On my way back

First off, I hope you all like the new look of the blog. I figured we needed to get rid of the pink for a little while.

So as it is with all vacations, it was too short, and now I am sitting in an airport, waiting for my flight and wishing I had another two weeks to see everyone. I am so sorry to the people I missed seeing on this visit, it was so very VERY busy, I am surprised I got any sleep at all! To the people I did get to visit with, it was so wonderful to see you again and thank you for taking some time out of these last two weeks to spend time with me. I feel very loved.

So what did I do at home. Well there was Festival of Trees, the Vermonster, spending time with Erik, Christmas lights, a Christmas tree, dinner with Mom, Dad, Scott and Jenny. There was a fun pub quiz, a fantastic concert, and pretty much more fun than I can possibly detail here. Like I said, I would love to have two more weeks, but to be honest, all I have been doing is eating and visiting and visiting and eating so I need to get back before I put all 10lbs I have lost back on.

I know what the next question is, why are you going back so early. Well it wasn't really my choice, as the tickets were exorbitantly more expensive the closer you got to Christmas. I suppose that is the basic tenants of supply and demand, but honestly, it stinks! But besides the cost of the tickets, I have to get back so I can finish my academic term. I still have two 4000 word essays to pound out before the beginning of January. While I wish I could do them at home, some of the books and materials I need are housed in the University library (which will closed for at least part of the break). Plus there is a limit to how long you should stay anywhere. Even at home, house guests are like dead fish, after a few days they begin to stink.

So here I am in New York City. Outside the sun is setting and the sky is the most brilliant gradient of mustard yellow, to pumpkin, to brick red. For a city that is known for its buildings, mother nature still has power here! I am sitting at a gate (not mine) stealing free wireless from the Delta First class lounge next door and charging my computer. I am hoping to get some journal articles read on the flight over the ocean, as long as I am not too distracted by the little TV in the headrest.

I arrive tomorrow at 7:30am (BST) in London. After I get there and get through immigration control, I have train tickets to Edinburgh. I won't get there until 6:30pm (BST) tomorrow night, which is 10:30am tomorrow on the west coast. Joy! When I get home, I have to stay up a few hours and then I plan to collapse in bed until I have to be up to meet my Professor on Friday! Woohoo!

Well I best be off. I think I ought to do another walk around before heading over to my gate.

I miss you all already!

Writing from the plane

Note: Delayed in posting because well, no internet while flying.

While I am writing this I have just roughly passed the country of Greenland and am inching towards the east coast. I am so excited to be on my way back home. All I want to do is crawl into my own bed with my puppy and sleep for a long long time! Today has been an interesting day, mechanical problems seem to be following me. It started with the hostel where apparently all the plugs have been taken out of every room to keep women from drying or straightening their hair. When I tried to ask, they said, if I wanted to dry my hair, next time I should consider the Girl Guide house. Nice.

Then as I was leaving this morning, I pulled out my Ipod to play. It decided that it didn’t want to wake up and so to punish me, it froze completely. I still can’t get it to work. I also can’t get wifi anywhere because of course, that costs money, so I can’t check the apple forums for trouble shooting.

The London underground was 10 minutes behind today because it decided to break down. Then when I got to the Heathrow express train, the doors wouldn’t open and we had to get a new train. I had hoped it was over, that it was just the sign that I was going to have an uneventful flight until I got on the plane.

We went out like we normally did, and sat and waited and waited and waited to take off. All the planes in front of us took off. All the planes behind us took off. All the planes behind them took off. And yet, we were still there, sitting on the runway. It turns out that when they tried to start the engines, the left one had a problem with its fuel relay and wasn’t going. Well of course they weren’t going to let us fly over the ocean with a faulty engine so they took us back to the gate.

At this point might I add we were a hour delayed. They came over the intercom and said they were just going to have us sit and wait while they had an engineer troubleshoot the problem. I guessed it would mean that we would get a new plane.... No no no. An hour more passed with us sitting there, and then an hour and a half. They announced we were all fixed and heading out. We taxied out for a second time and waited. We waited at the back of a long line of planes. It apparently didn’t matter we were late already, we had to wait our turn. By the time we got out, we were three hours delayed. Woohoo.

Here's to hoping my bad luck is done with for today!

Big News!

