Dear Friends and Family,
When I moved to the United Kingdom, I expected to have a very cultural experience, meet tons of new people from all over the world, and learn more about myself. However, on my list of things that I would do while living abroad, realizing the depths of my pride and patriotism for my home country was not one. I write you today after embracing this new chapter in my life for a little over two months. As this American holiday has crept up over the past few weeks, I have found myself pondering its meaning. Although the holiday is the same, it has taken on a new meaning in my life...
A few weeks ago when I travelled back to St. Andrews on the train, a few friends drove back. On their drive home, they stopped at a church about 5 hours away from St. Andrews in the North of England. Upon returning to St. Andrews, Emily wrote this about her visit: "The little church, in Austerfield, Yorkshire, is about 60 years shy of its 1000th birthday and is the very church where William Bradford was baptized. Who is William Bradford? Shame on you. William Bradford was the leader of the separatist settlers of Plymouth Colony, governor of Massachusetts, architect of the Mayflower Compact and, maybe most importantly at this time of year, the man who declared the very first Thanksgiving. The church was barely bigger than an American living room with a large, golden tree bent over a small cemetery. Inside still sits the same blue basin that baptized the "Pilgrim Father" so many years ago. There I stood, in the freezing cold, in the middle of nowhere, flipping through scenes of American history that had been stored in the back bits of my brain since 5th grade chronicling the events that began in that very spot and eventually precipitated the First Amendment to the Constitution. And I was thankful." When I read her reflection, I felt like even though I didn't experience this with my own eyes, it felt almost like I had been there. And I, too, was thankful.
Although it is very difficult to be away from home on this American holiday, the thousands of miles between my current residence and America has given me an unexpected and different perspective on the things for which I am thankful. I am thankful for so much it is difficult to put it all of my thoughts into words. I am so thankful for the support and love I receive from all of my family and friends. I am thankful for the unique opportunity to continue pursuing my education at this world-renown institution and beautiful town of St. Andrews, where I am furthering my education, both formally and informally. I could go on and on about how I am thankful for new friends of just two months and new life lessons learned, but most of all, I am thankful for the little blue book that I carry with me. The book that contains so much information - who I am, what I look like, what countries I've travelled to, and most importantly, shining in gold lettering on the front, the five words that label my citizenship - The United States of America. I am thankful for this little blue book that we call a passport.
This little blue passport is allowing me to see and experience the world. As an American, my passport affords me opportunities and privileges unknown to citizens of other countries, both at home and abroad. I was with the rest of the world, not in America, watching the results of the November 4th election taking place. Never would I have imagined how interested the rest of the world really is about who our next President will be, or what goes on in America in general. No lie, it wasn't just Americans staying up all night to watch the election results come across the screen, even if it was past 6:00 am before we would know. Yes, America is watched constantly, and not just by the British. The WORLD is concerned with our country. How many of you can say that you know what's going on (politically speaking) in Britain, or the Ukraine, or Iraq, or Russia on a daily basis?? I know that I certainly can't! I was in the airport in Stockholm waiting for a flight the week after the election and I looked over at the gift shop magazine stand, and on every single magazine cover was a picture of Barack Obama...and when I got to London...Barack Obama covered the wall of one Tube Station wall. America is everywhere, in case you weren't aware...
I've found myself frequently comparing our American culture with the British recently. It really intrigues me to look at some of the similarities or differences, and realize how some of our American traditions, actions, etc. really are British influences that have either been preserved in our culture or altered. Although the British and American cultures share similarities, it's the little differences that can make a big difference. This past week and over the past two months, through various occurrances, I have come to realize on a greater level what those differences are. As a result, I have become more appreciative of my culture and the opportunities to share and explain aspects of my culture with others. For this, I am thankful.
I am proud to be from a nation that allows freedom and embraces change. Today I will celebrate in pride and raise my glass to my little blue passport and to everything that this little book now symbolizes. I will toast to my American Constitution, the electoral process, and everything that makes up our American government. I will toast to our great history and continued promise, rather than just to documents that were written a few thousand years ago. I will toast to a nation of which I am proud to be a citizen. For this, I am thankful.
