Another Typical Week in Aberdeen

Well, the last couple of weeks have been slower than my first few. I've finally got into a pretty good weekly routine and am exploring the city little by little. A typical week for me starts on Monday when I have only one class from 9-10 am. I get up, shower, eat, drink my coffee (at least two large cups from my amazing French Press that I bought so as to avoid nasty instant coffee that everyone seems to be okay with here! ) and then head for class. After class I walk back to my room and usually spend my Monday's doing homework, studying for the MCAT (as much as I can anyway), napping :), reading Harry Potter, or catching up on my American tv shows...don't ask how because I can't tell you...all I will say is that ABC and CBS only stream shows to people within the US which really sucks, but there's still always a way! Also, if the weather permits, Monday's are a good day for me to take a walk/ run to the beach or into the city center. Monday's are also my days that I catch up on my rest especially if I've been on a trip the previous weekend.



Tuesday's I start with the same morning routine go to my first class at 9 am and then have an hour break until my 11am class. During my break I usually wait outside my class and have actually met another girl from Scotland who I visit with everyday. She is really nice and from northwest Scotland, a small island, but not sure of the name. Her family visits the states quite frequently and she loves it there. Her dad particularly likes the south, and she's been to places like Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, Carolinas North and South, Boston, NY, and many more. I was really impressed at how many places she had been. She said her dad likes to rent or "hire" a car as they say, and drive all over the states. He also likes American Football and when she asked what school I went to she asked if OU's colors were red and white haha! Her dad must watch some college football as well as pro! Anyway, back to the schedule...after my class on Tuesday I get out around noon and head back to my room to eat lunch and study some more. Tuesday evenings I go to the central building at the dorms for free cookies/donuts/ tea and coffee (whatever they are giving out for the night) and hang out with the other kids from OU.



Wednesday has the same morning routine as Tuesday with the two classes and getting out at noon. On Wednesday after class Kaitlyn, Megan, Kyle and I (all OU kids) walk to city center and try a new cafe/ restaurant for lunch. After lunch we run any errands we have and then get groceries. Grocery shopping is always on Wednesdays, and we can only get as much as we can carry back with us while walking that's why we usually go every week. It's a nice day in the middle of the week too so that we can get out and walk a bit. After grocery shopping we head back later in the afternoon and the rest of the day is spent studying (haha) or just hanging out!



Thursday is usually a busier day school wise for me because I have my same two classes in the morning and then another one from 12-1 pm. I'm done after that though for the week. The rest of the day Thursday is spent on a walk, hanging in my room, and usually getting together with the other kids that evening to plan trips, watch a movie, fix dinner together, etc.



Friday is spent sleeping in! I don't have class on Fridays so they are kinda my free day to do whatever I want. Actually the entire weekend is spent either on trips or exploring Aberdeen. The weekend of Feb. 19 - 21 was the weekend after my trip to Edinburgh and was spent in city center in Aberdeen shopping. There are some really good second hand bookstores here, I mean really good. They have any book you would want for super cheap! One of the bookshops we discovered is called "Books and Beans" and has really good coffee and two levels of books above the cafe underneath. I also went to the Gap (yes I know hold your sighs! ) and another shop called White Stuff. The shopping here isn't quite what you would expect at home. There are not as many nice shops to go to at least in Aberdeen with clothing that will last a while anyway. That's why the Gap is nice because you don't pay too much but they are good quality.



This past weekend Feb. 26-28, Kaitlyn and I spent in a small town called Forres. It was about an hour and a half train right north west of here between Elgin and Inverness on the map. Megan went to London to visit a friend and Kyle stayed back so it was just Kaitlyn and I. We arrived on Friday evening and checked into our B&B. We ate dinner at a nice restaurant called Mossat Tavern which served a lot of traditional Scottish meals. It was absolutely delicious too! After dinner, drinks, and dessert :) we headed back to the B&B to get some rest for Saturday. The place we stayed was the best B&B I've stayed at so far. The rooms were big and really comfy beds! The bathroom was really nice and it was ensuite. Then men who ran the place cooked an amazing breakfast for us which was also the best I have had so far! It was really a nice treat compared to the hostels! On Saturday it was a beautiful day and we decided to do some inexpensive sight-seeing and walking. We headed north to the coast to a small town called Findhorn and saw the bay and sea from there and had coffee and tea at a small shop. The walk was about 6 miles each way. On the way we passed a Scottish airforce base which was really cool with planes flying above us and stuff. Then when we got back to the B&B in Forres we decided to walk to Brodie Castle which was about 4 miles in the opposite direction towards Inverness. Yes, we walked another 8 miles. Brodie castle was well worth it though. It was a large pink castle set off in a small wooded remote area. It was really quite beautiful. So, when we finally made it back to Forres that evening around 6 pm we grabbed some Indian takeaway and collapsed back at the B&B. My feet are still in a little pain! haha. Walking 20 miles is easier said than done...trust me! We really didn't have to walk that much, but it was nice to spend the day outside and take advantage of the nice weather. We were tired but it was well worth it. Sunday morning we got up for another awesome breakfast and then headed to church. Kaitlyn went to the local catholic church in Forres and I attended another Church of Scotland service. This service was really good and I actually enjoyed the sermon better than I did at the one in Aberdeen. The minister was younger and that could have been why. They had communion which I particpated in as well. After church we checked out of the B&B and caught the train to Elgin. In Elgin we visited an old cathedral in the town which is pretty much ruins now. Then we visited Johnston's Cashmere where Kaitlyn got a nice cashmere sweater, and we grabbed coffee before heading back to the train station. That evening we caught the train and headed back to Aberdeen by around 7pm. It was a nice relaxing weekend (and rather cheap as well!).



Well, I hope you have an idea of how I spend my weeks here at school. I have been able to study a little, but I really do a lot of reading. I have now in a matter of four weeks finished one Nicholas Sparks book and three Harry Potter books. Reading isn't something I take the time to do at home, and I've really enjoyed it here. I guess without a tv it's a nice alternative! The one word to describe my week would be relaxing. Since the weekends can be busy with exploring and travelling, it's nice to spend the week doing things I never really took the time to do at home. The experience has been everything I expected and everything I needed. It's been de-stressing and rewarding in every way.