Traveling and moving in to Aberdeen has been incredibly easy and nearly stress-free. Has my vast international experience (I'm being sarcastic, of course) given me the independence and adaptability to make transitions like this effortless? Or am I particularly skilled at emotionally detaching from uncomfortable situations, like what happened during my two weeks in Uganda?
So that's what I'm pondering, this first week in Scotland, while greedily soaking up Aberdeen life and Aberdeen buildings and Aberdeen weather. A friend wrote on her blog a few months ago about how photos should tell a story, and that challenged me to be more selective in the pictures I take. Instead of trying to find the perfect angle or composition, this week I would shoot my subject once and let the photo reflect my first impression. You'll see a brief preview of this week's photos later in the post, along with a link to my Picasa web album with more, as usual.
I've met probably about 100 different people this week, most of them international students from America, Canada, Norway, France, and Spain. Classes are mostly lectures and very interesting: Introduction to Scottish History; Knowledge and Mind; and one I'm still unsure how to say without freaking people out - Making Sex: Constructing Men and Women from 1750 to Present. I'm hoping to audit a Spanish grammar or translation class to continue learning and practicing!
Finally, I'll list a few observations that have struck me about life in Aberdeen. I'm already assimilating, so feel free to ask any questions I may have neglected.
- Wellington's (rubber boots) are an indispensable fashion accessory - traipsing confidently through deep puddles and wet mud is impossible in anything but a good pair of wellies. Aftan and I bought a pair within two days of being here for only £9 (about $14), which we found out later was about £4 more than we should have paid!
- Scottish accents are proving harder to understand than I anticipated. Occasionally I have to ask someone to repeat whole sentences! Aftan is picking up on this better than I am, but I'm sure I'll catch on quickly. We both are marveling at how wonderful it is to be surrounded by a new culture but not have the struggle of a completely different language.
- Having Aftan here is wonderful - last semester in Seville I felt like I was entirely on my own, but it's great to have an ally amidst all these new experiences. We've met Kelsey and Mary, another pair of Hope College roommates, and Amanda, all of whom we're hoping to spend more time with!
Don Street on the walk to uni
King's Community Church where Aftan and I attended service on Sunday and met a lot of great people
interesting books at a used bookshop near campus
>> more on Picasa: http://picasaweb.google.com/alaynair/Aberdeen?authkey=Gv1sRgCJDYls_hk6f01gE#
Posts
I liked your photos before, Alayna, and I still like them! It's fun to see your first impressions. Can't wait to see more! :)
ReplyDeleteLove you,
Lynnae
Your photos are beautiful Alayna =) I love church; I'm assuming it wasn't Catholic? Thank you so much for blogging, I can't wait to hear more!
ReplyDeleteThanks to both of you, and yes, Mir; the church we went to was not Catholic. :)
ReplyDeleteAberdeen sounds wonderful! I can definitely identify with the adapting and detaching idea. I hope you continue to meet lots more people!
ReplyDeleteThe photos are lovely, the words well-written, and the images created/ ideas posed are so very clear in my mind. Good job with trying to take less photos...drink in the experiences and meet lots of Scots!
ReplyDeleteAnd Alayna, you have me pining for that wonderful British isle...