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 . . .

Forests and Frisbee

My last week of spring break I actually spent in class for four days, but it was one of those classes that confirms any doubts (not that I have any) about me being an environmental studies major because the entire day is spent learning outside (besides the time being carted around in 17-seater vans). It was very interesting to visit a forest from the perspective of a forester -different from the conservationist and biological perspectives of other field courses. The topic of conversation would be about managing a forest, but the reason was for producing harvestable timber, not for the ecosystem in sake of itself.
Growing up in a forest state I was naturally curious to see how Scotland's forests compared to Minnesota's. I checked online and found out that Minnesota's percentage of forested land is about 32% and Scotlands is about 8%. Minnesota's total area of land, excluding inland waters, is 206,208 sq km. Scotland's total land area excluding inland waters is 77,097 sq km which is one of those fascinating things about Europe and America -there is just more of America.
Also, there are no charismatic megafauna in Scotlands forests. The biggest animals there are deer -no bears, wolves, or mountain lions. Don't misunderstand me, because certainly the megafauna are not the only thing important about a forest, but when I looked out at the great expanse of sleepy, misty pines and spruce, I felt that there was something missing when I knew that there were no wolves out there padding softly along on the trail of a deer.
I have many more thoughts on the field trip but you will just have to ask me when I am home because I should probably get around to writing the report since I can't turn in my blog.

Saturday and Sunday I spent all day at CUBE playing in my first beach ultimate tournament. It was so much fun and was so great to play frisbee again, after having gone probably a month without it! There were a few people I overheard saying that beach ultimate is "the way ultimate was meant to be played" which I disagree with very much but I would love to hit up more beach ultimate tournaments (especially Paganello) sometime in my life. It was super hard to run on sand but really easy to lay out (yes, I did, and caught things too!). The weather was nice and sunny but a bit windy the second day and therefore a little chilly. We only had enough space for two pitches so the games were really short and I always wanted more when they were over! The frisbee party that night was a ceilidh, so now I have been to two ceilidhs (this one was much more fun than the last -helps to dance with people you know and people who are Scottish and are good dancers). If I could bring anything back to America from Scotland it would be my very own ceilidh band.

Today was my first day back at uni and I haven't started much of my work, so I must get on that now-
Cheers!
Karen

Blur

I haven't written in a while as I haven't had any time to sit down at a computer and write. I keep a journal but it ends up being organized in bullet points of fragmented images and not structured entries to share. I am working on a longer entry right now but will probably not finish before I head off for the last week of spring break. One day of rest after 16 on the go is not enough when I have to wake up earrrly tomorrow morning to travel again (forestry class). But the past two weeks have been amazing beyond belief. Here is a teaser of some of the things I have done:

Visited Raelene in Dublin touring and just hanging out in her flat.
Spent ten days with Lauren. Minus the night where I got stuck in a small town in France by myself (no working cell phone, either) where about two people spoke English and I of course was unable to speak French.
Spent three days biking from breakfast until dinner throught the gorgeous and varied land of Provonce, biking up and down mountains and through the countryside of vineyards, wandering through small towns, having picnic lunches of food bought from markets and experiencing a France I never knew to imagine.
Wandering the streets of Nice and gazing out at the Mediterranean from the cliffs near Monaco, where we spend an morning rock climbing. Found out my fear and inability to master rock-climbing still exists. But spent yet another day out in the sun getting colour on my pale winter skin.
Met "we're not hippies" at the Hills of Tara (an ancient pagan religious site in Ireland) and got a tour of their peace camp and peace bus.
Spent a lovely Easter day splashing in the cold waters of the Irish sea and eating very expensive and hard to come by Mexican food.

Probably one of my favorite things about my travels is that I did it by myself in the sense that I went from place to place independently, but inbetween met some cool new people and got to see two good friends from home with whom I am so grateful to have been able to share these experiences. :)

Now I've got to do laundry, figure out how much damage I charged to my credit card and pack and read for class tomorrow before I pass out . . . tough . . . more on everything later. And be sure to ask me for my stories because I definitely have them. And as spectacular as my days have been I still do get pangs of homesickness; I miss everyone back home so drop me a line sometime soon!

Industrial tourist? Or do I live here?