Hello all! How are you guys? Today is St. Andrews day in Scotland, the day of the patron Saint and so, I thought I would bring you all a little bright Christmas news. Tonight I am in London instead of out celebrating with my friends. And in a little less than 12 hours, I will be on a plane jetting back to Oregon for two weeks! Surprise! And see you all very soon!

So Tired

Well as you probably can guess from the title and my all-nighter the other night I am so sleepy today. I am sitting in on a class that is covering economic theory of the Euro, which is a bit much to take at 9am. My lecturer is fantastic though, so he keeps it interesting.

I tried to get to bed early last night, but was woken up three or four times by my American flatmate last night. She doesn't realize how loud she is, and the last time she woke me up, I was awake for 3.5hrs afterwords. I started reading my homework for Friday- which is also some research for one of my 4000 word essays. I am going to be writing about a rise of Euroskeptism in the British government and how that strengthens the demands for independence in Scotland. It should be interesting. By my schedule I have 10-11 days to complete the research and write the paper, so well, I don't have much time to get it done or enjoy reading about it.

I have to say I am absolutely freezing today. It was 28 degrees here when I left the house this morning, but now it has warmed up to a balmy 32 degrees. The expected high for the day is 48. Its very clear here right now. Since I have been here it has hardly rained at all. Instead we get very clear and cold weather most of the time. I don't know if I have enough clothes to keep myself warm!

Well, class is almost over. I will post more soon.

Miss you all! xx

The anatomy of an all-nighter, or why I need to be banned from Facebook

Ok so it is 5:30am on Sunday morning here, and I am in the Post-Grad reading room listing to "Jesse's Girl" and trying to get the last 325-825 words out of my brain and into the computer. Unfortunately, I have nothing left to say and I am not even sure what I wrote makes any sense. I have however been keeping myself awake by facebook, harrassing people all over the world. Seriously if I had a ban on the site on my computer I would have been done with this essay three days ago, but then I wouldn't know what everyone is up to, so I guess I wouldn't trade it for my time back.

I miss everyone and wish I could see all of you!

Look I am a studious student... really.

So its Saturday afternoon. Outside the sky is blue and there is a crisp feeling in the air. Sadly though, instead of enjoying it like everyone else, I am in the reading room working on rational choice theory. Such a waste. :)

So what have you been up to?

I am in the middle of writing three essays for the end of the month. Two are 100% of my final grade, the other is 75%. As you can probably guess, I am going a little nuts researching these papers. I am officially on a first name basis with most of the librarians here and I have closed the library for the last few nights. Today I did a grand tour of the fabulous libraries we have here, the National Library of Scotland that only lets in "Academics" and undergrads who can prove that the University library doesn't have the book they are looking for. The second library was the Uni Library, where I picked up a couple more books for the sport of it. Finally I wandered over to the law library, where I spent a good afternoon wandering through the stacks. I went home to say hello to the flatmates (because otherwise they would never see me at all) had some yummy chili and wandered back to the Uni library, where I am writing this post. I have a 169 word start for one of the papers, but I will need far far more than that when it comes down to it.

So what have you all been doing????

Things I love

Ok its really easy to be negative around here, especially now that deadlines are looming. Instead of listing out all the things around me that I want to change, I think it would be more productive and well cathartic to spell out the things that make me happy.

So in no particular order, here it goes:
Coming home to a clean room
Fresh Laundry
Freshly Cleaned Sheets
Warm Soup on cold days
Good Friends
Awesome teammates
The Best Flatmates
Differences in American and British words
Articles peppered with Theory
Articles devoid of theory but filled with actual politics
Getting assignments finished and turned in early
The view from my kitchen window
The view from my bedroom window
The view from my house back home
Pictures of my family
Skype
Skype on my mobile
Getting mail, especially care packages
Running
Archery
Swimming
Hill Climbing
The One O'Clock Cannon
Visiting new places
Looking forward to my Brussels trip with school
Looking forward to seeing my classmates every day
Pubs (sorry it has to be said)
Quiet nights at home
The ocean (no matter what side of the world it is on)
The Royal Botanical Gardens
The National Museum of Scotland
National Museums in general
Missing home
Remembering that it will still be there when I get back
Portland
Edinburgh
Poitiers
Orlando
Just generally being happy, healthy, loving and loved.

I could keep going but you all get the idea.

Time is going by so fast!

I can't believe I am actually typing this, but I am officially done with the first half of the first term here. Five weeks have passed since Fresher's week. I am five weeks away from Christmas break. I have relatively little homework to do in comparison to what I did with my undergraduate degree, but in the place of it, I have far more reading and more technical classes. I am loving every second of it.

