a view

What I love most about rivers Scotland is you can't experience or even see the same thing twice. I know right away what you're thinking. Yes you can. Technically, yes. No matter how many times you look in the refrigerator during the day it's always the same food. Or even looking into an empty wallet. Same story (and picture) every times. What I really mean by it is that every day and moment changes the future indefinitely. We've all heard the saying, 'For every action, there is a reaction.' I was reminded of this important fact earlier this week when I felt my first urge of home sickness. It wasn't home sickness, per say, but rather a desire to be back in The United States for just a day or two. I would imagine anyone abroad feels this way at some point whether he or she would like to admit it or not. Anyway, what brought all this on was the realization of how un-busy I am. In the States it was never like this. I would be hopping from one place to another with barely a break, which is what my body eventually learned to love. Here I am not busy in the same extent. My experiences are more intense and inspiring, yet there are fewer of them. So, on Friday, when this feeling was trying to keep me under my covers for three or four more snooze sessions, I sat up and decided I would explore.

 So, I got out of bed with the intent to first eat breakfast, but this would soon be denied. See, three days a week our building is cleaned by less-than-hospitible cleaning ladies. The will actually kick people out of the kitchen so they can clean. My most memorable encounter with them was one day, several weeks ago, when one bothered me in the middle of my shower. Granted, I shower with the door cracked mostly open. There are two showers, so I do it in case someone else has to shower in a hurry. EVERY other person on the floor shuts the door completely. People think I'm weird to shower with the door open, but hey. Who is really going to come in and bother me? I'll tell you who... The cleaning ladies. One walked in and asked me to hurry up so she could clean the showers. What? I mean, is it too much to ask them to vacuum before cleaning the showers? Or even better, post a sign saying what times we can't shower. I politely told her I would be out shortly. Anyways, I've gotten off track. So I wanted breakfast, but the cleaning ladies were in there. I didn't want to even bother, so I went for my run first. Once I was back, showered, and dressed I decided to walk to town in order to save 1.70. Once I got there I climbed a small hill that has a beheading stone and two cannons. I could always see this when I was in town, but Friday was the first day I traveled up. The straw path winded back and forth until I was finally at the top. From there, the view was remarkable. The entire town of Stirling was visible as well as the mountains completely exposed. The large mountain I climbed is only the first of many behind it. Climbing the hill allowed me to see all the additional mountains. The view was remarkable, and I took some videos that I may post one day. But by climbing this hill I saw the world differently. A way I hadn't seen it before. By climbing I discovered a new grocery store. See, the hill blocks the view of anyone coming into town. I had been going to one particular grocery store my whole time here, but when I saw another (much bigger!) just over the hill, I knew I had to go try it out. Friday is my weekly shopping day, so it worked out quite well. Before getting groceries though I wanted to explore a bit more. Down a different path of the hill lead me through stone alley pathways the opened up to a pristine cemetery at the base of Stirling Castle. Red sand walkways cut from grave to grave with stairs providing separation to the multiple levels of the cemetery. While at the site, Stirling Castle towered overhead. It's so fascinating to know of the battles and history behind the land. A poem posted all around the city has had me so invested in the history of this place. I've posted it right below. 
           Here Stuarts once in glory reign'd,
        And laws for Scotland's weal ordain'd;
        But now unroof'd their palace stands,
        Their sceptre's sway'd by other hands;
        The injured Stuart line is gone,
        A race outlandish fills their throne;
        An idiot race, to honour lost;
        Who know them best despise them most.

Scotland is far more interesting than I had ever imagined when I first applied to study abroad. A country strong in its roots and one that has held its own. By the way, the referendum vote (for Scotland independence) is 18 September 2014. No longer - if it passes - will Scotland be part of the United Kingdom. 

