The Tales of Wales: my beautiful tangle...

Even if you know me, you may still not understand the dynamics of my family. It is a tangled mess really---but, never the less, the beautiful, loving, and never-empty-of-excitement tangle. It’s mine. In the past I have called a lot of people my family. Of course, everyone has his or her regular family. Whether or not you want to claim them, you are related and you have to love them. But, for me I choose to love others just as much as my family. In the past I have had my high school family, my youth group family, my Central family, and my various church families that have taken me in like a daughter, sister, or awkward cousin.

I am pleased to announce that I now officially have my Bangor family. My flatmates here in Bangor and I were pretty much made for each other. Like I have said previously, they have taken me in just like a sister, and to me they are another addition to my never-ending tangle of a family.

They are a rambunctious crew of people that were randomly placed together in Glaslyn Q 109-116. They never knew that they would become a family, or one big group of best friends, but they did.

As this blog goes on and on through my adventures I thought I should explain a bit more of my tangle here in Bangor. Our flat is made up of me and 7 others. Here is a little bit about the people I am privileged to live with:

Matty: I constantly wonder about Matty and his strange little antics. He plays a great role in our little family. He is like the awkward uncle in out flat. He is strange, funny, awkward, a jokester. My tangle back in America always says that it’s a good sign when others pick on you because it’s a way to show the love they feel towards you. Well, at the end of the day I can appreciate Matty for the “reem” person he is. (Reem is a new term that I have learned, apparently it is similar to the word-awesome.) Also –fun fact- Matty really likes imitating American accents, and he is pretty good at it.

Matty and Zoe

Rhi: Ahh…Rhi. If I could shrink Rhi down to the size of a small Barbie doll I would. And I would carry her around in my backpack. She is one of the sweetest girls I have ever met. Rhi would be the cool aunt of the flat. Ya know, that family member that you hangout with at family reunions. She just accepts you for who you are and she makes you feel good when you are around her. She and I get each other. We can be sitting in the kitchen with a bunch of other people and look at each other and just know what the other is thinking. Rhi has one of the best smiles and laughs I have ever heard…even with the flaw of her loving “Monster Munch.” (Monster Munch is a chip here, it is pork flavored with the texture of Cheeto Puffs. It leaves that left over flavor on your fingers, but it is not one that you would save for later…eww.)

Zoe: You would never be able to tell that Zoe is the youngest person in the flat. She is kind and mature. (And it is probably good that the girls in the flat are like this because the boys can get a bit rowdy {all the time}.) Zoe is like the mom in the flat. She is humorous, but she knows who she is and has an understanding of people. She is easy to talk to and easy to listen to. Zoe cooks a lot. She makes actual mashed potatoes, not from the box, and she tries new things all the time. She has the typical style of an English person. Which of course is absolutely adorable. Her hair is wild most of the time, but it fits her so well. She is chill and organized. I want to steal the decorations in her room, and most of her shoes and jewelry. Zoe and I are normally the ones cleaning the kitchen in the mornings. We like less clutter and when we work together that kitchen looks way good.

Rhi, Zoe, and Me

Sarah: This girl and I live next to each other. Our beds are right next to each other, with a wall in between. She is responsible and strong. She is sure of who she is and who she wants to be. She is the older sister of the flat. She gives advice and always has a level head in tough situations. Sarah is the best. I love giving her hugs and seeing her smile. She is part of the OTC here in Bangor. This explains her character; trustworthy, loving, hard working, and friendly. Sarah took me in as part of the family almost immediately and has made my time here absolutely wonderful.

David and Sara

Nathan: When describing Nathan, you have to start with my favorite part of him. His devious giggle. He gets the biggest smile on his face and lets out about 3 or 4 “hhneee, hnee, hnneeee’s.” It is seriously the best. I don’t know whether or not to be scared or just laugh right along with him. Normally it is the latter of the two. Nathan is like the big brother of the flat. He never turns down an opportunity to do something. He enjoys being lazy, but he is always there for you. He wears a one-zie most of the time when lounging around our flat. A tiger one-zie to be exact. He is always good for a laugh or a hug.

Nathan and I at the Menai

Icy: Let me start out by saying that this girl has the best hair I have seen. It is long and black and usually full of curls at the bottom. Absolutely gorgeous. Although I don’t see Icy very much, I know that she is sweet. She has this innocence about her that is just brilliant. And from what I smell and see, she is an excellent cook. Chinese food is my weakness, and that is all she cooks…yum!

Me and Dave

David: Dave, Dave, Dave, what can I say about Dave? He is like my brother here. We have a good chat almost everyday just about life. Dave enjoys eating my food. He is the only one in the flat that tried my peanut butter and actually liked it. He eats a bit of pretty much everything that I cook. He says its good, but apparently he doesn’t have very many taste-buds so I don’t know how to take that. I ignore it, and take his keenness to my food as a compliment. Dave also has a tiger one-zie that I will catch him sporting most days. He has introduced me to a bunch of new music that is quite good, and I honestly love it when I can hear him singing from the next room over. Luckily for me whenever I need to chat Dave is just a knock on the wall away from me.

My tangle here is one that I hope I can have forever. They have impacted my life in Wales so much, and it has only been 3 and a half weeks. I can’t imagine how close we are going to be after 4 more months.

Good friends and family are a rare treasure and I am lucky to have my tangle here in Bangor and back at home…