This valuable blue book will continue to collect foreign stamps and visas over the next year or more, taking me great distances away from my homeland, yet always with a promise of return, and declaring my home at every country I enter with those 5 words that only begin to describe who I am: The United States of America.
Today I will not only toast my country for which I am so thankful to be a citizen, but I will say a prayer of Thanksgiving for each and every one of you. It is hard to be so far away on a day that traditionally brings together family and close friends, but know that in my heart I am there with you all. Thank you for your continued love and support, letters of encouragement to let me know I have not yet been forgotten, and care packages that I know you all are busily preparing as I write (just in case you were wondering if I would like to receive any packages..:)...!! I am so thankful that each of you has impacted my life at some point, and that you still care enough to follow me through this year as well. Without you, I would not be here today writing this letter to you from across the Atlantic, realizing how much I have to be thankful for.
I pray that each and every one of you has a very Happy Thanksgiving!
In Gratefulness and Humility,
Kelsey
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Back to the real world...
I woke up this morning to look out my window to a garden (back yard) covered in white. It was gorgeous to look out and see snow and the North Sea in a blanket of snow!!! It's that time of year where you sit and reflect on what you are thankful for. Let me assure you that Thanksgiving is not being overlooked here in St. Andrews. The snow this morning and this week in general remind me of how blessed I am to have amazing family and friends even if they are thousands of miles across the Atlantic, such an opportunity as this year's experience, and of course, even in the shadows of a tough loss, to be a TAR HEEL. God is truly good!! Oh how I am missing American football games and basketball....the withdrawal is getting worse every day!
My days in London last were very much needed and great! After spending a week in Sweden without seeing ANY sunlight, I was ready to get back to the UK. I never thought that I would feel like that, but London was closer to "home" than Sweden was. Never have I experienced the feeling of my body craving sunlight like I did last week....life looked so much more promising as soon as I stepped off the plane in London to a day of sunlight and weather in the mid-50s. It was glorious!! I was lucky to stay with some friends of a friend in Knightbridge, a very "posh" part of London near Hyde Park. We stayed in a 2-story flat right on the main drag of Knightsbridge. It was absolutely beautiful, and our hosts were so nice! I spent the days walking through the city, enjoying the beautiful weather that we seldom get anymore up here in St. Andrews, walking through the many parks taking in the gorgeous trees with their multi-colored leaves falling. I felt almost like I was back in NC for a second. I also went to Parliament to hear a debate in the House of Lords with my friend Dan from Deans Court who was in town as well, visiting various pubs along the way and feeling almost like a local rather than a tourist. I couldn't help but think about how when we were sitting in these unique pubs that the writers of the classic stories, like Charles Dickens were once sitting in them writing their now-famous novels. We also met up with a few other friends one afternoon to have tea in Covent Garden. It was a perfect way to spend a few days of vacation...just wandering through London enjoying the weather, company, and surroundings. I took the train back to St. Andrews with a few friends on Saturday. It was almost weird to be back in COLD St. Andrews that night....but good to be back as well.
It was back to the real world on Sunday, with a full day of work. I had two big papers due this week, one of which I needed to finish early so that I could participate in the Postgraduate Formal Dinner on Thursday night. I won't lie...I'm a bit tired of doing school work. But such is life, huh? If I can just make it through next week, I'll be finished with all big assignments except one for the semester. I've got one exam left this semester now and a big project, and then after Christmas I have exams. I can't believe this semester is almost over!
