(Above: the view from the Hill)
I've made it safely across the pond to Aberystwyth, Wales! Aber has so many great things to offer: a castle, incredible views of the ocean, more pubs per student than any other town in the UK, and Welsh cakes! I've done a fair bit of exploring so far and there are a few American comforts like KFC (although for those of you who know me I won't be eating any chicken, ever...), Subway, and Dominos. The toughest part is that all those things are at the bottom of a massive hill so by the end of the year I hope to be very fit from walking up and down.
(Below: Aberystwyth Castle, the old University, and Constitution Hill)
In the week since I arrived, I've had a million tasks to do including but not limited to: registering for classes, getting a bank account, finding a sim card for my phone, getting to know my roommates, and exploring! Navigating the UK system has been quite challenging but they have kindly given us a whole week to sort everything out.
Although the UK is not as different from America as Russia, over the week I've had some interesting cultural realizations. I think one of the major ones is getting used to left side road traffic. From looking for cars when crossing the street to shuffling to one side of a busy sidewalk, I've got it backwards. I find myself looking checking for cars three, four, and five times before I cross the street. However, even on a one lane road as I look in the proper direction (UK proper) to cross, instinctively I check one time in the US direction before I cross. On a busy sidewalk, whereas in America we would shuffle right, the British shuffle left. The difficulty is that there are many internationals in Aber because it is a University town so determining the correct direction to shuffle can be quite a struggle.
(Below: our kitchen and living area)
My flat is very nice! It was built only a few years ago so everything is quite new and high tech. Although I live with 10 other students, we each have our own shelf in the fridge, in the freezer, two cupboards and one drawer for our kitchen stuff. Unfortunately my cupboards are quite sparse since I could only bring the essentials with me.
In my flat there are 4 English, 2 Welsh, 1 German, 1 Norwegian, 1 Australian, and 1 American. So we've all had quite a bit of fun with our different cultures and different ways to say things. I said, "I don't really like eggplant," and one of my English flatmates said, "What's an eggplant?" Aubergine.Classes begin on Monday and I am very excited. The modules (as they're called in the UK) that I am taking consist of: Critical Security Studies: Emerging issues, Devolution and the National Assembly, and Post-Western International Relations. More to come about those.
(Right: the International Politics building done in Welsh Slate)
(Below: Me at Aberystwyth Castle!)
