A Scotland Thanksgiving

Happy Belated Thanksgiving ya'll! Well, I'd say I have a lot to be thankful for, being able to live in Scotland for a few months, having a family who supports me in all I do, friends who are always there for me, a pretty neat boyfriend, and of course, my lovely readers (that's you :D)

I got real sad when the grand day approached, Thanksgiving is literally my favorite holiday because it isn't clouded by gifts and the true focus is togetherness. In a way, I was definitely lacking the togetherness piece over here: I mean the vast majority of my friends and family were back home, and it just doesn't feel right to miss the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and hear my family complain about not seeing enough of the floats ;) In a way though, it was really funny- I was messaging a friend from back home and she said it was better to celebrate Thanksgiving in Scotland because, 'At least they hate the English as much as the Pilgrams did!' How true indeed :D

So instead of doing anything traditional during the day, I got up at 8 to go to class and then I finished and turned in a paper. I thought I would treat myself and buy a mocha so I used my reusable mug, bought a small, and then received a large! Now that's the Thanksgiving spirit and they didn't even know it :)

Anyway, in preparation the six of us in our flat (all American except the lone Canadian- she celebrates Thanksgiving too, just in October!) gathered together what we saw most fitting for the occasion, and my oh my it twas a spread! Turkey breast loaf (our oven was too ghetto and probably too small to fit a whole turkey), gravy, vegetarian stuffing, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, garlic mashed potatoes, mulled wine, and of course pumpkin pie.

We made the pumpkin pie the previous night, and in lieu in Crisco (because they don't have any over here…) we used lard. As repulsive as it was to deal with it at the time, it was probably the best pie crust I've ever eaten :)

The battle on Thursday was trying to time everything correctly. To give you a picture we have two small ovens, definitely inappropriate for making a classy meal like Thanksgiving. An added difficulty was the fact that we had class to work around- a couple of tutorials might have been skipped to make a grocery trip for crispy onions, but it was totally worth it! We had another individual, *cough* Anjali *cough* who found out while she was in class at 4 that it would be going until 6…the problem being that our food was all done at 5, whoops! With a little bit of rehydrating the food, and warming it up in the handy dandy microwave, I'd say we were all a force to be reckoned with (none of us had ever prepared such a feast!) I didn't even ruin the turkey- probably one of my proudest moments :)

In between checking the turkey and mashing the potatoes I was able to Skype with the fam for quite some time. It was an absolute day maker to be able to see them all- I don't remember the last time that happened all at once! Anjali came in for a while to talk with them too and it was fun to hear them joke back and forth- it was like they had known each other for years! I was lucky enough to talk to her family as well, they're great. As much of a bummer as it was to not spend Thanksgiving with my family, I wouldn't have had the experience of talking to both of our families on the same day if I had been back home.

As strange as it was to be celebrating with non-family members, it was really neat to see how we could all bring it together like that, and celebrate together in a country where such a holiday doesn't exist (side note: If you were wondering they have Christmas decorations and music up pretty much after Halloween, I even saw advertisements for reserving Christmas dinner in early October!)We were able to experience dealing with we had: bringing in mismatching chairs, attempting to find enough silver wear, and washing the dishes to reuse before eating pie. Anyway, we shared our traditions and appropriately finished the night singing both the Canadian and American National Anthems- so fun!

So until Sunday, I'll leave you with this!

Love you all,
Emily

This is what we cook on…somehow...

The Flats-giving :)

Life.

Hey everyone! You've succeeded in taking the views on my blog to over 1000- it's like I'm famous or something :D But seriously, thanks for reading, it means that someone beside me is getting something out of it!

This past week has been a fairly chill one. Seeing as papers are coming up, I thought maybe I should spend some time actually doing what I came here for. The stakes are a lot higher for individual projects, such as the essay I'm writing for 60% of my grade right now- I'm really glad we don't have that back home. Also, this is embarrassing, but it took me weeks to realize that when they say class starts at 10, it's actually 10:05. Good think I was thinking 5 minutes earlier, because I would have been late A LOT if that wasn't the case! Also, the first class in the morning is at 9, and everyone over here complains like the daylights about it. You people are wusses, just get up...

