Why I love Scotland…let
me count the ways
Today I just thought I’d share with you some of the quirks about living in Aberdeen. First off, and I suppose one of the most important, is the weather. Now, I like dreary weather, so it doesn’t really affect me, but three days of rain/drizzle in a row with absolutely no sunshine is bordering on annoying... and that’s exactly what happened over the course of Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. It’s intriguing, because short bursts of rain/drizzle will usually occur and then we will be rewarded with a brief glimpse of the sun. I was quite curious about this phenomenon, so one day I simply sat in front of my window and watched. Right before my eyes, I watched a patch of clouds stream westward (presumably from the North Sea) across the sky, resulting in a (very) brief heavy downpour. Behind this patch of clouds, blue sky emerged. It happened again just a few minutes later when a small patch of clouds rolled in and we were rewarded with a short drizzle episode. And so it goes every day…I don’t think it has been completely dry more than one or two times since I arrived. You’ve got to love Scotland weather! The forecasts for this city are so startling inaccurate, is makes me a bit ashamed for the field of Meteorology. However, I was just thinking that the Scottish/English/Irish/everyone else over here is not as critical of the weather people as those in America. I’ve never heard that most annoying of all lines (“Gee, duh, I wish that I could only be right half of the time and still get paid…ha ha ha!”) when I’ve told people what I’ve been doing for the last three and a half years. Thank the heavens for small favours (I thought I’d treat you all to a little bit of British spelling).
Next on my list is the beauty of this place. I walk through Seaton Park almost every day (never at night! I’ve been assured that this is the time when junkies converge and threaten pedestrians) on my way home from campus (when I’m not too lazy and take the bus instead), but it’s usually been dreary outside (see above), so I couldn’t get a good enough picture. Finally, the other day I was walking and realized that it was the perfect time to take a picture of the gardens. Now, I’m sure that this area will be much more beautiful come summer time when the flowers bloom, but even now in the dead of winter I find that these are still quite gorgeous. There is also a large fountain that I assume can only be seen at its best in summer. Finally, I have a picture of the (incredibly large) hill that you have to climb just before you reach the clearing for Hillhead Hall (this picture is facing downwards, with the sharpest drop-off found just about where the two people are located). I don’t want to hear any of you saying that “it doesn’t look that big, I think Michelle is just lazy/out of shape!” Well, you are in fact right, but that doesn’t negate the fact that this hill is a monster. Unfortunately, you must encounter two such hills at either end of the walk through Seaton Park (luckily, one is always downhill…although, I am still waiting for the day when my foot missteps and I go tumbling down the hill!). A small price to pay for the beauty of the park I suppose.
Now let me discuss the birds. Oh yes, the birds.
Okay, here is my problem with the birds (and there are quite a bit of them):
(1) one must always be aware of their presence in the air lest you become prey
to rain showers of bird excrement (it looks as pleasant as it sounds). Being so
close to the sea doesn’t always bring one pleasure! On that note, that brings
me to (2) these birds are on some sort of timetable, I believe. It never
fails…come 6am one is awoken to the sounds of bloody murder. I am not
exaggerating or trying to be ‘British’…it really sounds like bloody murder! The
shrieks and screams associated with these harmless-looking birds are absolutely
startling. If I could find and include a sound clip with these sounds I would.
I hardly ever have to look at my clock in the morning, as I know when I hear
those bird calls it’s time to get up. Of course, these birds don’t confine
their oratory brilliance to the morning. Oh no. This sound will pierce the sky
throughout the day. Thankfully, it appears that these ‘things’ do eventually sleep because the night is fairly quiet (of
course, then you have to deal with the drunken people problem!). Then comes
morning again, and the fun starts all over again! Now, don’t get me wrong. To
me, all of these factors, good and bad, are just one reason why I am falling in
love with this place. I was just philosophizing on the bus to campus this morning
that if asked, I would call myself an Aberdonian. I suppose
Aberdonian-in-training would be more appropriate, but nevertheless, an
Aberdonian. The thing I regret right now is that, due to money constrictions, I
won’t be able to travel around Scotland as much as I’d like/hoped to do.
However, on that note, I would like to say that I have found
extremely cheap airfare home (£330) during my Easter break (March 24-April 16)
so I have booked a flight to MN. Anyone who would like to visit with me can
certainly send me an email, and I’ll be more than happy to spend time with you.
However, I should point out that this will also be an academic break as well. I
have three history essays that will be due the day after I get back to
Aberdeen, so I must finish (or even start them, if I procrastinate too much
during the next few weeks) these while I’m home. I’m not too worried though;
not one of them is more than 3,000 words and, let’s face it: this is a first year class! So to conclude
for today, there you have it…a small piece of my new home for you to share.
Enjoy.