As for the rest of my week, it's been rather slow. Yesterday, again, I was a bit bored because my friends had all gone to the city for the day. Since I wanted to save money for my coming week in London, I chose not to go. Instead, I went on an extra long run in the morning and then an afternoon walk around the lake. I'm pretty sure I've mentioned the number of swans and ducks before (if I haven't... just know there are a ton!) Anyway, as I was walking, I stopped at the boat deck and sat down to record some of them in the water. Within seconds every duck and swan was heading my way. I was a bit worried because I've heard swans are strong enough to break an arm. I was suddenly surrounded by the animals who clearly wanted food. I had none. So, I decided I'd walk back to my room, grab some bread that I was never going to finish before it expired, and walked back to the deck. Once again, like clockwork, all the critters swarmed me for the bread. One swan bite and several aggressive fights between the swans later, I was out of bread. I've snippets in the video I'll be posting below, which is fictionalized because the animals didn't happen in Glasgow. I just needed a consistent theme. Once again, an important factor of a view. Every view is subjective. If I can learn to accept this, understanding the world will be a bit easier. I would imagine the same is for everyone else. Since I study film - specifically documentary - we talk all the time about what is real or not. My conclusion: Nothing is real. 

As for my Easter activities, my floor-mates and I all just had lunch together, and later today we will be meeting in my room (it's twice the size of everyone elses'!) to watch Easter Parade. What better way to end Easter than with Judy Garland. 

Yesterday I made a quick video collage that I hope you enjoy. I laugh every time I watch it, but may not be as funny if you aren't familiarized with the movie Clue. To watch the video, CLICK HERE!

Lastly, I cannot wait to share my coming week's adventures with you next Sunday. I head to London on Tuesday, which I'm flipping my s**t over.   Oh, and this week I'm also posting several pictures instead of just one. They're quite similar though. I'm sure you won't mind the break from my regular practice. 

There is no way in which a man can earn a star or deserve a sunset.
                             - G.K. Chesterton 

found footage

I'm quite happy to report that I have had the most enjoyable and eventful week with travels to Edinburg, booking future trips, and watching my first football (real football) game. This has been great not only for me but for the post as well, since I have plenty to talk about. And while I promised a video to go along with today's post, I must apologize for not doing so. There's a good reason. I promise. The wind this week in Scotland has been terribly brutal. Today the wind is at a solid 27 mph with gusts going up to 32mph. (When it comes to speed, most people mix metric and imperial measurements) This wind has therefore kept me from traveling on a bike, as I had planned, to scan around the city. I did go out to film on Wednesday, but after only six or seven minutes I could no longer bare the weather. It began sleeting, which is never good for a camera. So, no video today. 

Starting with St. Patrick's Day festivities, my group of friends and I wanted to celebrate but not to any extreme. We hopped on the bus into town and unanimously agreed to go to the one irish pub in Stirling. Given that the holiday is for the Irish, the pub was packed. When walking in the door we were greeted with beer being spilled on some of us by those who were well into their drinking by 9. After pushing our way through, we made it to the very back of the pub that had a bit more light, room to sit, and hats similar to the garish Nivea hats that every New Year's Eve-er in NYC wears. The evening was good fun, and I had my very first Guinness! I did it more out of obligation to the holiday rather than my choice of a drink. I've never cared for beer. Into the evening a relatively inebriated woman stumbled over to our crowded table in the corner of the pub and asks me if I was from Ireland. I'm assuming she asked because my apparel, a genuine Guinness shirt from Dublin (Thanks, Kate & Tim!), but nothing mattered anymore once I told her where I was from. After some vulgar remarks she stumbled back into the crowd and wasn't heard from again. Our group of 6 people was ready to go around 11:15, so we could catch the last bus back to campus. My Argentinian friend, Barbara, had had a bit much to drink, which only added to the humor of the evening. On the bus she insisted, quite loudly, everyone speak to her in Spanish. I couldn't stop laughing due to the fact no one else spoke Spanish. I could understand what she was saying, but because I haven't taken a class in over 4 years I'm a bit rusty with my conversational skills. Oh well! All in a day.