It amazes me that every day there is something new that I didn't know about the culture around here. Initially when getting here, I thought the UK was going to be the spitting image of the US, but I've been proven wrong many a times. Friday night Savannah and I ventured to the grocery store to pick up some things to make pumpkin rolls, one being shortening (we already had the pumpkin covered thanks to the lovely gift from mum- canned pumpkin is non-existent over here). We searched all over and finally tracked someone down to ask if they had any. He said he'd never heard of it before and he said how he thought it was crazy that there's an American food section in Tesco when our foods are so similar. Honestly, they're necessary. Needless to say, the only thing they have in comparison is lard…makes me cringe a little just typing that word, but it was worth getting :) After our trip there we headed to a place that I had been dying to get take-away from (that's right, not take-out). I got a doner kebab (basically a spicier and saltier gyro with a sweet chili sauce), which I heard is a staple in Scotland- although it appears to have Turkish origins. It was quite delish! The last bit of the night was a completely different cultural experience. Anjali's mum sent her henna (natural temporary dye for the skin) from India so we did some of that, I absolutely love that stuff!

Saturday was a filled with pumpkin pancakes and a trip to Union in attempt to hash out some essays. Since they don't have Caribou Coffee over here (I'm honestly going through withdrawals…), the next option was Starbucks. When I ordered a mocha they asked whether or not I wanted coffee in it, isn't that what a mocha is? So strange, oh, and they also sell minced pies- something one of the employees thought we must have back in America. Following that, Anjali, Savannah, and I went to go see Catching Fire in the cinema (not movie theatre, and it's a film not a movie tee hee). I thought that would be just like home, but I was wrong there as well. There was assigned seating as well as alcohol served in the theaters. The strangest thing though, were their adverts (not ads). Instead of starting 30 minutes before the movie showed it started when it said it said the movie would, and took up 30 minutes extra of our time. AND most of them were just commercials, not movie previews. It was even amazing how different the adverts are over here. I kept looking at the other two to try and figure out what it was trying to sell, but we couldn't figure it out. The movie was wonderful though! We rounded the night off in at our good friend Jess's birthday party. It was lovely time filled with mulled wine and cider, birthday cake, and amazing company. There I was surrounded by Germans, Scottish, English, Canadian, American, Irish, Welsh, and Italians (maybe even more cultures), it was amazing to have so much heritage in one small living room. I've really treasured my whole experience here, but that night was one where I really realized how fortunate I am to have a study abroad experience. You realize that everyone isn't as different from you as they may seem, and at the end of the day, people are just as curious about your culture as you are theirs.

Here's a few more things that are different between the cultures that I've noticed
- sledges instead of sleds
- splinter not sliver
- nobody (as in Americans and the rest of the world) understood the term 'flurry' in relation to snow
- porridge instead of oatmeal (also they have a 'honey' that resembles our syrup that they put over it)
- wellies not rainboots
- people from England pronounce plaid, 'played'…for real.
- 'oregano' is pronounced 'ore ah ghan oh'
- egg plant is aubergine
- candy is called sweets
- they don't say 'sidewalk', they just call it pavement
- paying for ketchup is common in fish and chip shops
- eggs are never refrigerated in stores (or homes for that matter)
- you pay more to sit down to eat/drink at a cafe than if you have it to-go
- sneezing into your arm doesn't exist here, they just go for the all disturbing hand sneeze
- also, nobody says 'bless you' if you sneeze and if you do say it they don't say 'thank you'
- speaking of 'bless': I forgot that there's an actual national church here, it's the Church of Scotland (or the Kirks)
- bars are only open here until midnight and clubs until 3 AM
- most people here smoke
- additionally, it's more common than not to roll your own cigarettes
- Westies are one of the most popular dogs to own around here- I'm not opposed :)
- 'Sorry' is the word to use when asking someone to repeat themselves
- instead of 'Salvation Army' or 'Goodwill' they call them 'Charity Shops' which often helps fund cancer related things
- there's only one fashion style here: classy (but then again you do have the few guys who walk around in all grey sweatsuits like it's their job…)
- I'm fairly certain I've consumed over my body weight in bread over here…whoops
- the UK (and probably others) think that it's cult-like to make kids recite the 'Pledge of Allegiance' in school
- I've gotten more comments on how awful my driver's license picture is over here by complete strangers than I wish to admit
- Minnesota has the same population as Scotland- I love this fact. Home sweet home.

