Hi from Wales!! My name is Rufio, and I'm a really cute red dragon on an adventure. I stand up about 6 inches but my ancestors were much bigger--and coincidentally, they were from Wales, too! Don't believe me? Just check out this photo of the Welsh flag:

That was my great, great, great, great, great, great Uncle Gruffydd (pronounced Griffith) who is most famous for the legend that concerns the uprising of Merlin. Yep, it's true; Merlin was from Wales!

But first, let me tell you a bit about my pilgrimage to my homeland. I met this human named Charlotte through a blind date at UNCG, and by the end of our meatballs and crackers, we found out we were going overseas together! (Talk about moving fast in a relationship...) My human is nice enough, though, so I didn't mind the idea. I will admit that I doubted her choice of location at first, though. I mean, Wales? Like, why Wales? Why not Berlin or Malta or Austria or something? The human talked about how she loved the UK, though, and something about wanting to study education in a different country, blah blah blah, and I thought, "Ok, well, I'm on board no matter what!"

And then we arrived January 24th, 2014. Little did I know that my and Charlotte's life would radically change. Since being here, my girlfriend and I (don't tell her I call her that; she'd deny it. Apparently I have "fiery breath" or whatever that means...) have met absolutely lovely people from all over the USA, Canada, and the UK, and we're smitten by them. Here's a picture of Charlotte and her flatmates. Some are from UNCG, the others from B.C. and Vancouver. Aren't they darlings?!

Charlotte and the girls and I have had the opportunity to travel to many different parts of Wales as well as different countries! That's the great thing about being in Europe. My personal favorite of the places visited (and also coincidentally the only time my human remembered to take a picture with me; that of course doesn't sway my bias) was Amsterdam, Netherlands! Biking through the streets along the canals (and almost getting hit about 30 times) and seeing all the cute little colorful houses smudged next to each other was so fun! I especially loved visiting the Anne Frank House and staying on a house boat hostel. How many dragons can say they've actually done that before? Here are some pics:

(This is me and Charlotte in front of the I Amsterdam sign in the centre of town. This is also the bike I almost died on numerous times.)

(This is me and Charlotte admiring one of the major canals in the city right after lunch at an amazing Asian restaurant, WagaMama's. That's probably why we are so happy!)

Lastly, here is a picture of Charlotte in a seaside village called Swansea with my and her favorite Welsh word: Cwtch! And we both feel that we would be terribly wrong to not teach you it.

Cwtch means cuddle. The Welsh are very kind and romantic at heart, we have found, and when they want to comfort you, they may throw their arms around you and say, "No worries, now, love, just give us a cwtch."

And on that note, I will bid you adieu. It is time for me to cwtch with my pillow.

Nos da! as the Welsh say. Good night!

Rufio (with a little help from Charlotte Pohlig)

Trinity St. David

Wales

Y Draig Goch

Croeso!!! Shwmae? [Welsh: Welcome!!! How are you?] Floyd here… the Lloyd International Honors College dragon visiting in Wales. My human, Bess, has been very busy but I am thrilled to announce that she has finally decided to let me update you on my fantastic adventures in Wales.  To begin let me introduce to you my very first known relative… This is the Welsh flag. It has been such an honor to end up in the very place where my ancestors began! Apparently, my first famous ancestor was in a wild battle fighting a white English dragon, and the historical figure Merlin, spelled Myrddin in Welsh, who was King Arthur’s advisor, convinced the king to spare my kind and thus became a forever friend to the Dragons.

Floyd and his human Bess

 This is my human and our hometown named Carmarthen [Welsh: Caerfyrdden].  Carmarthenshire is home to the highest population of Welsh speakers in the country. The land is so green and the people are incredibly considerate. The countryside takes my breath every time! I am just loving this area.

Floyd basks in the sun

Llansteffan Castle. One of Wales 642 castles/ruins. Wales possesses the highest number of castles of ANY European country and it is also one of the smallest countries. Pretty cool hey? Llansteffan is only about a 15 minute drive from my human’s campus. She seems to think that’s pretty awesome, but I mean when you can fly anywhere in the country within two minutes, something like that seems minimal. 

Floyd contemplates taking a dip!

The last thing I will share with you is a view of my ocean.  Because the UK is an island we have AMAZING beaches.  I have loved taking a few days to just enjoy the few sunny and warm days that Wales oceans have had to offer thus far.  Hope all my siblings across the world are holding down the fort.  What a pleasure to share only a small piece of this adventure with you all!

Bess Hopkins

University of Trinity St. David

Wales

Our fascinating journey in England began at the start of the New Year. Lloyd and I traveled by plane and landed in Heathrow Airport on January 2^nd. Yes, I understand that Lloyd has wings and could have flown here by himself (he was being lazy at the time and preferred to go by plane). Once we arrived, we took a train from the airport to Paddington Station where we took another train to bring us to Plymouth.

