scotland welcomes all babos

Sailor Babo enjoys the view from Edinburgh Castle.

Scotland- Katie vs. Kady

First glimpses of Scotland, birds-eye-view!

Edinburgh Castle, bug's-eye-view!

The view from my (dirty) hotel window.

The view across the street from the hotel we stayed at the first two days. The big building with the clock tower is a very fancy hotel.

Hello! I have finally conquered the great and terrible internet connection monster and am writing from my very cold room. I was not given a bedding set at the start of term for some reason, so I ran out and bought the cheapest duvet I could- it's not the wooliest and warmest of blankets. Also, the heating system is a bit odd- I have to press this little button for the heat to go on, and then it goes off after a half hour so I have to press it again. It's a nice way to avoid wasting energy, but still!

Anyways, Scotland is interesting. The first few days were a little miserable- Margaux and TK, take heed! It's not easy being in a strange country without really knowing anybody at all! However, the start of classes has been a big help, and I've been going out with students in my building. The amount of bars and clubs in this city is absolutely insane! Not to mention the fact that there's a bar in the student union building and it looks like Hogwarts. Beer for lunch!

It's odd getting used to all the little differences. The electrical plugs need to be switched on before you can use them, crosswalks are not at the corners, I don't recognize anything in the grocery store, and people actually use one-pound coins (it makes me view "loose change" much differently). Almost every Scottish or English person I've met has questioned me about the pronunciation of my name- anyone with a UK accent pronounces it "kay-tee" and my American accent says "kay-dee". I never noticed before, but people are astonished that I don't pronounce the "tee" correctly.

Regardless, I'm loving Edinburgh more and more. The city is beautiful and the people are generally very friendly. On my way to class I look down the streets and see crags and hills. There are no skyscrapers and the taxi-drivers are charming. I'm hesitant to whip out my camera for fear of looking like a total tool-box, but I'll post more pictures soon.

katie

settling in

Hello, all. This Katie, writing from the wild land of Scotland. Setting up the internet connection in my flat is a bit of a nightmare, but once that's done I'll write a proper post with pictures and all. Suffice it to say I arrived safely, have already missed a class (though it was not really my fault) and am not a big fan of the weather (90% rain and howling winds). I can't believe I'm here- the city is beautiful, but I'm still settling into my new temporary home.

katie

Vietnam - Dragons!

Hello, I'm the one guy. Though I haven't yet reached Vietnam, and won't for another 23 days or so, my Mom just told me that she is tired of hanging out with me. Thus I've got nothing better to do now than get a head start on the ol' travelblog.
As the sole source of manly machismo in this blog, and as the the only traveler who is likely to encounter anything more dangerous than a horny sheep or some rancid haggis, I thought I would start off with a post about one of the many stupefyingly frightening aspects of the many diverse Vietnamese ecosystems.




















The Dragon Millipede. Not only is he bright pink, but he also smells distinctly of almonds. Why does he smell like almonds? Because he excretes Cyanide from glands all over his body. He also loves the taste of human flesh. You can find him, and 999 other newly discovered species from the Mekong River Area on the World Wildlife Federation Website.
That's all for now. Here's hoping that Katie might actually post something on her travel blog... WHILE SHE'S TRAVELING. FEEL FREE TO DROP US A LINE, PAL!

the other woman's first post.

hello kiddies, adults, and those who transcend designation.
this is margaux, woman #2, the one going closest to Antarctica out of the three of us (aka New Zealand :D). well, i don't leave until february 14th, so i'm going to try and refrain from any more domestic posting until right before the departure date. but i just wanted to say hello (i don't think anyone is reading this yet but its a good faith gesture?) and wish katie safe travels tomorrow and send all my lovin'!! i am so sad to see you go roomie :(
in efforts to cheer all of our spirits over losing one of our best and brightest, i will post 'horse feathers' by the marx brothers because it is delightful and is always appropriate and hilarious. enjoy! i'll write much later on!
with love and elvis costello,
margaux

Preparations

Harrow, all! This is Katie, girl one of two (Margaux being girl two, and TK being the solitary dude). I leave for Edinburgh, Scotland in two days, although the empty suitcases, piles upon piles of clothes on my floor, and web-browsing history of YouTube videos of old-school Glenn Danzig interviews would seem to indicate otherwise. In other words, my infamous procrastinatory (word?) habits are at it again. I have to get everything organized and squared away by Wednesday afternoon, which means, much to the chagrin of my mother, that Wednesday morning is packing time!

Anyhoo, I'm pretty jazzed about the next couple of months. I guess I could write about how it's going to change my life, how lucky I am, how much I'm going to experience, and how this trip is going to "expand my horizons"- but I'm not writing a bullcrap application essay and that stuff is all boring, ain't it? I'm not so worried about the introspective aspect of studying abroad- obviously it's going to be pretty epic- I'm more worried about living as a vegetarian in a country where the national cuisine is Lambchop's innards, and getting by with my lousy American dollar without having to resort to eating out of municipal garbage cans. Ah, and then there's the sweet, sweet world of academia and the expectations therein. However, the classes I'm taking seem so baller (History major representin'!) and I'm so invested in what I'm learning that I don't think schoolwork will be a chore.

Regardless, by 7:45pm on Wednesday (blissfully ignoring the possibility of delays and cancellations) I'll be on a plane to Scotland, away from family, friends, Fordham and New York City. All I have to do is pack. *SIGH*

Yours Truly,

Katie