If you haven't read the last post then you should scroll down and check it out, because Thursday was one of my favorite days in Scotland thus far. You can't beat a tour of a whisky distillery, a hike up a hill/mountain, and Robbie Burns Night all in one day. I'll continue now with another summary of how things went during the time I was without the internet.
Friday morning I woke up, a bit saddened by the fact that I would be leaving Inverurie. We'd only been together since Wednesday night, but already I'd made strong bonds with my Scottish family. At the same time I was excited to finally go to Aberdeen, move into my dormitory, and meet my flatmates. It was very bittersweet.
After eating breakfast, I said goodbye to Emma, who was walking to school, and then I rode with Allison and Michael to Peter's house, were the four of us were meeting to go to Aberdeen via taxi. I gave my little buddy Michael a handshake, wished him well in football, and told him I would be back to visit soon. Alison walked me to the door and gave me a hug and an open invitation to come visit anytime. I told her I would be taking her up on that offer very soon.
I chatted with Peter while we waited for the others. Soon Corey and Kathy had arrived, and David woke up and came down from his bedroom. The taxi pulled up at 9:00am, and after we thanked Peter for everything we were off to the Granite City of Aberdeen.
We arrived at the dormitory and checked in before splitting up and going to our own flats. Upon first entering my own I was greeted by the sight of a completely destroyed kitchen. Noticing the pint glasses littered about, I assumed that there must have been a party Thursday night and I hoped that the current condition was an exception and not the norm. The apartment was dead quiet and I passed the time by moving into my room.
A few hours passed and finally a flatmate peeked out his rather hungover head. Mark immediately apologized for the messy kitchen. Soon the apartment was stirring with life, and I met two more of my flatmates, Tommy and Adrian. I was pleased to discover that all of them are Scotsmen. There's also a few others who come and go in the flat, mostly their Scottish friends. They all welcomed me with open arms.
I went with Corey, David, and Kathy to meet our international advisor at a local coffee shop at 3:00. Colleen was nice and helpful, and afterwards she showed Corey and I where the athletic complex was while the other two went home. Corey then came up with the brilliant idea to walk to the beach. By this time it was dark (here the sun sets at 4:30 in winter), and after about an hour of walking east we found the bitterly cold North Atlantic Sea. We made our way back, darting across a major highway and a golf course. It was quite the adventure.
When I got home my flatmates were preparing for a night out, and I did the same, and we ended up going to the pub for a couple pints before heading to a house party. I didn't stay long because I had to be at school at 9:00am for orientation. So I said goodnight to my flatmates, found my way home, and collapsed on my bed.
Saturday morning I woke on time, somehow, and made my way to campus. After a rather boring orientation, I killed some time by going shopping at the local discount grocery store, Lidl's. At the Uni, Lidl's has a rather notorious reputation for food that is both rock-bottom cheap and rock-bottom horrible. But because the conversion rate is so strong here ($2 = £1... meaning my money is pretty much split in half), I really needed some cheap food. So I wandered over and saw that it wasn't quite as bad ad people make it out to be. I picked up some bare necessities.
Afterwards I wandered over to the Hub, the local student hangout spot, and I met some more Americans that were sitting with Kathy. Then I went to my class registration appointment, and although things didn't quite go as planned, I ended up in two good English classes (Modernism and Scottish Literature:1800-1940). I wandered home and killed some time before taking part in a welcome back party my flatmates were throwing. It mostly involved me teaching them some interesting card games, a very large bottle of Frosty Jack's, and me not feeling too well the next morning. That's all I'll say about that here.
That seems like as good of a point to stop as any. We're almost caught up on the major events, and when we are that'll free me up for more fun posts on local Scottish life and culture. Until next time.
Cheers,
Jacob
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
RECAP: Thursday
My University of Aberdeen computer account is now active! I cannot tell you how stressful it's been for the international students who couldn't access the internet. So much nowadays gets done on the internet, it's such a big part of our lives, that being without it, even for a few days, put us all out of the loop. Now that it's fixed everything should go back to normal and I can update you guys on everything that's happened since Wednesday. It's a lot, so buckle down and get ready for a few massive posts.