Tonight I am working on a 1000 word essay, why does public policy outcomes on the same policy or issue vary between political systems? I know it seems technical, but it boils down to some very simple answers, there are different people, interests, economics and politics in different countries. In other words, policies are different because countries are different. Brilliant huh?

I miss everyone like crazy. I am starting to get very homesick, but I know that it too will pass. I love the people here, I love my friends I have made, my ultra-quiet flatmates, my professors and fellow students. I feel like I belong, even if I also stand out like a sore thumb. I want to go home and see my family and dogs but more than anything, I want to keep learning.

Well I better get back to the essay. I can't just argue my point without having done the reading to back it up.

Night guys!

In Inverness

Hello everyone,

I am in Inverness with my roommmate, who is unfortunately not feeling well tonight. We are here to bike to Loch Ness and to the Calloden battlefields tomorrow, however I don't know how far we will get. If it is raining we might just stay here and be lazy.

I brought my homework with me. I have an essay due in a week and unfortunately the reading list for it involves over 20 journal articles and at least 10 books. The best part is that we are expected to know what is written in those articles or we lose marks on the paper. I am knee deep in papers, tired, and fast getting cranky at this guy who keeps trying to read over my shoulder. I paid for half an hour of internet and I am planning to take it thank you.

I will try to get on tomorrow and keep you informed of our adventures. Hopefully Sophia will stop puking and we will get to some fun.

Good night all

Donations Needed

Hi everyone!

Ok I wouldn't normally do this, however it is for a good cause. I am taking donations (actually sponsorships) for a race I am doing. It is happening next weekend and it should be a blast. Check out the concept. You and two friends are stranded (in costume of course) three hours outside of town. Your mission is to be the first group to make it back to Edinburgh. Don't worry Mom, they have safety features set into the game.

All the proceeds from this are going to a charity that sends sick children to summer camp. If you are interested in helping me out, please let me know. I would greatly appreciate it!

You can drop me a line at kristie.atkins@gmail.com

And don't worry, we will have plenty of pictures of this next weekend!

Photo Time!

Follow these links to more photos of Scotland than you can shake a stick at:

Edinburgh 1

Edinburgh 2

Edinburgh 3

Linlithgow

Its all fun and games until someone drops the banana

Ok so I know I promised you a post about kilts. And I have a story ready to share, BUT I am still working on getting photos and doing fieldwork on Kilts so I am going to save it for another day. I promise, there will be a post about kilts with pictures in the near future.

In the meantime I thought I would tell you about the student sports clubs. It all started out with a societies fair. I was curious to see the very expensive but very well regarded gym so I found my way over to it (its across the city and up six hills, four flights of stairs and one very precarious road btw). I did this on my birthday because hey, what more fun can you have when you are broke and its your birthday??? So anyways, I went to the society fair. It was A MADHOUSE. There were over 100 sports present, everything from the skiing club to swing dancing to a sport called Shinty, which is apparently hockey without the rules. I wandered through the halls and gladly spoke to anyone handing me a flier. When I got the the archery club, I met a nice guy named Graeme who encouraged me to go down to the range to try it.

Ok so I have to admit here, I have found an interesting correlation between the danger of the sport and how good looking the guys who participate are here. Running had ok guys. Rugby guys are gorgeous. Archery is more towards the rugby side of the world. :) But that is not entirely why I signed up. I also really liked the feel of releasing the string and watching the arrow hurl towards the target. One could say I was hooked.

Yet joining a club and being accepted into the club are two entirely different things. Check out what the Hares and Hounds made their new students do:



Yep they made them dress up like superheros (Banana superheros) and run through town carrying what else? Bananas of course. I happened to be walking down the street taking pictures when this group jogged by. There was a lot of laughing and pointing involved.

So what was the embarrassing things did the archery club make us do? Well it involved a pub crawl and lots of drinking. I have pictures but I will save them for tomorrow.

Well class is starting so stay tuned. I have more to share.

Settling In and Birthday

Ok so I am going to start by apologizing to you all. I know you have been dying for word of me and I know you have been dying for pictures. Well here is word of me, but no pictures. Honestly I have been so busy that I haven't had much time for camera sightseeing, and more over, my camera and the batteries around here are not mixing well. As soon as I get my technical difficulties worked out, I will get back to you with some stunning pictures, I promise.

