Edinburgh Journey (and scones)

     So I have a bit of catching up to do on what I've been doing across the pond. First and foremost was my journey to Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Honestly, it was love at first sight. The city was absolutely beautiful and it was impossible to capture everything I wanted; plus, pictures don't do justice to how lovely it was. On our first night, we went to a pub and just relaxed after our semi-long bus ride. It was a really cool place, full of young people and a pretty good cover band. The highlight was probably singing along at the top of our lungs to "Hey Jude", (better, better, better, better!) and dancing a little to "Rolling on the River." 
     The next morning we had to wake up early to go on our dungeon tour which was exceptionally creepy. It was kinda campy, with live actors telling you gruesome tales from Edinburgh's history. For example, incestuous cannibalistic murderers. Cheery, no? And of course there were plenty of pitch black moments with startling sounds and effects. It reminded me of the Dinosaur ride at Disney World, as in I had my eyes closed for a good portion of the time. After that slightly scarring experience, we were able to wander the city. It was misting pretty heavily --as Scotland tends to do-- so we went into the National Scotland Museum to get dry. The museum was massive! We were in there for about an hour, hour and a half and didn't see even a quarter of the exhibits. You could literally spend a whole day in there, maybe two. One of my friends from high school who is studying abroad at the University of Edinburgh met up with us and showed us around the city. We saw the main campus of the University, which included the student union that had a library bar inside. We sat in the cafe and ate our prepacked cheese sandwiches and veggies (college students need to keep it cheap). We continued on our journey and saw Greyfriar's Bobby (the grave, bar, and statue commemorating a little dog who slept on his master's grave every night for 14 years and whom the people of Edinburgh cared for), St. Giles Cathedral (gorgeous!) and an excellent view of the castle. After parting ways with my friend, we headed for The Elephant House, the cafe where J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. We spent two hours in there drinking delicious coffee, eating tasty homebakes, and discussing Harry Potter and our love and adoration of his creator. That was definitely a magical experience (please forgive the pun). We were pretty tired so we headed back to the hostel and just chilled out for a while before heading to dinner. We went to an amazing Spanish Tapas place in New Town and needless to say, it was highly satisfying. After all the walking, we were pretty tired so we turned in early.
     Sunday morning, we checked out of the hostel and made our way to Arthur's Seat, a massive volcano surrounded by smaller cliffs and tiny mountains that is often featured in movies and offers the most impressive view of the ENTIRE city. It was quite a hike (thank you Grandma for investing in those hiking boots for me, they majorly came in handy!) and got tiring and tedious at points, but the view from the top was well worth it. We took pictures, I had a few Pride & Prejudice moments (you know where Keira Knightley stands on top of the cliff?) and we just soaked it all in. I've had this line in my head for a while, that I want to go somewhere and marvel at something; well, Arthur's Seat was my moment of marvel.
      After a much easier descent, we practically sprinted back to Wannaburger, a classy fast-food place that was recommended to us by past participants. We practically inhaled our burgers, chips, and shakes and few things have ever tasted so good. On a funny note, you could add a shot of bourbon to your shake for 2 pounds 50 p-- which I did not do, just to be clear. By then we didn't have much time before our bus back to Aberdeen was arriving so we just killed a little time in a bookstore. I could have spent the whole afternoon in there, it made me feel at home to be amongst all those books. I ended up buying Winnie-the-Pooh: In Scots, a Scottish translation of the tale of the silly ol' bear. Here is an excerpt:

"Whit for dae ye want a balloon?" says you.
Winnie-the-Pooh keeked aboot tae mak shair naebody wis luggin in, pit his loof tae his mooth, and said in a laich whusper: 'Hinny!'"