I think that's about all I can think of for now. I hope you enjoyed the list, because I sure enjoyed discovering each and every one of them :)

Since I didn't have any specific pictures to include I thought I'd share one of the most Scottish foods I've bought. It literally makes me smile every time I grab the box :)

Canoeing Time!

Welcome back!

So a great adventure came up for me this weekend: camping and canoeing on the River Dee. We set out for an hour and a half trip south of Aberdeen to a site along the Cambus O' May suspension bridge late on Friday night. I seriously can't get over how great the names of towns and attractions are over here. Many of them are derived from the Gaelic (pronounced Gahlic to denote the Scottish version seeing as the typical pronunciation is Irish) word for them. For example the town where we ended our canoe trip was called Strathdee (Srath Dhé in Gaelic) means 'Deeside'-how clever! Sorry for the tangent, but anyway we ended up staying within the boundaries of the Cairngorms National Park. We got a surprise visit as we were setting up out tent- across the river two people in high visibility jackets started shining their flashlights at us. Thinking we were for sure going to get kicked out, we packed up our tent and waited to be told that it wasn't a proper camping ground (it wasn't- a sign in the parking lot read 'No Overnight Parking'), but they never came. So…we pitched the tent again anyway and had a more than marvelous evening of potatoes and haggis on the stove. 

The next morning cocoa was made and put in a thermos, right before we set off, we thought we'd have some. All of us had been poured a cup, when someone decided to shake the thermos. Only then did we realize that it had broken and that shards of glass had been poured (and partially drank) in everyone's cups- and that marked the beginning of the trip haha. After that fiasco, we unloaded the canoes and proceeded to be given a lifejacket, helmet, and wetsuit. I literally thought they were crazy. Only about two hours later did I realize how vital all of that equipment was. We weren't taking just any casual trip down a river- we were whitewater canoeing (or I guess they call it Canadian canoeing). Savannah and I hit some rapids and began taking on water, then the big one hit- and the canoe capsized. As we both toppled in, our breaths were literally taken away by the cold. Gosh, it's a pretty weird feeling being numb while being pushed by the current. That combined with attempting to move a sixty pound canoe filled with water when you can't even touch the river bottom makes for an interesting time. Eventually, after the other canoe tipped and all four of us were in the water, we recovered the waterproof camera from the perilous current, we set out again. Mind you the wind after this point became unbearable, I'm not sure I've ever been that cold and numb in my entire life- whoops! The entire landscape was beautiful though. I don't think I could have picked a better way to witness the changing leaves across the expansive rolling hills!

All in all we paddled about fourteen miles that day. We waited for about two hours to be picked up and driven to our take-off point that morning. In the mean time, I took laps around the park to stay warm. I can only imagine how ridiculous a girl in a wetsuit and lifejacket looked running around a rural park. After it had become dark a lady came up to us who had parked in front of a local hotel. Hoping she was stopping over to bring us tea- she asked instead if we could help her carry barrels into her car. We obliged and after being questioned on our attire we told the lady our story of the day. When she came back for round two of the barrel transporting, she came with four beers and water and offered to make us food and tea to warm us up and thank us for our efforts. We declined the second portion, but the beer was mighty tasty. People can be so nice :)

After being picked up, we began traveling back to our site and soon found out a tire had gone flat on the car. So while the car was being fixed we walked toward our destination and came across a village. This village had made an old church interior into a garden- it was a beautiful idea. Finally, we ended up back in Aberdeen- safe, warm, and able to tell the tale!

Such a good time, talk to you all soon!

Me and my three mates before setting out for the day

Suspension bridge-I couldn't get enough of it!

