They're just guidelines!

I am starting feel like a real Aberdonian!

Yesterday was a sad occasion with Dave, another UoG student, having to go home, but we made the most of it with true Scottish cooking! For Dave's last dinner, we cooked our first real haggis from a local butcher (which was delicious) alongside organically grown local produce, with rice pudding for dessert.  It was superb and I think we sent Dave off in style.  A genuinely generous and thoughtful person, we were all lucky to have him here with us for the last week. Wishing you the best from da Boece, Dave!

This weekend brought the first of many adventures around Scotland.

Friday night was our first real night as a crew out in the city. I visited Will and his diving friends, then Hannes and I went downtown to meet the exchangers. We were all extremely impressed with the music being played, Kings of Leon, Barenaked Ladies, and Arcade Fire, just to name a few!

Saturday was uneventful, minus a visit to Becycle, a program where you build your own bike from run down trade ins for free with their tools! I plan to get one as soon as the new shop is up and running, it will be so much easier to get around! Although the campus and surrounding area is beautiful, the walks from Hills Head to class, the gym and the grocery store are quite a hike, and bus fares are a little ludicrous. Later, we had a group dinner, discussed plans for Sunday and got a good sleep for the trip to Dunnottar on Sunday.

Just guidelines?

Is it ever a good thing we did.  As I am still relatively new to travelling, I knew a lot of walking would be involved, but as a group we covered a lot of ground.  It was all worth it though, Dunnottar Castle is exactly as you would imagine the Scottish coast on a beautiful day. Perched on top of limestone cliffs rising out of the sea, with only a narrow valley to gain access, the smell of sea air with a hint of sheep and a brisk coastal breeze blowing, I couldn't imagine a more perfect scene. We took it all in as it is a few miles down a coastal trail from Stonehaven where the train station was.  The Guelphites hoofed it ahead of the a particularly slow moving American named Rachel (ha!) and started exploring the castle.  What a place! Even though much of the original inner fortress has been ruined, there are nooks and crannies, thief holes, a brewery, and great views abound.  There are also thick gates stopping you from getting the most scenic views from atop the ramparts, but after a bit of perusing at the top of a tower we decided, those are just guidelines!After exploring, eating lunch on the cliffs, scaring some sheep, and visiting a beautiful World War memorial, we headed back into town.  By this time, we were all tuckered (punny if your an exchanger) out, and were in need of some food and warmth.  We tried the main strip, but there was little in the way of the local seafood we sought, but, when in doubt, ask an old lady! Kendra and I asked a couple of them as they passed and they recommended the Ship's Inn, which was right on the wharf.  We all enjoyed seafood, some haggis, a lot of beets, and a place to rest our feet.  We enjoyed the food, set out for the train station, got distracted by some delicious chocolate and fudge samples at a local candy shop and eventually caught the train back to Aberdeen.

Dunnottar Castle

After a long day of walking, my feet and body moaned for a rest, but the Superbowl and rowing guys called my name as 10:30pm rolled around.  I dragged myself out the door to a friends and we enjoyed monstrous amounts of pizza and a Giants win.  By the time I got to bed it must have been around 4am. Bed had never felt so good.

Monday was spent unpacking, cooking breakfast for dinner, and a number of mishaps in the group effort of cooking the a fore mentioned dinner.  Tuesday: class, chores and haggis.

Good friends, good times.

Now that I have unpacked, the flat cleaned, groceries stocked (kind of), haggis cooked and have most things figured out, it is really starting to feel like home.  It still feels like an amazing experience, still like living in a foreign country, but things are ship shape and I am really enjoying the experience.  I have met some great people, and am looking forward to meeting a lot more.  There's been some unforgettable experiences, some good, some bad, and I welcome both kinds in the up and coming months. The phrase, the people make the place, really has a new meaning to me, and I think that anywhere can feel like home if you surround yourself with the right people, but there is no yin without the yang and the opposite is true as well.  Moral of the story, good friends mean good times. 

Ah, feels good to get back at the blogging, hope everyone has enjoyed it so far and I will hopefully add some pictures in the next little while.  Leave some comments if you please! Please?

Oh, its dark, must be 5 and time for dinner.  Goodnight from the Silver City, and good day to everyone back home!