So I guess I got lazy about blog posts, but not because there isn't anything to write about because there's always something to write about. Here is a recap of the last few weeks:

• Exams. I had two, both taken in a big gym with a couple hundred other students. Felt like Harry Potter. Didn't study much.
• Just some time chillin in Aberdeen.
• Was not at Gustavus graduation. Mixed feelings on this one.
• WENT TO STONEHENGE. Trained there with my bike and biked around. Best decision ever. I LOVED SOUTHERN ENGLAND. I plan to go back for a summer relatively soon.
• Had quite a few strange goodbyes with friends and acquaintances.
• My parents came on Saturday morning (early). I shaved 15 minutes off a 45 minute walk to the bus station to get to the airport on time to meet them on four hours of sleep and then walked them ragged the entire day. I am a good daughter. Took them by train to Stonehaven and Dunnottar, again, walking them (annndd maybe myself) to exhaustion. The past two days we spent driving out to the west coast and are now in Portree. I failed on the travel planning though; we have spent way too much time in the car.

More insightful stuff later, I hope.

Rambles

I have been sitting in the hub since 10:30 this morning (it is now 7:00) and I am again doing anything but what I came here to do (study, ha). Mostly I have been daydreaming, the pastime at which I am the most skilled and accomplished.

If you need my facebook wall decrypted:

The other day I went to get my ears pierced for the first time. I have never had them pierced before because I was not allowed to when I was young, and when I was given permission it was my own expense, I was always playing some sport which made it impractical and a nuisance, I thought it would just be another thing I would be tempted to spend money on, and then I viewed it as a way of being non-conformist. None of these last three things have changed. So, why now? I’d been thinking about it for a while. When I was in Dublin I almost made Raelene take me somewhere to do it. Standing in Claire’s in the mall, crowded by the rainbow, glitter, and plastic of teenage costume jewelry, I just did it. It never felt like the right decision. It didn’t feel like the wrong decision. In fact, I don’t believe it felt like a decision at all. I just did it. Now that I have conformed I shall just have to get dreads to balance it out, although that will just be conforming with the non-conformists. Here are some probing questions my vanity has inspired me to ask: I think one of the hardest things to deal with when one is abroad is a sense of personal identity. One is supposed to accept the customs of the culture they have gone to live in which means giving up many personal habits. At which point does one draw the line? What is accepting a culture and what is being conformist? What is insulting a culture and what is being an individual?

I have also got the equivalent of a Gustavus “conversation card” when I had friends over on Wednesday night. Apparently my neighbors were crabby and decided to call the warden directly. These instances always make one feel sheepish although the fun had up until that point is usually never regretted. Irritating is the best word to describe the situation, as we were certainly not out of control, nor do I think we were actually that loud. I am not too concerned about it *knock on flimsy-thin-North-Court-flats-wood* if the guys in the room next to the front door can manage to get away with setting off the fire alarm at 4am once every two weeks.

Yesterday I reminisced my 5 month stint as an Econofoods cashier while bagging groceries at M&S, fondly known as “Markies”, as a fundraiser/charity for my friend who is biking from London to France in four days (300 miles) to raise money for the fight against Alzheimer’s. It is clever how things in life tie in to each other, as two months before I was stuck on a tour bus watching a very depressing Hallmark film on the same disease.

I am not motivated to do things right now, such as start writing my novel, save the world from global warming, and promote world peace; or, more relevantly, plan travels for my parents' visit, search for jobs, or actually study for my exam on Monday.

This blog thing doesn't allow me to cut and paste. Obnoxious.

Norwegian Fairytale

The theme of my past weekend was Norway. Saturday night was Eurovision (http://www.eurovision.tv/page/home), a contest between European countries for the best song. I had never heard of Eurovison before, not surprisingly, but apparently it is a big tradition here. Everyone has different opinions of it, but most agree that the songs are ususally bad and voting is much more political (everyone votes for either their country or their neighbors/friends) or based on show. Hillhead Center had it playing in the pub and cafeteria, and I was amongst the many international students watching it 8pm that night. Most Europeans said it was much more fun to watch here where the audience was made up of people from so many different countries than at home with their parents. Norway won, and since three of the friends I was with that night are Norwegian, we went downtown to celebrate and the people we met were quite enamored with their Norwegian flags and pride, which made for an entertaining night.

