Life Planning

Dun, Dun, Dunnnnn!

  
I have to share the revelation that Elizabeth and I had last night (one of many) because I'm just too excited not to. Who doesn't like having a good plan?
   One of the courses I'm taking this semester is Junior Honors Seminar in which we basically decide what we want to do with the rest of our lives...fun, right? Not so much for those of us who have yet to figure out exactly what it is that we want to do "when we grow up" in a year and a half from now. Needless to say as we started off the class by informing everyone else what our plans for the future was one could see the sense of dread and stress come over multiple faces in the room, including myself and my roommate.
Last night, as a way to just vent and release some of that stress so recently acquired, Elizabeth and I had one of our fairly frequent "life planning" sessions. Basically we go over all options that we have, realistically or not, and attempt to figure out when ones we actually want to try and achieve or work towards. In our case, we got to about plan F (after going through researcher, teacher, writer, and tea room owner) before narrowing down our options. I, as is probably pretty evident, want to go back to Scotland, specifically Glasgow, to finish up my schooling and then hopefully live there for a few years at the lease. I'm deciding, as of right now, between Information and Library Science (yeah, that's right, I actually want to be a librarian and be surrounded by books all day) or Museum Studies (essentially, I 'd work towards being a curator). But, because the postgraduate programs at Glasgow only last a year, I could ideally complete both programs and still be done by the time I'm 22. Of course I would pick one program, finish it, and then get a job in that field to help pay for the second program. Both options would allow me to move around if I decided that was what I wanted to do, I wouldn't "have to go into teaching" as so many people assume I will, and should I decide to come back to the States it wouldn't be too hard to find a job here either. Sounds pretty good, yeah? We are pretty awesome at planning our lives when we sit down and really focus on it. Though, it's still one of the most scary things I have ever had to do. I guess it has to be since it is a huge decision and something that you really have to think hard about before making any concrete decisions. I know that I never want to get stuck doing something that I don't enjoy. So, we'll see if things change over the next year and a half as I finish up my undergrad and get ready for gradschool...but I doubt it will too much simply because I can't handle the stress.


This better not be me...



Sweet Charleston



Charleston

 Elizabeth and I came home this weekend for academic break, and as she's never seen very much of Charleston we spent the day downtown trapsing across the city. Having always lived so close to Charelston for 20 years, it's easy to forget just how gorgeous the city can be. With the cobblestone streets, numerous historic buildings, and easy access to beautiful waterfront views, Charleston is hard to not fall in love with. Today's weather was wonderful as well, low 70's and sunny with a slight breeze...absolutely perfect. If you've never been, here's a list of things you should see and places you should try to go:
   1. King Street- even though it's a bit pricey, it's nice to just walk down the street and see the beautiful buildings. Plus, this is the best place to get a feel for the college side of town as it's fairly close to College of Charleston campus
   2. The Market - about a 15 minute walk from King Street, the Market is great. Lots to see and buy, and most of the prices are generally pretty reasonable. Although if it's too hot outside it will be stuffy in there, and probably crowded because it's where people go to "beat the heat".
   3. Waterfront Park - a short walk next to the water you have to take at least 5 minutes to enjoy the huge swings that provide an awesome view of the harbour.
   4. The Battery - not full of much to do but yet another great view of the water. And, there are tons of trees and quite a pretty epic gazebo.
   5. Planet Smoothie/Cupcake - all the way down King St. past Marion Square and right next door to one another these two places are a great place to get a snack. The best way to pick between the two is to decide how heavy of a snack you want (the cupcakes are rich and delicious, but not the best if you plan on walking a lot more after eating).
   6. Blue Bicycle Books - right up the street from Planet Smoothie, this store is absolutely adorable. Very cozy and full of both old and new books (and a very friendly but perpetually sleepy cat) I think this would be a great place to spend a few hours just perusing.
   7. Baked- always fresh and delicious this bakery is made even better by its fun seating (long tables that promote sitting with people you don't know) and fun, bright decor. Oh, and it's on E. Bay St.
   8. Charleston Cook!-  also on E. Bay St. I probably love this place so much because I love to cook. They have loads of cooking utensils, cute aprons, recipe books, and they even offer cooking classes. I would probably spend a fortune here, that is if I had one.
   9. Churches - Charleston's called the Holy City for a reason, there are churches everywhere. Many of them are historic and quite beautiful on this outside as well as the inside. As Elizabeth said "They're like Walgreen's...there's one on every corner".
   10. Walk - even if you don't do everything that's on this list, though quite a few of them are things that everyone suggests, just walking Downtown is an experience. You'll find hidden courtyards, cute alleyways, and many photo opportunities. Plus, it's fun to wander around and imagine what it would be like to live in one of the houses that you pass...

The Battery, King St, Baked, Planet Smoothie

On Being a History Nerd

   I have yet to discover exactly what it is that I will be doing with the History degree I graduate with next year, but I do know that I have always enjoyed learning about history (and probably always will). My mom says it's probably because we get to learn about all the gossips and scandals, which makes sense I suppose because I do love to gossip. But, I love learning about how people lived and interacted in times past and seeing how completely different, or not as the case may be, it was from our own interactions.
   This past weekend, as extra credit for my Jan-Term class, we could go to a Revolutionary War reenactment at Cowpens Battlefield. Now, I have never been to one of these things but they have always seemed quite exciting. Who wouldn't want to see people walking around in period dress and making meals over camp fires? Admittedly, some of the appeal is lost once one hears a supposed soldier discussing his honeymoon and various cell phone troubles, but it was still a really fun day. We saw a cavalry demonstration as well as a weapons demonstration that included a canon! There was also a British regiment represented which consisted of plaid pants and at least one kilt, which obviously made me quite excited. It was really fun and quite enjoyable to hear exactly why it was that the British lost at the Battle of Cowpens. If you are ever presented the opportunity, I definitely recommend that you go to one of these reenactments. You'll probably learn more than you thought you would.


