Stirling

It was pretty cold on Saturday, and the weather was doing all sorts of crazy nonsense.
It was rainy and windy, but then it would be perfectly sunny, or it would be sunny and rainy simultaneously..

That's Scotland, I suppose.

Regardless, my trip to Stirling was wonderful! It's a very Scottish town: everything you'd imagine.
We visited the Wallace Monument, and climbed 246 steps to the top of the 220 foot building.

The view was incredible, to say the least. I wish I'd brought my Canon, and that it had been sunnier. The pictures aren't as representative of what I experienced, but I hope you enjoy, anyway.

Staircase (246 of these spiraling up and up and up...)

Wallace Sword

Inside the Wallace Monument

All about Wallace

View from the top of the Monument

Next, we visited the Stirling Castle. It was neat, although it's basically all been re-embellished. My camera's battery wasn't fully charged, so I have limited pictures of the visit.

Walking into the Stirling Castle

A view from the side

Canons

Inside the Queen's room

The next few hours were for free time in Stirling. If not for the weather, I would have more to tell you..but unfortunately it was bloody cold, and quite drizzly.
Brett (one of the guys also visiting from Iowa State) was along as well; we had lunch at a pub, but the cold prevented our venture around the city for too long. We spent a lot of our time hanging around the nice, warm mall.

Stirling is a quaint city, though. It feels like Edinburgh, but a bit more Scottish, and a lot cleaner.

Next weekend I will be in Durham! It's about three hours away, in England. Apparently it's a good place for history lovers and Harry Potter fans. Good thing I'm one of those!

Update: sleep is difficult

It's 6:04 in the morning. I haven't been able to fall asleep, and my alarm is going to go off in less than two hours.
So I'm blogging about it.

Sleep is difficult, you know? There are so many things to think about, and during the day you're too busy. So when you're finally in the quiet of your own company at night..it all lets loose.

It's still exciting to be here, and maybe that's part of my insomnia.

Everything is so charming.
The bagpipes and kilts. The cobblestone walkways. The stone buildings.

It was incredibly beautiful on Sunday. Sunny like you wouldn't believe: it's like I wasn't even in Edinburgh (although that's a lie; it is, in fact, quite often sunny here).

These pictures honestly don't do Edinburgh any justice, but it's all I have (at the moment).

Teviot building: lit up at night.

Princes Street Gardens

View of the city from North Bridge

Princes Street

I'm going to Stirling this Saturday (about an hour from here) to visit the Stirling Castle and the National Wallace Monument.
Updates and pictures soon to come.

Survive Week 1: check.

You know what's odd? Starting new, again.
I feel as if I'm a Freshman (ugh, like..whatever; I totally did this last year), except it's a little scarier.

It's not easy to meet people when you're a visiting student coming in for second year courses halfway through the year. It doesn't make it any easier when all my courses are large lectures.

I did my laundry for the first time, the other day. I met Zubin, from New Zealand ("Pronounced like Reuben, but with a 'Z'"). He invited me over for drinks, on account of it being his flatmate's birthday. At first, it seemed a little scary..showing up to someone's flat for a girl's birthday whom I've never met, invited by someone whom I vaguely met while doing laundry.
But of course, it ended up being a lot of fun.

So now that I don't have to constantly feel anxious about the whole "making friends" thing (which can be a surprisingly repressive fear), I think everything is going to be great, here.

I finally met my third flatmate: Morgan, who is half Welsh and half Dutch. She's wonderful.

Anyway, my first week of classes is over. I'm enjoying them well enough. Classes are still classes..even in Edinburgh (not everything is romantic and fabulous).
One of the lecturers for my history course is quite British. I get a kick out of him.

Also, apparently it's not very common for people to pay over the 'pound' amount for something, but still pay exact change. I found a cheap hair straightener for £7.96. So I paid £20.96, and the cashier was insanely confused.

I have also been a part of the "Spot the American" game. I really wanted fries, the other day. After I ordered, I looked at the menu and realized my mistake of calling them fries, so I said, "Oh right, fries are chips. And chips are crisps. And pants are trousers cause underwear is pants..." and then I looked over to find a couple of locals who were laughing. "You must be from America", they said. Yes. I am an American. You found me.

Well. That was Week 1.
I survived!
Bring it on, Edinburgh. I can do this.

Sciennes is pronounced "Sheens"

Please, try to avoid sounding like such an American while you're over here.
It's "Edin-bura", don't pronounce it like Pittsburgh.
It's "Sheens" not "Sines".
It's "tuh-mah-toh" not "tuh-may-toh".

Well actually, in America we have this saying...


So I moved into my flat today.
26 Sciennes, Flat 5, Room 3. And as I've now discovered, it's pronounced "Sheens".

