Merchant City, Tea, and Marx

Happy Monday everyone! I am not going to lie, I could get used to only have one class on Monday- at 4pm. I think it makes the day much more enjoyable.

I had a great weekend! On Saturday, Kate, Ginny, Tyson, and I ventured into Merchant City, which is an area in the City Centre of Glasgow for the Merchant City Festival. It turned out to be a lovely afternoon! The streets were lined with booths of food, homemade goods, paintings, and three stages of entertainment. After wondering around, thee of us decided to split some food, so we all walked to different booths, bought something, and then passed it around. We ended up with chicken paella, a sausage and pepper sandwich, and cheesy potatoes. It was all tastey and delicious!! However, the best purchase of the whole night was at a cheese booth, where we could get three blocks of cheese for 3 pounds. So we got Brie, a cross between brie and something else, and another cheese that tyson had sampled. WHen we were paying the woman asked us if we wanted to block of butter for a pound, so of course we agreed! We decided that we wanted to cook with our newly purchased butter, the story of which can be later in the blog entry (i know. i know. the suspense!) :) We found a jazz band that was playing on one of the stages, and after watching them for a while we decided that coffee would be an excellent close of the evening. One porblem: everywhere but pubs and clubs close at 7 on satudays, so we ended up at starbucks! It was a nice taste of home :)

Sunday, Kate, Tyson, and I met up to go to Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, a free institution right across from the University! We are all in the photography class at the art school, so while walking through the park to get to Kelvingrove we kept stopping to take pictures; i think we definitely looked touristy! Who knows, maybe by the end we will look like pros! The museum was really cool (did I mention free?) there were lots of paintings depicting scottish life a long time ago, but then there were exhibits with scottish life today and how it has influenced cultures around the world.



Then we decided that tea and biscuits would be magical :) Its funny as I realize the little Scottish-isms that I am picking up, like tea all the time and nutella on toast (but really, chocolate toast, could anything be better?) and quirky phrases. But a friend had recommended this nifty tea place, which had more tea than i realized exhisted. It was so cute inside! There were clusters of chairs and small tables everywhere, and curtains so you couldnt eavesdrop on the group next to you. It has a very chic yet cozy feel to it. I will definitely be going back.

So with our previously mentioned butter, Kate, Tyson, and I made chicken (seasoned with lemon pepper), boiled potatoes, corn on the cob, and greenbeans. It was so so good. I like to cook if I put my mind to it :) We finished the evening with a game of Spades with Genevieve, one of Tyson's flatmates (Kate and I did not fair so well in the spades department). It was just nice, queit way to end the weekend.

Today my only course was Sociology, and we are currently covering Marx. Now I have always been somewhat afraid of Karl Marx, that his ideas were outdated and that he is difficult to understand. But the way my lecturer presented him today was very interesting and gave me alot to think about. He presented the theories with a flair of humanism, which is often ingnored with Marx's criticisms. We discussed that workers in a captialistic society often experience a loss of relationship, that whatever the are making are producing defines them. He also made a point that our work estranges us from our state of being. When we work we are most like animals, just going through repetitive motions, behaving more like an animal than a human. Marx said that work should be a place where we are most human and expressive. Please do not panic that I am allofasudden going to become a huge Marxian follower, but he ideas made me want to make sure, at least for myself, that I find work doing something where I can be myself and express my "inner creativity" and not feel so controlled by the system. I dont know. But it was a very interesting lecture to say the least.

AND to top off the end of a great few days, and blog entry, when I got home my flatmate Claire was making homemade Mac and Cheese!! Happiness :) It was a very very excellent meal and it made me feel glad to be here and a be a part of the lives of the people that I have met :)

Until my next adventure,
Love
Rach :)
xox

It's been one week since you've looked at me

Ok, so I know that is has technically been more than a week since I have seen any of you, but its been 5 days since my last blog update so I guess that counts. It has been a busy week, as Monday was the first day of class at Glasgow Uni. Yes, contrary to popular belief, the primary reason I am here is to go to school (OK, maybe not the only reason, but going class is a necessary sacrifice I have to make).

The timetables here are so different that at home (and quite inefficient I might add). On Monday I only have one class, at 4 pm (1600). it is a sociology class called Encountering Modernity. I think it will be pretty interesting. One difference in the teaching style here is that our reading list does not involve a textbook. I have to go to the Library (woah!) and actually check out books so I can read essays by fantastic writers like Marx and Emile Durkheim (Note: this is sarcasm).