So what have I been doing for the past week??? What haven't I been doing, would be a better question. I arrived on Friday, got hopelessly lost looking for my hostel and then again for an internet cafe. I found Edinburgh to be charming, if not a bit hilly, which since then has only come to be over and over again the best first impression I have ever had. I called my mom, who was worried sick because my original phone card didn't work, and I had to get a new one.

Saturday I moved into my new "flat" which is of course on what we would call the 5th floor of the building. You see, in Europe, they have a quirky way of numbering floors with the first floor being the ground floor and the second being called the first... I live in room 407 and you can imagine my delight to have to carry all my stuff up four winding flights of stairs. I live in the ONE building on campus without a lift. But enough complaining, because I think I must have paid someone off without realizing it. I have the most beautiful room, with a view of the Divinity school's garden. It is at least two and half times the size of my roommates rooms, so I am darn lucky. I could totally fit a couch and a table in here if I could get it up the stairs. I moved in, and went out in search of goods for cooking and such.

Sunday, more shopping, interrupted by an International Student Welcome Ceremony. It was mostly a waste of time and a mob scene. I escaped to the library to find it closed. More shopping ensused.

Monday, I went back to the library and was sent across campus to the law library, who sent me back to my flat to get my passport. In heels of course. I went back, looked at the additional reading I was going to do, decided I didn't want to do it and went on a tour of the Royal Mile instead.

Tuesday, yesterday.... I went to all kinds of things. I started off the day with a campus tour, which took me to all the buildings I had already found. I then went to a yoga class, which was surprisingly hard. What travelling can do to a body! Then I went to "The Museum of Childhood" which was put together by a man who hated children. It was a museum filled with old toys, creepy figures of children and hard to read displays. I totally cut out early. I went to a trade fair at the student union and then to an induction ceremony in the building I will be graduating in next summer. They totally repeated everything from the meeting on Sunday. I finished out the day by going to an international relations pub quiz party where my team won dinner for four and two bottles of wine!

So whew! That brings me to today. I woke up and went to the doctor to register. I showed up for a couple fresher's week events, but unfortunately they were too full. So I went for a walk down to the sports center and helped a nun get safely to a church along the way. She promised to get me on God's good side for this year! Woohoo! Then I went over the the sports fair and talked to about a million clubs. I am trying Archery, Skiing and Ultimate Frisbee this weekend and something called Shinty next week. I figure why not. I spent the afternoon walking around the shopping on Prince's street and this evening out with my flatmates at a show.

As you can tell I am having a great time, but I miss everyone terribly. I have lots more I want to tell you, so tune in tomorrow, for my next post, "those who wear kilts and those who should never wear them again." Good night all!

On the plane

Ok I am not actually blogging from the tarmac, I wrote this last night. If everything is going right this morning, my plane should be taking off right now. Wish me luck, the Scots have no idea what they are in for!

PS congrats to Mae and Eric on their marriage today. I hope you have a lifetime of happiness. But if you want to change your mind and pick Europe Mae, I am an email away :)

In Seattle

Well technically I am in SeaTac, which is the town between Seattle and Tacoma that formed around the international airport. My parents and I drove up this afternoon from Seaside and now we are just waiting out the hours until we go to the airport. I have been spending much of mine time repacking because I realized I can barely lift my suitcases and that is not good. So now I will have less stuff to begin with and a promise from mom that she will send it to me. Sadly my bed looks like someone exploded all over it. I suppose that I will have to get it all sorted before I go to bed.

So I am in the hotel lobby because it costs money to use the internet in the rooms. Thanks Doubletree. I really wanted to hang out in your overpriced bar. At least they have an airport departure board that we can reference and a free airport shuttle in the morning. We are all about not paying for gas and parking if we can help it :)

I have to tell everyone, my parents are amazing. I can't believe they put up with me leaving over and over again. I am just so lucky that they have taught me to follow my ambitions, where ever it might take you. I love them both so much.

Well I am sure there is lots more to say, but I have packing to get back to. Goodnight everyone.

Tonight's Topic: Don't Panic

Okay I am totally stealing a page out of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy with this one. Tonight I am repeating the mantra don't panic. Don't panic that you are leaving the country in less than 36hrs. Don't panic that you are moving some place where you don't know a soul. Don't panic that you learned your blackberry phone doesn't know how to float. JUST DON'T PANIC....

