This archive report was first published on 22 October 2019.
My First Impressions of Cardiff City ¶
As I settle into my new life in Cardiff, I am reminded of a story my mother loves to tell. The story goes like this: a young girl visits her aunt unannounced and finds a meal ready to be served. She struggles to serve herself, and her aunt notices her discomfort. The aunt asks if there's a problem, and the girl responds, 'It's not about you, it's about me. You see, in our house, we have never cooked flies. I didn't know they could be served as stew.'
My mother's story teaches me that first impressions matter. With that understanding, I'd like to share my first observations about Cardiff. The city's weather is unpredictable, with four seasons in a day. You can wake up in spring, experience summer, feel like it's winter, and then be in autumn all within a few hours.
Life in Cardiff is about planning ahead, but not too much. I've downloaded 10 essential apps to help me navigate the city. One thing I recommend is investing in a hooded raincoat – it's practical and a lifesaver.
Cardiff is a diverse city, with a mix of nationalities. I'm a 'tribeless' Kenyan, and I love seeing people from different backgrounds. The city is always packed, especially during school sessions. I've noticed that there are as many black people as there are white people, and I appreciate the city's mixed racial makeup.
My human rights background teaches me to see everyone as human first. I've noticed that about 80% of my classmates are of Asian origin, and there are seven Africans in my class. All my lecturers are white, and I'm looking forward to learning from them.
Cardiff is a tourist-friendly city, with big malls and shopping arcades. The city claims to have the highest number of castles on the planet, and other attractions include Cardiff Bay, the Wales Millennium Centre, and the Cardiff National Museum.
One thing that bothers me is the amount of dirt lying around, especially in student accommodation areas like Cathays. I'm looking forward to exploring the city and finding out how locals deal with trash collection. I've even found a potential problem statement for my coursework – clean environments make me happy!
I'll be writing more about my impressions of Cardiff in subsequent blog posts. For now, I'm curious about the city's car parking system and will do some research before writing about it.
Published on October 22, 2019, at 10:31 AM.