On Tuesdays I have Comparative Lit: Heroes of Literature at 12, and Sociology again at 4. For my Comp Lit class, our first book was.....HARRY POTTER!! Yes I love this class. I think I am going to really enjoy it though. Next week I get to read Oedipus for the 4th time. Wednesdays I have Comp lit at 12 and every other week I have a combined Scottish Lit and History course for study abroad students. Interjection: a normal course load for students here is 3 classes, but I learned on Wednesday that my Scottish lit class is only worth half credit. Slight Panic! However, I picked up a photography class at the art school; its black and white with a 35 mm camera. I am really excited about this, yet extremely nervous. With digital pictures you know instantly the results of the shot, but with film you hope it all turns out right. And he taught us how to focus the camera based on the amount of light there is. I think it is going to be really cool, and it will give me the opportunity to see the life through a different lens (pun intended).

ummm other highlights of the week...? I went back to volleyball workouts. They do have a women's team, but I didnt want to try out or be tied down by a schedule, so I just go to the open gyms. But it is so intense! Last week my arms turned blue! But I have such a great time just playing around. It is nice not to have the pressure of doing well...and my skill level is somewhere in the middle. However, the topspin on my serve has improved dramatically since I played in high school (Shelly if you are reading this- you would be proud!).
I continuously try to meet new people, whether in my classes or through others. I went out with Ginny and Tyson to the women's football (soccer) social, which turned out to be very entertaining. The international student society had a Ceilidh (pronounced Kay-ley) which involves kilts at Scottish dancing. But sometimes the best times are when you just share a pizza among old friends (my friends from the exchange) or go to the movies with my flatmates.

I can't believe that I have been here for three weeks! It seems to have flown by and I am loving every minute. The secret to life is enjoying the passage of time (James Taylor).

Happy Friday! I hope everyone has had a great week and I hope to talk to you soon!!

Until my next adventure,
love,
Rach :)
xox

You take the high road...

So this weekend was a weekend of travels. After an interesting start, Kate, Tyson, Brett, Sebastian, Dave (other study abroad students), and myself went to Stirling for the day. It seems to me that each day-trip seems to top the last.

Stirling is a quaint Scottish town about an hour outside of Glasgow. Our first tourist attraction of the day was The Old Town Jail. Apparently the jail in Stirling was one of the leaders in Scottish Prison reform in the nineteenth century; leaders felt like prisoners should be reformed into useful members of society as opposed to rotting away in a small cell. After a quick tour we went to the roof of the Jail, which also served as the exercise yard for prisoners, and found amazing views of the city.

When we were finished with the tour, we realized that a decision had to be made. There were two other places we wanted to see in Stirling: the Castle and the William Wallace Monument. The castle was about a 5 minute walk from the jail and closed at 6, while the monument was about 45 minutes away and closed at 5 (it was 3 at the time of this predicament). We decided to make the hike to the William Wallace Monument. (Side Note: my flatmate Tessie used to live in Stirling, and when I told her that we walked from the Jail to the Monument, she said that nobody WALKS from the jail to the monument!)

At least the walk was pretty. We crossed the Old Stirling Bridge and passed by many cute Bed and Breakfasts (it was quite tempting to not just rent out a room and stay the night). One was for sale and Tyson and I invented a business plan to buy the B&B and run it :) We finally reached the base of the monument, only to realize that we were going to have to trek up another hill and climb about 250 steps to reach the top of the monument, all in about 45 minutes time. We made it though. When I reached the top of the Monument, I felt like I found the top of the world. You could see for miles around, including the town of Stirling and the Castle. It was truly amazing, and completely worth the 45 min walk, hike, and stair climb.

After a quiet evening back in Glasgow, on Sunday afternoon our friend Andy took Me, Kate, Ginny, and Tyson out to Loch Lomond for the afternoon. While the weather was not quite as pretty, the Loch itself is beautiful and surrounded by lovely Scottish countryside. We did this goofy 50 minute tour of the Loch, which showed us a few of the estates (which have now been turned into luxury apartments) that are located on Loch Lomond.

it has been a great weekend, full of Fresher's events, adventures, and quality time with friends. Classes started today (I only have one class on Mondays: at 4pm!).

Until my next adventure,
Love
Rach :)
xox

You take the high road and Ill take the low road and Ill be in Scotland before you. And me and my true love wil never meet again on the bonnie bonnie banks of Loch Lomond. (Loch lomond)

Chinese and Cheesy Pop!!!

