Arcadia England

We are getting very excited for the Wales trip here at the Center. For good reasons the trip has sold out yet again this semester. The weekend is packed full of activities, in a stunning location with great home-made food served to you all weekend. What more could you want from a weekend? To prepare those of you that are lucky enough to be going our blog is having Wales take over. Today we are going to be giving you some pointers to the Welsh culture.

Language

I big part of Welsh culture is the language. You will notice straight away that all the road signs are in Welsh as well as English. Though, don't worry if you don't know any Welsh, you'll be in good company. Only 27% of the Welsh population able to speak Welsh. It is fun to have a go at saying some of the words as thy are some of the longest in language. Here are some of the basics:

Hello - Helo

Goodbye - Ffarwel

How are you? - Sut wyt ti?

Welsh culture - Diwylliant Cymru

As you can see, English and Welsh words can be similar and nothing a like. Be careful not to make the mistake an English sign designer made when they emailed a Welsh translator. As you can see the English message on the sign is a clear warning to lorry drivers. The Welsh translation is not so clear. It reads, "I am not in the office at the moment. Send any work to be translated.".

Food

Secondly and possibly the most important part of any culture, the food. As Wales is a coastal country there is a lot of sea food, with cockles being a favorite among locals. The leek plays a significant role in Welsh culture as it is the national vegetable of Wales so it makes it's way into a lot of meals. Look out for dishes such as Cawl, a Welsh stew that has leeks and lamb. Glamorgan sausage (Welsh: Selsig Morgannwg), which is cheese, egg and breadcrumbs shaped like a sausage. If your in a more sweet mood, head to a local baker and grab some Welsh Cakes, a true rival to the English scone. You will be wanting a few more after you've had one.

Rugby

And finally. A large part of the Welsh culture is Rugby. When you arrive in Wales you will understand as you can't go more than a few miles without seeing a rugby club. The Welsh are mad about rugby, especially the national team. Be sure to know the latest score of the national team to be able to spark conversation.

Now you have a brief understanding of Wales ffarwel and have a great time!

Don't forget to check our Facebook page next week for pictures from the Wales trip.