Hey Everyone!
I am officially on Holidays!!! I know it has been a while since I last blogged, I'm sorry, I have been pretty busy with school the last month and a bit. On a positive note, I handed two assignments in yesterday afternoon and now am on holidays until the 10th or so of January! I will still have to write essays over the break, but at least no classes, not to mention a trip to Ireland starting on the 17th (Tomorrow)!!
Greg and I will be headed to Ireland tomorrow afternoon until Monday evening, for what we hope will be an awesome trip! Alex isn't coming with because he and his girlfriend left for Scotland on Wednesday to visit with some relatives and see the castles and all that other Scotland stuff lol.
I have been hearing that southern Ontatio is just getting dumped on with snow and I can't say that I miss it at all. We have no snow here, but it can be cold at times. We did have snow in early December, and let me tell yea, it caused one hell of a screw up. It's not that they arent used to the snow, because they do get it every now and then, but because it is so hilly everywhere you go it was pretty dangerous, and you could just sense the frustration among the locals. We only got about an inch or two max of snow causing the school to close down, the drivers were going at a snails pace, people were slipping and falling everywhere, and it even caused a pipe to burst in the school taking out the school network with it for about 4 days or so. It's actually pretty funny to think that such a small amount of percipiation can cause such havic!
One thing that we have been getting lately, is a number of professors and other students making mention in their classes that "Oh it's so cold and snowy out, but I bet you Canadians are just fine eh?" Well its funny they say that because it's way warmer in Canada during the summers, meaning when it gets cold, we feel it too!! We don't live in the arctic circle, we are normal people just like them. It's really the first time all year that they have used a typical stereotype on us, not that we mind.
Christmas will be different this year, being away from the family, but ohwell, life must go on. I'll be fine, and I am sure Greg and Alex will be just fine too. I plan on watching movies all day, and sleeping in, just another day in Wales I suppose.
I should make mention as well, that if anyone is looking for a good trip, Cardiff, the capital of Wales is an absolutely amazing city. There are tonnes of gorgeous buildings, museums, girls, and over 350 pubs and clubs. There is a castle in the middle of the city too. For those that like to shop, Queen street and the surrounding area is a massive outdoor shopping center with inlets to massive malls, and shopping arcades. Overall, I just love how accessible everything is on foot, or train if you wanted, and how nice the city is!
Anyhow, I better go start packing my things so I'm ready for Ireland tomorrow!
Regards,
Kyle
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Saturday, November 13, 2010
First Trip is Booked!!!!
Hey all,
Sorry I havent blogged anything in the last two weeks, I have been pretty busy with a test and a report.
First i will start off by saying how pumped up I am to have booked a trip to Ireland for a little pre-christmas travelling!!! Speaking of Ireland and the Irish, I have a crazy Irish friend here in wales, Mark Holland, maybe he`ll be up for showing us a bit of Belfast...if he lives close that is?
Aside from that things are going a little less exciting but good nonetheless. When I sit back and think about it, it is pretty crazy to realize that I am actually in Wales, and have been here for more then two months!! I love this place, the people are awesome, the air is breathable lol, the hills and valleys are beautiful. Of course I love Canada more and plan on coming home soon after I graduate, but I can already tell that I will always have a soft spot for Wales, haha, as lame as that sounds.
In terms of school, things seem to be going pretty well. I feel comfortable with the learning style and the material a lot more now then when I arrived. As for tests and papers, I have had one test (worth 20%) and handed in one paper.
It seems as if they mark very hard here. I learned the majority of the test material in College and had a good grasp on it, but I didnt do as well as I had hoped on the test. I got a 73%, which was the 5th highest grade out of about 150 students, and a first, but still below my personal expectations of an 80 or above. I guess I will have to either readjust my self expectations or put that extra bit of effort into studying.
Either way, now that the first test has passed, I feel more in the school mode and ready to do well.
I'll leave it at that for now.
Cheers!
Kyle
Sorry I havent blogged anything in the last two weeks, I have been pretty busy with a test and a report.
First i will start off by saying how pumped up I am to have booked a trip to Ireland for a little pre-christmas travelling!!! Speaking of Ireland and the Irish, I have a crazy Irish friend here in wales, Mark Holland, maybe he`ll be up for showing us a bit of Belfast...if he lives close that is?
Aside from that things are going a little less exciting but good nonetheless. When I sit back and think about it, it is pretty crazy to realize that I am actually in Wales, and have been here for more then two months!! I love this place, the people are awesome, the air is breathable lol, the hills and valleys are beautiful. Of course I love Canada more and plan on coming home soon after I graduate, but I can already tell that I will always have a soft spot for Wales, haha, as lame as that sounds.
