Week One

So this bit is from Chicago:

And the adventure begins! Or a very long day of rushing and waiting. Didn’t bother going to bed last night, caught a ten minute cat nap, mostly out of exhaustion, but I was too geared up to stay asleep. Got to the airport at 4am, just to find the American apparently doesn’t have anyone working any of their desks that early in the morning, was stuck in a huge line, waiting for people to show up. By the time I got my baggage issues sorted out (booking my tickets separately confused them), and cleared security (which was also understaffed), it was 5:15. Saying goodbye to my parents was easier than I thought it would be, we all held it together pretty well. I guess we’re all getting used to me being away so much. Still kinda stinks, feels like I just got home, despite the really long break. Writing now (to be posted whenever I first find internet), I’ve got 30min till go time, considerably less till boarding I’d assume. I’ve got a couple of hours in Chicago before the London flight. I wonder how many hours I’m going to spend sitting around today?

The flights ended up being pretty boring really. I had the entire row to myself on both flights, so had some room to stretch out on the way to London. Food on the flight was decent. Landed a little late (thankfully), customs went so incredibly smooth. The guy didn't even ask me for my support letters from the schools, just rubber stamped me and sent me though. Then was the mindshatteringly dull 7 hour plus wait for everyone to show up. Got a lot of reading and people watching done. Once everyone showed up we piled onto the bus for the 2ish hour ride to Cardiff, our bus driver Dave narrating along the way. I saw more sheep in that 2 hour ride than I have in my entire life. True story.

I can't even begin to list all the stuff they've had us doing since we got here. We've had a tour of Cardiff Castle, which John just exploded the blog with pictures of. Tons of orientation to this or that talks. Etc. I've had my first 2 Welsh classes, the language isn't quite as hard as I thought it would be, but certainly not easy. Lots of strange new sounds to try to learn, which don't easily fit in your mouth.

My flatmates TC (Tom), Louis, Luke, and Sam are all really cool. There's two girls, but they won't be here till later today. They've opened up all their pots and pans for me to use, as well as found me a cabinet, a shelf in the fridge etc. They don't eat together often, so I'm totally on my own for food. The flat is basically one long (smelly) hallway, and each of us have rooms off of it (set up for 8, but there might only be 7). The kitchen is at then end by the door, smallish but very usable. The guys have a tv and game system set up in there, so unlike some of the other flats, people hang out together there. There's no other common space. My room is smallish, but really cozy. The only challenging thing is the bathroom (I have my own). You look in and all seems normal, but then you notice the shower. Just kinda sticking out of the wall. The whole bathroom is your shower stall. It's situated so that isn't a big deal but the floor is awash every time, and you have to be careful not to get the tp wet.

People go out almost every night, more so in the week than on weekends because it's cheaper. The girls are ridiculous. It's been pretty chilly (with LOTS of rain) here, and they go out in tiny tiny dresses and TALL heels. Even the Colgate girls were shocked and are totally out of their league. Of course for the guys, jeans and a shirt will do. Ugh. I'm a little scared to go clubbing or to anywhere that isn't my dorms pub. I'm going to stick out regardless, but you all know how much I hate dressing up, or in this case getting naked and walking several miles to be mass groped.

There is a ton of walking to do. Class is quite a hike from the dorms, and some of the class buildings are pretty spaced out. My new shoes are holding up and keeping me dry, but I'm also getting blisters, and discovering angry muscle groups I didn't know I had.

Yesterday was a big class trip. Why Geier scheduled an all day trip on the first weekend I don't know, but he did. We went to Raglan Castle, Tintern Abbey, Monmouth, drove through Cearwent and Penhow, and stopped in Cearleon, where they have the ruins of the only Roman barracks in Europe, as well as an ampitheater and baths. They also have a museam which we went to, but the baths closed just as we showed up. I took literally 200+ pictures, which many of will be posted. Needless to say the ruins were amazing and gorgeous. As tired as I was, it was an incredible experience.

Overall, I'm falling in love with this country. Everyone has been so nice and welcoming to us. I have a feeling I'm not really going to want to come home after this is all over. But I'm also missing everyone back home, sorry we couldn't be there for your 21st Kevin. Hope it was awesome.