Elan Grug Muse is from a
small village in Gwynedd, north Wales and Welsh is actually her first language.
Elan is currently studying a BA in Politics at the University of Nottingham in
England. In her free time she also enjoys hiking, kayaking, travelling and
writing.
William Francis Hannell
is from South-East of Wales and is currently studying History and English
Literature at Aberystwyth University. He also volunteers in his free time and
is especially interested in the efforts of preservation of Welsh.
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| photo credits: Ivana Herglova |
How did
you decide on Prague as your Erasmus destination?
Elan: It was quite random to
be honest. It seemed to have a good location and the language looked exotic, so
I went for it.
William:
It was
a logical decision really. Charles University was the best university on the
list, and was also in the most interesting place. Also, financially it made a
lot of sense.
What
are your impressions of Prague and the Czech Republic so far?
E: Prague is an amazing
city in a brilliant country. I could not have picked a better place for my
Erasmus. I love how the cities are deserted at the weekend as everyone goes 'to
nature'. It seems that people in the Czech Republic know how to appreciate what
they have at their doorstep - or so it seems to a romanticizing foreigner
anyway.
W: A wonderful place, full
of history. Prague is a wonderfully preserved city, and apart from London,
there really isn’t such a place back home. I find it fascinating as I’ve never
been in this part of the world for any great deal of time, and it’s been really
interesting. There are some things here that are better than at home
(especially public transport, that might seem odd but seriously, it’s a
blessing to travel on a nice and efficient one for once). It’s also great as in
Prague I get access to so much culture, and at less costs back at home
(especially the opera, I love the fact that they have all the classics on
repeat here, you’d have to wait for a certain season and pay an extortionate
price to see Carmen or Rigoletto back home). The only thing I’ve found strange here is when I’m travelling through the Bohemian countryside
(and I get this everywhere in Europe) and I see flat plains stretching for
miles and everything spaced out. This is ridiculously stereotypically Welsh but
coming from an small area full of mountains and valleys it’s strange for me to
see that kind of geography, as whenever I’ve travelled through Wales I’m almost
always surrounded by mountains, or in a valley, or on a range of hills/mountains
(none of them of any significant height however, it’s not Bhutan), so it
actually looks and feels weird for me.
How
would you compare Charles University with your respective universities in
England and Wales?
E: The style of teaching
at Charles University is much more laid back than in my home university, which
is something I will really miss next year! There is much more of a focus on
class participation than in Nottingham, which means it's not quite as easy to
get away with doing nothing all semester and then cramming for the exam, which
is much healthier!
W: They’re different, in
terms of practices and how they evaluate you. I have to admit I have been
frustrated by how they do things here sometimes, especially regarding the lack
of uniformity in some areas (especially in the modules), the office hours, and
general organisation, and me and Elan no doubt have qualms regarding the
accommodation (as do many), but I think generally it’s just as good, and even
in some parts better than Aberystwyth. I’d say generally they’re equals.
However, Charles does come out on top when it comes to location. Aberystwyth is
a wonderful place to live in and study in, but it’s like living in a glass
bowl, everything you need is there, you never leave, it has its own climate due
to the geography. Now this is useful in many ways, but it‘s also insanely
difficult to get to, and there’s not a lot to see there.
Who is
your favourite British writer?
E: In English, probably
George Orwell, and in Welsh Caradog Pritchard or T.H. Parry-Williams.
W: I don’t actually have
one. That sounds odd for an English Literature student, but I really don‘t. I
read lots of non-fiction, and I have read a lot of books, and also I haven’t read enough of any author that I’ve really
liked. However, whilst I don’t have a specific favourite writer, I do have
favourite British writers. When I was
a child I liked C.S Lewis, Charlie Higson, and (of course) J.K Rowling.
Nowadays I like George MacDonald Fraser, Aldous Huxley, and George Orwell
(though I must admit, my favourite fictional writing I’ve encountered over
these last few years has been American; Fitzgerald, Steinbeck, Melville, Maxine
Hong Kingston et al). I would say Shakespeare, but then I prefer seeing his
plays on the theatre, rather than reading them (reading and studying them just
kills them).
Are you
also learning Czech as part of your Erasmus stay? If so, do you find it
difficult (especially in comparison with Welsh)?
