1....!!!!!!!!!!!

I head back to the states in t-9 hours.

So how did I spend my last day in the UK? Let me give the brief overview (and be impressed):

My alarm went off at 7:30 but because I had stayed up till 2 am last night, I hit snooze for 15 mins.

I got up and showered, and gathered together a load of laundry, headed down and started it.

Came back, watched last nights episode of leverage. Ran downstairs and put it in the dryer.

Gathered together some money and went to the store to buy a few items (such as lunch) to get me through today. Ran back and took my clothes out of the laundry.

Gathered together some money, and went to a local store to exchange it to US currency. Trip = 3 miles (of course wasn't tired from this).

Came back and started cleaning, realized that I could probably wash my quilt so took it downstairs and started wash number 2.

Continued to clean. Vacuumed my room so now the rug is blue again (not the same shade as my hair color).

Realized that there were a few more items I could wash. Started wash number 3 with all of the hand towels in our flat.

Did all of the left over dishes and put away already clean ones. Started dinner.

Ran to the store and bought paper towels.
Cleaned out fridge and washed it down.

Went and saw the new Sherlock Holmes film (which I recommend if you enjoyed the first because it was excellent). Total travel = 3.5 miles.

Tired because it's late. Took out all of the trash in my flat and recyclables (left behind by my flatmates and what I had as well). Ripped everything I had packed in my suitcase and repacked it better.

Sorted through change for the buses to the airport tomorrow and gathering my carry-on luggage. My laptop will be the last thing since I have to disassemble it from the wall. I also still have to remake my bed (because I washed everything) and finally collapse in it to awake early to head home.

I would write more, but I'm making typing errors all over the place from being tired. But I am nearly there. I shall soon be in the states.

2...!!!

2 more days!!

Tonight was the children's carol service. It was adorable and child oriented so I could keep up. A couple of them read something and they also performed a short skit and we sang carols and they told the Christmas story to them as they were all gathered around the front. We also got oranges with a few sweets stuck in them with tooth picks, a red ribbon wrapped around it and a lighted candle on top called a "Christingle."

For lunch I had this massive burger with salsa on it that was "fiery" or you know, mild. And while I think about lunch, I might actually miss having lemonade standard come carbonated while I'm home. With some lime in it, it's pretty tasty.

3...

3 days left!

Today I made legit chocolate chip cookies with actual chocolate chips in them. It was very very exciting :)

I getting things together to get ready to leave. I'm going to start packing tomorrow and by Monday I'm going to clean, do laundry, and finish packing things together. I'm gathering together money to exchange into US currency because I had half hoped to get the better exchange rate from my bank, but I wouldn't have gotten it until Tuesday at 1pm at the earliest (not particularly helpful...). Oh well.

4...

4 more days until my return.

I've been working on a list of things I'm looking forward to having when I get back the States. My food list is getting rather long:

Food's I Would Like to Eat(A.K.A. What I Miss)

Pancakes, Bacon, and Syrup

Here the bacon is more like slices of ham (although it does taste the same, it just isn't the same as crispy bacon) and you have to pay extra for maple syrup (which of course makes sense it's imported). I do have something that sort of resembles syrup, but it doesn't have that maple/butter flavor to it :(

Eggnog

This is just a seasonal thing (although I haven't found it here, but mostly I'm assuming that it's hidden is some weird corner of the stores that I would never look).



Root Beer Floats

I did find a store that sells cans of root beer, but for 16 pounds a case I decided to wait on that.

Beef Stew

I could make this, but I'm lazy :) my mom said she'd make it for me.

Pizza

This isn't just any pizza. This is white pizza :) When you're flavors are a few choices including the pepperoni and cheese dubbed "The American" that only a few places will have (proof that Americans own pizza and Europeans are the ones copying) you miss all of the good flavors.


Milkshakes

What's a girl got to do to get a nice thick milkshake around here?


A Strawberry Banana Smoothie from my favorite Smoothie place :D

I usually get one when I feel like I deserve it. I think I do.


Doughnuts

Perhaps a whole box, deep fried, smothered in sugar, glaze, icing, sprinkles, frosting and possibly stuffed full of custard. I can't do anymore healthy doughnuts. They are blasphemy to the name of doughnut. In case there is any debate, Webster comes to my rescue:

Definition of DOUGHNUT

1

: a small usually ring-shaped cake fried in fat

Thank you Webster. I shall find a Dunkin Doughnuts upon return.

