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
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
A little bit of everything!
So I guess it's time for another blog entry considering a lot has gone on since I last posted.
Greg, Alex and I went on two trips this past weekend which were offered as part of our International Week activities. The first trip was a boat ride around Cardiff Bay which gave us a chance to not only see Cardiff for the first time, but to see it from a perspective I wouldnt have selected for myself. It wasn't as exciting a trip as I would have liked, but I did manage to get some good pictures and see some cool buildings, like the Millenium One building.
Speaking of the Millenium One building, its got a pretty cool copper roof which is something I havent seen before. The inside was just as nice as the outside, we even managed to sneak into a few restricted areas and see the opera house itself from a top floor box, but enough about that, it wasnt too too exciting.
The next day we went to see the 2nd largest castle in the United Kingdom, Caerphilly Castle in Caerphilly. It was a pretty awesome trip (aside from the stop at a medieval village) to say the least. The Castle was actually a Castle within a Castle (sounds odd, but true) and had some pretty awesome views of the hillside and towns around it.
In terms of some of the mistakes we have made, we corrected one, but also made one horrible horrible mistake as well.
The mistake we fixed was our fridge situation with our landlord. The story is that the pictures he sent us of the flat before we signed our contract had two fridges, but when we got here there was only one. The mistake was that we didnt check our inventory of the flat before signing (in fairness, our landlord hadnt sent it too us) or contract. When he arrived to meet us and talk to us about our issues we fully expected him to tell us where to shove it....we were wrong, he heard our arguement and now we are getting another fridge, we also got a bunch of other new things to make the meeting even better.
As for our new mistake, well we learned to read the ingredients in frozen packaged foods pretty quick. We thought we were getting a good deal when we saw 10 chicken drumsticks, 9 Burgers and 9 Pork Sausages all for the low low price of 2.50 lbs, which is about $4 canadian. So the drumsticks bled the entire time they were cooking, the burgers were only 79% beef (the rest was rusk) so they were a little on the crunchy side (we tossed those after about 2 bites) and we didnt even cook the sausages after reading that they have only a whopping 32% pork. We learned our lesson here and we definately wont be making purchases based only on price.
As far as the University goes, it seems to be pretty good so far. I went and finished my enrollment yesterday and got my student card as well. We had a bit of difficulty finding our timetables for classes because we arent used to the systems the school uses just yet but the faculty and other students have been a great help getting us on the right track. It just seems that no matter who we ask a question, they make sure to go that extra little bit to ensure your question has been answered and that we have the information we need.
Anyhow, that is all for now, I'll be sure to blog again by the end of the week.
Regards,
Kyle
Greg, Alex and I went on two trips this past weekend which were offered as part of our International Week activities. The first trip was a boat ride around Cardiff Bay which gave us a chance to not only see Cardiff for the first time, but to see it from a perspective I wouldnt have selected for myself. It wasn't as exciting a trip as I would have liked, but I did manage to get some good pictures and see some cool buildings, like the Millenium One building.
Speaking of the Millenium One building, its got a pretty cool copper roof which is something I havent seen before. The inside was just as nice as the outside, we even managed to sneak into a few restricted areas and see the opera house itself from a top floor box, but enough about that, it wasnt too too exciting.
The next day we went to see the 2nd largest castle in the United Kingdom, Caerphilly Castle in Caerphilly. It was a pretty awesome trip (aside from the stop at a medieval village) to say the least. The Castle was actually a Castle within a Castle (sounds odd, but true) and had some pretty awesome views of the hillside and towns around it.
In terms of some of the mistakes we have made, we corrected one, but also made one horrible horrible mistake as well.
The mistake we fixed was our fridge situation with our landlord. The story is that the pictures he sent us of the flat before we signed our contract had two fridges, but when we got here there was only one. The mistake was that we didnt check our inventory of the flat before signing (in fairness, our landlord hadnt sent it too us) or contract. When he arrived to meet us and talk to us about our issues we fully expected him to tell us where to shove it....we were wrong, he heard our arguement and now we are getting another fridge, we also got a bunch of other new things to make the meeting even better.
