Weather here is always fun... In the early afternoon, it was sunny and beautiful, if still a bit chilly in the shade... but everyone was out in town, walking about with their dogs. Late this afternoon, I started to feel cold in my room and looked outside... and fog had settled in, covering the garden out back. I can't even see the ocean through it.
In Scotland and England, street performers are called buskers. Today there was a busker outside of Tesco's, playing a flute. He was pretty good. I imagine this would be a fun place to busk. I've thought about busking before, though I would have to be better on the guitar before I did that! heh.
We are nearing the end of our taught program for school... Tomorrow is our last class, and we hand in our final essays next week. Then, over the summer, we write our dissertations. I can't believe how fast time has gone by... I feel like I'm just getting to know people better, and soon we'll all be going separate places. Actually, two of my friends (that I know of) are staying and doing a PhD at St Andrews, and one is going to the University of Edinburgh. Another is taking a teaching job in New Jersey... And me, who knows where I'll be? I would like to be in OKC, but I don't know about finding a job there... I guess we'll see. But I am sad to be leaving my new friends. The higher up in academia you go, the fewer people study exactly what you study... so it's nice to have people to talk to about it!!
Well, I think that's about it... the next few weeks will be crazy, then will lighten up for a bit.
Monday, 5 May 2008
Friday, 18 April 2008
choirs and bagpipes
Today is a beautiful day in St Andrews. It started out a bit windy and cold, but then the sun came out about 1, and now it is an absolutely stellar day, if still a bit windy. The waves are high in the ocean; the white caps greeted me this morning when I went to class... that never gets old.
I had class this morning. It was good, one of my favorite profs, and interesting material (theories on sexuality). Then a couple of us had brunch at Northpoint, a lovely little cafe not far from the English building (or my room, for that matter). Afterwards, I was going to go to the grocery store (Tesco's) and on the way, I noticed there was a concert in Younger Hall... I've seen signs for them before--Every Friday, the music society puts on free concerts at lunchtime. I'm usually on my way somewhere or it's later and I forget about it... but today, the concert was at 1:15, and I was walking by at 1:10... perfect! Anyway, the group performing was a mixed a capella group called the Alleycats... and they were so much fun! All 10 of them were really great singers (though they had a bit of trouble gelling in places... and sometimes overshadowed the melody)...but all in all, they were great... they did some older songs (from the 50s and later) mixed with some more contemporary stuff... sometimes in the same song! And they also were willing to sort of make fun of themselves at the same time (like they did a song were one of the guys rapped... but he also kind of played it up)... and a huge variety of music... Even sort of a reggae song. They switched the lead singer every song, and the people in the background did sort of rhythmic ahhing... and beatboxing and such. (Here's an example of beatboxing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnkq0t_e4gY&feature=related). The first song they did was "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours." Really energetic group!
Then, on my way to the store, I saw a bagpiper in full scottish outfit (kilt and all)... then realized he was playing as people came up for a wedding at St Salvator's chapel (part of St Andrew's campus). I think I saw more kilts today than I have the whole time I've been in Scotland! It was fantastic... :)
I had class this morning. It was good, one of my favorite profs, and interesting material (theories on sexuality). Then a couple of us had brunch at Northpoint, a lovely little cafe not far from the English building (or my room, for that matter). Afterwards, I was going to go to the grocery store (Tesco's) and on the way, I noticed there was a concert in Younger Hall... I've seen signs for them before--Every Friday, the music society puts on free concerts at lunchtime. I'm usually on my way somewhere or it's later and I forget about it... but today, the concert was at 1:15, and I was walking by at 1:10... perfect! Anyway, the group performing was a mixed a capella group called the Alleycats... and they were so much fun! All 10 of them were really great singers (though they had a bit of trouble gelling in places... and sometimes overshadowed the melody)...but all in all, they were great... they did some older songs (from the 50s and later) mixed with some more contemporary stuff... sometimes in the same song! And they also were willing to sort of make fun of themselves at the same time (like they did a song were one of the guys rapped... but he also kind of played it up)... and a huge variety of music... Even sort of a reggae song. They switched the lead singer every song, and the people in the background did sort of rhythmic ahhing... and beatboxing and such. (Here's an example of beatboxing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnkq0t_e4gY&feature=related). The first song they did was "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours." Really energetic group!
