It's been raining all week, which means that I've been sort of blah all week as well.  I hate getting couped up all day long, especially in my apartment.  My first few tests went well, I am quite pleased with my grades right now.  I can only hope it'll get better.
     I'm still having trouble finding my place again in school now that I'm no longer in softball, but I suppose it'll work itself out if I keep at it.  Other than that I got nothing so bye bye for now.

      I know, it's so early to be starting testing already, but sadly yet, the first wave of testing has begun.  I took my first biomechanics exam today.  Felt pretty confident about it.  Now that that test is over, I have to concentrate on Comparative Anatomy.  Not really looking forward to this test since it's common knowledge this class is notoriously hard, but I figure if I start studying tonight, I should be fully prepared for whatever question I come across by Monday.

     I can't say I'm quite adjusted to the American lifestyle just yet.  I feel so restless still while I'm on campus.  It really irks me that it felt like I always had something to go to while I was in Wales and now that I'm back at TLU, I'm constantly checking the calendar and counting down the days till something exciting happens to pop up.  I have however begun to branch out again and try to find things that I enjoy to keep my time preoccupied.  Friday nights I've decided to have dinner with a few friends of mine, I'm thinking it might become a weekly thing.  I figure it would be good not only for me to expand my culinary expertise, but it'll give me something to do while I'm in the apartment.

     Photo contest for study abroad started yesterday.  I submitted two of my photos, so maybe I'll win something or another.  That would be nice.  Anyway, I must be going, until next time.

      Class has been easy this week.  I have my first biomechanics exam next Tuesday and in about three weeks I'm debating euthanasia in my bioethics class.  I've been spending most of my time in the library, reading and studying.  Not much going on around campus this week, but hopefully that will change with the spring market place and poster sale coming up next week.

     I suppose I knew that I should expect reverse culture shock upon coming back to the states,  but I really am surprised at how profoundly it has affected me.  I feel kinda isolated and to myself when it comes to talking with my friends.  I know life was still going on while I was away, and I can definitely tell.  I feel very left out of all that happened while I was gone.  Not to mention, I feel like I really haven't had a chance to talk about anything I did.  I don't really mind, and to be honest, I think it would bore people for me to talk about it...

Still it sure does get lonely sometimes...

Maybe the welcome back meeting for study abroad will help me get back into the swing of things...

      The first week of school has been pretty breezy.  I find myself restless because there aren't many activities to do now that I'm back.  I suppose I'm going to have to find things to do now that are creative and constructive to take the place of softball.  I find that it's easier these days to plan ahead and study since I've been back.  I've found that I'm managing time a lot better than I used to.

     Other than that, there isn't much to report.  Strangely enough, I miss the food in Wales.  Sure it wasn't as tasty, but it was a heck of a lot healthier...

     I'll try to write next week.  Until then.

      The first few days have been spent adjusting to time zone changes.  I've been trying to go to bed at ten at night so I can adjust better, but I'm finding it quite hard.  I physically want to go to bed at 8 pm and the struggle to stay away two more hours is really a chore!  I drove for the first time yesterday as well, to go to the bank.  It was a little intimidating at first but I got it together and remembered fairly quickly.  The only thing that really made it unpleasant was my dad droning about how I drive "like a little old lady".

     Today I go to pick my friend up from the airport, so that's where the real test is going to start.  Hopefully I can fair ok with the heavy traffic near and in the airport.  I suppose we'll see.

     On another note, I wonder if it's normal to miss the place you just came back from.  I actually am already missing my life in Bangor.  I suppose maybe someday soon ( I hope) I might go back to be nostalgic.  I'm still not sure what all I've learned from my journey.  Heck, I'm still not sure what it means for me to have  gone and come back.  I'm not really even sure if anything about me is different yet, but I guess those answers will come soon enough.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!  

Well, I have one final down and another one at the end of this week. This is going to be the one that will more than likely drain me physically of all the life in my body. Dare I say it might be worse than some of the biology classes I've had to take at TLU...I think what makes it so hard is because the 200 level class I took in the SAME department was a joke. Not that me or my GPA are complaining but seriously...the topics covered in my Evolution class reminded me of my biology classes from high school. Except for some memorization (which I am terrible at) I think I fared pretty well on the final for that class...my 300 level is like a slap in the face. I've seriously spent I don't know HOW many hours in the library preparing for this exam...

