Week 2: Croseo i Gymru! (Welcome to Wales!)

Welcome to Wales, or as I like to now call it, home of the most confusing language ever--Welsh!

Unsure of where Wales is? Don't worry. Here's a map!

I'm just below where the W in Wales is!

For those of you who don't know, Great Britian is made up of four countries: Scotland, NORTHERN Ireland (only the part in green!), England, and Wales. I've now been to all 4 countries. Yay!

Here's some fun facts about Wales: 

-Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Burton and Dylan Thomas are all natives

-Mount Everest was named after Sir George Everest, a surveyor (someone who examines the conditions of land and/or buildings)

-Wales has more castle per square mile than anywhere else in the world! 

-It is the home land of the *mythical* King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table

-The population of sheep is four times greater than the population of humans in the entire country. 

Although about only 20% of the country can speak it fluently, Welsh is one of the national languages of the country. Everything here is printed twice, once in English and once in Welsh. You would think you'd be able to decipher the translation, but it gives me a headache just thinking about it: 

English is on one side, Welsh on the other

The school I'm working at this week, Swansea University, is pretty much an equivilent of Pepperdine in the sense that is is right on the beach. After each ceremony, the school hosts a reception, and while this is the norm for most universities over here, I am blown away by Swansea's...it's probably nicer than my wedding will be! Live jazz band with people dancing, tons of free food, FREE DRINKS (champagne for days!), and a fun photo booth with props, etc, as well as tables and chairs out on the lawn with games for friends and family to relax and take pictures and all that typical graduation stuff! 

I didn't have too much of a chance to go exploring this week, partially due to operational hours were shorter than my work schedule and partially due to the stomach flu putting me out of commission for 2 days (PS want to know what hell is like? It's being sick while abroad)! Regardless, the picture above is of Swansea Castle, which remains in tact as a reminder of Wales' history while the city centre (downtown/shopping) was constructed entirely around it--directly behind this castle is a Five Guys. 

 Above is a (low quality) snap shot of the town of Mumbles, just next to Swansea. Beautiful bay with boating and a cute, seaside town vibe! 

I passed this each day on my walk to work. Although I may be biased by being an English teacher, it stayed in my mind throughout the week. As I mentioned earlier, Wales is home to the poet Dylan Thomas, who is the author of this gem: 

Do not go gentle in to that good night

Rage, rage against the dying of the light

This isn't the poem in its entirety, but has become popular lately as being referenced in the film Interstellar and the novel Matched by Aly Condrie. In essence, it pushes the message to fight hard against the end of life, which has gotten me thinking about both dad and mom's fights with cancer--especially at the very end. I know my dad was in such pain those last few days, but as I had just moved from Arizona days prior, he fought hard to hold on until I was safe in North Carolina (where his mom lives) to pass away because he didn't want me to be alone. Likewise, mom tried so, so hard to make it until baby James was born so she could meet him. If you followed Layne's blog entries, you know how unrealistic it was for mom to still make it as long as she did. These acts of love reminded me how lucky my sister and I were to have parents who were willing to fight for us in mind. Without being too morbid, it sort of re-ignited my purpose for taking this trip--hopefully to find myself again and rebuild a life thats worth fighting for. 

Anyway! Off to Berlin to start the first leg of my "trip trip"--work is done, now it's time to relax and enjoy the ride. The school year starts back up tomorrow in Chandler, and I maybe am 1% sad I'm not there, but 99.999999% happy to take my gap year. Sorry, Bogle-ites! 

Cheers! 

Week 1: Liverpool, England

Ello! (See what I did there?)

Seems like an eternity since I left America, and yet its only been a week! I had forgotten to add a few things in on my last post, so I'm just going to do it here ;)

How does one pack for a 3 month journey, accommodating for being north of the Artic Circle AND sailing in Greece--using only a backpack, no less?! Well I'm here to confirm your suspicions. IT. IS. SO. DIFFICULT. Tough decisions were made, and I am already longing for a time when I have my own closet full of clothes again!

Unpacked

In that pile, I have a total of: 

-2 dresses (1 fancy-ish, 1 casual)

-2 pairs of shorts

-1 pair of jeans

-2 pairs of leggins

-6 t-shirts (2 long sleeve, 2 short sleeve, 2 tank tops)

-1 base layer (similar to a thin running jacket)

-1 sweater

-2 swim suits (that can be mixed and matched)

-1 rain coat

-delicates 

-5 pairs of shoes (1 pair of boots, converse, Tieks (flats), shower sandals, and Tory Burch flats)

I also have a sleeping bag, travel towel, sleeping liner, etc! And my Longchamp purse for day-to-day stuff :)

Packed!