Midway through the week I was asked if I would be interested in traveling to Edinburgh in the evening to watch a 'Found Footage Festival.' As the name suggests the event was a showing of various and random found footage. I was hesitant to travel out that late because the show was at 9. The last train back would be 11:30, which put me in Stirling at 12:30. Buses stop at 11, so I knew I'd have to walk back to campus or cough up eight pounds for a taxi. I soon decided that going out would likely be fun, so I went with two friends I take Experimental Cinema with. It was my first time in Edinburgh, and I freaked out. There's a feeling I've only experienced once before in my life, which was once again surfacing. When one drives into New York City for the very first time, it's magic. The lights are tantalizing and unescapable, and the atmosphere is unlike anywhere else. There's nothing that can be said to do justice to something as special. Exciting the train station in Edinburgh brought about this feeling again. Had I charged my camera before traveling, I would have taken a picture or two to share. Unfortunately it died right once I turned it on. The city, however, is a gorgeous combination of the 12th century buildings and modern energy. The castle sits at the top of the city with every other building resting on a decreasing slope. The taxis flying by were all an old style of car, and the lights illuminating each castle, government building, and eatery did so with elegance and mystery. My amazement of the city was spectacle to one of my traveling companions from Denmark. What is so interesting is that no matter where you travel in the United States, there is nothing like it. Buildings are only several hundred years old at most. Europe is a different story. 

Once we arrived at the cinema we bought our tickets and sat for some coffee in the cinema's cafe. Around the walls of the cafe were framed posters of every well-known film of all time. Mixed together to show the beauty of film for its purpose rather than its technological development, Casablanca hang right next to The Artist. Soon after finishing our coffee we headed into the theatre. Once again, I feel in love at first sight. The plush, red-velvet chairs spaced generously from one another gave enough seat room for one to cross his or her legs if desired. Well... enough unnecessary exposition. Even while I write I can tell it's a bit overdone. So this found footage was the funniest thing I have ever seen. Seriously. My 'funniest moments' list is pretty packed and includes a list of brilliant moments (My mother using the f-word while gardening, my friend Chris tripping with a tray of fake glasses during a Follies dress rehearsal, or even my sisters trapping me under a mattress in the most foul-smelling hallway in Kentucky). Yes, this film festival had me laughing non-stop for 90 minutes. The two hosts go around the US searching for funny training videos, work-out videos, safety videos, and any nonsense material they can find. One of my favorites was actually a prank they pulled when they convinced a good friend to act as a 'yoyo extraordinaire.' Since most local television studios are desperate for material, there were eight that agreed to have Kenny on the show without knowing anything other than he is great with a 'yoyo.' The two hosts taped all the morning shows, which were awkward to say the least. Click HERE to view one of his videos. I ended up buying the DVD because I was closer than ever to wetting my pants. Once I'm back in the states, I would love to share it with whoever would like a good laugh. 

Once I got back from the show I walked into my room and you won't believe what I saw. Crumbs on the window sill, an overturned box of opened Ritz crackers, and a fresh loaf of bread now with a hole through it. The damn squirrel got in my room. Just when I had thought I was safe because there's no tree directly outside my room, the sneaky little critter crawled along a ledge that can't be more than 2 inches and slunk into the icebox and stole the last can of Who-hash into my room an made a mess. I learned my lesson. Now I close my window when I leave my room. 

As for the rest the other exciting part of my week, on Thursday RyanAir (A European travel company) was having a sale on flights around Europe. These super-cheap flights go all around and cost close to nothing. So, several floor-mates booked tickets to Dublin and asked if I wanted to join. Did I ever! Round trip tickets for one weekend came in at a whopping 26 pounds. I really can't wait to visit Ireland and even more so to get my Passport stamped a couple more times. Maybe if I have time (and money) at the end of the semester I can travel to France or Spain for even less. (Those flights run 10 pounds one way.)

Spring may be here officially, but Scotland is the coldest it has been. It snows every day, and while there's rarely accumulation, it still snows and snows and snows some more. Contrary to Rosemary Clooney's opinion, I'd rather not wash my hands, hair and face with snow. I just want it to be sunny. Or  rainy. I'm over snow. Snow is for winter. 

Note on culture:
One last thing! The most controversial topic of the week. A little something that many people say that offends a great deal of people in the world. When talking with my friend Barbara we were discussing the term 'America' and its constant misuse. As she is from South America, there's a great lack of respect from South America, Canada, and the southern parts of North America when the term is used in place of 'United States.' When asked where one is from... try to avoid saying 'America.' Brazil is in America. Quebec is in America. Honduras is in America. You will never hear someone say they are from America if they are not from the United States. Unfortunately, the same isn't true for those from the United States. That's a thinker, isn't it! I blame Stephen Sondheim. Blast his catchy West Side Story tune!!!!!