Okay outburst over. As you might have guessed the last couple of days have been a little crazy. I got packing done Monday night. I cleaned and organized and repacked and called lots of customer service lines today. I washed my car and in the process my cell phone. I cleaned out the interior of the car so that every surface is squeaky clean. I swept the porch, the laundry room and a wall (we got our dryer replaced). As a matter of fact, the above outburst took the last bit of energy I had out of me. Do you know how hard it is to not panic. Its about as hard as getting back to sleep at 3am when you suddenly realize that you are leaving the day after tomorrow. Like THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW. CRAP.

So don't panic. Keep busy and do laundry and cleaning and packing and organizing and driving everyone around you nuts. Because at least if you are doing that, you can cover tired with, well I had a busy day.

Night out and Portland again

So I am sitting here with Daisy on my lap tonight, tired from what seems like a LONG 24 hours. We had our party last night, which was wonderfully fun and full of great things like this:



And this:



And after awhile this:

Yes that is the wonderful and fabulous Jody cutting Jennifer's hair. She and her friend Andrea came late, after everyone else was on their way back to Portland and had a post party party with us. After Jody got Jennifer, C and me all squared away (we wanted to trim a little more off of my hair) we agreed to meet up at a bar called the Lighthouse. Jen and I got ready and went out to Yummy Wine Bar for one more evening of fun before we headed over.

Needless to say, when I walked in no one in the place recognized me! New haircuts and makeup are fun things sometimes. Well we had a glass of wine and talked to Yummy's great staff and owner Corey and then headed out.

The Light House bar is nestled between the towns of Manzanita and Nehalem and during the day it serves a full menu. At night they normally have a small crowd and karaoke- however last night was an end of summer dance party. It was CRAZY! I decided I was finally done when a guy grabbed my butt coming back from the bathroom. I just barely kept from punching him. Boy can I tell you how glad I was that I was wearing jeans and not a little skirt last night.


So this morning I got up and my mom was making waffles. YUM! After we were done, she and I got dressed and headed into Portland for more of that girlie bonding time we like to do. We went to the nail salon, over to Chico's and to Old Navy. When we got to Target over on 185th in Tanasbourne we realized that Labor Day weekend is a BAD weekend to be shopping. We had a great time though and were very glad when we got back home.

As you might have guessed from the photos, I have figured out a way to make my camera and my computer talk. This means more, lots more, photos when I go overseas in a few days. YAY!

Three days and 12 hours to go!

Where is the time going? I swear the last time I looked around it was September 1st and now it is September 5th! I have been so busy I think I might actually be in a time warp. So lets see, what has happened in the last few days?

Wednesday: I went to Portland and had a very yummy lunch with friends at Pastini's in Portland. I highly suggest eating there, its perfectly located next to the Guild theater and the food is FANTASTIC! I saw some of my friends from the running club, which was so fun! Thank you to Jeff H for putting the event together and to Rick, Kelly, Joe, Erika and Sarah for making it out to see me. It was wonderful to spend some time with you! Then I ran over to NE Portland and got my haircut. I added the picture above. Then I drove back to downtown, had coffee with Jessica (I miss you already!) and heard all about her impending trip to NC on Thursday. It sounds like she is going to have lots of fun! I went back to NE Portland to a doctor's appointment and then to dinner at PF Changs with mom.

Thursday: C's birthday and State Fair day! We went to the fair. I entered four knitting projects and got two 3rd places and two 2nd places. Jennifer got 1st with her crocheted pillow case. We wondered, we tried foods, we met bunnies... all in all it was a fantastic day! The best part was I finished packing when I got home that night!

Yesterday: I slept in and was lazy all morning. When I finally did get around to getting going, I went to lunch with my mom, Leslie and Leslie's daughter Sarah. Sarah just started law school at Lewis and Clark so it was interesting to hear about what she is up to. I went to the bank and to the post office. I picked up my new sunglasses and went by the Hospital to say hello to people. All in all it was just a good day around home.

So today we are having some of our old friends from Lake Oswego and Portland over for food and drinks. We have been cleaning and cooking all morning, but I think we are finally getting close to being done! I can't wait to see everyone again.

Well I best be running. I will post more later!

Kristie

Everything but the art final

So I had one big thing to do today, one thing that above everything else, has to be done. I have a final in an Art class I have been taking this summer that is due tomorrow. It isn't the quiz part of it that has been giving me problems, it is the essay portion that I simply cannot decide what to write. So today was the day. I got up early and stared at my computer. I watched Momma Mia and got Abba songs stuck in my head all day. No essay.

