Playing Picture Catchup

Ok I was further behind on these than I thought. But here we go.
Ok Rhode Island, 2 Americans from states I dont recall, Ireland, and me at the international society bowling



This picture is from the amazing German, American, Dutch, Scottish, night at the Irish Pub :)



Hungary and I attempting to do Salsa dancing at the international salsa night


Most of you this wont mean much to.... but some of you will know exactly what this is.... but here is the bright green monkey in my new room!!! Yay!!!

This is one the random things you realize when you have like 10 pounds of change in your pocket... and thats that there are many different types of pound coins

Here is the birthday brownies complete with candles that one the fencers made me :)

Relocating, and midterm approaches

Ok I am going to try to be short and sweet, but I realized as I sat down to type this... that outside of the people here in Scotland with me, and a few of the people I have talked on the phone with, I have been doing a good job keeping a certain aspect of my world under the radar.

You all have been hearing about all the wonderful people I have been meeting, and all the fun I have been having. However, home life has not been so spectacular. So this is going to be the readers digest version of why I moved this week.

I started the semester with 4 flatmates, 3 boys, 1 other girl. 2 of the boys were native Scotsmen. These boys are where the trouble started. They were in fact such lovely examples of of the species, that the third boy who was from Spain not only left our flat, but left UNI after ONE WEEK. The biggest problem being that when the 2 boys were confronted about less than acceptable behavior, things of Spain's started disapearing. I was doing a fairly good job of flying under the radar and keeping my mouth shut I guess. Things weren't great, but they weren't horrible enough to justify the trouble of moving when I am only going to be here for one semester... And then we got 2 new flatmates....

Any one of the flatmates on their own, or any one of the behaviors alone would have been something to withstand.... but when I ended up with FIVE smoking, drinking, potheaded, rubbish hoarding, kitchen and bathroom disaster making, confetti throwing (no you dont want to know), loud, obnoxious, immature flatmates... things started going down hill. When I was having to wash my dishes in the bathroom because I couldnt even get TO the sink let alone into the sink... and when I was up till 5 am on a very regular basis.... and when you could smell our flat from 3 flights of stairs down.... and when I was loving my time here, but dreading going home at night.... something needed to change... and I knew better then to confront them... and was not quite prepared to follow one of the Sen No Kai boy's advice that involved "laxatives, and cling film on the toilets" so I put in for a room transfer...

Thus far it has been the best decision I made... I have no idea why I waited until midterm crunch to do it... but still best decision i made... I am still in the same building and same floor, but at opposite ends, so moving involved down 5 flights of stairs.... and returning up 5 flights of stairs, going both ways... I have not met all of the new flatmates yet... I have met a girl from Japan, and a girl from Alaska... the remaining 3 apparently consist of 2 boys and a girl from China... I think I have gotten the 2 best nights sleep since I got here... I think in this flat I am the loud obnoxious one, because I got in the habit of calling home at 2 am... and I always forget things so im always going in and out of doors... etc... nothing major but if that tells you how quiet the new flat is. I was actually doing homework in the kitchen earlier..

Anyways that is the big news for the week. Nothing real exciting, more bowling, more pubs, an international salsa thingy, moving and studying... that is about it. Pictures will come later... but I dont have internet in the new room yet and I cant remember to put them on a jump drive before I go to the computer lab so you will just have to wait for them.

Also, thank you guys once again for comments. I was once again surprised, in a good way, but surprised none the less at who I have found out to be reading this. (This weeks thank's is directed particularly at Rocky Ford and the fellow range nerd. ) :) Anyways I will be back to post pictures soon! Take care!

Things I have learned thus far.

This is going to be a continual work in progress I am sure. However,I have been sitting here realizing how little I have actually learned in preparation for my classes, while also realizing how much I have learned since I have been here. So here is what I have learned, and can remember learning right now.

