Thursday, June 24, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
Time Flying
Hiya!
So the hot water was off for a total of 6 and a half days... I am glad I've done a lot of camping over the years, as I coped with the cold showers a lot better than some of my flatmates! I know I keep promising, but I do have a video in the works, including:
Aside from that, it is going to be tough saying goodbye to the RC of Swansea Bay, and each of the distinctive characters I have grown to love over the past 9 months. I hope I will be back here, as a prospective member early next year, but it really does depend where I get a job. Never the less, they have instilled in me a passion for Rotary, and I know I can always call on them for guidance, advice, or just plain friendship.
Enough of the sad talk! Four months! My plan to finish my Masters is thus: my best friend arrives on the 20th July for a 3 week holiday with me in London, Swansea, Macclesfield, and Scotland. I hope to have my literature review and materials & methods chapters finished before she arrives, no mean feat, but a good goal to aim for. This leaves most of August for experiments and data analysis, and September for writing the results/discussion part of my thesis. I'm heading for a 30th September hand in, and trying to book the viva in the week 11th-15th October. So far so good, although I know it's only going to get crazier! 30th September is my official end of course date, so the appropriate amount of time for an MPhil. However, most people overrun, so I will do well to get it in on time. From the 30th September to my viva date I'm hoping to make my first visit to France - just a few days in rural Limousin, bit of a taster really. Depending on the timeline, I might hang out with family friends in Haverfordwest waiting for my viva. After the viva I'm sure there will be corrections to make, so I will spend a few days in Swansea doing that before binding my final thesis and jetting back to New Zealand.
It's do-able!
So the hot water was off for a total of 6 and a half days... I am glad I've done a lot of camping over the years, as I coped with the cold showers a lot better than some of my flatmates! I know I keep promising, but I do have a video in the works, including:
- My last hike with the University Hiking Club, to Neath Valley
- A few days in Haverfordwest
- Presentation to the RC of Haverfordwest
- Presentation to the RC of Neath
- Other photos
Aside from that, it is going to be tough saying goodbye to the RC of Swansea Bay, and each of the distinctive characters I have grown to love over the past 9 months. I hope I will be back here, as a prospective member early next year, but it really does depend where I get a job. Never the less, they have instilled in me a passion for Rotary, and I know I can always call on them for guidance, advice, or just plain friendship.
Enough of the sad talk! Four months! My plan to finish my Masters is thus: my best friend arrives on the 20th July for a 3 week holiday with me in London, Swansea, Macclesfield, and Scotland. I hope to have my literature review and materials & methods chapters finished before she arrives, no mean feat, but a good goal to aim for. This leaves most of August for experiments and data analysis, and September for writing the results/discussion part of my thesis. I'm heading for a 30th September hand in, and trying to book the viva in the week 11th-15th October. So far so good, although I know it's only going to get crazier! 30th September is my official end of course date, so the appropriate amount of time for an MPhil. However, most people overrun, so I will do well to get it in on time. From the 30th September to my viva date I'm hoping to make my first visit to France - just a few days in rural Limousin, bit of a taster really. Depending on the timeline, I might hang out with family friends in Haverfordwest waiting for my viva. After the viva I'm sure there will be corrections to make, so I will spend a few days in Swansea doing that before binding my final thesis and jetting back to New Zealand.
It's do-able!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Mid-Week Message
Just a quick stop to say I'm looking forward to a night of sewing this week - sewing club banners onto fabric to be hung up in our meetings at Swansea Bay. Why have I shared this with you? In the hopes that you, too, will be inspired to get sewing and display all those club flags and banners you've been presented with over the years! (And if I've given you one, put it in prime position!)
In other news, I was enjoying the beautiful sunshine Swansea was turning on for me, until this last week - what happened South Wales?? Please come back, I swear we can work it out! Not that I mind the gray days terribly, or even a bit of rain, but these last 5 days the University decided to switch into back-up water heating for my hall of residence, without checking it first... only to discover (too late on Friday before a bank holiday weekend) that the both immersion heaters have burnt out! Maintenance, UK! So I've been gritting my teeth and trying to shower at the hottest part of the day so I don't freeze to death. For those of you who've met me and seen the length of my hair - I had to wash my hair on Sunday and I can tell you I was glad I had a warm hair dryer to use afterwards! Oh it's all an adventure. Hopefully the water will be back on tonight.
A video should be on its way in the next week or so.
In other news, I was enjoying the beautiful sunshine Swansea was turning on for me, until this last week - what happened South Wales?? Please come back, I swear we can work it out! Not that I mind the gray days terribly, or even a bit of rain, but these last 5 days the University decided to switch into back-up water heating for my hall of residence, without checking it first... only to discover (too late on Friday before a bank holiday weekend) that the both immersion heaters have burnt out! Maintenance, UK! So I've been gritting my teeth and trying to shower at the hottest part of the day so I don't freeze to death. For those of you who've met me and seen the length of my hair - I had to wash my hair on Sunday and I can tell you I was glad I had a warm hair dryer to use afterwards! Oh it's all an adventure. Hopefully the water will be back on tonight.