I got dressed, went down to see my mom for a second, and went and got a coffee. I sat at my computer and stared... then I picked up my knitting and got an impressive amount of rows done. Still no essay.

I looked at the clock. It was noon. I had nothing to say for the morning, nothing to show for the hours I had spent. No essay. Annoyed, I went down and checked on my sunglasses and contacts I ordered yesterday. I went to the outlet mall, and bought thank you notes. I bought long underwear and other unmentionables. I shopped at the travel shop (no clothes line there either) and got annoyed that they were offering a discount to seniors but not for students. I came home, realized that all the clothes I just bought were the wrong size. Still no essay.

I went back to the outlet mall. I even stopped at the library on the way to drop off my last required reading book. I went over to Warrenton and saw Sue. I determined that my suitcases were too empty and needed more stuff in them. I came home and sat and stared at the computer for awhile more.

I had dinner. Then I made a pompom and a scarf for a stuffed duck (don't ask). I packed up all the non essential things in my room and my bathroom. I even wrote thank you notes. And here I am now, 9:30pm, after over 15 hours of mulling on this project and I STILL DON'T HAVE AN ESSAY!

Is there any way I can do this day over again?

PS Is anyone else as excited it is September 1st as I am????

Trip to Portland and New Knitting

Today was taken up by a dr appt., a trip to Portland and knitting. It was followed by a visit to Fred Meyers tonight where I learned that they sell clothes pins but not clothes lines... Any guesses to what I was looking for?

Mom got an injection in her back this afternoon. While she was in having the procedure done, I went shopping over at Bridgeport and pretty much entertained myself for hours. It is so funny how when you live in an area without stores that malls are mesmerizing. I didn't buy anything but boy did I have fun looking.

I'm going to keep this post short. I am tired, I have a glass of wine and I am trying to convince myself to go to bed early and get up early. Less than 10 days until I leave. I should probably start adjusting to the time change.

Goodnight all.

Going Away Party

So I spent the majority of today cleaning for the going away party we had this evening. It was really fun to see so many people outside of work. Not everyone could make it, which I totally understand because the last thing I want to do on Sunday evening is think about people from work. Those who made it though were so fun!

Dad grilled hotdogs and hamburgers. Mom cooked potato salad and baked beans. Mae and Jess even made it with their SOs from Portland! I couldn't have been happier to see the two of them. I tell you, it was so hard to say goodbye to the two of them this evening. I feel like I am cheating on them by going back to Europe without them. And yet they are so happy for me that I can't help but be excited for myself. And I know that if I was lucky enough to find them in France, I will be lucky again in Scotland.

I feel blessed and loved. I am so lucky to have so many people to love and to think about when I go away. Coworkers and friends, family and loved ones.... how did I ever get so lucky?

Scream and Shout

This afternoon I spent some quality time with my fellow runners volunteering for the Hood to Coast Relay. I know that I am supposed to hate H2C because I live in Seaside, but come on, the fact that these runners cover 197mi going from a Mountain to a beach is pretty darn cool. My job was to stand there and call out team numbers so they could move to the front to make the trade off. It was so fun to scream and shout encouragement to all those people who were so ready to quit. It was actually very inspiring.

So I guess the question I have for everyone else is this, what inspires you?

Yesterday's Post... Saying Goodbye

I meant to post this yesterday but somehow the blog monster ate it...
________________________________________________________________

The theme of today has been finishing things. I finished my books for school (all five of them!!!!) and it was my last day of work. If only I could do this with my knitting projects! Actually all I have out right now is a scarf and a sweater I have been working on for my mom. I will do my best to get pictures of them up soon!

So I thought I would talk today about what is going to happen travel wise. On September 9 my mom and maybe my dad and I are going up to Seattle for the night. I am looking forward to the road trip! The next morning I fly out at 8:40am (which means at the airport by 6am- eek!). The first flight will take 5hrs and I will have a layover in Philadelphia. I get on another flight for 7hrs and it will take me to Manchester, UK. When I arrive there, I have to get my bags, go through customs and get to a train. This train will take me to Manchester Oxford Road station, where I will get on another train and travel to York. In York I change trains AGAIN and then ride it up to Edinburgh. I get there around 3pm, which is 7am West Coast time. It looks like my hostel is close to the train station though, so at least I won’t need to get a cab to get around. It’s kind of scary to think I am going over and there is no one to meet me on the other side like there is when you are an exchange student. No one will be looking for me to arrive until it’s time to pick up my keys to my apartment the next morning. But you can’t worry about things you can’t change and at least I am travelling to a country that speaks English this time. And I am not 21 anymore. I would like to think I have developed a brain since the last time I was in Europe.