In terms of school, things seem to be going pretty well. I feel comfortable with the learning style and the material a lot more now then when I arrived. As for tests and papers, I have had one test (worth 20%) and handed in one paper.
It seems as if they mark very hard here. I learned the majority of the test material in College and had a good grasp on it, but I didnt do as well as I had hoped on the test. I got a 73%, which was the 5th highest grade out of about 150 students, and a first, but still below my personal expectations of an 80 or above. I guess I will have to either readjust my self expectations or put that extra bit of effort into studying.
Either way, now that the first test has passed, I feel more in the school mode and ready to do well.
I'll leave it at that for now.
Cheers!
Kyle
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Halloween Welsh Style...
Talk about an awesome halloween party!! Not sure if my state of inebriation had anything to do with that (probably most certainly did) but it was a pretty awesome time.
I'm not usually a Halloween person, I usually never dress up, at this age anyways, or go to Halloween parties, but I can't believe what I have been missing out on. Everyone was decked out in their halloween getup, and i'll go out on a limb and suggest that the older you get, they less the ladies seem to wear? Don't get me wrong, i'm not complaining, its just worth noting that as they grow up, their costumes get smaller and smaller lol.'
I got to meet a new Canadian as well! Rees is fortunate enough to have his girlfriend visiting from the Burlington area for about a week or so. It was nice to meet her, we all had a good time partying together....I think lol.
I'd love to keep talking details, but due to my state of inebriation that isnt quite possible. I can tell you that if I can't remember everything that happened, that I most definately had a blast.
I mentioned in my last post that the school is using Alex, Greg, Robyn and myself to help market the business school at the Glamorgan, which is pretty cool I think. They were supposed to have published an article by now, I'm not too sure the progress of that article though. I'll be sure to post it once I find out more. They also plan on getting us to do a photoshoot soon, pod casts, maybe even using this blog to send to prospective students. Like I said though, I don't know too many details just yet, so I'll be sure to post up when that information is available.
As for class, I have my first test coming up this week. I'm not worried at all though, it's all material that I have been taught before and the professor has pretty much told us what exactly to study in order to be prepared. I also have an essay that I'm supposed to start writting pretty soon too. I'm more worried about that because I havent writen an essay since grade 12 english class, just a tonne of business style reports. I'm sure it'll come easy, I think I'm a pretty strong business writer so that should help as well. I'm just glad that I finally have some actual work to do instead of just textbook readings!! Call me crazy, but its true. The style of learning at this University is much different then what I am used to in College. I'm used to alot of assignments, tests, group work etc, basically being busy all the time while in school. Here, or at the least in my program, all I am expected to do is one essay and one exam for the majority of my classes, so I'm only busy so far when I have reading to do.
Anyhow, I wont tie you up any longer.
Take it easy everyone!
Kyle
I'm not usually a Halloween person, I usually never dress up, at this age anyways, or go to Halloween parties, but I can't believe what I have been missing out on. Everyone was decked out in their halloween getup, and i'll go out on a limb and suggest that the older you get, they less the ladies seem to wear? Don't get me wrong, i'm not complaining, its just worth noting that as they grow up, their costumes get smaller and smaller lol.'
I got to meet a new Canadian as well! Rees is fortunate enough to have his girlfriend visiting from the Burlington area for about a week or so. It was nice to meet her, we all had a good time partying together....I think lol.
I'd love to keep talking details, but due to my state of inebriation that isnt quite possible. I can tell you that if I can't remember everything that happened, that I most definately had a blast.
I mentioned in my last post that the school is using Alex, Greg, Robyn and myself to help market the business school at the Glamorgan, which is pretty cool I think. They were supposed to have published an article by now, I'm not too sure the progress of that article though. I'll be sure to post it once I find out more. They also plan on getting us to do a photoshoot soon, pod casts, maybe even using this blog to send to prospective students. Like I said though, I don't know too many details just yet, so I'll be sure to post up when that information is available.
As for class, I have my first test coming up this week. I'm not worried at all though, it's all material that I have been taught before and the professor has pretty much told us what exactly to study in order to be prepared. I also have an essay that I'm supposed to start writting pretty soon too. I'm more worried about that because I havent writen an essay since grade 12 english class, just a tonne of business style reports. I'm sure it'll come easy, I think I'm a pretty strong business writer so that should help as well. I'm just glad that I finally have some actual work to do instead of just textbook readings!! Call me crazy, but its true. The style of learning at this University is much different then what I am used to in College. I'm used to alot of assignments, tests, group work etc, basically being busy all the time while in school. Here, or at the least in my program, all I am expected to do is one essay and one exam for the majority of my classes, so I'm only busy so far when I have reading to do.