As a chronic over-packer, this was really difficult haha. My *current* backpack weight is about 30 pounds. We'll see what it is by the end of my trip....

Although I am abroad, this week and next week are separate from my "trip trip", in the sense that I am working during these two weeks. Many of you may remember when I spent the summer over here in the UK a few years back...since I was coming to Europe anyway, I reached out to the company and asked if they would like me to work at all, and they said yes! It's an easy way to make some extra spending money, as well as have some fun! The company I am working for is called Campus Clothing, and they make tshirts and hoodies (i.e. "Jumpers"...I called it a sweatshirt on Monday and this lady looked at me like I was nuts) that have the graduates names' on them. Here's an example:

Each shirt/hoodie can hold about 800 names on them, so I typically have a different print to sell for each day of the week since there are so many different ceremonies as it is a college (i.e. "Uni") graduation. My favorite quote was from this old lady when she saw it, "It's like I'm doing Where's Wally!" And I giggled and said do you mean Where's Waldow?! And she called me adorable.

My stand!

The t-shirts sell for the equivilent of $26 (20 pounds) and the hoodies for $53 (40 pounds). I get paid for working each day, plus commission if I sell out of the day's stock (which I do) and for each additional order I take (usually about 15-20 per day on a good day) AND for entering the paperwork at the end of the day to the system! The only downside is this week I am working alone, but next week in Wales I'll be working with another girl and my boss/owner of the company, Rupert!

This is from the night I arrived in Liverpool. He may be 45 and a dad of 4, but he sure knows how to have a good time! 

I spent the first few days re-adjusting to the time difference, which I'm just now getting used to. The weather was quite rainy and cold on Monday and Tuesday, so I spent a ton of time indoors READING! *heart eye emojis* In 2 days I finished a new YA novel and its sequel, and since my Bogle students are going back to school in a week (hi, guys!) and will be in need of books for AR points (this is your not so sublte hint, incoming 8th graders) here's a Link to book info! 

Beginning on Wednesday was fantastic weather so I finally was able to go out exploring! If you don't know, Liverpool is the where The Beatles are from, and there are reminders of it literally everywhere you turn. Even the airport is named Liverpool John Lennon Airport! The building I am working in is...

As with any city, there of course are many "touristy" things and attractions, but one of the aspects that I love about it here is that the locals don't bash you for wanting to do any of them--rather, they highly recommend it and are happy to give you any information you need! The museums I am wanting to check out include The Beatles Story and the International Slavery Museum. I read about them before I came over but once I got here I was told repeatedly they are simply amazing. Since they close at 5 each day, I wasn't able to go during the week as I was still working, and on Saturday I was camped out in my hostel room sick...slept for 16 hours straight! :( 

Here's some of my favorite spots I discovered, and I've uploaded the rest to the pictures page here on my blog!

Here's whats known as "The Three Graces"-- the Liver Building (on the left with the clock tower), the Cunard building (in the middle), and the Port of Liverpool building (on the right). They are a on Pier Head, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, meaning that is has met one of the ten criteria that are of "outstanding universal value." I had heard that term before, but didn't really know the significance of it. One of the locals explained it to me extremely well, but since I don't want to butcher it, i'll just post a Link for you to read about it if you are a loser  totally awesome person like me and love to learn! ;) 

This is the Grand Central shopping center, which is sort of like a mini-indoor mall that is filled with quirky-type shops! 

THIS IS THE LIBRARY. *drooling* Not only was the building itself beautiful, but my favorite part was the walkway in to the entrance:

Filled with the titles of famous novels. Can I have a walkway like this leading to my front door of my house one day? #Wishfulthinking 

Even in the week that I've been here, SO much has gone on with the Brexit situation. This is a sticker I saw on a street sign that was left over from the campaigning--it is such an interesting time for me to be here. I've asked a decent number of locals their opinion about it, and no one is shy about telling me how they really feel, to say the least. I've also had people ask me about our upcoming Presidential election, and they are well aware of the strain and uncertainty Americans are feeling right now. It was actually pretty cool to see how many people are in-tune with American issues/politics. 

Anyway, next week I'll be working at Swansea, Wales--be back with more soon! 

Cheers!

"I Go To Seek A Great Perhaps"

"Francois Rabelais. He was this poet. And his last words were, 'I Go To Seek A Great Perhaps.' That's why I'm going. So I don't have to wait until I die to start seeking a Great Perhaps" 
                  -John Green, Looking for Alaska

    Well, here we are. My first official blog post! Although I love writing, my sister Layne has set the bar pretty high when it comes to these things, as those of you who followed her posts about both Dad's and Mom's battles with cancer can attest to. However, I am hoping to do my blog justice in my own way by bringing some good 'ol humor (aka sarcasm), eloquently detailing my travels in hopes of spreading travel envy, and, last but not least, posting some pretty epic pictures. 

