Merry Christmas!

Hi Everyone!

I do have some material for a new video, but time is running out before I head to Pewsey in Wiltshire for my Xmas holiday... I hope you all have a fantastic Christmas and a Happy New Year, and I will get that video made as early in 2010 as I can!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

Lots of things happening!

Hello Rotarians and Friends!

So many things have happened in the last few weeks, and I am sure there will be more to come! I hope you are all enjoying getting ready for Christmas - I know I am!

(*) Polymers for Life Conference - I spent an afternoon at Liberty Stadium in Swansea listening to various speakers on polymers. It was very interesting - learnt about some amazing new products and research being done throughout the UK.

(*) Trip to Trostre Steel Works in Llanelli - really enjoyed being shown around the site as well as talking to some of the graduates and employees that work for the company - Corus and Tata Steel. Photos to come - check the right hand side of this page for the link in the next few weeks!

(*) Swansea Bay Rotary Club Christmas Dinner and Dance - wonderful evening in Sketty Hall, Swansea (see link on right hand side for photos). Thank you to Liz Hall for organising it - I had a fantastic time and the food was amazing! If you would like to see Swansea Bay Rotarians making shapes on the D-Floor, please click here.

(*) Hiking Trip - Sugarloaf Mountain in Abergavynny... Photo link to the right... I almost died. 4-5 hours of hiking = Claire can't walk for 2 days following. Great fun though, and will do it again in the New Year!

(*) Commonwealth 60 - the 60th Anniversary of the Commonwealth, an event held at Parliament in Cardiff. Was good to see the pictures and flags of those countries involved in the Commonwealth, and meet students from those countries. Also got to see Parliament workers in session, as well as take a few photos (mainly of the Canadian Oak roof and tree - see right hand side of this page). I was the only Kiwi there - and I was proudly representing New Zealand!

(*) Steeleye Span concert - One of my favourite bands came to Swansea so I dragged one of my friends along to see them - they are, without a doubt, the most impressive musical act I have seen live. I saw them in New Zealand when I was about 5, but obviously can't remember much of that! I definitely would like to see them again - if you have the chance to go and see them, do it! You will not be disappointed!

(*) Fundraising around Swansea city for various local charities - one being the Noah's Ark Appeal. Despite the slow traffic, hopefully we raised at least some money towards these organisations at Christmas. No photos though sorry!

I'll be back soon with more photos, updates, and hopefully videos soon! Merry Christmas everyone, enjoy the holiday season!

Late October and November!

This is my Beautiful Home Country...

First Report for Scholarship - as requested by Rotary Foundation for Rotary International

Claire-Elizabeth Ramson

2009/2010 Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar from District 9930, New Zealand to District 1150, Wales.

I write this from between my two windows in my 5^th floor room on campus at Swansea University, whilst the breeze filters through one window and the sun comes across the ocean through the other. On the wall beside me are photos of my friends and family in New Zealand, as well as notes and reminders of the new things that take up my time here – Student Radio, Volleyball, Squash, study, and of course, my Rotary club. I am currently based in South Wales, United Kingdom, where I carry out research for the Materials Engineering Department of Swansea University. There is truly nowhere else in the world I would rather be right now, and there are no other circumstances under which I would rather be here.

Studies

I am enrolled in a Masters of Philosophy at Swansea University, majoring in Materials Engineering. This translates to a 12-month project on the degradability of biopolymers. At first, I was a little lost, as this qualification is generally regarded as being at least 1 year ahead of where my undergraduate degree left off. However, I have a fantastic supervisor here that was able to push me in the right direction (usually the library) to set the planning of the project in motion. The subject is one I am incredibly passionate about and intrigued by – there is enough work in this area for me to turn the degree into a 3 year PhD if I so desire and I fear this is a tough decision I am going to have to make mid 2010. The research itself is fairly commercially sensitive as I am working in collaboration with a local company, an opportunity I am making the most of with my industry-like tendencies. What I can say, is that I am learning new techniques, machinery, knowledge, and skills, and that my creative side seems to be bursting at the seams – sometimes my ideas are so bizarre I have my whole flat laughing at me!

