getting there....

Well, as some of you are aware, I had quite the adventure just getting to Aberdeen. But I am here now (have been since Sunday) and definitely enjoying getting to know the place. I just wanted to say that so that you wouldn't be worried or anything when I start describing those travel adventures...

It all started early on a Friday morning when I got up and got ready to drive out to San Francisco. After getting ready I made sure - double and triple checking - that everything I needed was packed in my bags and in the car. Well, made it to San Francisco International Airport, checked my bags, said goodbye to mom and dad - which was tough, but we were all trying our best not to cry - and made it through security and got onto what would be the only flight of my original itinerary that I made.

Many of you had heard my spiel about how I was supposed to get here: San Francisco -> Dallas -> London -> Aberdeen. Instead, however, because of a lovely little storm over Dallas my itinerary changed entirely!

For the most part my flight from San Francisco to Dallas was uneventful. We got to watch a movie I wasn't particularly interested in, so I got plenty of pre-semester reading done. It wasn't until I started to get a little restless and figured "we should be there by now!" that the captain announced that because of a storm over Dallas we were holding. Holding turned into landing in San Antonio to refuel and wait out the storm. When we finally landed in Dallas it was well past midnight local time and my flight from Dallas to London had left at 9:30pm. So, facing the thought of spending the night in the terminal I got in line to figure out how to catch the next flight to London. The amazing person at the American Airlines counter got me all sorted, put me on a flight the next day to Boston which would then connect me to a flight leaving Boston for London - but told me that I'd have to sort out with British Airways how I got from London to Aberdeen. And he also got me a discount at a Ramada in the Dallas area that had a shuttle to and from the airport. Spending the night in Dallas was not the original plan, but it was nice to sleep in a proper bed and have a real shower and breakfast in between all of my flights.

Well, I made it back to the airport and from there on to Boston and from Boston to London. It was hard saying goodbye over the phone, knowing it might be a while before I could talk to people in the states by phone again. And to be perfectly honest, by the time I was getting on the flight from Boston to London I was ready to just fly back to Sacramento, I was so tired from traveling and I still had to figure out how to get from London to Aberdeen.

Well, I made it to London and after going through the connections points I found the British Airways desk and was able to get onto the next flight out to Aberdeen. It was crazy, though, I had to nearly run to get to it. But they let me into the country - which is nice! Unfortunately, when I arrived in Aberdeen, I found out that my bags hadn't been able to make it onto the same flight with me. So, I talked to the BA people and had it set up so that they'd be delivered to my Hall.

Wow, I'm tired just trying to explain all of what happened. I suppose I didn't need to, but for posterity and any of those who were interested - now you know!

Since getting to school I've definitely enjoyed getting to know the campus and the city around me, but it's been - and will continue to be - quite an adjustment. It's both easier and harder than I imagined it would be. There are times that I don't feel like I've done something so very big yet and at other times I feel as if the weight of what I've done is too big to be able to keep going, in those moments I really want to just go home, but then I remember that I'm not doing this alone.

I've got a great group of flatmates! We're all postgrads which is wonderful! I wasn't sure if that's what would happen, but I'm glad it did. As some of you know I met one of my flatmates via email before I'd gotten here - it's been fun getting to know her in person. She and I are the only two in the flat from the States. The other three girls are all from Africa. One's from Ghana, one's from Nigeria, and one's from Zimbabwe. We still have an empty room, but we're not sure - since classes start on Monday for most programmes - if anyone will be filling it.

Since getting here I've gone on a walking tour of the city centre (which is how they label what we would call downtown) and have wandered around the campus. I've had my induction meeting with my programme as well as had a meeting with my adviser. It seems like it'll be a straightforward sort of programme. Went to explore more of the city centre a bit yesterday; and today (Saturday the 24th) I actually got down to the beach - which is really close. Although, you wouldn't necessarily be able to tell how close the beach is from where I live except that there are seagulls everywhere (and they're huge!). I think the best thing I can do now, is just show you some of Aberdeen! So, here you go: some pictures!

my walk to campus! I'm just glad I haven't seen anyone playing croquet...if that were happening I'd be afraid I'd hear "Off with her head!" 

St. Machar's

the Cruickshank Botanical Gardens - a part of the biological sciences at the University....

my very own "Diagon Alley" Also known as High street

pretty pretty "New King's" 

Original King's College!

the Lion and the Unicorn...

the New Library at the University! It's pretty inside - definitely new pretty, not old pretty like the rest of campus, of course. 

this is inside King's College Chapel! Lovely!

in more ancient times, it was from this post that the town crier would give his news.

this is a shot down Union Street the main thoroughfare in Aberdeen

Codonas: the "theme park" at the beach!

Aberdeen isn't called Europe's Energy Capital for nothing..

a nice sunny day! But definitely windy and cold!

they must be locals, cause they were actually in the water!