A post in which I give up the anonymity of some of my friends.
Oof. My sister K has come to visit me here in the lovely city of Edinburgh. In preparation for her visit, I have been foolhardy enough to try and get ahead in my homework and prepare for exams, which I am quickly losing ground on. That is the clearest and concisest explanation I can give for leaving all 22 of you, my official followers, in the dark for so long. That, and the fact that the past few weeks have been a little bit of a roller coaster ride internally for me. I don't want to write and publish my less-than-ebullient internal monologues any more than you want to listen to them. However, all that aside, K and I have been having a wonderful time!
Thursday morning she arrived, and she went off to see Parliament while I went to class, and then we met up afterward in Parliament and watched the Themed Question and Answer session that happens every Thursday. This week's theme was primary and secondary education in Scotland, which was interesting, but they spoke quickly and still, some of their accents gave me a bit of trouble. Afterwards, we were right at Holyrood Palace, so we jaunted over there and had a jolly cold time looking through the palace, retracing Mary Queen of Scots' (where does the possessive go?! I can think of nowhere else to put it!) life.
Thursday evening, we high-tailed it to the New Town over to Rachel's flat, where Rachel and her flatmate were hosting dinner. (There were so many Thanksgiving feasts to attend - I had been invited to two others that evening, one hosted by my own flatmates. It was probably a bad of mine that I went over to the New Town instead of staying at my own flat, but Rachel had invited me a couple of weeks ago.) K and I brought an apple crumble, and together we made a party of about twelve people, all basking in the wonderful tradition of gratitude, feasting, and relationship-building that is Thanksgiving. I was sad to be away from a gigantic contingent of my family, but this was a very good substitute. I knew this before, but I'm experiencing how family be built by more than just blood ties.
Friday morning, I had to go to class again, so I was ready to go adventuring in the late morning. K and I went over to the airport where we had reserved a car. Shortly after getting in the car, we decided that we didn't want to deal with the hassle of driving on the left side of the road in a manual. So we turned in the car and hiked up Arthur's Seat instead. The day was clear but cold, which meant that our visibility was fantastic. For K, I think it was easily the highlight of her trip so far, and it was good for me to hike up the Seat again. After all, I haven't been back since my trip up there the first week of the semester. After dinner off of Princes Street, we walked to the German Christmas market in the street which just opened the day before, where I soon took my leave of K. Friday night was when there was a stake-wide ceilidh over at the Church, and K had been planning on going with me. It had been a long day, though, and she was still jet-lagged, so she retired early to catch up on sleep, and I went to the ceilidh by myself.
I love me a good ceilidh, and this one was good. Some of my Church friends were there, so I could hang out with them between dances and actually had partners that I knew this time. There is something very satisfying about dancing with a guy in a kilt. It's grand when the kilt flaps out behind the guy. I get a similar feeling when I'm twirling around in a long, flowy skirt. As we were at the ceilidh, it started snowing - first snow of the season. Absolutely magical. The dance ended around 11 pm on account of the inclement weather, but after everyone else had left, about seven or eight of us had a wee snowball fight in the parking lot. After that, we went to a chippy, and I stayed out way too late by watching Elf with the rest of our little Young Adult group. I shouldn't have, but it was totally worth it.
Wow, this is a discombobulated post. Sorry it's such a laundry-list. I'll try and do a few more pensive, image-based meditations on my experiences later when I'm not so tired and trying not to get all of these things out and onto the 'page' and recorded.
Today, I woke up comparatively early, and K and I went for a tour trip through the southern Highlands. Wow. It felt like the whole of Scotland was frosted over in spun sugar, like it was a Winter Wonderland. Today: Stirling Castle, Loch Lomond, and Ghost Tour to vaults beneath South Bridge.
Lovely days pass away so, so quickly.
Pictures to come soon.
Showing posts with label Family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Family. Show all posts
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
Some Other Beginning's End
(A minor gagging sound is made at the title of this post.)
