Monday, May 30, 2011

The White Elephant

Well, I had written out a long blog post, but right before I hit send my computer crashed and it didn’t save anything I wrote. I will just keep this short and post some pictures for you to experience yet another wonderful day here in Scotland.
Worship this morning was such an encouragement. I’ve been feeling so strained in my time spent with God lately, and I was very refreshed to have the time set aside today instead of running to catch a bus or train. It’s so busy here, that I tend to be lost and consumed in what I’m doing, or where we are going next. It’s not a matter of IF I will be busy (because life itself is always busy), but rather, how can I spend my time most effectively? How do I see through the eyes of Christ, and not myself? I have a long ways to go in this area…
After eating some delicious vegetable soup and sandwiches, we headed out on a train to Edinburgh for the day.
I loathe souvenir shopping. It seems rather pointless to walk around into a bunch of stores with exactly the same items in them, all overpriced, and buy people sheep figurines and Scotland key chains for the sole purpose of buying something in Scotland. Nonetheless, I had an incredible time in Edinburgh today, which included:
*Having to hold on to our dresses all day long so we didn’t flash people on the streets. It was SO windy!
*Cramming 5 girls into a tiny telephone booth
*Drinking Starbucks and laughing hysterically about taking posed, candid pictures
*Making friends with local police and asking them to take a picture with us
*Visiting a breathtakingly beautiful church that started being built in the 1100’s and continued to be built through the 1900’s
*A big dinner surprise



I’ll expand on the surprise. For dinner, Dr. Wood took us to eat at a coffee house/restaurant called The White Elephant. This is where the author of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling wrote all her books!!!!! I LOVED it! The location. The opportunity. The atmosphere. The warmth. The food. Everything!




Here are some fun things I learned:
She sat it the back room where we ate dinner writing while looking out at the Edinburgh Castle
Some of the names she used were inspired by the gravesite we visited, such as Tom Riddle
Her daughters school, which is right behind The White Elephant, helped inspire the school of Hogwarts
Such a fun experience and a great way to end another wonderfully blessed day! The biggest blessing of it all, however, was coming back to the Carronvale and having a Skype date with Elijah =) I am blessed beyond measure, and thankful more and more each day for what God has done for me!



Sunday, May 29, 2011

Rugby In Edinburgh

Transportation: Train Ride
Destination: Edinburgh
Inspiration: Rugby Game

Such an exciting day once again in Scotland. We headed off to the train station to go see the Rugby 7 games. While I didn’t know much about the rules of rugby beforehand, and still don’t after watching it all day, it was a BLAST!



We got off at the train station and walked along the beautiful streets of Edinburgh to the stadium. It was cold and windy, but our excitement about the games helped ease the chill. We had seats in the very front row, and cheered loudly for the first game of South Africa against Canada. It was hilarious to see people dressed up in all different costumes in the stands. After 4 or 5 games, the USA finally played. It was exciting to be in another country cheering on our American teammates. We had a US flag, and were all up on the big screen cheering =)

After the US games, we all walked outside in the rain to get some lunch. We all ended up having to pay 8 pounds (which is close to 15 US dollars) for a disgusting deer burger and cold french fries. We all ended up throwing most of it in the trash can….so gross!
What did get eaten of our lunch almost got thrown up about 30 minutes later. Something slightly traumatizing, yet downright hilarious happened. A streakier ran out onto the field, and security guards had to chase him down. Everyone was laughing hysterically, and it was without a doubt the most eventful thing that happened all day.
I have taken the liberty of notating today’s weather pattern for you:
Sunny and cold
Rainy and freezing
Sunny and cold
Rainy and freezing
Repeat 30 times….I’m not even slightly exaggerating. But, it was totally worth it, because going to the rugby tournament was probably one of my favorite things we’ve done so far in Scotland!
After all the games, we decided to take the train down a little further into town and go explore Edinburgh. I absolutely LOVED it! The streets and buildings were exquisite! I loved the cobblestone roads, and steep staircases through close street allies. We split off and were able to go exploring around the shops.