As for our new mistake, well we learned to read the ingredients in frozen packaged foods pretty quick. We thought we were getting a good deal when we saw 10 chicken drumsticks, 9 Burgers and 9 Pork Sausages all for the low low price of 2.50 lbs, which is about $4 canadian. So the drumsticks bled the entire time they were cooking, the burgers were only 79% beef (the rest was rusk) so they were a little on the crunchy side (we tossed those after about 2 bites) and we didnt even cook the sausages after reading that they have only a whopping 32% pork. We learned our lesson here and we definately wont be making purchases based only on price.
As far as the University goes, it seems to be pretty good so far. I went and finished my enrollment yesterday and got my student card as well. We had a bit of difficulty finding our timetables for classes because we arent used to the systems the school uses just yet but the faculty and other students have been a great help getting us on the right track. It just seems that no matter who we ask a question, they make sure to go that extra little bit to ensure your question has been answered and that we have the information we need.
Anyhow, that is all for now, I'll be sure to blog again by the end of the week.
Regards,
Kyle
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Mistakes will be made.....
So, like the title suggests, mistakes will be made while in Wales, and enroute as well....
I am going to share a few mistakes that I have made (I'm sure Greg and Alex will agree as well/have made the same mistakes) to help anyone of you readers if you decide that a trip to Wales is in your future.
1) Do NOT expect your alcohol tollerance to be the same at 35 000 feet as it is in a bar!
Alex, Greg and I learned this the hard way to say the least. Our flight package included a 200ml bottle of Champaign (15% alcohol I believe) a 250ml bottle of Wine (12%) and a small liqour bottle (about 1 1/2 shots worth) served with ice. We had consumed our Alcohol roughly 2 hours into our flight and we were not to sure whether we were experiencing terbulance or just a little light headed. Although the amount of Alcohol was small, it really hit all three of us hard and made the rest of the flight rather unenjoyable.
So my advice on this mistake is to not drink the free alcohol and simply take it with you for consumption on level ground.
2) Pack lighter then your weight allowance.
I can't say that Alex and Greg share this mistake with me, but I used all but 1 pound of my 66 pound weight allowance and regretted it as soon as we collected baggage in London. Not only was it a pain to drag on and off the three trains we took from Gatwick airport to Pontypridd, but it was a hell of a pain for me to drag down the street looking for our flat. In addition, I will now have to ship back any purchases I make over here because I will be over my weight allowance going back to Canada. Not only that but the washers and drawers here are smaller so the loads have to be smaller. This means I have to do laundry more frequently, thus not wearing all the clothes I brought.
My advice is to leave atleast 10 lbs for stuff on your return flight, and remember you can always find inexpensive clothes and lifestyle items over here.
3) Don't be afraid to ask questions.
This being a mistake doesnt neccesarily mean that we didnt do it at first, because we did, but we also tried to figure some things out on our own which took much longer then anticipated. The people here are so nice, and once they hear your 'accent' and that you're asking a question they offer so much help. We have been shown so much by complete strangers, and told which stores to shop for what etc by strangers, it has really helped us get adjusted.
My advice in this area is to not be afraid to ask questions, the people are very helpful and will likely know exactly what you are looking for.
4) Make sure you know what furniture from the pictures your flat comes with before signing your contract.
This more applies to those thinking of coming here for school, or an extended stay but could still be helpful for all people who don't get the chance to view in person where they will be staying.
In our instance, the pictures indicated there would be a double bed as well as second fridge, both of which are non existant in our flat. We have a single mini fridge with inadequate space for three people, and three single beds instead of two singles and a double. Alex happens to be tall enough to not sleep comfortably on a single so when we signed our contract we knew that a double would suit his height. Unfortunately for alex he has to cram onto a single, which has caused him some uncomfortable nights. As for the fridge, our Landlord doesnt seem to have a clue where we got the idea that there would be two fridges, I guess he forgot he sent me pictures Im not sure. We meet with him on monday so I will be sure to blog about what that. I don't suspect he will budge though, hopefully he understands our situation and will meet us in the middle on the fridge issue.
My advice is to ask for a flat inventory prior to signing your contract and make sure it meets your satisfaction.
