Home for the holidays!

Hiya everybody, I'm home for the holidays! Well, I guess that kind of about sums it up. So if you don't hear from me for a while, that's what I'm up to. No I'm not dead or anything, just relaxing at home... studying for exams. Oh, but after a sad diagnosis of my hp from the geek squad at best buy, my poor computer remains completely fried. So, after 2 months of not having my own computer, I finally gave in and got a mac!!! *sigh... it's so beautiful... Happy Holidays everybody!!

Edinburgh!!!

So last weekend some friends and I took a last minute trip to Edinburgh, the world's most haunted city. And oh boy did it live up to that description. I arrived a day later than my friends because I'm such a good student and didn't want to miss my lecture, but when I arrived, we went straight to a ghost tour where we toured the world's most haunted graveyard. It was really REALLY spooky. But more on that later (because I wasn't the one who took the awesome photos that show what happened, but I'll give you a verbal description at the end since it's REALLY scary and you may not want little kids reading it alone at night) For now, take a look at how cool the city was!!You didn't see any kind of modern buildings anywhere! (okay, well only one or two, but you REALLY had to look) Everything was made out of old stone and all the streets were cobblestone.We stumbled on a little Christmas market where they sold everything from hats and gloves to mulled wine and toys. We had funWe actually tried the mulled wine, and it wasn't too bad. For those of you who don't know what it is, it's pretty much hot wine with a few unknown spices in it. Not bad.

Oh, but then we went up the castle!

And toured the inside!

and toured some more and some more There were some cool cannons too! (In this one you can see where I was attacked my the ghost of George McKenzie. More on that later though...) Anyway, the castle was on the very top of the hill (hehe, those silly people called it a mountain!) So you could see the entire city from the top! In the castle, we also saw the Scotish crown jewels, but unfortunately you weren't allowed to take picture of them. But they were really cool; you'll just have to take my word for it.

After the castle we went to a really cool hat shop

And then we tried haggis and cranachan! I'll let you google haggis, but cranachan is when you get some kind of fruit, usually strawberries or rasberries (in our case rasberries) and you bake them in whisky. Yum... ? The haggis really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be (after I got over what it was made from) and the cranachan? well, let's just say somehow we finished it without getting drunk or too sick. (haggis is on the far left, cranachan on top (served with cream) and on the bottom was our safety food: a good old lemon and lime cheesecake. We knew we'd at least like that one) On our last day, we hit Edinburgh Zoo, the home of the only koala in the UK! It was fun. And REALLY cold. But take a look . I can't remember what this one was called, but it's pretty much a mini deer. Awwwwww....... There were lots of cool birds Some were jerks (you can see it in his eyes...) And we played with the penguins (if you're wondering who's the girl in the video with the British accent, no, it's not me trying to be British, it's my friend Mia who actually IS British. I actually have no speaking role in this vid)

And of course there were tigers, zebras, and monkey, but I think it's about time to hear the ghost story. Please note, proceed with caution. This is a SCARY story...

Okay, so here's the scoop. In this most haunted graveyard in the world, there are more people burried there than there are people living in Edinburgh today. When we first arrived at the graveyard, we went up a little hill thinking, oh, how nice, they burried the dead on the hill top, how nice. But no, in reality, it's a hill because they needed more room to burry the dead bodies, so they piled earth on top of the old graves and built up. In addition, this graveyard was the site of several illegal plague dumpings.

So the story of George McKenzie. He apparently was not the nicest of all guys. But he and his family were burried in the cemetary until some kids came and desecrated his grave. The details are a little fishy but I can only assume they did what all young vandals do. I'll leave it up to your imagination. But anyway, after that, the incidents started happening. At first, only boys were attacked. People would find kids unconcious in the gated part of the graveyard with burn marks around their necks. No one could wake the kids up, but as soon as they left the gated area they would immediately wake up and could only remember dissembodied hands trying to strangle them.

So this happended for a REALLY long time. Today, people still get attacked. The most haunted part of the graveyard is actually gated and walled off, and you are given a strong warning that if you choose it enter it on the tour, you do so at your own discretion. The tour guide will NOT let anyone be isolated at any time. If someone needs to leave, the whole group has to go because he will not allow anyone to go off by himself, even just around a corner. If McKenzie is near, they say that you'll feel the air go very cold VERY fast. But only around you. The best defense for this is just to move a step over. But the most prominent thing about McKenzie is that he learns and experiments how to get a person isolated from the group because he only attacks one person at a time. So now, you'll feel the cold chill, move a step away, and a couple minutes later feel another cold chill, step away, and then another, and another, every time moving farther and farther away from the group. And as soon as your just barely out of eye sight, he gets you. The group will hear a scream, and find the victim unconscious with burns around his or her neck, and as soon as they pass the gate, the victim will wake up only remebering disembodies hands trying to strangle him or her.