On Thursday I woke up at 7:00am and had breakfast with my host family. Afterwards I said goodbye to David, who was heading to Glasgow for business and wouldn't be back before I left. I then headed to the primary school with Alison and Michael. We got there early and Michael gave me the grand tour of the school. Soon Corey and Kathryn arrived, and after we were introduced to a group of wide-eyed fifth graders we left with David and his host dad, Peter, for a day of exploration in northeast Scotland.
Peter took the four of us out of Inverurie and into the foothills of the highlands. After a short but beautiful drive past dozens and dozens of sheep fields we arrived in Duffton. Duffton is the home to Glenfiddick Whisky Distillery, among other things. We went on a tour of the distillery, lead by a native Scot wearing a formal kilt, and after the rather informative tour we got to sample a bit of the product. It was quite nice, if I do say so.
After we made our descent we drove back to Inverurie and we all went back to our host families. I helped Michael build a ferris wheel with some KNEX before heading upstairs for a shower. I dressed myself and played a bit of Smackdown on the Playstation with Michael before Alison and I left the kids with a sitter to go out for Burns Supper.
On the 25th of January all of the nation celebrates Scot-born poet Robert Burns. Burns was a famous Scottish poet, best known for "My love is Like a Red, Red, Rose" and "To a Mouse, on Turning Her Up in Her Nest, With The Plough." On the evening of the 25th everyone in Scotland gathers round for a traditional Scottish meal to honor the bard. For Burns Night, Alison and I were joining the other three Americans and their host families at Peter's home for supper.
We sat down together for the traditional meal served in three courses. The first course was a tasty lintel soup served with bread. We then moved on to the main course and the heart of the meal. The centerpiece was undoubtedly the haggis. I won't tell you what exactly goes into the making of a haggis, although I will say that it involves offal and let you find out the rest.
Served along with the haggis were the traditional sides of tatties (mashed potatoes) and neeps (mashed turnips). We were also served mince (ground beef in a light gravy) and some suet (I forget, something with oats). I enjoyed it all, requesting seconds on the haggis, tatties, and neeps especially. For our final course we had some oatcakes and cheese, and to wrap it all up we had a bit of shortbread for dessert.
After the lively meal and even livelier conversation we moved to the sitting room and partook in another fine Scottish tradition. We opened up a bottle of Highland Park Scotch and each had a glass. After a bit more chatting we all called it a night and headed back to our host homes. I said goodnight to Alison and went to bed right away because I knew that Friday would be just as busy as Thursday had been.
So that's Thursday, in a rather large nutshell. If you stuck around this long, congratulations. I'll try to update again soon about the weekend, but I have class in an hour and I must be off.
Cheers,
Jacob
On Thursday I woke up at 7:00am and had breakfast with my host family. Afterwards I said goodbye to David, who was heading to Glasgow for business and wouldn't be back before I left. I then headed to the primary school with Alison and Michael. We got there early and Michael gave me the grand tour of the school. Soon Corey and Kathryn arrived, and after we were introduced to a group of wide-eyed fifth graders we left with David and his host dad, Peter, for a day of exploration in northeast Scotland.
Peter took the four of us out of Inverurie and into the foothills of the highlands. After a short but beautiful drive past dozens and dozens of sheep fields we arrived in Duffton. Duffton is the home to Glenfiddick Whisky Distillery, among other things. We went on a tour of the distillery, lead by a native Scot wearing a formal kilt, and after the rather informative tour we got to sample a bit of the product. It was quite nice, if I do say so.
We left Duffton and Peter continued the drive into the foothills. Peter was quite an interesting character. He hailed from the North of England, in the Cornwall region, and he seemed to have a story for just about anything. We continued through the winding back roads and Scottish villages before stopping on a deserted roadside for lunch. Alison, my Scottish mum, had packed me a wonderful feast of sandwiches, fruit, and hotcross buns. After our stop we continued to Bennachie.
Bennachie is one of the most scenic hills of northeast Scotland, and Peter had brought us so that we might make the trek upwards and take in the view. By this time we had increased our elevation quite a bit, and now the ground was covered in hard, white, icy snow. Peter hung back as the four of us youngsters pressed forward up the steep hillside. Once we passed the treeline the hike became much more difficult, and we made our way slowly up the icy steps of Bennachie. But it was all worth it in the long run, because at the top Corey, David, Kathryn, and I were rewarded with a spectacular view of the Scottish countryside as far as the eye could see.
