Notes about a long journey / part 2: North Ireland (Belfast)

I decide to go to Belfast at last moment. My dream was always visit Ireland, and being in Edinburg I bought the tickets to Belfast without thinking it too much.

I arrived in the best day: they were in the cultural celebration of The Cathedral. It was amazing see all the people in the streets, music alive, a lot of beer, dancing, acting, art expositions, food, all in the city center.

I was standing in the street with my second beer when I knew Fin. She is an Irish girl, an artist who also teach art to children. We walk through the festival, dance and drink, meet boys, leave boys, meet couples, and leave couples. I have the best time with her, but I have to admit that sometimes I couldn´t understand her.  

The next day I went to shopping and also take a touristic bus that show me the rest of the city, all the conflict, the mural, the story. It was grate, North of Ireland it is the country that Colombia use as example in a pace process so been in there and feel the environment was a great experience. In the night I was tired enough to just sleep.

In the next morning (Sunday) I wake up early to take the bus who drive me to the ferry again, Glasgow, Edinburg and my final destination: London. When I leave the hostel I found a bunch of people in the street, it was the day of the Belfast Half Marathon, so I stay and see the beginning of the race.

I have to say that I really love Belfast.  

I learn that almost every person that you meet has their own story, their own trips. 

Notes about a long journey / part 1: Scotland

I know that I don´t write in English too often, obviously it is because it is not my first language, and I hate write wrong.  But my foreign friends are more and more, and I want to they read me (Are you doing it?).

Before applying to my thirst scholarship, and receive a negative answer, I went travel around the north part of UK. Scotland and North Ireland.

Scotland

I arrived to Edinburg after 8 hours of night travel on bus, and started my trip with a free walking tour through the city. In that tour I meet Sandro, an Italian-Canadian boy who became my friend for two days. In the afternoon we went to the Whisky Experience, take lunch, I return to the hostel, I have to do check in and take a shower. After that we went to a bar to drink beer. Next day (with hang over, but with the excitement of a new country) I visited the Edinburg Castle, and meet Sandro without planning it in a restaurant, after that I walk through the city while he stay in the hostel and meet again to get lunch, next day I take a tour through the highlands and he continue his own journey. In my trip I meet a Canadian girl (Katherine) who also have a hangover (been in Edinburg and don´t go party it is almost impossible). Katherine where finished a journey to London where she support his brother who participated into a triathlon event. I love the changes in the lands scape of the highlands, the lock of Ness, the colors, the rain. It was a great tour.

Sunrise in Scotland

Whisky Experience

With Sandro

Lock of Ness

With Katherine

After three days on Edinburg I take a bus to Glasgow. I didn´t know any idea of the city, and I arrive very tired and with the worse weather (that rain that you think could not wet you, but if you stay enough time in the street you will finish more than just wet). I arrive at 9:00 am and Glasgow is a city that wake up till 10 or 11, so I felt alone in the wrong place. I went to my hostel and left my luggage, and return to the streets to search some dinner, I found the best coffee shop ever (good music, best price and good food). I stay warm there two hours, till someone activate the fire alarm and I wake from my relax time. I return to my hostel and take a shower and put some clothes to go party. Sandro teaches me how to be a girl alone in a bar: just sit in front of the barman, he will be your backup. I do it, and after a while I meet Paul. He was a Scot-Irish man (who could be my uncle). With Paul drinks some beers and we went to a heard a band to accomplish my desires, he told me he was an architect and we talk about Belfast (my next city). Before say good bye Paul ask me to write about him.

I found this t-shirt in Glasgow

Añadir leyenda

Glasgow University

My next day in Glasgow I walk to the places that I didn´t go because of the rain and I discovered the real city, the one who has music in every corner, handsome men, great architecture, and the harbor. But for been visiting all the places in just half of the day, my next bus, the one who has to took me to the ferry almost leave me. I have to run, and I arrived at 12:21 (the bus was on 12:20) and I saw how the bus start moving, I cross the street and beg to the driver to pick me up, but the bus left. So I entered to the station to fix my time problem, when someone call and say to me run, the driver just return to pick you up. I entered to the bus and all the passengers tall me “you are so lucky”, and it is true, I am really are.    