Happy Friday!!! It has been a full week here in Glasgow, as it is my last official week of summer. I have been trying to make the most of every day. I played volleyball yesterday at the open gym-ish taster session. It was so much fun because there were people of all different still levels there. There was this one guys form Greece, who was very scary. Maybe I am not used to playing defense against guys, but my arms are bruised today...and I played volleyball for 5 years!! My arms have never been this sensitive after a practice. Needless to say I met some pretty cool people there and I will definitely go back again next week. This week I have also gotten to know my flatmates pretty well. Though some flats at GU are co-ed, I live with four other girls: Tessie (from Germany), Claire, Iona, and Debbie (who are all from Scotland). This week we have bonded over movie nights and Chinese food. We are already becoming great friends, and they are going to be so much fun to live with.

Side note before I continue: there are some things that i have not grown out of, and one of them is cheesy music. I love to rock out to groups from the 90's like Backstreet Boys and N'Sync, as well as rock hits from the 70's and 80's. It is all a guilty pleasure and good fun.

Well one of the theme nights at the Queen Margaret Union is Cheesy Pop night, which is exactly what it sounds like: a 4 hour jam session to music you are too embarrassed to like any other night of the week. It has definitely been one of my favorite nights out so far. Me, Iona, and Claire met up with some friends who live in Winton Drive (the dorms behind Queen Margaret) and then a group of about 20 walked to the QMU for Cheesy Pop. Tonight was a top night. Apparently it was Cheesy Pop's 16th birthday, so who better to celebrate it than S CLUB 7!!! I mean they are the epitome of cheesy pop music from the 90s. I mean it aint no party like an S Club party? right? But two members of the band were there to preform live!! I remember watching S Club 7 on ABC family during the summers when I was in 4th grade. It was epic. They preformed like all of the bands top hits, so it was a nice walk down memory lane for me. Then one of the singers from the British band 5 (who i am not as familiar with) performed a set as well . But it was still awesome.

The party continued with songs like Dont Stop Believin, YMCA, I Will Walk 500 Miles, Ive got a Feelin', and Summer Lovin (from Grease). It was just fabulous! The night ended with Summer of 69. Yes dad i thought of you :) But it was so much fun just singing and dancing the night away- even though my feet want to emancipate and my voice is completely gone.(Side note number two: they do NOT dance here like we dance at home, and I have to say that I am in favor of this style WAAAYYYY better).

It is kind of late here, and I am getting up early to go to Stirling in the morning, so I must be off. I will talk to you all soon!! And have a Fabulous weekend!!

Until my next adventure,
Love
Rach :)
xox

Reach for the stars
Climb every mountain higher
Reach for the stars
Follow your hearts desire
Reach for the stars
And when that rainbow's shining over you
That's when your dreams will all come true
(Reach- S Club 7)

It was all Yellow

This week is Fresher's week at the University of Glasgow, which basically means it is a party all week for 1st year students (and internationals!). I am pretty exhausted and I am ready for classes to start so that I have some sort of structure in my life, because at the moment it is absolute mayhem. However, despite the very few hours of sleep and slight dehydration and sore throat, I am still having the time of my life! (Ans yes that was a shoutout to Patrick Swayze).

Anyway, in May, Ginny (one of the girls from Carolina) messaged us and pointed out that Coldplay was going to be in Glasgow on her birthday (which was yesterday). Before yesterday, I was not much of a coldplay fan- I am not going to lie. Dont get me wrong, I love The Scientist and Fix You just as much as the next girl, but they wouldnt have been high on my priority list. But I had heard that they were amazing live, and I would probably never have to opportunity to see them, in glasgow, again. So with the mottos "You only live once" and "Go big or go home" on repeat, I bought tickets to the show. It was definitely one of the best decisions I have made.

The show was amazing! Did I mention that Jay Z opened for them? I am not sure Scotland is quite ready for jay Z yet, but it was cool getting to see him. Some of my dance moves would not only have been rejected in the US, they would have been frowned upon. And Coldplay was phenomenal. Chris Martin basically stole my heart. He is so talented- great voice, plays guitar and piano: all with a British accent! They played all of the songs that I knew (the scientist, fix you, yellow, viva la vida) as well as some new ones. Once again- they were so great! It definitely ranks pretty high on my list of concerts.

Our friend Andy had joined us for the concert, and he has driven his car. So the four American girls got to ride in a car in the UK for the first time, and it was a little scary. Not so much andy's driving but the fact that it all just felt backwards. I guess it is something that I will have to get used too. The group of us went back and celebrated Ginny's birthday and had a blast.