After we made our descent we drove back to Inverurie and we all went back to our host families. I helped Michael build a ferris wheel with some KNEX before heading upstairs for a shower. I dressed myself and played a bit of Smackdown on the Playstation with Michael before Alison and I left the kids with a sitter to go out for Burns Supper.
On the 25th of January all of the nation celebrates Scot-born poet Robert Burns. Burns was a famous Scottish poet, best known for "My love is Like a Red, Red, Rose" and "To a Mouse, on Turning Her Up in Her Nest, With The Plough." On the evening of the 25th everyone in Scotland gathers round for a traditional Scottish meal to honor the bard. For Burns Night, Alison and I were joining the other three Americans and their host families at Peter's home for supper.
We sat down together for the traditional meal served in three courses. The first course was a tasty lintel soup served with bread. We then moved on to the main course and the heart of the meal. The centerpiece was undoubtedly the haggis. I won't tell you what exactly goes into the making of a haggis, although I will say that it involves offal and let you find out the rest.
Served along with the haggis were the traditional sides of tatties (mashed potatoes) and neeps (mashed turnips). We were also served mince (ground beef in a light gravy) and some suet (I forget, something with oats). I enjoyed it all, requesting seconds on the haggis, tatties, and neeps especially. For our final course we had some oatcakes and cheese, and to wrap it all up we had a bit of shortbread for dessert.
After the lively meal and even livelier conversation we moved to the sitting room and partook in another fine Scottish tradition. We opened up a bottle of Highland Park Scotch and each had a glass. After a bit more chatting we all called it a night and headed back to our host homes. I said goodnight to Alison and went to bed right away because I knew that Friday would be just as busy as Thursday had been.
So that's Thursday, in a rather large nutshell. If you stuck around this long, congratulations. I'll try to update again soon about the weekend, but I have class in an hour and I must be off.
Cheers,
Jacob
Monday, January 29, 2007
Update: I CAN'T USE A COMPUTER!
Sorry I haven't updated everyone. The University has had a major technical error with all the international students and none of us have been able to log on to a computer. Right now I'm on someone else's account and I can't stick around long, but when this problem is fixed I'll update you on all the exciting things that have happened thusfar.
Cheers,
Jacob
Cheers,
Jacob
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
My Scottish Family
Scotland continues to smile upon me. Today we took a trip to Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, the royal palace of Scotland. It was amazingly historic. Afterwards we checked out the Scottish parliament building (strange considering I haven't see my own country's legislature...), ate a bit of French cuisine, and then we were put on a three hour train to Inverurie.
So what's there in Inverurie (in-ver-rue-ree)? Our lovely host families of course. Inverurie is a small town of about 12,000 people outside of Aberdeen. After a glorious train ride along the sparkling coast and rolling hills of Scotland we met our host families at the train station. The four of us Americans split ways and went home with our respective families. I look forward to seeing my fellow exchange fellows tomorrow; we've become fast friends over the last few days.
My host family is wonderfully Scottish. David, the father, used to work the oil business in Aberdeen but made a career change so that he could spend more time with his family. He now works with fingerprints for the police department. His wife, Alison, is an administrator at the local primary school, where she makes sure that the school runs smoothly throughout the year. They both grew up in small towns in northern Scotland and they have charming accents. For dinner we had some lovely traditional Scottish soup, named cullen skink.
They also have two children. Emma's twelve and is involved in piano, swimming, field hockey, and just about anything else you can imagine. She's excited about her first year in secondary school and has the typical preteen enthusiasm. Their son Michael is eight and plays football (soccer to you filthy Americans). He's a bit quiet around me but he seems like a smart and funny kid. The remind me a lot of home and my family. It's reassuring to be around them when I know I won't see my real family again for 7 months. I hope we become close enough in the next few days so that I can come visit them when I'm homesick.
Tomorrow we go on a tour of a whisky distillery and eat a bit of haggis! More then.
Cheers,
Jacob
So what's there in Inverurie (in-ver-rue-ree)? Our lovely host families of course. Inverurie is a small town of about 12,000 people outside of Aberdeen. After a glorious train ride along the sparkling coast and rolling hills of Scotland we met our host families at the train station. The four of us Americans split ways and went home with our respective families. I look forward to seeing my fellow exchange fellows tomorrow; we've become fast friends over the last few days.