Preparation

Prior to leaving New Zealand mid-September, I spent 10 months or so mentally preparing myself to move 20,000 kms away. The most useful thing that I did was to eliminate expectations. This meant when I arrived, I was pleasantly surprised that people were friendly, that I could understand them, that I was happy with my accommodation, that my supervisor was helpful, and so on and so forth. I suspected I would get homesick, have jetlag, experience culture shock, and I knew living in the Halls of Residence would not be the type of environment I felt most comfortable in. However, I got myself into the frame of mind that this is an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me, and I couldn’t be bogged down with the “negatives”, especially seeing as there were so many positives. This approach worked fantastically – I arrived jetlagged and in awe of this country that is on the other side of the world from my own, but nothing so far has really fazed me. Although I miss my friends and family, I have yet to be truly homesick, and I have found myself able to step far out of my comfort zone on several occasions. Of course, there were more practical things I did to prepare myself for my year abroad, such as setting up a Skype account, a blog, reading about the UK, talking to people that have been to the UK, getting in touch with friends of friends that live in the UK, and reading travel books. In terms of my sponsor Rotarians, together we gathered information about the local attractions and culture, and I put this together into the basis for my presentations.

Ambassadorial Activities

As shown on the “required presentations” form, I have been actively involving myself in Rotary, attending events and meetings once or twice a week. I have been in Wales for 7 weeks, during which time I have given 3 half hour presentations about myself and the Kiwi culture and 1 joint half hour presentation with an Ambassadorial Scholar from Iowa, America, as well as attending the LINK weekend Scholar Conference in Leicester and the District 1150 District Conference in Torquay. I have also visited the Swansea Coastguard with a GSE team from Adelaide, Australia, as well as attending my host club meetings every Wednesday evening. My club has been the primary sponsor of a fashion show whilst I have been here, and also part of a quiz night with a couple of other Rotary clubs – both evenings I attended and supported. I have a fabulous host counsellor here, Gwenda Griffiths, who doesn’t hesitate to promote me to other clubs – I have 7 presentations currently in the pipeline. I am planning on being an active member of my host club – we have a few projects lined up and I have expressed my interest to help out. I am also in the process of organising my own project in collaboration with RIBI, although this is not finalised yet.

First Impressions

When I first arrived in Swansea by train, I was greeted by not only my host club president, Mair Williams, but by the District Governor Nominee, Mike Parry. Mike had taken time out of his busy day to meet and photograph me, and Mair had kindly said she would have me stay at her house for 4 nights until my University accommodation was ready. I then had 4 days of being shown around Swansea by various members of my host club. I was immediately, and still am, blown away by how lucky I am to be in Swansea. Everything has seemed to work out here. I won’t forget the first thing I saw when I got off the train at the station – two people wearing bright yellow Rotary vests. After travelling 26 hours to the world’s busiest airport, finding my way to Reading, locating my hotel, and working out the train system whilst very jetlagged, seeing people that I immediately identified as trustworthy and safe was a huge comfort. Over the next few days I got to see the city and some of the area around it. Straight away, I was taken aback by the fact that the University is not only situated within a peaceful park (complete with squirrels), but it is directly across the road from a beautiful beach. The beach has a “prom” built parallel to it, which means I can enjoy a walk, high tide or low. Mumbles, just down the road a bit, has gorgeous beach/cliff walks, as well as a pier and some very grand houses to look at (including Catherine Zeta Jones’, and Bonnie Tyler’s). I would have to say the most prevalent first impression I had, was how at home I felt. The people, the things they do, the sights, the sounds, the sheep, the green grass – all made me feel welcome.

As I grew used to being 26 hours away from my former life, and 12 hours apart in real time, I noticed other small differences between Wales and New Zealand. Firstly, the things here are old – there are cobblestoned streets, churches, pubs, bridges, monuments, towers, and other buildings that are older than anything you see in a typical New Zealand town. Then, I noticed the cars. They were all small, and all new! Coming from a family that always has at least one shed-full of car parts being used for various classic car rebuilds at any one time, I found it strange I hadn’t seen a car more than 10 years old here! I understand the need for smaller sized cars here, yet I still found it odd. The number plates are yellow if they are on the back of the vehicle, whereas we have white ones on either end of our cars in New Zealand. I am also (still) confused when I try to buy meat at the supermarket. It comes in deep dishes here, as opposed to the shallow trays we have in NZ. This may seem trivial, but it really throws me. I found that Gouda cheese is around the same price as Edam or Cheddar here – it isn’t classed as a specialty cheese as it is in NZ. It is now my new favourite. There is only one type of basil pesto I have found so far – and it is jarred, meaning not as fresh as I am used to. That said, I think it is cheaper, and therefore I eat more of it!

