The Top Five Reasons to get involved with Societies

If there is anything I regret about my time at Swansea University so far, it is that I haven't joined enough societies.

As much as I like putting that down to my 'extortionate' workload, realistically, it is due to my pure laziness , lack of enthusiasm and lack of motivation that I am not involved in all of the societies that I would like to be. In my first year, I spent at least 6 hours, if not more, wandering around the Fresher's Fair trying to find something I'd enjoy, (whilst bagging all the free pens I could fit in my pockets), and even at the end of it, I wasn't sure I could commit to attending anything weekly as I was just getting to grips with everything that was going on.

In my second year, I was a part of the Fresher's Fair, manning a stall trying to entice people into writing for The Waterfront newspaper as I battled round two of severe Fresher's Flu. Again, I had major hopes of joining lots of societies like cheerleading, netball, Hogwarts appreciation, French and Photography. But as I wandered aimlessly around the fair, (again, grabbing all the free stuff I could get my hands on), I never really got round to it.

Now, I'm halfway through my degree and still, all I have managed to achieve is signing up for the newspaper, drinking my liver into a comatose, successfully scheduling my classes around showings of Jeremy Kyle and doing a bit of work towards my degree. It doesn't really seem to me that I have utilised my time here to the best of my ability.

This thought was particularly renewed in the midst of the Swansea University Students' Union Full Time Officers elections. (Try saying that twice as fast.) Election night is always particularly exciting for me - not because it's probably the biggest event of the year for the paper or because of all the emotional candidates that add up for some fantastic coverage, but because I get to work alongside what I refer to as my 'Waterfront family', to produce some incredible work.

My Waterfront FamilyFrom left to right - Jake, Alan, Craig, Catrin, Fred, Me, Jon, Sam, Melvin, Chris, Lauren, Emma, Ina and Sophie. 

I've been working at the Waterfront now about a year and a half and the people there have literally become my family away from home. There are really no words to describe how wonderful these people are, but they have become my brothers and sisters and, more importantly, my very best friends.  I spend every single day with these people, putting together a paper, finding stories and working hard and yet, at the end of it all, I don't want to kill them. That, my friends, is love.

My point is that I should've joined more societies and met more people like this.

So, all this got me thinking of why exactly students should and do join societies. Whilst I may not have had the true motivation to get off my arse and do it, I think I've nailed it into five points.

1) Smart students have realised that societies don't just mean sport

When I initially started studying at university, I was under the clichéd and very American impression that all societies were going to be very much sport orientated. With my being 'athletically challenged' leading to my inability to understand the offside rule, (no matter how many times the salt shakers are brought out), and my motivation to pass my driving test on the first try, it was the one thing that was making me dread my upcoming time at university.  However, it turns out that there are societies out there to cater to everyone and everything from snitch and bitch societies to Quidditch societies, (I've done my research - these are genuine societies).  For me, this was fantastic news, especially as I was born and bred to be a writer, not a runner.

2) Some students just can't rely on their CVs

CVs can either be the bane of your life or wonderful, magical slips of paper that grant you access to money.  I've had it constantly drummed into me throughout my education that employers are now being increasingly greedy and wanting someone who has more than a good degree. Being a part of a society proves to potential employers that you have had previous experiences of fun that will prepare you for the staff parties throughout the year. This separates you from someone who focuses all their time and energy on their degrees. Sure, it's great to get a first, but I'd rather get a 2.1 and have fun doing it than get a first and be a boring sod for the rest of my life.

3) Knowing that socialising is key

The very last thing you want to do at university is not to socialise and meet new people. Societies give the nervous and shy students to meet other like minded students who they can drink with, chat with, drink with, have coffee mornings with, drink with and generally enjoy themselves with. Plus, you genuinely do make lifelong friends through all this stuff.