I am so very excited for it to be my last day but I am sad too. Each time I see one of my coworkers I am reminded how lucky I am to have such great people around me. I know that Scotland will be hard pressed to produce better people then the ones I know here. I am sure that Sunday is going to be hard, I hate going away parties. I know that it will be good though because I can’t imagine leaving without saying a proper goodbye to everyone.

Fresh starts come with finishing things.

More Fun

I swear I spent half the morning on the phone to insurance companies today getting billing addresses. I really hate holding, but what I hate more is when you are holding for something stupid like a zip code. I mean really??? How hard is that? They should have an express line for people with simple questions and one for those who are more complicated. I suppose it wouldn’t work though because everyone would think that their question is a simple one. Ugh.

Tomorrow is my last day of work and I am really looking forward to being done. Unfortunately, I don’t think I am going to get any more sleep in days because I have so much to do and so little time. In fact I want to spend as much of my time as I can with my family and friends. I think it’s nice that my cousins have come to stay with my parents because that means there are more people in the house and there is a younger attitude all around. C starts 8^th grade on September 8^th so I will get to be around for her first day! I hope she likes her new school. I know that it has to be hard for her to move like she has.

I am thinking about what I still need to travel. I think the only thing I have left to get is a clothes line. Never underestimate the importance of one of those things, especially when you are travelling in hostels. I got my bags packed last night, and almost everything fits but think it may expand before I leave so I am going to go investigate getting some boxes. Even though I swore I wouldn’t do it, I think I am going to be shipping stuff to myself. Sweaters are going in one box for sure. Maybe I should send some yarn to myself as well. Wouldn’t that be a nice box to open?

Speaking of yarn, I cannot wait to go to the fair next week. I LOVE the state fair. I love the people selling things. I love the fried foods. The thing I LOVE the most though is the competitions. And that is not just because I enter them. I love looking at the things people have made, the hours of hard work that have gone into one quilt or one knitting project. I don’t think I entered anything this year that will take home any prizes, but I have been surprised in previous years and it’s better to be excited than disappointed. I think we are planning to go on September 3^rd which is C’s birthday. She wants to get her nails done and her haircut that day, so I am afraid my fair experience might become beauty day, which wouldn’t be all together bad either. I would go before or after, but I really want to go with J and C and that is the only weekday J has off and the weekends are pretty much booked up. It wouldn’t be fair to go without J since she and I entered our work together.

Updates!

So we are at 14 days and some odd hours until I leave. I can’t believe it is getting so close. I have been working on reading books for school, which have been relatively interesting. I have found it harder and harder to focus on them though, especially if someone is talking, the TV is on or there is music playing with words to it. I am going to have to practice getting back into reading shape when I get to Edinburgh.

I have two days of work left. I can’t believe it is getting so close. I am getting sad to think that I am leaving and that I won’t get to see my coworkers happy faces each day. I know that I am doing the right thing though, a strong breeze is blowing change back into my life. I can’t wait for my party this weekend. It will be so nice to spend time with some of my coworkers before I leave and it will be fun to see them outside of hospital scrubs. Plus we are having a barbecue and drinks, and that is always fun. I hope some of my friends from Portland can make it. I know it’s a bad weekend because of Hood to Coast but as long as they are already here, they might as well have some fun up on the hill.

So I guess I should talk a little about the preparations I have been making. I have been packing. It seems like I have been packing forever, but I am almost done. I have everything I could possibly need when I first get there and anything else I need can be sent or bought. I have a binder going with every piece of paper I have gotten about the trip, the school and my financials. I shall call it my brain since mine is out to lunch. Actually it has helped a great deal to have a place to put everything because I tell you what, I really cannot take anymore craziness right now. I think I am going to have to split the binder into two, one for travelling with and one to pack in my suitcase for the stuff I will need for school.