I have had the opportunity to share my culture not only in Rotary presentations and at Rotary events, but with nearly everyone I have met. New Zealand is known because of the All Blacks (rugby team), so most everyone in Wales has some interest in it, yet the majority of people don’t actually know anything else about it! I’ve also found that because it is so far away and we are such a small country, people are very keen to tell me when they themselves or someone they know has been to New Zealand, or lives there. Uncanny as it sounds, sometimes I actually have connections to the person who has been in NZ.

Photographs

As I do not have access to a photograph-grade printer, and there are so many photos I would love to share with you, I would like to direct you to my blog. The site is www.RotaryScholarClaire.blogspot.com. This includes videos, photos, and typed posts about what I am up to here in Wales. There should also be links you can click that direct you straight through to the photo albums I have published online on facebook. Feel free to comment! I have added one photo below as well – one of myself and a Danish Scholar Benedicte, dressed in Indian costume at a Hindu Festival in Leicester – a prime example of the cultural diversity I am experiencing here!

New Zealand - The Best of Both Worlds

As I have met more Welsh people and more of Laura's American friends, I have realized that New Zealand is privileged in ways I have always took for granted. As you Kiwi's will know, we get a mixture of British and American media in NZ - Greys Anatomy vs. Top Hear, Miley Cyrus vs. Lily Allen, Paris Hilton vs. Peaches Geldof. Which makes sense - we're a small country and we would have a very boring television schedule if it just included news, weather, kids programmes, shortland street, go girls, and outrageous fortune. Anyway, the cool thing I've found is, this means we can act as translators between the British and the Americans!
We know what both a diaper and a nappy is, what trash and rubbish are, how to rent and hire things, and we can choose candy lollies or even sweets. There are others I've found as well - I should really make a list! I quite often find myself "translating" for Laura or another American, or for my Welsh/English friends from Laura - and yet I can't recall many times when I have had to have a word explained to me. This extends to celebrities, TV programmes, and even history. I met an American who didn't know who Bob Geldof was, and a guy from England who has never heard of Scrubs. We also take a lot of traditions from both countries - Guy Fawkes from Britain and Halloween from America. As we have our own culture as well, NZ truly does have the best of all worlds!

Oh - and I did go to Pembroke Docks, where there were several lectures on materials in the oil and gas industry. It was very interesting - combining my materials knowledge with my process engineering knowledge (the other half of my undergraduate degree). It was good to see first hand why my father worked in the industry for many years - I know I've made the right choice for me choosing polymers, but boy, chemical engineering and design is exciting! The people that ran the day are Materials Network Wales (MNW), of which my supervisor, Dr. J.C. Arnold, is the chairman. The next event they are running is one on polymers, and it is in Swansea, so I am hoping to attend that as well.

Quiz Night and Scholarly Presentations

There will be more photos and videos soon - but for now, you are stuck with my typing. SO! This week I started out by attending the Rotary Quiz evening hosted by the Mumbles club, with the competitors being themselves, Carmarthen Twyi, and Swansea Bay. The 9 rounds were intense, and the topics were varied and interesting. Carmarthen Twyi won the night, albeit narrowly, and the evening certainly was entertaining!

On Tuesday evening Gwenda drove myself and Laura down to Port Talbot, where we met with two other Ambassadorial Scholars, Emily (Brisbane, Australia - Cardiff) and Andrea (Munich, Germany - Cardiff) to present to the Rotary Club of Port Talbot. Gareth and Jan were there also, although I really didn't find enough time to catch up with everyone as well as talking to the many interesting people there! Laura and I had prepared a joint presentation, which I found flowed nicely and I really enjoyed being a part of Laura's story of her family and background. The other scholars provided invaluable insight into their family lives, country's, and backgrounds - I would love to see some other presentations because although I have met and befriended both Emily and Andrea before, it was fantastic hearing about what they wanted to share. If any of you Rotarians out there have the opportunity to see any of these girls speak, I can highly recommend it - and I'm sure the 5th 1150 Ambassadorial Scholar Wendy Swain in Aberystwyth is equally as captivating.

