It's been awhile!

It has been a crazy, hectic, roller-coaster ride of a few weeks, but I am back. This will be shortish because I really have to get to studying.

First of all, the weather is beginning to warm up. And by that I mean that it is just very cold, instead of extremely cold. But the crocuses just popped up this last week, so I consider that a good sign as to the coming of spring! I love walking by and seeing thousands of croci all over the place. And when they bloom the smell is just fantastic! I love springtime!

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Pretty yellow crocuses (croci?). There were also pretty light purply-blue ones, dark purple ones, white ones, and some purple and yellow ones (which remind me of irises--my favorite flowers!).
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So anyway, what's been going on is mainly flat-hunting, and figuring out logistics for next year, on top of classes. Anik and I will be living together starting in 2 weeks, since we found a gorgeous flat right near to uni. Originally we were going to wait till later like everyone else, but we decided to move early in order to avoid the rush as every first year throughout the entire university will be searching for flats at roughly the same time.

Our new flat is about a 2 minute walk from uni, has 2 large bedrooms, a kitchen, living room, 2 showers, a separate bathroom with tub, and all the closet space a girl could ask for! Here are some pics!

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Our door is the white one, but we could also use the brown one if we wanted. That little porch out front is ours too I believe.
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Gigantic living room to the left as you walk in. TV, stereo, and furniture is all included!
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Kitchen off the living room. It's got a washer and dishwasher, a wine rack, and all the pots and pans we could ever need!
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I think we decided this was Anik's bedroom. Bed included.
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I don't have a picture of the room that is to be my bedroom, but suffice it to say, it is also awesome. Each bedroom has a shower attached (I think they used to be walk-in closets). I am so excited, not only to move out of the flat I'm in now, but also to live with Anik. It's going to be awesome. I cannot wait!

Other than the flat hunt coming to an exciting and wonderful close, I've just been trying to learn the crazy amount of info we're supposed to know. I'm getting more and more overwhelmed with it, but so is everyone else, so we're all in the same boat.

I also had a fantastic Valentine's Day, which involved getting treated to brunch (a full Scottish breakfast with haggis and black pudding and baked beans, etc. Yum!), then to a pub in Falkirk at around 2 with a bunch of people whom I'd never met before, but it was fun nonetheless. Then a film was had, called Serendipity, which I had never seen before. While a very predictable and sappy chick-flick, it was also very cute, and left me smiling.

In upcoming news, on Friday I am taking my Valentine for a birthday dinner, then heading back to Falkirk to go birthday pubbing. Then on Saturday I am going to a Scottish wedding reception. I will be posting lots of pictures, as my date will be wearing full highland dress, and I will be wearing a superbly fabulous dress that will hopefully leave the bride infinitely jealous. :-P Needless to say I am excited. Also it will be fun to see how wedding receptions differ from America. We're not going to the actual wedding, as it's a more intimate wedding, but the wedding reception should be a fun party.

And now, back to studying!

Reminiscing and Planning

I really miss Colby College. I absolutely love it here, but I really miss the lifestyle and friends I had at Colby. When you were bored you could prop your door open and chat with the people that walk by, or go to the next dorm over to be with your friends, or go to pretty much any dorm on campus and there'd be a party going on. This school is just too big, and spread out all across the city, so it makes it difficult to be close to your friends. I'm discovering that more and more I am becoming a person that needs to be surrounded by my friends. I don't know how this bodes for my fantasy of living in a quiet suburb with my future family and multitude of pets, but maybe living in a city is something I could actually do.

I can't wait until this summer, when I can move into a flat with and near my friends (and nearer to school as well). That will make this experience infinitely more enjoyable. I can't wait to have a room I can make my own without having to worry about packing it all up at the end of the year, and I can't wait to get a pet! I've already begun looking for flats, mostly in the Sciennes / Newington area, and am becoming increasingly excited about it.