And if you're wondering why, the lecturer gave us an outline of what he wanted for ONE answer to the test...here's what he wrote...oh and keep in mind these are the SIMPLIFIED and bulleted points he'd prefer we discuss...

1. How do fish detect sound (near and far-field vibrations)?

• Answer should start with a discussion of the physical properties of sound transmission/attenuation in water, showing appreciation of differences between near and far-field vibrations. Comparison to sound transmission in air and hearing ranges of fish good- ie what do fish hear? Any that note extreme hearing range of clupeids as adaptation to cetacean avoidance, good.
• Note that near-field sound detected by lateral line system- innervated by cranial nerves 3-5 (shoaling, prey capture), and far-field by ear (communication, predator avoidance). Good answers will note that fish must have way of monitoring and filtering its own near-field vibrations.
• Describe the structure/ultrastructure and functioning of hair cells, neuromast organs, lateral line system and inner ear. Stimulus by directional polarization, inhihition by hyperpolarization (drawing). Reiterate that neuromast organs form basis of mechanoreception in all vertebrates. Free neuromasts on scales of goldfish, and larval fish. Describe lateral line systems, name/draw 4 canals on head, trunk and describe deep sea adaptations (free and papillate neuromasts, extensions of fin rays with neuromasts, Caulophryne, papillate neuromast, Phrynichthys, possibly lateral line of Poromitra, Anoplogaster (outstanding answers).
• The ear. Organ of far-field vibration detection and angular acceleration. Description. Semicircular canals for detection of acceleration (3, Good answers, drawing in material from other lectures will indicate 2, 1 semicirc. Cananls in agnathans- lampreys and hagfish respectively). Possibly drawing, and mention of vestibular organs; sacculus, lagena, utriculus with associated directional neuromast fields. Otoliths must be mentioned!
• Accessory structures used to amplify sound. Swim bladder and Webserian ossicles in Ostariophysii fish. Good answers will mention drumming muscles used to produce sound in deep sea fish, brotulids and halosaurs, and mention extreme energetic costs , and tradeoffs, re conspecific communication mate detection. Good answers will name the bones of the Weberian ossicles. Otic bullae (drawings perhaps, good answers) in clupeiform fish, structure and function.

Have I mentioned I HATE this man?

GRRRRR, so much for trying to take an EASIER biology class abroad...*sigh*

On another note, went paintballing yesterday for the first time. Had a blast, except for the few bruises here and there. The highlight of my day was petting a Welsh Mountain Pony. If I find pictures of one I'll post what they look like. It kinda looks like a mix between a miniature pony and has long mane and hair for it's coat and above it's feet is also long hair like a Clydesdale horse...if that makes ANY sense

Well, this is what we were all waiting for. The last few pictures from my last field trip. With only 16 or so more days left in the U.K. my time spent updating this will be brief. I will however, try to write in this once a month for at least the next semester to see the effects of what they call reverse culture shock. We'll see how that little experiment goes in time.

This last field trip we went to Harlech Castle, Portmeirion and the town of Beddgelert.

Harlech castle is special in the sense it's the only Norman castle that has been built literally on the cliffs of the sea. It was built for Edward I by James of St. George. Another really interesting feature is it's massive gatehouse.




And before I show you what few pictures I have of this field trip, allow me to explain the next one. Often, by castles like this you have hostels or hotels. Well, in the UK there is often a "mascot" animal so to speak that lives in the hostel as well. More often than not it's a cat. We had this experience when we went to Cardiff. Their cat they had was called Lola. Well, the cat from the Harlech Hotel gave us a proper tour of the grounds by following us everywhere we went...







They always talk about that European pessimism around here, but I think I've found it more in their advertising than I have in the people. This isn't the first time I've seen an advertisement like this in Europe. It kinda makes me laugh to think that they're not quite sure if they're THE best so they have to put PROBABLY before it...







Portmeirion is an italian styled villa in the middle of the welsh landscape. It looks a bit weird to me, but still pretty I suppose.





I'm not going to tell you the story of Gelert, but you can find it pretty much anywhere. Including here.

I know this entry is a bit sparse, but you must understand that with only 16 days left I have a LOT to do. I still have two finals to finish and two essays to write. (How fun...) Gotta run everyone.

List of famous people, contemporary or historical that I didn't know were Welsh. See how many you know!

