Getting Adjusted...

As this is my inagural blog posting - of which I hope it to be the first of many - I should say that I look forward to reflecting on my adventures overseas, not only as a means for other people to keep in touch with my life, but as a sort of learning tool that I may keep a clearer record of my experiences with the outside world and its relation to the workings of my inner world. In other words, this blog is a way to keep track of the important events around me, as well as, and in comparison, to those inside me. Even after this first week, I could fill pages of certain situations and the feelings they produced as a natural result. Those are the experiences I hope to learn from, and they do indeed seem more important than all the visits to the castles, memorials, monuments, mountains, and oceans in all the countries put together.

After a seven-hour flight from Minneapolis to Amersterdam, a three hour layover, and a second flight from Amersterdam to Aberdeen - in which I didn't sleep for more than a half hour - I wasn't excited as I thought I would be when I first arrived in Scotland. Seeing Scotland from the air, I was not a little shocked to observe how almost all of it is farmland. It reminded me of St. Peter and its surrounding counties, with of course the great North Sea to the east. There was no jetway when we got off, and the airport was very small. I got on a bus with other Aberdeen students and we were shipped off to Hillhead Halls - my new home for the next few months.

Hillhead is the largest student complex on campus and it lies about a 15-minute walk north of 'Uni' - what the locals call college in general. Surprisingly, none of my 'flatmates' are Scottish: two are from England, one is from Greece, and the other Finland. Dan and Arthur (who we have been introducing as King Arthur for memory purposes), the two English boys, have become my best friends so far. Dan looks like a young Austin Powers, and Arthur has a bit of a goofy English countenance and is very clumsy, which he is not afraid to admit. The peculiar Greek is called George and the quiet Finn is Yousi.

This week is called 'Fresher's Week,' in which new students come a few days before classes start and they can participate in a number of activities that help give a sense of comfort and familiarity to the fresh surroundings. Dan the Englishman is in his third year so he has been showing Arthur and I around town, mostly at night, going to all his favorite pubs, and, on one very uncomfortable night, dance clubs. The drinking age in the UK (Scotland, England, Wales, and Northern Ireland) is 18, so it didn't come as a surprise to see that the favorite pastime of the students is drinking first, chatting second, and maybe watching a game of 'football' or rugby. Sunday night was my first experience with the local nightlife, and, as I said, it did not go over very well. We began the night walking from pub to pub, - Dan had brought some friends with him - and we ended at a dance club called The Priori, which was an old converted church. The music started as mostly R&B, a lot of which I had heard before, but as the night wore on, the music slowly turned to techno, and I had been ready to go back for some time. It's about a 40-minute walk back to Hillhead from the town's center, so I had to wait for my flatmates before we caught a taxi.

Now I am not the kind of person who enjoys spending the night 'club-hopping;' it is something I have virtually no experience with. Hence, it led to one of the loneliest nights of my life, as it was only the second night I had been in Scotland, and I had had no other acquaintance with the town other than my flat. Do I dare express the thoughts that ran through me that night? If ever I prayed it was then, and it was for God to comfort me in my loneliness. A call to my mom helped me a lot, and I was able to fall asleep and awake the next morning with a refreshed conscious.

The rest of the week I have done little to report of. There is a student bar right in the middle of Hillhead, and it is my favorite spot to hang out at night for a few reasons: one, only other Aberdeen students are there, and two, whenever I've had enough to drink for one night (which is normally about one or two pints of beer - I tried Guinness the other night and really enjoyed it) I can simply walk back to my room and not have to worry about catching a taxi or finding a bus stop. I have been out to town only once since that Sunday night and it was only to out go to a pub - I caught a taxi back to the flat while my roommates and some other people 'kept on the crawl.'

During the days, we normally hang out around the flat, or walk to Uni if there's any special events being held, such as the 'Societies Fayre' or the 'Sports Fayre.' I signed up for the golf and basketball teams at the sports fayre and tryouts for basketball start tomorrow afternoon! The golf team practices and plays at the beautiful Royal Aberdeen, which is only a 15-minute walk from Hillhead, and is right on the North Sea!

I have met only one American so far, and she goes to a small liberal arts college in Michigan. We haven't had much time to talk, but it's nice to know there are other people here with similar backgrounds.

The weather in Scotland is actually very encouraging - there are always clouds throughout the day but the North Sea seems to have a habit of washing away a few here and there at random intervals so the sun can peep-in on the city.

I have exhausted myself with writing, so that's all for now. I hope to have another blog posted before the next week's end. Cheers!