Randoms throughout the week!

I had received some requests for a new blog this week, and since I didn't really do much besides go to school this week I had to get creative! So I have some random pictures from the week that will help to understand my life at Stirling!

Okay so first off I wanted to show more of my flat. I already showed my shoebox of a room, but i figured since I cleaned it really well I'd take pictures and put those up!!! lol.

So this is looking in my room from when you open the door. 

Oddly Enough, I have a sink an mirror in my room, but it's not an en suite bathroom. And it's great because then I don't have to worry about my toothbrush being near the toilet...lol
The only problem I have with this sink, is that the hot and  cold water come out different faucets. There is no middle
ground with the hot and cold. It's either boiling or near freezing!!! 

Ahh!! clean desk!! lol.  notice the new wall decorations...hahaha. 2 cards and a valentines card from my mom!! lol

long hallway, this is the majority of our flat. You walk in the front door (below) and take a left down this long hallway.
Behind me in this picture is the bathroom, The first door is Amy's Door, the second is my door, the third is Corrie's and the fourth door is the kitchen. But at the end of the hallway is this creepy locked door.......scary!!

bathroom....yay!

but there is always this mysterious puddle next to our toilet.....it never goes away. even if I mop it reappears. And I don't care enough to do anything about it! lol.....haha

door to the bathroom plus our hallway mirror....random

kitchen!!

view from my kitchen. It was so foggy that day that you can't even see Wallace Monument.

creepy door closer up...

well so now you've seen my flat at length now I have some random photos throughout this week of things that either caught my eye or I wanted to show someone this back home! 

There is a store here that we really like to go to and we walked in and there was a 

Nevada Lake Tahoe sweatshirt. It was almost so random that I would have bought it!!!

SUPER RANDOM!! LAKE TAHOE NEVADA in Scotland!!!!!

Good view of Wallace Monument from my dorm!!

BEAUTIFUL.....the first day of clear skies!!!

Haldanes is a lunch place that we go pretty regularly, we ate lasagna, and salad and garlic bread. 

Silly Sign I put up for Amy. This was up in the library.... they should put this policy into place everywhere. 

This made the library a little cooler. You know where else they have these? Disneyland!!

Jlyn I put this up for you. It made me laugh that I got a disgusting bloody 5!! ahhhh so I spent it asap

Using my precious Vias!!! I only have so many good cups of coffee left!!

So I decided to make spaghetti and couldnt' figure out why my water wasn't boiling. WELL in the UK they have switches for every appliance and you have to actually turn on the appliance for it to work. My switch for the oven/stove is behind my oven!!! 

I couldn't figure out why it wasn't working!!!! then i did...lol

Felt like an ass....hahahah

Well there you go, some random moments from the last week. 

Any suggestions for my next blog?

I am headed to Edinburgh tomorrow for the weekend. So the next one will be up shortly. 

International Student City Tour

So Wednesday, the International group on campus took all the study abroad kids on a bus tour of Stirling and the surrounding areas. This was really neat, because besides the ride in I hadn’t seen much of Stirling or any of the surrounding counties. So we got on busses at the University and drove to Dunblane. In Dunblane we went to Dunblane Cathedral. 

Allie and I infront of the Dunblane Cathedral

notice the change in color on the bell tower, that was an
addition in the 15th century. 

HUGE CATHEDRAL!!!

Technically, Dunblane Cathedral is no longer a cathedral, as there are no bishops in the Church of Scotland, which is a Presbyterian denomination. The building is largely 13th century in date, though it incorporates an originally freestanding bell-tower of 11th century date on its south side. This tower was increased in height in the 15th century, a change visible in the color of the stonework, and in the late gothic style of the upper storey's windows. Going to this Cathedral was really neat. It had a graveyard surrounding the perimeter, which may have been kind of creepy at nighttime actually just added to the classic nature of the cathedral. It was really neat going in such an old building. It was totally empty when we went in so they allowed photographs to be taken.

Really really tiny stairs 

But it gave us a cool view

you can see some people up where I took the picture from

Huge Stained Glass portion

The coolest thing in this cathedral was a huge hidden spiral staircase that leads to the giant stained glass wall in the back of the church. It was really neat, and I got some outstanding photos.

The next stop on our trip was to the “Robert the Bruce” statue. He became one of Scotland's greatest kings, as well as one of the most famous warriors of his generation, eventually leading Scotland during the Wars of Scottish Independence against the Kingdom of England. He claimed the Scottish throne as a fourth great-grandson of David I of Scotland, and saw the recognition of Scotland as an independent nation during his reign. Today in Scotland, Bruce is remembered as a national hero. Bruce secured Scottish independence from England militarily — if not diplomatically — at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. (400 something years before the declaration of independence)

Another cool fact about Robert the Bruce is

From 1981 to 1989, Robert the Bruce was portrayed on £1 notes issued by the Clydesdale Bank, one of the three Scottish banks with right to issue banknotes. He was shown on the obverse crowned in battle dress, surrounded by thistles, and on the reverse in full battle armor in a scene from the Battle of Bannockburn.[36] When the Clydesdale Bank discontinued £1 banknotes, The Bruce's portrait was moved onto the bank's £20 banknote in 1990 and it has remained there to date.

