Let’s test how Welsh you’ve really become since university

You definitely cry at the national anthem

4 years ago

Let’s be honest, in Cardiff we see people on all ends of the Welsh spectrum. From those who think eating Welsh cakes is enough to make them Welsh, to the Calon-Lan singing, Welsh flag-waving super-Welshies who live, breathe and eat everything in the most Welsh way possible.

Here are my top 15 signs to test just how Welsh you’ve really become since university. Hint: if you do them all, congrats! You’re a full-on Welshie. One or less and, well, that’s just not on. You live in Cardiff mun.

1. You say “mind” or “now in a minute”

No sentence is complete without a ‘mind’ to finish it off. It’s basically the Welsh version of a full stop.

In Wales, we don’t like to rush. We’ll get things done when we can. “Now in a minute” is our way of saying “I’ll do it when I want”. Does it mean now or does it mean in a minute? We guess you’ll never know. We like to keep you on your toes.

2. Game day is the main event in your social calendar

You wake up on game day with a different kind of smile on your face. The boys are playing today and you cannot bloody wait. You throw that rugby shirt on and prepare yourself for a day of pints, singing, and celebrating being Welsh. Cymru am byth, am I right?

If you haven’t got a dragon on your face then what’s the point?

3. You’re an avid fake tanner

The Welsh love a tan. But with the lack of sun we get in Wales, you find it hard to get through the week without your trusty bottle of Bondi. It’s a love-love relationship that is essential in becoming a fully fledged Welshie.

4. The national anthem makes you cry every. single. time.

You know the anthem perfectly word-for-word and shake your head in disgust when you realise your mate only knows the chorus. You also find it extremely hard to stop the tears rolling when you sing the sacred song. Mate, we get it, it’s no easy feat.

(5 mins pre-cry. Note – ALWAYS wear waterproof mascara)

5. Crossing the Severn Bridge makes you teem with excitement

Once your wheels set down on the hallowed Welsh soil, you feel at home. Ah yes, back in the motherland. We’ve missed you Wales.

6. You’ve been absolutely tamping

If you don’t know what tamping is, I’m sorry to say it but sort it out. Tamping, fuming, raging.

7. You get prescriptions for free

English students living in Cardiff know all too well that the Welsh NHS is a thing of utter beauty. £8 for a prescription? No, Sir! It’s free. Saving those coins for rugby day. The Welsh are generous like that mind.

8. You get stuck behind a herd of sheep on almost every journey

There’s more sheep than people in Wales, so it’s not surprising that we encounter them on a daily basis. We do get raging when we’re in a rush and there’s fifty sheep blocking the path. But after the initial tamp, we smile and think aw, lush aren’t they really.

Too cute

9. Your post night out feast has to be chips and curry sauce

Come on, there’s nothing that can rival this divine combination. English students come to university perplexed at the concept. A month in, they’re scoffing chips and curry sauce like there’s no tomorrow. Quite honestly, I don’t blame you – it’s lush. In the words of Stacey from Gavin and Stacey, ‘I physically can’t eat chips without curry sauce.’

10. Struggled to find an internet connection

Wales’ mountainous landscape means that we aren’t exactly blessed with a steady supply of Internet connection. It’s not uncommon to find yourself lacking in 4G when in Wales but it just means less distractions and more time to focus on how lush the Welsh countryside really is. There’s nothing quite like it.

The green green grass of home <3

11. You’ve taught your friends how to say ‘Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch”

We’ve all been there. Maybe it’s your drunk party trick or simply a display of the Welsh intelligence but if you’re a full on Welshie, then you’ve definitely taught your mates how to pronounce this beauty and watched their mouths drop further with every syllable.

Llanfairpwll, as it’s known for short, is actually a village in North Wales and can be translated as “St Mary’s church in the hollow of the white hazel near to the fierce whirlpool of St Tysilio of the red cave”. Honestly, what a name. Cannot be rivalled.

If you’re not Welsh and are in want of hearing this gorgeous word, any Welsh person will be happy to recite it for you. Now in a minute, that is.

12. You describe something as hanging, minging or ‘ych a fi’

How else can you possibly describe the state of your hungover mate on a Sunday morning?

13. You say any or all of the following: Lush, Presh, Beaut or Cariad

For those of you who are unaware of these terms, here’s your guide:

Lush – embarrassed that I even have to describe this one. Lush means lush at the end of the day. In other words: amazing, gorgeous, beautiful.

Presh – short for precious. Used by the likes of Ruth Jones in Stella. More Famously known as Nessa.

Beaut – another Ruth Jones special. Simply put, it’s short for beautiful, but just sounds a bit more lush.

Cariad – This one’s actually a Welsh word. Cariad is translated as ‘Love’. Aw, lush it is.

(For reference, both these beauts would be considered cariad, presh and lush; all of the above)

14. Your granddad is part of a Welsh male voice choir

It’s a well-known fact that Welsh men have got voices like angels, and your granddad is no exception.

15. The Prince of Wales is your go-to

Every full-on Welshie knows the Prince of Wales is the place to be, especially on game day.

The atmosphere is roaring, the bar is massive, and the upstairs is second-to-none when it comes to game day viewing. There’s smaller toilet queues, an organised bar system, and that gorgeous big screen to watch the boys smash it.

Pitchers all round

Admit it, you’ve probably started doing a few of these things since coming to Cardiff Uni. Don’t worry, by third year this list will be a breeze.

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