And lastly:

A cup of Hot Chocolate

Yes there is hot chocolate here. And I did have a good cup at the chocolate tree (that I dumped my candy cane in to make it better), but where are my marshmallows/fluff (mostly fluff)? What about putting whipped cream and chocolate syrup or animal crackers on top? What about white hot chocolate???? (I'm going to find packets of these and bring them back with me).

And this is my list so far. I'm sure I will find other things to add to my list (like pretzel m&ms) but this is a pretty good start :)

5...

I totally got side tracked to night, but no worries; here is day 5.

Tomorrow is my final day of classes for the semester (not that I'm really on a semester system or anything). I may finally be able to sleep in and maybe not be quite so tired especially once everyone else leaves and goes home.

The most exciting thing I did today, was play the pre-released version of Star Wars and become a sith and rebel against my sith masters because I can. Yup.

I'd put more down, but it's late and I should have been in bed a half hour ago.

6...

And with just under a week left...

I've started my lists for things that I need to get done within the week and things that I look forward to over the Holiday. I might share a few of them in the up coming days.

Not much truly interesting today unless you count I found a goat in Minecraft and named him Billy. Other than that, I just want today (and this week) to end as quickly as possible.

A week to go!

This time next Tuesday I will be in the States once again! Woot!!

The UK was hit again by more strong winds and from the sounds of it Thursday and Friday will be worse. Maybe I'll end up with another day off?

It's not fun walking anywhere and having to battle the winds. I got pushed all over the street. Had the last ballroom dance class for the semester and my poor partner looked like he needed a nap. Half way through the jive he stopped and looked at me and asked what it was he was doing. We did a lot of basic patterns. He has exams, and I assume that's kinda of what I looked like two weeks ago.

Speaking of ballroom, i found out tonight that there will be a ballroom competition in January. Should be interesting to see (idk if I would be competing or not...).

Enough for now! Until tomorrow when the count down continues!

8...

8 more days until I return :D

Today I finished the 3rd of my pattern towards my dress (yeahs!!) and started the wing of a butterfly before calling it an evening. I'm going to continue work on it and am going to hold off too many pictures until I start piecing some of them together to see how they will look which will be very exciting!!

I had an easy day of learning about poultry and enjoyed a very delicious hot chocolate with my candy cane this evening (right before I attempted to take half of my finger off).

Speaking of trying to take my finger off, let me explain. In the most ridiculous set-up ever, my flat's entry way is a tiny hallway with two large heavy fire doors that swing in opposite directions towards each other. Also, they overlap meaning that you have to open one all the way and then the other in order to get through. This makes it very difficult to get through. What we do in my flat, is have a door stopper to prop the inner most door open. This allows us to enter by only opening one door (the one that counts). Today as I came in, the stopper came loose and closed while I was holding the other one open and it slammed (because they are very heavy doors) onto my hand and cut into my finger. It hurt, a lot. I used a bag of frozen broccoli (as it was the only thing of mine in the freezer) and bled all over it. I'm a little angry at the doors and the architect that designed the building (I WILL find them).

9....

I have just found out why it is that I haven't had to show my ID that often here; apparently I look much older than I am (at least to people here). And here I thought I actually looked my age. I honestly think height doesn't help me in this area (as people tend to think taller people are older and are supposed to give them more respect but I don't believe the second part...).

So I stuffed myself on chinese food last night, including my new weird craving for prawn crackers. Yes I know what prawns are, and these things kinda make me think I'm eating Styrofoam, but I'm addicted to them.

I'm also going to leave in a bit for a Carol Service (which includes listening/singing to Christmas carols, and eating mince pies and mulled wine). I also had a chat with someone about their trip to the US and some of the different food and while talking about pizza had to ask if they'd heard about the government declaring pizza as a vegetable. Apparently he hadn't. But what I can't figure out is are people seriously going crazy over there? I don't want to complain too much (because I do like pizza) but I just can't see the pizza from our school cafeteria being declared in any way healthy. But since we're on the topic of pizza, someone order my a white pizza for when I get back please!! (They don't really have a lot of pizza flavors here).

10 More Days!!

Congrats if you get the 10 Lords a Leaping reference.

10 more days until I come back to the States!!

