Reflections

It has been four months since I got back to the States.
Which is crazy.
Really.
Really.
CRAZY.

It has just been a very surreal experience to look back on. It just feels like it was so long ago. So as I sit here, procrastinating and thinking how I would like to be abroad again, I decided that the rest of this would be better organized into FAQs that I have gotten from people since getting back.

What do you miss the most?
Short answer:
Er. Everything.

Long answer:
Empire biscuits
Hiking around and explorin ala Dora
People being so...nice
Not really having to do a lot of coursework
Accents
All my Scottish/otherwise European friends (:
Biscuits, crisps, chips, tomato sauce, and lifts
Even the, erm... lovely residence hall of Geddes Court (except the fire alarms)
Cooking dinner with everyone
The Angry Australian who lived on my floor
Friends
Rain
Did I mention friends already?

How is the adjustment back to the States going?
Short answer:
It's going.

Long answer:
It's a process. It is a hard to think that I'm realistically not going to go back for a very long time. That I'm not going to see anyone from there for a very long time. Or eat proper empire biscuits for a very long time.

One of the issues of the adjustment is that life went on (obviously) when I wasn't at Clark. Not that I am surprised people have a life that does not revolve around me (Though I must admit this fact is somewhat disappointing). It has just been weird to try and re-insert myself into life here. Because everyone else has changed. And I have changed. But we didn't change together. And I think there is the mutual (though unconscious) expectation that we all still fit neatly into our previously designated roles. Not to get all psychological on you.

Where else did you Travel?
Short answer:
I went to Italy for a weekend. It was so amazing, and I ate so much food, and loved loved loved it.

Long answer:
I went to Scotland because I wanted to go to Scotland. Not because I wanted any ol' jumping point in Europe so that I could take weekend trips elsewhere. Not because it was the only English-speaking program that my school offers (It's not). But because I wanted to go to Scotland. I wanted castles, landscapes, accents, kilts, bagpipes, and haggis.

I mean, yes, there are a bunch of countries right there and you can just hop on a plane to Spain or Germany or France like it's no big deal, and that is really cool. And granted, I did go to Italy for a few days and LOVED it (see the short answer). But I also really loved my experience in Scotland. I would rather people ask me about Scotland first instead of dismissing that whole experience by jumping to asking about where I traveled. I want to tell people about the school I went to, and the friends I made, and the empire biscuits I ate. Then I want to gush about Italy. :)

What were the differences between Scotland and The States?
Short answer:
Er. It's a whole different country.

Long answer:
This is possibly the broadest question there is. How does Scotland compare academically? Socially? Politically? But most importantly, I was there only 4 months. As much as I loved and experienced it, I can in no way speak about the whole country in depth and how it compares. I am not nearly qualified enough to do so. I can, however, blab about how my 4-month experience as an American in a specific area compares to my 21-year experience of two areas of The States.

Academically, there is a lot more independent work. However, there are also higher standards. In this I mean that while I didn't have to do a lot of work over the semester, it was because I should have been doing outside reading and the like. Although I would say it's pretty easy to get seconds (Bs), getting firsts and first-stars (As and beyond) is more difficult.

Otherwise, I feel that overall people were more friendly. Although I have heard (on my last evening/morning there from my Scottish R.A.) that this is because I'm American, and that Scottish people are in reality not very nice to each other.

Everything was so beautiful. Enough so to make me consider living in the country and not a city (which again, those of you who know me know that this is not something I would consider under normal circumstances).

Did you try Haggis?

Don't "Google Image" haggis. Just don't.

Short answer:
No.

Long answer:
No, I'm vegetarian. However the people I know that did try it liked it. So, ya know, don't hate.

How was the accent?
Short answer:
I spent the first week smiling and nodding. 'nuff said.

Long answer:
It was definitely hard at first. Although no one actually sounds like Mel Gibson in Braveheart it was a good week of smiling and nodding when people spoke to me because I had no clue.

