One week after Cardiff...

I finally got a picture of a grey squirrel!

I can't believe it. It's already been a week since I left Cardiff (well, with the 5 hour difference between Wales and Vermont... Wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey). I had a very subdued final night, just some laughs and goodbyes with my flatmates. They were gearing up to go out clubbing, but I opted to stay in. I'd be needing all the sleep I could get!
Here are a couple shots of my room in various stages of packing:

View out my window

Here are a couple pictures of my ensuite:

My bathroom is a pod. Everything is within arms-reach and we'll just leave it at that.

To top it off, here are some pictures of the building my flat is in:

My window is on the British Second/American Third floor

Door leading out to the walkway we share with the neighbouring flat

On the 15th, I woke up promptly at 5am. I finished packing all my stuff, made some cheese-on-toast (British term for grilled cheese sandwich) plus a cup of tea and dropped off my room key. What a sad process! I gained another rolling suitcase (since I had some new stuff to fit in back at home), so it was a struggle going down those stairs one last time. My taxi almost left without me! I took the taxi to the Cardiff Bus Station and waited to be taken away. On the advice of a friend, I took the National Express, which dropped me off right by my terminal at Heathrow. No struggling with the Tube for this girl! The bus ride was really nice. The seats were roomy, it was air-conditioned and there was even an outlet for charging my gadgets.

My parting shot of Cardiff from a moving bus. It's of Cardiff Arms Park and that Alex Cuthbert sign advertising ticket prices. I'd have loved to get some silly pictures of myself and that sign, but I guess I'll save that for my return!

Even though we had to take an alternate route due to construction (some things remain constant, no matter which side of the Atlantic you're on!), I got to Heathrow with time to spare! I hydrated up, got some lunch and poked around the high-end shops. For fun, I walked into the Hermès Store because the jewel-tones caught my eye. The silk scarves didn't even have price-tags on them. I knew that this was a troubling sign, "If you have to ask, you can't afford". I did get some little things at the duty-free shop though (My bags were super full at this point). I also messaged my relatives and friends in the UK, letting them know that I was on my way back.

Asking the relatives for the best way to watch the rugby back at home. But would they approve of a hwntw like Leigh marrying into the family? That's what I should've been asking! Haha.

As soon as I got into Heathrow proper, I was surrounded by American accents. My ears cried out in protest, "Noooo! This is terrible! Why are you here, making us listen to these noises!?" I had to reacclimatise to my own accent, even though I was exposed to it in great quantities in Cardiff (maybe American friends you meet within the first month don't count? Further study is needed. If anyone wishes to fund my research into this phenomenon, the donations box is right next to the exit).

I settled in for the (seemingly) longest plane-ride ever.
Fun Fact #36: The plane-ride back from Beijing that I took three years ago (the one where I saw two sunsets and flew over the North Pole), felt shorter than this. Maybe it was because I was sitting next to friends and not two random ladies.
Fun Fact # 37: Virgin Airways, being the quintessential British company, observed Tea Time.

Heh-heh. Mile High Tea.

I watched Django and some TV shows that were available. I also slipped in and out of wakefulness.

Some light reading for the ride back. I traveled over the Atlantic whilst reading probably the only H P Lovecraft story where the Elder Evil is defeated and ends on a slightly up-beat note.

Finally, I touched down at JFK Airport. I waited in the queue for customs and immigration, American accents and slang grating on my eardrums. I had five hours to kill between my touching down in the USA until my flight into Burlington. Happily, there was free wifi, so this wasn't as much of a problem as it initially seemed. I got some dinner and set about letting everyone know that I was back in 'Merica.

Fun Fact #38: The signs in JFK were bilingual, which I was used to. However, they were English and Spanish, not English and Welsh. Come on, JFK! Don't make me go all Anglesey-extremist in order to get my beloved Brythonic language represented on the signage!

I looked really out of place in JFK. My black pleather jacket (which is trendy in Cardiff) made me stand out amidst the sundresses and short-sleeves of New York. I felt bold and a little dangerous.

Fun Fact #39: At the next table up from me was a young-looking sister in her habit. She and I caught ourselves looking at the other over dinner and we waved.

At 10:14 pm EST, I boarded the plane from JFK to Burlington. Here are some shots of Long Island that I took from the air.

The actual view was more spectacular 

So many lights!

At long last, I landed in Burlington. I gave little half-sobs of joy as I stepped off the plane. And it was wonderful beyond words to see my parents again. That should go without saying!

It's been a busy week for me with not much time to mourn the loss of my second home. I have had some little things that need adjusting to (like getting to drive again, woohoo!). I have also been trying to find some stuff that reminds me of Cardiff. A couple days ago, I was in a larger Shaws and discovered that they had digestives in their "British and Irish" section in the International Aisle.

Dark Chocolate McVitie's! Yum yum yum.

So, expect a post from me about my adjustment, Cardiff travel advice and more!

Cheers!

With a heavy heart

Hello all,

It's been some time since I updated the ol' blog. I have a large backlog of pictures to sort through. I also had exams that needed attending to.

Today marks my final week in Cardiff. I have succeeded in not crying about it yet, but just give it some time. This clip reflects my feelings on this situation.

I'm sure I'll feel a bit more verbose later on. Expect a nice, lengthy reflective post.

I'll be back in the great state of Vermont sooner than I can comprehend.

Cheers!

Stepping into the Dragon's Lair

Hello again!

Representing the United States in one of the most Welsh things ever!

