Here, here. Here.

I started this journal so that I wouldn’t have to email everyone all the time. Instead, I find that I neglect my journal by spending all my time online emailing people. Sorry, poor journal and dear readers. So, this is an update. Nothing poetic, just the facts.

I’ve been in the United Kingdom for a month now. Been to London (you heard about that), and an archaeological dig in Arram (and you heard about that) and York (gorgeous buildings, so much history, good ghost stories). And I went and visited the rellies in Somerset. I’d forgotten how many there were! And they all wanted to meet their Australian cousin. I was taken out to dinner, and taken to the castles and taken on a walk up the Glastonbury Tor.

And now I am in Swansea. I’ve been settled here for three weeks now, although I have done a few jaunts around the countryside in that time. It all just kinda fell into place really. I’d been off the train for two hours and decided to take a walk to uni. At uni, I saw a poster advertising for a flatmate wanted and I gave the girl a call. An hour later, and I was sitting having a beer in the local pub and I had a house and a contact. Liz has been great, showing me around the place and helping me settle in. But she doesn’t live with me, she had to move back to Cardiff to study at the uni there. Instead I live with two English girls, Emma and Hannah, who are lovely and we’re all getting along alright so far. And the third housemate is a Welsh girl named Hayley. I don’t see much of her – she’s not a student , she works full time, and when she’s at home she’s hiding in her room. But I get along well with her when we sit and chat while she watches her soaps on TV.

There are very few Welsh people around though. It seems like nearly everyone I meet is English – especially at the uni. Which is kinda strange and a bit of a bummer. I did really want think there would be more Welsh people around. You know, seeing as it is Wales and all.

Its fresher’s week this week at uni. During the day there are uni things to do, like enrol and go on campus tours and sign up for clubs (Tomorrow, I join the Theatre Society, I am hanging out to be in a production again). At night, everyone in town goes crazy, meeting up with all those friend they haven’t seen in months and all the big nightclubs throw huge parties. There are so many people out and about – it all gets a little overwhelming. I hope to find somewhere a little more chilled out once all this settles down. Classes start next week, and frankly, I’m pretty keen to go. I’ve picked my subjects and they all sound really exciting. I won’t deny it, I am a history geek.

And I’m enjoying it here, especially now that I know some people (and I’ve even had a date!)Brett’s now in London, and I’ll be visiting him soon. It’ll be good to see a familiar face, although I think I’ve forgotten what the accent sounds like.

And so that, as they say, is the facts. Feel updated now?