Here, There, and Everywhere!

Now that I have been in the UK almost an entire week now I guess it is time to fill everyone in on my travels! I would have done this earlier but getting wifi on my computer hasn't been the easiest task. I should probably start by introducing myself: my name is Kylie Dent and I am now a senior at Rogers State studying medical molecular biology. I am captain of the cheer squad,  member of the honors program, pre-health club, and a part time student worker in President Rice's office. My plans for after graduation are still up in the air, depending on where I get accepted, but I know that my future will lead me somewhere into the health field. I am so unbelievably blessed to be chosen to represent RSU  at Swansea University in Wales, as a Brad Henry Scholarship recipient. I left Tulsa Airport on Tuesday of last week. After saying goodbye to my parents at security I immediately burst into tears; I have never been away from home, for this amount of time, and knowing that I'm not just a short drive away hit me at once. I soon recovered from shock and tried to set my sights on the amazing oportunity that was handed to me. I met two other scholarship recipients in Chicago and we boarded our 8 hour flight to London. On the flight I met a wonderful woman, Sarah, who after telling all about her travels in Europe, assured me I would have the time of my life. So, far she has been absolutely right! We spent the first day in London; since we were absolutely exhausted, from an overnight flight and hauling 100 pounds of luggage around (which was quite a sight I'm sure), we decided to take a bus tour that would drive us around London to see the most popular attractions. Luckily, we couldn't have had a more perfect day with blue skies and sunshine. We retired early to our hotel, after being up for about 36 hours we were ready for some sleep! This hotel was much unlike the ones here in the States. My room barely fit me and my luggage, next to a twin size bed and the shower was so tiny I barely fit; but I was so exhausted I was just happy for a room!The next morning we returned to Paddington Station where we took a three hour train ride to Swansea. At the train station we actually met up with two more Americans and luckily a student here at Swansea, who took us right where we needed to go! We spent the evening unpacking and had dinner at a pub here on campus. The next morning we had orientation for class and took a fieldtrip to the Gower Peninsula, which was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been..not to mention the absolutely gorgeous weather!  We have spent the weekend getting to know everyone, which includes 27 Americans from coast to coast, a girl from France, the Netherlands, and a boy from Spain. We are currently living together in Langland Hall, here on campus, but will soon be transferred to the student village where we will be split up. I have met some wonderful people so far and can't wait til the campus is alive with students in a few weeks. I appreciate everyone who is taking their time to follow me on my semester here in Swansea! xx-Kylie

Westminster Abbey

Worlds tiniest hotel room (at a steep 54 Pounds)

Gower Peninsula.....beautiful!

Here at the End of All Things

So I’ve finished exams and am nearly done with my final essay for my semester here in Wales. The last week…it feels weird. Being so displaced from home was a bit frightening at first, you sort of go into survival mode and everything that’s different from normal life becomes like a flashing billboard that’s on 24/7. But after a while, my flat here became the new base of operations, my home away from home. When I had a chance to travel, like during Easter holiday, if I thought of “when I get back…” I would think of getting back to Swansea, not Oklahoma. I really do think I’m going to miss this place (for more than just the ocean view and distinct lack of homework). But yeah. Before I go sentimental old lady on this post, I’ll turn the focus to a wrap-up of what Wales has really been about for me. I’ve told you about the awesomeness of university alongside the beach, all the great outdoors fun stuff to do, castles to explore, house movie nights, and tea (and other liquids) that everyone loves to drink. I have yet to describe the wonderful amounts of vacation time that this side of the globe requires in the education system. Bank holidays and three week breaks are littered throughout the calendar, and it is splendid. Over Easter holiday, I went with a few friends to Spain and Italy. Memories are made as much by the people you’re with as the places you go. We saw some amazing sights, like the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo’s David, the Pantheon, the Colosseum, and numerous other old things that existed before our country. We planked on or in front of a lot of really old or cool stuff. I punched over the Leaning Tower of Pisa. True story. We ate tons of pizza and I nearly died as I found out I was allergic to Sangria (a Spanish drink; never trust a Spaniard, unless his name is Inigo Montoya, and he promises that you’ll reach the top of the cliff alive). The others I was traveling with, luckily, found the witch doctor Mad Max and… okay, enough of that, point is that I survived Spain. Spain was exciting and colorful, with dancing and nightlife and tasty tapas, and Italy was like paradise, architecture and art and beauty and sunshine (which the Welsh are continually deprived of). We eventually made it back to Swansea and I hit the ground running, because apparently, most students use Easter holiday to prepare for final exams and essays. Huh, who knew, right? I made it through my “this-three-hour-exam-is-your-entire-grade-for-the-class” Medieval Encounters exam without a hitch; actually, I’m pretty proud of that one, I wrote enough to fill an entire essay booklet and half of another (they’re sort of like blue books). And now I’m laboring away at my final Arthurian adaptations essay on Jane Yolen, and trying to avoid running to the beach or clicking the Netflix button on the toolbar. It’s been a struggle between the show Supernatural and academic productivity, but I know I’ll start getting antsy in a couple days and develop proper tunnel-vision for the essay. It always happens. Then I’ve got to pack it all up, the shuttle launches in 