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The blue is the ideal area we're looking to live. The little marker is Summerhall. I live wayyyy the heck out to the left. Much too far away, despite that it's a really great area.
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We haven't figured out the logistics of living yet (i.e. who is living with whom, how much we want to pay, etc.), but it has been decided that, at the very least, I will be living with Anik, our ratties (Scabbers, Ratikus and Ezekial Rage), and my future (hopefully cream-coloured) kitten to be named Chai. :)

the bug abates

So I made it to class today, and made it through most of the day. It seemed to go okay, although my stomach is still grumbly, and my intestines still cramp every now and again, and I still feel slightly nauseous pretty much all the time, but it seems to be getting much better. We have one class this afternoon which I haven't decided whether I'll make it to yet cause my stomach is getting grumbly again (it always seems to get worse in the afternoon). I'm so tired that I don't think there would be any point in going, especially because I missed the first part of the lecture that happened last week, so I'm thinking I'll nap and recover a bit more, and get some studying done when my stomach calms down. Tomorrow we've got an even longer day, so it's more important that I'm healthier tomorrow.

It actually surprised my how many of my classmates are sick. I know a number of people who had this bug the week before I did, and at least 4 or 5 people who have it now as well. Everyone's walking through class asking each other "how are you feeling?" constantly. Clearly we vet students need to work on the whole hand-washing bit.

So now on to happier things. Last night was Burns Night, which is a holiday in Scotland, celebrating Robert Burns, the great writer/poet. Despite the stomach bug (although I was actually feeling more okay last night than I am even now), and because my idols the Red Hot Chili Pipers were playing, my flatmates Miriam, Emily and I went to Glasgow for the "Burns Illuminated" festival. I've been trying to be more social with my flatmates this semester, which so far is going well. We left the flat as late as we could to get to Glasgow in time for the Pipers, who according to their website were going on at 6:30, and even after missing our train, we still managed to get there while the choir was still going. I was so excited to get there before they came on, because when we missed the 5:30 train, we had to get one a half an hour later, which meant we would get to Glasgow at around 6:50. When I found out they hadn't started yet, I got extremely excited, and I'm pretty sure the people around me were wondering what I was freaking out about.

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As we got there the choir was finishing up, as was the light show, which they project onto the City Chambers building. Very pretty.
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The Chili Pipers emerge in all of their awesomeness!
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"Smoke on the Water - Thunderstruck - Upside down at Eden Court" medley, which is my favorite of all of the songs they do. Their fingers really fly over the pipes!
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They were amaaaazing. I wish they had played more songs, but then again the festival wasn't really about them. Their energy was infectious, and had the whole crowd (even ones who didn't look like they knew who the RHCPs were) boucing and dancing. The most I could do was bob in place out of fear of upsetting my stomach, but on the inside I was jumping up and down and screaming. They played most of my favorite songs from the album, namely O, Flower of Scotland, the Hills of Argyl, and their amazing version of We Will Rock You/Eye of the Tiger. They also played a Burn's tune I didn't know, but other people seemed to know the words and sang along. They really are a great band to watch, cause it's so evident how much talent and control they need to play those bagpipes at that speed while running around stage.

There were some other acts too, some Scottish pop star (Michelle McMannus, I think, she was really good!), accompanied by some attractive men with guitars (the Fortunate Sons - check them out, they're awesome!) :) They sang some K.T. Tungstall, Johnny Cash, and Ray Charles, along with some more Scottish songs, and then the Fortunate Sons played a song by themselves (a Robert Burns tune), and then the whole thing ended with choreographed fireworks (set to some popular tunes) and some audience sing-a-longs which had the whole place singing ("Ye'll take the high road and / I'll take the low road / and I'll be in Scotland afore ye; / But me and my true love / will never meet again / on the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond")

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Michelle McMannus and the Fortunate Sons
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The Fireworks!
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More fireworks! For such a small-scale thing they were quite good!
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Afterward I tried to get to meet the RHCPs, but once they took off their bright red kilts (cause it was freeeezing!) I couldn't tell who they were, cause they were interspersed with the crew, and I don't know them that well, yet. But I did speak briefly to the Fortunate Sons in the process, and they seemed really nice. Because of the cold we decided not to stick around and be total groupies. I figure I'll be going to an actual concert of theirs at some point, so maybe I'll try to meet them then. :)