      They also refer to Piglet at Wee Grumphie and Eeyore as Hee Haw. That was about the end of our adventure in Edinburgh. There is so much I still want to see there so I'm glad I get to go back and take in even more of the city.

p.s. On an unrelated note, last night six of us girls from Kzoo got together and made French Toast (which is apparently a very American thing) and baked chocolate cookies and proper scones. These scones were beautiful! And with a dab of double cream and jam, it was like the sweetest taste of Britain you could imagine :)

Gaels, Scots, and the English

On Tuesday, I had my first Gaelic class (pronounced G-AL-ic, GAY-lic is Irish). The course focuses on the history of the Gaelic language and its role in modern Scotland. First of all, let me say that my professor was awesome! This is Professor McGonigle (still can't get over that) and she is an older Scottish woman who definitely is full of fire. The thing that I felt was great about this class was that I was getting a taste of Scottish history, not simply the Gaelic language, because one influenced the other. I learned about the Highland clearances which was where nobility pushed people off the lands in order to make room for sheep. People were forcibly evicted, and combined with the Irish potato famine and an outbreak of cholera, many people lost their lives as well as their homes. It sounded a lot like the way the Native Americans were pushed off their lands. Because of this, the population of Gaelic speakers dropped significantly. Even today, Gaels aren't being recognized. The Scottish census asks misleading questions like, "Do you speak Gaelic daily?" or "Can you read, write, AND speak Gaelic?" This results in a highly underestimated number of Gaelic speakers left in Scotland. This is apparently an issue in Scottish politics, whether or not candidates and politicians support the preservation of the Gaelic language. My professor even said that she considers herself more of a Gael rather than a Scot.

There was also a discussion about Scottish/English relations which I found really fascinating, especially since I read so much about it before I left. The one thing I was repeatedly told before departing for Aberdeen was to never call someone Scottish English. This was apparent during my class. Someone said that England complains how much Scotland costs them, so why don't they just let Scotland go like the Scots want? To which someone responded that Scotland has all the resources, but because England has all the manufacturing plants and mills, they are able to take the resources Scotland sends them, process them, then sell them back to Scotland for a higher price. When I told my friend Hannah this, she said it sounded a little like North and South relations during the Civil War. It's fascinating when you're able to make connections between the history of your home country and another. After hearing complaints about politicians, policy, economics, and relations between nations, it became apparent than some things never change, no matter where you are in the world.

Culture Conversations

While here, I've met so many great people from different countries, notably Germany. During conversations with both my German and Scottish mates, we've come across a few cultural differences, things as basic as food and words. For example, I've had to explain Thanksgiving to a few people. It's one of those American traditions that is so common, I've never really stopped to think about it. This is a reason I think study abroad is so important; it not only makes you examine a different culture, it makes you re-examine your own. You become more aware of your home culture as well as your host culture which prompts you to question, evaluate, and appreciate.

But beyond Thanksgiving, there have been little cultural things, more lighthearted, that are interesting to see; for example, my Scottish flatmate had her first ever PopTart. She watches a lot of American television and movies (much to my delight) and she mentioned how PopTarts are such a cultural reference so she really wanted to try them but she could never find them. Well, we found some and I taught her the ways of toasting a PopTart to perfection. She quite enjoyed it :) There are other food related things, like the British calling Jello jelly and having baked beans for breakfast rather than at a cookout (an idea I had to explain). Discussing holiday traditions was also cool (Germans tend to open their presents on Christmas Eve and the British have a holiday called Hogmanay which is the last day before the New Year where they have big celebrations).

Also, things like school are very interesting to discuss. In Germany, high school is six years, so it is common to begin Uni at 20. You can leave high school after four or five years and be qualified for various lower level jobs. Also, in Scotland, there typically aren't graduation ceremonies, or even diplomas when students graduate from high school. It's just not a big deal, so obviously grad parties are out of the question. This goes along with a comment my Scottish flatmate made after I explained the Fourth of July: "America seems to be very jolly." And I guess she's right, when you think of grad parties, Thanksgiving, Independence Day, and all the other holidays and events we like to make a big deal out of.  I'm learning and thinking a lot about small but significant cultural differences, so study abroad seems to be providing me with the new perspective I was hoping for.

Castles, Ceilidh, & Whiskey

I've been here only a week, and yet so much has already happened, I don't know where to begin. First off, I just want to comment on some British/Scottish words and phrases that I find interesting. The phrase I hear tossed around all the time is, "Cheers!" (and no, not just at the pub). It's used as a way to say "thank you," "have a nice day," or just general good tidings. I desperately want to incorporate it into my vocabulary but I think I better live here a little longer so I can really earn that right. At the grocery store, you see tons of alternate words for products. Of course fries are "chips" here and chips are "crisps" here. Cookies are "biscuits" and candy is "sweets". But my personal favorite I came across when I was buying orange juice. Instead of pulp, it is called "bits." So if there is some pulp there are "some bits." And if it is pulp free, it is referred to as smooth orange juice. Something simple but an interesting difference, nonetheless.

