Home Sweet Home

After having a few days to settle in and shake off the jet lag, I figured it was time to sit down and write one last post.

My flights home were a bit more eventful than I had hoped for. First, we were an hour late getting to the airport because of the traffic for the Royal Highland Show. Thankfully, our flight was delayed an hour so we had some time to check in and grab some lunch. Gael, Jordan, Hilary and I were all on the same flight to Newark. We had a few pounds left to spend and what better way to spend them then at the bar?! We toasted to our trip, and to our last legal drink for a few months. Our flight got into Newark late, and Jordan and I had to catch a flight to Chicago that was fast approaching. Passport control, baggage reclaim, customs, baggage recheck, airtran, security. All in about 30 minutes. Yeah, that was "fun". We were under the impression that our flight was on time, so we were the two weird people you see running through the airport in fear of missing a flight. However, upon getting to our gate it was made aware by a very rude employee that "the plane isn't even boarding yet". Whatever. We made it, and that's what matters. The rest of the day went much smoother, thank goodness, and I arrived in Springfield more jet-lagged than I thought possible. Ew.

Sunday was rough, I pretty much threw myself into a normal schedule and forced myself to stay awake for a full 12 hours. I only made it till around 9 o'clock at night (3 am Scotland time). Monday and Tuesday proved to be much better, with trips to the lake to help. The heat, however, has not helped at all. Coming from a month of 50-60 degree weather, to temperatures in the 100's is crazy. I never thought I would say it, but I miss the rainy Scotland weather!

I seriously had the time of my life on this trip, and am so thankful for the opportunity I was given. I now officially have the "travel bug", and cannot see myself staying put for too much longer! I made some life-long friends on this trip, and cannot wait to see them again. When you throw 16 college students together, you don't expect them to get along as well as we did. We truly became a family, bickering included. Until you travel abroad you will never quite understand the bond you make with the people you go with. I will never forget my experiences in Scotland, and the people I went with.

Where to next?

Farewell Bonnie Scotland

Thursday was the Royal Highland Show. And guess what? It rained. All day. Shocking, I know. We got there pretty early in the morning and watched the working hunter class. After shopping around a bit we went to watch the in-hand classes. There were some cute clydesdale yearlings and some miniature ponies! We explored the food tent for a while and were able to accomplish our goal of getting full off of samples :) After we had tasted every kind of jam and honey that Scotland has to offer, we went over to the main arena to watch the jumpers. Six hours in the cold rain is enough for anyone to be cranky, and when you have 15 cranky college kids in one van it gets interesting. We all went our separate ways for a while, I snuggled up in my bed and got warm until it was time for dinner.

Today was show day! We got up pretty early and went over to the barn to get the horses ready for the show. Julie and I were sharing Brannagh. Luckily she is a dark horse and it wasn't too hard to get her looking good. We groomed her and I braided her tail and called it a day. Overall it was a good show, we got 3rd in turnout, Julie got 5th in dressage and I got 4th in the jumping. We all had a great time, and except for a minor "emergency dismount" from Nicole, and Chelsea getting stepped on, there weren't any major issues. After the show we didn't really have anything to do and no one felt like packing, so we went and saw a movie. A quick stop to the pub in town was necessary, and the bartenders were sad to see us leave and gave us free shots! Packing was a chore, I didn't quite realize the amount of stuff I accumulated the past few weeks!

I am so sad to leave this beautiful place, but at the same time I am anxious to get home. It's such a mix of emotions, I'm not quite sure of what to do about it. Here's to hoping my flights go well tomorrow and I get home without a hitch.

sunsets and sore muscles

Tuesday was such a fun day. Why you might ask?

Because we rode allllllllll day!!!!!!!  


In the morning we went to the barn, unsuspecting of this marvelous treat that was in store for us. We were assigned partners for our show on Friday. Julie and I selected Brannagh as our horse. We both do well with her, even though she can be a little fussy sometimes. She loves to jump, and is so excited while going over a course. While the first group was tacking up, the other half of us went to the arena and set up the dressage court. Julie and her group were learning a dressage test for Friday, and my group is doing a jumping course. We took turns being the "judge" and calling out the moves for the dressage test. After the first group was done, the second group got on and prepared to jump. We warmed up a bit and then were off! Brannagh is such a fun ride! She is so eager to jump and you can tell she loves it. We went around a course a few times, working on speed and balance.