Part of the scenery...

St. Andrews and Other Shenanigans

Hey there,

I've gotten a bit detained this week (or finally a little lazy in relation to blogging-I'm surprised it didn't happen before now!) But never fear, here's another one for your enjoyment…

About a week before the 5th of November I found out about this crazy holiday they have here in the UK: it's called Guy Fawkes Night. It celebrates the fact that Guy Fawkes, a man who attempted to blow up Parliament in the 1600s, failed to do such! Some traditions that come along with the holiday are a fireworks show and having a bonfire with an effigy of Guy Fawkes within it…a little cruel I'd say- even for a traitor! From the stories I've heard from my friends from the UK, it sounds like a lot of times they just burn a paper face of whomever they hate most at the time; to me it just sounds like a national holiday to be openly angry, which is okay I guess! The only part we celebrated that night was the fireworks, especially seeing as I come from Minnesota, we're too nice to hate on anyone ;) Anyway, the fireworks were beautiful, it was right on the beach and the rain even decided to hold off for us. We were able to get so close that we could see the firework sparks falling in front of us, a little bit different than the US restrictions I believe :) It was great to see all of the buzz around the city center after that- it really reminded me of the Holidazzle back home and instantly a cup of Caribou's coffee sounded so good.

This past weekend was filled with yet another trip, this time to the ever beautiful town of St. Andrews. We arrived there Friday night at the bus station and we decided we'd make a quick stop at the Tesco. On our way we saw three guys in suits and enough women adorning non-Primark wear to be able to see that our level of class was a bit below par here (get it- it's a golf reference…being in St. Andrews and all :D) Anyway, we met up with our Couchsurfing host and then pretty much called it a night. The following morning was an early start to see the sites (and tastes) of the town. We stopped in a bakery where we tried the popular UK treat: butteries. Needless to say, it tasted just like butter- so similar to a croissant, but even worse for you.

We headed off to venture around the town, really we had no idea where we were going- I have literally said that in every place I've visited in the last three months. It's a really liberating feeling, for all of my life I've had someone to guide me in the right direction- but here I've had no idea what I'm doing while I'm doing it. Mama, I'm growing up!

 …Anyway, we walked toward the cathedral ruins and although the 900 years of its existence really didn't preserve it well. We headed off toward the castle, which had less to see, but when you turned around the neighborhood was a delight! It was the old portion of the university and my oh my, what I would do to live in those dorms. It's crazy to think that Will and Kate met there- then again it was not too hard because my fellow travelers reminded me quite frequently of the royalty that St. Andrews had recently seen! Next up was visiting the Old Course- one of the most famous courses in the world. Little did I know that one of the weirdest pictures I took during the entire trip was on the stone bridge there- which I later realized was quite famous as well. Shows how much I know about the history of golf! Next to the course we came across a rugby game, something I hadn't had the chance to witness yet in Scotland. It was definitely worth seeing- especially after witnessing the two spectators wearing kilts and bearing pints in front of us- I don't think that situation could have gotten more stereotypical if it had been planned! Any way, we cut back and hit up a free whiskey tasting. Although we were sampling quality whiskies aged 10-12 years, I wouldn't have been able to tell if my life had depended upon it. The employees were explaining the tastes and delicacies of each one and all I could do was pucker up and nod- I don't think that's a taste I'll ever get used to!

That night we treated ourselves to a nice dinner, which marked my 4th taste of haggis- it's actually quite good when you don't think about what's in it :) And then we went out for a drink- and they even had a local cider on tap, it honestly tasted JUST like apple juice. I think that hard cider should definitely become a thing back in the states!

Sunday was the day of remembrance in Scotland and the three of us happened to stumble upon a memorial service. It was such a unique experience because we were able to see it through the eyes of the Scots. The processional itself was so traditional- about 20 men with bagpipes were playing, it was really powerful. We moved on to check out the East Sands and spent a good chunk of the morning and afternoon walking along the coastline. The beach is where you see the best of people- humans and puppies, young and old simply enjoying the creations of the Earth, I love it! After the sun went down around 4 (yes 4…it's ridiculous) we traveled to a little coffee shop and spent the remainder of our stay in St. Andrews playing, 'Never Have I Ever'. With most people I would get bored of such a game, but with the two lovelies I was far from sick of it (or them for that matter)!