My host family is wonderfully Scottish. David, the father, used to work the oil business in Aberdeen but made a career change so that he could spend more time with his family. He now works with fingerprints for the police department. His wife, Alison, is an administrator at the local primary school, where she makes sure that the school runs smoothly throughout the year. They both grew up in small towns in northern Scotland and they have charming accents. For dinner we had some lovely traditional Scottish soup, named cullen skink.
They also have two children. Emma's twelve and is involved in piano, swimming, field hockey, and just about anything else you can imagine. She's excited about her first year in secondary school and has the typical preteen enthusiasm. Their son Michael is eight and plays football (soccer to you filthy Americans). He's a bit quiet around me but he seems like a smart and funny kid. The remind me a lot of home and my family. It's reassuring to be around them when I know I won't see my real family again for 7 months. I hope we become close enough in the next few days so that I can come visit them when I'm homesick.
Tomorrow we go on a tour of a whisky distillery and eat a bit of haggis! More then.
Cheers,
Jacob
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Snow on the Castle Top!
It's snowing in Edinburgh! I woke this morning to grey skies, and by the time we had reached the top of Edinburgh Castle it was really coming down. This is very exciting for a Texas boy who hasn't seen snow fall in three years.
We spent the day exploring the city with Alison, the program coordinator, and then we were set loose on the town. Tonight is our last night in Edinburgh and I want to make the most of it, so I must be off. More to come, along with some photos, when I settle down in Aberdeen.
Cheers,
Jacob
We spent the day exploring the city with Alison, the program coordinator, and then we were set loose on the town. Tonight is our last night in Edinburgh and I want to make the most of it, so I must be off. More to come, along with some photos, when I settle down in Aberdeen.
Cheers,
Jacob
Monday, January 22, 2007
Flyin' First Class
I'm in Edinburgh! The Jewel of Scotland. This city is amazing. For the last few hours I've been wandering the streets and exploring. There's a sense of history everywhere here, more than any other place I've ever been to. More on Edinburgh after I've had some time to better aquaint myself with the city.
The flight over had an interesting twist. After going through the circus of security at DFW and boarding my plane, I found a two year old baby sitting in my precious window seat. So I looked at the woman next to it and said, "Hey, you need to move your baby." This guy next to her explained how he wanted to fly with his family and proceeded to pretty much guilt trip me into switching seats with him.
Except he wouldn't have had to guilt trip me if he had just told me his seat was first-class! I got to ride first-class all the way to Newark! Not only did I get a super-comfortable leather seat, but for lunch they served an excellent gourmet turkey sandwich with a side of potato salad. And when the flight attendent asked if I wanted any complimentary wine with my lunch, I couldn't refuse.
Needless to say, I was a bit spoiled by the experience. I had to go back to coach for my seven hour flight from Newark to Edinburgh, but it wasn't so bad because there were a ton of open seats and I got to stretch out and sleep. We came over Scotland at twilight, just before the break of dawn, and it was breathtaking. I'm going to love it here.
The flight over had an interesting twist. After going through the circus of security at DFW and boarding my plane, I found a two year old baby sitting in my precious window seat. So I looked at the woman next to it and said, "Hey, you need to move your baby." This guy next to her explained how he wanted to fly with his family and proceeded to pretty much guilt trip me into switching seats with him.
Except he wouldn't have had to guilt trip me if he had just told me his seat was first-class! I got to ride first-class all the way to Newark! Not only did I get a super-comfortable leather seat, but for lunch they served an excellent gourmet turkey sandwich with a side of potato salad. And when the flight attendent asked if I wanted any complimentary wine with my lunch, I couldn't refuse.
Needless to say, I was a bit spoiled by the experience. I had to go back to coach for my seven hour flight from Newark to Edinburgh, but it wasn't so bad because there were a ton of open seats and I got to stretch out and sleep. We came over Scotland at twilight, just before the break of dawn, and it was breathtaking. I'm going to love it here.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Ten Hours Til Takeoff
I hop on a 737 in a few hours and begin my next great adventure: five months of living in bonnie Scotland. Sometime around noon I'll step onto a plane for the first time in my life and make my way towards Edinburgh. After orientation I'll travel north, into the highlands and on to the granite city of Aberdeen. I'll live there until June, attending school at the University of Aberdeen.
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