Changes in Aberdeen

From all estimates, we are still in the midst of an economic downturn, if not full out recession. Admittedly, most point to factors which seem to show that things are turning a corner. Regardless of economics, Aberdeen doesn't seem to be all that concerned with things like statistics, downturns or, well, money. If you are going to go through an economic crisis, why not just build your brains out?

For all of those who have left Aberdeen, we thought we would update you on some of the new and almost new features of Aberdeen (more posts to come). First, and right next door to our flat, is the new sports village. This place is massive. It was a joint venture between the University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen city council and Sports Scotland, and is, I believe, the largest sports complex in the North East of the country. There is a full indoor football pitch, an indoor track, an outdoor track, a weight room and a three basketball court sized gym. Not bad!



The University seems to be building like it's going out of style, so right on the heels of their new gym facility, they have started construction on their new 9 story library (not the building you see here!) - for a virtual tour click here. It, of course, will be done right when I leave!



This wooden fence you see used to be the Mercedes dealer on King Street, that has recently been torn down to make way for new flats. I was hoping for a new and used theology bookstore, but you can't have everything right?



What is certainly the most expensive endeavor of the city council is the total, and I mean total, renovation of Marischal's college. This monument is massive, and they are basically leaving in tact the facade and gutting everything else. This is the building, I have heard, that Hitler wanted for his Britain headquarters (and why not).



And while all these are exciting, by far the most exciting is that our favorite coffee shop has opened their second shop on Aberdeen's campus (right on High Street). Now the university has a real coffee shop, with real food. I don't know what to do with myself. Kelli and I made sure we went over this morning for their "soft opening" and tried to be some of their first customers. Very exciting day.



Well, there will be more changes to post soon no doubt. If the downturn gets any worse, we'll be expanding the airport, building parks, and doubling our shopping space...

Cal Poly Flashbacks

I took these pictures this past summer while we were in California, and of course, meant to blog about them then.

Almost 7 years (exactly) have passed since I graduated from uni. Its amazing how being on campus again made me remember things I had forgotten.
Thinking about my time as a university student has really made me aware of some of the things my current students might be going through. So much adjustment takes place; moving into a new "home", meeting new people, missing family and friends, and trying to study and actually learn in the meantime.

Where I studied, we could at least read our books outside on the grass, whereas in Aberdeen...well, I don't think that would be such a good idea.

I remember walking up all these steps to go to a class or meet with my advisor. I hated treking up the top floor!

As this semester draws to an end, I am encouraged. Not simply because we get to visit family soon, but I think my students have actually learned something! I've enjoyed getting to know them and seeing them process new information. We'll see how their assessments go in January, but in the meantime I think I like this teaching stuff!

P.S. To all of my teacher friends...yes, you were correct...I guess deep down I did really want to be a teacher :)

Not your average Thanksgiving meal

TURKEY NACHOS! So much easier to make, and quite tasty. We definitely missed celebrating with friends and family back in the states, but we are looking forward to Christmas! Lots to do in the meantime though...UK taxes, visa extension forms, etc. Good times ahead!

They are watching us...

November?

I cannot believe its the middle of November! I also cannot belive how normal it seems now to see fireworks during this month. Every 5th of November there's a nice little firework show near the beach. We took a peak from a distance with a group of students from church. They were quite excited.

So thankful for sunshine!

Well, it is Saturday morning and the sun is creeping through our windows. For the past couple weeks the view from our windows has been something like the picture below...

Most mornings as we leave the flat, we find a dark, cold, and wet Abedeen. However, one morning this week the sky was completelly clear...so nice!

Earlier this week at work I had a quick coffee with a friend. We sat outside on a bench and just let the sun fall on our faces. Yes we wished we had sun glasses on, but it was still pretty awesome. My office is in this building.

It rained when I left work that night, of course!

Isle of Skye

This post is a long time coming, but we wanted to highlight another part of our trip to the Isle of Skye. Our cousins took us on a one-day road trip to Skye, over the bridge (seen below) and to the main city of Portree. We were a little worried about the weather, as we often are out here, but it turned out to be a pretty good day.



These are some of the mountains on Skye, called the Cuillin Hills. As you can probably see, they are known for their jagged edges and climbers come from all over seeking to transverse the ridge.



Here is the town of Portree. This is a main destination for Summer travel, but by this point in the season it was pretty quiet. It was a good size for a little town that far out.



The town is built around this harbor, which is the reason the town exists in the first place. It is the main jumping off point to some of the other islands off the western coast.



As always, we had to stop and talk to some highland cows. This guy wasn't terribly impressed with us. I tried to talk smack but he refused to look our way. There was a large herd of them on the hill side around him though, including this charcoal greyish one that looked pretty wicked.



Well, that was our trip to Skye - well, not all of it - but enough to give you a feel for some of what we saw. Hopefully we'll have more updates coming soon. Keep an eye out!

Eilean Donan Castle

So, our cousins suprised us with a visit to Skye last Saturday. En route, we stopped at this castle.