liverpool, thanksgiving, and manchester.

{the liverpool harbor}

once again i got the privilege of tagging along on a class trip. a fellow international student {from finland} and i were able to join our teacher along with another of her classes on a free field trip to liverpool. the day would be spent touring in and out of some of the best museums i've yet to see. after arriving in liverpool we spent the first couple of hours exploring the international slavery museum which in detail and with much opportunities for interaction described the history of slavery around the world. it was very moving. We then ventured to the same museums collection of intricate model ships, including the titanic. i learned of the many connection between the titanic and liverpool, including the fact that many of the staff and passengers were liverpool natives, as was the ship itself.

{international slavery exhibit in liverpool}

{titanic, museum in liverpool}

we then, very excitedly, made our way over to "the beatles story" exhibit. this was truly the coolest exhibit that i've seen. each room gave genuinly mapped out the stages of their lives and success. my favorite rooms include the hall of screaming fans, the trippy yellow submarine, and the replica of the cavern, where the beatles got their start (first performed as the quarrymen). as well as learning the fun random facts along the way. we also went to the museum further down the harbor that in more detail covers the life and death of john lennon. did you know that hey jude was written by paul mccartney for john lennon's son? yep, that's right. he wanted to help him cope with his parents separation.

{the beatles story, liverpool}

{replica of the cavern, inside the beatles story exhibit, liverpool}

{john lennon}

{inside the john lennon exhibit, liverpool}

my friend melanie's sister came to town, just in time to help make thanksgiving in wales happen. she came bearing gifts of canned pumpkin, which are close to impossible to find here. for the most part not many people even knew it was thanksgiving. i woke up in time to go to the first of my five classes as usual. (i did receive a happy thanksgiving day post it on my door, thanks john). the day felt no different than any other, until i pushed play on the first sound of christmas tunes. harry connick jr. instantly, nostalgia came rushing to my soul.(couldn't think of word to not make that sound cheesy) it can be said that i've not felt nearly as homesick as i did in that moment. i hurried over to help with the preparations of thanksgiving with a bit of pep in my step. the next few hours would be spent preparing a feast of turkey, green beans, sweet potatoe casserole, cranberry sauce, stuffing, gravy, and individually prepared pumpkin pies with homemade whip cream. it was a neat feeling to share thanksgiving with all of melanie's local british flatmates, who've of course never experienced thanksgiving before. we explained that there are still key ingredients missing such as hot apple cider (can't find that here), a comfy couch for taking naps, and perhaps football, or christmas movies. but, we managed to give the best experience that we could including the tradition of going around the table expressing one thing we're thankful for. while very different than any before, it will be well remembered.

{turkey day in wales, yes, i drew that}

{sharing thanksgiving with local british students}

{individual pumpkin pies}

the program i am here with, arcadia, has subsidized many trips throughout the semester to try and give students opportunities to explore the country for a cheaper price. however, this past weekend they offered a completely free trip to manchester for the weekend to participate in a leadership sympsium. even though i generally try to avoid anything with the words leadership or symposium in it, i figured "when in britiain" and "hey a free trip to manchester". i arrived friday morning in time to jump right into the symposium. there were about 20 arcadia study abroad students from all over the uk participating in the weekend. the first session involved gaining further understanding of the results of the personality test we all took prior to arriving. it was the myers briggs type indicator. according to this test i am an infj. this breaks down as introverted (vs. extroverted), intuition (vs. sensing), feeling (vs. thinking), and judging (vs. perceiving). or as it explains introverted intuition with extroverted feeling. we spent the next couple hours participating in active demonstrations further proving our types. the purpose was largely to help us better know ourselves so that we can better lead others.

{the brittania, our hotel in manchester}

of all the things we learned there were a few things about myself that i absolutely agree with. and as part of the process of further knowing and accepting myself, i'm going to share some of them here. i guess this will be more interesting for people who know me well. so no hurt feelings if you want to skip over the next bit.
at my best:
*i have a visionary grasp of human relationships and possibilities, which, when articulated, can elevate and inspire others.
characteristics of infjs:
*i'm loyal to people and institutions that exemplify my values but have little interest in those that don't.
*i prefer to lead persuasively by sharing my vision, and am likely to be sensitive, compassionate, empathetic and deeply committed to my values.
*i want meaning and purpose in my work, relationships, and even in material possessions.
*i'm reserved at first, but once i feel i have nothing to prove i'm able to freely relate and interact with others without hesitation. and can even gain energy from it.
*however, i ultimately gain energy from a certain amount of solitude.
how others view me:
*others may find me difficult to know, because i tend to only share personal things with people i really trust.
*i often express my internal senses metaphorically with complexity.
*i especially value authenticity and commitment in relationships.
*while reserved i don't hesitate to assert myself when my values are violated.
*individualistic
potential area of growth:
*if i'm not able to find some place for my gifts i may feel frustrated and not give others the information i used to arrive at a decision, and thus seem arbitrary. as well as withdraw my energy and insight. and i might fail to check me insights against reason and practicality, and end up following a vision that has little possibility of being realized.
*if unable to give attention to my sensing and thinking parts i will be unable to verbalize my inner insights in a way that others can understand.
*and lastly under stress i become obsessed with data i would normally consider irrelevant such as watching tv, or buying things that have little meaning.

some of these things were hard for me to accept. mostly because i tend to still think of myself within the boundaries that others have put me into (not intentionally). i've often thought that i have to acquire the personality traits that i have been labeled with, thus convincing myself that i truly possess those traits. when in reality they are often not who i am inside. i feel as if i'm getting closer to knowing what the true me is.
it's interesting how knowing these things can really effect the way you see yourself, but also the way that you choose to talk to/ treat others.

