” on the first question and an enthusiastic “yes” on the second. Being here has been more than a dream come true. I look back on January 22nd when I left Cincinnati Airport and it feels like I was a little boy at the time. I was nervous and excited about this whole trip—not knowing what to expect and packing way too many clothes. Now nearly 4 months later it feels like I’ve completely grown. Not vertically, though. Just mentally. And spiritually. And emotionally. What blows my mind the most is how comfortable you can get with a place in such a short amount of time. Adaptability really is quite an interesting thing to think about. When I first arrived here everything was so new and fresh and “wow”… I remember sitting in my kitchen for the first time when the cleaning ladies were in my room. I looked around the kitchen thinking, “I’m in Wales. In a kitchen. And there’s a Welsh flag right in front of me. This is so awesome” Even the smallest of things—such as a flag—stuck out to me. They caused excitement and awe and curiosity all at once. And now when I walk out of that kitchen and see the flag I don’t even think twice. I’ve gotten completely used to it. The same goes for everything in my daily life here in Swansea, Wales. Everything here has gotten to be so comfortable and so routine that it feels like I’ve lived here for years. When I go to church at Mount Pleasant it feels just like home. Completely like home. Sometimes, before service or after service, I sit and talk to people in the congregation as if we’d always known each other. And the school…it has gotten to the point where Swansea University’s campus is as familiar to me as that of Ohio University. If a random person walked up to me on campus here and asked for directions, I would be able to help them out. The beach that is 10 seconds from campus is now like College Green back in Athens. Just like College Green, people go to the beach to relax, sleep, chill with friends, pass the ball around, and eat. Also it’s quite a pleasurable means of getting from one place to another. Just today I walked along the water’s edge to get from the university to TESCO to do some grocery shopping. But not just any shopping. This was my last round of shopping at trusty old TESCO… a bittersweet time indeed. I say bittersweet because my tummy is getting a little fed up with the usual. What’s the usual? Tuna, chicken, pasta, baked beans (they are nuts here about them), rice, cottage cheese, bread, milk, cereal, fruit, veggies… I suppose I could try new things even now, but I’m the kind that just likes to get in and get out of a grocery store. So what was the “sweet” part of this last experience with shopping? Well, since it was my last time shopping there I decided to take advantage of my age (and beard) and treat myself by picking up some Guinness. The drinking age here is 18 and I’ll admit that I have tried a variety of beverages here during my time in Wales. Every few weeks I’ve tried something new, just this past weekend getting my first taste of Guinness. I’d have to say that that has been my taste bud’s favorite. In addition, during this shopping trip I realized something about myself I hadn’t otherwise noticed during this trip: I have an addiction to tuna. Just about a week ago I bought 2 4-packs of tuna cans and in only a matter of a few days devoured a whole 4 pack. It was weird leaving the place and thinking it was my last TESCO EXPERIENCE. It feels like I was just there, telling a lady working that I needed help finding bedding because I didn’t know how they made their beds in Wales. What a little boy I was back then… and now look at me. A tuna-lovin’, baked bean eatin’, can’t-live-without-cottage-cheese bearded man. And what about those travels that I have planned? Oh boy, where do I start? I am so pumped for this round of traveling. It’s going to cover nearly 3 weeks from May 25 – June 13. I take an exam on the 23rd and that Friday leave for Kettering. Kettering, England. I have a really good friend here named Jamie Hurd who is taking me to his home in Kettering for a couple days. How sweet is that? I have been “warned” in advance that there is not a lot to do in Kettering, but I really don’t care. Apparently there is a sign in the city that says “twin cities with Kettering, Ohio” and to me that is just as pleasing to the eyes as the Eiffel Tower or Leaning Tower of Piazza. Perhaps I should write to Rick Steve’s after my stint in Kettering, England and tell him that I found a place that isn’t mentioned in his Great Britain 2006 travel guide. After a couple days in Kettering I’ll be headed to London for a couple of days. After seeing the sights there I’ll hop on a flight to Scotland and stay in that beautiful country for about a week. I had originally planned on staying in the Isle of Arran for a couple days but that plan fell through when I found out there is only one hostel in the whole island and it’s booked for when I want to go. Sooooo…. Instead I’ll be going to Stirling, the place to go for all Braveheart lovers. And that’s me. I’d like to give a little shout