Hello
from Wales! My name is KaLeigh White, and I am a junior Sociology and Public
Administration major from Ottumwa, Iowa. I write to you today on day 10 (June
22, 2012) of UNI's Sustainability Capstone in England and Wales. This trip
marks my first experience abroad, and it has yet to disappointment me. I came
on this trip to experience new cultures, see some history important to the
United States, and of course, to fulfill the Capstone requirement of my Liberal
Arts Core classes.
I will be the first to admit that "going
green" is not a passion of mine but I am always interested in improving
life at UNI, and naturally, saving UNI money. Thus, exploring the benefits that
going green can offer UNI is of interest to me. Since arriving in the
United Kingdom, I have noticed several sustainable efforts everywhere we go. (I
am not sure if I am noticing more because of the topic of this Capstone, but I
would venture to say that being green is much more prominent here than in the
United States). Kara and Andrew both mentioned several examples of
sustainability in their blogs and the number of these examples have only
increased since. We are currently staying at Bala-Backpackers Hostel where the
owner, Ms. Stella, has no shortage of signs/notes regarding being environmentally
friendly (and signs about everything else under the sun). Every room has
a sign that reminds you to sort out your "rubbish” and recycle. The
bathrooms are plastered with reminders to conserve every drop of water and low
flow showers (that shut off every 15 seconds). Next to the kitchen trashcan,
Ms. Stella notes that one "wheelie bin" of trash is all that is
needed for 40 backpackers over a two-week time frame. I find that to be truly
amazing. My home uses one "wheelie bin" every week for three people.
I hope to learn from this minimalist life style and, like them, use fewer disposable
products.
Just as I would like to come back to Iowa a little
greener, a large part of this trip is to bring new sustainability ideas back to
UNI. This is a huge challenge indeed. As they mentioned at the University of
Birmingham, changing the habits and mindset of people is a huge challenge.
After all, humans are creatures of habits. Additionally, many of us at UNI have
everything we need. We do not worry about running out of clean water. We can
generally afford everything we need (or want), and it is just a quick trip in
the car when we run out of our paper towels, bottled water, chemical cleaning
products or anything else we could possibly "need." I can barely even
imagine what it would take to replace all the paper towel dispensers on UNI's
campus with hand dryers or to convince students to take shorter showers (I
don't know if I could even convince myself of that). I think this will be the
biggest task of the UNI Sustainability Capstone class.
Now, let's move on to the spectacular Wales. Tonight
is our last night here, and I do not want to leave. I do not think any of us
do. The scenery is breathtaking no matter where you look. All of the little
towns we have visited have a massive amount of character. Since we arrived the
weather has been surprisingly nice. We were expecting constant rain, but today
was the first day that we caught a few showers.
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| KaLeigh White, Stephanie Hogan, and Jill Thompson on the beach in Llandudno, Wales. |
The first place we stayed at was the Westdale Hotel
in Llandudno, Wales. It was adorable and well kept by the owners, Lesley and Simon.
They made it all that anyone could hope for and more. They welcomed us with
open arms and a friendly face. Lesley made us a delightful English breakfast
our first morning, and later, a great sack lunch for hike up Mt. Snowdon.
On our last night, Simon joined us for conversation in the living room,
and in the morning when we left, they stood in the doorway to wave us goodbye.
But I am getting ahead of myself, so much happened before that goodbye.
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| Andrew Sorge and KaLeigh White in one of the towers at Conwy Castle in Conwy, Wales. |
Our first night in Llandudno, we enjoyed a group
dinner at the Whetherspoon, and then, we explored the shore and the hillside.
It was beautiful beyond words. I could have sat forever on top of the hill that
overlooked the city. The next morning, we hopped onto the city bus (the public
transportation is amazing throughout the United Kingdom) to visit Conwy Castle.
The castle, like the rest of Wales, was stunning. We climbed the towers,
enjoyed the views, and soaked up the history. Before leaving Conwy, we
meandered around the village's shops and enjoyed some traditional fish and
chips at the port.
After Conwy, we headed to the cable car in Llandudno
that went over the Great Orme. Three of the girls were lucky enough to ride in
the same cable car that the Olympic torch went up the Orme in. Again, the views
were awesome. Once we had soaked up enough of the sights, we headed down
the hillside to enjoy some dinner in downtown Llandudno and a relaxing evening
in the Westdale living room.
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| KaLeigh White descending Mt. Snowdon |
Bright and early (too early), we woke up to
breakfast with Lesley and Simon before Nigel (our coach driver) picked our
luggage and us up to "enjoy" Mt. Snowdon. About an hour after leaving
the Westdale, we arrived in the mountains, and Nigel dropped us off near the
end of our trail up the mountain. The spirits in the group were mixed. Many of
us were very excited, while others of us were nervous. It was not long before
we were all feeling "the burn". We would be feeling the burn for 4
hours up that mountain. The climb up took a little bit of teamwork, some encouragement,
and a lot of endurance. There was a thick fog blocking what we knew were
spectacular views the whole way up. I, along with the rest of the group, was
really bummed by this. But as condensation collected on our eyelashes and after
a number of breaks, we finally made it to the top. That was the best feeling in
the world. We had done it together, and despite being exhausted and cold,
spirits were high. It was a great moment to share with these wonderful people
who I have only known for a few weeks. I think it really brought our group
together. You could feel the comradery bursting at the seams.
We briefly caught our breath and warmed up before
heading down the mountain. Just as we were leaving the summit, the fog cleared
and we were blessed with views beyond our wildest dreams. The whole way down we
took tons of pictures and gazed upon the grace and peacefulness of our
surroundings. The path we followed down was more challenging, but faster.
It was fun climbing over and round the rocks of the mountain side (even
though I fell A LOT). We eventually reached the bottom 2.5 hours later, a
little wet (or really wet) from the rain. A short time later, we arrived
exhausted, sore, and did I mention wet to Bala-Backpacker's Hostel. We warmed
up with a wonderful shower, refueled at a pizza and pasta restaurant, and then
crawled into bed for a slumber.
Daylight came much too early the next morning. I
awoke slightly sore and still a little tired. My spirits were lifted (a little)
by breakfast from Ms. Stella, and before long, Paul from the RYG Outdoor Centre
came to pick us up for a day of canyoning. (For those who may not know what
canyoning is -- as I did not before today -- canyoning is a relatively new
outdoor sport were people scramble, swim, rappel, and slip their way down
gorges.) With the rain drizzling down, we fought our way into wetsuits and life
jackets at the centre, and then headed in a coach to the gorge. Canyoning was
extremely cold, and we all had our fair share of slips and falls. Our two
guides, Paul and Rob, had to prevent the stream (or small river) from carrying
me away several times. Time seemed to fly, and before I knew it, we were
making our way back to the RYG Centre. Despite the fact that I could not feel
my toes, I could not wipe the smile off of my face.
Today ended with a very relaxing evening. I regained
the feeling in my toes after a warm shower, made a quick trip to the store for
a snack, and took a short nap. I awoke from the nap to enjoy a homemade, or should
I say "hostel-made," group dinner of pasta, fruit, and garlic bread
with ice cream for dessert. As I write this and the day winds down, laughter
bounces throughout the hostel's walls and the games have only just begun. Can
this trip get any better? Sorry "Mum", but I may be moving to Wales.
Goodnight, or as they would say in Welsh "Nos Da".
