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Cardiff Wales Exchange - July 7-22, 1993
23 Ambassadors

Cese Hunt - Exchange Director

"To be born Welsh Is to be born privileged, not with a silver spoon in your mouth, but music in your blood, and poetry in your soul."

Twenty-three people representing Friendship Force from Nebraska got a chance this past summer to find out first hand about the acclaimed music and poetry of Wales from informal spontaneous sing-alongs to formal Welsh male choir presentations. July 8, Ambassadors arrived at Heathrow in London and were greeted by five Cardiff Friendship Force hosts dressed alike in green t-shirts holding a 12-15 foot Welcome banner and Welsh flags. These hospitable friendly hostesses mingled and visited as a Venture bus carried the group westward over the "M" interstate road past Eton, Windsor Castle, the Bath exit, Bristol and over the Sevryn Bridge into Wales. Linseed fields were in a deep cornflower blue bloom as -ere the rape fields in bright yellow. The tidal Sevryn River and estuary was particularly interesting as the group passed over at low tide which showed the high banks and muddy flat "beaches."

All host families were on hand in the parking lot at the Moat House Hotel where the group dispersed for get acquainted time, visiting, sightseeing, unpacking, and sleeping. Each Nebraska Ambassador received a red tote bag containing a Welsh souvenir cup, thimble, small bell and tankard along with tourist information about the surrounding area. 

The group next gathered Friday evening July 9 for an evening at the South Wales Police Museum at Bridgend followed by a social hour and dinner at the South Police Club. The evening started out on a "wet" note following about a 30 minute drive south of Cardiff by car as host families and guests gathered in the parking lot and "waited out" a hail/rain storm. The storm abated and the group viewed displays which explained police work in Wales from the time of the Manor Houses and sheriff to the present. 

Following a long weekend spent with host families the group gathered once again on Monday evening, July 12, for the Welcoming Party at Cardiff Castle. After the sumptuous banquet, the Cardiff Athletic Club Male Voice Choir provided a concert. The exchange gifts were made by Cece Hunt who presented a framed painting of the Nebraska State Capitol Building and Nancy Rees who presented an 18-24 inch love spoon which had Friendship Force, Cardiff, Wales carved in the top of it. An afterglow of informal singing interspersed with frivolity, cheery "spirits", and door prizes took place in a room off the library which had served as the Banqueting Hall in the splendid Cardiff Castle. 

Tuesday was again spent with host families and on Wednesday the group gathered for a bus trip north through the lovely Wye Valley. The first stop was at Caerleon known for the ancient Roman Ruins and Amphitheater. Chepstow is an outlet town for Stuart Crystal and the site of Chepstow Castle. Tentern is the site of the roofless Tintern Abbey ordered destroyed by King Henry VIII when he ordered himself head of the Church of England. Tintern Abbey has ever since been a tourist attraction for the WeIsh and English people and one of William Wordsworth's most famous poems is about Tintern Abbey. Monmouth is an ancient Market town and the site of the Monnow Bridge, the only fortified bridge gateway in Britain. Between Tintern and Monmouth the group traveled on a road built beneath a defensive man-made earthen -all built in the 8th century along the border of England and Wales. The weather was not the most beautiful on this day to show off the splendor of the Welsh countryside but it was a day fttll of information and culture. Our quasi guides were Nancy and the 3 Bs (Beth, Beryl and Betty) who serenaded the group on the way back to Cardiff with Welsh folk songs and hymns. Back in the parking lot at the ASDA supermarket the group said their formal good byes and Ambassadors headed off to spend their last evening with host families. 

On Thursday the Nebraska group all went their separate ways with some traveling alone visiting families or doing family history research. Some rented cars for sightseeing in Wales and England. Some went to London for the week and one group even headed to Scotland with another group tour. Members regrouped at Heathrow very early on the morning ofJuly 22 only to find the United Flight had been cancelled. It proved to be a positive experience for most, however, as passengers we. signed to different airlines or flights and upgraded to business class which proved for a good restful fight over the Atlantic. Sights that Ambassadors we. able to see with host families throughout the first week in or near Cardiff included: the Cardiff dock restoration and renovanon project, Welsh Maritime Museum, Norwegian Church, LLandaff Cathedral, Caerphilly Castle, Llancaiach Faur Manor, Swansea, Oystermouth, Castell Coche (the Fairy Castle), small villages (Magor, Bedwas, Caerleon, Rhondda, Hirwaun) and the St. Fagans Folk Museum, a truly "historical overview and cultural experience". This article doesn"t even begin to mention the shopping, souvenir buying or culinary experiences undertaken during the visit to Wales. But those along with the things mentioned above made the two week stay in Great Britain a true "cultural" exchange in the spirit of international friendship. 

On Sunday, August 29, LincoIn Friendship Force members who had traveled to Wales in July met at the home of Cece and Bill Hunt of Denton for a lovely meal prepared by Cece. She said it was her treat to the group or the group's reward for being such good travelers ... and for not complaining on the trip! Friendship Force members shared travel experiences and photographs from their trip. "A good time was had by all."