We got home without too much of an issue- beside for the hour train delay! Thank goodness for train waiting areas and the British version of Harry Potter.

That's all for now. My traveling is about to get a lot less extensive now that essays are rolling up- like now I actually have to do what I came here for, yuck!

Toodles :)

Some fireworks from Guy Fawkes Night!

Here's what the Old Course bridge is supposed to look like...

Here's me on the bridge- whoops!

The Bagpipers at the Memorial Service

Shetland Islands and its 'Firsts' for Me

Hiya!

Today I am writing as a very tired individual. Savannah and I traveled to the island city of Lerwick this weekend. There's only two ways to the island: ferry or plane. We opted ferry for the price and the timing- we could manage to get it there and back in a mere 12 hours each way. Now-I'm not exactly sure what I was thinking taking that route because I even get car sick. Needless to say, I wasn't exactly the most talkative, more like comatose on the booth attempting to let the waves slip away before my head (and stomach) did. On the brighter side of the ferry trip, the interior of that ferry will forever change my thoughts of them- it was so nice on the inside, it even had a bar (hard to believe in Scotland, right?)

Now before I get too far, here's a couple fun facts about the Shetland Islands and Lerwick. The cluster of these islands is at the 60 degrees North latitude line- the farthest north I've ever been :) Also, Lerwick is equidistant from Aberdeen, Scotland to Bergen, Norway- so only one short ferry away and I could have hit another country! The language up here is ultra unique- the people we were staying with even had a Shetland dictionary; it was quite strange to be speaking the same language as the locals, but with completely different slang than mainland Scotland. Lerwick is also the most northerly (and easterly) city in Scotland. And one last thing- I learned in the Shetland Museum that Shetland and Orkney islands were originally a part of Denmark, but it was given as a dowry because the Danish king was so poor, and it's still in the hands of the Scots!

After that we met up with our Couchsurfing host, who was a trooper to meet us at 7 on a Saturday morning! She was kind enough to take us around a scenic walk along the coast and then we hopped across the sea with the ferry to Bressay. I'm pretty sure that island had more sheep than people- everywhere we walked there was sheep running away from us…they were so darn cute! And I can't forget the ponies: we couldn't go to the Shetland Islands without seeing Shetland ponies- and thank goodness they didn't disappoint! We hung out with a couple for quite a while, and we just kept feeding and feeding them- which explains their stout figure haha! We did a hike up to the highest point of that island and saw a marvelous view in all directions. Savannah and I departed our host and headed down to explore the other side of the peak. That's probably the craziest bog I've ever trekked through- a quarter of the way through the walk we came to terms that having dry feet was not even a possibility. Along the way to the coast, we saw so many ancient ruins (including full villages), it's crazy how casual it is there, probably because there's over 6000 different archaeological sites on the islands. Along the rocks we spotted a couple of seals, the first ones that I had witnessed outside of a zoo. On the way back was an adventure in itself- we climbed over barbed wire fences, scared numerous sheep (and one guy fishing), and we somehow made it back to tell the tale!

Back in town, Savannah and I scoured the shops in hopes of finding the perfect wool 'jumper'. The Shetland Islands are known for their sheep's wool sweaters- especially the Fair Isle design. Low and behold, I found one. I think I'll treasure that thing forever, so if you see me around a lot in one sweater, you'll know why :)

We continued the rest of the night by being fed a feast of haddock pie, which was by far the best food I've had made for me since being home. We had been told that there was an Irish folk concert starring Sharon Shannon, and my goodness, she was phenomenal. I also never would have thought that such a small community would have such a wonderful concert hall! Afterward I asked for a Screwdriver at the bar and none of the bartenders had any idea what it was. That was practically the first mixed drink I had ever heard of and so it startled me that no one recognized it!