     Which brings me to why I'm here: similar to the poet Francois Rabelais, I, Kristen Leigh Alexander, am going to travel the world in hopes of finding my "Great Perhaps." Upon hearing about my trip, people have asked me why (or how) I could give up teaching, something I am beyond passionate about, for an entire year. To be honest, it's never something I thought I would have the courage to do; and yet, I'm not the same person I was or who I envisioned myself to be. Although I have a plethora of support behind me (#squadgoals) my inner circle is now down the 2 most important people a girl can have, and that makes me feel...well, lost. 

       All of my belongings are now in storage, and my fur-babies Khal and Daisy are being taken care of for the next 6 months by the absolute cutest family-- the Russnaks! Shelly, Jay, Sebastian, and Hensley are already doing an amazing job taking care of the dogs, as 
well as giving me daily updates and pictures of their fun adventures together! 

Hensley giving treats!

New best friends

Worn out after a long day of swimming

     I miss them a ton, of course, but know they are in good hands :)

I spent the last week in South Carolina with my boyfriend, Will, and his family at their house on Kiawah Island, aka the most beautiful place! The island is a golf lover's dream (thinking of you, daddy)--amazing courses on such a pretty back drop. The 2012 PGA Championship took place here, as will the 2021 PGA Championship. There's not a single street light on the island so at night you're able to see so many stars! It makes it so peaceful and extra special.  Here's a picture of the house! (I'm obsessed)  

               The entire island is covered in trees like this...basically the opposite of Arizona. This is the street their house is on and i LOVE it 

   I was lucky enough to convice Will to take us to Boone Hall Plantation, which is about 30 minutes outside of Charleston. I'm such a history nerd, and after reading (yes, reading) Gone With the Wind for the first time, I became enamored with plantations and this particular one was on the top of my bucket list. 

Mile long driveway up to the main property--lined by pecan trees and spanish moss. The pictures don't do it justice...these trees are MASSIVE.

It is the oldest working plantation to date in the US, and still has many of the original foundations in tact, such as the slave shacks: 

  

This is the actual house itself. GORGEOUS. It is also featured as Allie's family's summer home in "The Notebook" AND where Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively got married in 2012. 

                                             

     This is on the side of the plantation--peaceful and beautiful spot overlooking the water :)
                 
The next day I tried--let me rephrase--dominated at my first go of CRABBING! Obviously I had never been before, so Will had to show me how to get set up. And by that, I really mean he did it all so I could take pictures. Thanks, babe! 

                                                       Step 1: Pick a good spot        

                                           Step 2: Have boyfriend deal with raw chicken

                                        Step 3: Tie chicken to bottom of net! 

Step 4: Put your net in the water and wait *patiently*, but while taking note of....

NOT EVEN JOKING, this gator was coming after us like we were Chubbs from Happy Gilmore. He even came so close and took the bait out of Will's basket! 

                                He started far away (this is with a ton of zoom) but soon...

                                  This is with 0 zoom! He was really just a few feet away. Ah!

After about ten minutes of waiting, I CAUGHT A CRAB! I was so excited because let's be honest I lack all basic skills when it comes to just about anything. I texted Layne to tell her and she replied, "...were you trying to catch a fish?"  *rolls eyes*

                                  Look at this guy! I should be on Deadliest Catch or something. 

Even though "he's so tiny" and "there's not even enough meat to cook him" and "he's too small to be eaten" are the replies Will gave me to my *epic* catch, I know he secretly was just jealous because he didn't catch anything. So then I let us put him back in his home! No death for you today, my friend! 

The next few days were so relaxing. Will's parents are from Kentucky, and his mom is an amazing cook/baker...aka, I got spoiled--especially with her homemade peach cobbler (my mouth is watering just thinking about it). We also got to go out on the boat! 

                           It's named Southern Accent because they're from Kentucky..so cute! 

                                                           

     Made it back from South Carolina to Dallas for a few days before heading to New York. Will lives about 2 miles away from where the shootings happened the other night and still cannot believe how much violence surrounds us. Many of you have told me to have fun but most importantly be careful while I am abroad, and I pinky promise I will try my best to stay out of harm's way! I sit here now at the gate waiting for my flight to take me abroad. It seems surreal that I'm finally at this point after months and months of planning--emotions are starting to kick it. Excitment, sadness, fear, anxiety, hopefulness, but most of all, I am feeling grateful for this opportunity.  

First country up is England...I hope you're ready to be reunited with me, Brits! 

   I'll post again within the next few days--if you look to the right on the screen, there's a spot where you can input your email and get notified when I post a new entry! 

Bye, America!