4) Wanting to learn new things

Ah all you freshers with your shiny new backpacks, student accounts, notepads, pen and stars in your eyes! You've just passed what you feel have been the hardest exams you'll ever have to sit, you're free of the shackles of sixth form and A levels, you're free from the time old 'you'll live by my rules when you live under my roof' argument, and you finally have your own space. You think you know it all but think, take a step back between finding the best things to pawn when your student loan runs out and consider that you may actually learn something new through joining a society. Since joining the Waterfront, I have learnt so much about the career I'm planning to go into. And not just that, I've learnt so much about myself - what exactly I want to do, where I want to go and who I am as a person. Societies are just one massive learning curve which is why they're so fantastic.

5) ALL THE DISCOUNTS AND FREE THINGS

Some societies, (not all, but some), offer you some worthwhile perks for joining them. Apart from all the new things that you'll be learning, all the friends you'll be making and all the alcohol that you will undoubtedly be drinking in socials, discounts and free things are available. And you know how much students love discounts and free things. Enough said.  

If that's everything covered here, I'm off to start up a 'writers not runners' society - I'm a lover of good alliteration and, well, if there's a way to accept that I'll more likely be writing about the 2016 Olympics than competing in it, then starting a society about it is it. And hey, I have a whole day left of freedom before I dive head first back into my ridiculous 'workload'. I may as well use the remainder of my time wisely and join a few more societies, right?

The new symbol for the writers not runners society! 

All the inspiration you'll need to join or start up your very own society. ----> Top 20 amazingly weird university societies 

Disney on feminism

I don't know whether it had been made 100% clear in all of my previous posts but I'm sure it has shone through in some that I'm all for feminism, especially for both genders.

You may also know, or not know, that I am a massive Disney fan. Literally. It's a sickness.

And so, today I will attempt to bring these two entities together in a collision that will shortly make sense to those among you who are completely baffled to the point which I am trying to make.

So, let's begin. This morning as I logged into Facebook while wasting away any hopes of achieving my potential as always, I browsed the 'news feed' for any references I could use for a new blog post to mostly make myself seem wittier than I am, when I saw a 'new' Facebook group pop up, in an attempt to entice me to liking the page. I say that it was new but, of course, what I mean is that I'd never seen it before.

Firstly, for those of you who don't own a Facebook page, like my father who is undoubtedly reading this, a Facebook group serves three purposes on the social networking site. It;

1) Serves as an excuse to get people to do things.

For example - If 1000 people join this group, Joe Blogs will admit that he is gay.

2) Is the best way to get something done without having too much contact with the human world.

For example - If 1000 people join this group, my girlfriend has said that she will marry me.

3) Serves to point out the bloody obvious.

For example - Join this group if you breathe.

Basically, a Facebook group will show everyone what interests you have and such. I assume that this goes on to manifest into a mutual interest which, theoretically, would manifest into friendship but, so far, I've had no evidence to support that theory.

So anyway, today I came across the Facebook group 'Disney gave me unrealistic expectations of men.'

Admittedly not the same title but you get my drift...

Firstly, yes, of course it did. Disney is fictional.

Secondly, yes, of course it did! Not all men are princes, to start with, and not all men are willing to fight dragons, evil sea creatures, evil Queens, chase women half way across the world or send telegrams around all the houses in the immediate area to find you. These are the kind of men you want to ride off into the sunset with - the ones who you, according to the movies, will never encounter a single problem with. What real life man can compete with that? As much as it pains me to criticise Walter Disney, Disney films portray an unrealistic and glorified version of love. If love were as simple as it is made out to be in these films, then we would all have found our significant others by my age and the world would be wonderful and full of love and blah blah blah.

Thirdly, even if these men did actually exist in today's society, I can assure you that you would not actually consider dating them. We all know that no one is more of a model for a future knight in shining armour than a good, old fashioned Disney Prince, despite being unrealistic or not but, in today's society, they would probably not be contenders for women's hearts.

For example, Prince Charming from Cinderella. Arguably the original Disney Prince, whose romantic decision making skills rest largely on his foot fetish. In today's society - Freak.

Beast from Beauty and the Beast. He's scary and he submits the village beauty to Stockholm Syndrome straight away but, all that is forgiven the second he gives Belle a library. In today's society - Unrealistic.

