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.