Notice the kilt and plaid pants



This horse was massive!



Little reenactment village



What's Makin' Me Happy



1. My family and the fact that I get to hug them instead of simply seeing their lovely faces on the computer screen

2. The color of that door. I'm going to have a door that exact color at some point...

3. Finally losing weight and keeping it off (some credit goes to the fact that I caught Mono but still)

4. Thinking about grad school in Scotland. Or just dreaming about the time that I can go back

5. My Connies and their silliness

6. Snow at Converse!!

7. Okay, so my cold isn't making me happy but the fact that I can buy DayQuil and NyQuil makes me so much happier than it should.

New Year, Old School

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Okay, so I'm a few days late. But, in my defense, I didn't have a computer for a few days and then I had to re-pack everything that I just unpacked a week ago to move back to Converse. I really was not ready to start back to school yet. Generally, we get almost a month off for Christmas break, but with not leaving Scotland until the 18th I only got about two weeks this year. It was a great two weeks too! I loved getting to spend so much time with my family, as I've said multiple times. Seeing everyone again made me realize how much I missed them while I was in Scotland. But, at the end of those two wonderful weeks I had to re-pack "The Beast" (as Jess has lovingly nicknamed my suitcase) and head back to school.

Sunshine :)

Dexter!

It was the weirdest feeling driving to school and thinking "this is where I'm going to be for the next 5 months. Not in Scotland, but here". How do I feel about that, honestly? I would rather be in Glasgow. Don't get me wrong, I adore my Connies and I missed them greatly, but Converse itself seems to bring out a different side of me that I thought I had almost gotten rid of in Scotland. I've always been extremely shy but for some reason Glasgow seemed to make me feel more confident and sure of myself and I was able to move past that, or so I thought. It seemed like the moment I stepped back onto Converse campus it came running back. I just feel intimidated most of the time here, and I don't like it.
I can't figure out if it's the fact that EVERYONE here is incredibly smart, students and professors alike, or if it is just the fact that that's how I've felt for the last two years here and it's just something I associate with this place. Either way, I'm going to do all that I can to keep my shy/less confident side out.
In the meantime, I plan on spending a lot of my time dreaming about Scotland and how quickly I will be able to find myself back in Glasgow. It was like I did not realize that I wouldn't be going back after Christmas until the time came to head back to school. It just hit me how many places I didn't get to see and how many people I had met there who I was going to miss. So, my solution? I'm going back as soon as I can (it's even a New Year's resolution)  :)

Christmas!

I have to start off by saying that I absolutely LOVE my family! They are all amazing and the amount of love and kindness that is shown so often never fails to amaze me.
Christmas is always a time for us to get together and enjoy one another's company while enjoying a wonderful meal made by Bamaw followed by present opening (which never happens soon enough, according to Erin and Tina). This year was especially nice because I haven't seen my family in almost four months and I was really starting to miss just sitting and being with them. So, last night was something that I feel like my soul needed. Yes, the presents are nice and it will never get old ripping into wrapping paper like a 5 year old, but the part of the day that I always look forward to the most is being with my family and spending time with them.
And all day today will be filled with just that. Family coming in and out of the house for food, cider, and exchanging presents, doesn't get much better than that! I hope that everyone has a Merry Christmas...I'm sure pictures of the next few days will follow in coming posts.

Bittersweet Goodbyes

Finally! after unexpected computer trouble followed by a week and a half of writing papers I can publish a new post!

I'm home, back in beautiful, wonderful, amazing Charleston! I left Glasgow on Saturday, and it was much harder than I was expecting. Everyone that I've gotten to know over the last few months seem like friends that I've had forever and saying goodbye to them was extremely upsetting. There were heartfelt discussions, gossip sessions, trips, and fun nights out that won't be forgotten anytime soon. I've said quite a few times how much I loved the city of Glasgow, and that hasn't changed in the least. The more time I spent in the city, the more I loved it and wanted to stay. Even through injuries, sickness, and boy drama, it is still somewhere that I could imagine myself living at some point in the future. Since September I've changed so much as a person and it's all due to Glasgow and the people that I met there. Hopefully everyone will be able to keep in touch as we all head home, I know Elizabeth and I are supposed to be visiting China and India at some point in the future now : ) We're also going to make it back to Glasgow, sooner rather than later hopefully.
That being said, I am so happy to be home. It's hard to realize just how much you miss your family and home until you are put into a position where you literally cannot just get in the car and go see them. Also, the comfort of familiarity is something that I know I needed after four months in a completely new place...and the trip back was much to hectic to be going anywhere other than home. After being home for just a day I've been fully reminded of how important my family is to me and how nice it is to be able to see them and hug them. Skyping is nice, but you can't really hug a computer screen (well, you can, but it's a little awkward).
But I can already tell that I'm going to be itching to travel again pretty soon, and hopefully I'll be able to do that...I'll let you know.