Beauty is worse than wine. It intoxicates both the holder and the beholder.
  -Aldous Huxley

the news

Waking up to the sound of a Sunday alarm normally means a day of work ahead that I've psychologically blocked for the past week. I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way. Today is a bit different and a Sunday unlike all the others in the year. It's Saint Patrick's Day! Note: In the U.K. people do not pinch one another if one is spotted without green. While a fair number of students have fled the Uni (that's actually what they call any college: Not University) and traveled to Ireland, I decided to stay in Scotland and enjoy the local pubs here but not until I have at least acted on some academic assignments. And currently, after doing several hours of research at the library, this post is the only thing between the off-white walls of my room and the freedom of a stereotypical Scottish day and its biting rain. 

There's very little for me to write about this week, as no unusually exciting moments have occurred. The semester is now significantly underway, and my time is spent watching films of all sorts as well as reading countless articles self-indulgently assigned by the professors who wrote them. I don't mind reading the articles, but having a two-hour lecture with the professor is an article enough for my taste! I could always talk about The Pope, but that's practically old news already. I should mention, though, that while I was talking with my father over Skype several days ago he actually asked me if I had seen that there was a new pope elected. I immediately laughed. Did he forget The Pope is world-wide news? Regardless, I told him that I was well aware and am a lot closer to the newly chosen leader than he is. 

Two or three posts ago I had discussed several conversation tidbits that were appalling yet too humorous to ignore. 'The (other) American' was at it again last night during a quiet evening of new found friends and Indian cuisine. To help introduce everyone to one another, since there were many new faces, we were all to go around the table and state our name along with our favorite country. Two people in and the American states that her favorite country is Africa. My face went blank as I turned to look at her to find out whether she was trying to be funny or was serious. I'm afraid to report it was the latter. Once again, I felt like giving up all hope to prove that the American's weren't all versions of the stereotypical American. And if this wasn't bad enough, we were on the topic of one country's proximity to another. While the Europeans were all joking in historical context unknown to me due, frankly, to a lack of education in foreign affairs (anytime after WWII and before now is a weakness on my end), I heard another girl at the table (Yes, from America) blurt out that Cuba isn't American. 'Technically,' I thought... I kept quite to avoid argument (a lesson I've learned time and again at Weibl-family dinners) and began thinking. How much do people really know about the world? Is it enough to know your country inside and out but not know a thing about the 'outside world'? It's an upsetting thought because it doesn't take long for people to complain, but a good majority complaints come from conditions created far in the past. 

While in the United Kingdom, I still keep up-to-date on United States news. For instance, I'm well aware that Joy and Elisabeth will be leaving The View, Ohio (and Republican) Senator Rob Portman announced his support for gay marriage (an issue that is being argued orally in front of the Supreme Court on the 26th and 27th of March), and the United States is once again beginning to fear the unknown of North Korea's draconian government. The question then becomes how much we, as United States citizens, are exposed to the news of other countries. How many people know that Scotland is trying to separate from England? The referendum vote is getting closer and closer. England doesn't handle it very well when countries try to leave. Take Revolutionary War for us or even the Irish War of Independence in 1921. Either way, it's a big deal that the world should be aware of. And as for North Korea, this is also a worldly issue that needs the attention of everyone. If you want to see how the United Kingdom dealt with the last threat of nuclear war, go watch the documentary 'The War Game.' I'm not saying we need to know it all, but it should be a bit higher on our priority list than learning of Ryan Seacrest and Julianne Hough have called it quits. 

All of this does lead me to a point. I know that some of you keep track of world events very well. Those of you who don't, I challenge you to read one story from the New York Times' 'World' section every three days (Why not every day? The NYT only gives 10 free article reads a month. If you do every three days, you won't have to pay for your subscription :P). It takes 5 minutes, and the understanding and compassion you start to cultivate is incredible. 

