freedom!!

Earlier this week, I finished classes for the semester and I handed in my last paper. Although I still have to study for finals that are after the holiday break, I'm free for the moment! :) I've been enjoying the christmas lights, wandering around the shops and even dog sitting for a friend! It's been nice to relax these past few days! I'm heading to London, Prague and then France before heading home for Christmas. I'll have plenty to report during my travels! For now, here are some recent pictures:

Market St after many days of snow

A few gems from the peace and conflict studies xmas dinner

Paula, the dog I got to play with today!

Enjoy the holidays and all that they bring!

back to reality

They say that it's nice to get away because it refreshes your head and gives you a new perspective. I wholeheartedly agree with that. However, traveling for 40 hours to and from Asia while only having been there for 85 hours will take a toll on you. Just ask my friends. When I came home, I was literally a lump on the couch, and I'm fairly positive I wasn't speaking English or forming words at all. I was more or less dead to the world. Useless. I eventually slept off the dysfunctional behavior and the life was back to normal. Despite the issues my body seemed to have with switching timezones so frequently, I did have a great time. Here's a picture from my trip:

As nice as my trip was, there's nothing more shocking than coming home from 80 degree weather to find that the weather in Scotland has drastically changed since you've been gone...

Yesterday was the first day it didn't snow/hail/sleet/rain for most of the day. The airports have been shut down and this is apparently the worst storm they've had in years. Trust me, those of you from New England would scoff at this kind of weather. This is like a sunny day in the middle of winter to all of you. However, a few inches of snow turns their world upside down. They don't even know how to plow the streets or shovel the sidewalks. There's perpetually a few inches of nastiness caked on the roads and sidewalks. I've gotten used to slipping and sliding everywhere. If this is any sign of what is to come this winter...we're in trouble.

I was lucky enough to come home to have a day of rest and then a Thanksgiving celebration with my friends! My friend Simon cooked the turkey, who was nicknamed Marvin, and my friends Matthew, Jackie and I took care of the rest. It was a lot of work...now I can understand how difficult it is to put on Thanksgiving and Christmas for big crowds every year! Despite all the work, it was completely worth it :)

all of the food!

dessert!