I got my offer for my housing. It is a very cool old building in the center of Edinburgh. I am really excited about it because I am sandwiched between the Royal Mile (where all the bars are) and George’s St (where all the shopping is). I cannot wait to see what my dorm room looks like, but I know that no matter what it is like, it is not the most important thing. I am going to focus on school and being prepared for classes more than on where I am going to sleep J. I know that will make my mom happy to hear!

I arrive in Edinburgh on September 11^th and move into housing on the 12^th. Orientation week (Fresher’s Week as they call it) starts on Monday the 14^th. I will start classes the following Monday or Tuesday. It appears that I will have lots of appointments to go to before I start school. I have a seminar on the Scottish education system. I have an orientation to my program (European Union Politics and Law for those who are wondering) and I have to meet with my program director and chart out what classes I am going to take. In addition they want me to meet with a GP (what they call a Dr. over there) so that if I get sick, I will have access to their universal healthcare system. I have a party to attend with other international students, a reception for Taught Master students and so many more things that I am starting to wonder how I am going to make it to all these social gatherings. My birthday comes in the middle of the week and I am half excited to see what will happen that day and half scared that I won’t know anyone and will be out at a bar drinking by myself. My fallback for my birthday is that there is a French themed pub-crawl which could be very fun, especially if it gives me a chance to use my very rusty French. I think I can still order roller-skates for dinner.

Oh there is so much more I could write, but let’s be honest, if I tell you everything today, I will have nothing to write about tomorrow. And then what fun would that be???

Lots of News

Okay so I have two bits of news today. First of all, my visa... Despite Sallie Mae's best attempts to derail the visa process, I was notified this evening that I have been approved for entry clearance. This was the longest and most stressful process I have been through in awhile. I am not going to celebrate yet though, when I get my passport in my hands and the visa is sufficently affixed inside, thats when I will break out the drinks.

Second bit of news, I got my offer of Accommodation from the University. It wasn't the new building like I expected but an old building in the center of town. A very VERY old building... the oldest residence hall in all of Scotland. I will be living in Patrick Geddes Hall, a beautiful old building located between the Royal Mile (best bars in town) and George's Street (the best shopping in town). I will be in a mixed sex flat, with what I read is the best views in all of Edinburgh. The best part- people can stay with me for up to 3 days! So if any of you are thinking about visiting, let me know, I pencil you in!

Well that's about all for today. Only 56 days 14hrs and 27 minutes to go!

Airline Tickets and More

Its been awhile since I last posted. Things are moving along here. I applied for some scholarships back in March and am hoping to hear back soon. I also am moving through the financial aid process, which is difficult to say the least. I am getting really tired of people arguing with me on whether or not they loan to overseas schools (they do- the customer service reps just don't believe it). Hopefully I have it all sorted out now (since I haven't gotten any urgent emails in two weeks from the financial aid office, I feel like maybe it is a positive sign).

In June I have to apply for my student visa to stay. They changed the "scheme" this year for students applying after March 31st. So while before it was pretty straightforward to get into the UK if you were a US citizen, now it takes everything but your first born to get in. I have to apply online for the Visa, send in original transcripts, my itinerary, letters of sponsorship, and recommendations. I have to prove that I have enough money to survive there for the year and pay for school (roughly $20,100) and they would prefer if that money is in my account for at least a month- because we all have $20,100 extra laying around, right???? My student loan letters should work for this but here's the rub- from the point at which I receive that letter, I have one month to complete the process. If it was just an online application that would be easy enough, but I have to send in an application, get an appointment with a visa certification centre and get my finger prints and a digital photo taken. These appointments take anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 weeks to get- but your visa application is not done without them..... So you have a month and the appointments to finish the process are 6 weeks out.... welcome to the UK. Brilliant!

So you might have caught in that long explanation that I need an itinerary to apply. I am happy to announce that as of this weekend I became the proud owner of a one way ticket to Manchester for September 10-11th. I will fly from Seattle to Philadelphia first, where I will have a four hour layover (better to have a long one than too short of one I guess) and then from there to Manchester. I will be arriving around 12:45am west coast time, then I will get on a train and ride to Edinburgh. The best part, it will be 8:45am Edinburgh time when I get there so I will be trying to stay up for the day. Afterall I have to get acclimated to the time if I am going to start school the following Monday.

Well that's what I got for now. I will update as I know more.

Love, Kristie

Here is the dorms I applied to:

http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/accommodation-services/about/construction/john-burnett/overview

My only hope is that they have it done by the time I move in in September. I don't want to have to buy a pop up tent during my orientation week. :)