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We got a nice Scottish lady to take our picture in front of the Burns Statue.
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Anyway, so after the people cleared out it started getting even colder, so Emily, Miriam and I walked around for a bit, looking for a cafe or something, but it seems nothing except bars and kebab shops were open, neither of which would be ideal for the state my stomach is in. So we went to the train station early, got apple ciders at a little stand there right before it closed, and hopped an earlier train home. When we got back to Edinburgh I insisted upon getting a cab, cause my stomach was hurting and it would be a cheap ride, so after a cab ride that was surely quicker, warmer and better than walking, we arrived back home and I went straight to bed before 11:30!

So, despite a horrible and depressing, sick and homesick week, it ended on a really really high note. And while I'm not sure standing out in the freezing cold last night did any favours for my health, it did wonders for my soul, which makes it completely worth it in my book.

Saga of the Stomach Bug

So this week has been surprisingly unfun. Not only was it the hardest, busiest week of classes we've had so far, but I missed ALL of it because of the stomach bug that's apparently been making its way around our class and around uni. Ick. I tried to make it to a practical on Wednesday, but ended up having to leave and sit in the "first aid chair" outside for the rest of the period.

Note to self: smell of formalin + upset stomach = bad news

Today I have been feeling better overall, in the sense that I have been to the doctor, and made it all the way there and back without dying. I had to sleep for about 2 hours after I got back to recupperate, but I made it. Mostly it's just the stairs at the end, they're horrible when you're ill! Anyway, so the doctor told me basically to keep resting and drinking fluids, and if I was still ill on Monday I should come see him again. Which of course means I would have to miss another day of class, but at least then I'd be probably given something to aid in my recovery. They're not big on drugs here.

Anyway on the way home I stopped at Sainsbury's and got some essentials, like PowerAde to keep me hydrated, grapes, oatmeal, and bananas, which all seem like fairly innocuous foods that I can keep down. The PowerAde immediately helped. I drank one and my headache went away, and I'm feeling much less nauseous. Woot.

I've heard from others in our class that this week was unfun in terms of classes too, but that doesn't mean I'm any less responsible for learning it all, which means once I get better it's going to be lots of catchup. I've so far been unable to concentrate on anything long enough to study, and end up just staring at the page for an hour before giving up. I'm thinking if I just hold off till I'm well it'll be much more productive, and for now I'll attempt to enjoy my enforced laziness. My Wii is all set up, but even that I haven't been able to stick with for very long without getting bored. Blah.

Maybe it's cause I'm sick, but I've also been feeling really homesick lately. Probably because whenever I was sick I'd always sit on the couch in the family room watching tv and my parents would keep me company and help me feel better and cook me delicious wholesome food that was sure to make me feel better. I miss being a kid, and thinking it was the greatest thing ever to miss a week of school, especially because it was so easy to make up the work. I love it here, but I constantly feel like there is no possible way I can ever learn the amount of material I'm expected to know, and I'm not used to "squeaking by," I'm used to excelling without really trying all that hard, and it's kind of a harsh reality that I can't do that anymore. Also, I love my friends here, but I miss the familiarity of home and the friends I went to college with, who know me better than I know myself, and I feel like I'm losing them because I never get to talk to them with the time difference. And most of all, I miss my mom. I know it's childish, but the only thing I really really need right now is a hug from my mom, and I'll never ever get that again, and it really really sucks...

Baby Coos!

Back again!

So this week has had exciting things so far. We have started the semester off with a barrage of classes, looking only to get more hectic as time goes on.

I returned to the 'Burgh on Saturday morning, and managed to lug my heavy suitcases up the multitude of steps, collapsed on my bed in my room and slept until around 5pm that evening, then got up for dinner, and just hung out until 11 when I promptly went to bed. Oddly enough, that seemed the right thing to do, because I experienced very little jet lag, and I couldn't even sleep past 10am the next morning. I went to brunch with Jeni at Cafe Grande, and then enjoyed the rest of the day just hanging out.