I've been thinking about this post for the past month and have written in over and over in my head, and at least five times on paper. Everyday I discover something new and though it may be the slightest new perspective, I feel like it renders my previous musings completely outdated. So here is my latest version I just wrote tonight:

Since I've been here, I have been struggling with the notion of industrial tourism. I don't want to be one of those people, as Edward Abbey characterized (and I wish I could quote but I don't have the book with me) in Desert Solitaire, that drive around in their box of a car, faces glued to the window, "seeing" all the beautiful scenery and other such wonders of the world. I want to get out and really see things. Take more time in one spot, travel less, and experience things. Yet there is a part of me that keeps nagging at my adrenaline, trying to convince me that I should always be moving, always occupied, always socializing, always traveling, sightseeing as much as I can, never having a dull moment . . . but that is unrealistic. Perhaps if I had more money I could do so, but I don't; and money is that other obnoxious villain that incessantly creeps in my shadow while I am here (and when I am at home).

Four and a half months is too short. It takes time to settle in to a place, figure out where things are, meet the right people, establish relationships; you can't force bonding or memories. There is too much to see here -too much that I want to see here. I want to say I have seen Stonehenge with my own eyes, visited all the castles in Aberdeenshire, and stood on the northernmost point of Scotland in the Shetlands. I want to take advantage of being on this side of the Atlantic (because who knows when or if that will happen again), but I don't want to do it thinking I am ticking things off a list.

I am on my spring break right now -three weeks of no classes (this school system is ridiculous!). A few of my international friends are doing what I would call a power-trip of Europe. Cramming in all the cities and countries they can. This seemed a little much for me, and since I had hoped to do so before I left America, I am going to visit my Gustavus friends Raelene and Lauren where they are studying. Tonight though, I met another American girl who is also backpacking across Europe, and the way she described it made me remember how much I used to want to do that. But, this was the first time I really had that feeling and it really is not a regret. I am waaayyyy excited about my adventure plans. And very excited about the last stretch of time in Scotland that awaits me when I come back.

So, if you are curious, here are my plans:
Sunday the 29th I fly to Dublin to visit my friend and former roommate Raelene. I am sleeping on her floor until Wednesday the 1st when I fly to Nantes to stay with Lauren. On Saturday April 4th we take the train to Avignon with four of her friends for a bike trip across Provence. Then we end up in Nice on Wednesday the 8th, I think, and spend the next few days on the beach of the French Riviera. On the night of Friday the 10th I fly back to Dublin to spend Easter with Raelene. On Monday the 13th I fly back to Aberdeen to miss the first day of my week-long forestry class. Oh well. Tuesday the 14th through Friday the 17th I am in my forestry class traveling around forests of Northern Scotland. I think we are based out of Inverness. Saturday the 18th I wake up in Aberdeen and that day and Sunday the 19th I spend at CUBE –a Frisbee tournament on a beach a short drive north of Aberdeen. On Monday the 20th I sleep and start thinking about the essays I have due that week and the next and try to remember to balance my industrial tourism and life that I just wrote about in a very short eight weeks.

Pretty packed after all (try adding two or three more countries!). I am so pumped. :)
Just hope I packed the right stuff -and not more or less than I need! (Yeah right.)

Catch you all later-
Karen

P.S. Far more to say about this subject than what I wrote. Life is amazingingly huge. :)

I am sitting in the hub, the university's student union more or less, and I just read Raelene's blog.

She was commenting on the clothing here and why it bothered her: because it is gendered. This is so true. Girls trip around in heels and skirts all the time and there are very few hoodies and no sweats. The fashion is very material; perhaps that has to do with the weather, as I have noticed more flowery and bohemian clothing in stores, but I haven't seen anyone wearing any yet.

I had to go shopping in the city centre today because I needed a cardigan (found, after I combed the the racks in just about every store, looking at every dumb cut and atrocious color), still need a purse/bag, and a swimsuit for my spring break traveling. Dear god I hate shopping.

I was so annoyed with my fruitlessness, my need to be thrifty, and with all the older ladies shopping for things they probably don't need, that I haven't been able to calm down yet. Grrrrr!

I do enjoy looking nice and wearing colored tights are fun, but not all the time! I want to wear ripped jeans and feel like a slob!

I also just got a cold the other day, just in time for spring break traveling, lovely . . .

BIKE POWER!

I have a bike!!!!!!!

