The road trip got off a little later than initially planned but off nonetheless. Got up at 5 am on Friday to the sound of my TARDIS alarm going off. I packed my stuff in the car, ate some toast, drank some coffee and got in the car.
The first day was mostly about getting through California as quickly as we could. We only stopped for gas, food, and the bathroom. My dad had me trying to take pictures of the Camio Real markers and I got some decent roadside pics of norcal like this one.
We went across the Golden Gate bridge which was really cool. I got some decent photos in the fog through the window. Most of the first day it was raining. By the time we got to Eureka it was dark and we were all tired so we called it a day.
Day two started with a drive through the Redwood State Park which was amazing. It was raining but that almost made it better. The rest of the day consisted of the stopping at different places on the Oregon coast checking out the coastline and the great rocks in the surf. I don't think I've seen the ocean look so wild and beautiful before.
We have a few more lighthouses on the trip for tomorrow. This one, the Cape Blanco Lighthouse, was really cool and one of the three lighthouses in Oregon still maintained by the coastguard. It has this really amazing lens that I took a few pictures of. Tomorrow should have some more great shots. I'm enjoying the rain but I'm kinda hoping it lets up a little.
I really wish we could go to portland but that will have to be on an other trip. I hope this finds you well and things are good.
My first full quarter back in Santa Barbara hasn't been the easiest transition but I didn't honestly think it was going to be. My sister tried to comfort me when I was a little disappointed in my grades saying that I was going '0 to 150 mph academically'. It felt more like I was going 0 to 60 mph in a old VW bug... slow and the bottom feels like it's going to drop out at any moment.
I have been missing a lot about last year but mostly felt very much over where I find myself now. I would not change anything about last year, but the consequence of having to stay in Santa Barbara for an extra year. I was planning to move down town to get out of the infamous Isla Vista but I've been rethinking that. I don't want to have to take the bus everyday. Isla Vista actually can be really nice when there is no one there or for coffee and a meal. I've tried to go socialize with old friends but most of the time I find myself really bored, mostly because I have been choosing not to drink with them. Sober Sally amongst college students is pretty boring.
The streets were empty when I took a walk after finals were over. Usually at eight at night there are a fair few people out and about but not over the break. Isla Vista basically shuts down. So I've been knitting a lot. Mostly scarves for the girls I lived with last year and some friends around the country. My plans for spring break are coming together and it's looking like a great time. My friend Ben and I are planning a nice east coast adventure and the people we have met and became friends with in Scotland are making it awesome. We are starting out by flying to Boston where we are going to stay with Ben's childhood friend who goes to college there. Hopefully I will get to see two of my friends who go to school a couple of hours outside Boston. We are going to take the train to Providence and spend a day with a high school friend of mine who is working there right now. Then we are flying to Richmond, VA to stay with another friend. He's told me already that we are going to the shooting range and that I need to tone down my 'hippiness' when I'm there. I jokingly send him pictures of all the overly 'hippy' things I do. Mostly organic food and coffee I order. haha. Then we are flying home. I'm looking forward to it very much.
Speaking of adventures, my dad, sister and I are road tripping it up the coast to my gradpa's near Seattle. I think it's going to take nearly four days. I'm going to try and take lots of pictures. I'm hoping to do a day to day update on here.
Hoping you all are having a good Holiday time. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Update of the summer so far. Tomorrow is my last day of my first class of the summer and I start the new class starting next week. For some reason all my pictures uploaded in reverse chronological order and I just can't be bothered to fix it so I'll just put a little something under each. As far as my classes are concerned I've mastered solving 1st order differential equations using linear algebra. I never want to look at a 2x2 matrix and wonder what its eigenvalues and vectors are, unfortunately I have another six weeks of vector calculus coming up. I can't wait till fall so I can get back to chemistry. Suffering that I can appreciate.
July- My friend Evan, who goes to Cal, that I met in Scotland (he was studying in Glasgow and his girlfriend and I were friends in Edinburgh... small world), and I were exploring campus. We went to the forth floor of the library and were walking about and ran into an entire section of the library on Scotland. We were super stoked on it!
July- My friend JR(on the left), from Maryland (who I also met in Edinburgh) and my friend Ben, who goes to UCSB with me, spent about three days hanging out at Ben's flat. We bought a nice bottle of whisky (Macallan Cask Strength) to celebrate being together again. It was so awesome to see him again. I hope that it's not too long before we are able to share a dram together again.