I also met my new flatmate, Emily, who is also from America (Utah!). It's a bit weird having a new flatmate, but she's quite nice, and it'll be nice to have another American around.

Anyhoo, so Monday classes began again with 3 classes on neuroanatomy, and another 2 on Tuesday. It was mostly basics, but still a useful review.

On Monday evening my section of the class had a practical about dairy calf husbandry, so we trekked out to Langhill farm to visit the newborn calves. They are ADORABLE. I wish I could be a baby calf vet and avoid the large cows altogether, but alas. The big ones were even beginning to grow on me, but perhaps that's because I was feeling benevolent towards them for producing such cute little animals. We were unfortunately not allowed to bring our cameras due to the risk of bringing home cryptosporidiosis spores (which is a nasty parasite that will leave you with severe diarrhea if you contract it). I imagine that at some point in my career I will come down with this, but hey as long as I can put it off I will.

But to make up for my lack of camera, I have collected, from various places around the internet (meaning these photos are NOT mine), some pictures of the cute furries that somewhat approximate what we saw at Langhill. Enjoy:

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Mother and newborn
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A bebe learning to stand.
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A holstein calf sleeping after the trauma of birth
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Baby cows are very inquisitive
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Anyway, so those are some pictures of cuties. We mostly saw Holstein-Fresians, which are the usual dairy cow breed, but there was one Belgian Blue cross that was really cute too. What we did was learn about how to treat them when they're born, such as how to treat their naval and how much colostrum to give them (colostrum is the "first milk" the mother produces, which has extra nourishment; antibodies, because calves are born with no immunity of their own; and also stimulates the calf's first bowel movement). Then we learned how to hold them, halter them, restrain them for things like ear tagging, vaccinations, castration, and de-budding (removing the horn buds). It was very fun, and we enjoyed watching the calves frolicking around with each other in the pens, learning to use their legs and wobbling around. But it was also veeery cold, so I was all too happy to get back and enjoy a nice hot shower.

On Wednesday we had a few classes on pain, and another two looking at the "special sense organs," which include the eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. We learned about how animals hear and see and everything. These classes were probably the most interesting so far, at least in my opinion. Wednesday afternoon we had off, so I went to my friend Kyle's to watch some old school Dr. Who, then went out to a pub for some bangers and mash (made of venison! yummy yummy!) and a Guinness.

Today we had classes on male genitalia all day, which put our class's maturity level to the test. The first teacher we had was a woman, so it seemed that our class would make it through with a minimum of giggling, but our teacher for the last class, which was on how to test a stallion (male horse) for breeding quality, was a guy, who kept cracking jokes the whole time about the various mechanisms used to get the stallion to "go," and he had us all in hysterics. For the sake of my younger readers, and for everyone else, I'll not put in what he said or joked about, but suffice it to say it was pretty hilarious.

Lastly we had a practical on spermatozoa, so we were looking at the things under a microscope all evening. It wasn't all that interesting, because all of us know what the little buggers look like by now, as that's covered in biology in most highschools. But we did learn how to assess their motility, and how to calculate a sperm count and things like that, which are important for determining breeding soundness in livestock animals (or dog breeders, for example).

So the last activity of the day was the unveiling of last semester's grades (insert scary music here). I wont tell you what I got, because it's none of anyone's business, but suffice it to say that I don't have to resit it, and I'm in good standing to pass at the end of the year. Yay!

Now, I am off to study, and start the semester off right!

a LOOOONG holiday post

Hey everyone! So it's been a hectic break, but an enjoyable one. This is going to be a gigantic post, I apologize in advance. I meant to write in bits and pieces throughout the holiday, but I forgot to bring along my camera card reader, so I had to wait till I get home to post with pictures.

