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!