Sad Times...continue

What have I been doing lately?
Well, for a day or so, it was just Becks and I who were here (besides Paula). Becks pretty much lives in her own little world, we'll make plans to watch a movie and she'll not come so an hour later I go to see where she is and she's drawing a picture...for an hour!
Emma came back Wednesday. On Wednesdays, Orange phone company, which is what I have, does 2 for one cinema ticket deal. So Emma and I went to see Angels and Demons at the cinema.
Kathleen came back, and we hung out quite a bit. I really like Kathleen, she was kinda filling te void of Becca, except I've always been pretty good friends with her.
Last night was Kathleen's last night here, so she and I went to The Hive (student union club). It was the first time I have gone out to the clubs with just her and I, the only other person I've been out w/alone was Becca. Kathleen and I had a great time!
Debbie and Becca 3 also came back yesterday.
This morning, Paula left. She gave me a little bottle of wine as a gift. I wrote her a note and stuck it in her bag, she didn't see it so she won't open it til she gets home. Debbie, Kathleen and I helped her take her bags downstairs. My room is now quite bare...I don't like it.
Then, Kathleen left. Debbie, Becca and I helped her pack then take her stuff to her car. It was horrible, I'm really gonna miss Kathleen.
Its suprising, but I don't think we choose our friends, friendship just happens. I never thought Kathleen and Becca would be my closest friends, but they are.
So after saying goodbye to Kathleen, we found out she had to pay a fine cuz her kitchen was dirty. We dont wanna hav to do that, so Debbie, Becca, Emma and I spent the afternoon cleaning the kitchen and now its as bare as my room. Debbie, Becca and I made some spaghetti for lunch. Then Debbie left to go home for the week, but she'll be back.
Finally, I just got back from basking in the sun in the park with Becca, Becks, Josh and Dave. We played I Spy and just chatted for a few hours.
Kathleen and I

Sunshine, Cheesey Pop and Broken Glass

It was a beautiful day in Glasgow yesterday. Kathleen, Becca, Bex and I went shopping downtown. We didn't really buy much, just walked around for a couple hours. It was really nice and relaxing. It was so sunny when we came back we took some of the common room chairs outside and sat, basking in the sun. We were waiting for Bex to come out, and when she finally came outside, she had a box that had been delivered for her. She opened it and out popped a balloon that said I love you on it. A year ago she met a guy when she was backpacking thru India, and this guy is completely head over heels for her, but she doesn't want to be held back from experiencing her life. He has told her he'll wait for her. I've never met this guy b/c obviously he lives in India but I really hope Bex ends up with him, he seems like the perfect guy and even she admits that he is.

Anyhow, back to my story. We sat out in the sun for a good 2 or 3 hours, just talking and every so often someone would come join us for a blether (chat?). I got sunburn, but just one side of me, cuz we were sitting weird. Finally, Kathleen, becca and I went inside and we made some pizza for dinner (Bex is a nutrition freak and pretty much just eats fruits and vegetables and weird concoctions she blends together so she didn't eat pizza w/us).

Last night was a beach party theme night at The Hive (student union club) and Kathleen, Bex, Paula and I were gonna go to it. Paula does not sit still for more than 10 mins b4 she needs to be off and doing something. So while I was waiting for Bex and Kathleen (both possibly the slowest ppl in the world and never ready on time) Paula left for the hive to meet us there. By the time Kathleen and Bex were dressed, then Bex did Kathleen and my makeup, we didn't get to the Hive until almost 10. Since it was the last night, it was packed, Paula had gotten in, but we couldn't get in. There were a few other Cairncrossers who couldn't get in and ended up at Fabian's flat (Paula's bf, but he wasn't there) b/c he lives across from the hive. So we stayed there for a while, until this guy Iain told Bex that he is in love w/Kathleen and was gonna try to tell her how he felt. Kathleen freaked out, dragged us w/her into the bathroom to plan an escape route away from Iain. We ended up getting kicked outta the flat and going to Cheesey Pop, the other student Union, with Iain and the other Cairncrossers, spending much of the time keeping Iain away from Kathleen.