After lunch we were to ride again. This time, my group rode first. We did a few courses, and everything was great. The last course I did I was turning a tight corner with her and asked for a lead change. Brannagh didn't like this too much and gave a few half-bucks in protest. It wasn't too bad, except for the fact I bit my lip twice! Ouch, it hurt so so bad. I got off after, and watched the other group ride. They went over some jumps and it was so much fun to watch. For a lot of them it was the first time they had ever jumped and it was so cute! Julie looked great on Brannagh and you could tell they were both having fun :) It definitely sent me down memory lane to when I was first learning how to jump.

Around 9 o'clock we decided to go walk up the huge hill on campus, Binny, to see the sunset. Yes, the sun here sets around 10 this time of year. It's so strange, and makes us feel the need to stay up later and later. We got some beautiful pictures of the sunset and headed back down to campus. The sheep were very interested in us this time, and we got to get close to them.

Today we had our anatomy practical in the morning (which I aced) and then rode in the afternoon. The first group went through their dressage test and then I got on and went over some jumps. It was a good riding lesson and we got some good action pictures. After riding three times in two days, my muscles are quite sore, and I'm ready for a good night's sleep.

Tomorrow we go to the Royal Highland Show, and it's supposed to rain hard core, but at least I have my new wellies!!

Where has the time gone?!

Technical difficulties combined with pure business has kept me from my computer for almost a week! It is so sad to think that we are on our last week here. Let's see if I can recap some highlights from the last six days :)

Wednesday: Pretty much a normal day, we had class in the morning and rode in the afternoon. This time we were able to do free work, and I rode the little gypsy horse at the barn, Rosie. I did a lot of no-stirrup work and had a blast. After we rode we rushed off to Edinburgh to go see the torch pass through. We had a rushed dinner before, and only some of us had paid in time to go see the torch. The waiter felt bad for those of us who were missing out on the torch and gave us a few pitchers of free drinks while we watched it on tv ;)

Thursday: We had anatomy in the morning and rode in the afternoon. But this time, we got to JUMP!!!! We were all so freaking excited. The group of us that got to jump were ready for a change in pace. We only got to do a few courses, and they were pretty low jumps but it was still exciting.

Friday: Pretty normal, we had anatomy in the morning and went to an eventing yard in the afternoon. We had an early night of studying and hanging out, because we had an early morning the next day.

Saturday: Balcarres International Horse Trials!!! Only, it was POURING outside!!! It was so cold, and rain was getting in your face no matter which way you turned. I was an idiot and wore my sperrys. I was ready for the rain, but not the mud-mess that we had to endure. My shoes were being suctioned off in almost every step and I knew I had made a mistake in my shoe choice. Soooo I bought new wellies as soon as I could. They are bright teal and super cute :) They kept my feet oh so cozy and I was set for the rest of the day! It was so neat, we got to see a chariot with mini's going over flaming jumps! Other than that, we got to see our riding instructor's husband ride in the working hunter classes, some cross country, and the pony jumpers. It was so muddy, the ponies had mud up to their bellies. The cross country was rough because of all the mud as well. It was a great experience to be able to go to an International Horse Trials, and I will remember it forever!

Sunday: We got to sleep in! After a long week it was a much-needed rest. In the afternoon a few of us went over to Blackness Castle. It used to be a prison and was a really neat place, right on the coast. It was a great study break, but when we got back it was time to get back to work.

Monday: Today was our anatomy exam, and we found out at dinner that all of us passed! We were so excited, we had all studied our butts off for it. After the exam we went to another eventing yard to continue comparing how different riders keep their horses fit. The owner and rider of the yard, Olivia Wilmot, is an olympic hopeful for 2016! She actually said she and her horse, Axle, were qualified for this year's Olympics, but since the GB team is so competitive they came short of the cut off. I will definitely be looking for her in Rio in 4 years!