I saw a flyer at uni today advertising a place called Bike Fit nearby campus that collects donated bikes, sells bikes at cheap rates, and fixes bikes, it had an address on the flyer so after my last class I google mapped it and walked up there. It is operated out of a charity and I walked in, picked out a bike for £40 and a lock for £10, ran back to Hillhead to grab cash I had in my room and grab my friend Hege, ran back to the place all within 45 minutes, she picked one out, we paid, and tada! we have mobility! I am going to find a helmet at a standard bike shop tomorrow.

I am so incredibly happy that I finally have a bike. It is too bad I could not have found one sooner, but this place opened within the last week, I believe, and no where else had cheap enough bikes besides the university workshop, which never had a bike available to rent when I went in there.

Bikes here have the back break on the left handlebar not the right. Probably related to the fact that they drive on the wrong side of the road. Weirdos.

I am so thrilled!!!!!

Borders Country Can Bury My Heart

I have a lovely friend named Hege, from Norway, who also has lovely friends who have made the past two weekend trips wonderfully fun. This time our second pair were Heidi from France and Ingvild from Norway. The trip was with the International Society and the destination Borders Country, a.k.a that place where Scotland and England seamlessly blend.

Traveling with the International Society is an adventure in itself. One spends hours on a tour bus getting cramps, munching on snacks, and watching one or two obligatory awful movies (this time Ants and The Mask). That is perhaps the negative side. The positive side is all the beautiful scenery out the window and the unique circumstances, such as the student leader who couldn't string words together in a full sentence and giggled or "ummed" every four words (poor girl, we made fun of her so much, but she was American, mind you, so it was no second language barrier) and didn't know where we were going so our hour ride to the hostel from our last destination lasted three hours when we got lost or the Germans singing Backstreet Boys songs right behind us.

The time not spent on the bus was spent exploring Linlithogow Palace, ruins of the Stuart family castle where Mary Queen of Scots was born; Rosslyn Chapel, the chapel made famous by the Davinci Code, a place of carved wonders, serious restoration work, jealous masons and apprentices, and rumoured (according to our top notch tour guide) to be the final resting place of the Holy Grail, the Ark of the Covenant, the mummified head of God, and Elvis; the town of Jedburgh (we missed entrance to the Abbey by about ten minutes); Vindolanda, highly excavated and archealogically rich ruins of a Roman fort along Hadrian's Wall; Hadrian's Wall (AMAZING); Melrose Abbey, built in 1136 A.D. for some Augustinian monks, and where three embalmed hearts have been found, one of which is honestly believed to be the heart of Robert the Bruce; and, inbetween all that, rushing through a supermarket where we were instructed to buy all our meals for the weekend because no one knew if we were going to have access to food for the next 24-some hours, as we were of course so far away (or back in time) from civilization we may have starved.

Hadrian's Wall, which was by far the highlight of the trip, was breathtaking. Due to a poorly planned, jam-packed two days of sightseeing, we only had half an hour to climb the craggy hill to scale the ancient wall that in it's time reached across the island from the North Sea in the East to the Irish Sea in the West, separating Roman Britannia from the barbarous north for the four centuries that all roads (in Britain) led to Rome.

I would go back here, to the Wall and to the region, in an instant. When the bus was winding through the hills -passing fields of sheep, dense forests, brooks, small content towns- all I could think about was how I wanted to get out of the bus and just run from summit to summit and found I had a reknewed desire to learn how to ride horses and bury my head in stories of Avalon and Lord of the Rings. I curbed my lust for this beautiful country by buying a Historical Site map of Ancient Britain which I will spend the rest of the semester pouring over until I have it memorized.

Pictures to come soon, but photography will very honestly never be able to capture the vastness of the sky, movement of the hills, or force of the wind from that mystical, invigorating country.

-Karen

Stirling and a Ceilidh

Saturday I went on a day trip with the international society to the town of Stirling, known as the "gateway to Scotland". Stirling is where the Wallace monument was built in the late 1800s to commemorate the national hero William Wallace. (Familiar with Braveheart?) I don't think I have ever experienced more wind than I did that day. There was a small child at the top of the monument and I was afraid he was going to be blown off the tower. We also toured the castle, which was quite cool as castles go, but again the wind was so strong in some places it was all I could to to not be blown off the wall. Since I went with the international society it was cheaper and we just bused out early in the morning and made it back in the evening which meant we were limited on time, so I didn't get to walk around the town much.