I haven't really been up to too much as of late, but that all changed this past Monday...
I toured the Millennium Stadium with my friend Kirsten W.
The tour was scheduled to start at 2pm, but we needed to check in by 1:45pm. I was a little worried about Kirsten showing up on time (the bank holiday was playing havoc with the buses). While I waited, I chatted with the guy working at the counter in the WRU store. He was very excited to meet an American (I'm sensing a theme here). He was a Cardiff native. I talked about being an international student at Cardiff University (Also shared that Dr. Jamie Roberts and I talked about being bioscience students, yay connections!).

Fun Fact #31: I swear, as soon as someone brings up that they're Welsh, it's only a matter of time that the topic of the rugby will be breached. Call it: Erin's First Law of Welsh Conversation.

Luckily, Kirsten showed up in time for the tour to start! We started off by watching a 4-minute movie that gave an overview of the stadium. Then we walked out of the WRU store into the stadium proper.

What lovely weather we're blessed with on this bank holiday! 

Symbol of the WRU: the Prince of Wales feathers

Our first stop was the Ray Gravell Press Area.

Where the captains and coaches would sit to be grilled by the press! 

Grav at the eisteddfod 

Our guide engaged in a little banter about how the losing side traditionally is first to meet the press. "So the English are first in the room usually". It was cute to see the kids on the tour sitting up at the desk and give a pretend press-conference.

In the hallway, we heard about the early days of Welsh rugby. Edward Treharne was called to play from out of the crowd during a Wales vs. England match because the Welsh side only had 13 players instead of 15! This was back in 1881.

Next up was the Home Dressing Room.

Some workout equipment 

Y Ddraig Goch! That's "The Red Dragon" in Welsh!

The guide told us the story of how the dressing room was cursed (because the footballers used to change there and they always lost!). A Feng-shui master was brought in. Apparently there were too many corners and the qi was stagnating or something. So he threw around some rocksalt, said some incantations and walked a horse and bird around outside. And after all that, they still lost! They had a local artist come in and paint a mural, and that seemed to do the trick!

Lucky Mural!

Our guide played us a "cleaned-up" version of a coach's speech. I do have to say, after hearing it, I was ready to step out onto the pitch and do Wales proud!

Numerical order: Gethin Jenkins, Richard Hibbard, Adam Jones,  Alun Wyn Jones (and I can't read or remember number five, sorry!), but I think number 6 is Sam Warburton... 

Justin Tipuric, Toby Faletau, Mike Phillips and Dan Biggar

Alex Cuthbert, Jamie Roberts, Jonathan Davies, and George North 

Oh, Leigh... 

Ken Owens, James Hook and Luke Charteris

Poor Ryan Jones. Omitted from the Lions, Barbarians, Wales' squad to play Japan, and now my photos. I'm so sorry!

Lloyd Williams, Paul James and Scott Williams.

The floor was slightly springy, apparently it's easier on the players' feet.

Massage tables? What does it take to be a masseuse for the team?!

Cap commemorating international appearances 

On our way out to the Stadium pitch, there was a photo taken of the 2012 Welsh squad in their regional kits.

Recognise anyone?

I wanted to enter the pitch with my American Flag Scarf streaming out behind me, but, alas, t'was not meant to be. Too many people in front clogging up the tunnel. They did have cheering playing while we walked out, so that was pretty cool.

The door for the Players' Tunnel! 

Lens Flair!!  

The pitch is palletised, meaning that it can be removed for other events. The grass is from Scunthorpe, so it's fair to say that the Welsh technically haven't lost on home turf. Cheeky.

The event they're preparing for is the FIM British Speedway GP 2013. Rhianna will be performing here on June 10th!

Who's directing this? J. J. Abrams?! 

Makes me wonder what it's like to run out here to a full-house! 

Assembling the race track!

After this was the football dressing room. Our guide poked fun at the footballers. Apparently, both the football and rugby teams used the same room. The rugby coach at the time, Warren Gatland, disliked the room immensely. When he went to speak to the team, his back was always to someone. I'm told that  Gatland, being a very persuasive man, arranged to get the rugby dressing room moved to its present location. The invitation was extended to the footballers, but they declined. Our guide guessed that it was because the mirrors were here!

Can you find me?

The Millennium Stadium hosted a couple Olympic events.

We were able to climb to the highest seats in the stadium! I have to tell you, the view was awesome. I think it would've been better to watch the Varsity match from there than from the seats closer to the pitch!

Feel the vertigo! Also, feel the burn climbing up all those steep steps! 

In the corner there, I think that's where commentators sit, but I could be wrong...

As the finale of the tour, we walked over to the President's Box. Hands-down, the best seats in the house, right by the centre line. You can't buy tickets here, you have to be invited by the WRU president. Quite a few celebrities have sat here over the years (including Will and Kate!).

The Royal Seats have extra arm-room! 

More seats in the President's Box, note the inferior arm-room. Peasants!

Our guide brought out a trophy for us to pose with (It was a Wales vs Argentina trophy from 2009, if I recall correctly). Not to brag too much, but I already have a trophy picture and it was with the Six Nations trophy. Kirsten and I felt like we could skip this part.

And that concludes our tour!

After the tour, Kirsten and I dodged the rain and got some stuff at Starbucks. I also went shopping a little bit by myself. I grabbed a quick late-lunch/early-dinner at Crepe Affaire. It was very much needed! As the rain continued to pour, I went to the Chaplaincy to dry off and take a break. People were still raving about the dinner Rosina and I made last Sunday (chicken drumsticks in a spicy tomato sauce with curry rice and veg). I love the people there, such a nice group. What a great way to spend a rather dreary day.

When I got back, I posted a photo to my Instagram account and tagged the WRU in it. They posted it on their Facebook page. Here are the current stats on it.

Impressive! I feel so loved.

Cheers!