Yesterday was The 17th of May, Norway's national holiday, which, contrary to popular belief, is not about being nationalistic, but it is about democracy. So said my friend Ingvild who gave a long speech on the history of the day at the brunch the Norwegians hosted. It is a big day for them and they were quite enthusiastic about sharing it with everyone else. I don't know too much about European politics, but it is really fun to pick up on the banter between friends from different countries.

Now my sleep schedule is very different from what it was two weeks ago. Then I was waking up around 7am and now it is more like 11am . . . luckily the days are long here; the sun rose at 4:45 this morning and it sets at 21:26.

I suggest you youtube the Eurovision performances. Just type in "Eurovision 2009" and then the country. Obviously Norway is a must see, you'll be in love with the fairytale, and Greece got quite a bit of support from the audience; otherwise the final standings are listed on the website.

Puffin Paradise

Last weekend I traveled to the Shetland Islands. The group was large: the one night we were all in the hostel together there 16 of us? The ferry took us from the Aberdeen harbor to Lerwick overnight (19:30-7:30). I love boats. The rocking sensation of the waves is one of the most soothing things in the world, and it made sleeping on the lounge floor not uncomfortable.

We rented cars and split up based on interest of activity. I really wanted to be able to try driving, but there were no automatic transmission cars available so I had to entrust my life to others, some of whom were competent drivers and some of whom were definitely not. The car was a great freedom. Shetland has a population of 22,000 people, plenty of birds, some ponies, sheep, seals and rabbits. The buses would have been infrequent and likely unreliable.

This was definitely a nature-oriented trip. We went on two walks the first day and one on the second day. Shetland is made up of coasts. It is a treeless island, and while there is habitation in the center, there is not much (there is not much of the center, either, basically anywhere you are is not far from a coast) to see or do there. Shetland and the Orkneys were created by volcanic activity way back in some age or eon, and at a later one they were scraped by receding glaciers. This formation is the source of their spectacular cliffs, rounded hills, and scattering of stones. The lack of trees and lack of animals on the island emphasized the remoteness of the island. Hege would tell me that the Norse god Odin was following us in every raven that we saw, and neither of us would have been surprised had a Viking ship appeared on the horizon or had a hinkypunk tried to lead us into a bog. Birds were the one thing that was plentiful. Besides the pesky seagull, we saw mostly guillemots, gannets, terns and puffins. From far away, gannets (a white bird with yellow heads) sitting on the cliffs and rocks looked like snow ice; it was only the fact that they were diving in the air that could prove otherwise. Puffins fly so haphazardly that it was hard to believe they are airborne creatures; I thought they would just drop out of the sky at some points.

The first day we drove to the southern tip of the islands, where there is a lighthouse built by Robert Stevenson, grandfather of Robert Louis Stevenson (author of Treasure Island), said to have been inspiration to the author. The second day we drove up to the very northern tip of the northern island, Unst. We had to take two ferries to get there, one from the mainland to Yell, and then one to Unst. Unst has a population of 1100 people. It is very remote and besides a lavishly pink bus stop, there are no frills. The landscape is desolate and compelling. I don’t think I could ever live in the Shetlands because the romanticism would overwhelm me.

Now I am back in Aberdeen and have one month left before I fly home. My classes are over and I have two exams, one on the 25th and one on the 1st. I am not too concerned about finding time to study for them. My parents are coming on the 6th to visit and we are going to the Isle of Skye for a few days. I still want to make it to Stonehenge, but we shall see if I pull it off. Besides that, I am very much looking forward to enjoying some time in Aberdeen.

