Well, this has been an interesting couple of days. On Sunday Jason, Erin, and I stayed after church for the student lunch. We had shepherd’s pie, which consists of mince (ground meat – I’m not sure if it was beef or something else), mashed potatoes, and cheese sprinkled on top. So now I can say I have had a traditional Scottish meal – and I don’t think I want to repeat it, thank you very much!
After lunch we lugged all of my baggage from their flat over to my dorm, on the other side of town. We took two busses and stood waiting for the second one for over half an hour. When we finally arrived and I got my key, I moved into my room – which is in a flat with 5 other girls, all freshers (as they call freshmen), 18-19 years old! What an odd experience! They seem nice enough, and I have tried to carry on conversations with them, but they’re all going out drinking at night, and I’ve already been told that one girl’s boyfriend will stay the night sometimes. God, help! Last night some idiot undergrad was either smoking or cooking at 4:00 am and set off the fire alarm, so I was outside in my pajamas in the freezing cold with a bunch of giggly freshmen girls! Needless to say, I have had a hard time settling in, and I will admit to calling my parents saying 'I want to come home!' After discussing the accommodations issue with the administrative assistant in the Divinity School, I have put in an application to move rooms. Even if it costs a little more, I would rather be in a postgraduate flat with other students who study more and party less. Hopefully this will be worked out in the next couple of weeks, although it doesn't seem very likely. Please pray for this!
I ventured down to the University yesterday and today to try to take care of all the necessary tasks, like registration, paying tuition, etc. It took almost all day, and I still have several of matters that are uncertain. I did meet with Professor Watson (who will be supervising my research), and have my first assignment – basically a summary of my work on Exodus typology in Revelation thus far – for our meeting next week. I will have New Testament seminars on Thursday afternoons, and will likely participate in the Greek reading group on Mondays. Other than that, my time is my own to research and write to my heart’s content (or to venture out and explore this city). I will likely have a new topic to research every two to three weeks, so I can’t waste too much time! But I don’t plan to become a hermit and spend all my time in the library. I have been given a study office with about 6-8 other research students in divinity. They all seem very kind, so I think that will work out well. By the way, I did take some pictures of the school yesterday and today. Here are a couple of my favorites of King's College, the part of the University that I will be attending.
So, that’s the latest in my experience as a University of Aberdeen student. I guess it could be summarized as frustration, homesickness, overwhelming, and anticipation. Hopefully the anticipation will bear fruit and the homesickness will wear off quickly as the term gets underway. I’ll keep you all informed!
After lunch we lugged all of my baggage from their flat over to my dorm, on the other side of town. We took two busses and stood waiting for the second one for over half an hour. When we finally arrived and I got my key, I moved into my room – which is in a flat with 5 other girls, all freshers (as they call freshmen), 18-19 years old! What an odd experience! They seem nice enough, and I have tried to carry on conversations with them, but they’re all going out drinking at night, and I’ve already been told that one girl’s boyfriend will stay the night sometimes. God, help! Last night some idiot undergrad was either smoking or cooking at 4:00 am and set off the fire alarm, so I was outside in my pajamas in the freezing cold with a bunch of giggly freshmen girls! Needless to say, I have had a hard time settling in, and I will admit to calling my parents saying 'I want to come home!' After discussing the accommodations issue with the administrative assistant in the Divinity School, I have put in an application to move rooms. Even if it costs a little more, I would rather be in a postgraduate flat with other students who study more and party less. Hopefully this will be worked out in the next couple of weeks, although it doesn't seem very likely. Please pray for this!
I ventured down to the University yesterday and today to try to take care of all the necessary tasks, like registration, paying tuition, etc. It took almost all day, and I still have several of matters that are uncertain. I did meet with Professor Watson (who will be supervising my research), and have my first assignment – basically a summary of my work on Exodus typology in Revelation thus far – for our meeting next week. I will have New Testament seminars on Thursday afternoons, and will likely participate in the Greek reading group on Mondays. Other than that, my time is my own to research and write to my heart’s content (or to venture out and explore this city). I will likely have a new topic to research every two to three weeks, so I can’t waste too much time! But I don’t plan to become a hermit and spend all my time in the library. I have been given a study office with about 6-8 other research students in divinity. They all seem very kind, so I think that will work out well. By the way, I did take some pictures of the school yesterday and today. Here are a couple of my favorites of King's College, the part of the University that I will be attending.
So, that’s the latest in my experience as a University of Aberdeen student. I guess it could be summarized as frustration, homesickness, overwhelming, and anticipation. Hopefully the anticipation will bear fruit and the homesickness will wear off quickly as the term gets underway. I’ll keep you all informed!
2 comments:
You do know, of course, that the sick part of me that you always roll your eyes at is getting a bit of a giggle out of you surrounded by a flat full of partying freshers (that's hard to say!), right? I mean, I'm praying seriously for a resolution to that dilemna, but I confess, I'm amused. :-) Hang in there, I'm confident it will get better. Love you! -K-
I'm so sorry about the chaos. Sounds like the makings of a reality show! Could be interesting. I gagged at the thought of shepherd's pie - especially the meat part, you are brave for trying it! YIKES. I check every day to see if there is news - keep us posted. LOVE-amy b
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