July- I was fishing of the Goleta pier and I saw the King's Flag (one of Scotland's two flags) flying on this boat. I had the biggest smile on my face for the rest of the day.
July 4th- The top picture is an amazing homemade berry cake that my friend Laura made in her massive feast. She made a colonial themed feast with meat pies, roasted pigeons and rabbit, cherry pie, and more.
I haven't updated since April so I'm going to share my last month or so first, then my thoughts on the Beautiful game and World Cup and lastly a short update on how I'm doing now.
The last two months in Edinburgh mostly consisted of me sitting in my room at my flat trying to cram for my exams. The UK system has end of the year exams lasting nearly a whole month. My first exam was April 27th and my last was May 21st. So after London with my friend Laura I was in Edinburgh till I left for home. Exams are so stressful over there. They put you in a room with multiple classes and you have bar codes and multiple booklets to write in. Very much reminded me of the AP and SAT tests that I had thought I had left behind in high school.
When I wasn't studying I was spending time with my friends and I miss them so much. There were about four or five going away events that I went to. The picture is a pretty good tapas place we went to for my friend Laurel. I'm all the way in the back. These tapas were not traditionally served with drinks and were pretty expensive but they were way more tasty than the tapas I had in Madrid. haha. The last couple of days consisted of spending a lot of time with my wonderful Scottish friends. I was lucky enough to have my friend Nick drive me to the airport when I left. Nick is in the picture on the left. He's the one in the burgundy polo shirt. He's a totally goof ball and I just love him to death. We were listening to the Beatles on the way to the airport so a few songs have a whole new meaning to me. The journey back was far too many hours lurking about airports. The British Airways strike forced me to spend the night in Heathrow, a good 13 hour wait from when I got there to when I could get on my flight back to California. Once I got out of customs I was so excited to see my sister and then we walked out to the car to meet my dad. I was exhausted but for those first few hours back I had all the energy in the world. First meal back was a double-double animal style from In-N-Out. It was so tasty. I think the biggest shock to me as we were driving home is how beautiful I had remembered California and Ventura being and really how muted and haggard it all really looked/looks to me. I haven't been to a lot of places in Europe still but Edinburgh has got to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I have been making the walk to my friends flat in my head so many times so I never forget what the streets look like. I know I'll be back there some day, hopefully some day soon.
Oh World Cup... as I'm writing this I'm watching Germany completely work the England squad. It's a shame really. Lampard's goal should have counted and maybe they would have started the second half with some more intensity but I don't see them coming back from a 4-1 deficit. The USA vs Ghana game was devastating and I'm really upset with Bob Bradley's coaching and the inability for someone to really call him out on it. He made a huge mistake by starting not only Clark but Findley as well when he had Feilhaber and Edu who not only play at a higher level in club but had really boosted the team against Algeria. If we had two subs in the last fifteen minutes, maybe Buddle or Stuart, the speed and the fresh legs may have gotten us a goal. Those boys tried their absolute hardest and their coach let them down. I'm so proud of the US team and I'm so happy that soccer is starting to seep into the American society and taking hold. Like I have all tournament I'm going to get up early for the rest of the tournament to watch good football and to see what these teams really have to offer. Maybe we see someone really shine and Man United can sign them. haha.
I'm officially back in Santa Barbara doing summer school and looking for a job, neither of which are particularly appealing to me but they both must be done. Everything has been a little dull to me since I've gotten back. I've come to the realization that I've really outgrown the student lifestyle here. I don't think that's a bad thing. I have a year of upper division chemistry classes ahead of me that will need so serious attention and focus to do well, and of course I want to do well. Other than that I've started working out regularly which is nice and this next week I'm really looking to start playing some pick up soccer again. I'm just hoping my touch isn't so bad that I make a fool of myself. That's it for now. I'm going to try and keep this up. Hope you are all doing well
I have one more exam and this amazing year will come to an end. I leave Scotland (for now) in a little over a week and there are so many people I'm looking forward to seeing again and so many people that I'm so incredibly sad to leave.
It's been a while. Two days ago I got back from London. My friend Laura, who goes to UCLA, was over visiting for two weeks and we went adventuring. It was really a great time. I'm just going to post the pictures. For the next two weeks I'm on my own in the flat studying. It's Spring Break and all the other peoples in my flat are off adventuring. I will be exploring the world of chemistry... fun.