I hope this wasn't too 'pushy' and that you got something out of this post. I just felt it important to address. Worry not, though. Next week will be a visual blog of sorts! 

Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner.
                                        - James Bovard

british children

I have to start with a story. Just a night or two ago I was laying in bed around midnight and could not sleep. We've all been there. The night you finally have the time to sleep and you can't. You lay with your eyes open for a solid amount of time and then try to psychologically convince your body that it's time to sleep. You may close your eyes and try to keep them closed long enough that you fall asleep. Again, this normally doesn't work. So, my mind started wondering. After several uninteresting thoughts I thought, 'Oh jeez, I have a blog to write for Sunday.' What can I write about? You see, there are millions of things I could write about. However, this blog is very unique, in that it is family and friends reading. I know the audience of my writing and therefore tailor my posts accordingly. (This is NEVER acceptable for a normal blog. I learned in class a couple weeks ago that we should focus on writing before imagining the audience) From my thoughts came a story that has quickly become one of my most favorite moments so far.

Each Friday - since most people don't have class - my friends and I travel to town to do two things: 1) Walk through the shopping center to see if there are any new bargains. (Have I mentioned the deals here are unbeatable?) 2) Grocery shop. Right now I'll ignore #2. There's nothing fun about being forced to spend money on groceries. The moment that will stick with me was while I was with my friends Barbara (Argentina) and Tina (Malta) in a woman's clothing store. Wait. Let me back up just a bit. Before we were in the women's store we had gone out to lunch. This is very important because I had the most unsurpassably brilliant latte I've ever had in my life. The sigh of relief that issued from my mouth was so loud that it was mistaken by some to be the early onset of the Siroccan Winds which would often roll through the Schwarzwald with a veng.... You get the picture. This coffee not only was delicious, it had a credible amount of caffeine. Though caffeine doesn't have an effect on some people, it makes me crazy. I get so much energy and all jumpy and I talk a lot more. Now we're back on track. Tina and Barbara (side note: every time I type her name I have to consciously consider the spelling since my brain is programmed to pay respect to Barbra who dismissed the second A in her name) had wanted to check some things out, so I agreed to tag along. I was completely hyped up on the addictive drug, caffeine. I was audibly singing to the radio station playing in the store as well as dancing as if I were in a club. Don't ask me why. Suddenly, from behind a rack of bargained clothing with her mother at a nearby jewelry display came a wee little girl of seven or eight years old. She walks up to me with all the confidence in the world and asks, 'Are you from America?' These quotations can't do justice to how cute it was. Imagine such a little girl with blonde hair and a British accent. I smiled a bit and responded, 'Yes.' The excitement in her eyes kept growing until she finally blurted out, 'I've been to America! I went to Florida when I was a little girl.' I told her that Florida was a very nice state and that I had visited there when I was little as well. I also warned her that all of America is not as picturesque as Florida. She then asked where I lived, but when I told her Ohio it was clear that she was clueless. Before turning to walk away, the wee small child said to me, 'By the way, I like your accent.' It was the most precious (based on the novel Push by Sapphire) thing anybody has ever said to me. I wanted to take the girl with me but I felt that be a little too much. Similar to Maurice Chevalier in Gigi. Get my drift? Well, that was my best story, but I do have a couple more.

Last night I went out with some friends to the International Club's dance party. All the exchange students were invited and the DJ was going to play top hits from each of our countries. We were supposed to submit songs via the Facebook page, which I did not end up doing for one reason only. American top hits are top hits everywhere. The clubs are filled with American music and rarely any music that is different from American pop. Other countries, however, listen not only to American music but also to pop charts from their respective countries. Another point to show how America is viewed as a one-way street. Often we're blamed for pushing our culture on others while rarely accepting others' for consideration. The only option would have been for me to submit Whitney Houston or Beyoncé singing the National Anthem or Céline Dion singing God Bless America. Other than that I was flat out of options. I went to the event, however, and experienced the most awkward situation. My typical group of friends here were all sitting around a table and I thought going to make some new friends would be a great idea. If only I could have warned myself of what was to come I would have never attempted to befriend the Scandinavians. There was a large mass of them who were easily identifiable with their thick, winter clothing and blonde hair. So, I walked over to introduce myself and asked if they would mind if I pulled up a stool. No response. Just stares. Willing to keep trying a bit longer, I pulled up a stool and began conversation as nervously as Mrs. Peacock in Clue. Few of them wanted anything to do with me and after two or three minutes of contrived conversation I stood up, politely excused myself and rejoined my friends. It was such an awkward experience, and while I take caution in making a gross generalization for all Scandinavians, they were very rude people. Later, on the walk back to our hall, my Hungarian friend comforted me by saying they are normally regarded as such. Not only are they from the north where they are always very cold, they are cold people on the inside too. She had said very rarely do they enjoy going outside of their comfort zone and are often considered, frankly, unfriendly. I can't argue with that, especially after my encounter!

