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Nick and Rab
one of our wild nights from awhile back This morning, I woke up early to say goodbye to Nick. He's the first of our group to return to the states. The rest of us aren't really leaving until the end of the week, but Nick was by far ready to go home. It's funny to think that I never would have spoken to him if we had just been at school, but I think all of us were trying to find a spot for ourselves when we first arrived, and familiar faces- no matter how distant they may have been while at Clark- offered some much needed comfort at the beginning of the semester.
Over this past weekend, I think I've prepared myself to go home. There are a lot of things that I will miss, but I'd like to have some actual summer weather in Texas. My allergies are also kicking my butt, so it'll be good to get back to my regular environment where singulair can slay all natural allergens.
So far I've packed one suitcase, and now I'm just kind of waiting to pack the other one. Getting all of my stuff together has reminded me of when I was first packing to come
over here. Like yesterday, I packed my winter coat- which I never wore while I was here. And my extra passport photos, which still number 16. I realize now that I am definitely an over packer. I'm not 100% sure it will all fit, but I've made a "potentially leave behind" pile, so if it comes down to it, I'll be prepared.
One of the other things I had considered while getting ready to come to Scotland was working on drawings of where I was. Sophomore year I took this art class- just on a whim- called Sense of Place. We went to different locations around Worcester and drew different parts of the city. I ended up making a pretty decent collection of drawings- since Worcester is a very industrial town, I focused on finding parts of nature working its way into man made parts of the city- like one of the drawings was of a side of a factory, and right along the base of the building, flowers had sprouted. I was really hoping to find something similarly characteristic of Scotland, something that made it Scotland, but I really haven't put much time into drawing at all. Just
to begin with- Stirling has no art store. 😊 But since I'm totally done with my finals now, the drawing can begin.
Anyways, here's a quick rehashing of the last couple days. Thursday was the day before my last final for my criminology class. I was so tired of studying by that point but feel as though I did a decent job. Thursday night, David and I went down to The Wallace. A Celtic game was on at the same time as a Rangers v Aberdeen game was on. Since The Wallace is a Rangers pub, you would figure the Rangers game would be on, but only the Celtic game was on the free channel. So there are only about three Celtic fans in the place, all sitting at the table with David and I- Rab, David's 20 something new friend, Jimmy and Lucy (a married couple from Stirling). So through out the game, they give you updates on how the Rangers game is going. Instead of watching the Celtic game to watch the Celtic, most everyone was watching the game for the Rangers updates- you'd hear more groans and swear words when the updates came up and when
art club
one (and only) drawing i've worked on while here Celtic scored a goal than any other time. Rab, Jimmy, and Lucy were definitely into it though.
Unfortunately, Celtic won, and the Rangers lost to Aberdeen. It's really cool though here because people may be a little bummed out at a loss, but then they just all drink together, and things are fine. Supposedly the competing sports teams- like the Rangers and Aberdeen on this night- go out together after the game to celebrate. How different would American sports be if we did that?
David and I played pool for a bit, and he showed me how to play around the world with darts- which I was surprisingly decent at, considering my poor hand eye coordination. But we were interupted when the American round of Quiz Night at The Wallace came up. As the only American in the pub that night, I was claimed for Adam and Rab's team. I got four out of five questions correct- one of which was "what four states border Texas?" I had to draw a diagram, but I got it. The only one I missed was the year the US declared independence. Unfortunately I had forgotten it was 1776 instead of 1774... 😊 It was a lot of fun though. While we were waiting for the answers, Adam and I worked out these riddle things that he knew. It was interesting, but totally above me at a 11 pm after a day of studying. And- today, Monday, Adam's wife, Pamela is due with their first baby! David and I think it's a girl based on how she's carrying, but Pamela was telling me the other day- they don't tell people the sex of the baby anymore because of too many misses.
Anyways, Friday, I had my exam, and was more than happy to be done. Kathy, Sarah, Nick, and I went to Corrieri's for one more fish and chips supper. It was pretty good although I think I'm all fished out for awhile. Then we ran into Rab and went into The Wallace for a bit. Friday night, Kathy, Nick, Rab, Sarah, and I got together and played some drinking games and then went out to Dr Gorman's, a pub in town, to meet up with Caitlyn who was celebrating her birthday. Colleen, Harriet, and Katie were there too. We went over to Outback for a little while and then tried to go to Dusk where the three of us girls got in, but then the bouncer told Rab and Nick that they couldn't come in because they had too much to drink- which was a little off.
There was way too much drama for my liking this weekend- Katie has decided that she likes Nick but has been bad mouthing him all semester, so all of us are a little confused about what to say since both of them are our friends. It doesn't really matter now though because we're all going home- it just might have been nice if it wasn't really an issue our last weekend here.
Saturday we went to The Wallace, and I got to say goodbye to most of the people there. Robert, the owner, and Roberta, the barmaid, asked me to send notes to The Wallace so that they would know how we were doing. I said I would be happy to, and I think I'll send some picture of all of us from times that we were in there once I get back home. It really is a great little pub. I said goodbye to a couple of David's friends that I had met there- Neil, the creeper who's very awkward to talk to but a very sweet local yocal, Rab, David's friend who's a ton of fun, and Allen, the guy who asks me what day I'm leaving every time I walk in there.
Last night, Kathy and I went to The Med for dinner- the first place we ever went out to here in Scotland. I had vegetable fajitas which were delicious. Then I just hung out and watched a lot of Family Guy like I have been lately. David had football last night- and they won again! - so we talked for a little bit, and I called it an early night. Today, Kathy and I are thinking about taking the time to walk into town instead of taking the bus, and I'm hoping (if the weather is nice) to draw a bridge in town that I really like. And then tonight, David's coming by after work just to hang out.
So, this weekend was pretty busy, and I'm hoping for a low key end to my time in Scotland. This morning, I'm enjoying a Scottish breakfast- a cup of tea and some toast with tomatoes and cheese- while I draw The Wallace Monument from my window. It's nice to have all the time in the world for the first time in... forever 😊
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