Until my next adventure,
love xox
Rach :)

"Look at the stars. Look how they shine for you. And everything you do. ANd it was all yellow." (Coldplay)

Feels Like Home

Sorry I am a few days behind on my blogging. We went to Edinburgh this weekend and it was amazing, but I will do a proper blog about that later.

Yesterday after registering (I am an official Glasgow Uni student now!!) I jumped on the bus to Oban- the town where I stayed during my exchange here a few years ago. Robbie, the guy that I stayed with, met me at the bus stop. it was so great to see him after 3 years. Oban is pretty much exactly the same as I remember it: a beautiful town on the west coast of Scotland, driven by tourism but a strong sense of community. Once again it was a beautiful day (I think Im getting spoiled by all of the sunshine) so Rob and I did a lot of walking and a lot of talking. It was good to catch up. It has also been great seeing his family again. I consider his family like second parents to me and it is nice to have them here in scotland only a few hours away from Glasgow while I am so far away from my own family. And they have been more than gracious. Did I mention that they own and live in a guest house? So they put me up in a room overlooking Oban Bay, such a beautiful view. I keep telling them I would be happy to sleep on the couch but they wont hear of it.

After an amazing dinner prepared by Mrs Kupris, Robbie and I walked up to some lookout point that overlooks the town of Oban right as the sun was setting. It was such a clear day we could see all of the islands off of the coast, as well as the mainland. The colors were beautiful and even though I took quite a few photos, i dont think it will ever do it justice. But out there, watching the sunset over this small town by the sea, I reallized that it felt like home. I feel just as content with Oban as I do with Laurinburg or Chapel Hill. I dont know if I am properly saying it but it was just a happy feeling. Oban has been such a huge part of my life, it is great to be back here.

When we returned, the Boyd's, the parents of another guy from the exchange came over for a quick visit and it was so great to get to spend a few minutes with them. Steven Kersley, another guy from the exchange who will be at school with me in Glasgow, came over as well. The three of us went out for a while and it was good fun. Oban isnt the most exciting place on a Monday so we has the place to ourselves. Both Robbie and Kersley are about to start their fourth year, so somehow the conversation turned to their various degrees and what kind of jobs they were going to try to get. I had this nostalgic peter pan moment: when did we grow up? When we all met for the first time 4 years ago, we were in high school, arguing about football and music. Dont worry, there is still the football and music banter, but now we are talking about graduation and real life. *shudder* how did that happen?

I woke up this morning in my room over looking the sea. Robbie works in the guest house so he had made breakfast; I am telling you, I have missed home cooked meals. i should probably step up my game when I get back to school. It has been a lovely morning and a lovely visit and I will catch the bus back to Glasgow in a few hours. I look forward to returning to Oban soon :)

until my next adventure (or a I fill you in on my old ones)
Love
Rach :)

It's been a long time coming down this road, but now I know what Ive been waiting for... (Long time Coming)

The Friday Five

1. Sunny Day number 3 in Glasgow :) Woohoo!
2. I have a permanent address! I have unpacked :) I have pictures on the walls :) My mailing address is:
Rachel Hughes
Block 11 Flat G2
Queen Margaret Residences
Bellshaugh Court, Glasgow G12 0PR
3. I went on a bus tour of Glasgow today, and I realized that there is not nearly enough time for me to see everything I want to see. But I did learn that the Tobacco industry of the South was highly profitable for the Scottish Tobacco Lords; apparently they were quite snobbish and the first paved roads in Glasgow were exclusively for them.
4. Scottish students start returning to Uni today :)
5. Happy Friday!(this will have to be a substitute for my weekly text message)
Love :)

It's a Beautiful Day in Glasgow...

Did you know that every time you call the Pinehurst Hotel they will answer the phone, "It's a beautiful day in Pinehurst..."? Well for the last two days I have wanted to greet everyone I have met with "It's a beautiful day in Glasgow!" If you cannot tell from my excitement, we have had sunshine!!! I truly believe that I could love this city in the rain, but the sunny days have really made such a difference!


