Welsh stereotypes, too, were at the forefront of my mind during the trip. I often refer to my relationship with Wales as being like the one I have with my mother: I love her, I suppose, but find her difficult to get on with, usually. Sometimes, I am embarrassed by her. Other times, I find her lovely: but then the light changes, she breaks into a cackle (or farts), and I'm filled with irritation once more. The gushing patriotism I might have played with once (back when I was doing Welsh GCSE and loved Gorky's Zygotic Mynci) has, same as my socialist posturing (back when I was a union rep in the civil service) waned with age. Part of me was pleased that Rhodri Morgan was coming over to celebrate the opening of the festival with us, and I was glad to hear that a “trade mission” to the States had been tied in with the event. Another part of me was slightly red-faced at his Bilbo Baggins-esque looks and shuffling demeanour, although the Americans probably found this “cute”.
“Cute” was a word I heard again and again during the 2 weeks of the festival. Considering the 100% humidity, lightening-lit thunder storms, tornadoes, earthquakes, and hurricanes that the US is subject to, I guess we are “cute” by comparison. Our mountains are stubby hills next to theirs. Our “heat waves” are silly and scoff-able. For the first few days of the event, I felt myself flattened by an oppressively heavy heat that had me in the “Hospitality Area” of the festival site almost all of the time between performances. In this area were hammock-style benches beneath a shady awning, a tank of sugary-yet-refreshing lemonade of the type Americans seem to love, US-style snacks still including e-numbers now banned in the EU, and – middle-aged lady volunteers. These ladies became my substitute mothers for the duration of the festival, and I am now firm friends with a couple of them. Both from Virginia, Tracey is a pretty, brown-eyed, homely sort who you might imagine making quilts, and Marilyn is a glamorous blonde recently married to a Bhutanese man half her age. Both I found very open-minded and interested in learning about other/Welsh culture(s).
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