That night I went to my first ceilidh (I kept missing the others!). A ceilidh is a traditional Scottish dance. Dress was very casual, girls were in trousers or skirts, and men were in trousers or kilts, depending on how dressed up one wanted to get. The band was called Clachan Yell (you can find them on MySpace) and the lead would give instructions on the routine before each song. He was very difficult to understand though, and I mostly just had to watch the people near the stage to figure out what to do. Most of the dances were done in groups of four couples and was like square dancing. I ending up being in groups with a lot of fellow foreigners who didn't quite get the steps right, but no one cared and we just danced the best we could. It was so much fun -I can't wait to go to the next one. :)

Still in School

I think this week I finally realized I am still in school even if I am in a different country.

I am very tired of being in school.

Senior-itis definitley has its hold on me and all the scary thoughts about the "real world" keep sneaking into my mind. I kind of wish I had another senior here with me to commiserate with, but most of the people I know are younger; if American are juniors, if Scottish or otherwise international are first-years or have some amount of school ahead of them, or are post-grad and pretty serious about their work (don't see these people that often).
We definitely went over how to cite things and what elements one might want to include in an introduction of a paper for forty-five minutes in my tutorial yesterday. I wanted to scream. Other than that classes are good though. Currently on the assignment list for English is Robinson Crusoe, which I have read before, but that was about eight years ago and all I remember is that he raised sheep on the island (if that is even true) so it's basically like I haven't read it.

The change of pace was nice, I like being busy and kept to a schedule, and all the open time on my hands here was getting to me. I am a little frustrated that every society seems to meet the same night of the week at the same time. Grrr.

Daffodils are blooming all over the place. It is very pretty and spring is definitely in the air. It doesn't rain as much as I thought it would. (Now it will pour for the next week just because I said that.)

What else can I say? My life is that of a student.

More later-
Karen

Wow. That was a ridiculously long post. Summary: Edinburgh is a very cool place.

Trip to Edinburgh: A Summary

Last weekend I made it in to Edinburgh. After a rather uneventful weekend previous, I was itching to get out of Aberdeen and have an adventure. I set out with just one companion, another American student named Anna, early on Saturday morning. The train may have been passing through beautiful countryside but I was oblivious to this as I had a difficult time keeping my eyes open to marvel at it.
Immediately upon emerging from the depths of the train station onto the streets of Edinburgh I noticed a difference from Aberdeen. Most obvious was the color of the city: not grey. Secondly, more tourists. Thirdly, the vibe and atmosphere was more welcoming. Edinburgh, a bigger city and the capitol of Scotland, has more hustle and bustle and more things to do and see.
We started off the day by hiking to the top of Arthur's Seat(251m/823ft), an extinct volcano in the middle of Holyrood Park, which has been a royal park since the twelfth century (according to my handy travel guide). It was windy, gorgeous, and populated with many people on walks with their dogs (may have made me imagine how much fun mine would have running from hill to hill :) ). Standing at the top, all (or enough) of Edinburgh was laid out before us: the tightly packed buildings, chapel spires, random monuments, castle, and hazy blue bay of the North Sea. Most remarkable was not what could be seen but what could be heard; the notes of a bagpipe drifted all the way up from the piper's post on High Street: men and boys in tartan took shifts playing the pipes all day from a central location and you could hear him from the most unexpected places. Holyrood Park could have easily entertained me for the rest of the day, but we headed back down to tour the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the residence of the Queen when she is in Scotland and the former home of the infamous Mary Queen of Scots. Synopsis: rich royal people in olden times make pretty houses. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, but I can assure you it was very ornate and if you ever go see any palace it is probably comparable in beauty and quality, just substitute era and style. But extremely cool to say I have been there and worth the visit.
We took a winding, scenic route back to our hostel and rested briefly before seeking out a place to eat. Our first lead happened to have stopped serving food (no bar menu or drunken munchies here- places stop serving food by 6 or 7 at night) so we wandered the streets with no particular destination in mind, and stumbled upon the Elephant House, the cafe where JK Rowling wrote a considerable amount of chapters of Harry Potter, including the very first lines she ever wrote! So of course we ate there, and both of us tried Haggis for the very first time. Anna said it tasted like some kind of Polish sausage she was used to eating; I am less culinarily imaginative and can only offer the meager description that tasted like some kind of spiced meat and say that I would definitely eat it again.
I was insistent on finding a place that had good folk music and no cover charge, so we went to Sandy Bell's, a very small pub with a demographic of older locals. Music didn't officially start for an hour after we got there, but one of the musicians was playing around on his fiddle for a few of his friends. I milked a malt whiskey and a couple bottles of cider (so delicious) both very Scottish drinks of choice. We met up with an acquaintance there and on our way back to the hostel he took us in to the University of Edinburgh student union . . . four bars, a cafe, a nightclub, goodness knows what else, but Edinburgh sure is a big and lively school.
Sunday we went to a service in St. Giles Cathedral . . . the service wasn't much to capture my attention but luckily I have a fetish for stained glass. We walked the Royal Mile, stopped in maybe 7 different stores that all sold the same touristy thing, including tartans, of which I bought no more than postcards as the exchange rate is a sly little bastard.
We exhausted Edinburgh Castle, which was quite fascinating as castles often are, full of tourists; artifacts, including the stone of destiny (a rock as old as any other, only they lugged this one around so Kings could ceremonially sit on it to be crowned King of Scotland -if I sound a little dry humoured here, yes, but I do think ceremonial rocks are cool!), the crown jewels (ridiculously sparkly), sceptre, and sword; National War Memorial (more cool stained glass); and museums of history and war. Edinburgh Castle also still functions as a base for something military I believe.
Annnd besides a brief jaunt to Greyfriar's Kirk, an old cemetery where famous people are buried, we headed back to the train station and thus ended our full weekend in Edinburgh.
If I told you more I will have no stories to tell in person. But I will end with saying that the city of Edinburgh had an atmosphere more to my taste than Aberdeen and if I had more time or money I would love to go back and explore . . .

