bangor.

{seagull near bangor's pier}

i started my classes this week. after sorting through the crazy process that is signing up for classes at bangor, i will be officially taking the following: television and radio {mostly about the bbc}, images of wales {looking at both how "outsiders" view wales in theory and tangible images, and how it relates to the ways in which the welsh see themselves etc.}, education in europe, understanding community, and globalization and community.

{the view off the side of garth pier toward bangor, with snowdon in the background}

i'm excited about all of these courses however, the last two hold the most excitement. they are courses taught through the school of "lifelong learning" which basically is for non-traditional students. while my other classes at Bangor hold btwn 50 and 100 students, these two courses have on average 8. i am the youngest by 3 years, next closest would be 26, with the oldest being 68. i became a bit emotional during my first understanding community course as we went around the room telling a bit about ourselves, family, what led us to this class, where we're from, and for the rest of my classmates where they work during the day. many of which were actually employed by the university. not to mention they are all native welsh speakers. my lecturer {who i could listen to talk for hours} encouraged us in our small size, and given the topic of our class to begin to see our class as our own supportive community. which doesn't feel as if it will take long at all. this, is where i will get to participate in the lives of the true welsh. next week we are taking a trip to snowdonia national park to see a concrete example natural community. brilliant.

{some sail boats docked, off of the menai straits}

among the many new phrases and words i'm learning here in britain i thought i'd share a few that i've grown fond of or am trying to "naturally" incorporate into my own vocabulary.
"gorgeous" -specifically referring to food. "nightmare" -anything that's awful. "sorted" -everything's figure out, contentment. "love"- even in the worst situations, being called love seems to make things better (and surprisingly, is not condescending). "cheers" -goodbye, or in place of thank you, often accompanied with "mate" -friend. "rubbish" -physical trash, or nonsense. "brilliant" -this covers a host of words mostly, great/fantastic. "mickey mouse" -stupid looking/comical, or poorer quality. "will do, should do, could do" -common response when asked a question. "proper" -used as an intensifier. "smarmy" -condescendingly flattering. "cabbaged" -intoxicated, or very tired. "crisps" -chips. "chips" -french fries. "chatted up" -hit on. "blimey" -exclamation of surprise. among many more...

{bangor train station}

i've been filling my journal with lots of thoughts, continued with lots of walking up and down hills, listening to a lot of sigur ros, discovering secret paths, taking many photos, drinking many (half) pints (of cider), and trying to learn a bit more about welsh culture all at the same time. i have had my share of challenges amongst this journey, and suspect i will continue to, but have had an equal if not greater amount of "brilliant" memories and insights. it's hard to be somewhere that most things are unfamiliar, but boy does it teach you a lot about both who you don't and who you do wan't to be. i'm trying to make the most of this experience in every way, with daily reminders to do so... i'm hoping to do much traveling, as well as have joined a few "societies" here in town. {most excited about the photography society}

{pigeon}

to sum it up: i'm learning how to be a better friend, a better learner, a better listener, a better leader, a better supporter, a better guest as well as a better host, a better communicator, a better traveler, better at appreciating both the differences and similarities between all people, better at understanding my strengths and my weaknesses, better at being brave, better at being humbled, better at being resourceful, becoming a better photographer, better at being in the moment, a better reader, a better team player, better at having the confidence to ask questions, and i'm learning what it truly means to care about/for one another...i've still got MUCH to learn in these and all areas. until next time.
cheers.

{the view down from one of the many hill's in bangor,
on a clear day you can see the mountains beyond these hills}