Bagpipes Everywhere

After being sufficiently drenched on Friday we were all praying our hardest for nice weather on Saturday for our second trip into Edinburgh. We elected to get an early start on the day and hit the shops head on :) Our first stop was Starbucks, of course, where I actually remembered to keep my coffee collar for my collection this time. This whole "lets drink instant coffee every day and expect to function" thing is starting to wear on me. I would kill for a good cup of strong, freshly brewed coffee right now. After we all got our caffeine fix we started to make our way up the Royal Mile. The Royal Mile is actually a culmination of several streets that all stem down from the Edinburgh Castle. It is full of street performers, independent vendors, and souvenir shops galore. I really wanted a piece of jewelry that was made in Scotland, and there were many jewelry vendors lined up on the sidewalk. We found this one guy who made jewelry out of forks and spoons! It sounds strange, but there is quite a bit of history behind it. Apparently, the servants of large estates would steal their masters' silver wear and melt it down to make wedding rings for themselves since they were too poor to buy one. He had a collection of fork rings and bracelets, and a ton of spoon rings. He showed us all the calluses on his hands from heating and manipulating the silver, a true craftsman. After looking at other booths where the vendors confessed to buying their product from Asia, I decided to go back to the spoon rings and get one! I wanted something authentic, and there it was! A few other girls got one too, and we absolutely love them. It's such a unique piece of jewelry, I just love it.

After shopping for a bit we had lunch at another cute little tavern and then ventured up to the Edinburgh Castle. During our tour I was actually a little disappointed. I was expecting something more...medieval. The majority of the castle is still a functioning military base for Scotland, so a lot of the buildings were closed off to tourists. Other parts had been turned into a coffee shop, and whiskey shop. It was still beautiful, and the views from the top were amazing. Our tour guide was very entertaining and made it know to us that Scotland hates Mel Gibson and "Braveheart". He said to us that "Braveheart is to Scottish history as Harry Potter is to Science". I think that pretty much sums it up.

Speaking of Harry Potter, after our castle exploring we ventured over a few streets to The Elephant House. This is the coffee shop where JK Rowling wrote the first part of the Harry Potter series on napkins, while staring up at the Edinburgh Castle for inspiration. It was so neat to go there and get a cup of coffee, and to just know that literary genius was written in the very shop that we were in!

While walking around the Royal Mile we passed many street performers, but none quite as loud (or cute) as the bagpiper on Mound Street. He was seriously out there for the whole day, just bagpiping away! Everywhere you go in Edinburgh, I swear you can hear bagpipes being played. For a while, it's cute. You know, an authentic part of Scottish history. But then after hearing "Amazing Grace" for the tenth time that day, it starts to wear on you.

The next day, Sunday, was race day! We were able to have "a wee lay in" and left for the races around noon. Now, this is not your typically American race-track. First of all, we get there and find out that all the parking is in a field. This wouldn't be such a big deal if we weren't all dressed to the nines. All the girls had on dresses or heels (or for me, both) and were terrified of slipping in the wet grass. Hilary said something along the lines of, "In California we walk on asphalt to get to concrete at the races" where in Scotland you walk on wet grass to get to mud. The races were on a turf surface, and over brush fences. We were able to see a few races, and were very much swept up with the excitement of the whole thing. It was a lot of fun, and it was really neat to see another part of the Scottish culture.

Yesterday was a typical Monday, dragging ourselves out of bed and off to class! We learned about different lounging techniques and how they affect different muscles on the horse's body. Then more putting labels on horses to practice for our practical, and fitness planning in the afternoon. After class a few of us went over to the Equestrian Center to watch a jumping clinic that was being put on by Andrew Hamilton. We didn't really know much about him, but one of the riders that came out and let us evaluate his eventing horse's fitness was participating and we really wanted to see him jump. We hung around for a while and got to talk to Hamilton about our program and such. He even turned us into his jump crew for a bit. After dinner, Macki, Chelsea and I went back and wanted to watch his last two groups. He was talking to us at the rail for a while, then invited us into the middle of the arena with him. He would ask us questions about the horses that were participating, and invite us to share our feedback with him and the riders about what they could change to do better, or why they were getting the results that they were. It was an invaluable experience. Not many clinicians will let you get that involved with their clinic, especially when you are not paying for it! I learned so much just from listening to him coach and seeing how the little changes he told the riders to make really did have a big impact on their riding. It's hard when you're on a horse and your trainer tells you to "sit back", you do, and don't really feel anything different. However, getting to watch it from the ground and truly evaluate how the rider and horse work together really made everything click. It was such a great experience, and the three of us walked away so thankful for the opportunity that had just fallen into our laps.

I can't believe we only have a little less than two weeks left! I will be so sad to leave this beautiful country, but am determined to live up every last day I am here!

A wet week.

This week has been so rainy compared to our first!