T minus six days. I’ll be meeting up with some other Hillcats in Dublin, where we’ll start our two-week Ireland extravaganza, and then I’ve got a week in Egypt and a week in Israel. After the marathon traveling is done, I’ll finally be back home and stateside. I’m looking forward to the travel and to the eventual break I’ll get to take before classes start back this fall. It’s all rather, well, big. I don’t quite know what to do with myself. I do love it, though.

“For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

Got 68 on the Essay? AWESOME!

 Hey there world, I know it’s been a while since my last entry. I’d like to give some excuse that sounds relatable, like overwhelming amounts of homework or a job, but I can’t. I’ve been busy, but it has been the good, fun sort of busy doing stuff like beach BBQs and movie nights with a bunch of my flatmates. Academic life here is very different from back in the states. Besides the grading scale being funky, homework is nearly unheard of. Don’t let it fool you though; it’s not as carefree as it might trick one into believing. I don’t have assigned readings, journals, or research anymore, but I do have to have a depth of knowledge and comprehension of material on the subject matter. My lecturers and seminar professors introduce a lot of material in class, and I have the choice of what material I want to go more in depth in during individual study. I’m in Medieval Encounters and Arthurian Adaptations, so I try to find material to study that is useful to both classes. One might ask, if no homework, why study at all? Quite simply, I’m scared to death of the finals, which count for nearly the entire grade of the classes. At that point, the professors will know which students studied and which one slacked off all semester. That and, of course, the fact that I am here to learn, despite the overwhelming feel of this being an extended vacation. It really is excellent, this whole Welsh experience. I highly recommend it. Let me build it up some more. So far, I’ve gone on a camping trip with people from around the world, been to numerous beach bonfires (that would be beaches along the ocean), gone hiking for seven miles in the middle of the night, done a different daytime hike every Wednesday, lost more pub quizzes than the Scotland rugby team has lost games, dressed up as Captain America for a Thursday night social (everyone else dressed up as something too, I’m not that weird), eaten delicious kebabs on the beach with intermittent Frisbee time with friends, marathoned the extended editions of  the Lord of the Rings trilogy with my flatmates, and am currently in London contemplating my upcoming travels through Barcelona, Madrid, Florence, Rome, Scotland, Ireland, and possibly Egypt. And no homework. Again, I love Wales. I do miss home, but not so much as to fail to appreciate the excellence of this semester abroad. There are so many different opportunities to take here, from reading tons of books for the pure joy of it, to joining a club that teaches one to fence or parasail. If not for the wretched public transit, this would be paradise (seriously, two hours just to go get a few groceries from Tesco? blegh). Those are my thoughts for the day. More to come after Easter holiday. Later!