Platform 9 3/4 in Kings Cross Station
Me crossing Abbey Road
Tower Bridge by the Tower of London... which I refused to pay £17 to get into
Aviation exhibit in the Science Museum
Lunch at one of Gordon Ramsay's restaurants ... SO YUMMY!
Two Tuesdays ago Allie came with her Santa Barbara friend in Madrid Daniela. It was a really great time. I don't have any pictures to share because... well that story will come soon. On Tuesday night we went out to this really cute cocktail bar with a bunch of my friends and then went over to my friend Ben's to just hang out for a while. Wed the weather went to crap and it snowed... quite a bit. Then it rained and the snow went away... and then it sleeted. It was overall a pretty fun time... NOT. We got moving about a little after noon and went somewhere. I really can't remember I've been writing an essay all day and my brain is mush and full of facts about sectarianism Scotland. Anyways, it was my turn to do real meal wednesday so Allie helped me make a tortilla soup and a really yummy salad that rocked everyone's world. :D Thursday the girls were meant to go to the castle... but they didn't get moving till about threeish and only an hour at Edinburgh Castle is just not right so I gave them a fairly relaxed tour of old town. We went to Grassmarket, the Royal Mile and Bristo Square (my campus). We came back and got ready for a club night with my flatmates. It was a great night. Allie and Daniela pretended they were Spanish and didn't speak english... with pretty good success. haha. Friday we went to a pub for a proper pub meal and pints and to watch some rugby. Saturday I sent them off with the Mosque Kitchen for lunch. The Mosque Kitchen is some of the best curry in Edinburgh and it's pretty cheap! Saturday night, I got to meet the girlfriend of one of my mates here and she was just one of the most lovely people ever. :)
week 2- (aka last week/beautiful weather)
We had amazing sun for three days straight. It was so beautiful. There are these wee flowers in the park starting to bloom that look like tiny tulips. It makes me really happy to walk by them. Pub quiz went disastrous this week and we got last place, which earned us a bag of sweets (gummy candies). Tuesday became real meal day cause Aalok was off to Amsterdam the next day. We did a baked potato bar with chili, bacon, cheese and sour cream... it was glorious and delicious. Wednesday Ben, the Dundee kids (Jack, Couttie [his name is James Couttie but we just all call him Couttie], and Amy) and I went to the Scotland game against the Czech Republic at Hampden Park in Glasgow. IT WAS AN AMAZING ATMOSPHERE... and a sorta boring game but at least we won. The train ride was really fun just because it was sorta a bonding moment. The Dundee kids were joking that Ben was like Elijah Wood in the movie Green Street Hooligans. hehe. We went to a small pub before the game and it was great. So many men in kilts and these amazing hats. So many flags in the crowd and the singing. It was something I'll never forget. I have no pictures because my camera got stolen, but here are some pictures from the internet. Basically half the people there were dressed like this. It made me so happy.
The rest of this week is just writing my essays and trying to stay on top of school. Just got my exam schedule so most of my spring break is going to be preparing for the six exams I have to take.
The week went fairly normal until Thursday night. Monday I went to my pub quiz and had a good time with my friends. We came in 12th overall... not bad but not good. Tuesday night I went to the pub with a friend just to catch up cause I hadn't seen him in a while which was nice. Wednesday I had no class and did my federal income taxes, some homework and my FAFSA (federal application for student aid). I love that all those things were done online... made my life very easy. Then on Thursday the flat decided to go out to a new club. It was so much fun but I did fall down coming down some stairs at the very beginning of the night due to lack of grip on my cheap boots and copious amounts of drinks being spilled on the floor. I have pretty nasty bruises from it. The video is my friend Johnny. He's from near Belfast. He's hilarious. I sound like a five year old in the video but just ignore that and the bad quality and enjoy.
Friday I woke up to my flatmates sister making us a proper fry up for breakfast with bacon, eggs, sausage, toast and beans. We just all sat in the sun filled kitchen talking for hours. It was so awesome and comfortable. Then someone, I don't know who, suggested we all go to St. Andrews for the night that night. So by 7:45 that night Johnny and I were on a bus heading to St. Andrews. We had a great night just walking around and meeting my flatmates sisters friends. One of them, who we visited, lives in Prince Williams old student flat which was pretty cool to be in. (I guess) The next morning we walked down to the beach and saw the old course which was covered in snow. St. Andrews is absolutely beautiful. I am definitely going back to thoroughly explore everything. Needless to say I was pretty exhausted on Saturday when we finally got back to Edinburgh so I went to bed at 5:30PM (waking up a couple of times due to a developing cough) and finally got out of bed at 10:30AM this morning. Good sleep. Now I need to finish off my reading for tomorrow.
