So i got back from my family stay last night. It was awkward, but i got to see some pretty amazing things while i was there. A whole group of us climbed to the top of the Wallace Monument, which was amazing and had such a nice view. i also explored the Stirling Castle, which had spectacular views. i took almost 500 pictures this weekend. i didn't get to have haggis on Burns' Night, which was rather disappointing, but i'm sure i'll get to try it at some point. Strangely enough, i'm actually excited to try it.
Also this weekend, we went to this cute little museum. When i say little, i mean probably the size of one exhibit in a normal museum. i saw the world's oldest football which dates back to the 1540's. Very cool really. It was apparently on exhibit in Munich, i believe, during the last World Cup.
Got some henna this past week as well. i found it in this cute little shop and decided that it would be a good idea to get some and try it out. i didn't do a tattoo on myself, but Brazilian Dan attempted one...screwed up the first batch cause he didn't listen to me, but we got the second one right and it turned out really cool! Rather exciting really.
We're planning on climbing Arthur's Seat some time soon, but after all the climbing this weekend, i think i'll be delaying it a little personally. My legs are killing me! Also, it might be a good idea to put it off til when it's warmer. i'm not so much a fan of cold.
i had my first archaeology tutorial this week. Very interesting. It's kinda too bad i didn't know how interesting it was before; i might have gone into anthropology if i had. Then again, anthropology is essentially what i'm doing now with sociology and archaeology thrown in. Still, very interesting stuff. i have to remember to email the school about counting archaeology as a history class. i mean, come on, if archaeology, with its extensive wealth of knowledge about prehistory, doesn't count as a history class then i give up. That would just be dumb. Have to check though.
i also went to the mosque for lunch this week. So good! For 3 pounds, i had more food than i could possibly eat and it was all very well made. Some of the food is a little bit more expensive, but still, for lamb curry it's 4,50. That i can do!
i started talking with this girl in my family stay group about Spring break. We were thinking about meeting up in Paris and then going on a train ride through to Italy. That would be really cool, but i was also thinking about just hanging out in England, Scotland and Ireland, especially since i now know people who live in various parts of those. Also, Brazilian Dan is keeping his room here, so hopefully i can stash some stuff in there for the break. Apparently i have to start thinking about this stuff soon if i want to do it cheaply...which i do.
Not too much left to say, no big developments on this front...so i'll just leave it at that. Hope everything is going well back in the states!
kat
28 January 2008
20 January 2008
Limoncello = God
So i found out that this band i saw perform the first week i was here is performing at an over 21 club tonight so i can't go...unless they don't ask for id....i don't know, but it's too bad. They were fun and i would have liked to see them again. Instead, i'll probably just do nothing for the night...a little reading, some homework. I might see if anyone is going to go to the pub quiz over at the Crag's tonight and join them.
i bought a ticket for this "ball" thing that my dorm is having. It should be interesting and there's going to be a ceilidh as well. i haven't been to one of those yet, so this should be interesting.
Next week i'm going to be going on my family stay. i'll be staying with a man and woman who live in Stirling. They have a daughter who is a only a couple years older than me and a dog. i'm actually really excited to be staying with them! i was planning on going to this cute little church i found this coming weekend, but i can just do that later.
i've been talking with a bunch of people who live on my floor and we want to plan a trip to the highlands some time soon. It sounds like fun and i'm excited to be going with a big group of people, especially since i don't think any of us have been there before. It'll be a big crazy adventure!
This week was the birthday of one of the girls who went on the Butler program with me. To celebrate, we went to this amazing little Italian restaurant. The main course was decent, not fabulous, but the dessert was to die for. i got limoncello and all i can say is that, it was an life changing experience. SO GOOD!!! i also got the opportunity to talk to a couple of the waiters and the owner in Italian. While i'll admit i was spotty at best, they were really nice and it was nice to try and speak to someone who actually knew what i was trying to say. They also gave me a couple of recommendations for places to see when i go to Italy. It was really very nice of them.
i also checked out this very cool ticket/music place in Edinburgh. Essentially, what they do is sell tickets to concerts in the area and the music which the band plays as well. Found out that MSI is going to be here in April...i might have to check that out! Reel Big Fish is also going to be here soon, and it would be really cool to see them again. i'm not sure if i want to pay for that, but it's something to keep in mind.
Ok...not much else to say except that Brazilian Dan lost his keys and it's been amusing watching him freak out about it and attempt to find them in his room. It's not going so well. Oh! That reminds me! Anyone who has ever seen my room before should see this one now! It's so freakin clean! No lie! i almost can't stand it. There's nothing in it, so i haven't been able to make anything even close to resembling a mess.
