Edinburgh trip!

I have not written in a week due to the lack of interesting things to write about. Basically the week went like this: I went to class, hung around with friends, went out Tuesday and Thursday nights (a friend had her21st birthday) and took a trip to Tesco  for food which was much needed. I was basically eating what ever I had left, which was weird pasta concoctions. Now I have actual food to sustain myself haha

Today Kelsey, Emily and I went to Edinburgh for the day to wonder around and be tourists. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, people were out and we were ready to explore the city. Edinburgh was more than i expected and evidently we didn't see a lot of the city, but we did get a good taste and walked what felt like 25 miles haha. We went to a small pub for lunch and I had my first try of Haggis! It was actually very good, but it was deep fried and with mashed potatoes so of course it tasted good! We walked up to the castle of Edinburgh hung around a bit, but decided not to go in because the line was about 2 miles long to get tickets and we wanted to see more of the city than the castle. So another trip to Edinburgh is defiantly necessary! Edinburgh is a shopping girl's paradise! There were so many stores that we were sort of overwhelmed, at one point we sat down in Urban Outfitters and just sat there to hopefully get a second wind. And guess what I didn't buy ANYTHING from Urban (for those who know me know that I'm obsessed with UO). My favorite store was probably Topshop, but unfortunately its very expensive, so it was more of a window shopping day (but I did find a very cute scarf).

By 6 we were all out of energy and decided to catch the train back to Stirling. I don't know if i have mentioned this yet, but i LOVE the transportation here, its sooooo easy to get from one place to another, and if your confused there are many information centers and signs everywhere. Overall the day was really fun, and i plan on staying in tonight and getting some reading done tomorrow (I'm still not back into the school mode yet, too many fun things to do and cool places to go see).

peace and love!
Litz

 random pasta dish

 The Scot monument and some random statue

 The Edinburgh Castle in background with what are those again? oh yeah FLOWERS!

William Wallace and I, watch your selves...

 Kelsey and I by the castle

its the SUN!! oh how I have missed you

 

 some Cathedral (couldn't take pictures inside)

 Haggis!

 I love the little girl dancing in the background

 me and my sexy man mug (his shorts disappear when the mug is warm haha)

Edinburgh!

Stirling Castle!

I know its been a few days since i have blogged, but not too much has happened since last time I blogged. Friday I had a couple more lectures which went fine. Friday night hung out with a bunch of people mostly from America, but there were two German dudes and a Scottish dude. We ended up going to a pub right down the road from campus, which was fun and pretty crazy. So needless to say Rachel, Emily, Kelsey and I pretty much slept all day Saturday and recovered from the night before. I watched like 4 movies and slept the rest of the time. So today we all felt better and ventured up to the Castle of Stirling.

 Dinner= tuna sand with chips, salad and Australian beer

 crazy Americans haha

 some sweet celtic church

 pictures didn't do this view justice, it was incredible

 The Great Hall

 Cannon!

 One of the court yards

 one of the sides of the castle

Kelsey, Rachel and I

Again amazing view, crapy picture

It was rather chilly, but at least it wasn't raining! The castle itself was pretty amazing! It was crazy to think how old it is and how Queens and Kings actually lived there at one point, it was like stepping in a time machine! We wondered around the castle for about an hour and a half, took as many pictures as we could then decided it was time for some pub grub. We were recommended to this pub downtown, which was pretty good, nothing special but we all were starving so at the time it tasted amazing hahaha

Tonight I'm staying in, I have a couple of classes tomorrow and i want to be awake and ready to go for them haha

off to watch a movie, eat some Scottish cheese and head to bed!

peace and love
Litz

headphone disco, first day of classes

So im sure everyone wants to know what the headphone disco was like? Well I have to say it was a very interesting experience! I went with 5 other American girls all who also have never been to a headphone disco. There is a 3 pound enterence fee and 5 pound deposit to get the headphones (you got the money back after you returned the headphones). Once you get into the dance room  by no means was it quiet! There were a bunch of people shouting to one of two songs playing on the headphones. There are two DJs and you can switch back and forth between the two via a button on your headphones. We danced for about two hours then called it quits. If you wanted to talk to people you just turned your volume down or took your headphones off. Over all it was a pretty cool thing to have experienced!