I know there's not a language barrier with studying in Scotland, but there might as well be.
As I was checking in, two gentlemen asked me four times whether or not I wanted help with my bags. I honestly couldn't understand them. I also struggled with my keys for about a minute for each of the three doors I had to unlock. It was pretty embarrassing.

Moving in was pretty simple, other than that. Having packed minimally, my room is pretty bare. I went shopping though, and it's beginning to feel a little more cozy.

It's not the easiest task, however..Let's just say I was pretty spoiled from living in Martin Hall, at Iowa State. Sciennes isn't exactly "new".
But it's all part of the experience. And I'm more than excited to be staying here for the next five months.

I met two of my flatmates: Anna from Arizona and Kate from England.
They seem pretty great. And it was nice to finally meet some people.

I'm already becoming pretty acquainted with the city. Tomorrow I expect to be pretty comfortable with navigating throughout the campus.

Anyway, here are some pictures of my bedroom.

This is the corner of my bookshelf which I've titled "HELP I'M HOMESICK". It consists of the foods which I've been informed are difficult to find here (ranch, peanut butter, M&Ms), and a watch set to home-time. Unfortunately, I didn't bring a lot of Home-Memorabilia. So once that edible supply runs out..

I'm currently trying to figure out the heater, cause it is FREEZING in here. Well, not really. I suppose for those of you back in Minnesota, it might feel quite nice in here...
I will say, the 40 degree weather is an upgrade from the -40 degree weather back home. And that's coming from this winter-loving girl.

Wish me luck not to catch something on fire while I struggle with this.

Day 1

Well, I'm not sure if I'm going to keep a daily blog (it sounds like a lot of work) but I would like to post regular updates, even if they are small things.

Today I ventured out.

I saw many shops for kilts and cashmere, and other little shops full of souvenirs and trinkets. There's also plenty of places to eat, and cafes littered throughout. Some areas weren't the cleanest, or freshest smelling, but it's definitely a quaint area.
I saw Edinburgh Castle from a street below, and I passed by The Elephant House (birthplace of Harry Potter).

On accident, I ended up passing by George Heriot's School; there must have been a lunch break or something because there were students in uniforms everywhere.

At this point, I was pretty lost. I kept venturing, thinking eventually I'd find my way back.
I finally found Cowgate (the street on which my hotel is located) so I felt comfortable continuing my venture.
That's when I decided to spend an hour at the National Museum of Scotland.

After this, I tried to find my way back to my hotel. After a half hour of not finding it, I stopped at a Starbucks (I know it's lame to go to a Starbucks, but I needed the familiarity after having been lost). I grabbed a quick lunch there, and then continued searching for Cowgate. After another ten minutes of no luck, I finally jumped into a cab.

Looking at a map now, I'm glad I did. I was on a street completely at the other side of town.

I plan on going back out in a little while, to get dinner. I won't go as far, this time.

The thing about the prices here is everything is about how much you'd expect it to be in the States. If you think something's going to cost $12, it's £12.

But the exchange rate is around 1.7. So for me, the £5 taxi ride to get from one end of the town to another is about $8.5, which is pretty expensive.
Anyway, that's what today's been like.
Nothing too exciting, being that it's my first day on my own. I'm a little less adventurous and spontaneous in an unfamiliar place as a female traveler.

More to come.

I go to seek a Great Perhaps

It starts as an ordinary day. Sleeping in, absorbing my comfortable bed, and enjoying snuggles from my pup. Getting out of bed and taking a shower. Eating some buttered toast. Reading.

But suddenly, something abnormal happens: I’m heading to the airport. I’m going to Scotland.

For Christmas this year, Gina was my Secret Santa, and she gave me a wallet that can strap onto a bra (for traveling safety), and a necklace that says "I go to seek a Great Perhaps". She also printed out three sightseeing places from both Wales and Scotland for us to see together, this semester. I think she nailed it with these gifts.

I'm so excited to see be spending a semester in Scotland, but I'm even more excited that I have Gina just a train ride away, in Wales. I hope we really get to see all six places (and more) with each other before the semester, which inevitably will do so quickly, ends.

I will definitely be using the bra-wallet. 

And it goes without saying, but I will wear the necklace everywhere. It's one of my favorite books, it's one of my favorite quotes, and look at how fitting it ended up being. Before the Great Perhaps, however, comes the Great Chaos and the Great Panic.

After a seven and a half hour flight from Minneapolis to Heathrow, a three hour layover, a few blips in getting through security, an almost declined flight ticket, an hour flight to Edinburgh, a half hour bus ride to the city, and a short taxi ride to the hotel, I am finally settled. Well, sort of.

Tomorrow I plan on exploring, going shopping for the things I wasn't able to pack, and figuring out the campus. 

Tonight, I plan on showering, making myself a cup of tea, and getting lots and lots of sleep.

For now, goodnight.

Or good afternoon to you, I suppose.