But he doesn't always full out attack you. The most common attacks are in the form of pinching, ripping clothes, cuts, and other pranks. Which is where I come in. So here's my story. When I entered the graveyard, there is actual physical proof that my jacket was fine, no rips, nothing at all. We have this proof because my friend snapped a random picture and I happened to be in it. No rip, nothing. But just after we left the graveyard, there was a huge rip down the side of my jacket. I hadn't walked into, bumped, fallen, snagged it on anything. But there it was, a good 6 inches down the side of my jacket. Physical proof that it hadn't been there when we first entered the graveyard and suddenly discovered less thay 5 minutes after we left... My friend Mia had nightmares that night and had to sleep with the light on.

But don't worry, I'm still safe and sound!

Oh, one more...

Okay, this one's from my friend Rosie:

20. Yes, we do have music in the US

Just some ettiquite rules all should be aware of

Okay, so I'm fine with people coming up to me asking where I'm from and what-not, but for future reference, my fellow exchange students and I would appreciate it if those who wished to do so followed these 19 simple rules of ettiquite.

1. please do not interrupt us mid sentence. Wait for a proper moment of entry before introducing yourself and starting a conversation.
2. rule number one is especially true regarding cell phones and study groups.
3. please refrain from overly excessive physical contact. Unless you are super good looking, it is unwanted.
4. please note we do not accept marriage proposals just so you can become an American citizen.
5. please refrain from insulting comments regarding gender, nationality, and accents. They are not appreciated and will be dealt with swiftly and excessively.
6. please refrain from asking what number wife I am when I say I'm from Utah. Again, such comments are not appreciated and will be dealt with swiftly and excessively.
7. no, Thanksgiving is not the American word for Christmas.
8. no, we do not know your second cousin who lives in Montana.
9. or your nephew who goes to school in Oregon.
10. no I will not deliver that package to him when I go back to the states
11. yes, it does stink having to pay double for everything (British pound to US dollar conversion issue)
12. no, I did not vote for Bush.
13. no, I don't like him either.
14. yes, I am looking forward to his leave in January
15. no, I will not argue with you about politics
16. no, I am not Chinese.
17. no, I do not understand Chinese.
18. no, I do not speak Chinese.
and finally,
19. no, I am not interested in going back to your place.

Hope this was educational!

Forgot one...

Oh, and curry. I've seen a couple of those, too.

the British have some CRAZY tastes

Every time I go grocery shopping I never get over the shock/revulsion/amazement of all the different flavors of potato chips (or, as the British like to say 'crisps') the locals enjoy. Instead of NORMAL flavors like sour cream, ranch, nacho cheese, etc, here are a list of all the crazy flavours I've discovered...

bacon
prawns
roast chicken (this one's just disgusting)
roast beef
salt and vinegar (okay, they have this one in the states, too, but I still think it's weird)
extra salted
extra vinegar
sweet caramel (on POTATO CHIPS?! come on, that's just wrong!)
extra cheese (this one's not SO bad, but it's just cheese and no spicy goodness)
chile (not too bad, but you have to get used to it)

That just about covers it. Now, off to class!

Happy Thanksgiving! (no, the British DON'T celebrate it, but WE did!)

Hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving!! I know I did. A bunch of American exchange students (and a couple British... and one French) got together and made a HUGE Thanksgiving dinner. Everybody brought a little something; a few girls made the turkey, others made stuffing, casseroles, pies, cookies, ham, you name it, it was there (and that includes alcohol... which I brought... Dad, don't give me that look!) I helped my friend Sharadon make sweat potatoe casserole which, for those of you who haven't tried it, is pretty much sweat potatoes baked with sugar, a couple eggs, more sugar, and marshmellows on top. it turned out like thisNo, don't look at me like that, it was really good and that's what REALLY matters!!

And here's the helpers me and Francois trying to scrape off all the melted marshmellows at the bottom of the bowl. We didn't get very much, but we tried REALLY hard...

I tried to get a picture of all the food, but everyone got in the way. There were about 17 of us. (sorry I'm at the library again so you'll have to turn your head side-ways) The food goes ALL the way down the counter

I had to put 3 layers of food on my plate to make everything fit!

pretty much everyone ate and ate and just had a good time...

Those things in our hands were little party favors. You yank on both ends and a little item pops out. Who knows what you'll get. I got a tape measure. Other people got a shoe horn, magic trick, mini drum, a fortune teller fish (remeber the red celafane fortune teller fish we used to have when we were kids, the ones you hold on your palms and depending on which way it flops you may be sick or happy or whatnot? Remember those?)

Everyone also got a silver paper crown and a joke. I don't remeber mine, it was too lame so I repressed it...

ya, we had a good time...

a really good time...
happy Black Friday everybody!

Finally, a... library?