Shrove Tuesday

The day before lent, Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, and we know it, is called Shrove Tuesday over here. They celebrate it by making pancakes. Their versions of pancakes are more like dainty crepes than hearty flapjacks but are still delicious.

Ultimate in the UK

I originally sent this as an email but due to the smashing success rate I received in response, I thought I should post it to the blog so everyone could share in the laughter. My apologies that my blog is no longer "clean", but you know . . . it is rather hilarious.

Dearest American Ultimate Players,

I miss you and your American ways. Ultimate is a bit different here: I did not attend, but know their indoor nationals (last weekend) consisted of a day of five 18-minute games on Saturday and four 18-minute games on Sunday. They play a much different indoor game. They are good for what they do; it is just different.

If you are reading my blog you will know that my last post was about cultural differences and the different lingo/slang/vocabulary of the British.

Well apparently I made a mistake.

I guess "tossing" means to . . . well . . . masturbate.

They got a kick out of my email, which I sent very innocently last week and was only just enlightened to today.

Please read with aforementioned meaning of word in mind. Might make you chuckle.

Peace, love, ultimate,
Karen


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From: positivemojo@yahoogroups.com [positivemojo@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Katz, Karen [karen.katz.08@aberdeen.ac.uk]
Sent: 18 February 2009 21:47
To: positivemojo@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [positivemojo] Tossing!



Hey Mojo,

So at Gustavus we have a tradition of "chapel toss" which is just tossing during the half-hour break our school allots for daily chapel. Since Aberdeen doesn't have such a communal break as far as I know . . . you should just toss with me on my free time between classes on Thursdays 12-2! Say in that grassy area between New King's and King's College? If anyone is game shoot me an email or give me a text 0750 3997558. Actually, just anytime you have the urge to toss please feel free to call.

peace, love, ultimate,

Karen

------

This was sent on a Wednesday, and on the following Monday, still naieve, I very loudly announced to a mini bus full of players, "Would anyone like to toss with me tomorrow?"

Whoops.