Some of us girls stopped at a really cute café and got hot chocolate and chocolate chip croissants. YUM!Our group met back up after eating, and stopped to watch a street performer. Brittni and Dr. Wood were both pulled into the show. The guy wasn't very funny, but watching Dr. Wood and Brittni hold up a brick and throw knives at him while riding a unicycle made it SO entertaining =)

We headed back late in the evening, had our nighttime snack(which they call dinner), and then headed to bed.My internet wouldn’t work last night, so that’s why I’m posting a day late!

Friday, May 27, 2011

Calender House

I stayed up really late last night talking with Elijah on Skype (which was SUCH a blessing), but definitely made getting out of bed this morning a little more challenging than usual. After breakfast, we said farewell to our friends from England. They are such precious people, and showered us with so much love. We then ventured on to catch the bus and head to the Calendar House. While we were waiting at the bus stop, the bus we needed to catch was approaching, but it didn’t stop for us. It was so crazy! We all couldn’t believe the driver just drove right by. We stood out at the stop waiting, half frozen, waiting for the next bus to arrive.

The Calender House

Once we finally got on a bus, we headed to Falkirk to tour a mansion in Scotland called the Calendar House, and learned all about the Romans building the Antonine wall. We learned about the Romans, Celts, and the difference between Legionary and Auxiliary soldiers. It was fascinating to learn about this history and see some of the original artifacts. While we were learning about the wardrobe, I was chosen to try on the helmet. Kelsey took a few pictures of me modeling it:

One thing that was especially unique about this tour is that they gave it to us in a workshop format that they would present to elementary school children, so the whole thing was very hands on and interactive. One of my favorite parts of the tour was dressing up as soldiers, and marching around the property all the way up to the Antonine wall. We had to dodge tennis balls and everything, it was a BLAST!
Preparing to dodge tennis balls

The boys immitating our girls pose
Tour in the kitchen


Everyone taking pictures of the beautiful home

After a full workshop and tour, we walked to the bus stop and headed into town for lunch. We ended up stumbling upon a place called Frankie and Benny’s, which turned out to be incredibly delicious! Kelsey and I slit a pizza and pasta dish. Take a look at how amazing it was!
We had the rest of the afternoon off, so many of us rested and read. After dinner, while we were waiting for our ride to game night, our group played a hilarious game of telephone. I am so thankful to be here with such a great group of students. We’ve already become great friends, and laughter is constantly pouring out of all of our hearts!
We then had game night with some Harding Graduates who are missionaries and teachers here, along with some of the Scottish youth. I learned a new game called ninja (hilarious), and then we played a few intense games of Mafia.
Well, it’s nearly midnight here, so I should probably get some rest. We leave early tomorrow after breakfast to go to a rugby game in Edinburgh!!!!!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Falkirk Wheel

It’s been another beautiful day here in Scotland! We’ve spent most of the day exploring Falkirk, which I enjoyed immensely. Early this morning after breakfast, I went with Dr. Wood, Derek, and Niki to pick up our teams bus passes. Once we had those in hand, we all walked to the bus stop with Falkirk as our destination and headed out.
After arriving, we were given a few hours to explore the town and do some shopping. I loved looking at all the beautiful buildings, but was surprised to find most of the shops to be very americanized. It was pretty chilly out, so Brittni, Kelsey, and I headed to a local coffee shop, Costa’s, to warm up. It was similar to the American Starbucks, and I had a delicious caramel latte =)



We then headed to lunch at the York Café for soup and sandwiches. After a great morning, and full bellies, we took another bus and headed to ride the famous Falkirk Wheel. It was cold and rainy most of the time, but that didn’t stop us from having a blast! Here are some pictures I took:



We got back to Carronvale just in time for supper. We had all worked up quite an appetite from walking around all day, so I was excited to see we were having chicken and rice to eat, with apple pie for dessert. During dinner, our Methodists friends from England came to join us, and while we were finishing up eating, one of the women named Diane had a seizure! It was really startling and scary, especially because we found out she didn’t have a history of having seizures. Dr. Wood did an amazing job tending to her, and we called an ambulance. She seemed like she was doing alright when she left, but we’re still praying for her!
After dinner, we had a time of worship with the Methodists, which was really unique. Right after, some of us walked over to the gym and I ran a few miles which felt good. I just got back to my room, and we’re about to have tea time =) Here are a few more pictures for you to enjoy!


Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Scotland, Day One

Well, I'm thankful to say I didn't end up missing my flights, or sitting by a smelly, drooling man ;) Quite the contrary infact. On my flight from NY to Scotland, I actually sat beside a really sweet couple who have been married ten years, and are going back to Scotland to renew their vows. They got married in a castle over in Scotland...SO neat! Here are a few pictures from my perspective during the long flight over:



















After a long day of traveling, and my mind and body resisting the cruel adaption to the time change, I have finally arrived in Scotland, and it's simply incredible! Right now I want more than anything to curl up in my bed and not open my eyes until the morning, but unfortunately, I can't. All part of the price you pay for adjusting to jet lag =)

Kelsey and I on the bus in Scotland. On our way to the Carronvale House

It's already been a busy day. Everyone's bags arrived, and we waited in the airport an hour after our flight landed for our bus to pick us up. Wow, the house we're staying in is beautiful! Despite extreme exhaustion, I already love it here! Of course, I had no doubts I would, but still, it's a calm assurance nontheless. Here is a picture of our beautiful home:


Our cook Ernie made us some breakfast, and we were off on our first adventure: The grocery store and bank. Well, as it turns out, it became quite the adventure, as nearly all of our group got lost, hahaha. Anyways, we all ended up back together, and on our way back from the market, got lost...AGAIN. I really don't think these Scottish people know how to give directions to clueless, wandering Americans =)

Tonight at dinner, a group of methodists came into the dining hall and sang for us. They were so sweet. Dr. Wood introduced our group to them, and we sang the song, "Father God" for them.

I love the people here. Their hearts are so full of joy and love. Tonight after dinner, we went over to the church Adam and Melanie are working with, and hung out and played games with some of the youth and members of the church. It was a blast (though I think I have some scars and a broken nail from an intense game of spoons,lol).

I'm still here, approaching the quiet place before bed, sitting with legs hanging over the bedside, a full stomach, and God's perfect peace nestled in my heart. I’m simply doing my best to take in all the sights, sounds, newness, beauty, and wonder of this new place I will call my home this summer. May I see the world daily through new, fresh eyes, and be ever mindful of the daily blessings I have in living another day.

Monday, May 23rd, 2011

Night before leaving for Scotland:
Traveling is no new thing for me, yet somehow, each opportunity to travel the world brings forth its own newness, excitement, and anticipation. It’s hard to believe that I leave tomorrow to go to Scotland! Even as I’m writing this, I’m saying aloud to myself, “Natalie, you’re going to Scotland tomorrow!” (Which I’m sure looks quite ridiculous). Maybe it’s derangement and sheer exhaustion from a busy week with family and packing all day, but the reality hasn’t quite set in yet that I’m spending my summer overseas.
The night before a big adventure like this, my mind runs rampant with excitement and curiosity. Will I miss my flight? What kind of questionable food will they try to force me to eat on the plane? Do they really think that using my seat as a flotation device will work if our plane crashes in the Ocean? Am I again to repeat the ever so dreadful flight next to the strange man who takes up his seat and half of mine, has crusts around the corner of his lips from drooling, and smells like he just showered in vomit? What will the people be like? Will I be able to understand them through their thick accents? How will the school be different there than in America? And on and on it goes…questions never ending in my mind, and answers zooming around like a scrabble game.
So many questions, so much left to do, and so little time before I will find out some of these answers!
I’m going to Scotland. I, Natalie Freeman, am leaving tomorrow morning for Scotland. Whew, what a life! Scotland, Ireland, and Italy, here I come!
Captivated By His Love....