So after a few weeks of effort, I finally located Swansea's tiny public library. And tiny it is. I think I was really spoiled by Salt Lake's public library cuz this one's just so... British? Almost all the books are sappy British soap operas with pretty much nothing else. Sure it has some science fiction, but the collection is pretty disappointing. Again, everything there seems to consist of sappy British soap operas, but in space... or with dragons...? I grabbed a few books that looked somewhat promising by random, so I guess we'll see how it goes. One that seems to have the most promise is the chronicles of blarnia, apparently a spoof on the lion the witch and the wardrobe. We'll see...

It's so...dark

Just in case any one's interested, it gets very dark very quickly up here. By 4, the sun's down and by 5 it's pitch black. And it's not even the winter solstice yet! According to the locals, by December it'll start getting dark by three. Oh joy. I may be a night owl, but this is just ridiculous...

Venice!!!

Ah... so amazing. So last week, thanks again to some cheap ryanair tickets, some friends and I took a trip to Venice. And... it... was... awesome... As in, what the heck made me want to study in Wales kind of awesome... enough said, there's going to be a ton of pictures.

Well, so we happened to get there right in the middle of flood season. Hence, the two feet of water we had the privilege of trudging through. But, they provided planks to walk on, so that helped.

Sorry but all the pictures of the canals are going to have to wait. I'm using a computer in the library as mine is still in a coma, which stops responding every time I try to rotate a picture. But here's just some pictures of the buildings. There were a ton of shops everywhere! Everything from cafes to jewelry and clothing stores but more than anything, shops that sold masks! So for those of you who aren’t familiar, Venice is famous for Carnival, a big celebration where people dress up in amazingly intricate masks and costumes. So of course such masks are provided at almost every street corner for the unwary tourist. But some shops specialized in the creation of some absolutely amazing masks that sold up to 500 Euros (roughly 750 USD) take a look. We even found some made with swarovski kristalls! A shot of me in the flood waters. I'm standing just outside the Piazza San Marco. We all just really liked the pink street lampsI would have like to show you some pictures of the inside of St. Mark's Basilica, but unfortunately cameras weren't allowed inside. But here's a shot of the Piazza San Marco in all its floodwater glory And the outside of the Basilica

And a more improved one (ya, it was raining REALLY hard)

Gondola rides were uber expensive, as in about 80 Euros a ride, but we did one across the Grand Canal for 50 cents. There were no seats, so you got to stand and hope you had REALLY good balance.

The food was amazing! Dinners were kind of weird because if you didn't order at least three courses (each of which costing around 10-15 Euros) the waiters would get really mad at you. So for the most part we settled to dieting on gelatos, paninis, and hot chocolate. Now, don't go thinking that this hot chocolate was your typical chocolate powder in water concoction you get back in the states. No, this was pure melted cocolate goodness. That you drink in a tiny little cup without a lid. Christie, you would know this one, I think even Starbucks attempted it once with something called, what was it, like chantika or something? Take a look

Oh, but due to the incessant rain, a friend and I finally broke down and admitted to the practicality of owning a good pair of genuine Wellie. Rainboots (oh, and an umbrella, too. The blue one a couple picture up). I took a picture of only my feet to avoid further embarrassment.

But, day TWO!! we hopped on a train for 6,50 Euros and spend a gorgeous, sunny day in Verona (home of Romeo and Juliet. We didn't go in, but it was there) It was a really different feel from Venice, but absolutely gorgeous with all the leaves. I hesitate to say this, cuz it's not exactly true, but what made Venice so beautiful was perhaps its more rural setting? We got a good look at rolling hills with old churches on the top and the Alps in the background on the train. Everything was so green and beautiful. *Sigh, the pictures don't do it justice...

Our first stop in Verona was the Arena. Think of it as a slightly smaller version of the Roman Colosseum.

Here's a look at the inside

And that darn random person again (sorry, you'll have to turn your head for this one). Boy is she persistent!

Ah, but the city itself...

and more of it...

and more...

and more...

But back to Venice for our third and final day. This time it was sunny and fabulous!! (sorry, you'll have to turn your head for the next)

and more...

and more (look closely and you might recognize someone)...

the Rialto Bridge (lined with tons of shops)

and tons and tons of bloodthirsty pigeons...
Well, that concludes our tour of Venice, and man, I still need to do the cafe one I've been meaning to post for a while now. Hmph, too bad the photos are all still stuck on my broken laptop...

Bonfire Night

So over here on November 5th, the British celebrate Bonfire Night in commemoration the famous gunpowder plot of 1605 where conspirator Guy Fawkes failed to blow up Parliament. Now 400 years later, people still celebrate the night with fireworks and bonfires. Children stuff paper into their old clothes to create effigies of Guy Fawkes, creatively named 'the Guy'. After or during the height of the fireworks celebration 'the Guy' is unceremoniously burned. Here are some pictures!


Not so great quality, but the fireworks! (I made a movie so you could see them better, it's long, don't feel you have to watch the whole thing)

Here's us at the beach with our cider. We tried to get a bonfire going, but the driftwood was all too damp, so no luck there

our Guy effigy quite enjoying his cider
And his unceremonious tourching
Happy Bonfire Night everybody!