Anyway, so I got home from Scotland after a long day of traveling, and enjoyed a quiet night at home with my dad. The next day I got up and did a bit of shopping, and then got my hair done. Then afterward my dad and I had dinner with my friend Kaitlin, whom I've known practically forever. She gave me a really sweet gift of an angel doll, which was similar to something she had received as a child, so it meant a lot to me.

On the 22nd I think it was, we left Connecticut, picked up my grandma, and began the long drive down to South Carolina to visit my brother, whom I haven't seen in about 8 years. On the way down we stopped at some outlets and did some shopping, which was nice. I got some shirts and sweaters I'd been needing. South Carolina was surprisingly not very warm. There was one day (I think Christmas, oddly enough) when it was around 70 degrees, but the rest of the time it was pretty chilly. We visited my brother on Christmas Eve, Christmas, and the day after, and then began the drive back up.

Christmas itself was a bit strange, mostly because we were in a hotel, but especially (and perhaps obviously) because my mom wasn't there. Also I was sick, which didn't help any. I had brought along a tiny foot-tall Christmas tree, which I decorated with mini-lights and tiny ornaments. So that helped a bit, but I still missed having a real tree. We did the present thing on Christmas Eve, and I got a few things from my dad I'd asked for, like a few video games and what not, and he also got me a really pretty Swarofski ornament of a Christmas tree, and a miniature crystal dog tchatchki. I got my dad and grandma each a cashmere scarf from Scotland, and also some shortbread (yum!). On Christmas Eve and Christmas we had dinner at a restaurant in Charleston, SC, called Poogin's Porch (which I discovered to my delight was named after a dog), and had delicious food. Being sick meant I couldn't eat a whole lot, and I'm sure things would have tasted better had I not been sick, but it was still pretty good. I tried fried alligator (which was very good, kind of like a cross between chicken and fried clams), and had delicious duck, and pumpkin pie, which I have been sorely missing in Scotland.

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Our teeny Christmas tree
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Nana, Dad and Me
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Visiting my brother was great. I hadn't seen him in going on 8 years I think (long story), and I was nervous at first, because I had no idea what it was going to be like, and I'm rather inept at conversation and I thought it might be awkward. But it turned out to be really good. He looked partly different than I remembered, and partly exactly the same. I imagine it must have been weirder for him, because I think I've changed a whole lot in the last 8 years. But we settled right back into brother and sister mode, and got a kick out of bickering and ganging up on my dad during a card game.

So then on the 27th we arrived in Arlington, VA, where we picked up my friend Thomas, whom I know from Colby, and went to eat dinner at a local pizza place. It was quite good. Afterward my dad and grandma left me in VA, and drove the rest of the way home.

On Sunday Thomas and I went to the Manassus National Park, which is a famous Civil War battleground, and we took a little walking tour, learning about the first battle of Manassus (I think also known as the battle of Bull Run?), and then explored a bit on our own. It was a very pretty area, and we were walking around as the sun was setting (and the weather was gorgeous and warm, minus about 2 minutes of very slight drizzle). We had fun trying to figure out if the cannons were real or replicas, and trying on union soldier hats in the gift shop. We had also brought a long a picnic lunch/early dinner, which we ate by the Stone Bridge, which was built before the Civil War. It was pretty cool. I was hoping the place would be haunted, because the Stone Bridge seemed like a spooky-ish place, particularly as dusk fell, but alas, no ghostly sightings. Later that night Thomas gave me a bagpipe lesson, which was fun. He's quite a good teacher, and he taught me a song, as well as how to read bagpipe music and everything.

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Messing about in the park's gift shop
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Manassus National Park at Sunset
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Our lunch picnic spot - The Stone Bridge
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On Monday Thomas had to work, so I hung around the apartment and basically was a lazy bum all day long. But that was fine by me; not having a tv in Scotland meant I was all too happy to sit my butt down in front of the telly for hours and hours. I also did a bit of reading, and played a few video games. When Thomas got home we went out to a local Tapas restaurant called La Tasca, and had some really yummy Paella with spanish sausage and chicken. And of course I can't forget the Sangrea. The kind we got was Sangrea Rosada, which had strawberries, blueberries, and was made with rose wine. It was soooo delicious!

