Just Living Lfe

So there's really not that much to report. All of my essays are now down and dusted, which is good news for my overall workload. Yet it was a decent amount of fun writing them--especially the two socia policy ones. I was really able to show myself how much I really knew, and while they weren't the best essays in the world I felt that they definitely show off a lot of the knowledge I've retained--that's the whole point, right?

But now I get to enjoy things more because the threat of papers is gone. Yes, final exams do happen eventually, and studying will be necessary, but that's after my epic adventures around Europe. For now I feel as if the majority of my time can be spent savoring what I have here, especially the subtle, minor details. Those have been the things that I seem to value the most: the friendships, having a TV, getting to walk around in a gorgeous city. These are the things that I feel like I will miss the most when I leave, because while home is great, there are many things that I won't get to bring home with me to Maine--intangible things that is.

I feel as if I'm struggling a bit to make Edinburgh interesting, but the fact is that really savoring an experience is more about enjoying the mundane just as much as the extraordinary. That's why you go abroad, to take you away from what you know so well, and make a new rountine. Yes, travelling around Europe later one will be an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experience, but I feel that when you live in a different country that is rather similar to your own, you get to enjoy the small differences just as much.

That's about it for now. Time to go make dinner. Yes, I'm not writing the most interesting stuff, but my profound thoughts will probably return soon. Until them, slainte!

5 Weeks Down

So time has been going by very quickly, whether I like it or not. I'm not officially half way through my semester, which seems rather amazing. 10 weeks semester just baffle me, especially when I have almost that much time between the end of classes and when I go home...really, Scotland? Of course I can't really complain. As of now I'm 2/3 of the way through my essays and with reading week coming up this next week I'm sure that I'll be done in no time. Then after that's all said and done it's nothing but going to lectures until the end.

It's interesting how comfortable I've gotten. I still freak out a little about turning in essays to professors who don't know me, for grades that make up 35% of the total, but I know that I can write well and I guess that's all that matters at this point.

Oh and social life seems to be on the upswing. Last night I stayed out until about 4AM partying with some new found American friends. It's rather ironic that I haven't had this much fun yet, considering my wanting to make new Scottish friends and have my interactions with them make up the bulk of my social life. Yet I can't really complain. There seems to be a certain level of comfort that exists between Americans (or between members of any other society). Despite the relative similarity between the US and the UK, there are certain social ques and other things which really make interactions more enjoyable. It's really hard to put a finger on it, but I haven't had that much fun since I've been here. And as such, I feel like I now have something which makes Edinburgh unique. Before this I had been rather lonely, thinking that while it was cool to be in another city it would be just as fun to be back at Bates where everything was familiar. Now, despite my continued love for home, I feel like I have the opportunity to explore what Edinburgh has to offer in a way that I hadn't been able to before. That's definitely something special.

Anyway, that's about it for now. I only have philosophy classes this coming week so the rest of the time will hopefully be put to good use in putting the finishing touches on these essays and going back to doing relatively nothing academically...while I can say that I would be rather bored if this were my academic life on a regular basis, there's something to be said for doing relatively nothing...thesis will come soon enough.

You know what really grinds my gears...?

Yes, the title of this post is taken from the Family Guy movie, in case anyone cares.

In the midst of all of these really deep posts--which tend to be the majority of my writing--I felt I would take a moment to list the things that annoy me about Scotland. Granted not much does, and many of these things are just mere differences between American and British vernaculars. However, I think some of them are down right annoying.

1. Crisps--which are chips (e.g. Lay's or Dorritos) come in ridculous flavors: prawn (shrimp), chicken, pork and tarragon, chili, and many others which I can't remember. What happened to good old sour cream and onion, or BBQ?

2. Zucchini is known as a courgette here. Literally the first time since I've been here that I was embarassed to be an American. I was in the Tesco trying to check out at the self-serve checkout (which is exactly the same as at Shaw's or Hannaford). Yet when I tried to find zucchini in the menu of veggies, it was no where to be found. I then had to flag down an employee who told me with a slight snicker that they were courgettes. Who the hell call's it that?

3. The paper things you use to wipe your mouth at the dinner table are called serviettes. A napkin is a female hygiene item. Whoops. **Ironic how much the Brits use French words, despite how much animosity they claim to have towards them**

4. Soda comes in really small bottles. But I guess as a consolation, beer comes in really big cans.

5. They drive on the wrong side of the street.

Remarkably, that's all I can think of right now. So to balance it out, here are some of the more mundane things which are amazing about the UK.

1. Indian Food. My god, it's so good. Now I haven't been out to get it yet, a move which will probably boost my opinion too. But for right now I'm living off of jarred Indian sauces (Tikka, Korma, Bahgan Jash) they're all about 80p a jar and are absolutely delicious. If they don't have something comparable back at Shaw's I'm going to be really pissed.

2. Chips (French Fries) are really really good--in moderation of course.

3. Shreddies Cereal. It's like Wheat Chex on crack. And are addictive.

4. Scotch Pies. Yes, they have liver in them, but there's nothing yummier when you're at a football match.

It's obvious by how food-oriented this list has been that I don't eat as much as I should. Oh well, I'm waiting for Italy and Spain!

A Week Later...