out to my good friend David Signet right now. If there is anyone who would completely appreciate this trip to Stirling it would be David. So in that case, David, if you are reading this, I will be taking your enthusiastic spirit for Braveheart along with me. Humorously enough, the name of the hostel I’m staying at in Stirling is called the “Willy Wallace Hostel”. I’m pretty pumped about that. After my time there I’ll be going to Edinburgh for a few days, going on a day trip or two up to the Highlands and seeing Loch Ness and the surrounding areas. I hear it is absolutely beautiful up there and can’t wait to see it! From Edinburgh I fly to Bristol, England for a night to catch a flight early on the next day to go to Prague, Czech Republic. I’ll spend a couple days in Prague as I take in the sights of the beautiful city and unique culture and architecture. I hear it is one of best cities to visit in the world, so I can’t wait to spend some time there and take photos. After my time there I will be catching a train to Krakow, Poland for the perfect ending to an amazing study abroad experience. I will be in the city for a day and then will be taking two separate day trips from Krakow—one to Auschwitz and the other to the Salt Mines nearby. Since I first learned about the significance of the Holocaust in 6th grade it has been a dream of mine to see this concentration camp. To me there is just something so exhilarating about visiting a place that you have learned about your whole life. Going to the Anne Frank house was one of the most amazing experiences in all of my life… it’s hard to explain, but it was so surreal to be at that house. It’s like all those stories I heard, books I read, and movies I saw all took form in front of my eyes. I can’t even imagine what seeing Auschwitz is going to be like. Whew… so that is the rest of my travel. I return from all this travel on the 13th of June in the evening. In less than 12 hours I have to pack up all my belongings and catch a real early bus to get to London-Heathrow for my 12:25 flight to the States. Sooooo that is what I have been up to lately, just planning that trip and booking everything that goes along with it. I absolutely love planning travel and thinking about what to see… I do believe I have developed a full-fledged passion for travel and culture and planning trips. What else has been going on with me? Well, this past Saturday I played in my very last CU football game. Ironically we played Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, the very church that I attend every Sunday and love so much. The CU, my team, lost 6-3 in a rather interesting game. I think half of the goals scored on us were from accidental deflections from our own players. I played about 35 minutes and have a great time yet again. The field we played on overlooked the beautiful, lush, rolling green hills of Wales. The scenery is very simple—nothing eye-popping like the Alps or lakes of Interlaken but nonetheless is beautiful in its own way. Getting the opportunity to play on that team was such a blessing… an opportunity that I thank God that I could have. This whole football/soccer experience has made me want to play when I get back home, whether at OU on an intramural team or just getting a ball and cleats (or boots as they call them here) and kicking around with my brother. Since I last wrote an entry I have also went to Swansea City's last game of the season against Blackpool. It was a really important match as it was nearly a sell-out at Liberty Stadium here in Swansea. It was an awesome atmosphere - exaclty how a soccer game should be with passionate fans who chant, holler, "ooh" and "ahh" at every shot on goal. I was so ecstatic that Jamie could get a ticket for me. I had wanted to see a Swansea City game but wasn't able to for one reason or another. So when Jamie asked me if I wanted to go I was pretty pumped. Turned out Swansea City lost 6-3 in a 9 goal extravaganza with plenty of action and shots on goal. Needless to say, it was a brilliant game. After the game Jaime and I went into town and had our first taste of Welsh Faggots. Let me explain... Welsh Faggots are Welsh meatballs made up of... well... meat. To be honest with you I don't really know what was in them and I don't think Jaime knew either. I tasted a bit of lamb and onion, but a host of other unknown tastes hit my buds at the same time. As I sit here at my laptop I am quite humbled by everything that I have blessed to see and experience. When I get home if there is anybody who wants to talk to me about this trip or anything I wrote about, please let me know. Write me an e-mail at cb283705@ohio.edu or AIM me at byerou or facebook me or even call me if you’d like. I’m not going to put my number here on this site but e-mail me and I’d love to give it to you. Wales is a beautiful country with beautiful people. Everybody needs to know that….God Bless and remember that GOD IS GOOD. He knows our needs and HE WILL PROVIDE in accordance to His perfect will. Can’t wait to see you all again in a short while! Philippians 1:3, Craig