This week was really fun. REALLY REALLY FUN. I did so much and even made it to class all week. It was great.
Monday Ben (my UCSB friend here) and I joined up with some new people for our weekly pub quiz and we actually won something. Instead of coming in 28 out of 34 we got 5th place. It was so fun to actually do well in the pub quiz. The team won a bottle of very cheap Californian wine... it was a rose. Needless to say I didn't actually partake in consuming the pinky cheap wine but instead was just happy we actually did well. Tonight I think we are joining their team again, which is promising. Tuesday wasn't nearly as exciting I just went to class. Funny story though, in my Scottish History tutorial (small discussion group) we were discussing if Scotland has had a social revolution and if so when was it 1914-1945, 1945-1970 or 1970-present. The conversation was hitting all the normal points.. increase in housing, women in the workforce, establishment of the welfare state, ect. I brought up the point that the 1990 marked a period of time where Scotland really created an image for themselves with movies like Trainspotting and Braveheart. I also mentioned that Scotland got parliament in the 1990's but I literally said, "but it's important to remember we got the parliament in the late 90's... wait what do I mean we... I'm not Scottish." At least I got a laugh out of everyone in the room. haha. Sometimes I think I'm Scottish. I really do.
Wednesday was fantastic! Ben and I (I do a lot with Ben... we just sorta get one another and it is a purely platonic friendship) went down to Liverpool to go to the Everton vs Chelsea game at Goodison Park (Everton's stadium). It was a fantastic game to go to. Two American players, one of them my favorite player, play for Everton. Landon Donavan(forward that Everton has playing on the wing) is on loan from the LA Galaxy and Tim Howard (National team goalkeeper) both had a good game but Donavan had a great game! I was just so excited to see Tim Howard play that I didn't really care if they lost. They were suppose to lose because they were playing the team in first place. Much to the surprise to Ben and I they won and it was a very exciting game to watch. Every time an Everton player got the ball and had a defender coming toward him you heard the entire stadium (well less the small Chelsea fan section) yell 'ON'. It was such a great environment to be in. I bought an Everton scarf with the Scottish flag on it. Two birds with one stone. :D After the game came the awful yet hugely entertaining part of our trip the overnight train back to Edinburgh which turned into a real adventure. When we got back into the Liverpool city center we walked around a bit eventually found an Irish Pub to spend an hour an half in. We got kicked out around 1:40 and headed back to the train station to find out it was closed until 15 minutes before our 3:38 train... did I mention it was -4ยบ outside. Ben and I just walked around until 3:15 and saw some cool buildings doing it but dang it was so cold. We finally got back to Edinburgh after two train transfers at 9 in the morning. We both went home and crashed. I woke up for one class and then came back and slept till 6 Thursday night.
Oh Thursday was ridiculous. Because I slept till 6 on Thursday my entire sleep schedule was hugely messed up. When I woke up I got a quick dinner and headed off to Whisky Society with my friends. It was a Ardbeg tasting which is a distillery on the Isle of Islay. There whisky is know to be very smoky and full of peat flavor.
peat(pt)
n.
Partially carbonized vegetable matter, usually mosses, found in bogs and used as fertilizer and fuel.
[Middle English pete, perhaps from Medieval Latin peta.]
I actually winning a free bottle of whisky, the Ardbeg Uigeadail, which is really peaty... so I traded with another guy for the Ardbeg Ten Year. It's sitting in front of me right now unopened waiting for a good occasion to drink it. I've never had a bottle of £30 Scotch before so I'm not sure what to do with it. After the tasting was done we went back to Ben's flat and just watched movies... neither of us were really tired because we had slept all day. I got back to my flat at about 6 in the morning and as I got into my room heard my flatmates phone go off. In the back of my mind I could help but think who the heck is calling her at this time in the morning. The next thing I know she is standing in my doorway asking me if I wanted to hike up Arthur's Seat to watch the sunrise. Beside the slight headache I had I wasn't remotely tired and thought it was a great opportunity to really do something unique in Edinburgh so naturally I went. It was a lovely hike that I took very very slowly knowing that I needed enough energy to last through Friday to get my sleep schedule back on track. It was definitely one of the coolest things I've done here.