Today I woke up super early to get to find my first lecture, because it was in a building i had not ventured to yet. I found it rather easy and figured out that i have a couple of other lectures in the room. Tomorrow i have two lectures in the room back to back, Religions and History.  Then normally i have a tutorial (which is like a discussion group) from 3-4, but that doesn't start till next week, so i have the afternoon off to go do something :) maybe another trip up to the castle or to one of the many small villages around Stirling?

I was super tired this morning after class because i only got like 4 hours of sleep last night, so my plan was to take like an hour and a half nap, but i guess i didn't set my alarm right and it turned into a three hour nap hahaha oh well i feel much better now! This afternoon we are off to Tesco to stock up on groceries which i desperatley need to do because buying food on campus is rather expensive. I also found out that my flat mates share pots and pans, which means i dont need to buy any! yaaay! I think I'm going to buy some quesadilla making supplies and plenty of peanut butter and bananas. And this time I go to Tesco I'm bringing my backpack so i don't have to haul back a bunch of grocery bags on the bus!

well thats all for now! keep it real people :)
love Litz

First Fish and Chips!

Today was fun, except for the part where i tried to find where my classes are located. I found where most of them are, but the issue is will i be able to find them again? I went to the library to try to buy my text books, but they only had the list for one of my classes which means i wont know what the books are for my other two classes till the first couple days of class, which kind of sucks because its one more thing i have to do. After going to the Library i grabbed some lunch then went back to my room to get ready for the tour at 2.

The tour was pretty cool since it was free haha. Our first destination was a little town outside of Stirling called Dunblane, where we got a quick view of one of the oldest cathedrals in Scotland. It was pretty amazing because its the oldest building i have EVER been in. You don't realize how new everything is in America until you come here. Everything is really old, worn in and quaint. The cathedral was beautiful on the inside; from the giant organ to the stain glass it was a pretty special cathedral. We only had about 20 minutes to walk around and take pictures then we got back on the bus and headed to a monument about some battle with some famous guy. There are so many of them that its hard for me to keep track. But any who i guess it we were where the last battle in Braveheart took place (if you have ever seen the movie you would know i guess). It wasn't very exciting but took a couple of pictures non the less. The last destination was the Castle of Stirling which was very cool. Again we didn't have very long to walk around and check it out but it was good to see where it is and how to get there once we decide to go back. There is a giant cemetery surrounding the castle which looks ancient and i cant wait to go back and find some really old tomb stones.

After the tour we received free drinks and snacks and the President of the University of Stirling welcomed us to Stirling. Emily, Rachel, Kelsey, Kaitlin, Liz and I then walked down the street to the shopping center (aka mall) where i bought another pair of flats and topped up my phone again. We walked up the street and found a little place to buy fish and chips. Note to self: always have a little extra cash and coin on you. A lot of the little pubs and restaurants only except cash. Then we caught a bus back to campus. We were all eating our fish and chips on the bus back, and I'm pretty sure everyone else on the bus was jealous :P

That was pretty much my day. Tonight we are off to a headphone disco where everyone there wears headphones and you chose to listen to one of two DJs who are playing different music. So if you walk in to the disco without headphones it will be silent and look like a bunch of people dancing haha so it will be pretty interesting.

I have my first class tomorrow at 9 and it is in one of the buildings i have never been in so it'll be pretty interesting haha. I plan on getting up at 7 and leaving extra early to find my class, I don't want to look like the dumb American wondering in 5 minutes late.