On Tuesday Thomas had to work again, so I set out to explore the area, and ended up in the Pentagon City shopping centre. I got some things I'd been needing, like a gigantic Starbucks pumpkin-spice latte, thank you cards for my Aunt Cherie and grandma (for very generous birthday and Christmas gifts), and some new brushes for my makeup, as my old blush brush was getting kind of disgusting to the point where I was cringing every time I had to use it (it had a good 5 or 6 years worth of makeup caked into it). I also got cleaning pads, so hopefully I can prevent the new ones from getting to the state my last one was in, so hopefully they'll last for awhile. Anyway, then I returned back to Thomas's flat and hung out for a bit, and around 5:30 headed back to Pentagon City to meet Thomas and his roommate Chris for Mexican food (nachos and Margarita happy hour!) and more shopping! I didn't buy anything, but I helped Chris and Thomas pick out some things.

Wednesday I was on my own all day again, and I did much the same thing as Tuesday. I hit up the shopping centre and got a few pairs of jeans from JCrew, and got my nails done. A very girly day :) That night, being New Year's, Thomas and I decided to go to a New Year's Eve event at a pub called Whitlow's on Wilson nearby. We trekked there in the FREEZING cold weather (We tried to hail a cab for the 10-minute walk, that's how cold it was, but of course as soon as we decided we wanted to cab it, there were no cabs available).

So anyway, when we got there, the place was practically deserted. So instead we walked down the street to a little pub called Galaxy Hut, which had tables that were old school Pac Man and pinball games, and planned on getting a drink or two and then going back to check out the party to see if it had picked up at all. After a drink though, we decided where we were was as good as the other place, and given that the other place had a $40 cover charge, we weren't going to miss much. So we got some delicious pub food and another drink, and stayed where we were. We attempted to play the pinball game, but the flippers were broken or something, which was sad, and the other tables with PacMan were taken. Oh well. There was only a tiny TV in the pub, and before we knew it the whole pub was counting down, and then it was 2009! It was very low key, but at the same time, very nice.

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Thomas and our pin-ball table
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Next day was also nice. We went to the National Postal Museum, which was surpisingly cool, and hung around there for a few hours, then went to Pho75 (amazing Vietnamese restaurant) for lunch, and then out to a movie, Slumdog Millionaire, which is about a kid from the slums of India who ends up on the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire show, and the whole movie is about how and why he knows the answers to all the questions. It was FANTASTIC. I highly recommend it to everyone. Afterwards we attempted to play the Claw machine outside the movie theatre, but for whatever reason the god of cheap games hates me this week, and the game wasn't working. Boo.

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The Postal Service's mascot, Owney
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I forget exactly why there was a truck, but Thomas displays it wonderfully.
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I'm a mean trucker
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Friday Thomas had to work again, so I got up and went to brunch with Katie (another friend from Colby), and did laundry and played video games. Basically I was a lazy bum, which was nonetheless, awesome. :)

Saturday Thomas was dragged into work again for a half day, so I hung about the flat until he returned. That evening we met up with Katie and some others for broomball, which sadly I didn't take pictures of, but it was a game we all loved at Colby, which they happen to have at the ice rink by Thomas's. Basically, it's hockey, played with a larger ball, on the ice, in sneakers, with special sticks in the shape of brooms.

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Conveniently I found this picture of Thomas playing broomball with mostly the same people at the same ice rink we played at, just so you have a feel of the game. Just pretend I was there.
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After broomball we went downstairs in the mall to a GIGANTIC bar, and had drinks and delicious barfood and had fun.