Yesterday was a day that matched the weather: amazing! A large group of us went to Culzean Castle (pronounced 'Cullane") for the day, which was about an hour and a half drive west of Glasgow. The castle was so impressive, it has very "romantic" architecture (as it was inspired by the Italian's) but it was this beautiful place etched into the cliffs off of the North Atlantic. What was even more impressive were the gardens surrounding it. The castle was surrounded by huge yards expertly landscaped with flowers of every color! And all of the grass is so green (which probably doesnt surprise me considering how much it rains!) While exploring the paths leading down to the ocean, i found this Amazing tree... so of course I climbed it and took pictures :) The second half of our day was supposed to be a visit to a town called Ayr, which is about 30 min on the way back to Glasgow. However, when everyone was meeting back at the bus, we discovered that we were missing a person. We waited for and hour while our coordinators looked for this lost kid, and it turned out that he had gotten on an earlier bus! I think if he had walked onto the bus, he might have died for the evil glares and angry words (in multiple languages) directed toward him. So we missed a good part of our time in Ayr and were and hour late getting back to Glasgow.

Last night the city was charged with excitement for the football match, for Scotland was playing the Netherlands in the World Cup qualifiers. A bunch of international kids met up at a pub and watched the game together...people were everywhere!! I learned that I really like soccer players ;) and it was so much fun watching the game with that many people (and I can see the appeal of watching UNC games in a bar). Unfortunately, Scotland lost 0-1 with a lucky shot with about 10 minutes left. So it turned out to be a sad day for Scotland fans...one friend told me to cheer him up by saying that "life doesn't end when Scotland Football is over." My friend Kate and I told him that he could look forward to Carolina Basketball season. As he is from Scotland, I dont think he appreciated it much...

After a while, Kate and I went to my friend Brady's flat because Iain, another friend of mine from Oban, had come to the city for the game, and he was at Brady's. Brady, Iain, and Brady's flatmates Matt and Andy had all been to the game showing their Scottish pride by wearing Kilts!! I definitely took a picture of them (it was happiness!) But I had a good visit with Iain and the other people who were there; it just makes me even more excited for the rest of my friends from Oban to move back.

Today was equally sunny and equally as amazing! After a rather intriguing (sarcasm) orientation session about health insurance, safety, and other things a group of us walked to the city centre for some shopping; it was so nice to be outside :) After the afternoon session about traveling and the international student organization, I had coffee with a group of students who were from Germany and Denmark and we had a nice chat about the differences in our systems of higher education. Did you know that students in Denmark typically take a year off between high school and college, and they only go to undergrad for 3 years? I really love learning about all of the different places that people are from.

So if you look at my entry from the other day I talked about the amazing view from my run. Well Tyson and I needed to move some of our stuff to Queen Margaret (our permanent residence for the semester) and we decided to talk to the spot to take a picture of the city while the sun was shining. This was a fabulous idea except that is is about 1/2 mile in the OTHER direction from QMR (which is already 30 minutes away). So that was our hiking adventure for the day!!

When I returned to Murano to pack, I walked into my flat to find like 15 people in our common room having a tea party! The table was covered with amazing desserts and surrounded by people I had never met (except for two of my flatmates). SO I joined them and met a few people from the Czech Republic and Australia. One of the girls had made smores in the microwave, and only the Americans had ever heard of them. I am glad that they have now been enlightened.

Anyhoo, I'm sorry that I have just written a short novel. I now need to pack because I move tomorrow to my new room for the rest of the semester!! Yay! And I am sorry I have not been posting pictures because I definitely left my camera cord at home, so it is en route and I will add pictures as soon as I can!!

Until my next adventure,
xox
Rach :)

The Four Seasons

International Student orientation began today, and I must say it has been lots of fun to meet people from different places. I must admit, I have met more Americans (there are 95 people from the US) than anything else, but I am enjoying meeting people from places like Japan and Australia too!!

One thing that our adviser told us about Glasgow (and Scotland in general) is that you can experience the four seasons in the same day; and low and behold, today it definitely happened. While I was walking to uni from my flat (about a 20 min walk) it started raining, not pansy raining but a good steady rain. When we had our lunch break there was sunshine and blue skies. And dont worry, my group took full advantage of the sunshine and bought a take away lunch and ate outside. However, by the end of lunch the clouds had returned, so had the rain. After orientation let out, our walk make to Murano was sunny, and the weather for my first scottish run was perfect running weather.

Digression: Behind my flat is a sweet running path and today I went running with Ginny, a girl from UNC who is also training for the Paris Marathon (jealous!!) But we turned a corner and we were on a hill overlooking the city. The view completely took my breath away (not so good when you are running). I mean the city is beautiful, the scene was filled with apartments and church steeples and architecture resembling a castle. I still cant believe that I am Living Here!!!