Cheesey Pop was fun...until we were on the dance floor and someone had just dropped their glass beer bottle and it broke on the floor. It was beach party theme, and I had worn flip flops. Someone must have kicked the broken bottle and it cut my big toe. It was dark and the music was blaring, and I tried to yell to Kathleen and Bex that I needed to go to the bathroom and wash my toe. They were like oh your ok, let's just dance to one more song. Kathleen says, don't worry, glass makes a clean cut! So I was like whatever, ok, and we kept dancing. Finally I said I really need to go check my foot. They reluctantly said, ok lets go out in the light. We walk outside, and I look down to see my foot and flip flop covered in blood.
Kathleen tells the bouncer lady, who takes us into first aid and cleans off my foot and washes my flip flop for me and bandages up the toe. All the while, Kathleen is telling her the story of my low pain tolerance and how last week I let Becca wax my eyebrows and I was complaining of the pain and the lady was laughing at me, as my toe bled all over the place!

Bex, Kathleen and I

Not a clue what time we got back, but we were so exhausted we just collapsed on the floor.

Iain and Rory

Bex and I in our surfer shorts, pretending to surf.

By bandaged toe, after being cut by glass.

Me, Kathleen and Bex

Sad Times

Becca left today.
Kathleen, Bex and Becca 3 walked her out to her taxi to say good bye.
Tears streamed down my face as I hugged her goodbye. I couldn't even say bye, the tears just slid down my cheek.
Thank goodness for Kathleen and Bex and Becca and Paula. We just stayed in the kitchen and talked after Becca left, and we're gonna have a movie night tonight. If they weren't here I'd be pretty sad. I'm glad I have such good friends here, even if it is beyond hard to say goodbye. My time here was well worth it tho, I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Fantastically Amazing and Horribly sad night

We had our last dinner all together tonight: me, Paula, Fabian, Debbie, Kathleen, Emma, Becca and Bex. Becca leaves tomorrow, and its killing me. She is pretty much one of my best friends here. She is the only one I usually go out with just me and her. We've been playing ridiculous pranks on each other (I tied her shoes to the ceiling, she stuck my plates and cups to the kitchen wall using blue tack, I dyed her milk green, she stole my mattress from my room and hid it in debbies room). We've had some great times, and its the hardest thing in the world to say goodbye to her. She gave me a calendar from ireland that she put pics of me and all the girls in it and wrote in it, and she gave me an irish good luck cross pin. Kathleen, Debbie and Becca all made scones for me tonight with jam and cream and put candles in it and came into the kitchen singing for she's a jolly good fellow. This is so hard, saying goodbye. I can hardly stand it. :(

Greece

Walking on the Island, Aegina

We climbed thru a hole in a fence b/c the Hill at Marathon was closed, but we came all the way by bus, so we had to see it. We ran as fast as we could all the way to the hill, took some pics then ran all the way back and climbed thru the hole. We walked about 20 feet after catching our breath and there was an open gate. It was worth the exhilaration of thinking we were doing something illegal and ran up the hill where the first Marathon was run!

This is a statue of Pan, for some reason I was completely obsessed w/him. He is my favorite god.

Me running to Marathon (the hill in the back ground.)

The beach in Athens

The water was so clear, I could go out and stand on my tiptoes and still see the bottom.

Our sand castle.

We went to an outdoor movie theater and saw Angels and Demons. It was the perfect movie for Katie and I to see together, it took place in Rome, and we were excited to see all the places we went to when we were in Rome.

Athens

I was pretending to be an Ionic Column

At the top of the acropolis

The Parthenon

Aegina

Ruins on Aegina. Everything, museums and archeological sights, were free with our student card. I saved so much money.

Clear blue water

On the ferry! We made it!

Inside of the ferry we took, it was really fancy!

On the ferry

Top of Athens

Greek sunset

Temple of Olympian Zues.