Anyhow, I wont tie you up any longer.
Take it easy everyone!
Kyle
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Happy Birthday to me!
Hello all!!
So I'm 21 now, woohoo!!!
To be honest it isn't really all that exciting, but I do have the option of Vegas as a travel destination now, which is nice I suppose. My mom and siblings made sure that I had a good birthday by sending me just about all of my favourite foods and candy from Canada in a big box. I got cake mix (to bake myself a cake, and it was excellent might I add), Ketchup chips (can't get those here), tuna, KD, Tootsie rolls etc. There was so much I cant imagine how much it would have cost to send it all, but it is all awesome stuff thats for sure.
It was a pretty good day overall aside from class that is. All the Canadians took me out for dinner at a local place called Barini's which was a nice treat. But like I said, it wasn't too exciting, just another day in Wales!
I mentioned in my last blog that the school might be doing a press release etc for Alex, Greg, Robyn and I. They have written a press release about how we were awarded scholarships to come here and study etc. They will also be publishing personal statements, doing a photoshoot as well as a pod cast, which is all pretty exciting to be apart of. I guess you could say they are using us to help market themselves in Canada and abroad but we will be getting letters of reference out of it aswell which is a bonus. Can never have too many references or things to build your resume with I suppose.
Alex, Greg, Robyn, Rees and I (these are the 'Canadians' I refer too) have planned a bar trip into Cardiff this weekend which will be awesome. Just think of the Rev in Waterloo and add alot more rooms, more bars, and much nicer decor and that is what we will be partying in this weekend. We havent decided which bar we are going to yet but a few we have tossed around are Glam and Oceana. They are, from what we have heard, the best clubs to go to in Cardiff, and some of the nicest. Google them, they are pretty awesome looking.
If we dont end up at one of those two, its not a big deal really, there are like another 300 to choose from so we will find something interesting thats for sure.
Anyhow, thats it for now. Like I said there isnt too much going on here right now.
Regards,
Kyle
So I'm 21 now, woohoo!!!
To be honest it isn't really all that exciting, but I do have the option of Vegas as a travel destination now, which is nice I suppose. My mom and siblings made sure that I had a good birthday by sending me just about all of my favourite foods and candy from Canada in a big box. I got cake mix (to bake myself a cake, and it was excellent might I add), Ketchup chips (can't get those here), tuna, KD, Tootsie rolls etc. There was so much I cant imagine how much it would have cost to send it all, but it is all awesome stuff thats for sure.
It was a pretty good day overall aside from class that is. All the Canadians took me out for dinner at a local place called Barini's which was a nice treat. But like I said, it wasn't too exciting, just another day in Wales!
I mentioned in my last blog that the school might be doing a press release etc for Alex, Greg, Robyn and I. They have written a press release about how we were awarded scholarships to come here and study etc. They will also be publishing personal statements, doing a photoshoot as well as a pod cast, which is all pretty exciting to be apart of. I guess you could say they are using us to help market themselves in Canada and abroad but we will be getting letters of reference out of it aswell which is a bonus. Can never have too many references or things to build your resume with I suppose.
Alex, Greg, Robyn, Rees and I (these are the 'Canadians' I refer too) have planned a bar trip into Cardiff this weekend which will be awesome. Just think of the Rev in Waterloo and add alot more rooms, more bars, and much nicer decor and that is what we will be partying in this weekend. We havent decided which bar we are going to yet but a few we have tossed around are Glam and Oceana. They are, from what we have heard, the best clubs to go to in Cardiff, and some of the nicest. Google them, they are pretty awesome looking.
If we dont end up at one of those two, its not a big deal really, there are like another 300 to choose from so we will find something interesting thats for sure.
Anyhow, thats it for now. Like I said there isnt too much going on here right now.
Regards,
Kyle
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
A Happy Thanksgiving and the Yeast Extract that likes a good squeeze.....
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!
Not being home for Thanksgiving this year was a bit different to say the least, but at least I had a few fellow Canadians to share the day with. Alex, Greg and I invited our other Canadian friends Robyn and Rees over for a great Thanksgiving feast.
It is tough to find a turkey over here so we instead had to settle on whole chickens instead, which isnt to big of a deal, I mean a bird is a bird right? Aside from the chicken, Alex, our main cook, made some sweat potatoes, corn, carrots and stuffing, while Robyn and Rees brought the potatoes, salad, dessert and cranberry sauce. I say Alex is the 'main' cook because well I didnt do anything aside from peeling the carrots lol. Thats probably in the best interests of everyones health though.
