Friday, November 18, 2011

Oh, The Places You'll Go


Friday was a pretty long day. I had nearly straight classes from 9 until about 4:30. It was a pretty good day, though. I felt like I got a lot done. My tutorial was pretty helpful for Vikings! actually, but the lecture was such a waste of time. Kelsie put together a puzzle, Zoe facebooked, and I blogged lol. I went to the library for a little and got some sources for the Vikings! essay. While I was in the library I smelled that certain cologne that loads of guys wear here and I could honestly kill the person that invented it. It's one of those smells that you can really tie to certain events and people and it just really messed with your brain. But anyways, the rest of my day was filled with exciting chemistry lol. The lecture was pretty boring, like always. But it's always funny to hear the most monotoned, dry-humored, nerdy chemistry professor explain how excited he is about the different colors he used in his powerpoint slide lol. I even met with my course coordinator between my classes... it took me forever to find his office. At least I didn't get lost this time, although the secretary had to call him to get directions to his office. Then I had my lab write up session and that was pretty great. I love when everything kind of blends together and works out, and then you can leave early :) After lab I stopped by my Scottish loves' flat and visited with them for a little, which is always something to smile about. At around 5:00 I walked (the long way) to meet up with Bri and the Arcadia people for our historical tour of King's college. I may or may not have nearly gotten lost on my way to the old town center building, but I definitely saw a lot of really beautiful old granite homes all lit up at night. Bri and I hung out with the tour guide for a little and he gave us a good talking to about Scottish accents and terminology lol. He asked us if we knew what a "dreep" was and he gave us a list of options and I said "I really hope it's the last one" lol and Bri said definitely. The last option was that a dreep is a really boring guy, the kind that takes you on a date and you really wish you wouldn't have been nice and said yes. WHen the other Arcadia students met up with us, we started our tour. I was actually really excited that Tomas Sanchez from Wooster who is studying in Glasgow came lol. We had a good time talking. The group was really small, only 8 students and 4 of them were from Aberdeen. Bri and I were definitely the silly ones in the group who made all the funny comments. The King's college area tour was really beautiful at night. The old buildings look amazing when they are all lit up and it was a really clear and nice evening. The tour guide kind of had a good time making fun of me and Bri, but it was all in good fun. Who doesn't enjoy all sorts of jokes about America and women and man eaters?? At one point we walked down a little ally and the guide said that this building was something like a nunnery, and then we walked to a building diagonal from the nunnery and the tour guide got really quiet and said "now this building is something that no one really knows about... except for the young men and boys...". You can imagine what everyone was thinking lol then he all of a sudden says "it's a masonry..." LOL I said "Oh ok I was thinking that building is oddly close to the nunnery". We then walked around the other building and even went into the chapel. There really is something magical about campuses at night. When we were back on high street, Bri said how we have to come back when it's snowing because it would look exactly like Hogsmeade! It's so true, too. The little granite and stone building with the old gas lights on the walls really look like Hogsmeade. I really hope that it snows before I leave. But, no matter what I need to get some pictures of the campus at night! Out tour was a lot of fun, and I think that even the other students had a good time. When we were standing by The Brewery, a random 4th year appears out of nowhere and I accidentally surprise grabbed Bri when I got a fright lol. He joined our group and said how he learned more tonight than he had in the past 3 years of being in Aberdeen. So it was a really nice and informative walk. How the Aberdeen people treated women who broke the law was kind of crazy, and apparently the last man to be executed in the UK was executed in Old Aberdeen lol. After the tour we all piled into taxis and went to dinner. We had a great time talking and eating (for free) on School Hill in town. It's funny to see that place when I'm not going to RGpoo union or a club lol. I really love Bri, we had an awesome time explaining to our American friends about how much we love Aberdeen and how we love our Scottish friends and all sorts of things. it was a very silly dinner, especially with the sticky toffee pudding that Bri and I shared date-style lol. We actually even convinced the 4 other Americans to come to our union and hang out with us and meet our Scottish friends. It all worked out really nice, actually. Bri, Kelsie, Zoe, Lindsay, and I go to union and sat down with some people we knew, and then all of a sudden the other Americans show up and all through the night different groups of our friends kept showing up. When my Bulgarians and Johanne showed up, I kind of could have killed them lol they all really love to remind me of silly things I've done. They think it's hilarious... I honestly don't know what they are going to for entertainment when I go home! They didn't stay too long, though and I was happy to see that my Scottish friends were talking with the other Americans and they seemed to be having a lot of fun lol. We all had a great time ogling at Beautiful William the bartender lol and discussing how there is so much man love/girl love in our group. Seriously Kelsie, Bri, Zoe, Lindsay, and I discuss marrying each other so Bri and I can have citizenship. Zoe and I actually exchanged vows on Friday lol so it's official. AND Kelsie definitely kissed me on the cheek, so it is all very exciting lol. Another interesting topic that always seems to come up are boobs. It's really quite funny lol. Other people would think my group and I are crazy, but at least the Americans seemed to find it all amusing lol. After union closed, the Americans went home and most of the group went back to South House for a little. I had a fun time trying to explain Matisyahu to everyone lol, but that was clarified later on facebook. I love the random little facebook chats that ensue after good nights. 

