Wales, Rugby, and Other British Things

This past week and weekend was one of those times that I just felt all warm inside, and like a little cup of warm, British tea was constantly refilling in my heart.

And then there were times this week that I actually wanted to drink that tea so I could have some caffeine in me to make it through the night without falling asleep on my laptop.

So as you can see, it's been busy.
It seems sometimes that life never stops here. We're constantly on the run. Except for this weekend of the 22nd through 24th, which was nice and relaxed. But I'll get to that later.

 First, we'll do North Wales.

Wales is absolutely amazing, guys, and it's so sad that so many people don't make it there. It's been one of my favorite trips so far and I know it will remain one of my favorites.

I also feel that Wales is vastly under-appreciated as a country (NOTE: Yes, Wales is a different country than England. While England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are all different, they are still part of the United Kingdom. Do NOT go to Wales and say "Oh, how great it is to be in England!" They'll be so offended. And then they'll probably make an aside that sounds like "Typical American..." So now you know, Wales is not England, or Scotland, or any other place in the UK. It is Wales). As my wonderful friend Katie Meek remarked, "It's like England, Scotland, and Ireland all mixed into one. In the best way." And that's true. But also at the same time, which I'm sure Katie will agree to, Wales has its own identity. And it's a beautiful one.

A lot of times, Wales is considered synonymous with England. And that's because Wales was conquered by England so long ago. However, apparently in the 1960s the Welsh identity was having something similar to a mid-life crisis. So they decided to revive the Welsh language in the country. So many people speak it there in little conversations. One time, and many times in restaurants or at football games, I heard a cashier and a customer making a transaction while speaking in Welsh. And they all switch so fluidly from Welsh to English and vice versa. It sounds and looks like this: Ddkjfoeiurenvkd. Iejkldfjljre? Skdfjdkf. With a little bit of phlegm thrown in.

We stayed by the seaside, which was absolutely gorgeous. The place we were was called Llandudno (I think it's pronounced "Lan-dud-no" with the "dud" being pronounced like "hood" is pronounced but beginning with a "d"), and it was beautiful. I seriously want to go back.

We also did so much hiking that weekend, which was definitely my favorite part. I want to hike in so many places when I get back to the States now. One of the two places we went was called Snowdonia National Park:

Oh! And I forgot to say! We also toured Caernarfon Castle in Wales! It was one of the original William the Conqueror castles, apparently. Seems legit.

 

The next morning, we woke at the early hour of 7. Which really isn't that early since we were asleep by at least 11 each night. One thing about Llandudno, Wales: everywhere closes at like, 8 pm. So the only thing left to do is go back to your hotel and hang out. Anyway, we were so glad we got sleep to prepare for this truly phenomenal hike we were to have the next morning. We hiked up this mountain that was right behind our hotel. Yeah, we had a mountain and a beach beside our hotel. Welcome to Wales. Pictures? Given.

But alas, my paradise in Wales had to end. And I had to have the arduous task of returning to this hideous manor house.

And actually, as beautiful and awesome as this place is, the stress level during the school week is pretty high. And during the school week I had mixed emotions of stress and ecstasy at different times. Stress happened when I was required to write a paper on the Holocaust, which I had to begin the night before. I'll tell you, reading about the Holocaust at 1 am by lamplight alone is not something I desire to do again. Just imagine. Freaked me out a bit. That was definitely one of those moments when I wanted to have a cup of tea for caffeine.

And then I had also had one of the best times I'd had at the manor thus far. It was a Shelley moment. That sounds really self-centered, but you'll see what I mean in a minute.

I accidentally missed the shuttle into town, so I had an hour to kill, and God obviously planned this. So I went for a walk around the grounds, which are absolutely beautiful. My parents will do this walk when they come. I'm forcing them.

Here's one of the pictures I snapped when I was on it:

 

Isn't that just magnificent? It looks like Pemberley's twin. And Pemberley is Darcy's house in Pride & Prejudice, so yeah. I also felt really magical because I was playing dramatic Downton Abbey music on my iPod when I saw this sight. So I felt pretty English at that moment. But anyways, that walk I had was just such a lovely hour and made me appreciate the fact that I am here.

I'm going to miss this place so much. 

This weekend was nice because I didn't travel. We've traveled every single weekend I've been here, so it was nice to have a weekend to watch movies, sleep, catch up on homework, and not spend money. However, I did indeed go to a rugby game. Which was really cool.

Apparently, Brits love rugby. And so do the Irish, Australians, and New Zealand. And apparently New Zealand is the best in the world at it, and the scariest. 

But rugby is a lot like American football and then completely different if that makes any sense. They throw the ball backwards, have no padding, slide on their bellies to score a "touchdown", and can keep the ball in play even if they're tackled. These guys' necks are seriously as big as my waist. They're huge. And one of their thighs if probably as big as my body width. They are rather intimidating. 

And I also noticed that British fans aren't as insane as American ones. When a goal is scored, the Brits are all like "Yeahhhhh! Yay! I'm happy!" But if someone scores in America it's like "DKLJFDLJRURELJFDK JDDJFDLKFJDLKJDK!!!!!!!! ICJEHUIERHJREJREU!!!!!! YEAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! GANGNAM STYLE!!!!! AHHHHHHH I'M HAVING A CONNIPTION" So they're just a tad more quiet than we are. 

 

And I felt obliged to take a video for you of the Leicester Tigers (the home team) scoring.

 

So that's what's been happening in the life of Shelley lately, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it.

This coming Friday, I travel to the land of Harry Potter. I will actually tour the Warner Bros. Studios where a bulk of Harry Potter was filmed. I know, it's a big deal. Stay calm, Shelley. Stay calm.

And also this week, I'll be hanging out with my meet-a-family and performing with my tin flute in a talent show here at the manor!

But until then, Cheers,
Shelley