Hey everyone!

Sorry it's taken me so long to write on this thing. These last couple of weeks were really rough. I had those two 5,000 word essays due on the same day and Raisin weekend. Needless to say life has been pretty stressful, though my stress level has gone down a bit, but now I'm now trying to deal with the whole buying Christmas presents for people while also trying to have enough money to travel (which has been re-raising my stress level. I have plans to go to Paris for Christmas, and back to Edinburgh and North Scotland for New Years and then to Amsterdam with my friends after exams and from Amsterdam to London where I'll meet my parents and travel a bit with them. Needles to stay the whole planning thing is a little stressful especially in light of the current economy... arggg.

This weekend before this was Raisin weekend here in St. Andrews which was so much fun. Basically when your a first year or a study abroad student at St. Andrews you get adopted by a 3rd or 4th year student into an academic family and those 3rd/4th year parents become your academic family. I was adopted by my academic Father (Jai) and his Academic Wife (Autumn) and I have two other sisters Brynn and Katrina. Its called raisin weekend because you use to give your academic father a pound of raisins as a give but now people are more likely to give wine (we gave our academic Dad some DVD's). On the Sunday of Raisin weekend Mums throw tea parties for their kids (though usually very little tea is drank, usually in the exchange of booze) and then later on in the night fathers throw parties too (also usually with more booze). On Monday morning of Raisin weekend Mums dress you up in costumes and Dads give your your raisin receipts and then you go to the quad for a huge foam fight. Don't worry Mom (my real biological mother) I didn't have as many drinks as I would have liked because unfortunately I had to do my papers the next day. We had a party at my Dads house on Sunday night and then Monday morning we all went back to his flat and he and my Mum dressed Katrina, Brynn and I as the three musketeers and we headed off to the foam fight with six VERY full cans of shaving foam between us. It was actually really interesting just from the perspective of being an American who is not quite 21. The school acknowledges that there will be drinking and sets up special measures and posts wardens at the front of halls with sandwiches and blankets and medical help for those who might be too drunk. Needless to say students are much better taken care of then they are on drinking holidays then in America, where lets be honest students drink anyways. These pictures I have posted will better explain the carnage then I have been able to. Needless to say there is still spots of shaving foam all over St. Andrews nearly a week later and my hair hasn't quite looked right since last monday....

Brynn and I after the foam fight

Valarie and I after the foam fight... 

"Just dont get any on us"

(why my hair still doesnt look the same)

Me full of FOAM!

ME feeling a little rough after the foam fight

foam fight in the quad

Foam fight in the quad

Other costumes

The three musketeers before the foam fight with our academic dad.

The three musketeers before the foam fight with our mum. 

The three musketeers (I as always am the most flamboyant)

A raisin party 

Me and my sisters (& above with my dad)

So today was St. Andrews day in Scotland. It was exciting. I got to officially try haggis which I actually really like and would eat like once a week if I could. There was also a carnival in town which was really cute and for the first time ever I got to try roasted chestnuts (YEAAA like the Christmas song!!!). The roasted chestnuts where AMAZING, they were sweet and salty and warm which was nice since there is like a permanent frost here now that looks like snow but isn't. I also got to watch as they lit the town Christmas lights up which was super cute.

Christmas lights in town

more Christmas lights

FROST that looks like snow

Hope all is well at home! Promise my posts will become more frequent again now that I do not have as much to do!

xoxo
Glatty

My essays are due in 26 hours.

I have only slept 9 hours in the last three days (aka 72 hrs), I am delirious and more the slightly irritable. I have come to the conclusion that normal people really don't care about how the European Union promotes democracy through economic incentives and that Globalisation is inherently patriarchal and uneven.

Attention Mom, Dad, Rachel, Abbey & Elizabeth (who are privy to my previous plans of intended career choice if I fail out of school and thus LIFE), Family & Friends:
In my state current state of delusion, I have decided that if I fail out of school I'm moving to France and learning how to make cheese.

Yeahh.... I've been awake and alone working on my essays for far to long.

I miss home and you guys so much right now.

xoxo
Glatty

Ok So I LIED...

But I just have to say this:
Tonight I am pulling an all nighter to get my essay done and I have about 2000 words to go, and the fire alarm in my hall has already gone off TWICE. And keep in mind It's about 30 degrees Fahrenheit, -1 degree Celsius outside.

IF the fire alarm goes off again, I am catching the next flight back to San Francisco.

Really Sad but...

No more blogging until I'm done with my essays. If you pray please pray for me and my essays.... and for those of you who don't just send your karma my way. I'm willing to take whatever you got in terms of positive energy. I'm not picky.

