Today I Became a Master of Someone Else's Domain

So I am now, officially, an MSc(Econ) International Politics.  I'm not going to lie, or sugar-coat this, but to be honest, in the ten months since I have completed this programme it has been, literally, of no practical use to me whatsoever.  Does this mean I regret it?  Absolutely not.  In fact, my year "studying" in Wales will probably turn out to be "pivotal" or something.  I'm sure I will look back in years to come and think to myself "Wow, I really grew and expanded my horizons by living and traveling abroad.  I learned so much about other cultures and experienced so many new things."

 

As this blog is supposed to represent the here and now I am going to take this opportunity to prove my future-self wrong with a series of pictures that represent what Wales really was to me (and I pretty sure that when 'future-me' refers to experiencing new cultures I will probably not be remembering how I actually learned more about racial profiling than I ever would have if I had just stayed at home in Canada).

 

I would just like to point out that I had many an argument with my friend Canadian Dan over my lack of picture-taking.  He made many a comment about how my camera was a big waste of money and, to be fair, I will concede that he may have had a very small point (although I am making a conscious effort to use it more now).  I should have taken more pictures.  But given the vast number of hours I was sitting in a dingy room in halls, or one of our locals, watching sports (and sadly Big Brother 5) it is no wonder that I have so few pictures.  Although, after all my time in the UK I do know more about Rugby, Football, Cricket, Tim Henman and the British ability to "snatch defeat from the jaws of victory" than I could have ever dreamed.

 

So here are some of my favourite memories (the ones that I, or Canadian Dan, bothered to take pictures of):