So Thursday evening was the St. Leonard's College (of which all postgraduates are students)Postgraduate Dinner. This means that dressing up is a must and consists of pre-dinner cocktails, a 4-course meal, and a speaker after dinner. I was really looking forward to a fun night with friends and fancy dress! I was successful in finishing my paper on Thursday morning so that nothing was hanging over my head that was due on Friday. I am sitting here writing this to you with a very black left eye 3 days later....a result of Thursday's dinner. Funny story actually, because before dinner could even get started, my French friend Francois-Xavier and I had a bit of a head collission. Complete accident, of course. And he was the lucky one - the back of his head hit my eye...and really hard at that. FX, as we call him, had said to my friend Meg and I that we smelled good, and then proceeded to determine whose perfume was the nicer scent - mine or Meg's. In an effort to smell my perfume, I guess, the back of his head hit my face. It was definitely a hard hit, and it hurt quite a bit, but I didn't expect any bruising. Especially not a black eye! I like to refer to it as an act of Deans Court domestic violence....I remind FX of it daily! No worries, though, the bruising will go away eventually....hopefully!
I should admit, it's been a tough week. I've been a tad homesick....for all of you! It's all sinking in that I can't put a date on when I can look forward to seeing you all again for a while. That makes me sad. I am missing everyone terribly! Don't get me wrong, I'm still having a blast meeting new people and developing relationships with others, but nothing can replace you all. During this Thanksgiving time, I can honestly say that being so far away and absent during the holidays makes me more aware of how much you all mean to me, and how thankful I am that you are a part of my life. Words cannot describe how much you mean to me or miss me. I think about you all often, wishing you were here to experience aspects of this year with me.
Last night an American friend who is not a member of Deans Court, had some of us over for Thanksgiving dinner. It was soooo nice. About 8 of us from Deans Court walked over to her flat together....and honestly it felt like Thanksgiving. You know how people arrived with their prospective family members...well that was the Deans Court family....arriving together for Thanksgiving dinner. We even brought along a South African and a few Brits to experience the celebration of the harvest. Dinner was perfect and so nice to just fellowship with friends, American, Brits, Canadian, South African, Maltan, and German, and enjoy the Thanksgiving feast. And feast it was....today I am still miserably full. It was so nice to have some American cuisine and share a holiday tradition with those who had never experienced such. I've only been invited to 3 other Thanksgiving celebrations, so it should be a very filling week, to say the least! It definitely doesn't replace Thanksgiving back home in America, but it is a nice substitute....for a year at least!
This weekend (today and tomorrow...Monday) is known as Raisin weekend here in St. Andrews. Raisin weekend is a celebration of University life and of an age-old lost-in-the-mists-of-time tradition. Almost every student at the University is a member of an 'Academic Family', and Raisin Weekend is the time of the year to celebrate yours, by getting together and fulfilling the requirements of the weekend's oddball itinerary. An Academic Family consists of Academic Parents - students at St. Andrews who have studied here for at least a year...ask you to be your mom and dad. Then any children they adopt become your Academis siblings. My academic parents are Katharina and Steve (both students in Deans Court who studied here for undergrad as well). There is a full itinerary beginning at 3pm and lasting through tomorrow. Unfortunately, the postgraduate professors aren't as keen on cancelling class as they are for undergraduates....imagine that! So there may have to be some absence from class by some of us....we'll see how it all goes! There is a traditional foam fight tomorrow in the quad, where apparently the Academic parents can dress up their children however they choose (even with hardly any clothes on in freezing cold, snowy weather!) and then you just get covered in shaving cream apparently. That is tomorrow at 11am.
One website writes this about the weekend: "The tradition dates back hundreds of years, when students gave their "parents" a pound of raisins for their help. Long ago, the raisins morphed into bottles of wine, and afternoon tea into a big bash, followed by a pub crawl. It culminates in a massive shaving cream fight in St. Salvator's Quadrangle." There's a bit of St. Andrews history and tradition for you...look forward to more information and stories about the weekend to follow...Maybe FX will even fix my "bad makeup job" by giving me a shiner in the right eye! Hopefully pain will be avoided though!
I wish every one of you a Happy Thanksgiving...and know that you are in my thoughts and prayers always. Sending Love across the Atlantic...