I need a miracle.

xoxo
Glatty

Bringing the Flava to you everyday.......

There are days where I think that I could stay over in Europe for the rest of my life. And then there are days where I really miss San Francisco. But today, I love it here. I am currently in the process of planning trips to Amsterdam (Yea Mom, be worried. Very worried. Haha. JOKING), Paris, Berlin and Spain with my friends and I realise that Europe is a lot like San Francisco (just more spread out). One of the things that I love most about San Francisco is that you can start off in China Town and take 3 steps and be in North Beach (the Italian neighbourhood). That's what I like about Europe. I could get up one morning and decided that I want to have lunch in Italy and fly to Italy and then catch a flight to Paris and have dinner. I can experience two extremely different cultures in the period of 24 hours. Something that I think America lacks (with the exception of the big cities). Now all I have to do is find a European boy, fall in love and get married and never come back (joking MOM).


xoxo
Glatty


Food for thought: Part of me thought that going to the UK would feel different because everything is older here. The buildings, the family histories/names, the art. But it's really not. When I came to Europe as a visitor, everything felt so old compared to back home. But that's the thing, I was just a visitor. After calling Scotland my home for a bit now I realise that the age of this place is irrelevant. Buildings that are older then my country are less impressive now. Am I disillusioned? Is it a bad thing? I don't really think so. I've come to the conclusion that age is irrelevant. Just because something is old doesn't make it interesting, and just because a country is ancient doesn't mean that they don't have just as many problems as other younger countries (However, lets be honest the UK still has it more together then the US).

the things we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end....If not always in the way we expect.

Today someone returned the key that I lost to New Hall saving me 60 pounds in fines for having my door re-keyed. As well a restoring my faith in the human race.

To whoever returned my key, thank you.

xoxo
Glatty

I am obsessed with this song....

Food For thought:
I LOVE THIS SONG....


It's by Thomas Newman who is probably my favorite composer (in terms of for movies). The song is called Dead Already and its in the American Beauty movie. The video is kind of lame but it plays the song.....

Just a little toon-age to get by because today my goal is to write 2000 words (highly unlikely I know) but as Emerson says, "hitch your wagon to a star"....

xoxo
Glatty

Thai food

I am writing this blog from one of the cliffs that overlooks the north Sea on the path to the pier. Today I got ready to work on my essays that I am so behind on that its scary, but I go up too early (in my eagerness to start them) and walked to the library an hour and a half to early. Sometimes I’m so absent minded it’s scary. I am sure that some of the people walking the path to the pier think that I am an absolute nutter right now. Oh well.

I cannot wait for these essays to be done so that I can finally go travel. I wont be coming home for Christmas, instead I am going to go visit my lovely friend Jonathan in Paris, then after that I hope to go to Spain, possibly for New Years but after that I really don’t have plans… I’ll just travel where ever the world takes me!

 

Last night I went out to a lovely meal with some of my best friends here. We went to (I think the only) Thai/Sushi (yes the two are combined) restaurant in town. It was really nice and the food was really good, but not like anything I get in San Francisco.  I have to say though, when I saw a Wasabi Martini on the menu I just had to order it….very very interesting.

 

By the way, was there a full moon last night because there was a whole lotta weird going on in St. Andrews. My friend Bronwyn and I decided to go out for a drink and chat about her trip to Amsterdam, but the first pub we went to (The Rule) was just a hot mess of people dancing dressed up in weird costumes. We decided it wasn’t really our thing so we went to another pub down the road (The Vic) where we were then hit upon by a extremely drunk (and way older then us) Scottish guy who seriously creeped us out to the point where when he turned his back we made a mad dash for the door. He insisted he pay for our drinks and I was like “NO, THAT’S OK” and he was like “No, I willlllll…” this exchange went on for like 3 minutes until he turned around to ask the bartender about ordering drinks and we walked quickly away. Don’t worry Mom I made it home safe. But seriously, I was so annoyed that we just went home. Ugh, cant a girl just get some attention from a guy who is non-creepy, closer to my age and not drunk. K, Thanks.

 

Now I’m off to increase my growing anti-social tendencies by spending a whole day in the library trying to get work done on my essays. I’m just that exciting. Sometimes I can’t believe people read this thing because I am so boring…….

 

Xoxo

Glatty

 The fires in California: By the way, to all of those at home in southern California, my heart and my thoughts are with you right now. I know some of you are on warning right now and I just want you to know that I am thinking about you.

 

 

Happy Birthday to my little sister....