Culture Clash

My mother asked me if I passed as a Scot or if I stuck out as an American. By looks, it's hard to say. Certainly if I am gawking around at buildings with my camera as a natural extension of my hand, then no, I am being the blatant tourist. If I am just walking with a clear direction of where I am going and not daydreaming, or if I am just going to class, I think I might blend in, depending on what I am wearing (sweatshirt and jeans are not the norm here -stylish boots and skinny jeans are popular) Once I just stood in the middle of a shopping mall watching the faces of people walking past, and they just looked British. As soon as I open my mouth however, all doubt is removed. My vocabulary is different too. For example: pants refer to underwear, not trousers; trucks are lorries; garbage is rubbish; and soccer is football. This last one comes as welcome change, as I have no sentimentality for a sport (American football) I never understood but find that I actually do enjoy watching a sport I used to play, which is conveniently the sport of choice in the UK. Neighborhood signs that read "No ball games" do not refer to baseball but instead to football, and the game featured in the pub is the Celtics v. Rangers. I went to a home game for the Aberdeen club team, the Dons, against Dundee (a city just south of Aberdeen and also ranked above them in the league). Boy do the old men in the bleachers get angry! I heard plenty of colorful Scottish slang there. I also just met a girl who fences and one who does archery. I think I should be better friends with them. ;) There are plenty of other differences (grocery stores alone could fill a book), from milkshakes turning out to be milk with flavored syrup instead of blended ice-cream (so disappointing!) to British senses of humor. Some people just interact differently than I am used to . . . but that is to be expected. Hopefully I will be able to voice it better by the end of my stay.
Cheers,
Karen

Endorphins and Picts

Since endorphins really do make you happy, I finally got myself running again. It is amazing what a difference it makes in my day; I feel healthier, more accomplished and just simply happier. There is a nice path along the North Sea beach and it is really cool to watch the waves, oil rigs and birds when I run. There is something wrong with some tendon in my foot/achilles though . . . I think it has something to do with wearing bad shoes with hard backs. I bought new shoes with softer backs and this helped but it hasn't completely gone away. Apparently I have a habit of getting weird injuries. I am trying to see a doctor about it but although the health care system in this country may be free, it certainly hasn't proved convenient.
I skipped the two outdoor ultimate practices last week but I don't think I'll do that again, especially since the snow has melted and we are running on grass again! (I have also seen a few crocuses emerging from the sodden ground.) It feels too good to play. I am also trying to implement an Aberdeen equivalent of chapel toss, but there is no common free time during the day to do so and I have been warned that the groundskeepers will kick me out of the yard at uni. It went fine today so we shall see . . .
Caleb sent me a mixed cd and it is helping cure my music illiteracy. "Sodom, South Georgia" by Iron and Wine just played and it is great. Caleb you are great.
I actually do have homework in my classes; although I didn't think to do it until about 40 minutes before my tutorial today I managed to have more to say than most in my class. We were supposed to research a Pictish symbol stone. I chose the stone Newbigging Leslie, located near Huntley in Aberdeenshire (Pictish territory was in the northeast of Scotland), because when I went to the database and typed in "wolf" under the search by symbol device it only came up with three. On this particular stone is a wolf, a rectangle, comb and mirror. I don't know what exactly the rectangle or wolf are supposed to represent, but the theory behind the comb and mirror combo is that it represents a woman, probably wife or daughter, who erected the stone in order to commemorate a male relative. Another theory is that it represents a dowry paid at a wedding linking two lineages, and the other two symbols are then the symbols of the respective lineages. To see it follow the link here: http://www.stams.strath.ac.uk/research/pictish/database.php?details=182
Maybe I will come back home tattooed blue with these symbols. (Pictish stereotype! Sorry!)
Cheers,
Karen

First Weekend Trip: Inverness and Loch Ness!

After a childhood spent visiting the train museum in Duluth, playing with my brothers Brio trains, and reading period books that often involved trains, I finally got to go on one! (Hour lunch trains in Taylor's Falls don't count). As expected, it was not the romantic red plush coach car that one dreams of but instead resembled was the inside of a coach bus. We traveled after dark, so unfortunately it was a blind journey, but a journey nonetheless. I went with four other girls: three from St. Olaf and one from Norway.
Inverness was eerie at 9pm on a Friday night; small sets of 30-somethings dressed under their age quickly ran from cab to club and a handful of smokers gathered outside of pubs, but other than that it was quiet. After walking around in circles, finding food and drinks, we wound up catching the tail end of live folk music at a place called Hootenannys. If I didn't think I had yet experienced the kind of Scottish atmosphere I was looking for, I did then. Wines and ales glowed in warm yellow candlelight and feet tapped to the sounds of fiddle and acoustic guitar. Unfortunately, we missed most of it and had to retire to a fitful night of cold breezes and drunken fights courtesy of our vocal neighbors at the Highlander Hostel.
We set out the next morning to take a tour of Loch Ness. While the fabled monster remained elusive the loch lived up to it's fame: 23 miles long, 754 feet deep, filling 263,000 million cubic feet, it is the largest volume of fresh water in Great Britain. The cold air, snow-covered mountain peaks, and remoteness of the area were all anyone would need to imagine mysterious creatures lurking beneath the murky waters. Climbing around the remains of the Castle Urqhart it was hard to believe the stones had been in place for 800-some years. The site has traceable evidence of being inhabited thousands of years ago, but the castle was likely built around the 1200s. The government was ordered to beseige the castle in order to prevent it from becoming a Jacobite stronghold and a final attack in 1692 left the ruins that stand today.
Inverness was a much friendlier town by day, and we spent the rest of the afternoon wandering from shop to shop and searching for the site of Macbeth's castle (no longer in existence) before catching a train home in the dark.
I would have liked to stay another night and listen to the folk band again, but most everyone wanted to get home to Aberdeen. At least this was a good introduction on how to travel for next time . . .

