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

Recovery Ramble...

Oh, my little wisdom tooth came out just dandy on friday morning. The worst part was being hooked up to all the tubes and IV. If i ever get another surgery I will deffinatly sign up for local anesthesia rather than general- general has had me knocked out for the last two days. But i woke up from a nap today and feel great-the sleep cloud has lifted, my jaw feels saftely at bay with only a few advil (hated the vicatin they gave me) and I have been buisy making shopping lists and eating soft squishy foods that I would eat on any normal day. I actually like soft squishy foods in general :)

So how does this little opporation effect my trip to Scotland...it doesn'. And thats the point. Now I can depart with peace of mind that my wisdom tooth wont one morning rear its ungly self into my sinuses and put my limited coverage student international health insurance to the test with out a devoted mother to make me cheesy scrambled eggs or missing out on something great...like a castle.

I have decided I want to go to as many monestaries as possible while I'm there and meet a monk. I have also started thinking about some of the things that I will miss while I'm gone. I wont be able to road trip to Canada to scalp tickts for the 2010 winter games. I wont be here for my boyfriends birthday, my birthday, my dads birthday, or my four year anaversary with Alex. And i wont get to eat peanut butter.
However, I am still more excited than ever and can not believe I am actually getting to fulfull this dream :)

Enough ramblings...it must be the drugs :)
cheers, Amy

Home Sweet Home

Here is a picture of where I am staying!!! 60 students, my profesors and thier families will be living at the Dalkeith Palace. The palace is on a 60 acr. national park in the little village of Dalkeith, located 6 miles outside of Edinburgh Scotland.

You can come and visit me if you like :)

Scotland is on the horizon...

Hello Friends :)
This is my first blog as I chart my travels around Europe and living in Dalkeith Scotland.
I am planning on updating daily as well as pictures. I have been doing a ton of planning, dreaming and researching about this trip in the last few months and and its about to become real!

Some things I have to accomplish before take off:
- Removal of Wisdom teeth (tomorrow, eek)
- Exchange Money
-Finish Grad-school App.
- Spend time with Alex

Cheers,
Amy