We have made a tonne of other mistakes aswell but most of those are mistakes that we are expected to make when traveling to another country, they were part of the process. I hope this short list helps those thinking of coming abroad for whatever reason. I will be sure to update the list in a few months once I have experienced more of Wales.
I hope everyone is enjoying the Blog so far, I encourage you to comment, let me know what you like, what you dont.
Regards,
Kyle
I am going to share a few mistakes that I have made (I'm sure Greg and Alex will agree as well/have made the same mistakes) to help anyone of you readers if you decide that a trip to Wales is in your future.
1) Do NOT expect your alcohol tollerance to be the same at 35 000 feet as it is in a bar!
Alex, Greg and I learned this the hard way to say the least. Our flight package included a 200ml bottle of Champaign (15% alcohol I believe) a 250ml bottle of Wine (12%) and a small liqour bottle (about 1 1/2 shots worth) served with ice. We had consumed our Alcohol roughly 2 hours into our flight and we were not to sure whether we were experiencing terbulance or just a little light headed. Although the amount of Alcohol was small, it really hit all three of us hard and made the rest of the flight rather unenjoyable.
So my advice on this mistake is to not drink the free alcohol and simply take it with you for consumption on level ground.
2) Pack lighter then your weight allowance.
I can't say that Alex and Greg share this mistake with me, but I used all but 1 pound of my 66 pound weight allowance and regretted it as soon as we collected baggage in London. Not only was it a pain to drag on and off the three trains we took from Gatwick airport to Pontypridd, but it was a hell of a pain for me to drag down the street looking for our flat. In addition, I will now have to ship back any purchases I make over here because I will be over my weight allowance going back to Canada. Not only that but the washers and drawers here are smaller so the loads have to be smaller. This means I have to do laundry more frequently, thus not wearing all the clothes I brought.
My advice is to leave atleast 10 lbs for stuff on your return flight, and remember you can always find inexpensive clothes and lifestyle items over here.
3) Don't be afraid to ask questions.
This being a mistake doesnt neccesarily mean that we didnt do it at first, because we did, but we also tried to figure some things out on our own which took much longer then anticipated. The people here are so nice, and once they hear your 'accent' and that you're asking a question they offer so much help. We have been shown so much by complete strangers, and told which stores to shop for what etc by strangers, it has really helped us get adjusted.
My advice in this area is to not be afraid to ask questions, the people are very helpful and will likely know exactly what you are looking for.
4) Make sure you know what furniture from the pictures your flat comes with before signing your contract.
This more applies to those thinking of coming here for school, or an extended stay but could still be helpful for all people who don't get the chance to view in person where they will be staying.
In our instance, the pictures indicated there would be a double bed as well as second fridge, both of which are non existant in our flat. We have a single mini fridge with inadequate space for three people, and three single beds instead of two singles and a double. Alex happens to be tall enough to not sleep comfortably on a single so when we signed our contract we knew that a double would suit his height. Unfortunately for alex he has to cram onto a single, which has caused him some uncomfortable nights. As for the fridge, our Landlord doesnt seem to have a clue where we got the idea that there would be two fridges, I guess he forgot he sent me pictures Im not sure. We meet with him on monday so I will be sure to blog about what that. I don't suspect he will budge though, hopefully he understands our situation and will meet us in the middle on the fridge issue.
My advice is to ask for a flat inventory prior to signing your contract and make sure it meets your satisfaction.
We have made a tonne of other mistakes aswell but most of those are mistakes that we are expected to make when traveling to another country, they were part of the process. I hope this short list helps those thinking of coming abroad for whatever reason. I will be sure to update the list in a few months once I have experienced more of Wales.
I hope everyone is enjoying the Blog so far, I encourage you to comment, let me know what you like, what you dont.
Regards,
Kyle
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Our flat isn't so "flat" afterall....