Saturday was a really great day. It took a while to get started, especially since Bri was practically stuck in South House lol. But we went and met the Americans at the Maritime Museum, after some confusion with the buses and finding the museum lol. We had a lot of fun chatting with the Americans about the night before, and then we started our little trip to Mackie's farm in the country. Since there were only 8 students, 2 professors, and a really lovely, grandmotherly tour guide, we got to ride on a cute little bus. Bri and I of course assumed position in the back row and we drove the 45 minutes to the farm. It was really nice to get out of the city for a little. the countryside around Aberdeen is really beautiful, with expansive fields and rolling hills that grow to mountains. There's also a lot of thick forests that really make it feel otherworldly. We enjoyed listening to all the chatting of the Angela Lansbury-esk tour guide lol and then we arrived at Mackie's farm. I knew it was going to be a great day, but it got exponentially better with immediately receiving free ice cream lol. We listened to the head of the Mackie family, Mackie's is a family run dairy farm that uses only renewable energy, tell us all about the farm and when he went to American and the science behind the turbines and everything like that. It was really great. Then we took a tour of the farm and saw all the really high tech machines that make the ice cream containers and all the cows. Bri and I were really excited to see the cows lol it really reminded us of home. We were like frolicking around in the barn where all the happy cows were lol. I got really excited when I was looking and talking to one cow and it stuck it's head out at me and I scratched her nose and then turned to listen to Maitland Mackie talk some more about the cows and the cow licked my arm! LOL I kind of screamed but it was great. I then of course had to get a picture with my cow. Cow number 149 getting a little too fiesty lol. Then we walked some more and the excitement only mounted when we saw the maternity ward and then all the baby cows!!! Even the Angela Lansbury tour guide got really giggly at the baby cows lol. We saw really baby cows and then slightly bigger ones who were running around and bucking and all excited lol. It was ADORABLE. Then we walked up some hills to see the wind turbines and it was just getting to sunset (like 3:00) and the sunset was absolutely breathtaking! I can't even describe it. At the top of the hill we looked out over the valley and in the distance there was the Benihe (spelling??) peak and the sun was setting right besides it and the valley was all misty looking and it was such a beautiful and clear twilight that there were so many beautiful colors in the clouds. Seriously, imagine the best sunset ever. One with beautiful nature all involved, and then multiple it by at least 5. That's what I saw. Pictures don't do it justice. It was funny when we were walking up the hill and the tour guide said we have to be careful to stay on time, and Mr. Mackie said "well if that's so we better run!" lol so we all ran up the hill. Even Mr. Mackie and Hemish lol. We got a lot of pictures on the top of the hill and went inside the wind turbine. 13 people comfortably fit in it... it was kind of like a space ship I think lol. There are absolutely colossal and when you stand inside you can just feel the power pulsing, it's really cool. Our bus driver drove the van (somehow) to the top of the hill and he even came in and heard Mr. Mackie explain how it all works and stuff lol. Bri and I took some nice pictures together and had a really great time chatting about how wonderful Scotland is and how we never want to leave. The other Americans totally agreed with us lol.  When we had all piled into the car and genuinely thanked Mr. Mackie for everything, we started making out way back to Aberdeen city. We drove around the harbor and saw all the ships lit up and the city looked really pretty. We then stopped and walked around the old fishing village part of footdee (pronounced fuh-tee... I know lol). It was really cute with how little the houses were and how they were right by the sea. We also got to see a lot of ships go in and out of the port, "on queue" according to the driver and tour guide lol. So it was a very nice and fulfilling day out seeing new things :) I really liked when we drove by the big lighthouse that's on the top of the hill right outside the city. It was really old and pretty looking and there were wonderful views of Aberdeen city from it lol. We then said goodbye to all the other Americans and Bri and I did a little last minute shopping for going out clothes at Union Square. It was all lit up with christmas lights and it was really festive and pretty lol. Then we met up with Kelsie, Zoe, and Lindsay for date night at pizza hut. It was a lot of fun. SO many silly things were talked about, like the clap, babies, and "that's not how it went down in my head" lol. We had fun planning what we were going to wear tonight and talking about playing kings... and watching the little boy next to us with how family lol he had a harmonica and a buildabear and a sword and he as beyond cute. We were watching him like crazy people, but it was ok lol. After our date night, we all went home and got ready to go and play kings with with boys. But there were some issues getting out and then the boys weren't actually there and that kind of sucked. So we ended up feeling kind of shitty and going to union before catching the bus into town. When we finally found the boys at RGpoo we kind of decided the best thing to do was buy a lot of drinks and have a good time lol. So things kind of got really messy, literally crazy. I was a major creeper shield for everyone though. Apparently I yelled at some guy to back off and really got in his face lol... "Lydia be crazy". We had a good time dancing, though. Bri and I freaked out when the DJ played "One Week" lol. But all of a sudden shit really hit the fan. Zoe, Lindsay, Bri, and I had no idea where the other half of our group disappeared to, and we had a really difficult time trying to get home. Lol apparently Bri was freaking out about where her purse was when we were in the taxi line, and then all of a sudden I said "wait, here's your purse". I honestly don't remember putting it on my arm, but it's hilarious that it was randomly there. We had a good time in the taxi line, all sorts of crazy things happened lol. I especially liked how Bri's hair looked when Zoe tied it back, and how Callum explained that everyone throws up on union street lol. We then all piled in a taxi, and despite some little issues along the way, we made it home perfectly fine lol. We all get by with a little help from our friends. 

