The Hoard of Americans

Hello again,

This week has gone by surprisingly quick, but then again, I suppose its understandable. This was our first week of real classes, and we are all still figuring out how to maneuver around Cardiff. A potent example is our foray to physics class. 5 of us Colgatians are in physics, which is comforting because the physics building is a whopping 30-40 minute walk from where we live. And its not exactly easy to get there. We tested the waters on Sunday, and found the building just fine. There is a shortcut though, and this is where things get tricky. To get to class on Wednesday, we had to find a series of walkways that would lead us over the train tracks that run through the city. We got a little lost, but apparently since I am in Outdoor Education and know where I am going all the time (not true at all), we made it to class with 30 minutes to spare.

The point of this little story is that so far, all 15 of us have been practically glued at the hip. It is understandable that we take comfort in the knowledge that we are with people that also a) don't know where they are going, b) don't know how to so simple tasks like buy stamps, and c) don't know ANYONE else on this large campus. So we basically travel in hoards, sometimes the full 15 of us, other times just in groups of 5 or 6. This wouldnt be so much of a problem if we didn't stick out like a sore thumb and generally overwhelm the walkways and businesses of Cardiff. We walk into a pub and ask the people to seat all 10 of us, and we are always conferring in doorways or small hallways about where to go and what to do next.

We are slowly moving away from this mob mentality as we make friends with our flat mates and branch out in other ways. It is always nice to have a safety net of amazing Americans to fall back on, but it is also important that we branch out and explore the culture we have been plopped in to. After all, this place wouldn't be so different from Colgate if we all just saw each other everyday.

I had the good fortune of being able to sign up for the white water kayaking club here at Cardiff, and Jackie (fellow outdoors woman) went to a "river run" pub crawl. Not only was this my first ever pub crawl, I also got to make some new friends who love to paddle and play "kayak polo." I look forward to seeing what this club is all about, and it will be great doing it with just one other American!

Cheers,

Caroline