I missed being home for Thanksgiving, but at least I had great company to spend the day with. I can imagine that being away at Christmas will be a bit of a different story though.
On to other things though, If you are looking for another spread to enjoy on your toast or between some bread, I definately recommend that you do not try Marmite....it is rather horrible. Despite its bitter salty taste, it seems to be popular among the UK folk...which is just gross. BUT, I challenge you all to go out and find a bottle in Canada (or vegemite) if possible and give it a try. It is basically just Yeast Extract and salt so I'm sure you can imagine it isnt that great, but everyone here says you either love it or hate it, so maybe some of you will love it?
That is basically all I have for now, I have been very busy the last two weeks reading journals and textbooks so I apologize that I havent posted much lately. I should have some news in the next few days though as the school is planning to do a press release about us Canadians, a pod cast, some photos etc so I will keep you all posted.
Regards,
Kyle
Not being home for Thanksgiving this year was a bit different to say the least, but at least I had a few fellow Canadians to share the day with. Alex, Greg and I invited our other Canadian friends Robyn and Rees over for a great Thanksgiving feast.
It is tough to find a turkey over here so we instead had to settle on whole chickens instead, which isnt to big of a deal, I mean a bird is a bird right? Aside from the chicken, Alex, our main cook, made some sweat potatoes, corn, carrots and stuffing, while Robyn and Rees brought the potatoes, salad, dessert and cranberry sauce. I say Alex is the 'main' cook because well I didnt do anything aside from peeling the carrots lol. Thats probably in the best interests of everyones health though.
I missed being home for Thanksgiving, but at least I had great company to spend the day with. I can imagine that being away at Christmas will be a bit of a different story though.
On to other things though, If you are looking for another spread to enjoy on your toast or between some bread, I definately recommend that you do not try Marmite....it is rather horrible. Despite its bitter salty taste, it seems to be popular among the UK folk...which is just gross. BUT, I challenge you all to go out and find a bottle in Canada (or vegemite) if possible and give it a try. It is basically just Yeast Extract and salt so I'm sure you can imagine it isnt that great, but everyone here says you either love it or hate it, so maybe some of you will love it?
That is basically all I have for now, I have been very busy the last two weeks reading journals and textbooks so I apologize that I havent posted much lately. I should have some news in the next few days though as the school is planning to do a press release about us Canadians, a pod cast, some photos etc so I will keep you all posted.
Regards,
Kyle
Sunday, October 3, 2010
UK Goals List
Now that my first week of class is over and I have sooo much free time on my hands (hah, yea right) I've decided I need to set a few goals for myself while I'm here studying.
In no particular order:
1. Achieve first class honours in my Bunsiness Excellence Marketing Program.
The grading system here in Wales is a bit different then what I know back home in Canada. (its tough to say though because I went to College not University) In order to pass all of my courses, or Modules as they are refered too here, I need to achieve only 40%. In order to achieve a first class degree I need to achieve an average of 70% or greater in all of my modules. Sure it sounds easy considering I am used to achieving 80's and 90's but apparently only about 5% of the class each year achieves 70% or greater. The professors describe a 70% or greater to be publishable work, so we'll see how I do. Regardless of what it takes to achieve a 70% that is my goal and I wont abandon it until I know there is no possible way to achieve it.
2. Do not get deported.....at least not until I get my Degree.
This seems like a no brainer, but after a few drinks the impossible becomes the possible and the stupid things become the norm. I'll try my best not to get deported, but if I do, at least I wont have to pay airfare back home.
3. Destroy all Mites living in this house.
Today I found some incredibly small mite like creatures lurking on the floor of my room, just waiting for me to drop them some food. Well I got news for these little buggers, The vacuum is coming out, and they will all be killed. Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated.
4. Increase alcohol tolerance.
This goal will be hard to measure without actually drinking so I imagine I will drink fairly often in order to see how I'm doing, besides, practice makes perfect right? Don't get me wrong, I do not intend on becoming an alcoholic, or drinking every night, but having a good time once in a while isnt going to kill anyone.
5. Run.
Simple goal, but I always seem to fall short of achieving it. I want to run 3-4 times a week while I am here to get in a bit better shape. I have only run twice in the last month but that will change starting tomorrow, maybe even this evening depending how I feel.
Thats it for blogable goals, I'll be sure to add more as they come to me.
Cheers!