Then, on my way to the store, I saw a bagpiper in full scottish outfit (kilt and all)... then realized he was playing as people came up for a wedding at St Salvator's chapel (part of St Andrew's campus). I think I saw more kilts today than I have the whole time I've been in Scotland! It was fantastic... :)
Friday, 11 April 2008
Skye!
Now that I am finally recovering from the sickness, I actually feel like blogging... :)
So we spent 4 nights on the Isle of Skye in the town of Portree. The train ride over was amazing...really beautiful, through really varied countryside... Also, everything has a Gaelic translation, which is interesting. I feel like in Scotland, I'm never more than 100 feet from water, which is more than likely true.
We stayed in this cute little cottage on a hill in Portree. It was decorated old-English grandmother style, which was cute... And it had a nice kitchen... and COUCHES!! Couch seem to be a rarity in St Andrews. We miss couches.
The first night in Portree, we arrived kind of late, and so we went to the only food place still open, an Indian Restaurant. It was quite good, though a bit out of the way.
The first day in Portree we just wandered around the town. We found some neat shops. I bought a scarf and a bunch of postcards... We also found a small crafts fair, where some of us bought knitting needles/wool/etc. We walked along the pier and Loch Portree, looking at the water and the boats... It was beautiful and sunny...
The second day we decided to take a local bus around the north part of the Island up to the Castle Duntulm. It was foggy...cloudy and sunny off and on. The bus dropped us off in what looked like the middle of nowhere, though we had seen the castle pass by... So finally we figured out that we had to go around this sheep-pen looking thing, through/over a gate and along a trail to get to the castle (ruins). The castle is situated on a hill above the sea--beautiful and breathtaking... and also very very windy!!! Even more so than st andrews, and that's saying something. Anyway, there was a tour group there when we arrived, and we waited for them to leave before we ignored the no admittance sign and went into the castle ruins (through an open gate, no less). One of my friends, Megan, said she had been there 2 years before, and they had let people in...but then she also pointed to an empty space where a wall had been two years before... so perhaps that explains it. :) Anyway, we wandered all over the castle, then climbed back out to the main road...Down the road a bit was a hotel/inn that said it had tea. So we went there... Along the way, we took pictures of sheep and the hills/mountains... and I mailed postcards at the most remote postbox ever! :) We thought the inn was closed and sat outside for about 15 minutes before we realized the cafe was around the side. sigh. But the pub was so cute!! perfect for the atmosphere. So we drank coffee by the fire, watched sheep outside, and then the owner loaned us a deck of cards... so we taught the other two poker! heh. 3 hours later, we walked back up the road, hailed the bus like a taxi (which is apparently what you do there), and road back to Portree around the other side of the island.
The third day, we just hung around again... got groceries, ate food, watched movies... very nice. :)
Portree is a beautiful seaside town... a bit like St. Andrews but brighter. St Andrews is very dark and gothic... but Portree is quite colorful... and the townspeople are extremely friendly. People would stop us on the street to say hello or point us in the right direction. It was great.
So that was Skye and Portree! If you want to see pictures, here's a link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jennibenni/sets/72157604476127915/
Unfortunately, I left my camera battery behind when we went to see the castle... there are pictures around, but I haven't stolen them yet.
I would love to go back sometime... we'll see.
So we spent 4 nights on the Isle of Skye in the town of Portree. The train ride over was amazing...really beautiful, through really varied countryside... Also, everything has a Gaelic translation, which is interesting. I feel like in Scotland, I'm never more than 100 feet from water, which is more than likely true.
We stayed in this cute little cottage on a hill in Portree. It was decorated old-English grandmother style, which was cute... And it had a nice kitchen... and COUCHES!! Couch seem to be a rarity in St Andrews. We miss couches.
The first night in Portree, we arrived kind of late, and so we went to the only food place still open, an Indian Restaurant. It was quite good, though a bit out of the way.
The first day in Portree we just wandered around the town. We found some neat shops. I bought a scarf and a bunch of postcards... We also found a small crafts fair, where some of us bought knitting needles/wool/etc. We walked along the pier and Loch Portree, looking at the water and the boats... It was beautiful and sunny...