Tuesday morning we had our Fitness class and evaluated one of the lesser fit school horses, Shakira. We put her through a work-out and had a heart rate monitor attached to her to measure her recovery rates and such. It was really cool and gave such a good glimpse at her true fitness level. Tuesday afternoon we got to ride and I rode a naughty horse named Brannah (I didn't spell that right, but you get the gist).  She was nice once you got her going but decided she didn't like it too much when I used my crop on her ;) Tuesday night was the Oatridge student's end of the year BBQ and it was great to hang out with them, but also quite sad to say goodbye. We really got to know some of the students here and it will not be the same without them here.

Wednesday we had the privilege of going to a Dressage yard a ways away from the college. It was amazing to see horses at such a high fitness level up close. She ran two horses through a work-out and they were both beautiful creatures. Wednesday afternoon we rode again and I rode a spunky bay mare named Patsie. I loved her and it was probably the best lesson I've had since being here! It's been really great to be exposed to different trainers. Each one has their own way of teaching and over here they are very Dressage inclined, which is not something I've ever focused on a lot.

Thursday we had Fitness again in the morning. This time we were evaluating an eventing horse that belongs to one of our riding instructor's husband. He was a beautiful horse and his fitness level was very much above Shakira's. He was galloping around the track as if he was as light as a feather. That afternoon we rode again and I got to ride a big gray Irish Draft Cross, Jimmy. He is a good boy and has such a beautiful, long stride. It's been great to get to be exposed to so many different horses whilst we've been here. It's a true test of your riding skills to be placed on a different horse every time you ride.

Today was the Common Ride in Hawick. It is basically a celebration of the capture of the English flag by the Scottish, and a re-defining of the Scottish boundaries. They had some great merchants there and we got some delicious Nutella crepes :) At the end of the "ride" you see all of the men and their horses gallop by, one had even lost it's rider! The only bad thing about it was that it was pouring all day! A miserable, cold rain that got in your face no matter which way you turned. After a few hours all of us were ready to go home to our dry, warm beds.

Tomorrow we go to Edinburgh again for more shopping and sight seeing (and more Starbucks ;) ) and then Sunday is the Gold Cup Races!!! :)

Cheers!

#firstworldproblems

Oh my goodness. I cannot believe it has taken me five days to get back on here! There have been some major technical difficulties at the college we are at. Normally they have a very strict policy of blocking facebook from their students. Along with twitter, Skype, and any other social media outlets. Dumb. Not to worry though, after pretty much throwing the biggest multi-person bitch fit possible we have our precious internet back :) So let's start from where I left off!

Thursday was one of the less physical days on campus. We were inside for both Anatomy and Fitness. It wasn't too bad in the morning for Anatomy. We were discussing the skeletal system and filling in some charts. Then after lunch is when everyone started to fade. We were talking about assessing the fitness level on a horse and no one could keep their eyes open! The trademark Scottish gloom had taken over everyone. Louise, our Fitness instructor was laughing at us and gave us a break to go wake ourselves up and get some coffee! I hopped in place for a bit outside and tried to get the blood flowing again! Our late nights were starting to catch up with us. We were almost bonding a bit too well as a group, and needed to start getting to bed earlier. Especially since all of us were so excited because Friday meant RIDING!

Friday finally came and we were all chomping at the bit to get to ride. My group went first, and the more beginner riders went after lunch. Since the instructor was still getting a feel for our riding abilities, we just worked on flat work and a lot of equitation. This was actually good for me, I definitely need some fine tuning. Our riding instructor, Liz, is very dressage inclined. I've always been focused on the jumping aspect so it was interesting to have a lesson from that point of view. Even though it was very helpful, I still hope we get to jump the next time ;) After the second group had ridden, a few of us hiked up to this mountain-hill on campus called Binny Craig. It was quite entertaining, and a great workout. First we had to navigate through a few cow and sheep fields. After successfully avoiding the sheep poop so far, of course I had to sit in some! I even checked the spot where I was sitting down and didn't see any, the grass was hiding it! I stood up and found a huge poop stain on the butt of my breeches. We were all cracking up, and it was just what we needed to make that last effort up to the top. Once we got to the top though, it was beautiful! You can see for miles around, and can even see the North Sea at the edge of the horizon. So so cool. Our trip down Binny was the more interesting part. We were all terrified we were going to fall on each other and basically crab-crawled down. Then, when we were almost home free, I wasn't paying attention and stepped in a fresh cow pie! My sperry was covered in cow poop. Yum. Thankfully, I was able to scrub it up later and now it only smells a little...But wait! The night was not over yet! We decided to make the 25 minute walk into Uphall, the closest town to the college, and go to one of the bars for Karaoke! It was so much fun, all of us Americans sang "Call Me Maybe" for the Scottish, and they loved us. While we were in town we also went to a small restaurant called Aldos. There, I got the best fish and chips I have ever tasted. Oh my gosh. Seriously, it was amazing. Macki and I split an order and we were both stuffed by the time we were finished. The Scotts sure know how to fry their fish.

