CARDIFF -
An international experience is shaping two local natives' outlook on the world and studying abroad.
On Sept. 13, 2009, Lewisporte native Andrew Wood and his girlfriend of four years, Janine Curlew, travelled to Cardiff, United Kingdom to pursue higher education in the field of Optometry.
Both graduated from two institutions in St. John's, Mr. Wood graduating from Memorial University with a biology degree and a minor in psychology, while Ms. Curlew received her veterinary assistant/receptionist diploma from Academy Canada in 2008.
The decision to move to Cardiff for further education began when Mr. Wood researched several post-secondary institutions throughout the United States and the United Kingdom.
Mr. Wood first received a notice of an interview at Ferris University in Michigan, U.S., but later found out he had gotten accepted into four of the five universities he applied for in the United Kingdom. Before committing to Ferris University and flying to Michigan for an interview, Mr. Wood took the opportunity to research more into the United Kingdom schools first and called upon a friend to help make his decision.
"He came to find out that it was quite a bit less expensive than the United States," said Ms. Curlew. "He contacted his friend Peter Squires, who is also doing his third year of optometry in Scotland, and asked Peter how he found school and living in the U.K."
Mr. Wood said the information eased his mind about choosing to move to the U.K. and after researching each university, found that Cardiff University had a newly built Optometry building in 2007 and was opening to students in 2008.
"That was a huge plus for Andrew," said Ms. Curlew. "He also found out that Cardiff Optometry School was only three years of academics and then a one year work-term, followed by licensing and qualifying exams. Whereas, the U.S. requires four years of academics and two full summers of a work-term."
Ms. Curlew said the decision to move from Newfoundland to Cardiff was easier for Mr. Wood because he felt it was the best school for him, but Ms. Curlew admits it was hard to move so far away.
"For me it wasn't so easy," she said. "I was not looking forward to moving so far from home. I haven't travelled much at all, let alone moving overseas."
However, Ms. Curlew said she is glad Cardiff is where they will be spending their time, as it's much smaller then the other places they checked out.
"We wanted to live in a place that wasn't too big and busy and hard to get around in," she said. "Cardiff has a population of about 300,000 people, which is smaller than any other city we were considering moving to. We didn't want to live in a really big city like London and Cardiff had lots of big parks and nice scenery to enjoy, plus considering the new optometry school and Cardiff University's high ranking, we were confident in our choice to move to Cardiff."
Kingdom kindness
Ms. Curlew was surprised to see so many students, of different backgrounds, travelling to Cardiff in pursuit of education during their overseas trip.
"Our first impression when we arrived in Heathrow Airport was that we couldn't believe how many students there were waiting to get through customs," said Ms. Curlew. "Also, there are so many people living here from all over the world that it is very common to walk down the street and hear many different languages.
"But I was very nervous because Andrew and I had to separate and go in separate line-ups because he was a student and I wasn't."
After about an hour in the line-up Ms. Curlew finally got through, but Mr. Wood was still very far back in the other line.
"So I sat down and waited and after an hour and a half of waiting and thinking we were going to miss our train, a customs lady came over and asked me if I was okay," said Ms. Curlew. "She saw me sitting there for a long time, so I told her I was waiting for my boyfriend in the other line-up and she told me to come with her to point him out.
"So I did and she called Andrew forward and checked him in herself so we could go on through together - what a nice lady. Luckily we made it to our first train."
Ms. Curlew said her nervousness eased as they experienced kindness during their first day at almost every stop along their journey.
"Then we got to Paddington Station in London and we had no idea where to go at all, so we just kept walking, struggling with all our luggage," she said. "Finally, we came across a custodian and we asked him the way to the train. He helped us find our way and even paid for a luggage trolley.
"I couldn't believe it. Everyone is very nice and helpful and this has been consistent the whole time we have been here."
Different world
Upon arriving in Cardiff, Ms. Curlew said they both immediately took notice to the differences in driving and that the city didn't seem as big and busy as they initially thought.
"When we first arrived in Cardiff our first thoughts, when we were driving to our hotel, was how crazy it was to drive on the opposite side of the road," said Ms. Curlew. "I knew then that we would not be getting a car over here because I knew it wouldn't last long with me driving."
Ms. Curlew said the only differences there other than driving on the opposite side, there are trains everywhere throughout the city of Cardiff, which is three and a half hours ahead of Newfoundland time, and the weather is different.
"It rained the entire winter almost every day besides a few days where we had some unexpected snow," she said. "This time of year it is starting to warm up into the teens and the sun is out a lot more.
Ms. Curlew said there also seem to be fewer restrictions in Cardiff.
"There appears to be a lot less rules here, some that we have noticed are; cars can park pretty much where ever they want - on the sidewalk, facing traffic, on turns, and there are no stop signs that we have seen in the city at least," she said. "Drinking in public is legal and the grocery stores and almost every clothing store is different, virtually none of the same franchises as home."
However, Ms. Curlew said there are a lot of the same fast food restaurants like KFC, McDonald's, Subway, Pizza Hut, Burger King and Starbucks.
"We also get most of the popular television shows as we do home, although they are usually behind," she said. "Other than that there are not a lot of similarities."
The cost of living in Cardiff is also much higher, compared to Newfoundland.
"The price of living over here is double," said Ms. Curlew. "Groceries are more expensive, renting our flat is double the cost of renting somewhere home or in St. John's when we lived in there."
Ms. Curlew said so far they haven't been able to travel very far, however the events and sights they have been able to see have been enjoyable.
"I was excited to experience my first train ride when we had to travel from London to Cardiff," she said. "And one weekend we went to Bristol in England. We also went to Cardiff Bay and we went on a boat tour while we were there, it is called an aqua-bus because it's used to bring people back and forth from one side of Cardiff to the other - instead of using trains or taxi's. We thought that was really awesome."
Adjusting
Mr. Wood and Ms. Curlew have adapted as best they can into the Cardiff lifestyle, even calling their new home a "flat".
"All the houses here are connected, like apartments, except they're called flats," said Ms. Curlew. "We live in a one bedroom flat, it's not very big. The kitchen and living room are one room and I think there are four other flats in our building. We haven't seen one bungalow yet since we've been here."
When it comes to attending Cardiff University, Mr. Wood said he is thoroughly enjoying his studies there.
"I really like the program so far and from what I've heard from second and third year students, it just keeps getting better," said Mr. Wood. "Right now we only test our classmates eyes, which is fun and a great way to learn, but next year we are able to see patients and that's when it becomes really interesting.
This year Mr. Wood will be studying six courses; more biology based and will deal mainly with the structure and functions of the eye. Other courses will be physics based and will focus on optics of the eye and the properties of light. Mr. Wood said the examination process at Cardiff University is completely different from what he is used to in post secondary schooling.
"Here there are no midterm exams, we just have a small series of quizzes before the Christmas break, followed by our final exams in May," he said. "Although this might seem great, because there are fewer tests, some of my final exams are worth 80 per cent.
"Overall, I am really enjoying the program and very happy with the way everything is going, but I am still looking forward to the end of the semester so I can come home for summer break."
Both still miss Newfoundland and plan on coming home to stay in a few years time.
"Of course our families are what we miss the most, but we also miss the food from home," said Ms. Curlew. "We both miss the lifestyle of living in a small town, where everyone knows everyone. We know it can be boring sometimes living in such a small town compared to all of the activities available in larger cities, but you don't realize how much you miss it until you're gone.
"We are planning on moving back to Lewisporte when Andrew finishes school and hopefully we're there to stay."
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