Love Churchill, Hate Thatcher, and Know Who Johnny and the Moondogs Were

My fellow Hillcats, I am writing to you from the rainy land of rugby and communal bathrooms. I've just finished my pre-sessional class "British Culture and Politics since 1945" and am currently working on the paper that's due a week from now. Despite how dreadfully dull it sounds, the class was actually extremely interesting and the professor was great at making the traditionally dreary topics exciting. We studied British music and cinema that coincided with political and social strife of the times, and took a few day-long field trips to places like Bath, St. Fagans, and Worms Head at Gower (seriously, Google it, it's beautiful). These trips included exploring old coal mines, a castle, gorgeous coastlines, and gigantic and ancient Roman bath houses. The wet weather was killer at times, but the trips were great. The students in the class are all American, and we all reacted with the gaping, wide-eyed look of tourists to our surroundings. Fun times. Such exploits have made me reflect on what attitude a traveler should have. Ought I to take it all in stride, checking my enthusiasm until it's finally squashed? Or should I instead leave my joy and awe sketched upon my face, showing that I truly appreciate the newness of the experience? With considerations given to the fact that the second option marks me as an easy target for pick-pockets and people that would take advantage of a tourist, I've decided that a little more subtlety might be merited whilst traversing the globe. That said, I think I've finally gotten to the point where I can blend in with the locals (as long as I don't talk) and enjoy myself at the same time. Another handy - and fun - way I've been acclimating is by hanging out with my flatmates and new-found British friends. We've hit the best spots to eat on a college budget (the Swansea equivalents of Wings to Go and Little Caesar's), went shopping at the city market, and relaxed at a few local pubs. They've helped me with stuff I never would have thought I'd have trouble with, like how to work the oven in the kitchen (don't laugh, it's harder than it sounds) and the shower (again, surprisingly difficult). It's taken two weeks, but I think I've finally got the place mostly figured out. The spring term starts tomorrow, so I'm off to bed (it's six hours ahead of CST here). Cheers!

May and My Last Week in Swansea

At the beginning of May, we started going back to classes. These classes were mostly review for exams that are held at the end of May and the beginning of June. I finished up my essays that were due and turned them in. The last three weeks I have mostly been experiencing Swansea, which has been nice. I went out on my last trip to the Gower Peninsula last week, which was beautiful. Specifically, I went back to Rhossili, which is first place I visited outside of Swansea. You can see a picture of me there in January in one of my first posts on this blog.

On the 14th, I went to London to visit everyone who went on RSU's London at Large trip. It was really great to see some familiar faces. We went to Harrod's, which is a famous store, as well as watch the FA Cup final. The FA Cup is a soccer tournament in the UK. It was a full day for me, as I left Swansea at 7 and returned at 12:30.

Now, I am entering my final week here in the UK. This semester has gone by very quickly. I'm definitely glad I got the opportunity to study abroad! It is truly a life changing experience. This week, I will start gathering my things and making preparations to go. It will be difficult to fit everything in the suitcase I brought with me, but I am going to try my best. However, the toughest challenge this week will be studying for and taking my exam on Friday. I have so much I need to do before I leave! I leave June 6, which will be a long day. My train to London leaves Swansea at 7. After the three hour train ride, I then get on a plane for 9 hours to Atlanta, then 2 more hours till Tulsa. I think after the time traveling, plus layovers, my total time traveling will be 21 hours. It will be tiring, but I think I will be glad to reach home.

Some of the things I think will take some getting use to when I get home are:

1) Temperature- It has gotten into the 70's here some days, but that is it. Usually it is rainy and in the high 50's. I'm sure I will be baking when I get back to Oklahoma.

2) Sales Tax- They have VAT here, which is already figured into the price that is shown on a menu or on a label. At home, I will have to adjust prices for sales tax. This may seem like a 'duh' moment, but I think it will be hard to get use to that again.

3) Shorts- The locals here wear shorts sometimes, but rarely. Young people here wear jeans, almost exclusively.

4) Use of a Cell Phone- I have a prepaid phone I use here, but it is totally different from my phone back home.

5) Car- As a part of my scholarship here, I received a bus pass that lets me ride any bus in Swansea for free. This has been invaluable. It will definitely be weird getting behind the wheel of a car. Even when I have ridden in a car here, it has been on the left side of the road instead of right.

My Last Trip: Milan

This week, I got back from my last trip out of the UK: Milan, Italy. We left Swansea Sunday the 24th of May for London Luton airport. Our flight was at 6:25 in the morning, so we stayed at the airport overnight, because there was no way to get to the airport early enough to catch our flight. We flew over the Alps on our way there, so that was really cool. Milan is situated in Northern Italy, and really isn't that far from Switzerland. We got to Milan about 9:30 their time (they are an hour ahead of the UK) so it was about a two hour flight.