My days in London last were very much needed and great! After spending a week in Sweden without seeing ANY sunlight, I was ready to get back to the UK. I never thought that I would feel like that, but London was closer to "home" than Sweden was. Never have I experienced the feeling of my body craving sunlight like I did last week....life looked so much more promising as soon as I stepped off the plane in London to a day of sunlight and weather in the mid-50s. It was glorious!! I was lucky to stay with some friends of a friend in Knightbridge, a very "posh" part of London near Hyde Park. We stayed in a 2-story flat right on the main drag of Knightsbridge. It was absolutely beautiful, and our hosts were so nice! I spent the days walking through the city, enjoying the beautiful weather that we seldom get anymore up here in St. Andrews, walking through the many parks taking in the gorgeous trees with their multi-colored leaves falling. I felt almost like I was back in NC for a second. I also went to Parliament to hear a debate in the House of Lords with my friend Dan from Deans Court who was in town as well, visiting various pubs along the way and feeling almost like a local rather than a tourist. I couldn't help but think about how when we were sitting in these unique pubs that the writers of the classic stories, like Charles Dickens were once sitting in them writing their now-famous novels. We also met up with a few other friends one afternoon to have tea in Covent Garden. It was a perfect way to spend a few days of vacation...just wandering through London enjoying the weather, company, and surroundings. I took the train back to St. Andrews with a few friends on Saturday. It was almost weird to be back in COLD St. Andrews that night....but good to be back as well.
It was back to the real world on Sunday, with a full day of work. I had two big papers due this week, one of which I needed to finish early so that I could participate in the Postgraduate Formal Dinner on Thursday night. I won't lie...I'm a bit tired of doing school work. But such is life, huh? If I can just make it through next week, I'll be finished with all big assignments except one for the semester. I've got one exam left this semester now and a big project, and then after Christmas I have exams. I can't believe this semester is almost over!
So Thursday evening was the St. Leonard's College (of which all postgraduates are students)Postgraduate Dinner. This means that dressing up is a must and consists of pre-dinner cocktails, a 4-course meal, and a speaker after dinner. I was really looking forward to a fun night with friends and fancy dress! I was successful in finishing my paper on Thursday morning so that nothing was hanging over my head that was due on Friday. I am sitting here writing this to you with a very black left eye 3 days later....a result of Thursday's dinner. Funny story actually, because before dinner could even get started, my French friend Francois-Xavier and I had a bit of a head collission. Complete accident, of course. And he was the lucky one - the back of his head hit my eye...and really hard at that. FX, as we call him, had said to my friend Meg and I that we smelled good, and then proceeded to determine whose perfume was the nicer scent - mine or Meg's. In an effort to smell my perfume, I guess, the back of his head hit my face. It was definitely a hard hit, and it hurt quite a bit, but I didn't expect any bruising. Especially not a black eye! I like to refer to it as an act of Deans Court domestic violence....I remind FX of it daily! No worries, though, the bruising will go away eventually....hopefully!
I should admit, it's been a tough week. I've been a tad homesick....for all of you! It's all sinking in that I can't put a date on when I can look forward to seeing you all again for a while. That makes me sad. I am missing everyone terribly! Don't get me wrong, I'm still having a blast meeting new people and developing relationships with others, but nothing can replace you all. During this Thanksgiving time, I can honestly say that being so far away and absent during the holidays makes me more aware of how much you all mean to me, and how thankful I am that you are a part of my life. Words cannot describe how much you mean to me or miss me. I think about you all often, wishing you were here to experience aspects of this year with me.
Last night an American friend who is not a member of Deans Court, had some of us over for Thanksgiving dinner. It was soooo nice. About 8 of us from Deans Court walked over to her flat together....and honestly it felt like Thanksgiving. You know how people arrived with their prospective family members...well that was the Deans Court family....arriving together for Thanksgiving dinner. We even brought along a South African and a few Brits to experience the celebration of the harvest. Dinner was perfect and so nice to just fellowship with friends, American, Brits, Canadian, South African, Maltan, and German, and enjoy the Thanksgiving feast. And feast it was....today I am still miserably full. It was so nice to have some American cuisine and share a holiday tradition with those who had never experienced such. I've only been invited to 3 other Thanksgiving celebrations, so it should be a very filling week, to say the least! It definitely doesn't replace Thanksgiving back home in America, but it is a nice substitute....for a year at least!
