Sara - Theta from Denison, did not know her before coming here, but she always high fives me when I say something funny so I like her a lot.
Elisabeth - also from Denison, also did not know her before. It is impossible to tell if she is joking or not, even when she said she wanted to just be put out on the street like garbage when she dies.
These people live on my floor:
Eliska - from the Czech Republic. Tall, blonde, hilarious.
Kirsty - from Scotland. Small and mysterious.
Keegan - from New York. Short, red head, so unbelievably adorable and funny.
Nicky - from Connecticut. Just officially decided that her and Keegan are best friends, is sick right now, but still went to a pub quiz. What a champ.
Camila - from Brazil. Has the loudest laugh in the world, did not know what 'young' meant.
Kate - from Wisconsin. Came by herself cause she's awesome. Loves cheese almost as much as me, and is slowly correcting my cooking skills.
Then there's Rachel and Kaitlyn who live around us. And a few other people with names I don't remember...
Classes here are not very exciting. There are the main lectures and you only have about 1 or 2 lectures for class in a week. Then there are seminars that you have to sign up for separate. Those are small groups and where most of the actual discussions and in-depth learning happens. The real challenge was finding the rooms. There are only two academic buildings and they are on opposite sides of the campus. The person who designed these buildings was probably clinically insane. There are so many offshoots and weird bridges and secret hallways and wings that no one knows about. I'm surprised anyone can make it to the first class. THAT should be a large part of your grade, whether or not you can find your room on the first day. I'm taking Social Psychology, which seems like a recap class, and Keegan and Nicky are in it as well! Political Concepts and Ideas is as boring as it sounds. But Kaitlyn is there with me. The Moving Image would be interesting, but the teacher has one of the most monotone, boring voices I have ever heard. Pieces of the ceiling keep falling on the students though, so I'm entertained enough. And Sara takes that with me.
The hardest part of living here is obtaining food. I would like to say that most of my sustenance money has been spent on practical groceries, like butter, veggies, fruit and healthy things, but I cannot. A steady diet of poptarts, cereal, strawberries, strongbow, and microwaveable soup is JUST what I needed. I tried to branch out and make cheesy noodles. Turns out that plain noodles are too advanced for me. Please stop laughing.
ANYWAYS a few days ago Elisabeth, Sara and I went to go explore the grounds and I honestly still can't believe how beautiful this country is.
The Wallace Monument is amazing. It can literally be seen from anywhere on campus. I love how Stirling combines the modern campus with this old, rugged countryside. After our walk, we headed to the campus pub to meet people and to toss back a few pints. The next morning, we had planned to head over to Stirling Castle bright and early so we could spend all day in town. But seeing as we might have tossed back one too many pints, it was difficult to get going. The morning was made more difficult, when we missed the bus into town, and decided to walk instead. Now town is a 15 minute bus ride, and the castle is a bit farther. I'm guessing if you are reading this you know me pretty well and you know how much of the walk I spent complaining (twas a lot). BUT we found the cutest little italian cafe that served breakfast and ice cream and everything good in life. So the walk was made better. The castle is, of course, up a large hill. And I guess like at the top of every large hill, there is a beautiful view. So, once again, it was worth it. I think I'm going to have to learn to not complain about climbing up mountains...
Hopefully, next weekend I shall have stories of London, and then a few weeks after that, stories of Barcelona.
ALSO THE BIRDS HERE ONLY KNOW HOW TO HONK AND ONLY WHEN I AM TRYING TO SLEEP AND THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF THEM MOM AND DAD BRING A BB GUN SO I CAN KILL THEM OR AT LEAST GIVE 'EM A GOOD SCARE
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