Points of interest

I've finished my first large assignment! I wrote a hefty paper about Ezekiel 38-39 and Daniel 11:40-45 for my Old Testament study class. It was a beast to write but I'm done! So, as a reward, I'm going to go to town after class today and shop for a self-awarded birthday present :)
I got a smaller assignment back yesterday for another class and did very well on that too! Hurrah! Apparently this whole 'never having any tests' philosophy isn't failing me yet. It's a wonderful encouragement to have at least a glimmer of an idea of where you stand with the class material.
I've also noticed some silly things that I either miss or that are just different...

1. The hot water faucet here is absolutely BURNING hot within seconds of turning it on at every sink I've ever used. Apparently they don't bother with the idea of 'luke-warm' and 'non-scalding'
2. I haven't had ice in a drink since the first week when I specifically asked for it.
3. I miss Jimmy Johns and Panera because I knew I liked what was on the menu and I knew it was cheap.
4. Stores here have very specific items... even the drug store doesn't offer as wide a variety of items as, say, Walgreens.
5. "Mother's Day" in the USA= May 10 "Mum's Day" in the UK=March 22
6. EVERYONE recycles EVERYTHING that they possibly can. It's great.

Anyway, just some silly things. I know this isn't much of a post but I'll have a more interesting one soon since I'm going on a day trip this Saturday.

Working working working

Hello everyone!

I just wanted to say thank you to anyone and everyone who has sent me emails, letters, packages, videos, etc. during this first (almost) month!! The videos are like a little slice of home and you have no idea how great it is to get a little piece of home in the mail... or really, just to get mail in general! And I know it's really expensive to send it all the way here and I wanted to say thank you SO much, your thoughtfulness is incredibly appreciated.
I have a small piece of blank wall right next to my medicine cabinet/mirror in my room and it has become the "card wall" so any card I get goes up there! It's so pretty! It cheers me up in the mornings.

So, sadly, although I would love to run out and have more Scottish adventures this INSTANT... study abroad does involve some STUDYING and right now I have to write a large paper and do a reading. I've decided my reward for finishing this homework will be to go to dinner with some folks on Thursday night and to get myself some boots for my birthday. WAHOO!! All the girls wear these cute flat-boots here... gotta fit in! Haha.

I'm headed to Elgin this weekend for a day trip to a whiskey distillery and another castle so I'll have more pictures soon!

A Very Scottish Birthday!

Well, you are no longer reading the Blog of a Teenager!! That's right world, I'm 20 years old. Wow. And day one of being 20 (or day 365 of being 19 depending on how you look at it..) was AWESOME! Some of the other Americans here had gone to Glasgow for the weekend but I hadn't wanted to go there too terribly badly so I went on a day trip to Stonehaven with Caroline! We caught a bus into town, caught another bus to Stonehaven, and walked the 1.5 miles over to Dunnator castle! It was fantastic. The views were beautiful and my pictures SURELY don't do it justice. Mom and Dad, we'll have to go here when you come... it was pretty breathtaking. (because it was beautiful and because it was a HIKE! hahaha)

Dunnator was great and then we ate in Stonehaven and headed back to town. We got some groceries to make pancakes for my birthday dinner :) they were super yummy. On our way back into town, however, Scotland threw me another birthday curve ball and we ran into bag-pipers!!! I felt so cultured... haha. Actually I was very surprised, the people standing around and watching them weren't rolling their eyes like "oh, tourist attractions.." no no, the locals were THRILLED and moved to dancing (some of them) and eager to drop a few pence in the pile for the players. Cool!

After dinner we headed to a Ceilidh. I'd never been before but I'll surely go again. It was all scottish music, guys in kilts, organized dancing in groups of 2,4,6,or 8 and lots and LOTS of twirling around in circles!! I smiled the whole time... my face was sore before my feet were!!

Thanks to everyone who sent early cards or emails or wishes on and around my birthday this year!! I miss everyone back home but couldn't have thought of a better way to spend my day here in Scotland. It was fantastic.

Valentine's Day

Hey everyone!

So I wasn't expecting too much this Valentine's day. I was away from Ben and from home and all that. But the girls I'm hanging out with and I got the idea that we'd go to these winter gardens! The plan was to go to the winter gardens, go to dinner, and a movie! A girl date! It was great. Caroline, Katie, and I hopped on a bus around 1pm and caught a connection over to the other side of town to walk around Duthie Park. It was a little cloudy/windy but generally warmer than the past week and it didn't snow so, all in all, fabulous weather. The park was nice (though it will be AMAZING in the spring) but the best part was the winter gardens!! In the middle of the park there was a big series of greenhouses that were VERY well kept with hundreds of different types of plants... we had a BLAST walking through the gardens and smelling the flowers and taking pictures and laughing at all the little scottish children running around. Fantastic.
Then we came home and got some food (just in the dinning hall to save money :D ) before we went out again to see a movie! A few more girls joined us and we went to see "He's just not that into you" haha. It was actually more fun than I had expected, seeing a movie, because you can escape and almost feel like you're at home. Not to mention it was an american made film so the whole 2 hours were filled with MY ACCENT!! YESSSS. hahahaha





It was like being in a rainforest in there! It was warm and cozy and smelled of growing things...


