Furain Guest House Aberdeen

... Edinburgh soon though..

Anyway, day trip to Ellon, which is just half an hour out of town. Yay! Friend from uni lives here so went round, watched movies etc etc. Nothing too interesting, but it was nice to be away from the dorm for a bit! Leaving for holidays in a few weeks so things will finally get just a little more interesting. Until then, back to the books I go..

... for a week or two would be fun, but who would really benefit from it? So I decided to use the time I have to better the world community and do some volunteer work. That sounds exceptionally cheesy, but I would much rather be helping out the long-term development in a country I have significant interest in than just frolick on a beach drinking way too much alcohol.

I had researched some volunteer gigs previously, just for loose ideas for ...

... not really a good time of year up in the Highlands to go aimlessly romping around :P

In December I'll be heading home quickly, nothing special - but then I have 2 big breaks coming up.. So many choices!

So no, I haven't died.. I'm just at university!

[also - having some problems with java because my university internet doesn't like me. sooo pics will come. eventually.]

... all taken care of the adventuring will begin. I'm starting to think Ill hop over to Dublin for a day or two before I start traveling south because I am dying to taste their Guinness! Ill write as soon as I know, but I think Ill be lounging around Scotland for two weeks while I get my ducks in a line. Obviously there isn't much to log yet but i promise it will get interesting soon!!!!

... most things are labelled in arabic there. I'll let you know if it really helps or just extra deadweight when I get there. I shaved my hair off last night too(with the dodgy aid of the reflective side of a cd-rom) so I could do without hair gel or shampoo. 
 
To be honest I haven't really been excited about the trip till last night when I did a little more research on where I'm going. Now its all come in a rush and I wish I was leaving today instead!

... I wish I could find in my own city. It's nice that a city this size (roughly 200,000, I'm told) can be so pedestrian friendly. It's a wonderful thing to live somewhere where you don't have to own a car. Also, there're a lot of small businesses downtown, which is a nice change of atmosphere from our big-box store culture.

All in all, my vacation was exactly what I wanted it to be: quiet, simple, easy.

I rose around 9:00 and went for a run down Union Street (the main drag). People looked at me like I was nuts. Apparently exercise isn't an Aberdonian specialty, particularly at 9 a.m. Afterward, I found a small out-of-the-way sandwich shop where I bought a roast beef and bacon sandwich with spicy English mustard. I enjoyed the sandwich on a bench facing Soul Casino— ...

... so there isn't anywhere to sit and watch the ships so i slowly made my way back to the train station but my ticket was for 5.50pm and it was only midday. so i did some homework preparation and read my book whilst watching people come and go. the sun started to set once i was on the train back to glasgow. i was excited to get off the train in glasgow, it felt familiar and homey. it was a great weekend away, i got lots of thinking done and sometimes that's just what i need...

... of rain. They go on. And we get off anf head back to Crombie Hall, where s is already there. She has tracked down Karim, who is supposed to meet us in front at 12.30. Karim, another peruvian ecologist studying at FAU surmounted all kinds of odds to get to aberdeen, the most notable being getting her visa expiry date corrected from JUly 8 to the actualk date of aUG 7 ( the consulate folks in LIma had written 7/8 in the international date system while the INS ...

... in Aberdeen, a trip to the beach takes a little more planning. Here you don your thermal underwear, add a layer of fleece clothing on top, put on your thickest socks and heaviest boots, grab your scarf, thermal gloves, woolly hat and put your coat (woollen or wind/waterproof - the choice is yours) over the top of it all. Waddle out to the car with your arms held out at a 45 degree angle from your body by the sheer bulk of the layers. Spend 10 minutes trying to bend ...