Tomorrow I am heading to Pembroke to some lectures relevant to the oil and energy industry - I am particularly excited as my father worked on a few of the oil refineries and chemical plants in Pembrokeshire about 25-30 years ago, so it will be great to see the area. I'm sure I will enjoy it!

The Most Lovely Club of Swansea St Mary's...

Last night I gave my presentation to The Rotary Club of Swansea St Mary's, at Sketty Hall. Several members of the Mumbles club were there too - Because I have been to several events so far, I am starting to see Rotarians I have already met, which is great! As usual with Rotarians, Liz Jones (Pres. Elect Swansea Bay) and I were made to feel most welcome, and I had the pleasure of sitting at the top table. After my presentation, a Foundation representative went through what the Ambassadorial Scholarship was about - something I was very grateful for, as it is one of the several things that just don't fit into the short space I have for presenting. There is a link on the right hand side of the page here ------> that should take you to the RI page on Ambassadorial Scholarships, which is a useful source of information on what I am meant to be doing this year! Anyway, back to the meeting last night - the Foundation member had been reading my blog (hello!), and had read that I need more photos to put on my walls, and that I miss Fresian cows... apparently there are lots here, I just haven't seen any! I was then presented with an A4 print out of a fresian dairy cow to pin on my wall! It was wonderful to be received with such thoughtfulness, as well as humour! Thank you Swansea St Mary's!

I would also like to mention that a week or so ago I spoke to the Rotary Club of Llanelli, but I unfortunately didn't blog about it afterwards. It too, was an enjoyable evening for me, accompanied by Mair, Gwenda, Liz Jones, Bryan, Mike, and Anne Bowen all from Swansea Bay. I do like being asked questions about my own country and culture, and I am learning more about it myself when I have to come home and google the answers to the questions I didn't know! Again, thank you Llanelli for hosting us for the evening, I hope you found my presentation interesting!

For those that like to read,,,

Here is an excerpt from my personal blog - if you would like to know how I am personally finding the trip abroad as a whole.


The Truth about Life in Wales...

It's epic. My life in Wales is pretty exciting, if anyone gets the chance to go overseas I would say take it with both hands. In saying that, I would really recommend making sure you are at the right place in your life when you leave NZ though... I am fortunate enough to have the last 6 and a half years of my life consist of 2 terribly homesick years, 1 party year, 3 emotionally draining years at uni, and 8 months of getting used to the idea I would soon be 20,000 kms away from anyone i knew. So I was ready!

Obviously when I first got to the UK I was jetlagged, so didn't really know up from down (I was going to say left from right, but I get those confused 95% of the time jet lag or no jet lag). I switched into business mode straight away, and was really calm finding my way around heathrow airport. Except the ONE internet cafe they had was broken! I had to call my Papa at 5am NZ time to get him to log in to my email to get a reference code it turned out I didn't even need! Anyway, thanks daddy :D The next day, in Reading, I explored like a good tourist would. I took heaps of photos, because in my jetlagged state I couldn't decide what was good and what wasn't. The first 4 days in Swansea I was with Mair, the Rotary President of my club here. Anything she suggested, I just said yes to. I gave a 30 minute presentation to the club, but luckily it was about myself so I could wing it with the help of the slideshow I made. That weekend I was in the halls, but there was no one around. I went on a trip to the national botanical gardens of wales, not because I desperately wanted to see them, but because it was free and something to do. About this time I was ready to meet people and get into it!

Since then, I have joined the student radio station, the engineering society, been to leicester, mumbles, torquay, llanelli, have gotten books out of both the public library and the university library, been shopping several times, and am hoping to join the volleyball team. It is safe to say I am pretty much into it all over here. My best friends here are a pre-dental from Iowa, America, and an international development/politics from the Netherlands (that's Laura and Elise if you hear me talking about them again). I have met some other really cool people here as well, but not everyone can expect a shout out can they? Yesterday I spoke to my University supervisor, and I'm going to start experiments late next week. On Monday I move into my office in the Engineering department - I share it with 2 others, and our names are on the wall outside the door! I have my own key to that and the labs, as well as after-hours access to the building. Am I grown up or what?!