Hello all,
The title says it all really....we have noticed that the floors in our flat are very obviously slanted and crocked in every which way as often as they can be. It starts as soon as you walk through the front door, and into the hallway. There is an obvious slant in the floor and alot of give. Same goes for in my room as well, but the worst of it is in the Kitchen/Living space. We can tell that at one point a wall was taken out because of the hump in the middle of the floor, but that is no excuse for the sag in the floor where the kitchen table lays. The funniest part of it all is that when the kitchen door is open, where it hinges to the wall there is about 1/8th of an inch space between the bottom of the door and the floor, but at the end on the door, where the knob would be, there is about 2 inches of space, haha. Ohwell, its all sturdy so its not a big deal.
On to more important things, I am getting more and more used to the 5 hour time change which I am happy about because I'm getting more sleep at night, and a better sleep at that. Our flat is basically right on the road though (literally 2 feet from the yellow line on the outside of the road) which means its pretty loud at night when drunk people walk by and cars drive by, but I am getting used to that aswell. I'm not picky about my sleeping conditions so I'll be okay.
From our kitchen and bathroom windows we noticed in the distance that we can see a waterfall, so yesterday evening we decided to take a walk to the other side of town and try to find how to get to it, or close enough to take pictures. By the time we found it it was starting to get dark so there are no photo's, but Greg and I have decided we are going to go for a run every night, or every other night to and from the falls. There is also about 200 stone steps up the cliff the falls are on which we hope to run up as well. We will obviously look for other routes in town as well, (like stow hill) but this is a good start.
Tonight we are going to a free dinner put on by the school for the international students which should be good. I'm not sure what they will be serving but im looking forward to mingling with some other students. Speaking of mingling, we met a fellow Canadian today on the shopping trip which was nice, we plan to meet up with him again in the near future, probably for drinks or whatever really.
Thats all for now, I'll upload more photos to facebook soon, but facebook takes so long to upload so it'll take time.
Regards,
Kyle
The title says it all really....we have noticed that the floors in our flat are very obviously slanted and crocked in every which way as often as they can be. It starts as soon as you walk through the front door, and into the hallway. There is an obvious slant in the floor and alot of give. Same goes for in my room as well, but the worst of it is in the Kitchen/Living space. We can tell that at one point a wall was taken out because of the hump in the middle of the floor, but that is no excuse for the sag in the floor where the kitchen table lays. The funniest part of it all is that when the kitchen door is open, where it hinges to the wall there is about 1/8th of an inch space between the bottom of the door and the floor, but at the end on the door, where the knob would be, there is about 2 inches of space, haha. Ohwell, its all sturdy so its not a big deal.
On to more important things, I am getting more and more used to the 5 hour time change which I am happy about because I'm getting more sleep at night, and a better sleep at that. Our flat is basically right on the road though (literally 2 feet from the yellow line on the outside of the road) which means its pretty loud at night when drunk people walk by and cars drive by, but I am getting used to that aswell. I'm not picky about my sleeping conditions so I'll be okay.
From our kitchen and bathroom windows we noticed in the distance that we can see a waterfall, so yesterday evening we decided to take a walk to the other side of town and try to find how to get to it, or close enough to take pictures. By the time we found it it was starting to get dark so there are no photo's, but Greg and I have decided we are going to go for a run every night, or every other night to and from the falls. There is also about 200 stone steps up the cliff the falls are on which we hope to run up as well. We will obviously look for other routes in town as well, (like stow hill) but this is a good start.
Tonight we are going to a free dinner put on by the school for the international students which should be good. I'm not sure what they will be serving but im looking forward to mingling with some other students. Speaking of mingling, we met a fellow Canadian today on the shopping trip which was nice, we plan to meet up with him again in the near future, probably for drinks or whatever really.
Thats all for now, I'll upload more photos to facebook soon, but facebook takes so long to upload so it'll take time.
Regards,
Kyle
Friday, September 10, 2010
It's Raining....
Hello Everybody,
So like the title says, it is raining here in Treforest/Pontypridd today but that didn't stop Greg and I from going into Ponty to get a few items...we got soaked, but were able to get a few essentials for our flat.
Unfortunately for us, because we have no car, and are basically at the halfway point between the Treforest train station and the Pontypridd train station we have to walk about 15 minutes into Ponty to get anything we need. There are stores closer but they are more expensive, and much smaller. Because of this we can't get everything we need in one go, so we are basically living from our suitcases still and eating only the essentials.