• King Arthur-Records of Arthur in Wales are far older than those in England. Hence why the Welsh claim him as their own.
• St. Patrick-Kidnapped by Irish invaders when he was a boy
• Sir Anthony Hopkins
• Henry Tudor-Born of a Welsh father
• Jefferson Davis-Yep, the confederate leader was in fact Welsh
• Abraham Lincoln--Yep, his grandparents were from Ysbyty Ifan
• John Nash
• Bob Hope-Parents born in Wales
• Sheryl Crowe
• C.S. Lewis
• Catherine Zeta-Jones-Yep she's Welsh, believe it or not
• Lewis Carroll-Writer of Alice in Wonderland

There's a short list of some famous people you might have heard of.

So continuing from where I left off. On our way from the tour of the Lochs we saw a bunch of Scottish Highlander cows. Traditionally, they were black, but due to interbreeding, they've taken on a more brown color. Some are white, but those are pretty rare. (Like black sheep in Wales...) A famous one outside the Loch Ness is Haggis. He's about 16, making him middle aged since cows in the highlands can live up to 30 or more years.

The next day, we ventured to Stirling Castle and Loch Lomond for that tour. Loch Lomond is the biggest Loch in Scotland. Not to mention it might be known to you because of a certain song. Beautiful song, especially when you're actually traveling to the site. We didn't stay there long for it was torrential downpour for most of the day. So instead of spending an hour there, we went to a Scottish Whiskey distillery.

I am back from Scotland with lots to share about my adventures. We arrived in Scotland at about noon on Thursday afternoon. From there we checked into our hostel and went to explore the city. Along the way we saw the Sir Walter Scott tower and the Greyfriar's Bobby memorial. Both are in the middle of Edinburg. The town itself is divided into the Georgian town and the Medieval town, which makes a nice contrast. It's interesting to see the contrast of both styles of the city.

From there we went to Edinburg castle. The castle is situated on the corner of the Medieval part of the town. It's probably the largest castle we've been to. I bought the audio tour, and it was well worth the price. Four hours of information. In the castle was tons of exhibits. Including their regimental museum and their war decoration museum.


We went to the art gallery after that. However, they didn't allow photography so unfortunately there are no pictures of that trip. I did see a few Botachelli's and Raphael's so that was quite nice. I was amazed at the colors in the Raphael's. The blues in the women's outfits were so alive and vibrant it seemed ethereal. Hard to believe someone could create that kind of color on a painting. You could definitely tell which ones were the Raphael's because of that natural glow in the colors. After that we called it a night and prepared for our trip to Loch Ness the next day.

Whoever said Ireland was the emerald isle clearly didn't make it to Scotland before that. The highlands are probably the most beautiful and lush pieces of earth I've ever seen. Once you clear the "gateways" to the highlands, there are endless and colorful fields of amber, yellow and green everywhere you turn. I think I can understand now why they thought the woods and the mountains were filled with mythical creatures. Even now, despite the buildup of the cities, you can still see the magic that is in those small patches of forest.

Believe me, I took a TON of pictures of the changing landscape so this isn't even a fraction of it all. When we reached Loch Ness, it was around lunch time, so I did what the Scotsmen would do and ordered Haggis. Now for those of you who aren't aware of what Haggis is a dish made from sheep's heart, liver and lungs with diced onion, oatmeal and spices mixed and cooked in the stomach of the animal for three hours. Gross sounding isn't it? Well in all reality, it was actually pretty tasty. Kind of reminded me of a mix of pot roast, spiced meatloaf and rice in a way. This shouldn't really surprise anyone that I ate it...I mean I did drink sheep's blood (a traditional British drink) when I climbed Snowdon.

They actually serve it with turnips and a salad as you can see. This was actually a starter item for a bigger dish, but I was so full after this I didn't order anything else. Ok, now I know what you're waiting for, the pictures of Loch Ness...well, here they are.

Why is it that everytime I feel a bit under the weather a storm has to hit? Unlike the last one, according to BBC, it is 40 degrees with constant winds of 30 MPH and gusts of 50. Oh and there's the periodical rain. I just happened to run out of soda in the middle of this and thought it'd be a good idea to maybe walk...not even two yards away to the police station that also constitutes as the late night snack bar for some 7up and crackers. (Cause it's just the thing you do when you get sick.)

Yeah...one of those wind gusts I was talking about literally knocked me off my feet...yeah went through all that all for the sake of comfort food. As my British friends would say "What an American!" Granted, it probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, but I didn't know about this until I went outside after sleeping literally ALL DAY.

