A tout a l'heure!
6.14.2012
Farewell to Scotland!
A tout a l'heure!
6.02.2012
A Reflection
As today is my last day in Stirling, I figured it would be the perfect opportunity to take some time to write about my overall experience in studying here.
When I was trying to decide what college to go to, Arcadia was (after a lot of time and encouragement on my parent's part) a frontrunner. I had my decision narrowed down to Arcadia and one other school and decided that Arcadia was the better fit for me. The biggest selling point though was the letter that I received while still in high school. It was an envelope with on of the red telephone boxes you see all over the place in the United Kingdom. Inside the envelope was the letter telling me that I had been accepted to the Stirling FYSAE program. This meant that in my first year at college, I would be spending my second semester in Scotland, living and studying with Scottish and English students.
I absolutely loved my first semester at Arcadia. To this day, I will swear that there is no better bonding experience than a hurricane and tornado warning. I made some really, really good friends in the halls of Kistler, and they're a lot of people that I can't wait to see again either this summer or next semester. But at the end of the semester, I packed up my room, somehow managed to cram everything into my Dad's car, and headed home for the winter. I spent my break at home and at work, making money so I could pay for my food and souvenirs in Scotland. More than one customer would give me a funny look and ask if I planned on going to school someday, only to become incredibly interested and excited for me when I replied that I was still in school, patiently waiting for my flight to Scotland to continue my studies.
Come February, I packed my bags, stuffing my little suitcase and camping backpack full of clothes, shoes, and other necessities for the semester abroad. There was a moment of panic when my Mom and I, the only ones at home at the time, realized that my passport was not where it was meant to be. We tore the house apart in search of the passport, and I'd even started frantically searching the Internet, googling things like 'lost passport' and 'get a new passport quickly.' Luckily, the passport was found, the problem was solved, and the next day, I got in the car with my sister and my parents and headed for Newark airport.
I remember sitting at the airport with the people that would become some of my closest friends in Scotland. Our excitement was palpable--none of us seemed to be able to keep from grinning excitedly, talking about everything that we were excited and nervous for. My friend Heley and I watched what little of the Super Bowl we could before boarding began. We were both Giants fans, and I think we probably startled some of the people around us whenever the Giants made a good play.
Six hours later, our airplane entered Scottish air. Thrilled to have a window seat, I couldn't tear myself away from the window. I watched as Scotland unfolded beneath me, though it was too dark to really make anything out.
That first week I spent in Edinburgh, going to orientation with the rest of the FYSAE students, and exploring the city in the rest of our time. We roamed the city by day, snapping pictures, climbing hills and monuments, and figuring out what things we needed to get for our four month stay. By night, we visited bars, taking advantage of being in a country where 18 was old enough to drink. After our time in Edinburgh, we headed to Stirling, the city that was to be our home for four months. Again, we roamed the town, took tons of pictures, and explored historical sites.
Finally the time came to move into the halls. My room was the lucky 4/13 W, AK Davidson Hall. For me, this was an experience with its ups and downs. I've never really cooked for myself, since I come from a family of excellent cooks--if my Mom isn't cooking something for dinner, my sister or my Dad can whip something up, and I'm always welcome at my Oma and Opa's house. (And there's a pretty large family that will vouch for Oma's cooking skills!) With that said, having to cook for myself was certainly a different experience. I managed alright, though I didn't always have the healthiest meals. I ate enough pasta to make an Italian envious, and cereal was my staple food. But I survived, and only once did I get sick--and that wasn't even because of my amateur cooking abilities. Other than my struggle to cook adequate meals, my experience with AKD was a good one. I made some good friends in that kitchen--including Megan, who I will be sharing an apartment with next year; Michael, the ever polite Irishman who has promised to visit the United States at some point; Alastair, the Englishman from Edinburgh who had to return to his job every weekend; and Mike, who (although I made fun of, and was mocked in return) became a good friend, and certainly someone that I could always enjoy a political discussion with.
There were also people from other kitchens that I grew closer to, though these were mostly other FYSAE students. Ian would often come down to my kitchen, and I would hear him calling my name from the window, shouting at me to come to the kitchen. I (kind of) helped Heley and Ian build a fort of blankets in Heley's room, and Bri and I suffered through Macroeconomics classes together. By the end of the semester, we were saying our good-byes, with promises to have FYSAE reunions at Arcadia next year.
During this past semester, I've been lucky enough to travel across Scotland (a lot of which was done when my family came to visit during my break). I've been able to visit countless castles, climb mountains, go kayaking in a loch, and even do a flash tour through London before going to explore the Harry Potter Studio Tour. And now, I'm lucky enough to be able to go to France, to visit friends in Paris and Strasbourg before I end my journey in Berlin, and finally head home to be reunited with my family, friends, and doggie. I've made some great friends, people that I plan on keeping in touch with, even when there's an ocean between us, and Scotland will always hold a special place in my memory.
I've absolutely loved this last semester. There were times where I missed my family and friends, or wanted nothing more than to be able to pet my dog. But there were a lot of times where I was stunned--unable to believe that I was in Scotland. I look forward to getting home, but I hope to someday return to the island that has been my home since February. I've certainly enjoyed my time here, I've enjoyed all the opportunities it's offered me, and I've enjoyed meeting all the people that I did. And of course, I look forward to telling the stories this semester has given me again and again, for friends, family, and maybe even some of those customers who were so happy to hear that I would be studying abroad.