In other news, this week I received two emails from Baldwin Wallace that made me step back and realize just how fast time is going by. The first was a graduation application. I mean... didn't I just graduate high school? Can I really be approaching my graduation from undergraduate studies? Should I be looking into Masters programs? Should I be worried about moving to the city? All these questions and more came swooping in at me right once I got the email. For goodness sake, I'm still trying to figure out what summer job I'm going to have. Why bother me about something that won't happen for 14 more months? Is this some sick ploy to remind me that not only do I no longer have the safety net of college in 14 months, but I have to start paying back student loans. BLAHHHH. The second email was about scheduling course work for the Fall 2013 semester. There was good news behind this email. Being that I have senior status when registering for courses and a GPA good enough to book before a good portion of my classmates, I should have no issue getting into the classes I want. Plus, after planning out my coursework, I will have completed all but one of my requirements (to graduate) in the fall semester, which leaves my spring semester free to do whatever I wish. It will be just like Scotland again. Another stress-free semester is just what I love!

Two more things: While I've been laughing at the unfortunately drab weather in America, the karma has come full circle. As I've been typing this post, it has been snowing a ton outside. It's very strange how much there is in such a little amount of time, but I'm sure the rain is close behind ready to melt it all within several minutes. Second, it's so good to know America is on Daylight Savings Time. Now the time difference is only 4 hours instead of 5! If anybody ever wants to Skype, let me know!

Cheers!

Remember that everyone you meet is afraid of something, loves something, and has lost something.
                                            - Unknown

bad news

Everyone should know that the most important things I write are at the beginning and the end of my posts. Quite often the crap in the middle is mindless parasocial conversation. There's very little I follow from my reader's lives, (unless of course you're all keeping blogs that I can follow!) though I would be interested in reading/hearing about. Therefore, I'm starting this post with my Scottish address! I'd love to be a bit more personable with people reading, so if you send a note in the mail or even just an email, I'd be certain to respond individually. Without further distraction:

Jakob W. Plummer

5/26 Geddes Court

Stirling University

Stirling, Scotland

FK9 4LR

Email: jakobplummer@gmail.com (simple enough)

And by all means, don't feel obligated to send postage. I know it's $1.08 for an international postcard to be sent, and if I get too many, I'll go broke from here. It's 87p to send one from Scotland. (Which is equivalent to 1.31USD. I'm definitely getting ripped off)

Now, onto different matters, I have to admit that Wednesday blogs are far more difficult for me to write. Rarely does anything happen of significant value to discuss between Sunday evening and Wednesday. I have classes on both Monday and Tuesday, which is about as exciting as it gets. Unless course I go into great detail of my course work, which this week included watching two documentaries and studying the work of Leni Riefenstahl. The two films were Night & Fog and The Road to Treblinka. Needless to say, all four hours of lecture and viewing were a bit disconsolate. I wouldn't suggest watching either unless strictly for academic purposes. 

So with no new news (say that five times fast!) specifically relating to me and my travels, I will share some of the most [insert ambiguous adjective here] discoveries so far on my trip. Don't worry. They should all be taken comically. At least most of them

1. When discussing the largest city in Illinois....

    THE AMERICAN: 'Wait... I don't even know the biggest city in Illinois.'

    THE DANE: 'It's Chicago.' 

    ME: '..........'