Tomorrow is the day. I’m heading out for Madrid, Spain, and a life-changing experience. The bags are not all quite packed yet, but that will come in time, once I stop distracting myself with the computer. On the eve of every departure and new adventure, I dream some wondrous universe of possibilities, of whom I could be, what I could do, whom I could meet and impress. I did it before going away to college; now is no exception. It always seems so much more vague and glamorous in my head. The reality is decidedly more ambiguous because I meet people who are exceptionally more interesting than I could ever imagine, yet there are a lot of disappointments and setbacks and annoyances which are inconspicuously absent from my imaginary utopia. I don’t think I’m alone on this, dreaming of Edenic universes contained within the possibilities of opportunity – quite the contrary.
I took this last evening at home slowly by taking a walk with my mother and brother through the surrounding suburban neighborhoods. The night was darkening, and clouds brooded over the gargantuan mountain chains which shadow our valley. Savoring this last bit of home for seven months, I was surprised to realize I didn’t have many feelings on the subject, rather a dull emptiness. Tomorrow I’m going to Spain and will probably be shocked into feeling something, but that is far away from me right now. I cringe at putting forth this metaphor – I am an empty vessel waiting to be filled with experiences from abroad – but the part of my brain which filters out such constructions as that metaphor is not functioning at this hour.
Barring major disasters, I won’t be back in the States until Christmas. The world will continue to spin, and it will have gone halfway around the sun by the time I come back.
That’s enough for now. I can’t think of anything appropriate to say, other than that these next few months will be life-changing.
Tomorrow is the day. I’m heading out for Madrid, Spain, and a life-changing experience. The bags are not all quite packed yet, but that will come in time, once I stop distracting myself with the computer. On the eve of every departure and new adventure, I dream some wondrous universe of possibilities, of whom I could be, what I could do, whom I could meet and impress. I did it before going away to college; now is no exception. It always seems so much more vague and glamorous in my head. The reality is decidedly more ambiguous because I meet people who are exceptionally more interesting than I could ever imagine, yet there are a lot of disappointments and setbacks and annoyances which are inconspicuously absent from my imaginary utopia. I don’t think I’m alone on this, dreaming of Edenic universes contained within the possibilities of opportunity – quite the contrary.
I took this last evening at home slowly by taking a walk with my mother and brother through the surrounding suburban neighborhoods. The night was darkening, and clouds brooded over the gargantuan mountain chains which shadow our valley. Savoring this last bit of home for seven months, I was surprised to realize I didn’t have many feelings on the subject, rather a dull emptiness. Tomorrow I’m going to Spain and will probably be shocked into feeling something, but that is far away from me right now. I cringe at putting forth this metaphor – I am an empty vessel waiting to be filled with experiences from abroad – but the part of my brain which filters out such constructions as that metaphor is not functioning at this hour.
Barring major disasters, I won’t be back in the States until Christmas. The world will continue to spin, and it will have gone halfway around the sun by the time I come back.
That’s enough for now. I can’t think of anything appropriate to say, other than that these next few months will be life-changing.
Friday, April 16, 2010
The Spanish Expedition: Beginnings
In other news, I have heard back about one of my internships! To make a long story short, I got it! Over Spring Break, I freaked out and searched for internship opportunities. It was 11 pm on Wednesday night of Break, and I was tired because I had been searching for a few hours. I was sitting at the end of my kitchen table, and my Mom sat at the other end. I told her that I was going to apply to this internship in on a whim. My mother encouraged me to do it. “It can’t hurt to apply,” she said.
With that much foreshadowing, I sent in my cover letter and resume about a week later, on a Tuesday, and then by Thursday days, I had received an e-mail. They wanted to interview me! I had no idea what I was doing, so I scheduled the interview for the following day, Friday. In trying to stay on top of my schedule and all the other things I had going on at that time, I barely had enough time to ask my college’s Career Planning and Resources office how to respond. They gave me a few quick pointers, made sure that I had questions to ask the interviewer, too, and then sent me on my merry way.