This weekend (today and tomorrow...Monday) is known as Raisin weekend here in St. Andrews. Raisin weekend is a celebration of University life and of an age-old lost-in-the-mists-of-time tradition. Almost every student at the University is a member of an 'Academic Family', and Raisin Weekend is the time of the year to celebrate yours, by getting together and fulfilling the requirements of the weekend's oddball itinerary. An Academic Family consists of Academic Parents - students at St. Andrews who have studied here for at least a year...ask you to be your mom and dad. Then any children they adopt become your Academis siblings. My academic parents are Katharina and Steve (both students in Deans Court who studied here for undergrad as well). There is a full itinerary beginning at 3pm and lasting through tomorrow. Unfortunately, the postgraduate professors aren't as keen on cancelling class as they are for undergraduates....imagine that! So there may have to be some absence from class by some of us....we'll see how it all goes! There is a traditional foam fight tomorrow in the quad, where apparently the Academic parents can dress up their children however they choose (even with hardly any clothes on in freezing cold, snowy weather!) and then you just get covered in shaving cream apparently. That is tomorrow at 11am.
One website writes this about the weekend: "The tradition dates back hundreds of years, when students gave their "parents" a pound of raisins for their help. Long ago, the raisins morphed into bottles of wine, and afternoon tea into a big bash, followed by a pub crawl. It culminates in a massive shaving cream fight in St. Salvator's Quadrangle." There's a bit of St. Andrews history and tradition for you...look forward to more information and stories about the weekend to follow...Maybe FX will even fix my "bad makeup job" by giving me a shiner in the right eye! Hopefully pain will be avoided though!
I wish every one of you a Happy Thanksgiving...and know that you are in my thoughts and prayers always. Sending Love across the Atlantic...
Thursday, November 13, 2008
A Swedish Experience...
Hei Hei (this is Swedish for Hello – pronounced Hey Hey)! I think I might adopt the greeting…it’s really cute to hear the Swedish people address you with “Hei Hei”. As I write, I am crossing the Baltic Sea by ferry from the small Swedish island of Gotland back to Stockholm. It’s the last day of our trip in Sweden, and we are heading for an airport hotel tonight, as we have an early flight in the morning to London.
The trip has been great! I’ve had a blast with my four friends. We have decided that this has been a good learning experience when it comes to a backpacking trip. We have learned what we can and can’t get by with when travelling, and I think we all have a better idea of how to pack for our next adventure. Stockholm itself was absolutely gorgeous. I will post some pictures for proof!! We have done everything from wander around the new and old parts of Stockholm, visiting the Royal Palace, churches, and just absorbing the beautifully colored buildings and scenery, to ice skating in one of the city squares one evening, as well as visiting many museums. As some of you know, me and museums don’t get along for many hours at the time. However, this trip has been a good learning experience for how to tolerate museums when everyone else in the group enjoy taking in every part of them (well, almost everyone – Steve and I are in agreement that art museums are torture, especially when you don’t know much about art history). However, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed what I’ve learned from them. My favorite museum that we visited was called Skansen on the island of Djurgarden (which is part of Stockholm). Skansen was an outdoor museum that depicted Swedish life in the 1600s and 1700s. It was the world’s first open-air museum, opening in 1891. The museum has over 150 traditional houses and exhibits from all over Sweden, including wildlife (my favorite being the reindeer!). It reminded me a bit of Old Salem in North Carolina, for some reason.