Lloyd at the Plymouth Lighthouse

Although we speak the same language, we still felt a massive culture shock within the first several weeks. We were exposed to new words, different social norms, and different ways of living. Lloyd and I learned to call things differently here, such as “lift” for “elevator” and “rubbish” for “trash” (it took me some time to say “crisps” for “chips” and then “chips” for “French fries”). Not only did we learn more things about England, but many other countries as well. We’ve met tons of other international people from places like Germany, Spain, France, China, and much more! Lloyd and I learned some new languages, which is pretty neat.

We traveled around a lot. Because I had a light class schedule (or here they call it “time table”) I had plenty of time to travel around with some friends. We explored the open fields of Mount Edgcumbe and the fort on Mount Batten. We traveled to Bristol for the weekend and explored the city. Of course, Lloyd and I had to go to London. It felt unreal seeing places like Big Ben, the London Eye, Buckingham Palace, and Trafalgar Square. Those are places I’ve seen in pictures and movies, so it was truly fascinating to see them in person. 

Hello from Bristol Cathedral!

 As a bonus, we then went to Paris, France for several days. The Eiffel Tower was amazing at night, and like I said before, it felt unreal. To be honest, my French is terrible. Luckily, I knew two helpful French sentences that helped me survive: “Je ne parle pas francais” (I don’t speak French) and “Parlez vous anglais?” (Do you speak English?).

This month, Lloyd and I have two trips planned: a trip to Dublin and then a road trip through Wales. I know they’re both going to be great. Study abroad in England has been an amazing experience for me and Lloyd so far. Also, during this semester, I’ve discovered my fascination for traveling. Even when I finish my study abroad in England, Lloyd and I would look for more opportunities to travel around. We’ve got a whole world to explore. Thanks for reading.

Cheers!

Louis Sulit

Plymouth University, UK

Sarah and her little dragon in a hostel

I knew British culture would be different from American, but I didn't realize how much so. Sometimes I feel as if the Brits are speaking a different language. I have a really cool British cultural studies class where we sit around for two hours and talk about what it means to be British. It's wonderful! 

I've been traveling a lot and this past weekend I went to Dublin for St. Patties Day! The weekend before I went to London and visited the studio where they filmed Harry Potter and we got to see all the sets a find out a lot about how the movies were made. I totally geeked out! Here the highlights! 

Sarah Hyde

Keele University

England

At the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Dublin

Hogwarts?!

Maybe Hagrid will stop by!

This is my dragon Hans. Hans has been a very busy dragon and is making the most of his time in Germany!

A stein just big enough for a dragon!

Hans got an early start and landed in Frankfurt, Germany on December 19, 2013. From there he  wanted to go visit one of the many famous German “Christkindlesmarkt” (Christmas market.) He visited one of the biggest markets, which is located in the German city of Nuremberg. The Nuremberg  Christkindlesmarkt is the only place you can buy Zwetschgenmännla (prune men). Hans made some new friends while at the market!

Hans blending in with the Nuremberger Zwetschgenmännla

After the holdiays, Hans went exploring as many places as he could in Germany! He went to Bamberg, Seligenstadt, Würzburg (where he visited his good friend Ann-Kathrin, who he met at UNCG while she was on exchange from Germany last semester!,) Erlangen, and Köln! Hans was especially amazed by the Köln Cathedral which is an architectural marvel!

Even a dragon looks tiny in relation to the Cathedral

Hans then stayed in the city of Herzogenaurach (which is quite a mouthful to say) for two months where he worked at as an intern. Right before he went off to the University, he went to Amsterdam! He was amazed at the way the city was structured and loved taking a boat tour through all the canals. After his trip to the Netherlands he headed to Konstanz, Germany for school.

Hans taking a canal tour in Amsterdam and getting a little to close to the camera

Hans loves Konstanz! He says that Konstanz in beautiful and the fact the it is right on the Bodensee (Lake Constance) makes it only that much better! One of his favorite things is that the Mensa (cafeteria) looks right over the lake, and it makes a stunning view, just like dinner and a show!

Hans always wanted to live on the beach!

He can't wait to go on more adventures with all the new friends he made at orientation! This weekend he is looking forward to exploring Meersburg and then a little later going to the famous islands of the Bodensee! And he cannot wait for summer: sun, sea, and fun!

Hans pretending to breathe fire!

Mit freundliche Grüβe!

From Dragon Hans and his human friend Nicole Schachter

University of Kontanz, Germany

Follow Nicole at nicoleisingermany.blogspot.de (linked on the right)