Still having issues with loading my Christmas Market video to here. I will continue to see if I can get it to load up (as I know that it has worked in the past).

Today I ordered take away and had it delivered to me! First time ever! I had a chinese food feast to make me a very happy girl while I watch movies from my laptop.

Countdown: 11

Just to keep track: 11 more days until I am back in the States once again.

Also, many apologies to my video fail. I'm working on fixing it and will have it uploaded here soon!! Like maybe tomorrow if I can get myself moving.

I forgot to mention that last weekend I was walking back in the evening and what would cross the street and run right next to me but a fox. Let's just say, my first reaction looked kinda like this:



The exact thoughts going through my head were something to the effect of:



"OMG!!! I'm going to have to get rabies shots!!!"






Just after this massive panic attack, I remembered that in the UK, they don't have rabies. I suddenly stopped panicing and enjoyed being as close as I was with a very adorable fox who didn't pay me much attention anyway and continued along his way.

Until tomorrow!

December and Christmas

Hello All!! Christmas is fast aproaching and I will be returning to the states in less than 12 days!! Sweet!! But while everyone looks forward to my return, here's something to keep you going :)

Happy Thanksgiving to All!

I post this message on the return from my large Thanksgiving meal where I'm still stuck in a food coma.

Finished Paper

I have finally finished my essay that counts for 10% of my AB2 exams that officially start in 2 weeks time. Even after the massive amounts of typing, I'm back, sitting in front of a screen, typing endless paragraphs.

This is mostly because no one is on Facebook to talk to me (in all fairness it's not quite 9am yet for the East Coast).

I'm going to be missing Thanksgiving and I'm terribly sad :( but there has been an offer from a group of people here to have a Thanksgiving like dinner. This roughly translated is will be a dinner of turkey, mashed potatoes, and gravy where I spend the entire duration of it explaining the origins of Thanksgiving and current traditions. I may just read over the wiki article on it and then just recite it.

Fun is going to be explaining the all important day of Black Friday. There was a brief mention the other day about how some Americans will go and collect vouchers (coupons) and keep every one they find and then take piles of them to the store to buy products at reduced prices. After this, me and another American with the same name, sat and giggled about how just by seeing the words "Clearance" or "Sale" we have to immediately go and look through to see if there is something that we absolutely must have but really don't need.

Should be interesting how they view Americans after I mention that people have died in the frenzies to get through the doors at 3 in the morning. As I stay home that day of the year, I play absolutely no part in changing their view of us (unlike certian others things I could do but don't to freak them out).

With my exam coming quickely I'm working my way through my notes, trying to figure out how I will remember all of this. The good news is that once I'm finished, I will have a few days off and most of my class are taking trips to other places (so I should hopefully have the flat to myself!!!). There is a winter carnivel in the center of Edinburgh that lasts from the end of November until the beginning of January and I think that I will uses those few days of absolute freedom to go ice skating, visit vendors, and take a spin on the ferris wheel to enjoy the tons of lights that are currently being put up in the Princes street gardens. I will take tons of pictures, because I'm sure that it should be quite a sight :)

Should be writting my paper...

I haven't given an update in a while (thanks to being really really busy) and I am currently looking for any excuses not to work on my paper but I think it's boring.

Guy Fawkes Day

Remember Remember the 5th of November.
The gunpowder, treason, and plot.
I know of no reason why the gunpowder treason should ever be forgot.

Tons of Fireworks are going off around Edinburgh Tonight (and consider the sun is going down at 4:30 they've been going off for quite some time).

As it would turn out, they do celebrate the 5th of November here (more so than my way of celebrating by watching V for Vendetta) and it is know as Guy Fawkes Day as well (according to the Internet).

Happy Guy Fawkes Day (if that's an ok thing to say?) and just because I can:

"Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it's my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V."

Dancing, Crocheting, and Examinations...

I've been a busy woman lately, hence the lack of blogging, but I'll try to catch ya up on what I've been up to lately.

Official Opening of the New Building

Princess Anne visited the school on Tuesday and officially opened the new building that I have been in since the beginning of August.You just wish your school was as cool as mine that royalty comes to visit. ;)

Banking in the UK is #@%$!!!!

Here is another tale of my banking experience so far in the UK.