So we went out and saw this statue in the rain, and then got back on the bus and rode to Stirling Castle.

Stirling Castle has played a huge role in the history of Stirling. located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles, both historically and architecturally, in Scotland. The castle sits atop Castle Hill that is surrounded on three sides by steep cliffs. This gives it a strong defensive position. Its strategic location, guarding what was, until the 1930s, the farthest downstream crossing of the River Forth,

Several Scottish Kings and Queens have been crowned at Stirling, including Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1543. There have been at least eight sieges of Stirling Castle, including several during the Wars of Scottish Independence, with the last being in 1746, when Bonnie Prince Charlie unsuccessfully tried to take the castle.

you can almost see up his kilt...hahahha

This is a massive castle and you can see it from many places in Stirling. We only had time to hang around in the front entrance, but we got to see the moat type place. As well as some statues around the castle. This will definitely be somewhere that I go back at least once, probably a few times though.

After Stirling castle we headed down to an International Student’s reception put on by both the major and principle of the school. Those are not their titles here, but that’s the closest equivalent that we have. They had wine and chips ( not chips like fries but chips like lays) . They pretty much call everything chips here. Lol.

And then we headed back to campus. It was an excellent day of learning about the history and some of the significant landmarks of the area. There is absolutely more exploring to do, but that’s all I’ve done so far.

In Stirling for a few days

So on Tuesday, I was pretty set on getting off campus, cause I was feeling a little trapped on campus and going out may help me to get over that. So I set out to the library to look up prices and bus stops and what not to get to Stirling castle or the Wallace monument, or something. So I found out that the Stirling castle is 7.50 and we'd have to take the bus to get there so that's 9 pounds to do that, 

Stirling Castle

and then the Wallace monument is 7.50 pounds and we could walk, but it was REALLY cold today.

Wallace Monument

 Literally the coldest it’s been yet. So we decided the third option would just be to walk to the castle on campus and see that and see a movie on campus instead. Since Due Date was said to be playing, or the other one was Unstoppable. So we decided on the 3d option and we invited some of the other girls too. We  hadn't eaten so we decided to go to a new place called Haldane's which is kind of a cafeteria type place, and it was actually the best place we've hit yet. The food was good, and they had COLD water, which is unheard of so far. So we got a pasta dish which had cheese and yummyness and it came with garlic bread and a salad. And the water was free. So that was a SCORE!!! and then we were meeting up with the other people to go to the castle, and they were upstairs waiting for us. 

The castle was REALLY close, and since classes hadn't started yet we were able to clomp around the castle and inside, and it was really cool. We walked upstairs and around and then were ready to leave until one of the girls noticed we hadn't been in a really big room yet, and that turned out to be the coolest room of them all. It was really ornate with big windows and a beautiful fireplace!! lol 

So we walked around there for a while then started to head back to main campus. So we thought of a few more things we needed to do like find our books and I hadn't heard if I made it in the classes that I wanted to switch in to. So we headed back into the library and found a few of those things.

One of the benches on campus

A swan in the loch on campus

Wasting time in the library

3 floors of the library, in the middle floor you can see the handles that help move the shelves, kinda cool.

 It was like 3:20 by this time and I checked my email and I had gotten into both the classes I had wanted. It was kind of a stroke of luck, but a girl that I had met before was sitting across from me and said she was in that same class and asked me if I had signed up for small groups yet. and I hadn't so I asked her when the signups were, and she said 1-3:30!!! So Amanda and I took off looking for that room and it was of course in the middle of not where it was supposed to be!! lol. So we got there by 3:27 and no one was there, but there was a sign of where to go if I had missed it. So I went to that office and signed up for that class unknowing when my other classes were so I just guessed!! lol. but it ended up being perfect in my schedule. lol. 