The next day we woke up to a down pour, which meant lots of tea for the morning- I don't think I've ever consumed so much! We bundled up in our most rainproof gear to see the local broch- the site of an ancient and complex stone roundhouse. After drying off we took a taxi into town- my very first one ever!!! Then we headed over to the Shetland Museum, which had a great display of history. Then we were whisked away by our hosts to a craft fair. The hall that was hosting the event was actually the location that Mumford & Sons played at in '11 on the island…it was honestly so tiny, it's crazy they would take the time to play there. There was a plethora of knitting and goods, but there was also tea where you could pay three pounds to basically have unlimited tea/coffee and snacks. And let me tell you- those Shetlanders know how to bake! I also had a smoked salmon spread which I could have devoured all day.

And that pretty much concludes the whole weekend. Sorry if that was a bore- this is largely for my future recollection so I wouldn't blame you if you skimmed! There's a couple of fun things on the docket for me in this next week, so stay tuned :)

The main road of Lerwick is to the left; I just loved the building style!

View of the islands

Feeding one of the ponies!

Savannah and I with our hosts and their friends at tea

Fall Life!

Good Day,

The rest of this past week was filled with attempting to finish my first paper, and let me tell you- it was not easy. I might actually say that finding the location to drop off that paper was harder than writing it though, which is probably the most embarrassing part of the whole story.

Savannah, Anjali (my 2 flatmates), and I were at a loss for what to do for the weekend by the time Friday rolled around. Our intention was to head to St. Andrews. But....long story short, we had no place to stay and the cost of the train ride doubled so we decided the travel gods didn't want us leaving Aberdeen this weekend. It panned out pretty swell though- we found out that the farmers market (which only happens once a month) was on Saturday. We hopped aboard the bus to shorten our otherwise 45 minute walk downtown. I asked the bus driver how much a day pass would be and he responded, 'Well, what would you like to pay?' I said one pound, and he said 'okay!' but I just stood there looking like an idiot because I thought he couldn't be serious...but he was! I guess that was his last ticket at a cheaper rate for the day, so I didn't complain :) The market was filled with lovely smells from fresh fish, tastings of homemade teas, a buzz-worthy amount of wine sampling, and the delicious consumption of a haggis and venison Scotch pie. It felt like a great way to see what unique goods Aberdeenshire had to offer- and I was quite pleased with the results.

Also, as we were walking back to the bus stop, we walked into a Pound Mart (aka the Dollar Store for most of my readers.) Right then I saw it- red hair dye for a pound...I showed it to Savannah and Anjali and before you knew it we had our hands full, ready for a sporadic day of hair dying. That night we also took the liberty to stop at Lidl's (the grocery shop right next to campus) and grab some wine. So I made it into a cheese, bread, and wine kinda night while watching Parks and Rec- not too shabby in my opinion!

The following Wednesday was one of those you can't forget. We had a lovely Highland Frontier Society event- a bonfire on the Don River. Bonfires are the one thing that I really crave during the fall and I hadn't gotten my fill yet! However, when I asked them if anyone had brought me s'mores, they just looked at me in bewilderment. I couldn't believe it- they hadn't even heard of graham crackers!!! However, they did have mulled wine and sausages, which weren't comparable to s'mores, but still amazing! The people who I've met through this organization are indescribable- I love every minute with them :) It's the only place I've been to in a while where tin foil is a fashionable item and someone compliments you on the brightness of your 'head torch.'

This past week being Halloween, there were some pretty interesting events happening around campus- one being from an organization I've been helping with. They were looking to put on a traditional Scottish storytelling inside a yurt! What's a yurt you might ask? Well, it's a traditional tent-like structure used by nomadic people in central Asia. The organization was asking for volunteers to build one, and of course I wanted to help. All in all, it took a couple hours of 5 of us laying down the flooring, stretching the walls, and attaching wooden rods to make a roof structure. When it came time to hear the story teller, the experience got even better! She told some great stories, some being of witches and wolves.

Well, that's a recap of a couple weeks right there…now I have a new one boiling in my head about this past weekend- but I thought it needed its own blog.

Cheers!

Part of the gang at the bonfire :)