I don't really have much to update you all on BUT allow me to briefly indulge in some self-promotion. I recently discovered that I made the Dean's List last semester at Scripps! For those who don't know, the Dean's List is the equivalent of High Honor Roll in college. You can click here to see for yourself (I'm listed under Juniors even though it was my sophomore year - something to do with credits). I was/am so thrilled about this! I feel very motivated to do well for the rest of my Scripps career and hopefully beyond that!
The weather has become increasingly colder and windier. I've been told this is only the beginning and it gets much worse. Yikes! I mean, its already around freezing temperatures and its only the middle of October. Its not even winter! Also, the rain is relentless. My friends and I think that Scotland has a daily rain quota that must be kept at all costs. I don't think we've seen a day when it hasn't rained, even if it is only for five minutes while the sun is shining. I think I might have to invest in an actual jacket - I don't think my sweatshirts and pea coat will cut it (plus one of the buttons fell off and its one of the ones I actually use to button the coat). The winds have been really fierce lately. I'm actually surprised my face isn't wind-burnt (you know that sunburn look people tend to get after some skiing... not too cute). The way the wind whips through the trees actually kind of reminds me of the way the ocean sounds when you're on the beach. Sometimes I close my eyes, listen to the wind in the trees and imagine myself on a beautiful beach. And sometimes it works.
Despite the fact that it is quite cold, I am really enjoying it. The air smells crisp and fresh and I'm already prepped for Christmas! I've even busted out my holiday tunes. I know, that's a little excessive but this is the first winter in 2 years that I've been able to fully experience - southern California doesn't really get cold weather and I have always associated the lead-up to Christmas with the cold weather. So I'm actually very excited. Apparently Christmas is huge here too so that is SPECTACULAR.
I've talked with a few of my friends and I think travel to mainland Europe and Ireland is being seriously considered and will happen sometime in the near future. I really want to go to Germany around Christmastime. Its supposed to look like a Christmas card... and we all know how much I LOVE everything even remotely related to Christmas. For now I'm in Edinburgh enduring rain, wind and freezing temperatures but loving every minute of it.
Showing posts with label wet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wet. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Wet is the New Dry
Let's see. The last time I updated you I had had that crazy encounter with the girl from College Heights. Now it is Saturday and I must say that not a whole lot of exciting stuff has happened. I officially registered for classes which was really easy because I don't even DO anything except tell my Director of Studies (the equivalent of an adviser in the UK) what I want to take and then he does all the work! Awesome! Why don't they do it like this in the States? So, I've registered for 3 classes, which is the typical semester load in the UK, and they are: American History 2 (should be interesting), Identity War and Revolution in Europe 1789-1918, and Foundations of Criminology (I'm really excited about this one!).
I also signed up for a few clubs and societies. The first was the Music Society. I joined the choir part of that and the rehearsal was okay but definitely not up to Atteberry or Kamm standards. I'm not sure I'll stick with it (though I did make a friend by joining in the first place - yay!). I also joined the Women of the World group which is kind of self-explanatory in that it is a group of feminists at Edinburgh who are of the world. Their first meeting is this Monday but it conflicts with my class time so I'll have to figure out when the next one is. Finally, I joined the Film Society which doesn't seem very sociable in that most of their activities are just screenings of different movies. The girl at the Film Society kiosk said they were going to try to arrange more events to make it more "group-y" rather than just a bunch of people who come out to watch film screenings.
I think tonight is the official end of this crazy freshers week. Really, this whole week has been very bizarre. I feel so OLD! Seriously, most of the freshers are 18 but I've met a lot who are still 17! I feel like an old fogey. Being 18 here is like being 21 in the States; everyone can finally drink, smoke, get into clubs/pubs/bars, and all the other privileges that come with being a legal adult in the US (obviously excluding drinking). So, being 20 is a little bit weird because now you have nothing exciting to look forward to on your birthday aside from receiving presents. In addition to feeling old, I also feel a bit like a pedophile when I think a guy is cute and then I discover he's 17. Slightly disturbing on my part.