I'll post again, with tales of my last few days in Scotland, and of course with stories from France, but until then, a tout a l'heure!
When I was trying to decide what college to go to, Arcadia was (after a lot of time and encouragement on my parent's part) a frontrunner. I had my decision narrowed down to Arcadia and one other school and decided that Arcadia was the better fit for me. The biggest selling point though was the letter that I received while still in high school. It was an envelope with on of the red telephone boxes you see all over the place in the United Kingdom. Inside the envelope was the letter telling me that I had been accepted to the Stirling FYSAE program. This meant that in my first year at college, I would be spending my second semester in Scotland, living and studying with Scottish and English students.
I absolutely loved my first semester at Arcadia. To this day, I will swear that there is no better bonding experience than a hurricane and tornado warning. I made some really, really good friends in the halls of Kistler, and they're a lot of people that I can't wait to see again either this summer or next semester. But at the end of the semester, I packed up my room, somehow managed to cram everything into my Dad's car, and headed home for the winter. I spent my break at home and at work, making money so I could pay for my food and souvenirs in Scotland. More than one customer would give me a funny look and ask if I planned on going to school someday, only to become incredibly interested and excited for me when I replied that I was still in school, patiently waiting for my flight to Scotland to continue my studies.
Come February, I packed my bags, stuffing my little suitcase and camping backpack full of clothes, shoes, and other necessities for the semester abroad. There was a moment of panic when my Mom and I, the only ones at home at the time, realized that my passport was not where it was meant to be. We tore the house apart in search of the passport, and I'd even started frantically searching the Internet, googling things like 'lost passport' and 'get a new passport quickly.' Luckily, the passport was found, the problem was solved, and the next day, I got in the car with my sister and my parents and headed for Newark airport.
I remember sitting at the airport with the people that would become some of my closest friends in Scotland. Our excitement was palpable--none of us seemed to be able to keep from grinning excitedly, talking about everything that we were excited and nervous for. My friend Heley and I watched what little of the Super Bowl we could before boarding began. We were both Giants fans, and I think we probably startled some of the people around us whenever the Giants made a good play.
Six hours later, our airplane entered Scottish air. Thrilled to have a window seat, I couldn't tear myself away from the window. I watched as Scotland unfolded beneath me, though it was too dark to really make anything out.
That first week I spent in Edinburgh, going to orientation with the rest of the FYSAE students, and exploring the city in the rest of our time. We roamed the city by day, snapping pictures, climbing hills and monuments, and figuring out what things we needed to get for our four month stay. By night, we visited bars, taking advantage of being in a country where 18 was old enough to drink. After our time in Edinburgh, we headed to Stirling, the city that was to be our home for four months. Again, we roamed the town, took tons of pictures, and explored historical sites.
Finally the time came to move into the halls. My room was the lucky 4/13 W, AK Davidson Hall. For me, this was an experience with its ups and downs. I've never really cooked for myself, since I come from a family of excellent cooks--if my Mom isn't cooking something for dinner, my sister or my Dad can whip something up, and I'm always welcome at my Oma and Opa's house. (And there's a pretty large family that will vouch for Oma's cooking skills!) With that said, having to cook for myself was certainly a different experience. I managed alright, though I didn't always have the healthiest meals. I ate enough pasta to make an Italian envious, and cereal was my staple food. But I survived, and only once did I get sick--and that wasn't even because of my amateur cooking abilities. Other than my struggle to cook adequate meals, my experience with AKD was a good one. I made some good friends in that kitchen--including Megan, who I will be sharing an apartment with next year; Michael, the ever polite Irishman who has promised to visit the United States at some point; Alastair, the Englishman from Edinburgh who had to return to his job every weekend; and Mike, who (although I made fun of, and was mocked in return) became a good friend, and certainly someone that I could always enjoy a political discussion with.
There were also people from other kitchens that I grew closer to, though these were mostly other FYSAE students. Ian would often come down to my kitchen, and I would hear him calling my name from the window, shouting at me to come to the kitchen. I (kind of) helped Heley and Ian build a fort of blankets in Heley's room, and Bri and I suffered through Macroeconomics classes together. By the end of the semester, we were saying our good-byes, with promises to have FYSAE reunions at Arcadia next year.
During this past semester, I've been lucky enough to travel across Scotland (a lot of which was done when my family came to visit during my break). I've been able to visit countless castles, climb mountains, go kayaking in a loch, and even do a flash tour through London before going to explore the Harry Potter Studio Tour. And now, I'm lucky enough to be able to go to France, to visit friends in Paris and Strasbourg before I end my journey in Berlin, and finally head home to be reunited with my family, friends, and doggie. I've made some great friends, people that I plan on keeping in touch with, even when there's an ocean between us, and Scotland will always hold a special place in my memory.
I've absolutely loved this last semester. There were times where I missed my family and friends, or wanted nothing more than to be able to pet my dog. But there were a lot of times where I was stunned--unable to believe that I was in Scotland. I look forward to getting home, but I hope to someday return to the island that has been my home since February. I've certainly enjoyed my time here, I've enjoyed all the opportunities it's offered me, and I've enjoyed meeting all the people that I did. And of course, I look forward to telling the stories this semester has given me again and again, for friends, family, and maybe even some of those customers who were so happy to hear that I would be studying abroad.
I'll post again, with tales of my last few days in Scotland, and of course with stories from France, but until then, a tout a l'heure!
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