Friday morning, I set up camp in my dorm’s study room, monopolizing the entire space. I nervously shuffled the index cards I had prepared and skimmed the previous night’s Facebook posts, waiting to receive the call. At 9:10 am my phone buzzed, and the conversation started. My legs were shaking too badly for me to stand, as I had been instructed, and I forget to smile over the phone so that my interviewer could know how enthused I was about the prospective opportunity to work with their company. Apparently I didn’t bungle the interview too badly, because at the end of the interview they offered me the job! I was reeling. My breath had been knocked from my chest: they wanted me. This internship is in Madrid, Spain.
It should be noted that I cannot speak Spanish. However, the company I will be working for is a small startup with international employees. They run a website that is basically a how-to guide to living in a given country; instead of a travel-guide to countries, I’ll be writing and editing living-guides to various countries.
I asked for a week to decide on the internship, and after talking with numerous family and friends, notably MomAndDad and Aunt E, I felt that accepting the internship would be the correct decision to make. I had my parents’ support in this endeavor, as well as my aunt’s advice to rely on. It is incredible how support can change someone’s attitude. I was not sure about going at first because Spain is far away, I don’t speak the language, I don’t know how to get around. But as Cousin Kimber said on Facebook, “This is the time in your life to do it. Even if it is horrible it will be an amazing experience you will remember for the rest of your life with increasing fondness.” I don’t quite know what I’m getting into living abroad, but the parameters of the internship align with the skills I would like to develop. I want to push myself and live in a foreign country, as well, and grow personally. Whatever fears I have about going abroad are nothing in comparison with the experiences I will have there. I almost let my fear get the better of me by entertaining the idea of refusing the offer, but even in accepting the internship I grew. I’m growing. It was wonderful.
Since then, I've figured out my visa situation and gone to the FLRC (Foreign Language Resource Center, pronounced "flurck") with Morwen to learn Spanish with their Rosetta Stone software. I can say, "Ella tiene una manzana roja," "Que' esta' haciendo ella?" and "Ella esta' comiendo una manzana." As you can see, I like apples.
I’m working on housing in Madrid now – I hope to be with either an LDS family or share an apartment with LDS roommates. It would be neat to have that experience; I did not want my entire undergraduate experience to be one at BYU where undoubtedly my roommates would have all been LDS. It would be nice to live for a summer with people who share my values, people with whom I don’t have to explain what I believe or what I do. They already know, they understand, and they do the same things I do.
Also, to all the companies that did not accept me as an intern, I must say that you’re losing a special intern. Especially you, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency.
With that much foreshadowing, I sent in my cover letter and resume about a week later, on a Tuesday, and then by Thursday days, I had received an e-mail. They wanted to interview me! I had no idea what I was doing, so I scheduled the interview for the following day, Friday. In trying to stay on top of my schedule and all the other things I had going on at that time, I barely had enough time to ask my college’s Career Planning and Resources office how to respond. They gave me a few quick pointers, made sure that I had questions to ask the interviewer, too, and then sent me on my merry way.
Friday morning, I set up camp in my dorm’s study room, monopolizing the entire space. I nervously shuffled the index cards I had prepared and skimmed the previous night’s Facebook posts, waiting to receive the call. At 9:10 am my phone buzzed, and the conversation started. My legs were shaking too badly for me to stand, as I had been instructed, and I forget to smile over the phone so that my interviewer could know how enthused I was about the prospective opportunity to work with their company. Apparently I didn’t bungle the interview too badly, because at the end of the interview they offered me the job! I was reeling. My breath had been knocked from my chest: they wanted me. This internship is in Madrid, Spain.
It should be noted that I cannot speak Spanish. However, the company I will be working for is a small startup with international employees. They run a website that is basically a how-to guide to living in a given country; instead of a travel-guide to countries, I’ll be writing and editing living-guides to various countries.