The campus itself looks pretty nice but we havent done any exploring around just yet, we havent had the time. We all seem to be suffering a bit from jet lag aswell, sleeping in until around noon local time, right through our alarm clocks. Luckily we have nothing too important to do just yet.
We tried to set up bank accounts yesterday but because we need a specific letter from the school we can't get accounts until Monday at the earliest. This means we won't have cell phones of internet in our flat until likely the end of next week.
The beer situation is an interesting one to say the least. There are a number of brands here that I recognize like Carlsberg, Grolsch, Heinekin etc, but the only beer here that I liked back home is Carling and Coors Lite. I'm not opposed to trying all the other beers as well, the pubs so far have house brews as well as other local beer I'd like to give a try.
We arrived in town a little earlier then most. International week starts tomorrow, and many of the english and welsh students wont move in until around the 20th leaving the town a little bit empty at the moment, so we havent met anyone other then Dan, Jess and a few of their friends.
Anyhow, I better take off, its getting close to dinner time here and we still need to go pick up a few snacks for tonight.
Take care,
Kyle
So like the title says, it is raining here in Treforest/Pontypridd today but that didn't stop Greg and I from going into Ponty to get a few items...we got soaked, but were able to get a few essentials for our flat.
Unfortunately for us, because we have no car, and are basically at the halfway point between the Treforest train station and the Pontypridd train station we have to walk about 15 minutes into Ponty to get anything we need. There are stores closer but they are more expensive, and much smaller. Because of this we can't get everything we need in one go, so we are basically living from our suitcases still and eating only the essentials.
The campus itself looks pretty nice but we havent done any exploring around just yet, we havent had the time. We all seem to be suffering a bit from jet lag aswell, sleeping in until around noon local time, right through our alarm clocks. Luckily we have nothing too important to do just yet.
We tried to set up bank accounts yesterday but because we need a specific letter from the school we can't get accounts until Monday at the earliest. This means we won't have cell phones of internet in our flat until likely the end of next week.
The beer situation is an interesting one to say the least. There are a number of brands here that I recognize like Carlsberg, Grolsch, Heinekin etc, but the only beer here that I liked back home is Carling and Coors Lite. I'm not opposed to trying all the other beers as well, the pubs so far have house brews as well as other local beer I'd like to give a try.
We arrived in town a little earlier then most. International week starts tomorrow, and many of the english and welsh students wont move in until around the 20th leaving the town a little bit empty at the moment, so we havent met anyone other then Dan, Jess and a few of their friends.
Anyhow, I better take off, its getting close to dinner time here and we still need to go pick up a few snacks for tonight.
Take care,
Kyle
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Here!!
Hey,
So we landed in Gatwick yesterday morning after a quick flight. As we took off from Pearson there was a wicked lightning storm not far off in the distance that looked incredible from our height in the sky. I have some pictures that I will post a little later on of the storm, us on the plane etc. when I get a little more time.
We don't have internet access in our flat, or cell plans yet either so I may not be able to communicate frequently until those things are set up. Luckily we have great flat mates in the flat below ours, and they have brought us to a 24 hour computer lab on campus and logged us onto the internet. They also showed us around alittle bit yesterday and took us to the bar where we met a few of their friends, shot some pool and had a beer.
Things are definately different over here so far but its neat seeing how people in another area of the world do every day tasks and live their lives. Its on thing to see it on the internet, or read about it, then it is to actually live in the other envirnment. We have only been here for less then 24 hours and the number of differences is just crazy.
Today we plan to go get bedding, some additional cleaning supplies, groceries, and hopefully set up a student bank account so that we can get our cell phones and internet in our flat set up.
So far the experience has been great, I only imagine it will get better and better as we get more and more accustomed to our envirnment and meet new people.
Regards,
Kyle
So we landed in Gatwick yesterday morning after a quick flight. As we took off from Pearson there was a wicked lightning storm not far off in the distance that looked incredible from our height in the sky. I have some pictures that I will post a little later on of the storm, us on the plane etc. when I get a little more time.