In other news my Outdoor Pursuits class went indoor climbing yesterday. I liked it, but that's probably because I find it to be a whole lot easier than outdoor climbing. No pictures unfortunately, forgot the camera. I will remember to bring it on my trip to Loch Ness and Edinburg, which I hear for Scotland is quite nice. The place that's really "dodgy" (as the British say) is Glasglow. Fortunately for us, that's on the other side of Scotland. For now I'm going to eat a nice pizza bagel with my prized soda and crackers and then go back to sleep. This sickness is really starting to take a toll on me, hopefully taking it easy will help quicken the recovery. I'll be so...upset (at the very least) if I am sick on this trip to Scotland.

      Wow, seems that I have much to write about tonight.  Ok, well let's start from the top.  I really haven't done much this week besides go to the library and study.  Yes, every day except for today I have been in the library either taking notes, doing homework or studying for exams.  So I figured taking three days off to reward myself would be well justified.  Technically, only two because once I get home from my fieldtrip tomorrow, I plan to go to the library again...
     
     Anyway, on Thursday, our outdoor pursuits class took us sailing down the Menai Straight in a place called "the swellies".  Here, the Menai goes from one of the biggest sections of the straight to the smallest.  This actually creates tiny whirlpools and rip currents along the straight.  Sometimes the currents will clash with the wind so it'll create huge swells.  Well, that's almost exactly what happened on Thursday.  There were really big swells that sometimes came crashing over the deck.  Luckily for us, our leader had 14 years of sailing experience so we managed quite fine.  I will admit, I did get a bit nervous at times...
    That night was Guy Fawkes night, so I went to a fireworks show with some of my friends from the program.  I'm sure you've all heard of the little diddy made famous by that movie V for Vendetta:

     Remember, remember the 5th of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot,
I know of no reason that the gunpowder treason
should ever be forgot...

     Ok, it was a cool little monologue for the main character in that movie to say, but what exactly does it mean?  Well in 1605 a man named Guy Fawkes and several other conspirators attempted to blow up the parliament building while every huge government official was there.  It just happened to be November 5th.  Someone ratted the men out and they were arrested, hanged or disemboweled while still alive.  The king made it an official holiday so nobody would ever forget what had happened.  So every year there would be a Guy Fawkes effigy upon a pyre to burn.  In the older days kids would make there own Guy's and parade them around town asking people for a penny.  Hence the term "penny for the Guy" came about.  I figured this might be the only time I could witness this holiday firsthand so I decided to go see for myself.  While there was no bonfire there was fireworks like I said.

     Then today I decided to go see a movie.  I had to take a train, my first time taking one, but I wasn't alone.  I had a friend go with me and on our way there we ran into her flatmate and mutual friend.  The train was so crowded her flatmate actually made himself a seat in one of the corners where a self for baggage was...


     Well that is all for now.  Tomorrow is a fieldtrip to Conway.  I'll make sure to take pictures.  Night everyone!

      I know that since my entry on Monday some people may be wondering well, what exactly are the native instruments of Wales and more importantly, what do they sound like.  Leave it to some remarkable musicians and good old youtube to show me and you the answer to this question!

Triple Harp

Crwth

Pibgorn

Welsh Bagpipes

Traditional Welsh song

And here are a few links to some Welsh folk bands:

Allan Yn Y Fan

Pluck and Squeeze band

Twm Twp

My personal favorite is the bagpipes but that is just me

 My thoughts essentially on what it means to be "Welsh" or "American" and the efforts of globalization.

In a time where globalization is making everyone the same monochromatic color scheme in the quilt of the world, it’s nice to look back and remember the things that made the country a unique and brightly colored patch different from everyone else.

I think globalization is the reason I’ve had such a hard time of defining what exactly “Welsh” is and what separates a Welsh person from say an American.  Perhaps globalization has taken the color out of the culture and turned it into something universal, boring and ordinary like every other country.  Or maybe even, the differences don’t exist really.  I feel that the only thing that separates a culture might just be the resources it was given.  For instance, in the Southern region of America we latched onto this idea of cotton fields and twangy banjo music and turned it into a cultural icon.  It’s not really who we are, rather a small portion of the history and the resources we were given at the time.

The more I’m looking at my place within this culture, I view the Americans and Welsh, or English as comfortable strangers.  We are the same people essentially:  we have the same dreams, hopes, fears and ambitions.  In this day and age we are desperately trying to figure out once more who we are and what exactly it means in retrospect to who we were. 

