PackProud~n~Wales: Salisbury and Stonehenge

PackProud~n~Wales: Salisbury and Stonehenge: "Last weekend I visited Stonehenge and Salisbury, a town fairly close to Stonehenge. This trip was a bit spontaneous. I bought a ticket from ..."

Salisbury and Stonehenge

Last weekend I visited Stonehenge and Salisbury, a town fairly close to Stonehenge. This trip was a bit spontaneous. I bought a ticket from an American exchange student named Andrew at the last minute. He, Sonja, and Alice had planned the trip, but when Andrew decided not to go I jumped at the chance.

Stonehenge was fantastic! It's hard to imagine that any civilization would have the capability to transport stones ranging from 3 to 25 tons across miles of water and land, and considering the first stone was placed around 3,000 b.c.; the concept of this mission is overwhelming. I learned on my tour that in 2,000 a group tried to reenact the journey, and attempted to sail a stone from West Wales to Wiltshire, the mission failed and the boat sank. I did not expect Stonehenge to be that exciting, but when I learned about the difficulty and mystery behind the Stones it made the trip unforgettable.

Salisbury was another great addition to this trip. It's a very small, old English town. The streets are barley large enough to fit two cars between and the buildings are crammed together, but it has a very peaceful and soothing environment. Remains from old statues, buildings, and monuments are scattered throughout the town and it adds to Salisbury's charm.

However, my favorite part of Salisbury was the Cathedral. We did not tour the Cathedral, but we were able to explore around the outside of the building and the courtyard. Also, we decided to attend the evening choir service, so we could view the inside. The service was incredible. The only people there were, like us- obviously tourist, but the choir sang brilliantly. Hearing this incredible music while surrounded by architecture grandeur, giant stain glass windows, and even tombs (which were a little creepy) gave the experience a surreal feeling. You realize that your standing in the middle of centuries of history and that the building will probably remain standing throughout the next century or so, and it feels as if your in the middle of a fairy tale.

After the service, we had to literally run through the streets of Salisbury trying to find our way back to the train station. For those who know me, you know due to my poor since of direction, I was useless. Luckily, Sonja is a genius and was able to navigate her way back, either that or she guessed extremely well.  Either way we made it just in time to hop on the train and take the 4hr. train ride home. Spending most of that time asleep because after a full day of touring, sigh-seeing, and a epic marathon sprint we were exhausted!

These descriptions do not do these places justice, and I imagine that it was one of those things you have to experience yourself to understand. But, I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Salisbury and Stonehenge. I was able to see one of the biggest mystery in human history and view a building which represents British culture/heritage. I was also able to have fun and enjoy spending time with new friends, and meet a few people in Salisbury. All-in-all I can say I am extremely lucky and glad that I decided to take this random trip:)

Hope Swansea and Internship

Last Sunday, some study abroad students and I went to a local church. When we arrived we discovered that they were not meeting this Sunday, and that a group of local churches (from various denominations) were meeting together for a worship service. It was a unique experience. Each of the churches who attended this service are members of a program called Hope Swansea. Hope Swansea unites churches in Swansea of all denominations for the purpose of praying for the city of Swansea. They set up "lighthouses" in various locations all around Swansea and program members sign up to pray regularly at these locations. It was inspiring to see a community so willing to look past differences and work together to serve the Lord. I am so thankful that God allowed me to be apart of their worship and celebration.

The following week, I began working at my internship. The British Court system operates in a unique manner. Individuals charged report to the Magistrates court and the Magistrates determine if these individuals will be sentenced in their court or at the Crown Court (higher court for major criminal offenses). The Magistrates are not judges, but three members of the community chosen for this volunteer position. They receive some training and are advised during each session by the Court Clerks Office (the office overseeing my internship). I have been able to observe the courts and trials during my time at the Court and the thing I have found to be most interesting is the discretion with which these Magistrates sentence offenders. The punishments are completely within the Magistrates personal control and as a result similar cases will receive extremely varied judgments. I am enjoying working at the court and it is proving to be a great learning opportunity.

I am enjoying my time in Wales so much:) My flatmates are fantastic people and we have all bonded very  quickly. They are teaching me new things about this country all the time. I am trying new things like eating beans and cheese toasties (pretty good) and watching British television (not as good), but it is all making this experience a learning opportunity of a lifetime.

So Long Overdue Introduction

I have been in Wales for a little over two weeks now and this is my first entry (which shows that it has been an extremely hectic two weeks and I am not a highly dedicated blogger). This will be my first blog entry and I have no idea what I'm doing, which is why I did not want to make a blog, so patience please.

For the first two weeks here I have been participating in Swansea study abroad orientation. During this orientation myself and somewhere around 35 other students took a class on British Culture, stayed in the on-campus residence hall called Kilvey, took several field trips, and started to explore Swansea. Swansea is a beautiful city and I can walk to the beach from the school, so it is pretty much perfect (with the exception of the horrible weather). The weather in Swansea is moody and changes constantly between sunny/chilly, cloudy/chilly, cold, and raining/cold:) but the raining cold seems to be the prevailing favorite. However, the amazing atmosphere of the city and the beautiful surroundings more than compensate for the annoying weather.

I have also been able to explore a little around the United Kingdom during these two weeks. I have been to Saint Fagans a live museum of historic Wales, which has a castle with beautiful gardens. Also, we took a field trip to Bath and it is currently my favorite place in England. Bath was a Roman City, the ruins of the Roman baths and abbey still remain. We explored the ruins, had a delicious lunch at a cafe, and then did a river tour of the city.

This past weekend, eight of the orientation students and I went to London to take advantage of our three day weekend. As with all of my trips so far this was amazing, but it was also the first trip I have taken that involved staying the night in a different city. We stayed at a hostel in North London (unfortunately it turned out to be further away from the city than we expected), but the facilities were very nice. Each day we took the "Tube" into the city and manged to fit a large variety of events into three days. Our first night in London, we were able to pick up student tickets for Wicked. The show was fantastic and the casts' accents made it thirty times better. The next day we did a tour of Buckingham Palace and every room has overwhelmingly elaborate fixtures, paintings , statues, etc. After this we saw the rest of the classic tourist areas; Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Millennium Bridge, and the Globe Theater...maybe even a few more that I may have forgotten. I loved London. It almost seems like England's version of New York, or maybe more accurately New York is the American version of London. Although in my opinion London has a bit more history and grandeur to some of it's attractions. The entire group had a fantastic time and it was very close to a perfect weekend.

Hopefully this first attempt at "blogging" went ok, and from now on I will try to update more often...that way there isn't so much at one time.

I hope everyone is doing well!