Back to the weather report. After a relaxing evening we met up with a few of our new friends for a night out (a wee shesh?) It was tepid enough for me to only require a light sweater. Talk about weather with a personality disorder. It really is nice to be meeting new people who are just as eager to hang out as you are. I look forward to the rest of the week and meeting more international kids, but I am really excited about next weekend when the Scottish students move back. It will add a whole new element to my life :)

Also a recap on my day of firsts from yesterday. I had my first Fish and Chips of the experience, that were actually quite tasty. I bought my first Scottish outfit. Topshop is amazing, and I will blog about fashion another day. I also went to my first pub and tried Scottish beer. No worries, its legal here ;)

Well I register for my classes in the AM, so i should probably peace out.

Until my next adventure
xox
Rach :)

Slanj Vah Mo Chara

Today has been fabulous! I got something close to 12 hours of sleep (which was amazing after the long day that we had yesterday). At about 3 pm the Carolina Girls ventured into the city; we explored the somewhat wet grounds of Glasgow Uni, and I am telling you: Be Jealous! This place is beautiful. Imagine a church mixed with a castle, add some clouds, and a few kilts (we saw a wedding party) and that is it. Is it weird that I am kind of excited about started classes there? Yes (Mom) I am actually going to be taking classes here, but they don’t start for a few weeks.

After leaving campus we ventured to Buchanan Street and the Glasgow City Centre: Shopping central . It is like 3 city blocks or something of just shops. Fabulous. 4 girls. Uuber mall. Love it. Oh and did I mention we took the glasgow underground? Yay public transportation!! As we were walking, all of a sudden we noticed that people everywhere were wearing Scotland Football Jersey's and kilts and flags- quite impressive actually. It took us a few minutes to realize that there had been a football game, Scotland beat Macedonia today !! (and a shout out to my Tar Heels who I heard won today as well!) A friend explained scottish football to me like this: Imagine a crazy Carolina fan during the national championship, for every game. There is another game here on Wednesday as well versus Holland, so hopefully we can catch that game somewhere.

While we were eating dinner, one of my friends from Oban phoned me and met us at the place we were eating. It was so great to see him again after 4 years! But he took us back to his flat (I am working on my Scottish lingo) and introduced us to his flatmates, who were also from Oban (I had not met them from my previous trip). It was good fun. There was one point in the evening when they started playing all of these Scottish songs, like Loch Lomond, Caledonia, and Flower of Scotland (the national anthem). I have never seen so much pride in one room. They were just belting it out, I don’t even think it mattered that they had four American girls in their flat. We all loved it- I definitely need to learn some of the words to those songs. After a small adventure around Glasgow we left their flat, excited about new (and old) Scottish friends- hopefully the first of many.

When I thought that my day couldn’t get any better, when I got back to my room I skyped my family, and got to talk to them and the large group of people that are at my house for Labor Day. It was great to get to see everyone in the group, even if it was only for a few seconds.

Until my next adventure,
Lots of love
Rach :)

"Slanj Vah Mo Chara" = Good health to you my friend (Cheers!)

The Place Between Sleep and Awake

I. Am. In. Glasgow. I just keep repeating this mantra to myself because it all seems so surreal. It is 11:45 Glasgow time, which is 6:43 my time, and I havent slept much over the past 24 hours. But I made it :)
The flight over was not too bad. In RDU, a man with a colorful tie (What is it about men with crazy ties in airports with bad news) on delivered to us the bad news that we had a "tire situation" and that our plane could potentially be delayed until 10 pm- which was not looking good for our 730 connection in Newark. Did you know that Continental does not keep spare tires at RDU? Me neither. But 2 hours (and a slight panic attack) later our plane took off to Newark and we made our connecting flight to Glasgow. Watching the sun set over the Manhattan sky was absolutely breath taking, and flying over the North Atlantic with a full moon reflecting onto the water below was so pretty. I kept thinking de la luz de la lluunnnaa (in the light of the moon). From my window seat i also watched the sun rise, which was also quite pretty.

The welcome wagon for international students did not get to the airport until 900, and our plane landed at 7, so four of us from UNC had a few hours to just chill and relax. After lugging around my luggage, I am now in my temporary housing for our orientation week. I am looking forward to being able to completely unpack my suitcases and get everything settled.

Later today, the four Carolina girls are meeting up at Tesco (YAY) to try to get our bearings and buy a few essentials.
I have always said that I wanted to live in a big city, so this will be a big adventure for me, and i cannot be more excited!!

until my next adventure,
xox
Rach

"you know that place between sleep and awake, where you still remember dreaming? That is where I will always love you." Tinkerbell (Hook)