What I need to do before I go

So officially a week today and I go to London for the weekend and from there another three weeks of travelling. The beginning of the trip I felt like went by really slow but now it’s already our last weekend here at Trinity. And before we go we need to do a few things. Along with a long list of final assignments to complete we need to go to the Spread Eagle tomorrow for our last Saturday night there, I'm going horseback riding on Sunday which I'm really excited for and then were going to celebrate Canada Day here in Wales on our last night. We are going to inform the Welsh of when Canada Day is and how we celebrate it.
But on the side of all that stuff is a lot of school and a lot of things that I need to check off my 'to do' list, (this blog being one of them). There are final projects, a final exam, a final writing assignment and then there will be time to relax. So there is a lot to do and I better go and get to it. I don't know if this will be my last blog for sure but there will be a bit of a break while I complete all the stuff I just mentioned. But maybe, for parental sake, I'll find myself with some time while I'm in Paris or Dublin when I want to give another update or write about some really weird night. But I think I will write again I just don't know when, but for now I will go. Go do some work, do some packing, some travelling, eating, drinking and shopping.

Bye, Jessie

Days Until London: 7
Days Until Glasgow: 9
Days Until Dublin: 13
Days Until Paris: 17
Days Until Barcelona: 21
Days Until Vancouver: 29

Gower Coastline

We drove and drove and drove into what seemed like empty hills sides and endless grass where there couldn't possibly be a town or anything out there. And the further we drove I kept thinking that "were never actually going to get where were going," but eventually we did. The Gower Coastline and Rhossili Bay, is a small remote area which is a very popular tourist spot.
Today was the first day where it was actually hot; we have had lots of nice, sunny days but never hot and today was hot. So it felt really good to be out in the sun in my summer dress. The heat and the sun brought out lots of people to the coast with the Rhossili Bay beach that goes for three miles long. An interesting feature that is a part of this bay is something called the Worm's Head; it is a small tidal island that is only accessible when the tide is low. So there are only certain times when people can walk across the bare rocks to the Worm’s Head. And if the area called the causeway begins to have the tide come in then people are meant to stay on the small island because of how fast the tide comes in. Luckily while we were there today the time was good for us to walk across the causeway to the Worm's Head. I didn't think I would be doing activity like that today; I was wearing sandals to, definitely not the best shoes for climbing over steep rocks. But I did, it was hard and easy to slip into the tiny pools of water ever where but I managed not the fall. And once you get the other side you see how far you've walked and how pretty the view is. Then the walk back, since you've already done the trip once isn't as bad anymore. I would have enjoyed myself a little more if I was wearing my runners or something but by the time I got back I really felt accomplished, just like when you finally reach the end of the Grouse Grind.

Days until London: 7

Goodbye House

When I was walking back to school from Tesco this evening, with my bags of food in my hands for some reason I began to think about what I should expect when I go home at the end of July. And the truth is I don't know what to expect. The reason being is that my parents have recently sold my house and we have until the end of July to get everything moved out. When the deal was being made I knew I would be going on this trip and I wanted to make sure that I will be home for the last day in that house since I've lived there since I was five. So I get home on July 23rd and I have about a week to pack up all my stuff before we need to be out.
I feel bad in the way that I'm not there now to help clean and pack. But so much packing is happening now as I'm gone and when I get home I'll be able to go home to my house but it will be so different. As I walk I began to think; how empty is it going to be? Is furniture going to be gone? Will almost everything be gone when I get home? I don't know what to expect and its going to be hard coming home, and once I get there I'll only have a week to live in it. I'm going to have to say goodbye to my house really fast and it’s going to be difficult.

Tenby

Tenby reminded me a lot of White Rock, except there was no white rock and there was more then just the one beach. Tenby is a medieval city and has its city centre surrounded by a stone wall and the four different beaches encircle the town. There is Harbour Beach, North Beach, Castle Beach and South Beach, and I spent most of my day at Castle Beach.
We arrived at about 10:30 am and a large group of us just went straight to the very large area of sand that is Castle Beach. It felt kind of like home again, to be at the beach and near the water seeing as were a group of students from the west coast. The tide was out so the beach area was huge and it was so early in the morning there was hardly anyone else there but us. As soon as I got to the sand I took my shoes and walked along the beach. I went all the way out to the water and spent a good deal of time with my legs in the water, taking pictures. Just walking down the beach in my bare feet was a very nice and relaxing start to the day.
After the beach I went into the town and just walked around, it has a small, compact feeling to it and everywhere I turn I would see either a candy shop and or an ice cream shop. Some people definitely took advantage of the sweets.
At one point a few of us needed to go to the washroom and in trying to find one we ended up walking in a big circle around the town all the way back to the public washrooms at the same beach where we started our day. And then a few of us just went back to the beach, which had increased in the number of people and the sun was beaming. We sat out in the sun and it felt really nice not worry about getting to the next thing so quickly and to be constantly moving, it felt good to be still, on the beach, in the sun.