So we went back to the library and went looking for my books and Allie's books and we got to move some of the movable shelving which was really fun!! lol.  We did that, then we went to the store and bought some popcorn chicken. Then we walked back to my dorm to make popcorn chicken and leave off some of our books. We had decided to go to the movie but that wouldn't be until 7:30. We made chicken and ate it. Then we walked down to the theater, which is on campus, but they don't consider it owned by the university so you have to walk out of the building and in it's own entrance. lol. so we did and it's a REALLY cool place, good lighting and whatnot. So we got in and were going to see unstoppable and paid for it. So we were waiting and then they told us the film for Unstoppable wasn't working, but that Due Date would be. So they refunded us our money and let us watch Due Date anyways. So we got into a good movie for free!! lol. And they do a stamp card for the movies, like if you pay for 3 you get in your 4th free. So we got to keep our stamp even though we didn't have to pay for it. So it ended up being a great night, and relatively inexpensive, considering we got a movie free! Lol

Life in Stirling

So last I'd written I had been in Stirling for only a day, and really awake for not much of it. So I've been on campus since Saturday and now it's Tuesday night, technically Wednesday Morning. I've been on campus for a few days and starting to find a rhythm for my life here at Stirling. So since I've last written lots of things have happened. I went on the tour of the campus and met two very nice girls, Allie and Amanda, and after the tour we had orientation, which was scheduled for an hour but really only took 15 mins. Then we had to go to a different room, but the same people were in charge of it to get our ID cards. So that was easy peezy, just had to tell them my name and they gave me my ID card. Which I like here better than at UNR, because at home they take a picture of you, after it's been the windyest day of the year and you rushed in to beat the line, but you didn't beat the line so you look all haggard from waiting in line!! But here you get to submit your photo ahead of time, so needless to say I'm not too ashamed to show anyone my school ID from here!! lol So we got our IDs and then we decided to go to the mall since there were tons of things we still didn't have yet. Like I needed to get a phone and FOOD!!! So we jumped on the bus and took it to the mall. The local mall is called "Thistles Mall." and I found that kind of funny. It didnt' really look like much from the outside, but once you got inside it was a bustling busy place on a Sunday Morning!! So we went to a store called Poundland, which is the equivalent of our dollarstore, and I've never seen a more magical place!! They had EVERYTHING for a pound. like spaghetti noodles, bachelorette party things, cooking utensils, household decorations, laundry detergent. Things that I didn't think you could get for a pound, for a pound!!! which keep in mind a pound is a dollar and a half. So that was amazing!!!! So we checked out and went on looking for other things, and then wandered around the mall for a bit. It was so weird hearing our artists playing on the radio. I guess I assumed that other countries had their own celebrities and their own music, and such. But it is becoming more and more apparent that we are a global culture, and everyone else participates with us. So that has been an adjustment. So we were leaving the mall, and walked by a phones 4 u store and I didn't think that I had enough for a phone considering I had either 10 pounds or my debit card. So I walked in and got the actual phone for like 4 pounds and then I had to put minutes on it for 10 pounds, so they took my debit card, but it was cool, I got to pick my provider and the phone separate. So with that done and a silly phone number I was set. They don't chunk their numbers here so my phone number isn't like 775-450-7057, it's 07806727053 so it's really hard to remember!!
So I got my phone and we headed back to campus. So by the time we got back it was like 6 or so, and there wasn't much open. So we went to the MacRoberts Centre which is an independent theatre on campus that has a pub and a theatre and a cinema, so we went in there and had burgers and fries, which is exactly what the doctor ordered!! lol. So lots has happened since I've been here, and even more so since then. This is all still Sunday. I didn't take many pictures these couple of days, but I have taken more since then!!
Love,
Molly

