sunsets, castles and piers.

{bangor pier, at sunset}

{bangor pier, at sunset}

{menai straits, at sunset}

there tends to be a general idea that many people share before venturing on such a trip as this. it's that if you go abroad you will automatically experience a certain amount of personal growth, and understanding of culture, in addition to gaining a host of life changing memories and experiences. implying, the need for no more than passive thoughts and efforts. up until this point in britian i have been stuck in this mindset. even though i feel i should know better i entered into this venture with certain expectations based on the experiences of those before me. despite being conscious about trying new things, being open minded, and even constantly reminding myself that "the best things can come from the least likely places", i've in a sense, been waiting for my new "cultural benefits", memories, and growth to be handed to me on a silver platter.

{rowboat on the menai straits}

while being here i have indeed had many wonderful memories, seen a multitude of beautiful new things, and asked myself many "challenging" questions. yet, i've experienced these things some what passively.

{man watching the sunset on the menai straits}

{menai suspension bridge from bangor to the isle of anglesey}

after a friend let me try to articulate an answer to the question "how am i doing", she responded with words more perfect than she can know. she kindly reminded me of some of the things that make up "who i am" and further reminded me that these things don't change by my being here. upon reading this i realized just how passive i have become in this experience. not only had i potentially been missing out on certain genuine experiences but, i'd forgotten the very things that make me who i am. the very things that could've been enhancing my experience.

{inside the church on church island, st.tysilio's}

{the american ladies, tea room, end of bangor pier}

{taken by elderly owner, very glad she included the bright red fisherman outside on the pier. love it.}

with fresh eyes, i understand that having the best possible experience here doesn't mean i have to forget all of the things that bring me joy in order to some how make room for new experiences. i have spent the past 23 years trying to develop these qualities in myself, stitching together my character. such as the importance of building relationships, art, music, observation, and laughter.

{before and after, jumping on bangor's garth pier}

{ha. not sure what's happening with our legs and hands}

during my remaining time in britain, i hope to find a more complete combination of the items of my character/personality that truly make me who i am, balanced with extra room to allow those things to be fostered through new experiences. with further hope that it will give me a better foundation to perhaps build new branches of interest from a much more rooted and genuine place. basically, i need to be feeding myself with as much joy bringing "things" in order to be better equip to enjoy all experiences.

{caernarfon castle, ironically built by english to keep out welsh}

{apparently, i don't know the difference between aiming two guns and a bow and arrow. ha.}

all that said, my attitude has already changed and is resulting in a much more enjoyable experience, as a whole. some of the highlights of this past week include:
going to an open mic night with a couple of friends, benefiting amnesty international. the music was really enjoyable and i didn't realize until arriving just how much i missed hearing live music. it's arguably one of those core pieces that contribute to making me a more whole person. while enjoying the music i was able to engage in conversation with a fellow international student from italy. together we talked about many things specific to each other's different cultures as well as things that were common to the both of us. lovely.

{practicing my flexibility on the top of the castle}

{top of the castle, looking out onto the menai straits, and the walled in town of caernarfon}

later in the week, while adventuring around north wales i found myself crossing the menai bridge over to the isle of anglesey, north of bangor. after much walking, i stumbled across the most peaceful and calm place i've experienced yet. it is a tiny island called church island. it's situated just off the coast of anglesey covered from head to toe in beautiful, old, tomb stones. most of the graves are for lives lost during both world wars. the graves curve around the entire tiny island, all the way to the top, with a large celtic cross protruding over the top of the hill. also, on this island you will find a tiny church. inside are stain glass windows, stone flooring, and tiny pews. after, overwhelmingly feeling the serenity of the location i sat inside the church. for the first time i really and truly felt peaceful. i'm not sure exactly what it is about the place, but decidedly i will be back each at least once a week, to this tiny island to simply be still for as long as i need to.

{super steep spiral staircase, inside the castle walls, i can't imagine rushing up and down them, my legs feel weak just thinking about going up and down myself}

the week couldn't of ended any better than it happened to. a couple of friends that we made during our orientation in london, came up to bangor to visit from manchester. these visitors brought the piece in which i have been missing the most. laughter. and lots of it. i'm pretty sure that i laughed for two days straight. in addition to the ab workout, it was great to show visitors around bangor and feel a small sense of belonging to this lovely town. we showed off some of our favorite places in bangor including the pier, the high street, went to a farmer's market in anglesey, and a greek restaurant that's so unique i couldn't even begin to explain it. we also went to the nearing town of caernarfon to visit the biggest castle in north wales. and then again stumbled upon a wonderful old restaurant, and ate one of the best meals i've had in wales.

{the spot where prince charles was crowned prince of wales, 1969}

{canon on the castle grounds}

slowly but surely things are really coming together here in bangor.
my apologies for this being a bit of a long one, but this was a big revelation for me.
until next time.
cheers.

{inside the black boy inn restaurant, within caernarfon walls, built circa 1552}



again, for more pictures feel free to click on the black and white photo at the right, near the top of the page.