Kyle
In no particular order:
1. Achieve first class honours in my Bunsiness Excellence Marketing Program.
The grading system here in Wales is a bit different then what I know back home in Canada. (its tough to say though because I went to College not University) In order to pass all of my courses, or Modules as they are refered too here, I need to achieve only 40%. In order to achieve a first class degree I need to achieve an average of 70% or greater in all of my modules. Sure it sounds easy considering I am used to achieving 80's and 90's but apparently only about 5% of the class each year achieves 70% or greater. The professors describe a 70% or greater to be publishable work, so we'll see how I do. Regardless of what it takes to achieve a 70% that is my goal and I wont abandon it until I know there is no possible way to achieve it.
2. Do not get deported.....at least not until I get my Degree.
This seems like a no brainer, but after a few drinks the impossible becomes the possible and the stupid things become the norm. I'll try my best not to get deported, but if I do, at least I wont have to pay airfare back home.
3. Destroy all Mites living in this house.
Today I found some incredibly small mite like creatures lurking on the floor of my room, just waiting for me to drop them some food. Well I got news for these little buggers, The vacuum is coming out, and they will all be killed. Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated.
4. Increase alcohol tolerance.
This goal will be hard to measure without actually drinking so I imagine I will drink fairly often in order to see how I'm doing, besides, practice makes perfect right? Don't get me wrong, I do not intend on becoming an alcoholic, or drinking every night, but having a good time once in a while isnt going to kill anyone.
5. Run.
Simple goal, but I always seem to fall short of achieving it. I want to run 3-4 times a week while I am here to get in a bit better shape. I have only run twice in the last month but that will change starting tomorrow, maybe even this evening depending how I feel.
Thats it for blogable goals, I'll be sure to add more as they come to me.
Cheers!
Kyle
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
So it begins....
Having lived in Wales for nearly three weeks so far, I nearly forgot what it is that I am here for, my Degree.
Today marks the day that the final steps of that process begin, and I couldnt be more excited. It's not the first time that I have been excited about school but it will certainly be the last as this is it for me, I do not plan on getting my Masters once this year is finished, its just not going to happen.
I have a pretty simply timetable for class:
Monday - No class
Tuesday - Class from 1pm - 8pm
Wednesday - Class from 10am 1pm
Thursday - No class until Christmas time
Friday - Class from 10am - 2pm
The classes I will be taking seem to resemble what I have taken in the past, but I can imagine this year will take what I have already learned and go that much deeper. One professor told us that this year is about challenging everything we have learned and challenging what they teach. If we can do that we will do well in all of our classes.
That is something I don't think I will have a problem with, I have always been the person in class that asks why it works the way it does and why it doesnt work in 'X' way as well.
Aside from some of them being similar to what I have taken, there are are some that are new content and are very appealing to me. Two in particular are Emerging Trends in Marketing and Global Marketing Strategy. It is these two courses that I have all day today so I am looking forward to today despite having class for 7 hours straight.
The one area of school that I am not looking forward to however is the marking scheme. In most classes there are only two pieces of work that will build you grade. An essay worth 40-50% and a final exam worth 50-60% of my mark. This is unlike what I am used to so I will have to take a little more time researching for essays and studying for tests. I guess it isnt that big a deal when the number of assignments is much less then in Canada.
Anyhow, I better get ready for class, this will be the first of many long days over the next 8 months.
Cheers!
Kyle
Today marks the day that the final steps of that process begin, and I couldnt be more excited. It's not the first time that I have been excited about school but it will certainly be the last as this is it for me, I do not plan on getting my Masters once this year is finished, its just not going to happen.
I have a pretty simply timetable for class:
Monday - No class
Tuesday - Class from 1pm - 8pm
Wednesday - Class from 10am 1pm
Thursday - No class until Christmas time
Friday - Class from 10am - 2pm
The classes I will be taking seem to resemble what I have taken in the past, but I can imagine this year will take what I have already learned and go that much deeper. One professor told us that this year is about challenging everything we have learned and challenging what they teach. If we can do that we will do well in all of our classes.
That is something I don't think I will have a problem with, I have always been the person in class that asks why it works the way it does and why it doesnt work in 'X' way as well.
Aside from some of them being similar to what I have taken, there are are some that are new content and are very appealing to me. Two in particular are Emerging Trends in Marketing and Global Marketing Strategy. It is these two courses that I have all day today so I am looking forward to today despite having class for 7 hours straight.
The one area of school that I am not looking forward to however is the marking scheme. In most classes there are only two pieces of work that will build you grade. An essay worth 40-50% and a final exam worth 50-60% of my mark. This is unlike what I am used to so I will have to take a little more time researching for essays and studying for tests. I guess it isnt that big a deal when the number of assignments is much less then in Canada.
Anyhow, I better get ready for class, this will be the first of many long days over the next 8 months.
Cheers!
Kyle
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