I have learned far more words for waterproof coats and boots then I realized existed in the English language. The Eskimos might have 7 words for snow, but these people have atleast that many words for coats, boots, and intensities of rain....Jumpers, Waterproofs, Cagoules, Coat, Weatherproofs.... Wellies, Rain boots, Galoshes, overshoes... fog, mist, mizzle, drizzle, rain, etc.... and thats just naming a few

I have learned that Edinburgh represents the "show" Scotland puts on for tourists, while Glasgow represents the real Scotland. I have also learned that Edinburgh is pronounced Edinburra... or if you are from Glasgow then its Embra ....

I have learned that someone can be speaking perfect and "proper" English and that you can still not understand a word that came out of their mouth. Same goes for the fact that I can be speaking perfect and proper English and not be understood one little bit.

I have learned to always look at what bus number you take somewhere, so you dont end up somewhere like Buchanan Bus Station in Glasgow with no idea where to go. (60 stalls or something, not to mention the many bus numbers that end up at each stall) http://farm1.static.flickr.com/176/377408038_a90cccc8a8.jpg?v=0 (this is just one row... doesnt even show the chaos of the middle).

The other thing i have learned is that you should always read a time table for where you are getting on the bus when you are done with something... that way you do not leave an event early only to wait at the bus stop for 30 minutes.

I have almost learned how to read a bus time table.

I have learned that even recently forged friendships can prove valuable in the monetary and spiritual sense. (One new friend works at a bowling alley, which saved me £4 ($8) when international society went bowling).


Relationships enter a whole new realm when time constraints are placed on them. Wisconsin and her guy have known eachother less than 3 weeks, and have hit milestones (like meeting parents) that many would not see after 3 months. And they are by no means the minority.... cough cough *fencing drama* cough cough.


I have learned that people who under normal circumstances would be no more than acquaintences form special bonds abroad. Wyoming and I are not the sort of people who would have ever been birds of a feather at home.... in fact the international advisor almost did not give us eachothers contact information because she didnt think we would get along at all.... but when everything else is foreign, it is kind of nice to have someone who understands why you dont understand a bus time table, what rocky mountain oysters are, can pronounce Vedauwoo, and knows what the Buck is.

I have learned that I will NEVER understand Stirling Uni's class time table. This is honestly what my schedule looks like... AFTER i get it out of the scary time table book... and yes 2 of those classes do conflict... and you just have to live with it... I am looking forward to the day that the same class happens at the same time whatever days you have it... and that that class is in the same room each time you have it



I have learned that having your school computers set 7 hours ahead of your personal one confuses the tar out of any program that has times in any of its set up.... think Facebook status updates.... or this thing.

I have learned that Kazakhstan has a football (soccer) team. And that the English consider even beating them as an accomplishment... even though the BEST season in Kazakhstans 16 year football history was a 50% winning season.

I have learned that Plasters are Bandaids, Freshers or First years are Freshmen, Sods are Rednecks, Bogs are Toilets, Podzols are Spodisols,.... Argillic, Aluminum, Glaciers, Methane, and a few other words i cant think of are pronounced so differently here that you would hardly recognize them.... -ish is a common phrase to modify a statement.... Time is told such that 8:30 would be "half 8" not half past 8, not 8 thirty.... just half eight...

I have learned what Donner meat is (Lamb...... sometimes .... http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061209071356AAi9owx ) And that it doesnt mean we are being cannabals, nor are we eating Rudolph's mate. And that a Donner Kebab is called that due to it being on a skewer before they shave it off and hand it to you... not because it resembles a shishkabob


And I believe that is all I can think of right now. For those of you who are curious the birthday was a blast. Mary Poppins was way fun. The Playhouse is huge and amazing. Although it was a rather wet night. One of the fencers made brownies, complete with candles on Saturday which was really cool. Past that I really dont know a whole lot of new information. Lab today was dismal, and I am expecting the same from tutorial... so it should be just a lovely day all around.

For those of you with snow, I extend my sympathy, but the highs here have been in the mid 50's with lows in the mid 40's.... even when it is pouring rain. I hope everything is going well wherever you are reading this from. Take care and talk to you soon!!

Glasgow, Linlithgow, Night Clubs, and Fencing

Ok this serves many purposes, first I am rocking my brand new obnoxious green water proof coat :)... 2nd of all proof that there are pictures of ME floating around places, and 3rd of all I am standing in a park thingy outside the Glasgow Cathedral

Minnesota, Alaska, and I at Dusk, one of the night clubs in town.