The only thing that seems to make us strangers is the social separation of “us” and “them”.  In reality, there probably shouldn’t be this separation, but we do it anyway because it is the security blanket that keeps us warm at night and protects us from things we may not understand or we are fearful of.  I just wonder how long people will continue to use the security blanket before they realize there is nothing to fear.  I feel if we get past these barriers, we will find we all share the same wants and desires; one of those desires being  to figure out who we are and what it means in the ever changing world of diversity to sameness.  
 
     Instead of trying to change us and make us all the same in an effort to rid ourselves of our fear, we're killing the uniqueness that made us all different and beautiful in our own way, and for what?  What good is it to be the same?  I'd rather live in a world of different culture and try to embrace and understand that culture than to feel safe and secure but still longing to fill the empty void that diversity fills.  Honestly, where is the satisfaction in seeing the world if every place is truly the same?  Granted postcards wouldn't change, there would still be that same picturesque landscape wallowing in the mist, but what about the wisdom you gain from the culture?  What would happen do that?  Why are we as a people so quick to embrace sameness?  Why are we afraid?
     
     I think it's because we're afraid to discover that when we look into the eyes of another culture, we really see our own souls reflecting out of them...
 

      My first exam for my History and Culture of Wales class is today.  The test is to discuss some key terms and what you're learning about them.  So, without further ado I will share my limited knowledge on the Welsh.  Maybe you'll find some of it interesting.

The Welsh Language

Modern day languages all share a common lineage in that they stem from what is known as Indo-European language.  From this there are two subdivisions of the language Centum and Satem language.  Satem language includes Slavic, Hini and Persian language.  Centum contains the languages we're all familiar with:  Celtic, Italic and Hellenic.  (There are others but I'll keep this brief.)  The Celtic language is divided into insular and continental.  Insular is where Welsh language was born.  From Insular language comes Goldelic, which spawned Irish and Brittonic, or Roman British language.  Brittonic language is divided into Welsh Cornish and Breton.  Although these languages share a common lineage, a Welsh speaker may be able to read Cornish, but will have trouble understanding spoken word.  In relation to Breton, unless a Welsh speaker knows a bit of French he will be unable to understand it.  This also goes for Cornish and Breton speakers understanding Welsh as well.  This makes the Welsh language unique from it's cousins and thus it is it's own stand-alone language unique to the speakers of Wales and in some small colonies of Argentina.  (Don't ask how it got there, that's a long story...)

The Celts

The Celts were a warrior tribe, much like the Vikings that infiltrated England and Wales from 500-100 BC.  They brought with them art and iron workings to Britain and Wales.  The Ordovices was the tribe that inhabited Gwynedd.  The word comes from the celtic word "hammer".  The Ordovices were one of the few Celtic tribes to fend off Roman invasion until they were conquered in 78 AD.  Many remnants of Celtic art still survives in Churches.  Among some of these artifacts include The Book of Kells.  This Celtic documentation of the New Testament is one of the few surviving relatively intact Celtic manuscripts.  The artwork throughout most of the book remains intact despite years of wear and tear.

Slate Mining

Just like America, mining in the early 19th century was important to Welsh industry.  The Welsh mining business was divided into coal mining in the south and slate mining in the north.  This is one of the few places where the Welsh language flourished.  The workforce that was drawn to the slate mines were primarily uneducated Welsh speaking men and boys.  Work was hard.  Starting early in the morning till the sun went down six days a week.  They were only allowed a ten minute tea break and a 30 minute lunch break during the day.  Many worked in pure darkness because the cost of candles was too much.  Men didn't live past 50 due to an illness caused by inhalation of the slate dust.  The illness is known as silicosis.  Even up to the 1950's when the mines in Llechewedd were closed, it was not unusual to see an older man in his 60's coughing violently from taking a short walk down the street.  However, the mining industry didn't always lead to misery.  One of the unforeseen results of these places included a wide range of cultural contributions.  Folk music flourished in the mines and some quarries had their own bands, the Oakley band became quite famous.  Also, many Modern Welsh writers use the mines as inspiration.  Among some of these people are T. Rowland Hughes and Kate Roberts who is also a slate miner's daughter.

Non Conformity

Most churches had a hierarchy until the Reform act of 1884.  This act meant that men could vote in their churches, and many nonconformists gained a voice within their church.  Thomas Gee, a nonconformist himself began to publish a radical newspaper which pressed for the disestablishment of the Anglican Church.  This issue became big for the nonconformists because many did not share the same rights as many in the Anglican Church.  This spurred the very bitter Tithe Wars of 1886 when farmers from Gee's own town began attacking tithe collectors.  It became so bitter that a deployment of lancers had to accompany the collectors to prevent further conflict.  This bitter issue was finally resolved in 1920 when the Church of Wales was established.

