Helo! Sut wyt ti? My name is Morgan Sandau, and this past Spring I studied at Aberystwyth University in Aberystwyth, Wales! I loved my time in Wales so much. I haven’t heard much about it in my life, which is what made me so excited to visit. Aberystwyth is an adorable coastal town in Mid Wales. The Welsh who live there are very proud, and I was always so excited to read and hear about the history. Aberystwyth has beautiful sights and buildings, and is full of so much personality. I met so many kind people who were excited to ask me about the US. It was funny to me and my fellow American roommates how fascinated people were with us being American. “Why would you come all the way to Wales?” was a question I received very frequently.

My GLI theme is Resources and Sustainability, and for the semester, I chose to challenge myself to understand Welsh climate change communication and perception. To ensure I could meet this goal, I took one course called Climate Change: Plants, Animals, and Ecoysystems and another called Environmental Regulation and Consultancy. Inside and out of class, I learned that people and governments in the UK are extremely aware of and invested in addressing climate change. I cannot express how happy it made me to see so many groups of people motivated to make real change. It was also cool to meet people with completely different upbringings from mine who ended up being as passionate about climate change as I am. In Environmental Regulation and Consultancy, I learned that all construction projects in the UK have to undergo an Environmental Impact Assessment. What’s more, I learned how to complete one. Having never lived outside Missoula, this experience was very important for my personal and professional growth. I have more hope for climate resilience, and I have more knowledge of what other places are doing to achieve this goal. I hope I can bring this knowledge into the climate sector in the US. 

At AU, I lived in campus housing with two other Montanans (who also go to UM!), a Coloradan, and a Brit. We had a lot of fun together. Aberystwyth is a long way from other cities, but I left town a couple of times. One of my favorite adventures was when I went to Scotland on a whim with two of my flatmates. It was so cool to have no plan and just spend several days in Edinburgh and Dundee. On a separate occasion, we went to Cardiff, the capital of Wales, and saw Caerphilly Castle and went minigolfing at this really cool little place. 

I am so glad I got to have this opportunity. I will remember it forever. It really is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I hope I can get back to Aberystwyth at some point, but even if I don’t, I’m incredibly grateful for my time there. Thank you to the GLI for helping me work this process into my degree. It was so worth it!