So apparently, blogging takes more time than I thought and I really dropped the ball the last couple of days as a tourist. So we will skip it because it was basically a whirlwind of shopping and setting up residence in Glasgow.
So pre-day 1, Mom, Dad and Brandon left me at the hotel so they could drive back to Edinburgh to catch their flight home. Obviously there were plenty of tears everywhere and as they drove down our little street on their way home, I was a racoon-eyed mess. So I blubbered back to the room where I intended to cry myself back to sleep (it was 7am and I had tossed and turned during the night thinking about this) when I realized we were out of toilet paper. Better yet, no tissue. So here I am, terrifying myself in the mirror and I had already moved ALL of my belongings to residence so I had no way to fix my face. It was glorious. So as all emotional wrecks do, I threw on the clean pants and shirt I packed, tried to fix the mascara covering nearly every inch of my face, and began the short 5 minute walk back to my new home.
Makes me sound really attractive, right?
Truthfully, this immediate walk was probably best because it took my mind off of leaving my parents, and I calmed down and I settled into my room and organized my new space through out the day. At one point, I walked to the Tesco which was fine but thinking I was savvy, I took a shortcut home which really wasn't a short cut. Long story short, 20 minutes there, 70 minutes home. Damn.
Day 1 was met after a restless sleep on my new terrible bed... what can I say, its not a pillow top but it will have to do. I woke up late since the only thing on the agenda was a mysterious health check and headed to the shower. Mid shower, I hear doors slamming, footsteps and other noise. Painting you the full picture, imagine a dorm with paper thin walls everywhere. So you hear people above, below and beside you and of course the people within your flat. So all this noise? Seemed like it could be coming from anywhere until I heard knocking on my shower door. So I finished up, thinking it was staff who were inventorying the space, I wrapped up in a towel and was met instead by my new roommate.
This poor soul. I think she now things I'm crazy. I extend my hand to meet her, internally mortified I am meeting my first roommate in nothing more than a towel in a steamy doorway, and she quickly shakes it, doesn't tell me her name and says "I have to go back to reception". Yes, I bet you do. Tell them you have a freak for a roommate...
Then I let Ainsley and her mom up, fellow Canadians who have a ringette connection and thus a golden spot in my heart, up to see my room as she was in another hall. hen her mom kindly carted us down to the main campus to check in with some very nice people who scanned our passports and visas and sent us on our merry way. We then took some photos of the main campus/pseduo Hogwarts and went to the health screen building. Here we were being tested for tuberculosis and to do so, then insert what they say is a small amount of liquid under the skin and they look for a reaction a few days later. Well, the liquid definitely feels like more than what they say it is, as it stretches and pulls at your skin. I now feel slightly bad for all those fat dogs and cats that had no SQ space and they get fluids and injections there... it hurts!
We then strolled to the campus cafe, grabbed food and walked back to my residence where we met 3 others from the hall. Here we waited for a taxi which was going to be taking us to the Freshers meet and greet with the older vets at the Old School House. We thought we would arrive fashionably late... so we went for 3:45 when it started at 3 and everyone was already half drunk. Yay Scotland!
You can really see where it all goes from here. Ainsley and I purchased a pitcher of drink, and speed drank it as lady-like as one can. Then, purchasing another pitcher, we took our spot at the table with some of the others where this underage girl tossed a penny into our brand new pitcher. Behind me I begin to hear roars of laughter, calling and yelling and am grabbed by one of the 5th years as he informs us we must "SAVE THE QUEEN!". This was my introduction to pennying. Someone throws a penny in your drink? Chug it to "save the queen". Crap. So two straws in the pitcher and Ainsley and I had to down our entire drink on the spot.
Welcome to Scotland?!
We left after our next drink and headed back to our respective homes and I headed to my room and called it a night.
Day 2 was mercifully met by a better sleep. Early wake up call to meet a fellow hall mate for the walk to our destination for the day: the vet campus. 45 minutes later, we arrive and take our place in the lecture theatre where we are introduced to a variety of people who all seemed too kind for words and welcoming beyond belief. Lunch quickly came and went and then we went on a short whirlwind tour of the vet campus where many doors were pointed out and all forgotten (its like a maze there right now- or so it seems). We then had a little intro course to how to use the computer system we would become intimately involved with throughout the next 5 years and then it was back home via cab for 4 because the bus was going to be along in an hour and I was too knackered (I'll just through it new words for fun now) to walk.
When I got home, I officially met my new roommate: Jean from Malaysia. Quite nice, but too jetlagged at the moment to be up for much conversation. Who can blame her?