Rotary is going well too, I have already done 5 of my 10-15 activities for the year - 2 presentations and 3 visits (Scholar conference in Leicester, District conference in Torquay, the Swansea Coastguard with the Group Study Exchange (GSE) team from Adelaide, Australia), plus I have another 4 or so booked. My host counsellor here is amazing - her name is Gwenda and she works way too hard. She is a specialist nurse, and she is absolutely fabulous to have looking out for me. I also have the scholarship co-ordinator for the district, Gareth and his wife Jan, who are just so hospitable and fantastic to have around. Laura is another ambassadorial scholar - next week we are doing a joint presentation and we've decided to speak back and forth as opposed to one after the other - so I'll let you know how NZ stacks up next to America!

For Christmas I don't know what I am going to do yet - Elise is having a Christmas party in Swansea on xmas day, and i've been invited various other places with other people too (Mum and Dad's friends in Haverfordwest, Gwenda's family in Aberystwyth, London with another friend)... Elise and I are quite keen to head to either Ireland or Scotland for a few days over the xmas time, so that might happen too. I'm obviously not loaded with money at the moment, studying in a foreign country is not the lightest on the pocket :-) ... so I must choose my travels carefully! I'm pretty much just trying to meet people from different areas of the UK so I can stay with them! The scholar conference was pretty good for that, and a guy from London is here this weekend visiting Laura and I. Mainly Laura, as I am here typing this. But I will be on the d-floor tonight, I promise! The district conference meant we got to meet Emily, a scholar from Australia studying in Cardiff (capital of Wales for those of you that aren't good at Geography). Laura and I are really keen to head over to see her - even though Cardiff is right there we haven't been yet!

Living in the halls is pretty lame, but in the mornings I open my curtains and if the sun is shining it is a beautiful view out over the ocean. No kidding - it really is amazing here! I knew I would feel a bit trapped moving into the halls, but there are so many positives about it it's working out fine. I have my own ensuite, a beautiful sea view, all the furniture was here already, and I am right there on campus. I have lots of photos of my best friend Stella and myself on my walls, - need to figure out where I can print some photos off of all you other people I miss. I do miss you all, and I miss New Zealand too - I miss the fresian dairy cows, I miss the rangi-ness of NZ, the kiwi party scene. I've been really getting into Katchafire, the Black Seeds, and Fast Crew. I can't wait to go camping here, and see if it is like camping in NZ.

So I'm sorry to say to all you Kiwis - I truly love it here. Start planning your rendevous 's with me for Summer 2010/11, because I think I will be back in the UK fairly soon after that...

Rotary Update! 15th October 2009

LINK Weekend in Leicester 25-27th September 2009

National Botanical Gardens of Wales

The first of the Video Catch ups!!

Getting to Wales....

2009/10 - a Year in Wales - Thanks to Rotary International (District 9930, Rotorua Sunrise)

28th September 2009

I am finally up and running! Thanks for your patience. So here I am, in Wales, thanks to District 9930 in New Zealand, specifically my sponsor club of Rotorua Sunrise, and also my host club in Wales, Swansea Bay. This scholarship will undoubtedly change my life, and hopefully enable me to change other people's lives as well. So, where to start? I guess, with who I am...

Ko Glennora te waka
Ko Tawhareroa toku maunga
Ko Rotoma toku moana
Ko Waiariki te rohe
Ko Ngati Pakeha toku iwi
Ko Rotorua toku wahi
Ko Te Puke-o-Hineheki toku marae
Ko Ethel Rushbrook raua ko George Korte oku kaumata ki te taha ki toku whaea, no Matawai raua.
Ko Nora Watson raua ko Maynard Ramson oku kaumata ki te taha ki toku matua, no Whakatane raua.
Ko Claire-Elizabeth Ramson taku ingoa.

So basically I am from a small place called Lake Rotoma, near Rotorua. I studied Materials and Process Engineering at the University of Waikato, and then moved to Wellington where I lived with my brother and his wife. I am a polymer engineer, and am studying an MPhil in biopolymers in Swansea, Wales, this year.

I will post some catch up videos, but I swear they will improve!! Apologies for the lisp I seem to develop on camera...