To recap the last three weeks...

Hello world. please forgive me for not updating. that is very rude. My computers death coupled with the business of this whole experience has made dedication to the internet really difficult. But as this week starts, i cant help but think about all of u and miss u and hope that my schedule and adjustment to life here in the UK has settled down a bit and i will be able to blog on a much more regular basis from now on.

The last three weeks have been- intense. exhausting. beautiful. so many diferent things. First of all, culture shock hit me very hard. Culture Shock happens when u resist all the nesisary changes that come with moving to a new place and u begin to get angry about having to adapt. I honestly wasn't expecting culture shock at all, i thought the UK would be just like the US in regards to culture, food, language, people, everything. But it is totally different, so much more than i expected. The way people shop is different. They use different words. the money is different. u order things in restaruants differently. our only means of transportation is the bus. we have no understanding of distances or surounding cities, cultural landmarks or news. All of these things are essential to daily living and adjusting, and all were very new- thus, culture shock.
However, all of this shock eventually seeps into u-
I spent the first two weeks learning my way around Edinburgh, a short bus ride away, learning the ins and outs of one of the most beautful cities in europe. It now feels like home. i feel safe, secure, competent. I learned how to order food, i am proficient with coin recognition now (u wouldnt' think that having to know the difference between a two pounds peice and 10 pence peice would be so important but when there five people behind u in line and ur trying to buy a bagel, trust me, the preasure is on!) I have gotten used to the people i live with and learned most of thier names (60 people to meet, one weekend of already exhausted brain cells= feeling isolated and totally confused!)and have mastered the art of trip planning, bus catching and plane/hostel booking (this has become a second language, with slang and mesmerizing dozens of take off/landing times in military time, i might add).

All and all, the first two weeks were really about survival. about making sure i ate something. about sleeping more than five hours a night.

And what a place to survive. This village i live in is old, special, quiant. think of a european steryotypical small town feel- and i live there. In a castle. On a 100 acre park. I have horses and fuzzy coos (cows) in my front yard. i pet them everyday. I jog on trails through the woods, over 100 year old bridges, along rushing water canals. Scotland is amazingly beautiful and it alone is worth the ticket over here. So far my class has taken me on trips to stirling castle, i have learned the truth about william wallace and have visited more castles than i ever thought possible. We are officially castle snobs here ( roomate one "Oh, i thought linlithgow palace had much better attmosphere," roomate two "yes, but just think of stirlign castle, didn't the high rock walls give it a touch of something special?") truly. we are castle snobs. Perhaps because we live in one or perhaps bc castles are awesome. I do not know.

As far as trips to the rest of europe, i am booked for a spring break trip with my best friend hannah to dublin for st. patricks day, london for five days, and paris. In scotland i am going on a four day backpacking highlands trip with my entire class. I hope to fit in northern ireland. And see as much of Scotland as i can.

So thats the past.

Today, I got up earlier than usual and went on a little jog with Kari, stopping at the bridge and greek manageri that is in the woods. Then i took a really hot shower ( just one more background story- for the first three weeks i took freezing showers. until two days ago when my roomate informed me that the first floor bathroom is the place to take hot showers. since this information i have taken showers with a renewed passion.never take a hot shower for granted friends!). Then i walked to my favorite coffee shop in dalkeith, where the coffee boy always gives me a discount on my 'cafe mocha' and i sat and read my bible and journaled for an hour or so. I thought a lot about my grandma olsen, since she was the first person that inspired me to travel as a younger girl. When my grandma was a young woman she traveled to europe as well and i wonder how it effected her life. As i sat there today i wondered how it will effect my life as well and what it means to be a 'traveler.'

Now i am drinking a scottish smoothie and am about ready to turn in for bed since its about 22:00. How i do hate millitary time. lol.

Goodnight world, God bless and hopefully, I'll update again tomorrow night.

Cheers, Amy

caighli

Tonight I learned the traditional scottish dance- a Caighli- pronounced Kay-lee. It was a blast. its basically a huge square dance but all celtic and stuff. great music. lots of sweating. lots of running into eachother. sooooo fun.We got formal dance lessons for free here at the castle and next weekend we are going to a real one in a pub in downtown edinburgh- or at least we are thinking about it!
Also fun today was the Amazing Race,around edinburgh. We had a whole list of destinations and things to accomplish all of the neighborhoods and streets, which are beautiful and quaint- all the shops are very small, lots of cafes, i got a hot chocolate in the Elephant- the cafe that JK Rowlings wrote harry potter in. Yummy and magical. After roaming the streets with my clan (we were broken up into groups for the whole program, called clans, mine is called Stewart)we stoped at a bistro for lunch and then gave up on the race and went shopping instead (girls outnumbered boys 5 to 1).