'The Prince' from Snow White. A prince who apparently doesn't have a name who goes out in search of what has been described as the fairest girl in the kingdom so that he can kiss her to bring her out of a spell and marry her, even though they've never met before. In today's society -  Lookist, egotistical and vain. 

Aladdin from Aladdin (obviously). A thief who is politically opposed to wearing a shirt but a firm advocate of the tiny purple vest who steals the less personable Kim Kardashian from her palace late at night for a carpet ride. In today's society - Girl snatcher.

Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid. A rich prince who can't tell the difference between an evil singing brunette and the ginger girl who saved him earlier in the film, and who is ready to marry a girl who has literally never spoken to him after at least 5 dates. In today's society - Untrustworthy and plain stupid.

I could go on but I'm sure you get my point. But this wasn't the only thing that bothered me about this group.

Mostly, this group got me asking myself one serious question. Are we all forgetting the co stars of these films? Admittedly, most of the Disney Princesses can be perceived as being a bit pathetic but they all stand for something, which we are encouraged to do by modern feminism.  Cinderella embodies hard work, hope and staying true to who you are. Belle stands for loyalty and intelligence. Snow White stands for being pure, innocent, loving and open minded. Jasmine stands for having sharp wit, despite being perceived as a bit of an air head and Ariel stands for freedom and sometimes stubbornness.  

The best Disney princess I can refer to on this point is Mulan who isn't officially a Princess but the Hero of China, which I'd prefer to have as a title any day. Mulan goes into battle so her father doesn't have to and, she risks her life for him by joining an army that had severe punishments for women pretending to be men. Honestly, out of all of the Disney Princesses, she had to be the best.

Mulan

Really, what I'm trying to say here is that I don't understand why girls these days are still spending their time and squandering their intelligence on waiting for a Prince who does not and cannot physically exist to come and sweep them off their feet, when they have such great role models to look up to. To me, it is evident that these Disney films were not made to give women unrealistic expectations of men, but were made to prove to women that they can stand for something and that, should they be lucky enough to find their Prince, he is found through hard work, dedication and persistence. What we really need to do when we watch these films is not moan about how no men in the real world are like that and fawn over fictional characters, but take a closer look at the co-stars of these 'perfect' men and learn from them. 

What it means to be Welsh.

Shwmae. Croeso i Gemma's byd ac dydd gwyl Dewi hapus.

I can see that my flawless ability to use Google translate to a certain extent has impressed you greatly so that means we're off to a flying start with this blog. If you're a fluent Welsh speaker, then I apologise for my terrible attempts at speaking what should be my mother tongue.

If you, unlike me, speak fluent and coherent Welsh, then you will understand the point that I am trying to get across. That being that yesterday was the day of Saint David, the patron saint of Wales which, as you may know by now, falls on the first of March every year, in remembrance of his death.

Personally, I have always loved Saint David's Day. Unlike most of my class at school who used to enjoy the extra art lessons to make extra Welshy arty things, the extra assembly time to listen to Welsh poems and stories and the extra Welsh cakes at break and lunch times, I used to and still do love the feeling of sharing my national pride with the rest of my country. The only thing I used to hate about this day was my mother's determination to dress me in traditional welsh dress until at least the age of ten (feel free to look it up and feel my pain) but, thankfully, in 2013, we have somewhat caught up with society and modernised our celebrations slightly.

So, what better day to pose the question - What is being Welsh?

Fortunately, it's not all frilly aprons and rugby shirts as it was when I was younger. In 2013, being Welsh means many things in an amalgamation of many diverse cultures.

Am I Welsh because I feel like I fit in more and am more at home on this side of the Severn Bridge than the other? Am I Welsh because my coat is also my jacket? Because 'here', 'ear' and 'year' are all indiscernible? Because Sospan Bach qualifies as a fantastic song even though the lyrics are about a little boy being scrammed by his cat? (Seriously, give it a listen.) Because you'll be there now. In a minute?