 The Church of Scotland Dunblane Cathedral

 Inside the Cathedral

 Downtown Dunblane

 The memorial for the battle in Braveheart

 Some dude next to the Castle of Stirling

 far away view of the Castle of Stirling

 One of the streets in downtown Stirling

 Fish and Chips yummy!!

Well that's all i have for now, until tomorrow!

love Litz

night clubs, castles and Scottish cheese

The past couple of days have been quit fun! Where to begin...hmmm well on Sunday my friends Emily, Kelsey, Rachel and I met up with a couple of guys from Scotland and a girl from Norway who were from the flat next to Rachel's. We went to the bar on campus and had a couple of beers and hung out and chatted. It was very chill and fun, went back to the guys flats and played some card games. Didn't go back to my flat until about 3 in the morning so needless to say I took a nap on Monday.

Monday was pretty much full of seminars about what to expect from the University and how to use the Library and such. Most of the seminars were rather useless and I tried my best to keep my eyes open haha. After the seminars I went back to my room and took a little nap. Woke up and got ready to head out for a night in the dance clubs! Rachel, Emily and I got dressed up (nice but not overly dressed up) hung around till about 11, went to the bar on campus had a small beer from Holland (very good) then caught a bus to downtown Stirling. We got off the bus and right next to the stop was a dance club called Fubar so we decided to try it out. We waited in line for about 15 minutes got in and danced the night away until about 3 when we caught a cab back to campus. The dance club itself was rather crazy, lots of drunk girls wearing practically nothing and a lot of douchy guys. The girls and I decided it’s only going to be a once in a while thing to go to the dance clubs, we like the quiet social pub scene a bit more. You can have a conversation without having to shout. But it was defiantly an entertaining experience...

Today was rather uneventful, woke up at 10 took a shower and headed to a sign up for the free medical service on campus. Ate some lunch and came back to my room to figure out my class schedule. Then Rachel, Emily, some other American girls we met on our flight and I walked to the Castle on campus. It was very beautiful on the outside but on the inside it pretty much looked like a normal building.

 picture of the loch that the campus surrounds

 The castle on campus

 Rachel in front of the cliffs and castle

Emily, Rachel and I

 Emily, me, Rachel and the loch

 First half of my room

 second half

 me on the bridge across the loch with the cliffs in the background, these pictures do not give them justice, they are beautiful!

Well I'm off to bed now, tomorrow I’m going to go find where my classes are, pick up my text books and go on a free tour of the city of Stirling which I’m stoked for! So more stories and tons of pictures to come tomorrow


Night!
love Litz

luggage showed up today!

Today was significantly better then yesterday! I got up at 9 and took a shower, which was interesting because in the shower the water comes out in about 30 second intervals. So once that 30 seconds is up you have to push the button again, its kind of convenient because you don't need the water running the entire time anyways and I'm sure its pretty efficient in saving water! So then I went to wait outside another dorm for a friend at 10, when the Edinburgh airport luggage transport dude called my cell and said he was here with my baggage. THANK GOODNESS! They were very nice and speedy about that! So I hauled it up to my room which was a lot of work because each bag weighs about 45lbs and I'm on the fourth floor haha

Then I went to the library and used the computers there, meet up with a couple of girls who went to the mall with me. WOW the mall was HUGE! Lots of cool stores and stuff that i shouldn't buy (aka boots and clothes). I bought some more pillows, another blanket, a hairdryer, and topped up my phone (which means putting minutes on a pay as you go phone). So that was pretty successful. When we were waiting for the bus to take us back to campus, between a couple of buildings was an INCREDIBLE view of some amazing cliffs and it kind of hit me there that I was in an amazingly beautiful different country!

Got back to campus and missed a tour of the campus, which I guess was totally useless because no one could understand or hear the lady and they didn't see the whole campus anyways. After that we had a short information session then picked up our ID cards. Mine looks rather nice since dad took my picture :)

I took a quick nap, and now a couple of girls and myself are going to the campus bar and then downtown to a pub i guess. My first Scottish pub experience! Tomorrow is pretty packed with information sessions and stuff to do so i should be pretty busy.

