Megan

Jan 15, 2008

The first full day we were in Aberystwyth, a bunch of us walked along the coast to take pictures and to see what the town is like. We found that it is a beautiful town. The hostel we stayed in was a huge house that we figure used to be some sort of English plantation house. The only people staying there was our group of eighteen, so we had fun exploring. In town, as a group, we went to the Ceredigion Museum and learned about history of the area, attended our first pantomime – Mother Goose – took Welsh lessons, and visited the university in town, among other things.

The university visit was a highlight for me here. We toured the school of 7,000 students and got a feel for a bigger, public-school type of atmosphere. While visiting, we were exposed to some of the advanced research going on at the school. They have some impressive research going on, including work on autonomous robots and cancer. It was really cool to see the research projects of a more research-based school, since we are rarely exposed to things like this. 

The culture of Aberystwyth is much different from that in the States. One major difference is that there is very little driving of private vehicles. Public transportation and walking are the main forms of getting around, and are possible since they have a good bus system and the town is fairly small. While in town, I saw only two fast-food restaurants. This was very refreshing since at home it seems like every two blocks there is a McDonalds, Burger King, or Wendy’s on the corner. It was fun to be able to eat at small cafes that we don’t have at home. Another big cultural difference is that there is such a rich history throughout Wales. It was fun to hear about the history from different people in town because they were so proud to talk about it.