Who really isn't little anymore since you are now 17! Wow. I can't believe. I can still remember holding you for the first time on the hospital bed and thinking that everything had changed. I can't say that it seems like yesterday since to me it feels like a world away since I was four at the time. And now I really am half a world away, and it will be the first time that I wont be there for your birthday... You are the best sister a girl could ever ask for and I hope that your birthday is amazing as you are. I am so proud of all you have done this year (to the point that I am going to brag about you on this thing). You've accomplished so much from getting on the Drill Team, to getting into University, to making decisions (aka lax) that you think will be best for you. You have become so strong and independent, funny and interesting. I am so proud of you. And who knows, maybe next year San Francisco
will be lucky enough to have both of the Glatt girls. Whatever your decision for your future I have faith [said in the same way George Michael sings it] that you will thrive. Love you.



xoxo
Glatty

A new perspective on global warming...

Ok so it is about 45 degrees Fahrenheit here or roughly 6 degrees Celsius for anyone else who is reading. And to me it feels like hell has frozen over.  I never realised how much I was truely attached to California weather until today. I didn't realise how much I really do appreciate the sun, and the heat, and being able to walk around in a sun dress on my birthday in February. 

It's reading week and most of my friends have gone home or gone travelling, I on the other hand have locked myself in the library to try and get work done on my two essays that are due extremely soon. Since I have significantly less people here to distract me I have started to realise that I couldn't spend 4 years here. Its not that I don't think St. Andrews is beautiful or extremely clean (something San Francisco is not) and don't love all the people I've met here, but its just not the same. It's not a big city. But more specifically its not San Francisco. I loved London and could totally see myself living there but its still totally different then SF. What is it about San Francisco that I like so much? I really don't know. I mean the buses are never on time, it never smells clean, the fog rolls in too thick and the people are not always the most sane. But the more time I spend on my own the more I feel that, while I can be happy where ever I am, I enjoy myself most when I am in San Francisco.

I've noticed, after studying international relations here for a bit, that the UK is really focused on the effects it has had on post-colonial states as well as terrorism. Sometimes, I think, this comes at a price to its own self-consciousness about other issues. Admittedly, I came to St. Andrews so that I could study at a University in the European Union. I knew on some level I would be studying my subjects as well as the culture (social, political, etc.).  I just didn't think I would be able to reflect on the differences so fully already.

Toilets flush different here and I don't like it. I know that seems like a weird think to notice but I have. 

 

xoxo

Glatty

Food for thought:

I really wish they would put The Birdcage movie on itunes. SOOOO GOOD.

Indian food...

The Indian food here is way better then it is in Sacramento. BAHAHAHA.

I just had papadums, naan, rice, chicken tikka masala, salad, and a sweet chutney all for 6 quid... soooo BOMB.

Now its time for a good movie and to go to bed so that I can get some work done tomorrow. 

xoxo

Glatty

Election, Guy Fawkes Day, and Power Outage...

OBAMA!!!!*

Last night I went to and election night party and watched as Obama started gaining key states. It was really interesting because most of the people who where there watching the election were not American which I think spoke to how important this election was to everyone. It was so energizing to be in the room when it was announced that Obama took electoral votes in certain states. Everyone was cheering and screaming. On that note I am really glad that Obama won last night and got chills watching his acceptance speech. I can't wait to see what the next four years will have in store for us! On the other hand I am extremely disappointed that Prop 8 passed in California. I thought Californians were better then that and cared about equality. To me what I was most disappointed is people lack of respect for the equality that should be extended to all. No matter what you religion equality is important and isn't it the bible that says "Love your neighbour" (John 13:34-35). I still have hope for the supreme court ruling against it though, so we will just have to see.

Ok, I'm off of my soap box now. Today is Guy Fawkes day in the UK which celebrates the day that Guy Fawkes didn't blow up parliament (he tried but failed). Basically its kind of like 4th of July with lots fireworks and bonfires. 

Here is one of the verses that people say:

Remember, Remember the fifth of November,

The gunpowder, treason and plot,

I know of no reason 

Why the gunpowder treason

Should ever be forgot"

Tonight we had a black outage, and it took forever to get the power back on but I guess thats Scotland. I have a few friends who would really like to be mentioned on my blog so here they are:

Katharine Bain

Jen Jewell

Bronwyn Gent

... so there now I've mentioned them. AHAHAHAHA. 

I hope all is well at home. 

xoxo

Glatty

Everyone at back in the states....

Please go out and vote today. 

xoxo

Glatty

RIP UGGS

you were a good pair of shoes.....

Happy Halloween

Sarah Palin made a surprise appearance in St. Andrews, Scotland...

Obama, Palin, Bush & Biden

Im so good its scary.

xoxo 

Glatty