Goodbye Coach Shoes, Hello Rainboots

I made it to Scotland yesterday and I haven't been able to get on the internet and keep myself from falling comatose at any of the same times. So I left Reno on Friday morning at 6:30 am on a plane that didn't have a working lavatory or working lights...so that was a bit of a conscern.. I left there arriving in San Fran for an hour layover. In San Fran I found a plug to sit on the floor next to and I called home to let them know that I had made it alright. So I left for Newark from San Fran literally flying across the nation!
I lucked out since on that flight I was seated in the aisle next to an empty seat, which was WONDERFUL!!
On such a long flight it would have been torture to be in 1/2 a seat. lol So I made it to Newark and it seemed like INSTANTLY the ghetto came out in some people. lol this lady that was very sweet the whole flight was telling her sister to shove her wedding up her ass.!!! but that was about as ghetto as it got. lol
So I made it to Newark and was boarding very quickly. I had time to skype my mom and sister and that was about it. So by this point I'd only slept for about 15 mins and was getting very grumpy. I boarded the plane and was actually seated next to 2 other girls going to Stirling to study abroad. This was lucky!! lol. And the plane that we got on was SWEET! each seat back had a touch screen TV in it. So we got to choose our onflight entertainment individually. So I watched Transformers, Finding Nemo and a little bit of Big Bang Theory. I also played Sudoku and Hangman.... all fun things. So I got off the plane and into the airport. We went through Immigration and Customs, which were a breeze!! I was under the impression that I was going to pay for a visa once there, Since my progam at home had told me I would have to, it was a nice surprise when I didn't have to. So we got through Immigration and got our baggage, but one girl's bags didn't make it there, so that was sad...but all mine made it!!! lol. hahahha
So we got to customs and it said anything to claim? a yes line and a no way....and we all were like hope not, so we all walked through the no way and there wasn't anyone even there. so we came out on the other side and there was a man standing there with a little Stirling Direct sign, and that's exactly who I needed to see! He was our driver to go to Stirling!! THANK GOD!! lol
So we had to stand around waiting to leave for stirling, which was fine b/c it gave us a few mins to chat. I found out I am the ONLY person here from that group of people REMOTELY from the west coast. the next closest girl is from OHIO....lol
So that was kind of a shock...
We had to lug our luggage through the rain to the bus which was nice...not. lol.
The walk was hard cause we all had the max amount of luggage so walking through the rain was tough. but the bus was great. lol
So we drove the hour or so to Stirling through beautiful country side and green hills but a lot of fog.
So we got to stirling and a Rhiana song came on...hahah
The driver pulled into the University dorms and let us out. but he was so sweet he made sure that everyone got to where they were going before leaving, so that was a good sign of the people. We got to the dorm to get our keys and he was called the "Porter". So the Porter gave me my keys and some sort of directions, although I couldn't make sense of them AT ALL! lol
So I walked around looking for a number 4 and found a stairwell inside of a locked door. I didn't realize that he had given me keys when I got my packet so I stood there for a minute trying to figure out what to do...I was not walking all the way back down to the porter with my luggage looking for some keys, but i wasn't going to leave my luggage!! lol. I found my keys and got in the door and then was looking for the elevator, to find none....lol I had to lug my luggage up 4 flights of itty bitty stairs.....lol. I looked like a total fool...lol
So I finally made it to my floor and the girl below me comes up the stairs asking if I need help, but I was already on my floor....haha
So I made it in the door to find a hallway with lots of other doors. and all I was told was I am in the 2d bedroom....so I hoped the door with a 2 on it was my door..lol. I shove the key in and it worked but I was turning it for a few minutes before it opened. so I pull my luggage in the door and I guess that woke my roommate, cause then she asked if I needed help. I obviously woke her up cause she was in her jammies!! lol 8 o'clock on a sat, so I felt bad. lol
So I started putting stuff away like my clothes and such, I was very lucky that there were hangers in the closet, come to find out not everyone's was like that. so I hung my wet clothes and tried to figure out where to fit my life in this shoebox sized room. lol
So I took a bit to get it together, and tried to keep myself from falling asleep. I walked around the flat seeing what was where. and I found my roommate making cupcakes in the kitchen. so that was kind. Things are very different here, like you have to turn on the plug and the automatic doors open on the left side....lol. very wierd..lol
Well my roommate showed me a little around campus like where the store was and I bought a 1£ pizza. so that was cool. We went back to the flat and I hooked up my internet. I was trying SOO Hard to stay awake and then I got to skype my mom, and she told me it was okay if I went to sleep...lol
So I did...lol
I woke up a couple of times to voices outside or whatever. but I would lift up my shades and see it was dark so I could go back to bed. I woke up this morning and lifted my shades to find faint light but not much. so I thought it was 5 or 6ish, and went back to sleep. Then again I woke and same light, so I decided to get up, and I opened my computer and it was 12!!! ahhh. I only had time to bathe before I had to be at a tour at 1!! lol. So I ran and bathed and then had to run to the cottrell building. which is just over a bridge. it's crazy, there's a river seperating the dorms from the buildings, and there's a cute bridge that you have to walk over!! lol. but it's a HUGE RIVER!!! lol
So I made it on time, I just had wet hair..lol
Well that's it so far, but I'll be writing more tomorrow I hope!!
Lots to tell about!!
Love Molly

4 Day Countdown

For as long as I have been working at the bank, if we got within 5 hours of me getting out of there we called it the "one hand countdown." So that being said, I realized that I am officially on the 1 hand countdown of leaving. This is insane. It was only 4 weeks ago that I was dropping Brandon off at the airport, and it has gone so quickly.
So in the last few days in preparation for leaving the country I did absolutely nothing to help myself get ready for leaving. Okay that's not true, I did have my last day at work, in which I had to turn in my keys, and sell other people my money, yada yada yada. So I guess that is one I can check off of my list. And I had a going away party, which I said a solid,  "see you later", to some good people. And yesterday was the Superbowl, in which I did not do a single thing related to leaving. Which is exactly what I wanted to do. I woke up, hung out with my family, went driving with my little sister, went to a Superbowl party...
It seems like my whole life right now is revolving around a single event, and it was nice to not do a thing related to it.
So today I am going to the dentists, to get my cavities :( filled. Although I think that's a good thing to get them filled, it is not exactly how I want to spend my day.