Orrientation is officially over. Essentially every minute for the last four days has been spent in informational sessions full of lessons and structure but tomorrow ends this and begins my classes. It has been exhausting. I am so excited to just have my classes and the rest of my time to myself. It is my goal this week to take some serious pictures of the following: my town of dalkeith, the huge castle i live in,the amazing park i live with, our pets (they are furry cows and horses) and edinburgh. this weekend i am going on a class trip to a few more castles so that will be great. also, i am going to work on figuring out how to upload, but for now just check my facebook. i think all of you readers have access to that i hope.

well, its been another long and great day!
love and cheers (goodbye),
Amy

It has been 4 days

In the most beautiful city. I have been in session after session here, orientation and no time to my self. until tonight. Here are the photos from my first four days- the flight over, killing time in the airport, going out to the pup to celebrate my roomates birthday and visiting edinburge castle today! i will update more info in a few days.
Oh, i almost forgot to tell you why i havn't updated- my computer is broken. how lovely. however, god is good and i will work it out!

more soon! just know that i am well and busy and over-awed by the beauty of this city and the kidness of the scotish people!


* actually, my pics did not seem to upload here, please check my facebook for the time being while i work on computuer problems, perhaps they will load easier on facebook. *
love, Amy

Where in the world am I?

Here is my address while abroad! Feel free to leave me yours so I can send you postcards!

Amy Olsen
Wisconsin in Scotland Program
Dalkeith House
Dalkeith Midlothian
Scotland EH22 2NA

Also, my skype name is : amythetraveler

My international phone number hasn't been boughten yet but will be and I'll post it soon as I get it!

How to pack a suitcase that will make me happy for three months

so today I attempted to pack for the first time...it was delightful yet overwhelming! Here are a few highlights and a few lessons I learned...

Mel Gibson stopped by via Braveheart to lend a hand! Having a true Scott in the backround was very helpful with fashion, although I could not find my kilt!?

Its a strange situation when you are torn if you should pack more heavy sweatshirts or swimsuits. And...how many pairs of heels can one need on a trip like this...

My room was fairing pretty well durring this situation...my mother said something however about a tornado passing through I think... As you can see by the exploding drawers and garments.

However, my mother and I do look an awfully lot alike in thsi photo...which is nice :) I couldn't have done it with out her!

This is how my suitcase has looked all month...pretty pathetic!

This look really does say it all... worry, worry, and "how are we gona fit all of this in here!"

And finally, the state of my room towards the end of the event!

Today I also finished exchanging my money into pounds and euros, although I am not sure yet how to count it. Will be spending the rest of the night packing with Chandelle, watching the bachelor and eating burgers that my dad is grilling! just delightful!

cheers, Amy

My Pre-Irish Holiday..well, evening!

A great irish night...

My two darling frinds took me out for a 'goodbye' evening this saturday...needless to say it was well up to par with our parties of the past. They took me out to Kierans Irish Pub in Mineapolis for some drinks and a live irish band. It was delightful! Made me so excited for all of the places in Ireland and Scotland that I will get to visit and was a great celebration for the three of us; we have been friends since grade school and this was our first joint outing to a drinking establishment so it was a fun way to leave the country!!! Thankyou my two darling friends!!!

Tomorrow I finally get to PACK! I love to pack bags..in fact, if it were a job to be a profesional bag packer for people going on trips then I would drop out of school today.

love and cheers,

Amy

Just a few more days...

It has been great last week seeing my family and friends as I get ready for my next challenge: what on earth should I pack? How does one decide what they will feel like wearing on a spring day two months from now-in the dead of a Minnesota winter, no less. Will I be up for heels or sneaker? Should I buy some rain boots? How cold IS "30s and 40s" in regards to layers?
Apart from clothing questions, I still have no idea what gift to get my host family. A cheesy MN picture callender? Maple syrup- can I even pack maple syrup?
As my last few days wind down, here is what I plan to do:
Friday- Spend day with family, go to movie and out to dinner
Sat.- Best friend sleepover party
Sun.- Vikings *hopefully* will triumph in the playoffs to be watched with Alex in RF
Mon- Spend all day packing and evening with Chandelle watching The Bachelor
Tue- Spend all day in RF with my friends and Alex (say goodbye to him for three months)
Wed- Family stays home all day and bring me to airport for my flight around 7 pm!!!!


Any tips in regards to packing would be appreciated :)

7 days until adventure begins...
Cheers, Amy