The weather in Milan was excellent the entire time we were there. It wasn't too hot or too cold. Just perfect. The first thing we did after we got there was eat some Italian food. How could you not? The food was very good. I had all of the pizza, pasta, and bread I could handle. We explored around Milan's central station for awhile and then went to a local park and people watched for about an hour. This was really interesting because you can learn a lot about a culture from watching people's actions. A lot of the shops were closed down because it was a Monday and I guess that must be a day off for people or part of the weekend somehow. However, we were able to find a gelato stand in the park that was open, so that was great. Gelato is the best ice cream ever.

The 2nd day, we went to Milan's Duomo, which is a large cathedral. Also, Milan is a European hub for fashion designers, so there were Prada stores, Versace stores, and the like. We walked around more of the city and eventually came upon Sforza Castle. It was right in the middle of the city, so it was a very unique sight.

Overall, I had a great time in Italy. I really want to come back there someday. Now, I only have a month left of classes at Swansea University before I come back to the United States. My flight home is June 6. Classes start back next week, but I can tell I am dreadfully out of practice because we have had a full month of break.

My Third Trip: Paris

My third trip while I am here was to Paris. I left Thursday morning (24/3) from Swansea headed toward London. On our way to London, our train was delayed by about 30 minutes because there had been a fatality on the tracks ahead of us and all of the trains to London Paddington (a major train station in London) had been stopped. When we finally arrived in London Paddington, we had to hurry through the train station and hop on the Underground to St. Pancras International (the international rail station in London). They were announcing the last call for Paris as we were arriving at the gate. We were going to St. Pancras because we took the Eurostar train to Paris. It took a little over 2 hours to get there. Which is actually faster than Swansea to London, which takes about 3. The Eurostar was very cool and went super fast. I think it gets up to a top speed of about 186 mph. This is the train that goes underneath the English Channel and into France.

Our total journey took around 5 1/2 hours. We had to set our clocks forward because France is a hour ahead of the UK. The first night we were there we walked around the area by our hotel and ate. The next day was probably my favorite. We woke up in the morning and went to Versailles. This is a huge palace with lots of

grounds to go with it. It is very ornate. Because I like French revolutionary and imperial history, this was particularly wonderful for me. The palace is over the top with decorations, pa

intings, statues, pools, and gardens. You haven't seen a real palace until you have seen Versailles. We ate lunch on the steps leading out into the main grounds. The weather was absolutely gorgeous. Our next stop that day was the Eiffel Tower. We walked around the base taking pictures and eating our French desserts. After this, we went to the Musee de l'Armee and the Tomb of Napoleon. The tomb is very extravagant. It was great to be there. To end the day, we ate lunch at a French restaurant and sat by the Eiffel Tower at night to see if light up.

Saturday we went to the Louvre (pronounced 'Loov'). This was great! I saw the Mona Lisa, Liberty Leading the People, Hammurabi's Code and much more. This museum was huge. We got lost a couple of times in there. Someone could spend days in the museum. Of course, we got to see the glass pyramid on top of the Louvre! It reminded me of the Da Vinci Code. We got to

spend 3 and a half hours in here, which was not nearly enough, but we had other things to see that day. Next, we went to the Arc de Triomphe (pronounced 'tree-umph'). We got to go to the top of this. The view was absolutely great. Around it is the famous roundabout that you have seen in movies before. It is a colossal figure. After this we went on down to Notre Dame. The architecture of this cathedral was truly amazing. It was also very ornate. We ate dinner in the Latin Quarter that night. After dinner, a couple of us went to go find the Moulin Rouge. It wasn't terribly far from our hotel so it wasn't a bad walk. We also went to Sacre Coeur.

The last day we were there we went back the Eiffel Tower. But this time we actually went up into it. We took stairs (very exhausting) to the first level. The view from here was great. Many restaurants are on this level and there are signs that give a lot of info about how the tower was built and what it has inspired. From here we went to the second level. We took stairs this time too. You have the option to go to the top, but there was a huge line and there is only one elevator, so we started back down. We ate our last meal in Paris at a great French restaurant at which I had a chocolate mousse that was so delicious! We then hoped on the train back to London and got back into Swansea about 11 at night our time.

An interesting tidbit: the time change actually didn't occur over here when the US changed their clocks forward. It happened the weekend we were in Paris, so Sunday morning we had to move our clocks forward again and then move them back a hour when we got back into the UK.