About Me

Hi/Bonjour/Ciao/Shwmae! My name is Samantha, I’m 19 years old and I’m currently a first-year student studying French and English Literature at Cardiff University.

Originally, I’m from a seaside town in North Somerset called Weston-super-Mare, where I can see Cardiff from across the waters. It’s quite comforting whenever I feel homesick, and I always feel relaxed next to the sea.

My degree allows me to combine two things I love:  I can learn a language I’m passionate about and explore interesting texts I’ve never read before (I’m a big fan of medieval literature!).

Thanks to the ‘Languages for All’ courses that my university offers I’m also studying Beginners Italian. Although it’s difficult, I’m really enjoying learning a language I’ve never had the opportunity to learn before and it’s so interesting learning about a culture I haven’t had much experience with (apart from the food!).

A fun fact about me is that I’m dog MAD. I have a 12-year-old dog at home and another that my family rescued last year so we’re not quite sure of her age. I’d say the hardest part about going away to university was leaving them behind.

My Take on School

I went to secondary school in my local area, where I was first properly introduced to learning languages. I only started learning French when I started secondary school and, in all honesty, I didn’t have much interest in it until I started studying it at GCSE, when my French teacher helped me fall in love with the language. My teacher really encouraged me and supported me both inside and outside of school and this led to me trying harder in class and learning more about the language outside of lessons. It was this same teacher who encouraged me to apply to go to university after I left secondary school.

I was always quiet in school, but languages really helped me gain confidence speaking which has helped me in all areas of my life. Even at university, languages have given me the courage to do things I never would have expected of myself, like *audition for dance classes and even deliver a presentation in my French class, which was a big *accomplishment for me personally.

Languages and Me:

The languages I currently speak are English, French, and Italian but I would always love to learn more if I have the time and opportunity. If I could speak any other language, I would love to speak Welsh as my mum and her family are originally from Neath. Unfortunately, my mum didn’t *retain the language when she moved to England and, as I had no Welsh-speaking relatives to learn from, the language died out in my family which is sad. I would love to have the opportunity to learn more Welsh and reconnect with my roots, it’s a language unlike any I’ve studied before.

My first *encounter with languages was probably through dance. I’ve been dancing ballet since I was two and learning the language that the artform originated from (French) has really helped me as I’ve progressed.

Even now, as part of Cardiff’s advanced ballet team, French helps me with every lesson – it feels like a cheat sheet if I don’t remember the actual move (which happens quite a lot!).

Through learning French, I’ve also been able to join the modern languages netball team at university, which has been really good for keeping active and the other girls have been so supportive and positive.

I was so excited to go to university and have the chance to study Italian alongside my degree. Although I’ve never been to Italy, I love the food and thought the language sounded so cool, so I signed up straight away for the Languages for All beginners’ class. I’m now on part 3 and still loving it!

My Student Life: 

I was really nervous about going to university. I’d never moved before, and I was the first person in my family to study A-levels let alone a bachelor’s degree. So, I really didn’t know what to expect.

However, since coming to university I can honestly say I’ve had some of the best times of my life. The independence of moving out has been great and I’ve made friends from all over the world, not just the UK.

I love my degree, even though initially I was worried about whether I would enjoy it. Even *modules that I was unsure about taking have ended up being really enjoyable, though I have to say that my absolute favourite module so far has been Medieval Literature.

The social side of university has also been amazing! The fancy dress club socials have been so much fun – so far, I’ve dressed as a pineapple and a member of Abba as well as competed for the ugliest shirt on a night out!

My original reasons for taking French and English were that I genuinely enjoyed the subjects, even if I found them challenging, I realised that I was still drawn to languages and literature regardless. However, as I started applying for a university place, I was really drawn to the idea of spending time outside the UK on a year abroad. I’m so excited that I get to do that as part of my degree, and there are so many different options to choose from in terms of what I can do during my time away.

I hope that one day I can travel and work internationally with my language skills. That is my ultimate goal!

*accomplishment – something that you are proud of

*audition – where you perform something practical (a dance, song etc) to get a role, job or place in a group

*retain – keep hold of

*encounter – meeting

*modules – these are classes that you choose at university