Sunday Thomas had a friend coming over, named Julia, who plays guitar and sings. So for a couple hours he played bagpipes with her while she played guitar. It was a nice way to spend a Sunday morning, and Julia was very nice. Afterward we went to Trader Joe's, after spending about 45 minutes searching for a parking space (it was a madhouse!), and then came back home. Later that evening, Thomas had a pipe band practice, so I tagged along. I brought along my book and read while they were playing (earplugs in!). It was really cool! Watching how fast their fingers move on the pipe was nothing short of amazing. Seriously. Also it was cool to hear the actual bagpipes. It reminds me why I put up with the rather abysmal sound of the chanter. :)

My last day, Monday, Thomas had to work (dang the real world and it's jobs!), so I headed to the Mall (the National Mall, not the shopping mall), and checked out the National Museum of Natural History, after getting a dirty water dog from a street vendor.

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The Rotunda of the museum
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Hamster (on a piano), and squirrel
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Prehistoric dog!
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Giant sea turtle!
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Butterfly garden!
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The Mall at night
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Afterward we went to a local pub for pub trivia. I knew a few answers, but not a whole lot. One particular one I DID know, and got really excited about, was "The lateral collateral and cranial cruciate are examples of what?" Ligaments! Haha. Glad to know vet school was good for something, eh? :)

Anyhoo, the next morning after Thomas left for work I lugged all my stuff on the metro, and made my way to Union Station to catch the Amtrak. My train ride was uneventful, and I arrived back in Connecticut about 3pm. I relaxed all of that night, which was nice.

Yesterday I ate lunch with Kaitlin and her mom, then went back to Kaitlin's and hung out for a bit. I've known Kaitlin since 1st grade, so getting together with her is amazing. Even when I haven't seen her in awhile, when we get together it's like always. It's so great to have a friend like her.

After visiting Kaitlin, my dad and I went out to dinner at a local pan-Asian restaurant, and then to visit Mrs. Bucholz, my old piano teacher. We haven't seen her in years as well, so it was nice to see her again and have a chat. I played a little piano for her, what I could remember of my old songs, anyway. Then I got home and relaxed some more.

So here I am. Today we're going to visit my grandma for lunch, then my cousins for dinner I think. I'm kind of sad it's my last night at home. The thought of going back and studying makes me cringe a little. I know it'll be great to get back, but I'm having fun just relaxing!

Anyway, that's all for my loooong post. I guess I'll see you all back across the pond!

1 semester - DONE!

My first semester of vet school is officially DONE! It was incredibly challenging, but overall very fun, and I learned a ton!

The final exam was quite challenging, but I think I did ok. I knew all the short answer questions really well, and the essays I think I knew enough to get by. The multiple choice was probably not that great, but that's never been my strong suit. Anyway, I refuse to speculate about how well or not well I did, because it's subjective, and there are always resits in August, much as I would hate to have to do that.

So the night before the exam, I took a break from studying to have an early Christmas dinner with my flatmates (and Hannah, who used to live with us, but moved to a flat closer to the school of divinity). It was actually really nice, because I hadn't spent any real time with them, because we never seem to be home at the same time, and when I am I'm usually crammed in my room studying. While they were cooking (because they knew I was studying and so graciously let me off the hook for cooking and most of the clean up duties), Lusanda got her new keyboard. I thought my keyboard was nice, but her keyboard is AMAZING. Not only does it have the entire set of keys, but it is weighted exactly like an actual piano, and it sounds like an actual piano. She got it for not too much more than mine cost too, but oh well. Too late now. And mine is good, it's just not THAT good, lol! Besides when I'm older I plan on having a real piano, so this is just a temporary thing.

Anyway, so we set up the keyboard, and were playing around with it while waiting for the food to finish cooking. We taught Hannah and Lusanda's boyfriend Dan to play a little bit (they were actually quite quick at it, I was impressed), and then played and sang christmas carols.

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Dan and the new glorious keyboard.
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So then the food was ready, and we all sat down to eat. It was quite good, and this is apparently what the typical British Christmas meal is. It's very similar to our Thanksgiving meal, only minus the cranberry sauce, and for some reason they traditionally have brussel sprouts?! (although thankfully we opted for peas and carrots instead!). There was turkey, gravy, stuffing, potatoes, yorkshire pudding (which is in fact NOT anything like a pudding), sausages, peas & carrots, and orange squash (juice) for a drink.