But also, there are so many variations of the accent. I also think I like Glaswegian accents the best, at least those that I heard. They are more....crisp, I think is how I would describe them. Or clipped? Hm. I also tried to find a good youtube video to illustrate this, but the internet is being slowsky and I didn't have the patience. So, look it up!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Well, those are my final thoughts on Scotland. I know some of yous asked me to write about my adventures in Worcester, which I will get on....soon. :)

Last Few Adventures :(

The last few days were packed with last-minute adventures, such as:

An adventure to the top of the Wallace Monument:

In the Cafe :) Scones and cream!

A visit to Parliament:

Debating Chamber

Exploring Edinburgh Castle:

The National Museum of Scotland:

The Writer's Museum:

The Edinburgh Christmas Markets:

The Elephant House (Where J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter):

There was tons of writing in the bathroom
(the women's on at least)

Mostly....I wish there had been a bit more time :(

Loch Ness

So, I am sitting here wishing I had tea and biscuits. Well, biscuits at least. I have tea. And then I remember, Oh right! That blog I told people I would catch up on over break/when I got back to school/soon-ish. So, here are some pictures from going up to Loch Ness, which I would say is by far the most touristy thing I did while abroad.

The tour left from Glasgow, which meant catching an early morning train, and getting up even earlier to walk to the train station because buses weren't running yet.

The first place we stopped was Loch Lomond and Drovers Inn:

Then we stopped in Glencoe and about five million other pretty places.

Then we reached Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle, which was just.... One of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Basically, I would give up living in a city to live somewhere like this. Which for those of you who know me, know that there is very little that could make me live in a non-city place!

After which we drove all the way back down to Glasgow, where there was a Christmas Market outside the train station :) Although, I would say I prefer Edinburgh's Christmas Market.

Then I took a train back to Stirling, doing my best not to fall asleep from the long day. 

Anyway, I will post some more catch-ups in the next few days (hopefully) as I procrastinate doing real schoolwork. 

Guy Fawkes Night

NOTE: This is two months late. Erm. Oops!

Alright. So I knew that on November 5th there are those people who like get together and watch V for Vendetta "Remember remember the fifth of November" and all that.

It never occurred to me that in some places, November 5th is an actual holiday. Guy Fawkes Night.

I will be honest. Before last week, I had only heard his name in passing, and knew that he was vaguely associated the the masks. So when everyone here started getting excited for Guy Fawkes Night, I thought I'd better do some Wikipedia research about who this guy (heheh) was.

For those of you who live under the same rock as me, basically he was this Catholic guy (heheheheh) who way back in the day tried to assassinate King James I of England (VI of Scotland) and blow up Parliament, but failed.

And now everyone has a bonfire and fireworks on November 5th.

Let me put some things out there. Mainly, I have never been to a bonfire. They are a little touchy about fires in California (especially by the end of August when it hasn't rained in FOREVER), so it's not a very common thing. So really, I had no idea what to expect. I mean, I knew that a bonfire is basically just a giant fire, but I didn't have a very clear image of it going into this.

Another thing is that usually I watch fireworks from far away. Whether it's New Years or Fourth of July or KFOG Kaboom or the Golden Gate Bridge's anniversary, if you go to the top of a hill in the city you can get a good view and not have to fight for parking/room on a bus/oxygen.

The bonfire and fireworks were about a ten minute walk from campus, which was nice and convenient. Least to say that although it was only ten minutes, it was SO COLD. As it was Scotland. And November.

The bonfire was before the fireworks, and there was a band playing on the other side of the field. The bonfire was.... Wow. So cool! Though in more eloquent words.

Note any pictures in this post were not taken by me. I forgot
to put the chip back in my camera. :(

The best part was the fireworks. As implied above, I had never seem them so close! I could feel the vibrations of the explosions!

Seeing them behind the bonfire made them
look like water

There were also various food trucks, including someone who had a whole coffee making set up in the back of their van. Yum! I got a cookie from one, but it was quite hard and crunchy :(

Overall, it was a lot of good fun!