I’m Ben/Benji and I moved from London to Carmarthen in 2014.
Moving to Wales was a snap decision for me. Within the space of a fortnight I had decided to up and leave my job as a Health Club Manager, my flat, and pretty much my whole lifestyle to re-start my education in a country I had never stepped foot in. Anyone that has been to Carmarthen will understand the sudden culture shock that I was in for.
One thing I wish I’d have gotten a heads up about beforehand was the intensity of the rivalry between the English and the Welsh, and rugby in particular.
I was never very interested in rugby, but I thought I should at least try to understand it considering how much I was being teased about it. It was only when I found out that we’re the best team in the world that it truly took my interest.
I truly found out the extent of this rivalry in my Students Union, upon the arrival of the 2015 6 nations where a 21-16 English victory showed me that although they are one of the politest nations in the world, no one likes to get beaten.
Being teased over sport wasn't something that was new to me though; as a lifelong Brentford FC fan, my school pals would always make jokes about The mighty Bees not being as great as whichever premier league team they supported (the obvious mainly- Chelsea, arsenal, Man Utd. etc.). The difference being of course, I didn't have to pay over £10 for a ticket to watch my team, so who's the real winner?
University life taught me a lot of things I never thought I would know, or need to know. One of my favourite things about University (apart from meeting my girlfriend, and getting Hector my Tortoise) was the fact it opened my eyes to the world of Sustainability and all the brilliance and potential that it has.
A lot of my third year studies were based on Sustainability, and as of recently I have become part of the team at Fair Trade Wales, but there'll be more to come of that in future weeks!
(I know this is rubbish but I will get better, I promise)