Athens from the plane

I really liked Greece, it was sun, sand and water and some ancient ruins. I got sunburn and a little tan. People were mostly nice (with the acception of a few occasions...I would never go to greece alone, even just as two girls we were sometimes in bad situations). When we were lost, twice people offered us rides. Katie and I balance each other out pretty well. I, for some reason, almost got in the car cuz it was an older woman who offered us the ride, but Katie immediately said no. We tried to go to Plato's Academy, and it turned out to be in a bad part of town. In the park I noticed a guy watching us, then he started to follow us. We went down some steps and I watched him walk by the steps then stay behind a tree and turn and watch us. I told Katie we should go up the steps on the other side, she said yeah ok. At the top of the steps we stopped. The guy was following us, we pretended to hav a conversation and the guy walked by us. We quickly left the park and got on a bus. Another time we went down to the beach for a picnic but it got dark. 2 greek guys came over and one of them said something to me. It was in Greek so I didnt understand, then he said oh u speak english. I said yeah. Out of nowhere an older guy appears, and the younger guys tell him we speak english. It felt like they were surrounding us, and Katie said we hav to go and we got up and left. The old guy said to the other 2, the girls just want to be left alone. But we were already gone. There were people who would give us directions and tell us about sights and were generally helpful tho. And the scenery alone is well worth a trip to Greece. It was sad to leave, and hard to say goodbye to Katie tho. She goes home tomorrow, I'll probably not see her again. I also said goodbye to my friend Emily from IFSA today. Its really hard, I don't exactly know how to say bye, knowing I'll never see them again.

Meeting New People

It's funny who I come to trust. When I got to the UK, if I heard an American accent, I usually immediately trusted that person. Now, when I go to other countries if I hear anyone who even speaks English I will trust them.

I like to meet new people, and that vast majority of them are good people. I did meet one guy, our senior resident, yesterday at a Cairncross party. I don't know how to pronounce his name, but he is from Poland. He was first talking to Becca, and she said he was talking about Nazi ideas. And she stopped talking to him. Then he began to talk to me. He first asked me if I was artistic or materialistic. I said maybe a little of both, money doesn't buy happiness, but its a good thing to have. I said I am happier when I am around people. Then he asked me if I have ever done volunteer work. I said yes, I like doing volunteer work, people are important, if someone is in need we should always help them. He said he doesn't do volunteer work, he thinks if you do work it better be to get paid. This guy was kinda creepy. But, I went w/him to his room to add myself to his facebook. Luckily Becks came in looking for me, and I left w/her. Later, Becks was in his room with just him and I came in looking for her...he seemed to like getting the girls alone w/him in his room. I just got a bad vibe from him...

However, he didn't creep me out enough to not take a pic with him (I am always prepared w/a camera)

I was trying to take a pic w/Kathleen, cuz she is one of my good friends, but this girl just jumped right in front of the camera...don't even know her name.The irony is Becca was taking this pic...she just can't take a good pic of herself. Creepy Polish guy in the pic again.The party was for the assassins game we are playing. Whoever could drink the most shots won. Jaimie (blond guy harassing Becks) won...he had 23 shots of tequila! He was making quite a raucus, so much that the police came! It was pretty exciting! I of course took many pictures...however the next day he came to my room and deleted most of them, including videos.

The Fray concert

This was the opening act for The Fray. We called them the Gyrating Hips b/c the singer just kept twisting his hips. All the people at the concert, we only had 4 ppl in front of us.

The Fray!

Lindsay, Ashlee, me and Katie (Butler Girls!)

Lead singer of the Fray

The concert was really good, they did an encore.

Katie, Ashlee and I

Americans! The boy in the back is Lindsay's bro. Her whole family was visiting from the states, and there was a mix up w/the tickets, they got sent to Lindsay house in the states, and there were also some sent to her flat in the UK, so her parents and bro used them to go to the concert. It was kinda creepy when we met her parents, we were all standing in line and out of no where her parents come up to us and say, u don't know us but we know u all from pictures, hi we're lindsays parents!Me and Becca. After the concert, Becca, who lives in Cairncross, offered me a ride home with her mom and sister. I went with her instead just b/c all the americans live near uni and I woulda had to walk home alone. So I went for my first ride in a Scottish car! Turned out her mom had no idea how to get back to Cairncross and we got lost in Glasgow! Between Becca, her sister and her mom, they talk sooo much I couldnt hardly get a word in, except that her mom invited me to visit them in Dundee!