This past week, I really tried to absorb the Scottish culture. There was ceilidh (pronounced kay-lee) dancing at the student union. It is essentially like Scottish line dancing and very much akin to the dancing that Merry and Pippin do in "Lord of the Rings" if that reference means anything to you. The guys there were actually wearing kilts, just with a tee-shirt, so it was completely casual. Some of the more experienced dancers really could spin and whip each other around. It was quite fun and once you got the pattern of the dance, not difficult at all. Of course afterwards, I was so sweaty. It was really a workout and I think should qualify me for a gym credit from Kalamazoo.

This past weekend I got outside of Aberdeen on two different trips. The first was a trip to two whiskey distilleries and a castle that is still residence to British nobility (the family had their invitation to Will and Kate's wedding and pictures from it framed, along with at least twenty signed notes and photographs from the Queen and Prince Charles and Camilla). I enjoyed the castle part much more than the whiskey part of the trip. It is not my kind of drink, and honestly, I found it really awful tasting. However, I know A LOT about how to make it so if you ever need the answer to Scotch whiskey trivia, feel free to ask.

The most amazing part of my weekend was my trip to Stonehaven, a small coastal town that is only twenty minutes outside of Aberdeen by train. Myself and all the other Kalamazoo students came along. The city was adorable but it was what beyond it that was spectacular. A three mile hike through emerald hills, ruins, a cow field and every other sight you associate with Scotland in your imagination led us to Dunnotarr castle, originally built in the 13th century. Incredible doesn't even begin to cover it. We spent at least an hour exploring what remained of this fortress that overlooked the North Sea. The sunny day only added to how absolutely gorgeous everything was. Today was one of those days that seemed so surreal, like something this amazing can't be actually in front of me and I can't actually be living it. However, my sore feet brought me back to reality. Those hiking shoes proved to be an excellent investment and I can't think of a better first trip with them.

Classes!

So here are the classes I'll be taking this term. I'm still having a little trouble figuring out when my classes actually are and how to navigate Aberdeen's online portal (turns out the K portal isn't actually that bad) but hopefully it will all work out.I had to keep rearranging my schedule due to time conflicts, credit points, etc. But as of right now (and hopefully they will stay this way) these are the courses I'm registered for.

(By the way, I stole these course descriptions from the online course catalog)

MODERN GAELIC IN SCOTLAND
Introduction to the decline and development of the Gaelic language, The concept of 'Inferiorisation', Gaelic Education 1975-2010, Gaelic Broadcasting, Gaelic Publishing, Introduction to Gaelic Poetry 1950-2010.
(The professor for this course is Professor Christina MCGONIGLE!!! I realize it's spelled differently, but even so, I'm pretty jazzed about it).

ARTHUR IN MEDIEVAL WELSH AND GAELIC LITERATURE

The course provides a survey of literature on Arthur in the Middle Ages, focusing on Welsh and Gaelic sources and Continental romance; it includes discussion of broader themes and questions posed by the literature, eg. whether Arthur was a real person and why legends about him have elevated him to iconic status, even to the present day.

MODERNISM

This course examines a selection of the best and most exciting forms of literary modernism - from the novel, to poetry and drama, and from traditional, 'high-modernist' to experimental and avant-garde works. These literary works will be set against readings by representative thinkers of modernity, from Darwin, Freud and Nietzsche to Theodor Adorno. The rich intellectual and cultural background of the period will also be discussed with reference to modernist movements in visual art and music. A further aim of the course is to convey a sense of the historical experience of modernity, a period characterised by rapid, often violent change, by war and revolution, and by scientific and technological progress.

Authors studied will include: Joseph Conrad, Thomas Mann, TS Eliot, James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, W.B. Yeats, Samuel Beckett.