2. When discussing recent news of North Korea's toings...

    THE (SAME) AMERICAN: 'I have a friend who studied in North Korea.'

    ME: 'I'm pretty sure that's not true.'

3. The sheep are rude. They don't like people. They especially don't like people who run at them on cliffs!

4. The 'C' word is used constantly. Just as much as you would hear someone called an ass in America. 

Meanwhile, Signs that read 'Need a fag?' are actually referring to cigarettes. 

5. When trying to set up a doctor appointment for a sudden illness...

     ME: 'I'd like to see the doctor.'

     RECEPTIONIST: 'Did you call at 8:00AM?'

     ME: 'What?'

     RECEPTIONIST: 'You need to call at 8:00AM the day of the appointment.'

     ME: 'Well can I schedule one for tomorrow.'

     RECEPTIONIST: 'If you call at 8:00.'

     ME: 'Goodbye.'

6. I never ended up seeing the doctor. Too much hassel. My friend Barbara did, however. The first day she called the lines were busy. When they finally answered at 8:05 the receptionist told her she has to call at 8:00. All the appointments for the day had been filled. But wait, it gets better. The next day she calls and because she can't understand the receptionist's thick, Scottish accent, she had to hand the phone to someone else to sort the details out. When providing information for the appointment, the receptionist stated that someone had just walked in the door and taken her appointment time with a different receptionist. The third day Barbara got an appointment. She went in and was told by the doctor to drink more water and just let the cold pass. As for her fever, she was advised to use a cold cloth. I guess you get what you pay for. 

7. Stirling University is free for Scotland citizens. Plus, they get a monthly allowance check from the government. One Scottish friend had said high schoolers used to get the money too, but with budget cuts they slashed their allowance. Rough life, right?

8. There's an entire section in the library that's called 'Short-Term' loan. These books you can check out for either 3 hours or 24 hours. Yes, you can renew as many times as you want, but what's the point if you have to do it every 3 hours? 

9.  The squirrels are friendlier here than anywhere I've been. And I've seen some friendly squirrels! If you're unfortunate enough to have a tree outside your window, they will come in if the window is open. They will eat food. They will wake people up. My friend Tina woke up to a squirrel on her desk the other night. Thank goodness I don't have a tree outside my room because I would flip my s**t if I woke up to a squirrel in my room. And before you say 'Why don't you close your windows' it's because we have radiators that keep our rooms too warm. You can barely sleep if you don't crack it open.

10. The washer and dryer are in a different building. While this is good training for my future as a New Yorker, I argue that 4 washers and 4 dryers for 2 buildings worth of students is unacceptable. I have, however, learned to wear clothes more conservatively. If it's not dirty, I can wear it again (excluding underwear of course)

That's all I have off the top of my head. I hope some made you laugh or at least smile because now I have bad news. Due to my increasingly demanding schedule of actually creating films, I must once again lesser my posts. To keep things fresh and more desirable, I will only be posting on Sundays. Just like your favorite TV shows, you'll only get me once a week from here on out.

Below is a haunting picture I took earlier in the week. The quote I found to be fitting in more ways than just one. 

"Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore."

                                   -Edgar Allan Poe

a hike

For the 2nd week in a row I had the groundbreaking idea to record a video blog entry to share instead of typing endlessly on my computer. While I am updating this blog bi-weekly, I have another blog that takes a decent amount of time as well because I have to watch a film before each entry of my other. And wait there's more!!! As if two blogs weren't enough, I have been required to contribute to a third blog. This one, however, is private due to the academic purpose of its content. I may end up posting my personal additions to the module blog if that is of interest to any of you? That way you can get a better understanding of what I study in terms of the media and its messages. Anyway, these blogs take a major portion of my time and between episodes of American Horror Story: Asylum I can occasionally have a brain freeze that results in inane banter as a blog post.

My plan, no surprise to me, was a complete failure. All three times that I recorded videos to post on the blog there were major issues that I decided to avoid by not posting them. So, I instead will be posting a video at the bottom of this post for you to enjoy. Nothing too fancy with camera work or witty conversation. I just wanted to give you a brief idea of what I accomplished today, which I will first explain.