Oh, and people were asking me about classes and stuff like that. So, because i had all that vacation reading and work to do, i decided not to take that class on Community Action and Public Protest. Instead, i'm taking a class about Scottish Archaeology. It's really very fascinating and i'm glad that i'm taking it. i'm very excited for the field trip we have to take. i'm taking a class called "Later Medieval England and it's Neighbours" which is really cool. The professor is very interesting, albeit awkward as anything, and the people i'm working with are very cool. My last class is Indigenous Religions: Sub-Saharan Africa. After the first class, i didn't have high hopes at all for this one, but it's getting better. i think i've shown the professor that i'm not a complete idiot as he seemed to think originally.
i'm going to get a microphone for Skype tomorrow, i think, so add me and we'll talk! i'm pretty sure that my name thing is kat.meyers, but i'll make 100 percent sure on that.
kat
i bought a ticket for this "ball" thing that my dorm is having. It should be interesting and there's going to be a ceilidh as well. i haven't been to one of those yet, so this should be interesting.
Next week i'm going to be going on my family stay. i'll be staying with a man and woman who live in Stirling. They have a daughter who is a only a couple years older than me and a dog. i'm actually really excited to be staying with them! i was planning on going to this cute little church i found this coming weekend, but i can just do that later.
i've been talking with a bunch of people who live on my floor and we want to plan a trip to the highlands some time soon. It sounds like fun and i'm excited to be going with a big group of people, especially since i don't think any of us have been there before. It'll be a big crazy adventure!
This week was the birthday of one of the girls who went on the Butler program with me. To celebrate, we went to this amazing little Italian restaurant. The main course was decent, not fabulous, but the dessert was to die for. i got limoncello and all i can say is that, it was an life changing experience. SO GOOD!!! i also got the opportunity to talk to a couple of the waiters and the owner in Italian. While i'll admit i was spotty at best, they were really nice and it was nice to try and speak to someone who actually knew what i was trying to say. They also gave me a couple of recommendations for places to see when i go to Italy. It was really very nice of them.
i also checked out this very cool ticket/music place in Edinburgh. Essentially, what they do is sell tickets to concerts in the area and the music which the band plays as well. Found out that MSI is going to be here in April...i might have to check that out! Reel Big Fish is also going to be here soon, and it would be really cool to see them again. i'm not sure if i want to pay for that, but it's something to keep in mind.
Ok...not much else to say except that Brazilian Dan lost his keys and it's been amusing watching him freak out about it and attempt to find them in his room. It's not going so well. Oh! That reminds me! Anyone who has ever seen my room before should see this one now! It's so freakin clean! No lie! i almost can't stand it. There's nothing in it, so i haven't been able to make anything even close to resembling a mess.
Oh, and people were asking me about classes and stuff like that. So, because i had all that vacation reading and work to do, i decided not to take that class on Community Action and Public Protest. Instead, i'm taking a class about Scottish Archaeology. It's really very fascinating and i'm glad that i'm taking it. i'm very excited for the field trip we have to take. i'm taking a class called "Later Medieval England and it's Neighbours" which is really cool. The professor is very interesting, albeit awkward as anything, and the people i'm working with are very cool. My last class is Indigenous Religions: Sub-Saharan Africa. After the first class, i didn't have high hopes at all for this one, but it's getting better. i think i've shown the professor that i'm not a complete idiot as he seemed to think originally.
i'm going to get a microphone for Skype tomorrow, i think, so add me and we'll talk! i'm pretty sure that my name thing is kat.meyers, but i'll make 100 percent sure on that.
kat
13 January 2008
St Trinian's = best movie ever
i went to the cinema last night to see the British film St. Trinian's. Completely hysterical! It apparently only got one star, but it was so funny to watch...loved every second of it. i was going to order the soundtrack, but that's 56 dollars and i'm not interested in paying that much on amazon when i can probably find it here for so much less. probably going to the cinema again this week to see kiterunner.
So i've officially had all of my classes except a tutorial in archaeology. My one religion class is in the New College, which is right on the Mound near the castle and the building is absolutely beautiful. It looks like an old church and i'll be taking pictures soon to post up so y'all can see just how nice it is. i'm enjoying archaeology a lot actually. Very interesting stuff and i kinda wish i'd known sooner how cool it would be. i'm very excited for the field trip i have to take for that class.
i've made friends with the people on my floor. They are all so very cool and sweet. All of them are first years, but they're much more mature than a number of first years in the states. Only one of them is actually from Scotland itself, but one of the girls is from Northern Ireland and we've been talking a lot about the conflict there and what Belfast is like now. i'm thinking of going over there during spring break. We've been going to pubs and such and it's really very interesting to experience the completely different drinking culture over here. It's so much more relaxed and people are completely comfortable with just having a few drinks. i've been to a pub or something pretty much every night this week, but i've had maybe 3 drinks. i might be going to another one tonight because they're having a pub quiz...so much fun! We went to watch one of the boys perform at a jazz bar on campus. It was his first performance under his own name and it was amazing. He's a drummer and he's very talented. The jazz bar was just so nice.