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Delicious dinner!

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For desert we had Torron (not sure how to spell that), which is a Spanish Christmastime dessert similar to Peanut brittle, and Miriam made a champagne lemon sorbet drink, which was really good, but I couldn't have a whole lot because I had to study. We also had little mini mince pies, and Christmas pudding.

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Miriam, Lusanda, Hannah, and Me all together!
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So then after the test we went back to Summerhall, where Professor Alastair MacDonald had mulled wine, minced pies, and some other sort of christmas bread. It was delicious, and much needed after the stress of exams.

Then I went back to my flat and packed and tidied up a bit, and then relaxed for awhile. At around 7, Anik, Pookish and I went to Jessica's flat to have tea and exchange presents. Jessica gave me a really cute hedgehog stuffed animal (apparently Britain's only spiney mammal, who knew?). I have yet to give him a name, but I shall let you know as soon as I come up with one. Anik got me geode windchimes from the German market. They are very pretty, and I hung them up as soon as I got home. Pookish got me a really pretty spun glass piano. I, as expected, broke it on the way home, but I managed to at least for the moment situate it so you can't tell, and I'm going to get some glue and fix it when I get back. Clearly delicate things don't do well in my hands. I'll post some pictures up after I get back. I managed to leave my camera in Jessica's flat, boo.

Anyway, So today I got up at 6am and stuffed the last few things in my suitcases, lugged them down the 4 flights of stairs, and dragged them down the road to hail a cab. At 6:30 I finally found one and got to the airport around 7ish. Also, funny story, when I got in the cab, the guy was like "where're you headed, Hen?" (also, I'll never get used to being called "hen" on a normal basis), and I guess I thought he was being conversational, because I assumed that he'd get that I was going to the airport with 2 gigantic suitcases, so I replied "Uh, America." His response? "Ah, well I cannae take ya there, Lass." Haha. I kind of wanted to be like "REAALLYY? I had NO idea!" But I figured I'd let it go and just pretend to be the dumb blonde I come across as at 6:30 in the morning, so I simply said, "Ah, haha. Yeah the airport, please."

So anyway, my flight was originally supposed to take off at 9:05. It is currently 9:02, and the plane hasn't even arrived in Edinburgh from Newark yet. The supposed time it's going to leave is 1:50pm at the moment. Lame.

Now normally I would be extremely bummed about waiting for 5 hours in an airport, and I am, truth to be told, not extremely happy about it. But I'm okay with it. Why? you ask. I cut the gigantic line at check-in, I am sprawled on a comfy couch, drinking a free latte (and about to get a free cappuccino, or maybe a mocha) and eating free pastries, enjoying the sunrise from the picture window of the Business class lounge, and potentially pouring myself a glass of classy Scottish wine when it comes to lunchtime. For whatever reason the only seats left on the flight were business class, so here I am.

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The Buisnessclass lounge. AMAZING.
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Latte/capuccino machines, pastries, shortbread, wine, and fully stocked mini-fridges. Can life get better? I submit that it cannot!
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I don't know if I'll ever be able to fly economy again. This is amazing. They have free wine and a fully stocked mini bar, computer stations, couches, flat screen tvs all over the place for the different little cubby hole areas, and it's quiet and bright, and warm and cozy, and the floors are carpeted and I there are no children running around screaming, and it smells good.

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My cushy little area.
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I can't wait to actually get on the plane, and enjoy a (for once) comfortable and cushy plane ride. Brilliant. I really wish I could travel like this all the time. I hope I'm loaded when I'm older, because this is fantastic. The only thing I can possibly complain about is that I have to pay for the wireless. For as much as this business-class ticket cost, they should give us free wi-fi passes or something. But then again, 24 hours was only £5.95 (as opposed to £3.95 for one hour, so not too bad).

Anyway, I'm going to take a nap I think, and then get some more food! Maybe I'll update later if the mood strikes me.