Bha e duthchasach dha: It was natural for him (Gaelic proverb)

Proverb similar to "the apple didn't fall far from the tree".

The past week was rather slow; I took an adventure around the residential areas of Aberdeen (may have accidentally tresspassed a few times), experienced my first indoor session with Mojo, wandered into town again to buy rail passes, tried to go for a run during rush hour, and went to classes.

In Gaelic Cultures we talked about Duthchas*, which is the Gaelic word that describes a country/region/area and the culture or identity of that area. My lecturer is an elderly Scottish woman who has all the spunk and fire you would expect of a Scotswoman in touch with her roots. She spends much of the hour just telling us stories of her childhood and characterizing the Gaelic peoples. It's wonderful. Apparently only 58,000 people reoprted on the 2000(?) census that they speak Gaelic. If the number falls below 50,000 it is declared a dead language and the British government doesn't have to support/fund it's continued presence. If I heard the number right, there are more like 168,000 speakers -just not everyone can read, write, and speak on a daily basis and so responded on the census questions. At times, I feel a little out of place in the class. I am not the only American in the class, but the other at least has traceable Scottish descent. I am just there because the culture has always fascinated me and because I love learning about lesser recognized cultures . . . especially since I am living in the area it only makes sense to me to learn its history and how that history is writing itself today. How many people in the world ever think about Gaels? What does it matter that an American girl takes a semester class about a (potentially) fading culture? Can outsiders "save" a culture or will a movement only be effective if it comes from within? What role does the Gaelic community have in the modern world?
*accent over the u

The First Week in Review

I have been here slightly more than a week!

Tuesday morning I woke up for my 10:00 class at 9:30am after turning off both my alarms. It takes about 15-20 minutes to walk from my flat to classes, but I managed to both find the classroom and find it on time. I am taking Revolution to Revolution, a period literature class that looks at works written between 1640-1789, Gaelic Cultures, Celtic Scotland, and I will be doing a traveling Forestry Class over spring break for one week. I am only in class 7 hours a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which makes me feel guilty, but it is a full course load so I guess it is legit.

I found out that all the societies like to host things on Wednesdays, and therefore am having difficulty deciding which to join. One difference between UK schools and American schools is the drinking age. Societies are able to host socials at bars/clubs . . . which is weird. The International Society hosted a social at one of these hip and happenin places on Wednesday. Chelsea and I missed the last bus so we walked all the way back . . . it took close to an hour!

Although Scots are big on fresh-squeezed orange juice, they don't have much for bakeries (jealous of you Lauren!). They prefer hot breakfasts that include meat. Coffee is not popular with my roommates either and it is killing me. However two of them cooked me mince and tatties, which is minced beef and mashed potatoes, a standard Scottish meal. They also have their own soft drink, IRN-BRU, which is bright orange and very sweet. Bottled only in Scotland.

After a week of itching to go I finally made it to the beach! It is actually quite close to where I live. There are pictures up on facebook . . . eventually I'll make a Shutterfly page if you don't have facebook.

cheers,
Karen

Hello from Scotland!