One thing i did notice, everyone in this bloody country smokes. It's so weird! i mean, it doesn't surprise me back home when i meet people who smoke, but walking down the street here, it seems like every other person is smoking...so weird.
i don't really know what else to add...just basically i freakin love it over here. It's expensive as all get out, but i've been finding some really great places to shop for random things. There are so many Goodwill/Salvo places over here! It's great!
i'm gonna go work on studying though...i have a little bit of a presentation to give on Tuesday about saint cults in early England and the effect of the Norman Conquest on those cults.
kat
So i've officially had all of my classes except a tutorial in archaeology. My one religion class is in the New College, which is right on the Mound near the castle and the building is absolutely beautiful. It looks like an old church and i'll be taking pictures soon to post up so y'all can see just how nice it is. i'm enjoying archaeology a lot actually. Very interesting stuff and i kinda wish i'd known sooner how cool it would be. i'm very excited for the field trip i have to take for that class.
i've made friends with the people on my floor. They are all so very cool and sweet. All of them are first years, but they're much more mature than a number of first years in the states. Only one of them is actually from Scotland itself, but one of the girls is from Northern Ireland and we've been talking a lot about the conflict there and what Belfast is like now. i'm thinking of going over there during spring break. We've been going to pubs and such and it's really very interesting to experience the completely different drinking culture over here. It's so much more relaxed and people are completely comfortable with just having a few drinks. i've been to a pub or something pretty much every night this week, but i've had maybe 3 drinks. i might be going to another one tonight because they're having a pub quiz...so much fun! We went to watch one of the boys perform at a jazz bar on campus. It was his first performance under his own name and it was amazing. He's a drummer and he's very talented. The jazz bar was just so nice.
One thing i did notice, everyone in this bloody country smokes. It's so weird! i mean, it doesn't surprise me back home when i meet people who smoke, but walking down the street here, it seems like every other person is smoking...so weird.
i don't really know what else to add...just basically i freakin love it over here. It's expensive as all get out, but i've been finding some really great places to shop for random things. There are so many Goodwill/Salvo places over here! It's great!
i'm gonna go work on studying though...i have a little bit of a presentation to give on Tuesday about saint cults in early England and the effect of the Norman Conquest on those cults.
kat
05 January 2008
Interesting....very interesting
ok...the internet system at this school is screwy, but i'll forgive them all because i figured out how to wirelessly cheat the system until i can get on officially. nice!
i have been walking all over the freakin place these last couple days and i still have very little clue as to where the hell i am and my legs are sore. however, i've come to find some really cool stuff and places i want to check out more in depth.
i moved into my dorm today...can't lie, the amenities are slightly nicer than at conn...even if they do come with awkward pink paint on the walls. i don't really have a good view, which is rather disappointing, but i can see part of arthur's seat from my window. the bathroom, however, does pale in comparison to home. it's a one person thing really that has a toilet, sink, and shower all in one little room like my bathroom at home. so if someone's taking a shower or going to the bathroom, there's almost no way you can do the same.
oh! funniest thing! i saw this random guy on the side of princes street all painted silver and miming...he was so much like the guy from eurotrip that the girl i was with and i had to stop and watch for a few minutes. it was amazing.
yeah, so....i don't really know what else to say. i'm attempting to register so that i can go online, but it's gonna take a while. i also found out that i apparently had vacation reading for a class i'm enrolled in this semester....that would have been nice to know a little earlier. but because i didn't have my university of edinburgh email address, i didn't know until yesterday. oh well, hakuna matata.
ok....so, i'm done i think...ttyl
kat
i have been walking all over the freakin place these last couple days and i still have very little clue as to where the hell i am and my legs are sore. however, i've come to find some really cool stuff and places i want to check out more in depth.
i moved into my dorm today...can't lie, the amenities are slightly nicer than at conn...even if they do come with awkward pink paint on the walls. i don't really have a good view, which is rather disappointing, but i can see part of arthur's seat from my window. the bathroom, however, does pale in comparison to home. it's a one person thing really that has a toilet, sink, and shower all in one little room like my bathroom at home. so if someone's taking a shower or going to the bathroom, there's almost no way you can do the same.
oh! funniest thing! i saw this random guy on the side of princes street all painted silver and miming...he was so much like the guy from eurotrip that the girl i was with and i had to stop and watch for a few minutes. it was amazing.
yeah, so....i don't really know what else to say. i'm attempting to register so that i can go online, but it's gonna take a while. i also found out that i apparently had vacation reading for a class i'm enrolled in this semester....that would have been nice to know a little earlier. but because i didn't have my university of edinburgh email address, i didn't know until yesterday. oh well, hakuna matata.
ok....so, i'm done i think...ttyl
kat
02 January 2008
YAY!!!
so...after hours on a plane and less sleep than i've had in a very long time, i am now in SCOTLAND!!!!!!!!! not that i'm excited or anything. i already love this place and the people in my program are pretty freakin awesome. i don't have a phone yet, which is driving me up the wall because i no longer have any sense of time now, but i'm a big girl and can deal with that.
i don't really have too much to say...i'm exhausted and a nap before dinner with the crew sounds really fuckin good. love you all and just wanted you to know that i made it safely!
kat
i don't really have too much to say...i'm exhausted and a nap before dinner with the crew sounds really fuckin good. love you all and just wanted you to know that i made it safely!
kat
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)