Days until London weekend: 8

Wanting to go to the beach

So there is only nine days left before the London weekend, this will end the Wales Field School and begin my travels across Europe. And I am counting down the days to when all the school work is over and I can move on to a new and different city every four days.
I feel as though I’ve been in Wales for months and months but in reality it’s only been about tow and half weeks. And it’s strange to think how some people will be going home soon but I, as well as a lot of other students, will continue exploring and travelling. I still won’t be going home for another month but I am so excited for my personal travels to start, especially to Barcelona.
Barcelona is the last city I will be travelling to before I go back to London where I will fly home from. Spain is so far away and I think Barcelona is the city I’m most excited for, the heat, the sun, the beach and all of the wonderful cultural attractions. More then anything I want to be on a beach in the sun, in the warm water relaxing and not having to worry about anything.

Days to London: 9
Days to Barcelona: 23

My comfort zone

Yesterday morning in place of the PEFA class the group was invited to be a part of a workshop about Under Milk Wood, a play by Dylan Thomas. I knew that I was going to be a part of this but I didn't expect the morning to be what it was. I thought that all of us would be sitting at tables reading out loud and discussing the play. However to surprise this Monday morning turned out to be a lot more interesting. My background is in theatre and I was so happy to discover that the whole class would be involved in playing out specific scenes from Under Milk Wood. This type of work was definitely not in some people's comfort zones but for me it was and I was extremely excited to utilize my background of learning. We even started out with some warm-up exercises before we got into the scenes. Exercises that developed character, concentration and focus, I was very glad we did that because doing warm-up is what I’m used to doing before starting the work.
I felt very at home and in my element and I was able to explore different characters. I've just graduated from my theatre program and since the end of April I haven't really done lots of theatrical type things because of preparation for this trip, so yesterday morning just felt so good to do something that I truly enjoy.

Goodbye for now.

No bathing in Bath

Saturday:

On the bus at 7:30am, a two and half hour bus ride and lots of sleeping on the bus led me to Bath, England. We were given approximately five hours of our own time to explore the city any way we wanted to.
The city itself is like being in a painting, the Abbey and the Roman Baths are all such old buildings full of history. Just walking around the city, looking at all the structures and buildings is amazing.
This English city is the home of the famous Roman baths. These hot spring baths are where the Romans would come for relaxation, spirituality and healing. As one of my activities for the day I went to the baths, I mean how could I not? The museum part is so full of history and artefacts. Once I got in I was introduced for the first time to these interesting gadgets that look a lot like a large cell phone. You hold the phone up to your ear and as you move around the museum you punch in certain numbers and a voice from inside narrates the history of what you are looking at.
The baths itself are gorgeous, the pillars and statues surround the area making it even more beautiful. The baths still bubble from the heat and you can see the steam coming off the water. Everything in these baths is all original, even the water and the lead lining around it. This is obviously not the healthiest thing to bathe in. Being around them makes you want to get in the water or put your feet in it to feel its warmth. But all around it are signs telling you not to because of how dangerous and unhealthy it can be.
After the baths as a part of our admission we were able to get a discounted admission to the Bath Fashion Museum and we went. It wasn't a very large museum but it was full of clothing that time lined all the different styles of clothing throughout the ages. There was one of Queen Victoria's black dresses from her period of mourning which was almost sad to see because you think of her story and why she wore black for so long. But in one section we were able to be young girls again playing dress-up. We were able to put on the large tie up skirts and corsets and be a part of a different time.
After all that I walked around the town, it’s full of shops and has an abundance of street performs, so it will never be boring on the streets of Bath. Whether that is musicians, statue performs or magicians there will be something to see.