I have to say, one of the things I love about this country is the dancing - the vast majority of people here aren't exactly what one would classify, in the US, as "good" dancers . Actually, I'm pretty sure even the worst dancers I know (mostly family members - I think you know who you are) would look like rock stars on the dance floor. You think I'm kidding but I'm not. I think they're below the American standard of "good" dancing because they mostly use only the shoulders, arms, and occasionally the hands (they're fond of pointing their index fingers then swaying side to side from the waist); therefore, they neglect to use nearly half the body! I don't mean to offend anyone who possibly uses these methods as regular dancing technique but I was just amazed that I, for once, felt like a decent dancer. Now, don't get me wrong, there are people here who can dance but I'm happy to say I feel on par with them. WHOO-HOO!
Okay. I guess since I complained about it so much on my facebook status I should probably inform everyone of my "laundry situation." Let me start by saying that my dorm does not have laundry facilities; therefore, I have to take my stuff to the next closest dorm. I was unaware that instead of using 1 pound coins we had to use tokens that cost 1 pound a piece to do laundry. However, they have placed the token machine up in the Reception Center (which is only close to one dorm really and that dorm doesn't even NEED tokens to do laundry - WHAT??). Anyway, I must have trekked back and forth to the Reception Center at least 4 times for various laundry related reasons. And to top it all off, my stuff wasn't even dry when I took it out of the dryer and I didn't have enough money to do another dry cycle. So now my room is draped with semi-wet clothing which is refusing to dry because my heater never comes on and my room has about 85% humidity. Sorry to go and vent all of my laundry woes and sound like a whiny baby but I had to get it all out at some point. Needless to say, I have to rethink this whole laundry thing. Boo.
I also signed up for a few clubs and societies. The first was the Music Society. I joined the choir part of that and the rehearsal was okay but definitely not up to Atteberry or Kamm standards. I'm not sure I'll stick with it (though I did make a friend by joining in the first place - yay!). I also joined the Women of the World group which is kind of self-explanatory in that it is a group of feminists at Edinburgh who are of the world. Their first meeting is this Monday but it conflicts with my class time so I'll have to figure out when the next one is. Finally, I joined the Film Society which doesn't seem very sociable in that most of their activities are just screenings of different movies. The girl at the Film Society kiosk said they were going to try to arrange more events to make it more "group-y" rather than just a bunch of people who come out to watch film screenings.
I think tonight is the official end of this crazy freshers week. Really, this whole week has been very bizarre. I feel so OLD! Seriously, most of the freshers are 18 but I've met a lot who are still 17! I feel like an old fogey. Being 18 here is like being 21 in the States; everyone can finally drink, smoke, get into clubs/pubs/bars, and all the other privileges that come with being a legal adult in the US (obviously excluding drinking). So, being 20 is a little bit weird because now you have nothing exciting to look forward to on your birthday aside from receiving presents. In addition to feeling old, I also feel a bit like a pedophile when I think a guy is cute and then I discover he's 17. Slightly disturbing on my part.
I have to say, one of the things I love about this country is the dancing - the vast majority of people here aren't exactly what one would classify, in the US, as "good" dancers . Actually, I'm pretty sure even the worst dancers I know (mostly family members - I think you know who you are) would look like rock stars on the dance floor. You think I'm kidding but I'm not. I think they're below the American standard of "good" dancing because they mostly use only the shoulders, arms, and occasionally the hands (they're fond of pointing their index fingers then swaying side to side from the waist); therefore, they neglect to use nearly half the body! I don't mean to offend anyone who possibly uses these methods as regular dancing technique but I was just amazed that I, for once, felt like a decent dancer. Now, don't get me wrong, there are people here who can dance but I'm happy to say I feel on par with them. WHOO-HOO!
Okay. I guess since I complained about it so much on my facebook status I should probably inform everyone of my "laundry situation." Let me start by saying that my dorm does not have laundry facilities; therefore, I have to take my stuff to the next closest dorm. I was unaware that instead of using 1 pound coins we had to use tokens that cost 1 pound a piece to do laundry. However, they have placed the token machine up in the Reception Center (which is only close to one dorm really and that dorm doesn't even NEED tokens to do laundry - WHAT??). Anyway, I must have trekked back and forth to the Reception Center at least 4 times for various laundry related reasons. And to top it all off, my stuff wasn't even dry when I took it out of the dryer and I didn't have enough money to do another dry cycle. So now my room is draped with semi-wet clothing which is refusing to dry because my heater never comes on and my room has about 85% humidity. Sorry to go and vent all of my laundry woes and sound like a whiny baby but I had to get it all out at some point. Needless to say, I have to rethink this whole laundry thing. Boo.
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