Saturday morning came way too early, and before we knew it we were off to Loch Lomond. It is one of the main dividing points between the lowlands and the highlands in Scotland and was absolutely beautiful. We had a pretty nice day, it was overcast but still warm. After hiking up another huge mountain-hill to see the Loch from above, we drove down the a dock and took a boat to one of it's bigger islands, Inchcailloch. Once there, we walked around the island. We saw some burial grounds and hiked up some more hills. It really was beautiful, and so green!! I feel like all of my pictures look the same because everything is green here! After exploring for a bit we were all exhausted and ready to go back. That night we were all anticipating our visit to Edinburgh the next day and planned our trip. 


Sunday was our first trip into Edinburgh! We took the train a short ways into the city and I made it clear that finding a Starbucks was our number one priority. After drinking instant coffee for a week straight, I was needing some real coffee. And boy did I get it! After asked a few different people where the closest Starbucks was we finally found it! Sweet relief! My quad venti nonfat caramel macchiato had never tasted so good! After that I was happy to go wherever! We decided to go shopping and get a feel for the city, since we are planning on going back at least three other times during our trip. We saw some of the cutest (and out of my price range) boutiques and ate lunch at the best hole-in-the-wall brewery on Rose Street. After lunch the group divided up more as some of us got tired and other wanted to shop more. Me, I can shop all day. Five of us decided to stay until the shops closed at 6, get a snack and make our way back to Oatridge College. It was such a fantastic day and I cannot wait to go back this next Sunday! We will most likely do the Castle and more shopping ;) 


Monday rolled around again today and we had both Anatomy and Fitness. For our Fitness class we evaluated one of the lesser fit horses on the yard, Shakira, and had her run the gallops for a while. It was neat to put a fitness plan together for her and judge how much she should be worked to get into peak fitness. After class I was able to do some laundry and upload pictures to facebook :) Our beloved facebook and Skype are now working so we can get in touch with family and friends again and not feel as cut off :) 


Cheers! 

So this is what Scotland is supposed to look like...

After our first two days here were filled with beautiful weather, Scotland decided it was time to show it's true colors. Tuesday and today were very dreary and misty, the Scottish norm. It's a bit disappointing, we would all love some warmer temps, but at least it's not the 90+ degrees that Missouri will be getting soon.

Tuesday was our first real day of class and it went great. We had our Equine Fitness class in the morning and learned that we would be assessing different horse's health and fitness levels not only on campus but also at several eventing yards. I love our two teachers, Sharon and Louise. They are the nicest people and so far classes have been great. The real highlight of Tuesday however, was getting to ride. We had our first lesson that afternoon, if you could really call it that. They were mainly just assessing us to see which level to put us in. We had to spend a lot of time going over how the school likes to groom and tack up, and by the time we were finished we were all itching to get in the saddle. The more advanced riders went first, so that the students who've never ridden english before could see the basics of how it's done. We didn't do much, just trotted around a bit and then they had us canter one by one. The horse I was on, Mia, seemed a bit lazy at first but once I got her going she really perked up and came to life. Her stride is so long, once we started cantering she really lengthened out and started speeding up a bit and I started laughing while we were going around the arena. She took me by surprise and all I could do was laugh and go with it. Watching the beginners was great. It was entertaining to see some of the students that have never ridden english before sit in and english saddle and attempt to post at the trot. With western the stirrups are much longer and you normal sit the trot, completely opposite of english. They eventually all got the drift and I was so proud! Posting is not as easy as it looks when you first learn it, but once you do it comes naturally with the rhythm of the horse.

Tuesday night was our true introduction to Scotland. Our "welcome to Scotland night" took place and it was so much fun. We got to try traditional Scottish food and they even had some fresh haggis that was blessed and cooked right while we were at the ceremony. It was a true celebration, with this group of locals that sang songs, read poems, and acted out some funny plays for us, all in the Scottish spirit. And most of them were wearing kilts! We also got to do some whiskey tasting. I was very proud of myself for finishing my little bit that I got. It's safe to say whiskey will not be my drink of choice in the future. We were there for over three hours, and I loved every minute of it. We truly felt welcomed and more educated on the culture.