Here's a Poem I Like

by William Blake from Songs of Innocence and Experience, (1789, 1794):

The Tyger

Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies,
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand, dare sieze the fire?

And what shoulder, & what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain,
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp,
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears
And water'd heaven with their tears:
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who make the Lamb make thee?

Tyger Tyger burning bright,
In the forests of the night:
What immortal hand or eye,
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

Seis de Mayo

Cheers for all the birthday wishes. I got plenty of Scottish rain all day long. I spent the day attending lectures and tutorials and took an hour by myself to walk out to the beach in the rain and watch dolphins (!) swim along the shoreline at low tide while all the oil ships made their way home to the harbor. For dinner I had a burger with Steph and we watched Singin in the Rain. Then we made our way to a pub called the Bobbin for drinks with some frisbee and international friends. It was a good day. :)

Last weekend I went to Nottingham (yes, Robin Hood!) with Positive Mojo for University Mixed Outdoor Nationals. It was everything you would expect from a tournament: long drive (like, 10hrs), navigational errors in finding our (Boy)Scout house (like camping indoors), full day outside on the pitches, sore muscles, camaraderie, decent party, etc etc etc. It was great to go to a real tournament again and it got me excited for summer ultimate.

The countryside here does not have billboards. I LIKE IT. And the rest stops are all planned out: one building with a Burger King, Costa Coffee, convenience store, toilets, indoor eating area and deck, and a fuel station across the street. Not sure I like this; it seemed too orderly and preplanned (not that deciding between the 100th Subway or DQ en route is any better).

One more essay to go, due Friday, then I am off to the Shetlands for a few days! I am actually rather travelled out and feeling the strains on my credit card, but we made these plans and bought tickets a month ago, so, guess I'm going to spot a puffin!

Aberdeen Exploration

Sunday I discovered Scotstown Moor Local Nature Reserve just to the north of Hillhead while I was on a walk. Five habitats are within the reserve: bog, moor, scrub, grassland and woodland. Common gorse (Ulex europaeus), a spiny shrub with yellow, bilabiate flowers perfumed of coconut are scattered across the downy field of grass along with dark gray boulders covered in green and yellow lichens and mosses. The gorse, though native, is an invasive threat to the heathland, which is not surprising to hear, since like daffodils, it is everywhere in this city.
It was comforting to find a natural area complete with educational signs telling me about the natural history of the area. Scotstown Moor is an SSSI: Site of Special Scientific Interest. SSSIs include nature reserves and geological wonders. On the other side of a patch of trees was the countryside. I was surprised to find how close it actually was, although only mildly so as I recognize it is easy for people here to slip into three main areas: Hillhead, uni, and City Centre (splash in the beach every once in a while and call Seaton Park part of Hillhead and uni).

Aberdeen has an area known as Belmont Street, which is a street of pubs and clubs and late-night Indian fast food/kebab shops. (Drunk food = kebabs and chips.) Aberdeen has a very lively nightlife. Students will go out any given night of the week which means that Belmont Street is always alive with people running from place to place or just hanging out in the street. The bus to Hillhead runs until 3 o'clock on weekends, but if you miss that you queue for a taxi on Union Street. I have decided that I am not really the clubbing type. It is too expensive to go out more than once or twice a month but really, that is about enough for me; especially now that it is warm out and light until 9pm-ish I'd much rather spend my time outside and sleep when it's dark.

Saturday I spent on an optional field trip for my Celtic class. We went to visit a stone circle, a cairn in the Grampian mountains, a few Pictish stones at Aberlemno, and a souterrain. It wasn't the most exciting day- there were about 11 of us and we didn't know each other and most of them were pretty quiet. But I got to see my first stone circle! This one was tucked away in the woods and when we stopped there we were the only ones around. Everything was still and the pine trees dappled the sunlight onto the crumbling rocks. It would be the perfect spot to sit by oneself and read or write, sleep or picnic, or just daydream . . .