I think the hardest part of our trip to Sweden in November is the lack of sunlight and daylight in general. We experienced about an hour of sunlight the entire time in Sweden. Every day it was dark by no later than 3:30, which was very confusing. We found that we were tired ALL the time, and I think part of that was our bodies’ confusion with whether or not it was bedtime. However, I guess it was good practice, because before long in St. Andrews it will be getting dark that early. It already gets dark before 5:00 pm as it is! We found that Sweden was so expensive and we were so tired that most evenings we would stop by the grocery to get something inexpensive to eat and retire to our hostel room. We had a great time hanging out with each other, even if it was just being silly and laughing in the hostel! In Visby (the harbor town we stayed in while on Gotland), some of us had what you would consider an authentic Swedish meal. We tried the herring, which was served with mashed potatoes. It was very good, but we definitely ate too much! I guess being American girls in a restaurant with mostly men works out for the best sometimes, we they brought us free appetizers! Funny thing was, we almost didn’t find food last night. It is definitely obvious that Visby is a summer destination probably mostly for the Swedish to escape the tourist-infested Stockholm! Once it was dark at 4:00 pm, all the shops closed up and you could hardly find someone on the small cobblestone streets. It was like a ghost town! With no grocery store in sight, and some of us really wanting to eat at least one authentic meal before leaving Sweden, we started looking for a place to have dinner around 5, since there was nothing else open to do! We went into 4 restaurants, and every one of them informed us they were closing. FINALLY, we found the little “hole in the wall” as I would refer to it who was open and could serve us. It was a great experience…only about 7 tables in the entire restaurant, and they were probably just as surprised to see tourists this time of year as we were to realize how empty the island would be! Today was the worst weather we’ve had the entire trip. Although it’s been cold and wet, we have pretty much avoided any rain. All I have to say, is thank goodness for long underwear, hats, and gloves!! However, today it was miserably rainy. After a nice more “posh” night in a hotel than we’ve had the other nights in hostels, we were well rested and ready to see the sights despite the rain. We toured the Gotland museum, cathedral, and the many ruins that date back to before the 12th century. The wind was so strong as we made the 20 minute walk back to the ferry this afternoon, with rain pelting down on us, we almost blew over!
We’re headed to London tomorrow morning to meet other friends who will be down there or are coming. I am almost excited to be going back into civilization!! Overall the trip was awesome, and I feel like I’ve gotten to know those who travelled with me so much better. We travelled well together and that excites me for our other upcoming trips throughout Europe! Hope you are all holding up in NC and everyone is cheering on the TAR HEELS!!! HORRAY for football season this year!! Please send emails to keep me posted on what’s going on in your lives as well!! Look forward to another update soon!
The trip has been great! I’ve had a blast with my four friends. We have decided that this has been a good learning experience when it comes to a backpacking trip. We have learned what we can and can’t get by with when travelling, and I think we all have a better idea of how to pack for our next adventure. Stockholm itself was absolutely gorgeous. I will post some pictures for proof!! We have done everything from wander around the new and old parts of Stockholm, visiting the Royal Palace, churches, and just absorbing the beautifully colored buildings and scenery, to ice skating in one of the city squares one evening, as well as visiting many museums. As some of you know, me and museums don’t get along for many hours at the time. However, this trip has been a good learning experience for how to tolerate museums when everyone else in the group enjoy taking in every part of them (well, almost everyone – Steve and I are in agreement that art museums are torture, especially when you don’t know much about art history). However, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed what I’ve learned from them. My favorite museum that we visited was called Skansen on the island of Djurgarden (which is part of Stockholm). Skansen was an outdoor museum that depicted Swedish life in the 1600s and 1700s. It was the world’s first open-air museum, opening in 1891. The museum has over 150 traditional houses and exhibits from all over Sweden, including wildlife (my favorite being the reindeer!). It reminded me a bit of Old Salem in North Carolina, for some reason.