Today we had anatomy and physiology, and equine fitness. For both classes we were in the barn most of the time. In anatomy and physiology we got to take stickers and place them on the horse according to the location of the structure written. It was really good practical learning and we had a lot of fun with it. In equine fitness we were given some horses to assess their fitness and health levels and was also really good practical learning.

The last thing on the schedule for today was a show jumping schooling show going on at the equestrian center on campus. We went and watched and were quite entertained. Since it's a schooling show, people from around the area came to use the arena and get their younger horses more prepared for the real shows. There were some very naughty ponies there, and also some beautiful warmbloods that were jumping in the higher classes. It was great watching them jump, but I definitely wished I was out there too! But it's ok, we get to ride again on Friday and I could not be more excited.

When we went to the store I tried to find a cheap coffee pot, but they were all around 30 pounds! There is no way any of us were willing to pay that much for a coffee maker that we were going to end up leaving here so I am just going to suck it up and drink instant coffee for four weeks. They do have a coffee shop on campus but I don't want to spend all my money on coffee while I'm over here! It'll be an occasional treat, when I really am needing a dose of caffeine. I really need to go on a run tomorrow. All of the meals are delicious, but so full of carbs! Another thing that is strange is the fruit here tastes a bit odd sometimes, and they don't eat a lot of it. It's a stretch to get salad at dinner, and fruit at breakfast. I snuck a couple apples today to have as snacks and to help fill my fruit and veggie quotas for the day.

Everything is fully in swing now and I am very pleased with how it is going. I am making some great friends and we are all getting along so well. I can't wait until Friday when we get to ride again!

Master Explorers

I'm heeeerrreee!!! The past two days have been a total whirlwind of craziness. Thankfully, all of my flights were on time and relatively stress free. Once we got to Scotland we waited at the airport for a bit over an hour, slowly accumulating more of our program participants. It's funny how we were able to pick each other out from the crowd. "Umm, excuse me...are you guys part of the Adalante group??" Once we were picked up, that's when the adventure started.

Driving on the opposite side of the road is terrifying. Going on round-a-bouts the opposite way, turing left on red, and just a general sense of crazy. Once we got to the college and got our room assignments was when the culture shock started to set in. For one: no air conditioning. Which really isn't a big deal in Scotland because it rarely gets over 70 degrees. Well, fahrenheit that is. I'm still working on the celsius conversions... The only thing is that of course, Scotland has been having unusually warm temperatures recently so it was boiling in my room! Well...until I figured out how to turn off the radiator. That helped ;). Also, all the water facets have two knobs and the sink even has a separate facet for hot and cold water. Figuring out the shower wasn't too bad, I only had to endure ice water for a few seconds before I figured out how to work the temperature out.

We got to Oatridge at about 1pm and everyone was exhausted so a lot of us slept until dinner at 5. After dinner, Nicole, Macki, Chesea and I went exploring around the college. We were all anxious to see the horses so we went walking around by the pastures and around the farm part of the college. They have horses, cows, sheep, alpacas, and pigs. We were in an exploring mood and found this old staircase that lead to a little forgotten pathway up the side of a hill. It was really neat and we followed it for a while until the weeds really started to grow up. No one felt like getting ticks right then. A bit farther on the road we chose another pathway that ended up being a drive-way. Nothing special, until we turned around and walking the opposite way found this stone archway that was half-way hidden by the bushes and trees. It was so cool. We almost missed it, but I caught it out of the corner of my eye. It is literally built into the hill, and said something like, "Commission by the Bishop of Edinburgh" on the arch. The iron gate by it even still worked!

With our exploring spirit wearing out, we decided to go back and check out the campus bar. Everyone was ready for a drink then, the jet lag was catching up with us. After hanging out there for a bit some of the group decided to venture into the little town close to the college to find the pub. I was exhausted and decided to leave it for another time. We ended up talking with some of the local students for a while and learned some very valuable Scottish slang. Ha! We were trading slang words and phrases and trying out each others' accents. It was really awesome and we made some great new friends. It's so funny, everyone curses like a sailor here and smokes-a lot. The cursing I can handle, but the smoking I'll have a harder time getting used to.