Sunday was a very boring day. Literally like 2 hours after I woke up it was getting dark, already. That really throws off my productivity level lol. But I've decided that sunday is onesie day, and that makes life better. I had a good time talking with my flatmates about the night before lol we always have such silly chats. At least this time we weren't talking about flowers and gardening, this time. Although Mina did get to pet some dogs and I am very jealous! I really love them lol. They can really lighten up crap situations. I was feeling pretty shit on Sunday, but talking with Mina really helped... stupid feelings. I never want to leave them :( Lol we had a really difficult time figuring out what we were going to have for dinner and some crazy antics ensued. Mainly involving delusion from lack of food, and I discovered that I can climb the walls to the ceiling lol. But Mina and I went to the keystore and picked up some fish sticks (fish dicks) for dinner. On the way to the keystore (for the second time in my onesie), Mina and I were really chatting away and we went around a corner and all of a sudden there was this big black guy right in front of me. I screamed in the poor guys face, and had a mini heart attack. He looked at me like I was crazy, and Mina laughed at me for like hours after that. She wondered how a ninja monkey can get so scared... "didn't you hear him coming"... "nope". Lol it was really funny, though. I just got such a fright from some guy being right in front of me. After dinner I went to Bri and Kelsie's flat so Zoe and I could work on the Vikings! essay. We had a good time talking, and I must say that her phrase "amaze-balls" is really catching on lol I say it all the time now. It was kind of cruddy working on Vikings! but I felt good about actually doing something for it, even though I didn't write anything for my essay yet lol. When I went home I had some surprise cheering up from a friend I hadn't talked to in a while and that was really great. I love those little things in life that show you how much other people care about you. Especially after all the places you might go, the people who stay in touch are the ones who really matter. 

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