Leeks and Daffodils

There are many legends surrounding how the leek gained it's reputation in Wales.  One such legend is that a battle between the Saxons and the Welsh took place in a leek field.  There is also a folk tale from the Red Book of Hergest that stated eating a leek promoted happiness and health.  For a long time, the leek was even a staple in the Welsh diet, though this has since been abandoned.  In 1536, the leek was displayed as a Welsh emblem.  Today, the leek is worn on St. David's day along with the Daffodil.  The daffodil unlike the leek, doesn't have a long tie with Wales.  In fact, the Daffodil was first worn for St. David's day after the prime minister David Lloyd George wore it.  The daffodil was also used to mark the Investiture of Prince Charles in Caernarfon Castle.

The Red Dragon

The Welsh Dragon or Y Ddraig Goch in Welsh has it's roots deeply cemented in Welsh culture.  One of the earlier legends called Lludd and Llefely's involves a red dragon and a white dragon fighting one another on the side of a mountain.  The dragon's screams are so toxic they are making livestock drop dead and women miscarry their babies.  Legend has it that Lludd and Llefely's capture the dragon on the mountain side of Snowdonia and save the town from the dragon's tirade.  Since then the Red Dragon has been used on coats of arms for Welsh noblemen and royalty for ages.  On the Crest of King Arthur the Welsh dragon appears, this is related to the legend of when Uther spotted a red dragon in the sky and predicted that he (Arthur) would be king.  The Tudor dynasty also used the Dragon for their coat of arms until they replaced it with the Unicorn.  The first time a red dragon was used for the Welsh flag was in 1807, but it would not be recognized as the official flag of Wales until 1959.

Rugby

Rugby is the national sport of Wales.  It was first introduced to Wales at Lampeter University around 1850.  The official Welsh team was selected in 1881 and today it has over 200 members.  The Welsh rugby team did not always start out as the dominant contender in the sport.  When they first played against the English, the defeat was so bad that the English actually refused to play them the following season.  However by 1905, the Wales team was crowned the unofficial champions of the world after dominating New Zealand.  During the depression years, the Welsh team struggled and during the war the entire Rugby league was dismantled until after the war in 1945.  Today the Welsh team is still a big contender in the Rugby world, and it is a sport that inspires emotions quite similar to football in the rest of Europe.

Eisteddfod

The Eisteddfod is a festival honoring the arts.  The first one was held in 1176 and in 1828 the first royal Eisteddfod was established.  Some of the things the Welsh excel in include it's Choral music, poetry and music.  These festivals are usually held in the middle of August and last about a week.

Choirs

Wales is known as the land of song, and probably with good reason.  In 1836 the Welsh won their first medal for choral singing.  H.F. Chorley was so impressed by the two Welsh choirs competing for the medal that he said he could think of no more than six choirs in England who could compete with them.  This was even more impressive because the choirs consisted mainly of mining men and their families.  From then on out the Welsh began their domination over choir music.

Harp

The harp is the national instrument of Wales.  The tradition of harpers can be traced back to as early as 11 AD.  Among some of the popular harps, many folk harps have since died out, except for the triple harp, originally made from hair in the old times had a revival in the 1960's.  Since then, it's not uncommon to see these harps being sold as keepsakes or to hear them in a Welsh folk festival.

Sheep

Wales has one of the largest sheep densities in the world, only out-sized by New Zealand.  There are approximately 11,000,000 sheep in Wales, making the ratio of sheep to people 3:1.  Some may wonder how the sheep can survive in the mountainous regions of Wales and I myself have wondered how sheep managed to get up onto the steep mountain sides.  In the past there have been metal guard rails put on the roads to prevent sheep from crossing over into potentially hazardous terrain.  Some say the sheep have even managed to overcome this barrier.  There have been a few accounts of mother sheep teaching their lambs to roll over these guard rails to cross to the other side.  This claim has yet to be proven, but it is an amusing thought.  Because of the density of sheep in Wales, the Welsh have earned the name "sheep shaggers" from the British.  However, the Welsh have their own take about how this name got passed around.  Back when Welsh adopted English law, they were surprised when they discovered that the price for stealing a sheep was higher than for having "relations" with a sheep.  How drastic was it?  Apparently to steal a sheep meant your life if you were caught and to woo Mrs. Sheepie was only a fine.  So when Welshmen were caught stealing sheep they told the officers that they had intended to make Mrs. Sheepie their bride (if only for a night).  This is where the Welsh supposedly got the name sheep shagger.  However, this is only one story.  Sheep have since become a commercialized item for the Welsh.  It's not uncommon to see stuffed animals of sheep in gift stores and my personal favorite, gift cards made from sheepie poo.