E: To begin with I thought
it was difficult, then I heard Hungarian... I think it's all relative and it
depends on the kind of languages you already speak. Welsh is as difficult to
someone who does not speak a Celtic language as Czech is to someone who does
not speak a Slavic language, I think.
W: No, but I did learn
some before I came here. Originally, I was only staying for one semester and I
now know my university wouldn’t count a language course.
Do you
think there is a certain stereotype of Welsh people as there is of many other
nations?
E: Of course. All Welsh
people play rugby, eat bara brith and raw leeks, work in a coal mine/ slate
quarry, sing in a male voice choir, play the harp, vote labour and have a quick
temper.
W: Oh yes. Ask an
Englishman what it is. We take it on the chin, and even poke fun at it. People
from the South-East even take a strange pride from it. We get portrayed
basically like the Cornish, we’re usually bumpkins (sometimes country bumpkins,
though they’re used to be a stereotype that we were all intellectuals) who can
all sing (I wish) and like poetry, and sheep (like New Zealanders and our
closet Celtic relatives, the Cornish), and have weird accents.
Did you
try some “typically Czech” food and if so, did you found it weird?
E: Yes, and most of it has
been very nice, although the pigs blood soup I think I can survive without!
W: Yes I have done and I
actually like it. Very Central-European methinks, lots of meat and bread-like
stuff or potatoes. However, I do have two qualms, and they are that there is
usually a lack of vegetables, and the fact that it’s very heavy (even Czechs
have said this). Nonetheless, I love it (especially roast Duck with dumplings
and salad)
What do
you miss the most here in the Czech republic?
E: Being near the sea and
the mountains, and being able to speak Welsh with people!
W: Not much, only minor
facets, like I miss British TV sometimes, and restaurants where water and bread
is given for free, and vegetables are given as part of the meal and don’t have
to be ordered as a side dish. I also
miss not having to commute to university every day, as in Aberystwyth almost
everything is on a campus and the town is just down the road, as is everything
you can possibly need; you only have to walk to get anything and to get to
anywhere. However, I imagine that when I get back, there will be a lot from
Prague that I will be missing.
What
places in Wales would you recommend to visit?
E: Llanberis and Castell
Dolbadarn. Llanberis is an old slate mining town in Eryri, at the foot of the
Snowdonia mountains. I it home to the Dinorwig Quarry, which i at least find
hauntingly beautiful in it's own way, plus the picturesque and forlorn
Dolbadarn castle. You can do everykind of outdoor sport imaginable here since
it is situated right in the heart of the Snowdonia mountains, plus they have
good ice cream.
W: A lot of the stuff in
Wales is in the countryside, so if you visit you’ll need a car as the public
transport there is terrible. I can only really speak for the South. In the
South where I’m from there’s lots of lovely countryside, especially in the
Gower Peninsula. When it comes to cities I’m afraid we’re not impressive;
though the smaller towns like Pembroke and St Davids are lovely. The sites and
countryside around the major cities are fantastic, lots of castles, Roman
Ruins, and countryside. However, when it comes to the major cities themselves,
STAY AWAY from Newport (trust me, I live there. It used to be a place that was
actually interesting and nice, but that was a long time ago), and Swansea isn’t
interesting (though the general area around it is fantastic). If you go to
Cardiff visit the castle and the Bay (especially if you’re a Dr Who fan). If
you like industrial history then the places worth visiting in the Valleys would
be the old Merthyr Tydfil Steelworks (UNESCO World Heritage Site) and Big Pit
Coal Mine.
What is
your favourite Welsh word?
E: This is a tricky one.
Maybe 'cigfran'? It means raven, and I think it has a good bite to it.
W: Hiraeth: it’s a
ridiculously poetic word, making it quintessentially Welsh, and there’s no
direct English translation: it‘s a longing for one's homeland, but it's not
mere homesickness. It's an expression of the bond one feels with one's home
country when one is away from it, but it can also be a nostalgia for an
idealised past, perhaps one that wasn’t even real.
And of
course… are there really so many sheep?
E: Yes. Wales: Where
'sheep were in the way' is a legitimate excuse for being late for anything,
anywhere.
W: Yes, we’re like New
Zealand and Cornwall in some ways, including our high number of sheep. Sheep to
us are like Pigs to Denmark, they actually outnumber the human population.
Sometimes, we even pride ourselves on our Lamb.