I then crawled into bed for what I pictured as a cat nap and nearly 3 hours later, I woke up and found myself here... bad planning on the nap part. Anywho, that's all I have to report for now. Tomorrow is my tuberculosis shot which I am dreading. If you know anything about if, it apparently is a slow release intramuscular injection which will form a lump, then a pustule on my arm and then scar. This scar is how then unofficially identify if you have had the shot before. I am really not up for the scar on my forearm so I was going to see if they suggest elsewhere... Don't think I want a lump on my butt for the next couple of weeks.
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| Family photo |
Makes me sound really attractive, right?
Truthfully, this immediate walk was probably best because it took my mind off of leaving my parents, and I calmed down and I settled into my room and organized my new space through out the day. At one point, I walked to the Tesco which was fine but thinking I was savvy, I took a shortcut home which really wasn't a short cut. Long story short, 20 minutes there, 70 minutes home. Damn.
Day 1 was met after a restless sleep on my new terrible bed... what can I say, its not a pillow top but it will have to do. I woke up late since the only thing on the agenda was a mysterious health check and headed to the shower. Mid shower, I hear doors slamming, footsteps and other noise. Painting you the full picture, imagine a dorm with paper thin walls everywhere. So you hear people above, below and beside you and of course the people within your flat. So all this noise? Seemed like it could be coming from anywhere until I heard knocking on my shower door. So I finished up, thinking it was staff who were inventorying the space, I wrapped up in a towel and was met instead by my new roommate.
This poor soul. I think she now things I'm crazy. I extend my hand to meet her, internally mortified I am meeting my first roommate in nothing more than a towel in a steamy doorway, and she quickly shakes it, doesn't tell me her name and says "I have to go back to reception". Yes, I bet you do. Tell them you have a freak for a roommate...
Then I let Ainsley and her mom up, fellow Canadians who have a ringette connection and thus a golden spot in my heart, up to see my room as she was in another hall. hen her mom kindly carted us down to the main campus to check in with some very nice people who scanned our passports and visas and sent us on our merry way. We then took some photos of the main campus/pseduo Hogwarts and went to the health screen building. Here we were being tested for tuberculosis and to do so, then insert what they say is a small amount of liquid under the skin and they look for a reaction a few days later. Well, the liquid definitely feels like more than what they say it is, as it stretches and pulls at your skin. I now feel slightly bad for all those fat dogs and cats that had no SQ space and they get fluids and injections there... it hurts!
We then strolled to the campus cafe, grabbed food and walked back to my residence where we met 3 others from the hall. Here we waited for a taxi which was going to be taking us to the Freshers meet and greet with the older vets at the Old School House. We thought we would arrive fashionably late... so we went for 3:45 when it started at 3 and everyone was already half drunk. Yay Scotland!
You can really see where it all goes from here. Ainsley and I purchased a pitcher of drink, and speed drank it as lady-like as one can. Then, purchasing another pitcher, we took our spot at the table with some of the others where this underage girl tossed a penny into our brand new pitcher. Behind me I begin to hear roars of laughter, calling and yelling and am grabbed by one of the 5th years as he informs us we must "SAVE THE QUEEN!". This was my introduction to pennying. Someone throws a penny in your drink? Chug it to "save the queen". Crap. So two straws in the pitcher and Ainsley and I had to down our entire drink on the spot.
Welcome to Scotland?!
We left after our next drink and headed back to our respective homes and I headed to my room and called it a night.
Day 2 was mercifully met by a better sleep. Early wake up call to meet a fellow hall mate for the walk to our destination for the day: the vet campus. 45 minutes later, we arrive and take our place in the lecture theatre where we are introduced to a variety of people who all seemed too kind for words and welcoming beyond belief. Lunch quickly came and went and then we went on a short whirlwind tour of the vet campus where many doors were pointed out and all forgotten (its like a maze there right now- or so it seems). We then had a little intro course to how to use the computer system we would become intimately involved with throughout the next 5 years and then it was back home via cab for 4 because the bus was going to be along in an hour and I was too knackered (I'll just through it new words for fun now) to walk.
When I got home, I officially met my new roommate: Jean from Malaysia. Quite nice, but too jetlagged at the moment to be up for much conversation. Who can blame her?
I then crawled into bed for what I pictured as a cat nap and nearly 3 hours later, I woke up and found myself here... bad planning on the nap part. Anywho, that's all I have to report for now. Tomorrow is my tuberculosis shot which I am dreading. If you know anything about if, it apparently is a slow release intramuscular injection which will form a lump, then a pustule on my arm and then scar. This scar is how then unofficially identify if you have had the shot before. I am really not up for the scar on my forearm so I was going to see if they suggest elsewhere... Don't think I want a lump on my butt for the next couple of weeks.
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