Well I hope this answers some of your questions on Welsh Culture.  Wish me luck guys!

Today in Outdoor Pursuits was probably one of the hardest days we've had so far. Today we went to a place right behind the Snowdon summit (where I climbed that one day I went with a few friends) where a cave forms and you come out of the mouth of this cave and probably a little above 400 feet in the air.

The course is a mixture of caving and rock climbing. In some areas of the Chimney it was no wider than 30 inches wide if you had yourself in pushup position between the two rock walls. It was just enough to get a body through if you didn't turn sideways. The hardest part about that was that there were absolutely no footholds. After about five minutes, I realized I wasn't going to make it shimmying all the way up. So I grabbed the rope to our one pulley system we had going on and hoisted all 120 pounds of my bodyweight up about 15 feet with my arms alone. I was the only girl to do this without using the ledge for footing and apparently my instructor was quite impressed. However, for everyone who knows me it probably comes as no shock since I've always been strong in my upper body.

This isn't the first time I've given up using my lower body on one of these outings. The last time we went anywhere, when I saw I was too short to reach a foothold I pulled my entire body weight up by my arms to the top of where I needed to go. Granted, it took a few minutes but I accomplished it. This time it was a little more impressive since I'd been hoisting another teammate up the cave rock for about 15 minutes prior to my turn. I was worn out, but I knew it'd be worse if I sat there looking for nonexistent footholds.

The rock climbing part is where I really shine. Not because I'm a good climber but because if I can't find a footing, instead of having to compromise my position and risk a fall, I try my hardest to get up the mountain using those awesome softball muscles. I suppose staying in sports even into college did pay off somewhere...

I posted a video of where we were at to give you an idea of the climb, but I know some of you would rather see pictures, so I will post them too

This is the crawlspace that was maybe 30 inches at most



View from the top

     Well I had a nice day off.   I took the opportunity to go go study for a few hours and then mailed off a few postcards.  (So be checking your mail for them.)  I'm surprised at how early the sun sets now that we changed time.  Oh yes, I think in the UK daylight savings time comes early by a few weeks.  Imagine, having the sun set by 4:30 pm!  I didn't believe it until today when I was walking home from the library.  The walk is about 30 minutes back and forth so I decided to leave while I still had some daylight.

     So now I'm in my room eating the Cinnamon toast crunch a friend sent me and watching It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown on my computer.  I figured if anything, I would try to get into the Halloween spirit this way.  Halloween isn't as commercialized in the UK as it is in the US.  Instead of trick or treating, a lot of teenagers (since the drinking age is 16) go out to pubs in costumes and dance and talk with friends all night.  Of course, this is no different from a normal night in the UK.  Pubs and some of the dance clubs have gimmicks to where if you dress up in a theme for the night you get half off for entry and things like that.  I have a few pictures of my flatmate Euan dressed up as a Mariachi man for one of these promo nights.  I should probably post it up so you can get the idea of what I mean.  It's actually quite funny to see first hand.
    
     Well I must be going.  Here are those flatmate pictures....

     I return from a long day in Cardiff.  The trip yesterday took about 11 hours to get here.  On the way we stopped in Hereford Museum and the Tintern Abbey.  Today we went to the Cardiff Castle, Millennium Stadium and the Welsh Museum.

     The Tintern Abbey is located on the Wye River in Monmouthshire.  The building was built between 1136 and 1536.  At one point it was the most powerful Abbey in all of Britain.  It got quite corrupt in the process so I don't feel many were upset when Henry VII finally conquered it and destroyed it.  

The other two places we went were nice but I was so tired by that point I was beginning to lose interest.  So no pictures.  At least not now because I'm too lazy.
  
On another note I may have found a better way to spend my money.  I figured it'd be better to spend it on a small vacay one weekend...like to say, Germany.  We'll see how much the expenses will be and then I'll decide what I'm going to do.