I asked for a week to decide on the internship, and after talking with numerous family and friends, notably MomAndDad and Aunt E, I felt that accepting the internship would be the correct decision to make. I had my parents’ support in this endeavor, as well as my aunt’s advice to rely on. It is incredible how support can change someone’s attitude. I was not sure about going at first because Spain is far away, I don’t speak the language, I don’t know how to get around. But as Cousin Kimber said on Facebook, “This is the time in your life to do it. Even if it is horrible it will be an amazing experience you will remember for the rest of your life with increasing fondness.” I don’t quite know what I’m getting into living abroad, but the parameters of the internship align with the skills I would like to develop. I want to push myself and live in a foreign country, as well, and grow personally. Whatever fears I have about going abroad are nothing in comparison with the experiences I will have there. I almost let my fear get the better of me by entertaining the idea of refusing the offer, but even in accepting the internship I grew. I’m growing. It was wonderful.
Since then, I've figured out my visa situation and gone to the FLRC (Foreign Language Resource Center, pronounced "flurck") with Morwen to learn Spanish with their Rosetta Stone software. I can say, "Ella tiene una manzana roja," "Que' esta' haciendo ella?" and "Ella esta' comiendo una manzana." As you can see, I like apples.
I’m working on housing in Madrid now – I hope to be with either an LDS family or share an apartment with LDS roommates. It would be neat to have that experience; I did not want my entire undergraduate experience to be one at BYU where undoubtedly my roommates would have all been LDS. It would be nice to live for a summer with people who share my values, people with whom I don’t have to explain what I believe or what I do. They already know, they understand, and they do the same things I do.
Also, to all the companies that did not accept me as an intern, I must say that you’re losing a special intern. Especially you, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
On Discovering an Intriguing Blog
I did not know until about five minutes ago that my cousin has a blog, I'd Rather be at Hogwarts. Because I am unaware of how one highlights a series of words and makes it a link to another site, I'll post the link here:
http://jeffersoncampbell.tumblr.com/
My one criticism is that there is no easy way to comment on anything. With the discovery of this blog and recently finishing "Julie and Julia," I decided to write a blog post. It will be for my own vindication, as methinks no one will stumble across this and be interested apart from a few friends and family members, but isn't that the purpose of a blog?
In response to "I'd Rather be at Hogwarts'" post on the 23rd of December:
And in response to a post on the 22nd of December: I was the person that tipped Jefferson off about the Hello Kitty gumball dispenser, thanks much.
And his videos do not work for my computer. That is all. On that, anyway.
I've recently been trying to rework a manuscript of mine, and it's somewhere in the vicinity of 25,000 words. I have new respect for the individuals who participate in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) over the month of November, writing 50,000 words. With a semblance of a plot. Kudos, guys, ku-dos. It's exhausting.
Word of the day - advesperate.
On recently finishing "The Hunger Games:" I was amused. Got it as a Christmas gift, devoured it in about a day, caved and bought the sequel "Catching Fire" today. Simultaneously, I'm trying to read "Dracula," as well. The epistolary form of writing annoys me; I think I prefer contemporary writing styles, but I'm not sure. There are so many time periods to choose from...
http://jeffersoncampbell.tumblr.com/
My one criticism is that there is no easy way to comment on anything. With the discovery of this blog and recently finishing "Julie and Julia," I decided to write a blog post. It will be for my own vindication, as methinks no one will stumble across this and be interested apart from a few friends and family members, but isn't that the purpose of a blog?
In response to "I'd Rather be at Hogwarts'" post on the 23rd of December:
And in response to a post on the 22nd of December: I was the person that tipped Jefferson off about the Hello Kitty gumball dispenser, thanks much.
And his videos do not work for my computer. That is all. On that, anyway.
I've recently been trying to rework a manuscript of mine, and it's somewhere in the vicinity of 25,000 words. I have new respect for the individuals who participate in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) over the month of November, writing 50,000 words. With a semblance of a plot. Kudos, guys, ku-dos. It's exhausting.
Word of the day - advesperate.
On recently finishing "The Hunger Games:" I was amused. Got it as a Christmas gift, devoured it in about a day, caved and bought the sequel "Catching Fire" today. Simultaneously, I'm trying to read "Dracula," as well. The epistolary form of writing annoys me; I think I prefer contemporary writing styles, but I'm not sure. There are so many time periods to choose from...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)