Caerdydd, Cymru

When I was in Bournemouth, a couple of us ‘internationals’ went on a school trip to Cardiff, the capital of Wales (another country in the United Kingdom). I won’t bore you with the facts - you can go to Wiki for that anyway. However, I can say that going on a trip with people who do not speak your language is an interesting thing because it makes you realise how much you can either a) get lost in translation (and that how it all can boil down to semantics) or b) explore a city and have fun exploring other cultures as well. I went with my Finnish buddies Turkka, Kata & Ilari (whom I’ve been to a few trips to as well) and we went with some German and Spanish kids as well (Sarah & Rebecca and… er, I’ve forgotten the others). I’m still in touch with the Finns but I haven’t seen the others since second term.

Every now and then, I love travelling with random people. It makes the experience more special and more exciting to build connections in such limited time. And though you know that’s probably the only time you’ll ever see them again (despite the bond you’ve formed), you know in your heart that when you look back at pictures and memorabilia you’ve collected from those trips…. “We’ll always have Paris”. Or in this case, Cardiff. =)