As a thorough-bred Welshwoman who has been living in this wonderful country for all of the 20 glorious years of her life, for me, being Welsh mostly means wanting Wales to win the rugby every single time they play, knowing the importance of the difference between a hug and a cwtch, getting irate when people think that Wales is England, (or vise versa), loving my free prescriptions as I go through the motions with my health, being proud of my heritage as one of the purest Celts and resting safe in the knowledge that we have some of the best looking rugby players in the world.

In a recent survey which asked 1,000 Welsh residents a series of questions about being Welsh versus being British, it revealed that 40% identified most with being Welsh, 35% their local community and under a quarter, British.

It's something that I can fully appreciate. For me, it has never been a question of being Welsh, or British or European. I have never questioned my national identity because I have never really felt British, (the exception to this lies in the recent Olympic and Paralympic games in London, as I'm sure is the case with a lot of people.) I have always felt somewhat disconnected from Britain because I've always viewed the UK as being English which I am most certainly not.

Don't get me wrong - I don't really have a problem with the English since meeting some wonderful English people at university and now being in what society perceives as a 'long term' fully function relationship with an Englishman, I suppose I can't really have a problem with them anymore, even if I wanted to. It's just the idea of being anything but Welsh is scary. I wouldn't know how to be a good Englishwoman or Scotswoman or Irishwoman. I'm not formal enough to be English, I hate the sound of the Bagpipes and while I do love potatoes, I don't think I have what it takes to make it in Ireland.

Personally, I don't believe that Welshness is inherent in being born in Wales, speaking Welsh or being ethnically Welsh. I know people who meet all three of those criteria who are English, British or come from further afield and I know people who meet none of those criteria and yet, are some of the most passionate Welsh people you could ever hope to meet. Surely, being Welsh is open to anyone who feels a deep love for this wonderful country and an inherent Welshness when they are here, which is one of the fantastic things about living here.

For me, being Welsh is mostly being proud of and loving the country deeply. Despite the fact that we are on the map as part of the British Aisles, Wales has single handily played its part in making the UK a great place. We brought the world Tom Jones, Dylan Thomas, Joseph Parry, Joe Calzaghe, Catherine Zeta-Jones and, more importantly, the wonderful show that is Gavin and Stacey. We gave Britain Aneurin Bevan, who reformed the NHS in 1948, Roald Dahl who provided some of the best children's literature that I would still happily read to this day and let's not forget that mail order catalogues would not exist if Pryce Pryce-Jones had not first used the post to sell flannel from Montgomeryshire to far away customers, such as Queen Vic. Telephones work because of carbon microphones invented by David Hughes and the world would have no internet or mobile phones had it not been for Donald Davies and his packet switching. Basically, Wales is a country full of fantastic history, culture and achievement.

 But mostly, I think that being Welsh can be summed up in ten comforting points;

1) Being accused of bestiality with sheep is perfectly normal

2) You automatically correct people on their pronunciation of Welsh place names, even if you can't speak the language.

3) You say the word 'like' at least once in every sentence.

4) You feel the overwhelming need to tell people who are not from the UK that Wales is definitely not a part of England.

5) The only sentence you seem to know in Welsh is "Rydw i'n hoffi coffi." Even if you don't like coffee.

6) Wales versus England in the six nations is the most important day of the year. Full stop.

7) You're drawn to the place, despite being born and bred elsewhere.

8) You support whoever is playing against England in the rugby.

9) You have the last name or know someone with the last name Williams, Bevan, Llewelyn, Morgan, Rees, Powell, Howell, Davies, Lewis, Thomas, Jones, Griffiths, Morris, Evans, James, Roberts, Jenkins, Owens or PARRY.

10) A cwtch is the answer to all of your problems.

Basically, whether you love us or hate us, (and if you're English, it's probably the latter), we are here, our country is amazing and full to the brim of a proud people's who simply love their country for what it is. As much as I may not want to quote the guy, as David Cameron said on his Twitter profile yesterday morning, "From one of Europe's oldest living languages, a great literary tradition and incredible music, to world-class sport, mouth-watering cuisine and a thriving business environment - we can all take pride in such a rich culture and heritage."

The only problem is that it's too close to England.