Also i figured out my lock on my door so now i can successfully get in and out of my room haha

good day dear followers :)
love Litz

luggage didn't want to come to Scotland with me today :(

WOW! So it has been a very interesting day to say the least....
OK so the flights all went fine, one was a little late so i had to book it to the next gate in Oher, Chicago but I made it on time fine. I got to my gate in Newark and I connected with a bunch of girls who were also studying in Stirling so that was a relief! The flight over was splended and i spent the majority of the time watching Harry Potter films.We landed an hour early because the `wind blew us there`- said the captain. We all got through customs fine and for some reason didn't need to get a visa or anything... idk what that reason was. So we were all siting there waiting for our luggage and one by one the other girls pick up their bags, eventually everyone has their bags and its just me standing there, uggg of course! Thank goodness some flight attendant people were right behind us and I just told them my name and they were just like `yup your luggage didn't make it so it should be in by tomorrow`, so I had to go talk to this lady and HOPEFULLY my luggage shows up at my dorm tomorrow!

As for the rest of the day, we got to the university safe and sound and were showed to our rooms which was pretty exciting. First I have to tell you, the outside of the dorms are not really anything special and the insides are not either, but its totally comfortable and live able which is all I care about at this moment! My room is small it has a desk, nice bed, dresser (with hangers already in it yaaay) and other shtuff, Ill upload pictures eventually. So we found out we don't get Internet until Monday because that's when we get our IDs and such. THANK goodness there's a library with computers ahah or i would go crazy from being unconnected.

So I have come to realize that my lock doesn't work very well, just another thing to go wrong today, woopee! I'll talk to someone soon. Duncan, a very nice man who helped us to our rooms with a very strong accent is a very nice dude who i will be going to if i have further problems haha

Then a couple of girls who i connected with asked if i wanted to tag along and take an adventure to TESCO (Walgreen's/grocery store) and i was like YES i need something fun and positive to do (like spending money of course!) so we figured out the whole bus system thing (sort of) by asking lots of questions. That is defiantly the key to getting things done if you are confused JUST ASK!! and people are really nice and happy to oblige if you have any questions. Overall the experience was kind of funny and we felt kind of flustered and confused a bit but its only our first day sheesh!

one last note, WATCH OUT FOR CARS!! people drive like maniacs over here haha

well now I'm off to my dorm for perhaps a little nap and to see if i can conquer my door lock!

until next time!
love Litz

One week!

Wow, it's one week before I leave for Scotland! Part of me is extremely excited and part of me is full of nervous butterflies. I have a lot to do in the next week aka deciding which clothes I leave behind and which I shove into a space bag and into one of my two suitcases. Yeah just two, you're probably wondering how the heck is Litzy going to fit her wardrobe and  boot collection into those TWO suitcases?! Well I have to tell you something very shocking; I'm only bringing ONE pair, yes I said ONE pair of boots! I'm trying very hard to downsize all the shit I have and only live with the necessities. I don't want to look like the typical American with  loads of unnecessary crap!

Its starting to hit me that this winter break is probably the last time I live at home for a long period of time. Lodi you were a great town to grow up in and I cherish the days spent at the pool and wondering around town, but its time to get the hell out of here! For the next 8 months I will be living in four locations; Scotland, Lodi (when i get back in June), Rhinelander with the lovely Emily Erdrich, and Eau Claire. That's more moving than I've done in my entire life!

Well I'm off to live my last week in Lodi for a while. This Saturday and Sunday are probably the last days I work in the little coffee shop.  In the 5 years Ive worked there, I have gained lots of great memories and fantastic friends. I'm going to miss the creaky, coffee smelling old building :(

Until the next time I get the motivation to write!
Litzy :]