This sculture is in the entrance to the bus station of Glasgow

My first time in a ferry was the best, I love the ship, the restaurants, the sea. Some pictures of it:

Next step

I am writing this just to warming up to write a motivation letter for apply to other scholarship. I just decide a limit day, next Monday, and I will return to Colombia, the road could be long, and I not return in a direct flight, but I will return to my country. Meanwhile I will apply to other scholarship, and I will try to stay for a year using all my recourses.

It is very difficult think in English, write your ideas in this foreign language, trying to explain why you, and no other student, deserve award the help to study.

Write is the ability that I want to improve the most. Write a sentence that make the people who read it, continue reading. I want to be the best telling stories, making stories. 

Hope

It is hard to weak up some mornings. My head is full with wrong ideas about my future, I loss all hopes and start to crying. Weak up without any clarity of your future, just uncertainly, it is hard.

I think these kind of thoughts make me behave so stupid. I am afraid that I am no living enough this experience, that I am missing details, and my head start to rush me, I have to move, I cannot be in any place because I feel that I should be in other, that my time is running up. I had some conversation without sense, and rushed people around me. 

    

In this race, I felt apart. I start to cry and I could not stop for a whole day, next day I was in the same mood, by the third day I had to change my attitude. This day, was today.

What happen today? I do not know if it was the candle that I turn on in George Church on thankful to God for everything, that make me feel good, in calm, but I have hopes again.

I cannot quite trying to stay here for a year, before my time run up. I cannot forget that I have made a lot with a few, and that I can continue doing it. I cannot forget who I am, and put all my passion in other bet for my future.

I did not win the first scholarship that I was applying, I did not win the second scholarship, the third I will win it. 

Homesick

When I arrived to Cardiff I thought that I will feel homesick from be far away of my parents, my relatives and friends, but this did not happen.  It is incredible what technology can do for your communication. I speak with my parent and brother a lot, and also with other relatives, and don´t feel alone. Moreover, I will find that some experience with my big Chinese family are quiet similar to Colombian experience. For example, today I cook Taipei with them, such a good experience.

However, there some details that make miss Colombia so much. This week I buy a capuchino and it taste awful, this happens with 99% of the coffees that I taste. I miss some food such as plátano and get hugs of the people that I love. 

Oxford and Balloon Festival in Bristol

I am in a pre-sessional 8 weeks course of English and all weeks the University do trips or plans to the nearest or interest cities . This weekend we went to Oxford and later my Chinese friends want to go to a Balloon Festival in Bristol.

The experience was amazing. Oxford has a lot of locations of Harry Potter movie that is why I was so exiting I love the movie and the books, and is no difficult to think that in such amazing place could occur a story of magic.

I was with my Chinese friends, so we went to eat a restaurant call Shanghai 30, it was weird it Chinese food in one of the most English cities, but I love it.

After that we took the train to Bristol, my first time in a train, a good experience. We arrive to Bristol and I break apart of my friends and meet new Chinese people by mistake. The balloons show was amazing, I love it, time later I found my friends. We waited for the last show who was in the darkness, and the balloon shine with rhythm, so spectacular and such a good music. We had to run to the train station to not lose our train. Half of the people lose it. I arrived by midnight to Cardiff and my Chinese friend call to eat again before sleep.

All my day was a great experience. It worth the 50 pound that I spent during the day.   

My birthday in Cardiff

Getting birthday far away from home could be difficult. The fact that you are not going to have a hug from the people who most love you and you love the most, could be depress.

My birthday (August 8) began with a lot of thoughts, first look at the phone, who wrote first. Second, wake up, take a shower dressed well to felt me well. Third, take my breakfast and see the phone again. I got an email. Yes one message could change my humor and make feel amazing. I received an unconditional offer to do my MA in Cardiff, so I apply to the scholarship with the key dates, now I just have to wait an answer.

