Earlier this year FW Moderator Arwen took the brave step of leaving her home and life in sunny California and moved to Swansea. Living ‘the dream’ in the slightly less sunny climate of South Wales she has begun her Welsh Language degree course. Her fame continues to spread throughout the educational and social (i.e. the pubs!) circles of the great University town.

Take a look at the Swansea Uni website and you’ll soon stumble across references to our most recent immigrant! Here you’ll find Arwen (Peggi Rodgers) talking about why she selected Swansea for her studies.

And for those who don’t speak Welsh, here’s the translation:

I chose Swansea University for several reasons. I met with the University representatives at the National Eisteddfod in 2006 and I was very impressed with what they said to me about the University’s Welsh program. I was impressed with the town of Swansea too; the location, the shopping and the entertainment. I had high expectations and Swansea University has lived up to them. My classes are challenging and I’m learning a lot of Welsh. I have been very impressed by the teachers - they are knowledgeable and quite ready to help with patience and encouragement.

People will say to you “There is no Welsh spoken in Swansea”. That’s a myth. I have found many Welsh speakers here - There are three living in my apartment complex, and I’m meeting speakers everywhere. There are a lot of Welsh events in the city and this area, and enough opportunities to interact with native speakers and other learners. I’m very happy that I chose Swansea University.

Congratulations Arwen on your ever increasing fame and success! I hope you enjoy your first Christmas in Wales! Nadolig Llawen.

Link: Arwen on the Swansea Uni Page
Link: Arwen’s personal blog

This entry was posted by ForumLead on Wednesday, December 19th, 2007 at 11:18 pm and is filed under Education in Wales, Life in Wales, South Wales, Swansea Area, University, Wales, Wales on the Web. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.