This morning at breakfast I found out my worst nightmare. Everyone in Scotland drinks instant coffee. There is no way in hell I'm living off of instant coffee for four weeks. A lot of girls in the group feel the same way as me and we are all thinking of chipping in a pound and buying a real coffee maker. I know it's ridiculous, but until I am more settled here there is no way I am giving up my most prominent comfort from back home. Thank God I remembered to bring my Starbucks Via ;)

I am so excited to get started riding and in classes and learn more about the country. Everything is so green here! Like, a bright, fresh green that just makes you so happy all the time! Also, the air is so fresh and clean. It's so refreshing. And barely any humidity!!! Ok, it hasn't rained yet so I'm sure that will change soon. But I'm soaking up the sun and beautiful weather while I can.

Facebook and Skype are blocked here...but we all threw a fit so the IT office is gonna try and fix that for us. For a lot of people in the program it's our only way of staying in contact with family and friends so they were very understanding and helpful when we explained it.

I'll have pictures up soon!!!

can i start freaking out now?

Five more days until I leave for Scotland! This cannot be real life. It still has not sunk in that I am going to be studying abroad for four weeks! I'm so so excited that it is almost here but the nerves are starting to creep up on me. It's really just the flying. I don't like flying, and the thought of having to do it on my own is still freaking me out. I'm sure I'll be a big hot mess when I board that plane...and then I'll pop some dramamine and be fine.

On a side note: I went to the dentist today. Gotta make sure to put those Brits' teeth to shame ;) ((I mean I ammmm 20 years cavity free)) Anyways, I cannot express to you how frustrating it is when the hygienist is cleaning my teeth and trying to have a conversation with me at the same time! Here I am, laying in this chair with my mouth wide open and she is chatting away asking me questions while continuing to wage war on my gums...commence awkward throat noise and shoulder shrug? I'll never understand how that's supposed to work.

But seriously...what am I supposed to wear? It's going to be 60s-70s and rainy. And apparently the Scottish don't like to dress colorfully so that pretty much nixes every item of clothing I own besides my black Mizzou shirts. It's most likely going to come down to me being a completely obvious American and wearing bright colors every day. I mean, neon is kind of a thing again. I've given up on my quest for rain boots and have decided to take my chances and buy some over there if needed.

I am just so excited to begin this amazing journey, and I'm sure at the end I'll look back on these past few posts and think that I was acting crazy worrying as much as I am.

seventeen days and counting

After just reading all the discussion posts from my study abroad group I have come to one major conclusion:

we are all such girls. 

The number one topic in our discussion board is on getting our suitcases under the weight limit! Haha, I love it. (especially since I lay awake at night thinking about it too) 

I am so excited, only one more final to go and then I'm home for two weeks before jetting off to my summer adventure! 

On a side note- I bought an Edinburgh/Glasgow guide book at Barnes and Noble the other day and have been flipping through it ever since!! :) 

the calm before the storm

26 days until I leave for Scotland!! Considering prepping for finals is preventing me from forming coherent sentences we are going to do this in list form...

• I have to fill out so much more paperwork this last week. Course proposals and international center forms? Since when do we need these? Good job CAFNR. 
• I'm really concerned about what shoes I'm going to wear on the plane. I just can't decide. 
• How the hell am I supposed to meet the 50 lb weight limit?? A girl's gotta have clothing options...
• Speaking of, my riding stuff is going to take up so much room. 
• Oatridge better have a coffee machine...
• I'm actually really nervous to fly by myself. Am I too old to be assigned to a flight attendant who will make sure I get places ok? 
• My hair is going to be a fizzy mess the whole damn time. 
• But I got a really cute rain jacket, it's ok. 
• My three top places to go include Loch Ness, the cafe in Edinburgh where JK Rowling wrote the first part of Harry Potter, and London for a day. 
• On a side note I can't wait to people watch in the airports. 
• Oh hey, and there are Starbucks in Scotland. That will bring my out-of-country Starbucks purchases up to 2! (it's a work in progress) 
• I'm so excited to meet a bunch of people from around the U.S. 
• But also so grateful that Nicole is going with me. A familiar face will be so great. 
• And we're pretty much gonna run that shit. 
• I really hope we get to do some cross country riding. Dream come true, that would be. 
• It doesn't quite seem real yet. 
• I should get a travel guide book. Too bad I don't have time to go to Barnes and Noble. Eh. I'll make time. 
• But really, should I bring some Starbucks instant Via with me? This is a serious question folks. 

For now, that'll do.