Get used to Cardiff weather in NO TIME !

Britain, as we all know, is not famous for its warm sun. Before my Erasmus in Cardiff, I tended to think that it was just a stereotype, and that the weather could not be THAT bad… Well, let’s see if I was right or wrong.

When I arrived at Cardiff airport, on September 14th, the sun was shining BRIGHT. No joke, I had to take off my jacket and the three sweaters I had on (they wouldn’t fit inside my 23kg suitcase) and to wear sunglasses ! I couldn’t believe I had just arrived to the country where it was supposed raining all the time.
The first two weeks were amazing, we were discovering the city (our classes were only starting on the 27th), had picnic in Bute Park, went exploring Cardiff Bay and Penarth… Everything was perfect.

But then, October started … From as far as I can remember, October has always been my favourite month. In France the weather is perfect to pull out a nice outfit with a top and a cool jacket, you can wear jeans or skirts or dresses or whatever you want without being too hot or cold, the leaves are red, orange and yellow … Everything looks good in October ! Plus, it is Halloween month, which is my favourite celebration of the year (along with Christmas of course), so every boutique is decorated, and all month there is something to look foward to ! (Moreover it’s my birthday month – but shh I don’t wanna sound biased …).
So yeah, you can imagine how I felt when October in Cardiff started with rain, kept up with rain, and ended with … wait for it … a bit more … yeah rain again (what did you expect ?). Except for the three days my parents came to visit me for my birthday though (causing them to believe I was lying the whole time I was complaining about the rain).

But don’t panic if you are planning a year abroad there, I swear you will get used to it. Of course, at first, you will probably cry whenever you look outside the window. Of course, you will crawl back under your duvet and wish you had gone to Spain. Of course, you will throw away several umbrellas that had inverted with the wind, leaving you soaked in rain and desperate. And of course, at some point, you will even stop washing your hair and putting on nice make up before going to parties because you’ll know whatever you do, you will look like a crying wet rat when you arrive.

BUT DO NOT LOSE HOPE !! With time, I swear you will get used to it, and if October had you crying, November will be your playground. Here are some of the techniques we developped to fight the weather.

1. The Raincoat technique.
   Whatever the temperature is, always have a raincoat in your bag. It doesn’t take a lot of room, and I recommand to buy it one size bigger than your regular one. This way, if it’s cold, you’ll be able to wear at least three layers underneath it. And fear not, if jelly shoes are fashionable as hell, rain coats definitely can be !
   
2. Get good shoes.
   Don’t try to follow the trend. Just. Wear. Boots. All the time. Even if it is not your nicest pair of shoes. At first you’ll feel like everyone is noticing the fact that these boots are not the best match for your outfit, but shocker : NO ONE CARES. You know why ? Because they are either worrying about the fact that their own pair of boots doesn’t match their outfit, or because they worry about their wet feet and are wondering why the F they didn’t wear boots like all of you clever people. Yeah, you may be wearing ugly boots, but your feet are dry, and that my friends, is Cardiff fashion. (Also, there are plenty of good looking boots, so can be dry AND look awesome).
   
3. Find a cheap pub as near as your place as possible.
   That my friends, is probably the most important technique of all. The « crème de la crème » of advices. If you manage to find THE perfect pub to meet your friends next to where you live, you’ll be fine for the rest of the year. Everyone will be happy to come for drinks (cheap prices, or a good happy hour and a cool atmosphere with nice bartenders are usually the best combo), and you’ll avoid the 15min walk under the rain !
   *Works best if you live in the city center, or if you have several friends living in your neighbourhood to help you advertise the place even if it’s far from everybody else’s place.*
   
4. Always. Be. PREPARED.
   You’ll see that sometimes, it’s sunny. Yeah I swear it happens. So, obviously, you will want to put on a dress without tights and go running in the streets without any jacket on. Don’t. Really, don’t, unless you are trying to catch the worst flu ever (No, of course I never did something similar and had to stay in bed for 2 weeks, what, do you think I’m stupid ? …). Anyway, two important things here. First one is that most of the time, when you see sun in Cardiff, it’s motherf-ing cold. And windy. Second one is that it can be sunny and nice for one hour (to five minutes) and suddenly start raining as if it was the Flood all over again. Don’t be fooled, anything can happen in three minutes in Cardiff.

There you go, if you follow these advices, you should be okay after no more than one month of adaptation. The bad weather myth is unfortunately true, but you’ll learn to work your way around it, and to still have the time of your life in the amazing city of Cardiff. Keep an open mind, and at some point, you’ll be the Rain Master !

Bonus, the slightest sunray will make you damn happy !