{the manchester christmas market}

the following sessions were entitled intercultural communication skills for global leaders and entrepreneurship for leaders. both of which provided more insight into our surroundings. we later had dinner with a group of manchester students who had joined us for the second and third sessions. these students will all be studying abroad in various places all around the world next semester. of them i was able to connect with a british student who will be studying in tennessee next semester. hopefully i'll be able to provide some sort of support for her experience. we then all ventured over to manchester's super crowded christmas market. in addition to the typical christmas items, there were many more traditionally british treats, mulled wine, lots of meats on a stick, nutella and banana pancakes (crepes), trinkets, handmade gifts, and lots of alcohol.

{used books stand in manchester}

the following day we all gathered for a brief walking tour of manchester, which concluded the sympsium. i had planned to try and take advantage of my free train ticket and see what i could of manchester for the last time, on my own. i luckily, and i think with some credit to the symposium focusing so much on each individuals gifts met several fellow students that i was able to genuinely connect with. the rest of the day was spent along with two new friends (studying in aberdeen,scotland), we had quite an adventure around manchester, and headed back late saturday night to bangor with many new stories, and a greater sense of self. how does it always happen that the situations that you have very little expectations for turn out to be some of the best experiences.
until next time.
cheers.

{for more photos click here}

north wales.

highlights from the past week:
the international students department has been sponsoring several events helping us to both meet fellow international students and see Bangor and the surrounding areas. last weekend they sponsored a trip through Snowdonia National Park. during this trip we stopped for a bit in the towns of Caernarfon which holds the largest castle in north wales, and Bettws-Y-Coed, home of the stunning, Swallow Falls. during my time in Bangor, both in walking around and talking with locals i have made the conclusion that Bangor is not the most attractive (architecturally speaking) town in north wales. however, it is within very close distances to some of the most beautiful areas in the country, including the number of places that we visited during this trip. due to this realization i have vowed to take the train somewhere away from Bangor each weekend.
as they say...so much to see, so little time.

{caernarfon, wales}

later in the week, i had the opportunity to listen/watch traditional welsh music, preformed by a young welsh woman singing folk music while playing the harp. as she played, an elderly man sitting in front of me taped his foot steadily, and with less consistency teetered back and forth between humming and singing quiet loudly along with the tunes that were so familiar to him. it's in these smaller moments that i'm able to really feel the welsh culture. often times it can be hard to uncover. in arriving i quickly realized the depth in which american culture has really (and sadly)infiltrated this country. it is not uncommon to hear american music coming from down the hall of my flat, the Simpsons, Friends, and Scrubs are regulars on the teli, and KFC and Subway have even nudged their way into Bangor's high street. it does not become hard to forget that i'm not in the states. however, i'm learning that the further i get away from the uni, the more i'm able to participate in these moments.

{snowdonia national park}

after a very long day of classes (all but, one class is set on thursday). my understanding community class refreshingly, opted out of the normal class setting and went out on a field trip to gain a "concrete" understanding of the community within Snowdonia National Park. my lecturer brought us to a place that he made us swear in secrecy not to share the location of. it was unbelievable, with a perfect view of Snowdon mountain, as well as both Bangor and Caernarfon. each placed in opposite directions far in the distance, making a triangle of sorts around us. the land was freckled with sheep and cattle roaming freely, and clusters of lights outlined the tiny communities spread out among the barren hills. it was made complete with the sun setting on the water behind us, and clouds of smoke raising from various chimneys across the landscape. i could've sat there for hours.

{bettws-y-coed, all of the bldgs are made of this same stone}

{swallow falls}

weaved in between these wonderful experiences and beautiful sights have been a mixture of emotions. these emotions have involved feelings of adventure, joy and wonder. complete with spontaneous smiles and the occasional throwing of my hands in the air as if to more adequately take in all that's around me. it's in other moments that I feel quite confused, unsure, and worrisome. these moment's include "simple" questions such as "why am i here?" "what do i want to do with my life?" and "who am I?". (so maybe not that simple). it becomes a bit like riding a see-saw. while this is not in itself new for me, to do this both in such a beautiful, but unfamiliar place, with out contact with those who truly know me, is proving to be quite interesting. an experience very familiar to that which i had after moving to both Oakland, and Nashville for the first times. however, it comes at a different time in my life, bringing up slightly different questions, and perhaps the answers are coming more slowly.
until next time.
cheers.

{bangor universities, main arts building}

{if you'd like to see more pictures of great britain, you may click on the black and white photo to the right, near the top of the page}

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}