After all that waiting I finally get my money back for my visa.  Yes, I am getting 222 pounds back for that big headache.  Oh but that's not all!  I also get the format for my internship as well.  Internships depending on the amount of hours you spend on it can add up to sometimes 6 or more credits for school.  This has made me quite a happy camper.  Especially since I'll have over 40 hours of documentation.  Oh yes, this makes me a very happy camper indeed.

Much to my father's disappointment I'm probably going to spend some of my money on a new purse.  I need a purse of more sophistication than my lime green one I carry around everywhere.  i saw one in a shop that was a really nice shade of navy blue on a deep gold chain for only 15 pounds.  Quite a bargain considering one like that would be 60 dollars in the U.S.

The one thing I will give to the UK is that women do not stop trying to look good after a certain age or when they have children.  I see a lot of young mothers pushing their children in their stroller as they go running down the street and it makes me smile.  I feel (and maybe it is just me) that women in the U.S., after they have kids deny themselves nice things and deny themselves the opportunity to be beautiful again.  I think that American mothers have this silly notion that if they don't go completely to hell then they didn't do all they could for their children.  So yes, they stop exercising, stop shopping for nice things and stop trying to be the independent, confident and sexy woman they used to be because they feel they should be sacrificing more for their children.  So it becomes a sort of contest to see who can look the most frumpy and claim bragging rights of being the "best" mother.

If you are a mother who happens to spend time on yourself then the whispers start.  The whispers that you're selfish...  I actually remember a conversation that ran along this line that I overheard between two ladies in the grocery store back home...they were commenting on this young mother in the grocery store with her child in the basket and it went a little something like this:

     "Oh my goodness, would you look at that purse!  How can she afford that with such a young baby."
     "Her poor husband is probably working himself to death to spoil her like that..."

      So automatically this poor woman that probably had this purse before she had her baby was automatically considered spoiled and selfish because of it.  

     I find that whole concept really stupid.  That just because you treat yourself to nice things you're not a good parent.  I don't see why this stereotype secretly exists.  You're still a person when you have kids.  You're still entitled to upkeep yourself because in the end, having a parent who is healthy and aware of how the public perceives them is probably a better environment for a child to be in.  Besides the fact it will teach them a healthy balance between sacrifice and indulgence, I just think that families that remain true to themselves are happier in the end.  Honestly I don't think husbands marry their wives because of how much they can sacrifice for their children, and as petty and shallow as it may sound, husbands want their wives to remain youthful and attractive.  

     I think being here is teaching me that perhaps Americans try too hard to be the best at everything and often it goes horribly wrong.  We try to be the best parents and sacrifice our happiness and marriage because of it.  We try to have the most attractive looking people and millions of young girls develop eating disorders to live up to these horrible expectations.  We try to have the most savory food and turn a whole country obese.  There has to be a balance, however, I think it will be a while before we really find a balance that will satisfy us as well as keep up healthy.

      So this will give me time to write up a new entry.  I'm actually really happy my class is canceled.  I was planning on doing a little bit of studying today and I'm still quite sore from walking up to the Snowdon summit yesterday.  As most of you may know, we have a wildlife national park in a town no less than 6 miles beside Bangor University, so it makes sense that at some point I should climb this mountain.
    
     The mountain, isn' t that tall when we get right down to it, it's only 3, 560 ft high.  However, it's still a fairly adventurous walk for those who are not used to climbing mountains.  Climbing up took about three hours and climbing down the mountain took an hour and a half tops.  About half way on the climb up we were in the clouds.  It was really strange to see it warping the other side of the mountain the way it did.
    
     As we climbed further up it started to look a bit like how the end of the world would look like in a movie.  People disappeared to and from the mist as quickly as they had passed.  One of my friends speculated that this might be what it would look like to die.  I could believe it, when you see nothing but billowing fog around you that makes the landscape seem almost imagined, I could guess that it would look like that when you're dying/dead.  

     We had a numerous amount of conversation that ranged from metaphorically describing America's relations with the rest of Europe, (quite an impossible task unless you're just being silly like we were) to Aristotle and philosophy.  About halfway my friend did treat me to a interesting traditional British drink.  I wish I could remember the name of it, but anyway after I had drank about half of what tasted like Miso soup I was told it was cow's blood.  No use getting grossed out by it after I had enjoyed about half of it.  Needless to say, I got my fair share of iron yesterday.

     I would post pictures but i'm being lazy so check back on this entry and I'll post some up.