I arrived to my class late, but when I did it the classroom receive me singing, so it was a good surprise. All my day was especial, my best friend from Colombia, who lives in London, arrive to Cardiff to spend the day with me, we went to the bay and I showed her my favorite place in Cardiff, Batu Park.

After that we went to dance Twmpath with all my colleagues, it was so funny, a great moment. My night finished in a bar.

Was a grate birthday, so difference of my birthday in Colombia. 

Betting for my future

I came to Cardiff with the idea of apply to the Postgraduate Taught International Scholarship, I made all the process to apply, but the last “key date” is between finish my pre-sessional course of English and get an unconditional offer, so I will do what I need to do: take the IELTS exam again, get a 7 and have an unconditional offer before August 16.

Yes, I know, again I am going to do the IELTS, an eternal nightmare for all students.  All these months everything have been just incredible, and now I am going to make a bet for my future. 

What a road!

I am starting this blog with two ideas in my head, the first one is make a tween of the blog that I have in Spanish (Mi Viaje), and the second one is to show a little bit of my vision of Cardiff.

This is an extraordinary work for me, because I am learning to write in English, so is not a simple or easy thing to do, and for that I have to say “sorry” if you find a lot of mistakes. 

I came to Cardiff in last moment, I had to be in here by July 13, but I arrived on the night of the 17. In Colombia I run (in the literal way) to get my papers, I have my visa date on June 28 and I wait for an answer on July 15, but the British Council only send you an email saying that your papers are in study, you have to wait, and in last moment: “Your application is ready for collection”, in any moment they say if you get the visa or not.

So I pick up my papers on Tuesday 16 of July and went directly to the airport to buy an airplane ticket. The cheapest way to get to London and be in Cardiff in time would be buy the tickets with time, for me “the last hour girl” were a little expensive, but I bought it and I flew 10 hours to Madrid. There I have to wait 3 hours to get the plane to London.

I did not have any departure party for my friends, I have a “just in case” meal with my family on Saturday.

I could not believe it, I was travel to the other side of the world, I only said good bye to few people, my father get angry with me in last minute, so he did not went to the airport, so I was just with my mom and an aunt. This also was so unusual. I have a lot of cousins, my brother, aunts, uncles, etc, I always had someone by my side in Colombia I was never alone, but the departure in the airport was so peculiar, it was like a “see you later”…   

So I arrived in London with the idea of see my best friend in the arrival place. This did not happen. I started to search for an internet connection, but it was almost impossible. I got lucky and found a wifi connection, I call to my friend and she told me that she was lost in the underground, so I had to wait in the airport. I was so worry about my trip to Cardiff, I already have made the half of the road, but Cardiff seems to be so far yet.

Maria Juliana arrive in the airport and I just wanted to start to cry. “I did it Majuli, I am here”, she hug me and cry a little with me. We bought the Cardiff coach ticket and drink a coffee. It was only 40 minutes with her and I had to start my trip again.

Before I came, I was so worry about the visa, the tickets, and everything, that I did not sleep well on my last week in Colombia, so I get my coach and the tiredness make me sleep. I arrive to the bus station and ask some people where I can get a taxi. The people in here are so kind, that they help me to take my bags to the car.

My brother always say to me that you must have a taxi driver friend, because of their profession they always know where are the best places to eat, go party and are the best guide in any city. My first friend in Cardiff was a taxi driver. He was so kind, and give me his phone number.

I arrive and my flat mates help me to open the door of my room. I was so tired that I just want to take a bath and sleep, so that was that I did.

Next day, I get up early and went to the university to register. There were expecting me, so it was more easy, they take me to a salon where the students where divide. In there I just see Chinese. This was so weird to enter into a place and just see oriental people. My face should say something, because one man of the university say to me: “in your class are a German and a Greek girl”.

My first day was quite hard, because here no one speak Spanish, so I have to change my “chip” to English since the first moment.

The road just began…