A video should be on its way in the next week or so.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Friday, May 7, 2010
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
It's May already??
Hello Kiwi Rotarians, Welsh Rotarians, and anyone else having a gander on this page! Have a video planned soonish for photos etc, but in the meantime thought I would just have a regular old blog post for you.
I checked the date today, and was shocked to see it was May already - I have now been living in Wales for just under 8 months, and the odd homesickness pang aside, I truly feel as though I have experienced but a taster of what the UK has to offer. Last week I was saying to my parents that I couldn't afford (in time or money) to do any more traveling aside from the 2 week trip I have planned to Scotland in July, and they came back with "that's fine, we're surprised at how much you've seen already!"... How much I've seen?!! Nothing! I haven't even seen everything in Swansea let alone in the UK! Sure signs I must return... I have set myself some University goals with a reward of 4-5 days spent in the middle of France at the end of my stay here, so I'm working hard to be able to go to the land of Baguettes, Croissants, and Jacques Cousteau. I'm beginning to feel the familiar pinch in the base of my stomach as I become more and more aware of exactly how much University work I have to get done, and how little time to do it in - a very unpleasant sensation but one that seems to bring out high levels of productivity in me! I am proud to say I have really been working hard in the lab and trying (operative word "trying") to write decent sections of my literature review. I'm worried! But if you ask my folks they would definitely say I'm overreacting, and everything will be fine - take your pick on who is right!
Anyway, being here for the last 8 months has been totally surreal - it has gone so fast, too fast! I have fully immersed myself into not only the Welsh culture, but Rotary. I remember back in mid 2008 when Dale Jack of Hamilton East told me I had got the Scholarship, and even amongst the shock I still remember thinking "this Scholarship was made for me. This is my Scholarship". And it really has been - instead of being just a way to study in another country, or a way to experience the culture of another country, it has also been my discovery of Rotary - an organisation that I hope to be involved with for the rest of my life. Rotary gives me the opportunities to bring out the best in my personality, and this has played a huge part in my personal development, which in turn has allowed me to really make the most of my experiences here in the UK. I couldn't have asked for a better scholarship, or a better host club to share my year abroad with!
On that note, I'm going to head back to doing some work, the Undergraduates are coming to the end of their year and soon I will say goodbye to Laura, my fellow Rotary Scholar in Swansea. This makes me really aware of the short 5 months I have remaining! Gotta make the most of it!
PS: Came across this article today about the trip the Swansea Bay club took to Brussels a few months ago. Nice to see!
I checked the date today, and was shocked to see it was May already - I have now been living in Wales for just under 8 months, and the odd homesickness pang aside, I truly feel as though I have experienced but a taster of what the UK has to offer. Last week I was saying to my parents that I couldn't afford (in time or money) to do any more traveling aside from the 2 week trip I have planned to Scotland in July, and they came back with "that's fine, we're surprised at how much you've seen already!"... How much I've seen?!! Nothing! I haven't even seen everything in Swansea let alone in the UK! Sure signs I must return... I have set myself some University goals with a reward of 4-5 days spent in the middle of France at the end of my stay here, so I'm working hard to be able to go to the land of Baguettes, Croissants, and Jacques Cousteau. I'm beginning to feel the familiar pinch in the base of my stomach as I become more and more aware of exactly how much University work I have to get done, and how little time to do it in - a very unpleasant sensation but one that seems to bring out high levels of productivity in me! I am proud to say I have really been working hard in the lab and trying (operative word "trying") to write decent sections of my literature review. I'm worried! But if you ask my folks they would definitely say I'm overreacting, and everything will be fine - take your pick on who is right!
Anyway, being here for the last 8 months has been totally surreal - it has gone so fast, too fast! I have fully immersed myself into not only the Welsh culture, but Rotary. I remember back in mid 2008 when Dale Jack of Hamilton East told me I had got the Scholarship, and even amongst the shock I still remember thinking "this Scholarship was made for me. This is my Scholarship". And it really has been - instead of being just a way to study in another country, or a way to experience the culture of another country, it has also been my discovery of Rotary - an organisation that I hope to be involved with for the rest of my life. Rotary gives me the opportunities to bring out the best in my personality, and this has played a huge part in my personal development, which in turn has allowed me to really make the most of my experiences here in the UK. I couldn't have asked for a better scholarship, or a better host club to share my year abroad with!
On that note, I'm going to head back to doing some work, the Undergraduates are coming to the end of their year and soon I will say goodbye to Laura, my fellow Rotary Scholar in Swansea. This makes me really aware of the short 5 months I have remaining! Gotta make the most of it!
PS: Came across this article today about the trip the Swansea Bay club took to Brussels a few months ago. Nice to see!
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