We don't have internet access in our flat, or cell plans yet either so I may not be able to communicate frequently until those things are set up. Luckily we have great flat mates in the flat below ours, and they have brought us to a 24 hour computer lab on campus and logged us onto the internet. They also showed us around alittle bit yesterday and took us to the bar where we met a few of their friends, shot some pool and had a beer.
Things are definately different over here so far but its neat seeing how people in another area of the world do every day tasks and live their lives. Its on thing to see it on the internet, or read about it, then it is to actually live in the other envirnment. We have only been here for less then 24 hours and the number of differences is just crazy.
Today we plan to go get bedding, some additional cleaning supplies, groceries, and hopefully set up a student bank account so that we can get our cell phones and internet in our flat set up.
So far the experience has been great, I only imagine it will get better and better as we get more and more accustomed to our envirnment and meet new people.
Regards,
Kyle
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
All Aboard!!
Hey everyone,
So its almost time to board the plane (Alex, Greg and I are waiting at our Gate ready to go) and here I am wondering what it is that I'll have forgotten at home...hopefully nothing. I prepared myself pretty well i would think, and I got this far through the airport so I didnt leave anything important at home at the least.
I decided that while I had time sitting here I would uninstall McAfee anti-virus and let me tell yea what a mistake that was. For some reason McAfee must be intertwined with my personal settings and display options because the bottom half of my screen looks like windows 97 while the top half is Windows 7. Ohwell I guess, Alex is computer savvy and can the save the day once we get to Wales.
Anyhow, I'll let you get on your way. My flight takes off soon (10pm), I will be landing at 5am EST, which is 10am in London. After this we will board a train for roughly 3-4 hours and be only minutes from our door step.
Take care everyone, I'll miss you all.
Regards,
Kyle
So its almost time to board the plane (Alex, Greg and I are waiting at our Gate ready to go) and here I am wondering what it is that I'll have forgotten at home...hopefully nothing. I prepared myself pretty well i would think, and I got this far through the airport so I didnt leave anything important at home at the least.
I decided that while I had time sitting here I would uninstall McAfee anti-virus and let me tell yea what a mistake that was. For some reason McAfee must be intertwined with my personal settings and display options because the bottom half of my screen looks like windows 97 while the top half is Windows 7. Ohwell I guess, Alex is computer savvy and can the save the day once we get to Wales.
Anyhow, I'll let you get on your way. My flight takes off soon (10pm), I will be landing at 5am EST, which is 10am in London. After this we will board a train for roughly 3-4 hours and be only minutes from our door step.
Take care everyone, I'll miss you all.
Regards,
Kyle
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Almost there!!
Hey everybody, welcome to my blog.
I am going to use this blog as a way of communicating to everybody how things are going in the UK, how school is going, where I am travelling etc. I plan to post an entry at least once or twice a week, maybe even more often then that depending what is going on.
If you didnt hear, I will be leaving for Wales on Tuesday September 7th at 10pm. The flight is 7 hours, landing at the Gatwick Airport in London, England. Once we land we will board a train from London right to our door step, literally. Our flat is only a few minutes walk from the train station in Pontypridd (where we will be staying). We expect to arrive sometime late afternoon or early evening depending how long it takes us to get through immigration and board the train.
I am not too familiar with this website and what I can do with my blog, but I hope to post pictures and maybe even videos as well. If I can't figure out how to do that then I will e-mail out pictures etc.
Enjoy!
Kyle
I am going to use this blog as a way of communicating to everybody how things are going in the UK, how school is going, where I am travelling etc. I plan to post an entry at least once or twice a week, maybe even more often then that depending what is going on.
If you didnt hear, I will be leaving for Wales on Tuesday September 7th at 10pm. The flight is 7 hours, landing at the Gatwick Airport in London, England. Once we land we will board a train from London right to our door step, literally. Our flat is only a few minutes walk from the train station in Pontypridd (where we will be staying). We expect to arrive sometime late afternoon or early evening depending how long it takes us to get through immigration and board the train.
I am not too familiar with this website and what I can do with my blog, but I hope to post pictures and maybe even videos as well. If I can't figure out how to do that then I will e-mail out pictures etc.
Enjoy!
Kyle
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