The Makintosh tower's spiral staircase in the lighthouse... this is one of about 10 pictures Wyoming and I took of it

Glasgow Cathedral, we got inside, but didnt get to see much of the inside due to the "Boys Brigade" (think boyscouts with very Christian roots, was having some sort of massive ceremony

Wyoming and I soooo totally climbed a wall in the Linlithgow Palace for this picture.

Linlithgow Loch from the top of the Palace

Linlithgow Palace, and the Church as the sun is setting

Ok first some clean up from the last posting. The "mystery castle" is indeed the one used for many scenes from Monty Python. It is known as the Doune Castle and it is really cool. Also, after further investigation, despite what it may be made out of... Haggis is pretty much nothing more than meat loaf. And fried Mars bars altho heart attacks on a fork, are very good.

Ok now on to other things. I have come to realize in the last several days that more people have actually been reading this thing then I had previously thought. This surprised me, in a good way, but it surprised me. I would like to thank you guys for reading and for your comments and emails and such, they make my day. :) And if you have any questions, or have been wondering about things I havent mentioned, or want certain types of pictures posted, or want to know more about something just let me know. And for those of you who have been wondering, I do actually know how to recieve packages now. I finally caught the porters at the desk... took long enough but I pulled it off.

I do officially have a suitable coat for this climate. As you can see from the pictures its bright obnoxious green and I love it! And its water proof. And after 2 very cold and wet practicals this week, when certain classmates saw me with the coat they cheered.

As far as classes go, I am rather overwhelmed by one, just because I really have no background in the subject and really dont know what is expected of me in it. The other two I am sure I am missing something, but I atleast have some background, and some very coopertive teachers and classmates. Labs so far have been alot of fun.

As far as extra curricular activities go, as some of you may know there have been some major ups and downs. But all and all both Sen No Kai and Fencing have been a lot of fun. Most noteably the last fencing social that started with bowling and ended at the pub. I bowled probably the best 2 games I have ever bowled, which is leading to me being required to fence sabre Wednesday, oh well. Then at the pub things escalated into things like the "i have never" game in which only about half the group participated, but all of us found out some very interesting things. I have now also been drunk in Scotland officially.

To any fencers reading this, plans are underway to possibly let me get a better understanding of the internal workings of their club, and also to make sure I leave here knowing most of their really fun drills :)

This weekend, Wyoming and I went to Glasgow and Linlithgow. Glasgow was almost disasterous, partially because due to the fencing club social absolutly no planning went into the trip at all. We pretty much just showed up at the bus station and hopped on the first bus that went to Glasgow.... and did not look at the bus number... ever... so then we were trying to get home, and we are at the Buchannon bus station which has something near 60 bus stalls, not to mention the number of busses there....it was not our best move. But anyways we visited the Makintosh lighthouse, the Glasgow Cathedral, and the People's Palace and Winter Gardens. Overall we were not impressed with Glasgow, Edinburgh was amazing, and Glasgow was kind of disapointing. Where Edinburgh embraces the historic parts of the town, Glasgow seems to want to forget about them, there isnt even a bus that runs to the stop by the Cathedral anymore. We didnt get to see all of the Cathedral due to the "Boys Brigade" festivities. But we will probably be back to Glasgow anyways to look at some of the things we didnt have time to find on Saturday.

Sunday's trip was brought about by an "ooooooo shiny object" moment on the train to Edinburgh last week. The intricate spier structure on the top of the Church that you can see, when not in shadow is silver/white, and can be seen from the train station. Wyoming and I wanted to know what it was, and looked it up, and decided to visit it. The Linlithgow Palace is amazing. Like Doune castle, it has been left for the most part as it originally was. It was great. But once again, we were unable to see inside the church because ANOTHER Boys Brigade festivity was going on. They seem to be following us, especially since that was a very random combination of towns that we visted this weekend.

I think that is all this week. It doesn't seem like a whole lot for some reason, but if I missed something I am sure you will hear about it later. Take care!