WORDS AND MEANINGS: LEXIS AND SEMANTICS
Meaning is at the heart of our understanding of language, ourselves and the world; and yet it is notoriously difficult to tie down. Why do I think a particular word means one thing while you think it means something subtly or significantly different? This course gives you the opportunity to explore these issues. You will learn how we construct hierarchies of meaning and how these may differ from language to language; you will also come to understand how what a word means can differ from place to place and at different times. The course also considers how dictionaries and thesauri are constructed.

I'm quite excited for classes to start. It's the nerd in me, I guess :)

Welcome to Aberdeen!

I'm finally here. After a nine hour flight to Amsterdam and an hour and a half flight to Aberdeen, our group arrived in Scotland, ready to begin our study abroad experience. Student volunteers were waiting for us at the airport so they could shuttle us to the University. Driving there, we listened to 90s British pop and techno while our drivers sang along and made quippy comments, my favorite being, "Lots of people say that Uni looks like Hogwarts, and if you don't know what Hogwarts is, get out of the car now." After checking in, we were given our room keys and showed to our flats. The exterior of Hector-Boece isn't very impressive. One of the K students compared it to a Soviet Russian commune or a prison barrack. However, the actual flat is quite nice. There are six of us living in the flat. All of my flatmates are really nice and welcoming. We've all gotten along well so far. Each of us has our own room (which I find very spacious) and we share two toilets, a bathroom with 3 sinks and a shower, and a kitchen. All of us were pretty hungry so we went to find lunch. We found a nice restaurant but we weren't a very lively group. I have realized that zombies are just people who have really bad jet lag. But we all made it through our meals without unconsciously face planting into our plates.
Another K student, Mara, and I needed supplies like bedding and kitchenware, so we took our first trip on the number 20 bus into the city. We sat by a bunch of girls from Scotland who heard us speaking and asked us where were from because they thought we had cool accents. Coming from someone who has a Scottish accent (which I think is the most amazing accent in the world), I was dumbstruck. Mara and I just laughed because the thought that we sounded cool was ridiculous to us. After shopping, we headed back to our flats. A group of us met up for dinner and walked downtown. We ended up eating in The Abercrombie Pub (any relation to & Fitch?)  where we got fish & chips and a pint. After all, what do expect to eat when you're in Scotland? When we got back, I crashed. Being awake for 26 hours really doesn't suit me.
Today, we had our international students meeting where they gave us an overview of the basics of the University. After heading back to our flats afterwards and just cooling it, Mara, Hannah, and I explored campus. It is so beautiful, I can't believe I'm actually living here for five months. I forgot to bring my camera with me today, but hopefully there will be pictures posted soon. After another trip downtown, Hannah, Allie and I ventured to the grocery store, Lydle, where we stocked up on food and rations. Cooking for myself will be fun, I think. Meatballs on top of leftover spaghetti that my flatmate Caro graciously offered me was dinner for me. Later that night, Caro and I ran into Mara and her flatmate, so we all decided to put our Fresher's wristbands to use and take the uni bus to one of the clubs. Along the way, we met another student, who is actually from Aberdeen, named Nigel. He was quite entertaining and fun to get to know. I've found that everything I've heard about the Scottish is true for the most-part. Everyone is so friendly and so much more outgoing than in the States. There is much less awkward small talk and people seem genuinely interested in you and are willing to start up conversations with perfect strangers. It's made meeting people a lot easier when everyone is so friendly and puts you at ease.
Well, that's all for now. Sorry for so much random and unnecessary detail. I'm sure my posts will become a little more condensed and concise once I've settled down a bit. Till next time!

The Countdown Begins...

Exactly one month from now, I will be in Scotland. It doesn't seem real but with other K friends already abroad and friends from home heading back to school, the reality of it all is beginning to sink in. I haven't begun packing yet but I'm beginning to make a list of what I need. Since I'm not the most compact packer (when I go home for a weekend, I tend to pack like I'm going for a month) I have no idea how I'm going to fit everything I (think) I need for four and a half months in two suitcases. Really the only things I have ready are my rain boots and rain coat which I'm sure will really come in handy. I'm still talking to past participants and researching so that I can prepare myself for what's coming. But what I'm most concerned about is the mental preparation for leaving my friends and family in the States. It's only taken all summer to realize this is actually happening.