The second day we decided to take a local bus around the north part of the Island up to the Castle Duntulm. It was foggy...cloudy and sunny off and on. The bus dropped us off in what looked like the middle of nowhere, though we had seen the castle pass by... So finally we figured out that we had to go around this sheep-pen looking thing, through/over a gate and along a trail to get to the castle (ruins). The castle is situated on a hill above the sea--beautiful and breathtaking... and also very very windy!!! Even more so than st andrews, and that's saying something. Anyway, there was a tour group there when we arrived, and we waited for them to leave before we ignored the no admittance sign and went into the castle ruins (through an open gate, no less). One of my friends, Megan, said she had been there 2 years before, and they had let people in...but then she also pointed to an empty space where a wall had been two years before... so perhaps that explains it. :) Anyway, we wandered all over the castle, then climbed back out to the main road...Down the road a bit was a hotel/inn that said it had tea. So we went there... Along the way, we took pictures of sheep and the hills/mountains... and I mailed postcards at the most remote postbox ever! :) We thought the inn was closed and sat outside for about 15 minutes before we realized the cafe was around the side. sigh. But the pub was so cute!! perfect for the atmosphere. So we drank coffee by the fire, watched sheep outside, and then the owner loaned us a deck of cards... so we taught the other two poker! heh. 3 hours later, we walked back up the road, hailed the bus like a taxi (which is apparently what you do there), and road back to Portree around the other side of the island.
The third day, we just hung around again... got groceries, ate food, watched movies... very nice. :)
Portree is a beautiful seaside town... a bit like St. Andrews but brighter. St Andrews is very dark and gothic... but Portree is quite colorful... and the townspeople are extremely friendly. People would stop us on the street to say hello or point us in the right direction. It was great.
So that was Skye and Portree! If you want to see pictures, here's a link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jennibenni/sets/72157604476127915/
Unfortunately, I left my camera battery behind when we went to see the castle... there are pictures around, but I haven't stolen them yet.
I would love to go back sometime... we'll see.
Tuesday, 26 February 2008
To the ocean!
Well, I've been back in Scotland for two weeks. The first week, the weather was beautiful--sunny, (relatively) warm, and little wind. I went to the beach several times. East sands is quite nice! I like it a lot. I posted pictures of it at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jennibenni/sets/72157603927973603/
This past week has been windy and wet. Bleh. Makes me not want to go outside... The wind has been absolutely crazy! In fact, I just looked at the wind for today: 39 mph with gusts up to 54 mph!! It was certainly blowing. Usually, the ocean just peaks when the wind is that strong, but the other day it was fanning out across the top of it...really fierce and beautiful.
I've been trying to get ahead on reading, so I haven't been doing too much. I've read Jane Eyre, Aurora Leigh, Ruth, and Lady Audley's Secret since I have been here. I am learning to knit again, which has been fun! And tomorrow, my friends and I are having a baking day!! I'm also thinking about joining a pottery class and/or a swimming class. Both could be fun.
I've been enjoying the local coffee shops quite a bit lately. There are quite a few... I can think of 8 just off the top of my head.
Oh in a few weeks there is a HUGE poetry festival going on here, which I am quite excited about. Lots of poets will be here... there will be readings and open mic nights and workshops... very fun! I will tell more about that later, though.
Well, that's all I have for the moment. :)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jennibenni/sets/72157603927973603/
This past week has been windy and wet. Bleh. Makes me not want to go outside... The wind has been absolutely crazy! In fact, I just looked at the wind for today: 39 mph with gusts up to 54 mph!! It was certainly blowing. Usually, the ocean just peaks when the wind is that strong, but the other day it was fanning out across the top of it...really fierce and beautiful.
I've been trying to get ahead on reading, so I haven't been doing too much. I've read Jane Eyre, Aurora Leigh, Ruth, and Lady Audley's Secret since I have been here. I am learning to knit again, which has been fun! And tomorrow, my friends and I are having a baking day!! I'm also thinking about joining a pottery class and/or a swimming class. Both could be fun.
I've been enjoying the local coffee shops quite a bit lately. There are quite a few... I can think of 8 just off the top of my head.
Oh in a few weeks there is a HUGE poetry festival going on here, which I am quite excited about. Lots of poets will be here... there will be readings and open mic nights and workshops... very fun! I will tell more about that later, though.
Well, that's all I have for the moment. :)
Thursday, 10 January 2008
Home...for a bit! :)
So, yesterday morning in Scotland, there was 40-70 mph winds. My dad (who use to do weather in the air force) said there was a low pressure system in the ocean near there that almost looked like a hurricane! :) It didn't cause too much trouble, except my van couldn't cross the Forth bridge, so he had to call a car. Then, we were late getting off in the flight because it's a plane you have to go outside and load at steps to the plane--and there was a wind speed limit on the steps! It was all very surreal. But I made my connection and everything, so here I am!
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