I think the hardest part of our trip to Sweden in November is the lack of sunlight and daylight in general. We experienced about an hour of sunlight the entire time in Sweden. Every day it was dark by no later than 3:30, which was very confusing. We found that we were tired ALL the time, and I think part of that was our bodies’ confusion with whether or not it was bedtime. However, I guess it was good practice, because before long in St. Andrews it will be getting dark that early. It already gets dark before 5:00 pm as it is! We found that Sweden was so expensive and we were so tired that most evenings we would stop by the grocery to get something inexpensive to eat and retire to our hostel room. We had a great time hanging out with each other, even if it was just being silly and laughing in the hostel! In Visby (the harbor town we stayed in while on Gotland), some of us had what you would consider an authentic Swedish meal. We tried the herring, which was served with mashed potatoes. It was very good, but we definitely ate too much! I guess being American girls in a restaurant with mostly men works out for the best sometimes, we they brought us free appetizers! Funny thing was, we almost didn’t find food last night. It is definitely obvious that Visby is a summer destination probably mostly for the Swedish to escape the tourist-infested Stockholm! Once it was dark at 4:00 pm, all the shops closed up and you could hardly find someone on the small cobblestone streets. It was like a ghost town! With no grocery store in sight, and some of us really wanting to eat at least one authentic meal before leaving Sweden, we started looking for a place to have dinner around 5, since there was nothing else open to do! We went into 4 restaurants, and every one of them informed us they were closing. FINALLY, we found the little “hole in the wall” as I would refer to it who was open and could serve us. It was a great experience…only about 7 tables in the entire restaurant, and they were probably just as surprised to see tourists this time of year as we were to realize how empty the island would be! Today was the worst weather we’ve had the entire trip. Although it’s been cold and wet, we have pretty much avoided any rain. All I have to say, is thank goodness for long underwear, hats, and gloves!! However, today it was miserably rainy. After a nice more “posh” night in a hotel than we’ve had the other nights in hostels, we were well rested and ready to see the sights despite the rain. We toured the Gotland museum, cathedral, and the many ruins that date back to before the 12th century. The wind was so strong as we made the 20 minute walk back to the ferry this afternoon, with rain pelting down on us, we almost blew over!
We’re headed to London tomorrow morning to meet other friends who will be down there or are coming. I am almost excited to be going back into civilization!! Overall the trip was awesome, and I feel like I’ve gotten to know those who travelled with me so much better. We travelled well together and that excites me for our other upcoming trips throughout Europe! Hope you are all holding up in NC and everyone is cheering on the TAR HEELS!!! HORRAY for football season this year!! Please send emails to keep me posted on what’s going on in your lives as well!! Look forward to another update soon!
Friday, November 7, 2008
Hello from Scandanavia...
...Sweden, that is!! Yes, it's true, we needed a break from the "bubble" of St. Andrews, so 4 of my friends and I packed our bags and headed for Stockholm, Sweden yesterday. After a stressful week, this holiday was much needed!
What a crazy week it has been...the US election on Tuesday/Wednesday for us (which the Brits and Scots and pretty much all of Europe seem to be more interested in than their own elections) required some to stay up all night just to see the outcome, Guy Fawkes Day (an English holiday that is in remembrance of a conspiracy to blow up English Parliament and the King in the 17th century...check out more info on it here: http://www.infoplease.com/spot/guyfawkes.html). This holiday consisted of bonfires, fireworks, and such on the beach. Unfortunately, I couldn't celebrate the holiday at all, and could barely even pay attention to the US election as a result of having a huge exam on Thursday morning. Therefore, there was no staying up to watch the results and acceptance speeches. I think I calculated that I spent over 9 hours in the library on Wednesday....WAYYYYY too many in my opinion! Thursday started at 5:30am for me, an exam at 9:30, and then back to Deans Court to pack in a hurry and leave immediately following.
Travel was pretty much painless yesterday. We took the train from St. Andrews to Glasgow. That was about a 3 hour journey in the end. We flew Ryanair from Glasgow to Stockholm, and then took a bus into the city. Everything was on time and went very smoothly. However, it was nearly 12 hours of travelling by the time we got to our hostel. The five of us are sharing a room to ourselves, which is nice to have a bit of privacy!
Today was a great day. We started our day with a nice coffee and pastry. Then we ventured out into the city, just walking the streets. We came across this street market, which had lots of fresh produce for sale. And let me tell ya, after eating Deans Court food for nearly two months, the sight of fresh vegetables and fruit is a beautiful thing!! It was pretty chilly here today. Although it was about 38 degrees, it is a different cold from St. Andrews. It felt much colder here than it does in St. Andrews. We definitely bundled up with multiple layers, gloves, scarves, and hats. We walked into the Old Town of the city and spent the afternoon at the Royal Palace, churches, and stopping in shops. The Old Town is so quaint! However, it was sad news when it got dark at 3:30pm this afternoon. I am writing this at 7:15pm and it feels like it's midnight it's been dark so long. This is what we have to look forward to in about a month in St. Andrews...AHHHH!
