the city

I'll fast forward through a great majority of my next travels, as they were some of my darkest hours alive. Let's just say it it involved plenty of staring, more bad currency exchange rates, and an oddly over-friendly van driver. The one thing I will say is that on the short journey from the airport to Stirling, there were two girls in the same van. One was from Sweden and the other from Denmark. About twenty minutes into the ride, the girl from Denmark, Agnete (pronounced similarly to Anita only with a softly spoken 'g'), offered us all a 'piece of candy.' I was famished at this point and had only eaten the crumblings of airplane food, so I jumped at the mention of candy. I took the tic-tac sized, blue box from her and and poured out one thimble-like object that did not smell like anything in particular. The candy was black and hard. I then made the mistake of putting it in my mouth. Though small in size, this candy can only be described as playing a round of chubby bunny (for all my older family members reading this, Chubby Bunny is a game where you shove objects in your mouth - normally marshmallows - and whoever can fit more in wins. Very dangerous. Very exciting.) with approximately 23 fishermen's cough drops. I couldn't believe it. I was so hungry and she gives me a cough drop! The nerve of Denmark. I would imagine it's why they are the happiest country in the world. They get a sick thrill watching others suffer from their misconstrued language. Of course I laugh now, and have thoroughly enjoyed the variation of word definitions, some of which I'll be sure to include. 

After getting to my room, I slept. I slept from 5:30pm to 9:00am to avoid any jet-lag that would carry throughout the weekend. Right after I woke up, I chose to do what any level-headed foreigner would do his first time out of the country. I went shopping! The city of Stirling is approximately 2.5km from my school, and the bus is the easiest way to travel. I hoped on a bus right away and was off. For those who know me well, you can attest to my enjoyment with shopping; especially if I find good deals (thanks mom!). I've always had a great desire for both the naturalistic and the materialistic. Though they're complete opposites, I have learned to love both equally and respect each in comparison to the other. For example, while I truly love shopping, I am very environmentally friendly and more often than not tell the cashier that I won't be needing a bag. I rarely buy clothing made in China, and I often follow my favorite store's sustainability efforts. This all fit perfectly with Scotland. Once I got off the bus, I entered a shoe store to look for rain boots/shoes. Note: If you ever travel to Scotland, the first two things in your suitcase should be rain-proof footwear and an umbrella. It didn't take me long to make a decision, and I was likely one of their favorite customers for coming into the store, spending four or five minutes looking at shoes and then buying a pair of NorthFace terrain hiking shoes. It was a bit of a splurge, but I didn't feel like hiking mountains in swamp boots. 

When going to buy my boots, it was still one of the first few times that I had paid with British Pounds (or Scottish. I hear they only care if you are in England and pay with Scottish Pounds). As most foreign travelers have experienced at some point or another, the bills aren't a problem. (Those of you who have traveled the world can attest to that). Everywhere but the USA has the system of bigger denominations of bills are bigger in size as well. Fancy that (*said in a Scottish accent, of course). The coins are another story. It's truly disastrous anytime my total is not an even Pound amount. Scotland carries coins with the following worths: 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p (p = pence). So for starters that's two addition coins to what I, as an American, am subconsciously privileged to. BUT WAIT! There's more! If you order today you can get two for the price of one! 1£, unlike the US equivalent of $1, is a coin. There is also a coin for 2£. That's right folks. There are eight different coins in Scotland. I caught on to the game after a while to avoid embarassment. See, when I stand in a line whether it be for the bus or at a department store, there are people behind me. These people want to move on with their lives at a swift pace, and I understand. So, instead of drawing a grand amount of attention towards my monetary disability, I pull every coin from my pocket, hold it out in front of the cashier and tell him or her to grab whatever coins are needed. Some may find this embarrassing or quite passive of me, but I don't much care. Would you rather have the cashier know you're from America or the ten people standing behind you? Yup, that's precisely what I thought.  

I'll fast forward a bit more through my shopping, which turned up to be one of the best of my life. All in all, I got a cell phone (for 3£!), an umbrella, a tank top, pants (5£!), lunch at a nice cafe, and a rain coat! It was simply splendid and I can't wait to go back. I actually learned today that it is a walkable distance. A group of the international students walked to the town for groceries about an hour ago. Anyways...

Last night I had the opportunity to go to a Pub. Ironically, this pub is part of the University, and is cheap alcohol for that reason. Since the drinking age is 18, all students are able to drink. (No 17 year olds on campus. It's expected you take a break between high school and college in Europe.) It was an incredible experience talking to six other students from all different parts of the world. We discussed the difference of our countries, which included Argentina, Brazil, England, Scotland, Malta, and Hungry. It was fascinating. Until a year ago it was illegal to get divorced in Malta! Who knew. Better yet, you probably have no idea where Malta is (I can think of 3 or 4 people reading this who would know). I'll be honest. I had no idea where it was. But, the night's conversation led me to research my newfound friends' countries to understand them a bit better. 

Over Christmas my aunt told me that study abroad would help show me that the United States is not the only country in the world, as we sometimes forget. I'm learning that this is not only true for the actions of Americans (at least the majority) but also for others' perceptions of Americans. It's sad but very true, and quite frankly it makes me uncomfortable seeing it up close in a foreign country, but I'm learning from it and will work to always be alert and aware to the world. There is a remarkable amount to learn here, and I'm quite excited. 

-J

*On a completely different note, Netflix in the UK runs different programming than the USA. Among the most upsetting losses on my cross of the pond: Desperate Housewives.