Central College Abroad - Study & Intern Abroad in Wales

After coming back to the States from studying abroad in Wales and traveling all over Europe during my three week long Spring Break I am definitely missing certain aspects of life abroad. One such thing is the public transportation system. Public trains and buses were a godsend when traveling and their inexpensive cost was aided by the fact that most of us got student discounts. Although not as convenient as having a personal car, public transportation made getting from place to place easy in a culture where gas prices are extremely high and classes for driver's education are expensive and difficult. Another thing I miss most about Wales is the pub scene. Drinking in Wales can be very casual and the pubs were a great place to chill with friends and have a casual drink. I consider pubs very different from the bars in the United States because I would much prefer the atmosphere of a pub over the bar scene. I also miss the feeling of being a foreigner, strange as that may sound. I miss the attention that being American gave me when hanging out with my Welsh friends; to be the one with the accent. I never felt like an outcast as an American in a Welsh culture but rather the center of intense questioning about American culture and the way we did things, what I did for fun and what college was like.
I learned a lot while I was abroad and some lessons were greater than others and I'll take them with me as I get older, ones I can never forget. Outdoor Pursuits was an amazing experience and where I learned the most about myself and my limits. There were times that I didn't want to do the activity because I just was either scared or afraid of what could happen. I got hung up on the "what if" of the moment and I learned to just let go and take a leap of faith (literally sometimes). I learned that I'll try most anything once and I'll always keep an open mind. I learned I stay calm in stressful situations and take everything I hear with a grain of salt. I learned about other cultures and how stereotypes can really be jokingly false and how my perception of "foreign" became somewhat "familiar" by the end of my journey.
I learned a lot from my study abroad experience and there are so many things that I will never forget. People, places, and so many adventures are burned into my memory taking me back to those experiences every time I close my eyes. I only hope I can inspire people to do the same as I did and take the opportunity to study abroad since it is literally a once in a lifetime chance and is well worth everything you put into it. I can't think of a time in my life where I felt more excited, anxious, accomplished, lucky, and bewildered in my life.

Studying abroad through Central College's program was probably the best decision I have ever made. I was given the opportunity to take an introductory Neuropsychology course, which is not offered at Central. Through their program, Central offers a course called Outdoor Pursuits. Throughout my semester abroad, one day a week we participated in numerous outdoor activities including gorge scrambling, mountain scrambling, surfing, and many others. This opportunity was unique to my past experience as I am from Iowa, where no mountains exist, nor are we close to the ocean. The program places students within flats that house the general student population of Bangor University, which allowed me to integrate myself into their culture and make some great friends with whom I still keep in touch. We toured many castles, and went on a weekend trip to Cardiff and a 5-day trip to Ireland. Though I struggled with homesickness at times, the feelings that occurred while I was homesick were nothing compared to the fun and experiences I had while I was in Bangor.

I spent 4 1/2 months in Bangor, Wales and will never be the same again. I loved the university that I attended while there. I was easily able to take classes that fulfilled requirements in the States and they were challenging but not overly so. But what I most enjoyed were my experiences with the people. I made so many great friends in my time there and those friendships have carried over. I am still in contact with my flat mates and a coach that I played for while in Wales. If you want an incredible experience that will change you forever then check out the Bangor,Wales study abroad program through Central College.

Being abroad for a semester is great; you live in another country, you travel the world, you meet new people. Studying abroad also, however, has a down side. At least for me, I had a lot of alone time to do nothing. Study abroad is not nonstop traveling. There were days that I sat in my room, watched tv, and got on facebook. It is a give and take thing: you sacrifice some friends and family back home for a semester, as well as the activities your home university offered, for the chance to travel the world and try new things. It is a great way to step out of your shell, and learn about who you are away from the people you've always been around. In Bangor, I took part in a course called Outdoor Pursuits, where I took advantage of the landscape and participated in activities such as rock climbing, mountain climbing, canoeing, kayaking, and surfing. It was a great experience to be active and learn for college credit. Overall, Wales was a great experience. I missed home, but I used the time I had to learn about myself, and who I wanted to be.

This whole experience was full of excitement. everyday was full of something new that I had to do and that made it so enjoyable. In this program I was able to meet so many new people and get to know what their life is like on any normal day here in Wales. Overall, by coming to Wales to study abroad I was able to open my mind to a new culture and how other people interact in their own world. This experience is going to be extremely helpful in my future career endeavors.

Wales was the perfect place for me to go, as someone who never planned to study abroad. It was comfortably familiar in that I could still speak English and many of the customs are the same, but I still got to experience the excitement of the UK and the breathtaking Welsh natural beauty. As a Texas city girl, rural Wales was a whole new world! Bi-weekly field trips around Wales and England, the friendly little town of Bangor, and the thrilling days of the Outdoor Pursuits class make for a perfect semester of jumping out of your comfort zone and into an amazing life experience.

The experience was awesome. There are so many things to do and see that you never run out and you'll wish you could stay longer. In addition to that, Wales in is a great location to travel to other countries by plane or train (or ferry in the case of Ireland). This makes it affordable and easy to book tickets even on short term notice!

I thought this was a great program overall. It was very easy to meet people and get involved with the people from Wales and England. It was really nice being close together, because it was really easy to get together to do things with each other. I really enjoyed that the people in Wales are very friendly and most were were very willing to help if needed. I really felt that this was similar to the everyday life that we have back at Central College since we lived in dorms. The only hard part about studying in Wales is the travel aspect. It is very easy to travel to England and Scotland, but traveling outside that gets very expensive in a hurry. I loved getting to go to the different field trips on the weekends, because if they weren't set up by the director then we wouldn't have been able to see most of those things. Overall it was a great experience, and I have made some many lasting memories.

Tecwyn, the Bangor Study Abroad Program Director, was funny, charming and informative. Most of the time he was like a friend, but everyone respected him so there was still order. He showed us some of the best sites in Wales and helped us with academic schedules.