For those of you who are H&M lovers like myself, you would be in heaven here. There are literally multiple H&Ms on every block in Stockholm. Why, do you ask? Welcome to the origin of H&M!!! We have, however, been holding back, as we haven't actually ventured into one yet....but no worries, we will! Tomorrow and Sunday we will be continuing to tour the city and some of the more than 24,000 islands that make up Stockholm. Monday morning we're taking a ferry over to the island of Gotland to Visby, Sweden to stay the night. Weather and time of year permitting, we are hoping to rent bikes on the island and tour Visby by bycicle. Wednesday morning we are heading back to the UK, but to London rather than St. Andrews. We'll meet up with some other friends from St. Andrews there and spend the rest of our "Reading Week" in London. More updates will follow as this first holiday since being in Scotland continues!!!
What a crazy week it has been...the US election on Tuesday/Wednesday for us (which the Brits and Scots and pretty much all of Europe seem to be more interested in than their own elections) required some to stay up all night just to see the outcome, Guy Fawkes Day (an English holiday that is in remembrance of a conspiracy to blow up English Parliament and the King in the 17th century...check out more info on it here: http://www.infoplease.com/spot/guyfawkes.html). This holiday consisted of bonfires, fireworks, and such on the beach. Unfortunately, I couldn't celebrate the holiday at all, and could barely even pay attention to the US election as a result of having a huge exam on Thursday morning. Therefore, there was no staying up to watch the results and acceptance speeches. I think I calculated that I spent over 9 hours in the library on Wednesday....WAYYYYY too many in my opinion! Thursday started at 5:30am for me, an exam at 9:30, and then back to Deans Court to pack in a hurry and leave immediately following.
Travel was pretty much painless yesterday. We took the train from St. Andrews to Glasgow. That was about a 3 hour journey in the end. We flew Ryanair from Glasgow to Stockholm, and then took a bus into the city. Everything was on time and went very smoothly. However, it was nearly 12 hours of travelling by the time we got to our hostel. The five of us are sharing a room to ourselves, which is nice to have a bit of privacy!
Today was a great day. We started our day with a nice coffee and pastry. Then we ventured out into the city, just walking the streets. We came across this street market, which had lots of fresh produce for sale. And let me tell ya, after eating Deans Court food for nearly two months, the sight of fresh vegetables and fruit is a beautiful thing!! It was pretty chilly here today. Although it was about 38 degrees, it is a different cold from St. Andrews. It felt much colder here than it does in St. Andrews. We definitely bundled up with multiple layers, gloves, scarves, and hats. We walked into the Old Town of the city and spent the afternoon at the Royal Palace, churches, and stopping in shops. The Old Town is so quaint! However, it was sad news when it got dark at 3:30pm this afternoon. I am writing this at 7:15pm and it feels like it's midnight it's been dark so long. This is what we have to look forward to in about a month in St. Andrews...AHHHH!
For those of you who are H&M lovers like myself, you would be in heaven here. There are literally multiple H&Ms on every block in Stockholm. Why, do you ask? Welcome to the origin of H&M!!! We have, however, been holding back, as we haven't actually ventured into one yet....but no worries, we will! Tomorrow and Sunday we will be continuing to tour the city and some of the more than 24,000 islands that make up Stockholm. Monday morning we're taking a ferry over to the island of Gotland to Visby, Sweden to stay the night. Weather and time of year permitting, we are hoping to rent bikes on the island and tour Visby by bycicle. Wednesday morning we are heading back to the UK, but to London rather than St. Andrews. We'll meet up with some other friends from St. Andrews there and spend the rest of our "Reading Week" in London. More updates will follow as this first holiday since being in Scotland continues!!!
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