Haggis and Stuff

Hello all,

As many of you know I've been having a rough time since I got to Ireland. This has not subsided, but I am regaining confidence. Last week I learned that my partner for a 25-30 minute presentation I have to do has left UCD and I was told at first that I had to do it alone now. A friend I've made in class was interested in doing the same topic that I had but had not been assigned it at first, but since she was in a group of 3 the professor allowed her to switch and become my partner. This has been the start of the slow process of things improving I hope, and I'm really happy I'm able to have a partner again.

Oh, and the biggest news, I went to Edinburgh in Scotland for 4 days since my last post. While the climate is the same as Dublin it was great to get out of the city. It didn't have the 'head clearing' affect that I thought it would but it was still good for me. The city was beautiful; full of medieval structures and still had the feeling of a castle town. Edinburgh Castle (and the hill that it was on) was by far the biggest, and coolest castle I've ever seen. There were multiple museums inside it, and I ended up wasting a rainy afternoon wandering the ramparts and halls there.

I also went to the Scotch Whisky Experience (yes, whisky). I'm not a Scotch drinker it turns out. I was able to drink the one they let me try, and after the first 2 sips I grew accustomed to it...so maybe I could become one? I probably should since they sent me home with my own Glencairn glass. The place was also home to the world's largest collection of Scotch bottles (all unopened).

Other things I saw on this trip were: Holyroodhouse Palace where the Queen stays during the summer, Arthur's Seat, Calton Hill, Burns Monument, National Scottish Museum, several cathedrals and churches, Scottish Parliament and some really awesome shops. The best night though was when I went to Brewdog (a brewery that I've had beers from before; I always try to visit a brewery). I finally got to try Sink the Bismarck! beer, which is 41% alcohol and the strongest beer in the world. This wasn't near as bad as I had predicted, and ended up quite enjoying it. While at Brewdog a man sat next to me and we began talking. He turned out to be a graduate business professor at Bath University, but had been at Oklahoma before that. Such a small world. After talking for a while there I went back to the hostel and met a group of Swiss students that invited me to go to a club with them. I spent the rest of the fun, drunken night with them.

I've now turned in my first paper, which was also my shortest. It's extremely difficult to tell what the professors are expecting here so I hope to get it back so I can gauge what these next four papers should be like. I'm also trying to have a better outlook on my situation in general. A lot of things have gone wrong, and things I thought were stable turned out not to be. This is too bad but, as a friend told me yesterday, I have a lot to offer and I shouldn't let anything get me down. Whether it's school or relationships I will always end up in a better place if I just believe in myself. This belief hasn't resonated with me yet, but at least I feel like I'm on the way to attaining it. Waiting is the hardest part about waiting for something better, but it will come along.

Until then I have friends and family that appreciate me for the intelligent, hopefully fun person that I am. Thank you all for being there for me.





Edwords