This is what it looked like outside! Still snowy and a little cold... I think it was about 45 degrees F that day



AWESOME CACTUS ROOM!!




Katie, myself, and Caroline seated on one of the many memorial benches. Caroline found one that said "In memory of my wife. She made it easy to love her." awwwwwwww



Oh So many lion statues... so little time.. what's a girl to do?


I found Nessie!! She's not in Loch Ness anymore! she's here in Duthie Park!

The Beach!

Today was another (hopefully not rare) sunny day in Aberdeen!! A group of us decided to take advantage of that fact and head down to the beach. It was a great day of exploration.... here are some photos and what not..

Mouth of the River Don

Me in front of the North Sea! This is a short, lovely (on a nice day like today) 15 min. walk from my room!

Me in front of the mouth of the river Don!

The Bridge over the River Don, very pretty.

A wooded walkway leads you around the dune-esque area near the river and sea.

The landscape reminded me of a flatter version of the dunes we played in with Mark's soccer team in Denmark. Obviously there was no snow then.... but it was a similar feeling. Same Body of water, you know...

Cheeky Snow

So last week didn't provide any pretty days... mostly during the week it was rainy. It's alright though, for the most part I'm still so excited about my surroundings that I don't really mind the weather. Then it snowed for a few days in a row... this weird thick sticky snow that just soaked you to the core! That was a bit of a pain.. but still I trudged on, smiling away as I took in the Scotland sights. Aberdonians, on the other hand, did not know what to do with themselves. It snowed 2 inches and everyone lost their minds... the roads were really awful with traffic, classes were cancelled... weird stuff. I was a little confused. That only lasted a day though and now everyone is up to their usual business, minding the snow.

The temperatures will hopefully climb high enough in the next few (DRY!!) days to melt this un-welcome slush. :D Then I can hit the pavement with my asics and make up for lost time as Dad has already started training for the half marathon we're running!

Classes are different. Most of my lectures only have about 40 people in them, tops, on any given day. The class ROSTER, however, is quite large so we'll see how many students show up to the exams... I don't know how people can do that, if I didn't go to these lectures I'd be so lost. They don't teach out of one text book so it's really up to me to keep on top of things, YIkES!

Oh, yeah, and just so you all know that I'm going to class.. the border protection is in contact with the school and if we skip more than a certain number of lectures or tutorials they're allowed to kick us out of the country! No thanks! I do like my classes. There is a level of respect for the professor here that I don't usually witness at home. If you come in late it's considered very VERY rude and if you don't say "sorry!!" audibly the professor will get really mad at you.

This past Sunday I went to a church down in Aberdeen city with my friend, Caroline, who goes to Clemson! We've been hanging out together quite a bit. We don't live in the same building but we have a class together. Caroline is my kinda gal, really sweet and happy all the time and she laughs hysterically at the same things I laugh at. Great fun. She even knows where Lake Keowee is and said she was very jealous that my grandparents lived by such a gorgeous lake. Apparently her family's boat is land locked from recent droughts.

Well that's about as exciting as it's been around here. I'm waiting on a package from home with my shin guards so I can join the Aberdeen University Women's Football club!! I'm really excited, they practice right by my dorms. YAY!

Love and miss everyone!
Cheers.

A Bit of a Scare

Mom, what is this plant all over the hill there? They're EVERYWHERE in the park... so if it's something like Tulips or what not-- it's going to be gorgeous in April/May. 

So, what do you do when you get up to the store counter and are asked for information in your wallet and you go to fetch it when you realize... it's not there!? Oh yeah, you're also in another country where you don't know the emergency numbers... you haven't got a way to phone home, in fact that's WHY you're at the phone store, you're a 20 minute walk in the snow away from where you LAST had your wallet, and your Debit Card is in there.

Let me tell you what I did... I shed a tear. Or two. Or maybe three, before my friend Caroline (seriously, this girl is a blessing to me right now) kept me grounded and lead me (dazed) through the steps to follow.

1. Retrace your steps and don't rush. Just because you THINK it's in one place doesn't mean you should hurry past where you MIGHT have dropped it.
Also, if you haven't prayed by now... now would be a good time.
2. Check under the desks and what not in the last class you were in.
3. Head to the last place you know you had it and ask them.
4. Go to the lost & found when you haven't found it. Also, note, you should be immediately aware of the closest internet connect as THAT is your main source of contact for parents, bank, balance checks, etc.
5. Freak out and hand the woman an the Cafe lost and found your student ID to prove who you are when she says they've been handed a wallet but demand your name for it in return.
6. Hug your friend and thank the Lord for good people.

That's what happened to me today!! AAGGHH!!! I wasn't even being stupid, it just fell out when I was taking a break between classes. It could have happened just as easily in Illinois so no worries about me being an "unsafe traveler" because this has NEVER happened to me before, and, now I know what to do in an emergency! I'm going to get my phone fixed (for real this time) tomorrow.