I woke up relatively late this morning due to a late night last night. Earlier in the week my close group of friends and I had discovered a local pub that we wanted to go to. It looked quite 'Scottish' from the outside and since we passed it each time we'd walk to town, we thought we might as well try it out. I'm not certain if this was Wednesday or Thursday night, but I guess that's irrelevant. When we went, our premonitions had been right about the pub. It was as Scottish as you can get. (Side note: in pubs, it's expected that men enter first and women behind. In case there's a bar fight happening you wouldn't want a woman to be harmed. Men shouldn't even hold the door for a woman in the pub environment) There were only about 8 or 9 others in the pub, all of whom would have their senior citizens cards in the United States. Needless to say we got a lot of looks not only from the locals but also from the bartenders (Again, senior citizen status) who had to repeat themselves several times in order to be understood through the thick, Scottish accents. The night turned out wonderfully and as we were leaving we saw a sign on the door for karaoke on Saturday at 9PM. We went. We sang. We conquered. Though that is likely due to the elderly's lack of enthusiasm with young competition. Everybody was pretty good except David Russell. Why do I remember his name? Because he sang at least 6 times. Each was more difficult to listen to than the last, and it was his rendition of Amy Winehouse's Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow that got me out of my seat and out of the pub. I had heard enough, which brings me back to my sleeping in this morning.

As a trait I have picked up from my father, I can't stand to do nothing all day. I feel helpless and unaccomplished, so I made the decision to hike the mountain behind my dorm. From the main buildings on campus and from the bridge that connects the union to the corridors, the large mountain is clearly visible. It's monstrous but very appealing. What you can't see from campus, though, is the path that needs to be taken to get to the apex. To get to the top, from my dorm, took me an 2 hours and 15 minutes. The way back down was just shy of 1 hour and 30 minutes. That should give you an idea of how steep it was in parts. 

I started by hiking the path directly behind my room. Each morning I can hear a wide variety of things along the trail including hikers, runners, and horse riders. I figured they had to be going somewhere, so I felt that particular path would be a good start. After all, I had no idea how to get to the top. I didn't bother asking for help or directions, either. I wanted to do it all alone. I wanted to hike alone, get lost on my own, and experience the thrill all by myself. (And if I had traveled with friends I would have likely gone crazy with the glacial paces by which they tend to travel) Up the mountain I began, but soon realized this was hardly going to be the most challenging portion. The forest was extraordinarily green and the path was semi-steep. More importantly, it was a very thin path that teetered on the edge of what appeared to be rather loose rocks and boulders. To get to the top took about 30 minutes. Once there, the path turned left, but the mountain was to the right. I started wondering if this path would even get me to the highest point, but ignored the thought and kept to the path. Further west I traveled as the mountain grew smaller and smaller until I came upon a stone wall with an ivy-covered opening. I immediately headed towards the opening, which led to a regular, paved road. This road went further west about a half mile until I ran into a mini-parking lot. Here there were runners, mountain bike enthusiast and little children bundled up from head to toe ready to travel the path with their parents or grandparents. This portion would be most grueling but also most rewarding. (Mainly because the path started heading east and the path was clear as to its final destination) An hour or so later, I had made it to the top. Exhausted and sweating through my NorthFace, I sat and marveled for as long as I could stand. After all, mountains are much colder at the top than the bottom. Along the way I saw breathtaking sights, inspiring people (little kids running up the mountain as if it were a park), and was reminded of how lucky I am to be able to do this. For the first time since being in Scotland I thought to myself that I would likely never again be able to experience such a lengthy visit to foreign country with the carelessness of a college student and body of a 21 year old. (Which felt like a 60 year old's after I got back to my room) 

An emotional part of me is attached to this video I'm going to post. It's difficult for me to watch because it reminds me of my good fortune so far in life. I have an incredible family, irreplaceable friends, and a heart filled with love, joy, and gratitude. I hope you enjoy it.

For video, CLICK HERE

When we tire of well-worn ways, we seek for new. This restless craving in the souls of men spurs them to climb, and to seek the mountain view.
                                                               - Ella Wheeler Wilcox

*If the video doesn't work for some odd reason, send me an email, and I can send it to you personally.