It's been a week since my last post, so I felt it was about time to update. The past week was very normal: basic, easy, and rather mundane. It's surprising when you can say that while you're living in Edinburgh, but that's the place I find myself in these days. I've gotten into a pretty decent routine, which has a way of calming you down, but also makes time go by so much faster than you could ever dream of. It's almost been 5 weeks since I arrived in Scotland, which is both amazing and frightening at the same time. I'm really of two minds. One of them yearns for Maine and all that goes with it. The friends and family, the car, the food, the sights, and places, and everything else. But then there's the fact that I'm in an amazing city, with many parts still unexplored.

It definitely took most of the first month to feel at home, but I don't want to feel at home all the time. There's a certain sense of regularity which seems to persuade me not to take risks, and not to do anything new. Stay with what you know, is what I'm often feeling. I can completely understand why this happens. You arrive in a place that you don't know, and despite the fact that I know the language, everything else is unfamiliar. I struggled to find my place, to find food, to find anything that I could label as familiar. It took a while, but now that I feel like I've reached that place, it's very hard to make myself feel like venturing out into the unknown again.

One way that I will be doing this over the next couple weeks is writing essay. A bad example I know, but the academics are different. However, the big adventure will be at the end of March. I've now booked, along with a new found friend, an 11 night tour of Spain and Italy--Barcelona, Madrid, and Rome. That will definitely press my panic button. I know some Spanish, not as much as I used to, and next to no Italian. We'll be staying in rather basic hostels, trying to find cheap food, and be beyond tired. But hey, this is what it's all about in my book. Being able to be in Europe and experience all that it has to offer, though brief, is a chance that I couldn't pass up. While my mind is still trying to deal with spending the money necessary to make it happen, and leave what I know behind, I'm sure that not doing it would have produced bigger regrets.

But as for now the challenge is to find the adventure in the mundane. When you're a student on a limited budget you seldom venture out of your comfort zone. I cook the same couple meals. I go to the same grocery stores. I don't eat out. I walk the same path to and from class each day. While it's great to be a student in Edinburgh, I pray that I can reclaim that sense of adventure again. Maybe not enough to scare me, but enough to remind myself why I'm here. I'm here to experience, not to just pass the time. May it be so.

21

So I'm 21, just like that. Most birthdays, especially those following the legalization of 18, or the driving age of 16, have been underwhelming. That's not to say that the outpouring of good wishes from friends and family, the cake, and the presents aren't awesome--but in terms of feeling different or really sensing changes in yourself, the last couple birthdays have been really basic. This one is different.

Yes, we all know that in the US, 21 means you can drink legally. That's a big deal in many ways. You can go to sports bars, clubs, go to Shaw's and buy a 6-pack, all of those things which you've been yearning to do for at least the past couple years. But here I am, in Scotland, where the drinking age is 18. No magic switch was flipped at midnight. I have no new ability under this set of laws which enables me to do something completely different. Again, it's a birthday, but not one that's all that special. Yet in the UK, 21 is still a big deal, regardless of the dearth of meaning. To them, 21 is a true coming of age birthday. You were bordering on adulthood for the past couple years, and with the turning of this page you can actually claim to be an adult. While you don't get any special legal recognition as such, 21 is seen as real milestone, a doorway into adulthood.

Because of all of this; because I could go out and buy my celebratory bottle of Famous Grouse last week, before the day arrived, I've been able to sit and ponder a bit about what 21 really means. Since the whole "you can buy booze" mystique is not present, I can think about what 21 means to me on a much more personal and profound way. To me, I really do feel different today. For a while now I've been feeling caught between the feelings of freshman year--the excitement, craziness, and unadulterated fear--and knowing that I wanted to be able to grow up in some ways--to be more responsible, to be taken more seriously and other such things.

Of course, I've been responsible and respected for some time. Yet turning 21 feels like the turning of the page. I feel as if I have now gained every liberty in the book. Regardless of the fact that I won't be able to buy booze in the States till June, I feel as if my culture has now validated my citizenship--I've got it all. But what does all entail? I now have all the priveleges, as well as all of the responsibilities. I am now closer to 30 than I am to 10--closer to being a seasoned adult than a complete child. I'm 18 months away from graduation and setting out into the big, bad world.

Words cannot describe fully the sense of deep pleasure I'm feeling from this birthday, and while I may be attempting to create something more profound than what is really there, I feel as if I have tapped into something that often gets lost in the American celebrations of this illustrious occasion. The whole alcohol thing is really awesome, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that if I was at home I wouldn't be do all of things which are expected. But since I don't have to do that--or actually just don't have the opportunity--I feel as if I can unpack it more. In that regard the boxes are still relatively full, and the apartment is very messy. Growing up takes time, effort, and patience. Yet I feel as if I've started; I've reached the point of no return, and I am starting to gain what I need to take the final steps.

I will be going out tonight, just in case some of you were worrying that I would be sitting here being philosophical all night. Probably a good dinner with friends and then my favorite bar for a few pints--a simple, yet joyous night. I thank all of you out there who have made my first 21 year special. For those who have taught me, loved me and inspired me. To my family, including the grandparents I have lost and never met, thank you for your love, both then and now and into the future. I hope I have done your memories justice.

Ok, enough of all that. Yes, it's a great day, time to go make the most of it. Slainte!