On another note, classes are going well and homework will (sadly) pile up soon. That's alright, I'll feel like I'm actually accomplishing something :D

First day... Best stories

Alright, let me paint the picture for you. 

It's Saturday, and crowded in a smaller (but very nice) lecture room are about 40 international students, most of us American, and we're being told where to go to get registered. We're all excited. We're all nervous. We're all "BEST pals" because we don't know anyone else. But we're all, also, used to the American system of "I'm going to get mine first, then you can have yours, but let's be friends.. ok?" That was the atmosphere. 

So 3pm saturday, my registration appointment. I got the classes I'd hoped for (mostly) and was alllllll set. My really kind advisor even wrote out my time-table FOR me with room numbers and  map with circled buildings and everything! Some didn't help nearly as much, so I was lucky. 

On my time-table it says I've got Monday morning lecture, Linear Algebra, at 9am. So I wake up at 7:30 am and get off to class on time (early.. actually) but nobody's there. Nobody arrives at all until 9 on the dot... and it's one guy.... on crutches. He breathes out a "Oh Holy Hell" and turns around before I sort of jump up and get the door for him to go back out and ask what class this is supposed to be because I"m confused/lost etc. He says he's here for a COMPLETELY different class!! Not even my "non-existent" math class! So we go together to look it up on my lap top and he says my class is in the room upstairs. Awesome, I was early now I'm 5 minutes late because my advisor wrote the wrong room and the computer system isn't updated yet for me to look it up myself. 

I go in, get looked at, and sit quietly through a lecture.. that I recognize.... as last year's material. This was NOT my class but I wasn't about to LEAVE!! I'd just gotten there LATE! Besides, what if it WAS my class and he was just reviewing things??? So I stayed. It was a nice lecture and If I have this fellow for a professor later I won't mind but it definitely wasn't my class and I couldn't ask anybody because, seriously, no one spoke. Not one WORD the entire time... perfect little angel students. Awesome. 

So at the end of the class (which was actually Advanced Calculus, or Calc 3 at home) I asked the professor for help figuring out what I'd done to get so confused. He lead me to the math department offices a block over and we looked at the printed time-tables for all of the math courses..... I hadn't missed my class afterall!! No, actually, my class is TOMORROW at 9am instead of today. Luckily it doesn't conflict, and my advisor did write the correct room, just the wrong day. 

So there you go, the first day at a new school, in a new country, and I've already gone to EXTRA class. Hahahaha. From there I went to my Religious Studies course (which I absolutely love already, I'll write more about it later though) and am now munching on a 'dorm-made' PB and Honey sandwich with the modest groceries I bought at the Hillhead shop that I imagine will feed me through Saturday (for lunch). So... 6pounds 5pence (about $9) for 7 lunches. Not bad. 

That's it for now, back to class in a bit, 

Cheers lovies!!

This is the view of the King's College chapel from the door of "New King's" building where I'll have a class or two. 
Another view of the courtyard there by King's College. This part in the picture was added on in the... 1600's?? The chapel and original King's College buildings were actually built in 1495 (I'm pretty sure) and were fortified like a Castle due to religious upheavals and war and what not. The students (35 in all, all male 40 yr olds) weren't allowed outside the inner courtyard (not as big as this one) past 6pm!! 
New Kings. I'll have a class here. This is where we had orientation.

One the of cobble stone streets converted to a walk-alley that links Elphistone Road to High street, the two main drags of campus. I love walking down the little side roads. 
Me in front of the gigantic King's College chapel and building.
Some stained glass inside the chapel.
some more stained glass and the pulpit inside the chapel.
A view of the chapel from the back of the room. 
Me in front of the Lion of England holding the English flag. It was a lion... I'm a Phi Mu.. what do you expect???
Another shot of the super-old school building clashed with the super-new sign. Many of the other buildings on campus were built MUCH more recently but these are the pretty ones...
Joe, Geneva, and myself in the small court that used to enclose those boys of King's College back in 14-whatever. Poor Joe got caught in the middle of saying "CHEERS!" to the camera, as instructed by Katie.
Joe, Geneva, and Katie.
The ceiling of the Chapel... yes.. more chapel pictures. Sorry, it was just so BIG!
The pipes in the back and my little group of buddies with the security guard who let us in to see the chapel even though it wasn't REALLY open... :D 
Me: "What's that?" Security Guy that let us in: "That's the Bishop"  Hahahaha whoops! Should have known that... Bishop Elphistone, he was the one who contacted King James the 4th (then 15 years old) and suggested a university be built in Aberdeen to teach "the highland boys."
Another example of an adorable (and common looking) road in Old Aberdeen. New Aberdeen doesn't look much like this though. It's ok, I don't live there. :D 
Me outside of the grand King's College so you can get a feel of how big it is.

Just a few more.. of King's College..

Interesting.. No?

So, as you can tell, after a sunny saturday of touring the campus I feel much better about being here. Today, of course, was a bit chilly and cloudy but I was in good spirits because I feel like I know my way around a bit better. I took a walking tour of the campus with a GUIDE today and know where all of my classes are... or at least where the BUILDINGS are! Haha.