After 15 hours of airport travel comprising of three flights, I have arrived safely. The first thing I noticed when I got off the plane was the wind, rain, and overcast skies. When my taxi driver drove by some sheep I was assured that I had arrived in the right place. Although I was shivering in the rain outside on Sunday it is quite balmy compared to the weather I left at home in Minnesota. It is currently 3 degrees C (37 degrees F). Everyone keeps asking if I am enjoying the cold and I try to explain to them what -20 F and a few feet of snow feels like. Although they complain about it, I think the Scottish take pride in their weather just as Minnesotans do. :)

My flat is in a university housing community of about 2,000 people, most of whom are freshers, because the university is so large and the demand for housing so high, they and the international students are mostly the only ones who get campus housing. I am in a self-catered apartment, with a room to myself and four other roommates. They are all very nice girls and one of them took me on the bus to the grocery store called Morrison's, which I imagine to be the Econofoods of Aberdeen.

Saturday and Sunday I spent my time at Scotland's Regionals tournament, pretty much all day (I was responsible enough to show up to orientation and my registration appointment). The frisbee team here is called Positive Mojo and they let me jump in on one of their teams right away, annndd I got to play pretty much savage. Ultimate is the same game here (well, much smaller) and all the players were extremely welcoming and friendly, which made me feel quite at home. I couldn't have imagined a better way to spend my first few days in a foreign country. I may have even gone to their ultimate party Saturday night.

Today was the first day I had to really explore the city, which I did on foot. Everything here is grey or green or white. All of the buildings are made of granite which combined with the cobblestone or pavement streets comprises the grey; the grass and leaves are green; and the sky is white. I may be pushing the white there -it is probably better classified as a pale shade of grey. There are two main streets: King's and Union. I took King's into the shopping district and it was quite a hike, but I am too cheap to spend a £1.50 on bus fare each time, even though they have very convenient routes. I did have to get used to traffic driving on opposite sides of the road and was almost hit crossing a few times. Although it is smaller, Aberdeen (pop 202,370) feels like more of a city than St. Paul and Minneapolis because it is much denser. There are essentially no yards to houses and far more pedestrians.

Besides having some minor difficulties with turning on the stove, not having the right outlet adaptors, and not being able to get the toilet to flush (I have since solved all three problems), things have been going pretty smoothly.

Send me photos and paraphanalia to decorate my room with! And send me your address (unless you are at Gustavus)!

cheers,
Karen

Disclaimer

If I end up being a lengthy blogger please feel free to SKIM for whatever interests you.
(If I don't write enough please feel free to badger me about it.)
And know that everytime I write I am writing to YOU, not to myself or cyberspace.

Setting Forth

Here it is- the promised blog!
I have never been thrilled with the idea of blogs (they conjure images of sun-deprived souls clacking away about political drivel in bad grammar) but I hope that my blog will be a bit more exciting and serve it's purpose of helping me keep in touch with all of you, who I am going to miss very much.
Check it as often as you will; I have a feeling I will be a fairly regular blogger, but one never knows. I make no promises about the quality of my entries because in essence this is my (public) journal for the next 4 1/2 months (gosh that seems like a long time right now!), and journal entries are not expected to be anything bit whatever they end up being. A semester abroad is always different for the person abroad than it is for the people at home. I will be comforted by the fact that at you could be reading this!

A recap of the details of my program:
I am going to school at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. I have to take a few classes to qualify as a student and one to count for my English major at GAC. I am directly enrolled in the school. I don't know anyone (there is another Gustie but I didn't know her beforehand).

My flight leaves at 3:30 CST tomorrow. I am all packed and mostly ready to go. I've spent the last few days seeing family and friends as much as possible and trying to organize myself in my head . . . basically what I always do. My nerves have been pretty smooth so far; I've only had a couple minor waves of panic that I kept mostly to myself. There are plenty of things I could be worrying about, but mostly I brush them aside and plan to figure them out when I get there.

My mind is still struggling to grasp the fact that I am going. I've never felt as comfortable or had as much fun in my life at Gustavus and in general until the past five months. So it is slightly ironic that I am leaving now. So many people have given me the "You're leaving for spring of your senior year?! You're not going to commencement?" deal but yes, I am going, and it is definitely the right path. I've always had a streak of wanderlust in me, and although I love so much about my home, there are many things to love about the adventure of exploration. Besides, my mother has always told me that you can make your home where you are.

I think I have a very independent nature and I see this semester as more or less a test of my independence. We shall see how I score . . .

peace and love (and ultimate of course ;),

Karen