From previously mentioned, I received my ATM/Debit card 3-4 days before I received my PIN number by mail and a week before I received a cheque (check) book. This of course meant that I could not access my account until about a week after I opened the account.

When I make cheque (check) deposits they take 3 banking days to complete (which is Monday through Friday, no Saturday).

The bank sent me a notice through the mail that they were unable to get a hold of me so I should call them (but they got a hold of me by mail...) and I think the phone number that I gave person who opened my account put it into the system wrong...

When I go to check my account online, I must enter a 9 digit account number ID that has absolutely no reference or meaning to me and TWO passwords, but the second one I have to enter in only the letters/numbers that they ask for (so I may have to put in the 2nd, 6th, and 9th of my password for ex.).

Did I mention that my PIN is assigned to me and if I want a new on they will send me a new random number?

And here is what I found out today (you'll love this):

I have a daily spending limit.

Seriously. It's like my parent's granting me allowance but my parents were never this cruel. They never said to me "I know you paid for your airline tickets, but because you went over your daily limit you have to wait several days before you can use more of your money on silly things like food. But until then, you can look at it online once you go through the 15 hurdles just to check."

The system is awful. I miss Bank of America <3 It's sad and pathetic that I can admit that.

Ceilidhs, Cinemas, Calton, and Crammond

As well as the finishing of my first exam of my veterinary career and I'm awaiting the results.

A Ceilidh

Bonus Points if you know how to pronounce that without help ;)

*Hint* It's not pronounced the way it looks.

Fresher's Week

I've remembered, I don't like Freshmen....

Excuse me, here they are Freshers...

Walking, and still walking... Where's my car???

I keep forgetting how far away things are without my car. And it doesn't matter if those shoes that are adorable and are comfortable to walk in for short distances are necessarily good for anything more than that... Roughly translated, my feet hurt and if I want to wear cuter shoes (ie- not my sneakers) then I have to carry them with me to my destination and switch them there.

And for all of you hopeful people out there I am now a size 10 (thanks to a differing clothing size system) and have size 6-7 feet (This one I'm still having issues with..). For those of you who have been waiting for this, enjoy... For now...

The Art of Milking and Wrestling Cows

I know I haven't been keeping up on my blogs very well lately, so here's an update of my past week.

A Haunted Cementary and Biscuits

I will explain the biscuits eventually... All in good time!

But for your entertainment, a little dog selling his wares at the Fringe festival.

Video Number Two!

I realize that I have promised a great deal of things in the past week. But I feel that I can deliver on one thing: A mini video of my campus!!

Video!

It's not the promised living arrangements video... But if you're still interested in seeing some of Edinburgh, then by all means, I'm not stopping you!

Suprise Visitation

We had an unexpected visit to my school today. You probably can't guess who it is, so I'm just going to leave you in suspense....

First day of "Classes" and Walmart Withdrawl

You ever have those days when you say to yourself "I need (insert any item here) and then you head to Walmart and get said item? Well, you can't do that here. Here, you say "I need (insert item here). In what store could I find (item)???"

This does occasionally happen where people start speaking to themselves and it still looks crazy here...

Take Off, Landing, Extreme Tiredness, and Edinburgh Castle

Hopefully I will cover everything I've done since the last post with pictures included and the title is the quick synopsis of everything so far. So read on for more or just take it at face value and give up on all my lovely pictures (most of which are just going to be on Facebook anyways).

Going, Going....

I leave in about one hour! I think I have all that I need in 2 checked bags(one that is "my mother's" and the other that is mine.) and all that is about left is my laptop and the directions to the airport.

Good bye to all! I'll see you on the other side (via skype so get an account if you don't have one already... hint hint) and good bye U.S. with all of your problems!! I saw all the sights worth seeing yesterday ;) and can now leave. Thanks for the send offs everyone!

I'm also going to work on learning Scottish Gaelic. I tried learning some last night via a new CD but I realized this is one of those languages that don't sound the way they look (there's extra letters which I suppose is what they do over there) so I can't promise anything beyond 'yes.'

And now I have to go. I have to chase down my brother and hug him before we leave. :)

The First Ever!

Hello everyone and welcome to my traveling blog!! :) For those who haven't heard, this is where I'll be posting updates on what I've been up to recently while I am studying out at school (I promise to leave book reading and taking notes out of Things I've been Doing)

(Click the What Else??? below in order to see the rest of the entry!)