The rest of the weekend was pretty quiet because I came down with a bit of a sinus infection. I think the lack of sleep and the cold weather kinda caught up with me. Valentine's day with the flatmates was fun. I bought the flat a dozen yellow roses which stand for joy, friendship, gladness and jealousy... which I found hugely fitting. All of us but one is single right now and we are close and happy flat too. haha. We went for a walk to get some extremely chocolaty cake too... which made my week and took me three sittings to get through. That's it for now... more next week.
This week has been remarkably refreshing. Every part of my life has seemed to pick up a little which is nice, well almost every part... I'm finding it hard to put down the beer and chips and pick up a salad but I really need to focus on getting healthy. That's really not what I'm here to share though... moving on.
Monday morning I had a really lovely walk to class as the sun came up and the weather was just great. My history classes are getting very interesting. I'm learning a lot about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Ironically I also learned that bringing up said subject at a lunch with a boy I like was a terrible idea. I got to listen to 15 minutes of very passionate America bashing... and believe me I tried to change the conversation topic several times but failed. That being said the salad I had was absolutely delicious so I just focused on that. I don't think we will be doing lunch again anytime soon. haha
Tuesday it snowed which was nice even though I had to walk to class. Every time I go to class in the snow or rain I think about how in Santa Barbara there would be no chance of most of my friends roughin it for an one hour lecture. no way no how.
On Friday a few friends and I went to an Indian buffet for lunch for only £6. Most definitely one of the best ideas yet. The food was so good and £6 for curry, naan, and a dessert coffee is a steal.
Six Nations started today which means that Ben and I will be spending a lot of time at the pub watching rugby. Other sport related news, I'm going to the Everton vs Chelsea game at Goodison Park on Wed. It's going to be AWESOME!!! I get to not only see Tim Howard(US National team goalkeeper) in action but also Landon Donovan who is on loan to Everton from the LA Galaxy. Of course I get to see all the stars of Chelsea too which is cool, but not as cool as seeing Tim Howard.
I've started this other blog which is more just daily notes instead of my now weekly updates.
http://liesbethcamille.tumblr.com/
check it out.
I'm off to write an essay about the Catholic and Protestant conflict in Scotland in the 1920's and 1930's. Basically I get to talk about why Celtic and Rangers (the two soccer teams in Glasgow) hate each other on account of their religious affiliation.
This is a haggis. Unlike what most Scottish people will tell you, a haggis is not a small animal that runs in the hills that has three legs. It's actually a traditional Scottish dish. January 25th is Burns' Night in Scotland. It is a night that celebrates the life and works of famous Scottish poet Robert Burns. Usually you have a Burns supper consisting of haggis, neeps (turnips) and tatties (mash potatoes), and most times a wee bit of whisky too. We were able to do all of the above. I made it my job to make the supper and that required me to go off to the butcher and get the haggis seen above. Oh it was most delicious. I just had to think really hard not to think about what I was handling.
–noun Chiefly Scot. a traditional pudding made of the heart, liver, etc., of a sheep or calf, minced with suet and oatmeal, seasoned, and boiled in the stomach of the animal.
The rest of the week went fairly normal. Went to class and learned some. The flat just got a new member. Her name is Samantha and she's from Vermont. She's just lovely and fits in very well with the rest of us. Every once in a while we just sit down each with our own cup of tea around the kitchen table and just have a chat. It's quite nice. We all went for a hike up Arthur's Seat on Saturday because it was just absolutely beautiful outside. The sun was so energizing. Sam is in the picture up on Arthur's Seat. She's also the girl to the right in the other picture. My friends Nick and Jack decided to redecorate their kitchen area in their flat and went for tie-dye which came out very very cool. Those boys are just creative like that. They make me pretty happy. haha. I have become very close with my flatmates and I'm going to miss them oh so very much when I leave. I finally have a set date that I'm coming back to CA. May 31st. It seems so far away but at the same time I feel like I have no time left here at all.
This term I'm taking two history classes that I'm really excited about. Modern Middle Eastern History and Scottish History since 1914. I'm learning so much in both classes. I am also getting a very unique brand of anti-American sentiment from my Australian professor in Modern Middle Eastern History. I sorta giggle when he refers to some of Carter's and Nixon's actions in Egypt with such disdain and distaste. It's a great way to learn and I mean that most sincerely.
t)
