I’m writing this with pencil and paper as I sit in my new kitchen eating the first dinner I’ve cooked myself. The aroma of the chicken lies gently in the air, giving a smoky feel to the dimly lit kitchen, the last rays of sunlight flowing through the window and illuminating the dust particles floating aimlessly through the air. One single 40 Watt light bulb hangs from the ceiling. Cars rush by on the street below, and a horn blares somewhere, sending a chill running up my spine. There isn’t any music because my computer isn’t working. There aren’t any voices because there isn’t anyone else in the flat yet. Adulthood hits me like it hasn’t before.
It all started yesterday, my first full day in Aberdeen. I woke up early; couldn’t sleep. So I got out of bed, opened my window all the way, and leaned out. Europe must trust its youth more than we do, I thought. The windows weren’t suicide-proof. I breathed in the sharp morning air, smiling at the sight of blue sky and the thought of exploring the city, going to the beach, finding a phone card. Drawing myself back to my senses, I leaned back in and went to grab breakfast. My kitchen proudly contained a box of cereal, a pint of cranberry juice, two cucumbers, and a tray of chicken. I took some cereal and retreated to my room and my computer. It was 6 a.m.
After some time, I resolved it was time to fulfill my plans for the day. I grabbed my purse and a roughly pieced together map, and ventured out. The city was small, so people walked everywhere. My first stop was Castlegate. Pictures I had seen online had borne in me a desire to see it for myself, and I would have, had not at that very moment, I was diverted by a mild lack of direction and an absolute adoration for cobblestone paths. So, as fate would have it, I happened upon King’s College first. Gorgeous old brick buildings decorated the meticulously trimmed soft green lawns, and organ music reverberated through the air, as if it came from a distance.
I took a tour about the campus before getting back to the main road. The sky had begun to turn grey.
Upon finally reaching Castlegate, I was disappointed to find myself not surrounded by castles at all, but merely in a small square of granite. A gazebo-like structure, known as a Mercat Cross, sat in the middle. Reportedly, in the olden days, this was a place where merchants would gather, and later became the focal point of many town events such as executions, announcements, and proclamations (Wikipedia).
Now, there’s one thing to be said about Aberdeen. It’s small. A city of a mere 200,000 people, it centers around two main roads, Union Street and King Street. Each radiates outward from Castlegate, and nested between them reside a multitude of twisty roads, bustling alleyways, and the city centre. It’s remarkably easy to get lost, yet impossible to stay so for long. The city centre is home to a number of malls, a greater number of bars, and a crowd of young men and women wandering about, looking for any divine sign or hint of who they are amongst the colorful ads and newest fashions draped over the plastic window mannequins.
And while one might think that people like this…
And this…
Exist only to walk down runways and to decorate the pages of our favorite magazines, in the UK they may actually be found strolling down the streets and leaning against lampposts in the 10° night air. Especially with tights. The tights are a big thing over here.
So. Fashion aside, I was now at the main street in town, Union Street. It had started to rain, but it was still lovely. Here, people swarmed all about, and the old granite buildings gave the whole block a quaint feel. The rain left a slightly musky scent in the air. Everyone, young and old, minded their own business, rarely looking up to say hi or g’day to a stranger. I did my shopping and headed back. I’d been walking for nearly 4 hours by then, and was soaked from my failure to bring an umbrella.
That was when I succeeded in coming just short of completely destroying my computer. As I always do upon returning to my residence, I opened my laptop to check email, play music, and generally indulge in some relaxing form of time-wasting. As I hit the send button on my last email, however, a 404 error appeared, and I found myself completely deprived of my previously perfectly functional internet. As any good engineer would do, in panic I attempted to fix it on my own, checking the connection, my network settings, asking my neighbors, but after 20 minutes of failure, I succumbed to calling the internet company. The internet company couldn’t help, so I reverted to trying to fix it on my own. Finally, I found a field where I could assign my computer to a network, and with curiosity and desperation both clamoring for my attention, I assigned my computer to the network “WORKGROUP.” As I restarted my computer, little did I know that I had successfully locked myself out of my computer entirely.
The only thing to do when deprived of computer usage and anything to do while in Europe is to find a friend and go drinking. Over four glasses of red wine, Gronya and I discussed everything there was to discuss about life, all the way to the history of Ireland and how Bush had devastated the future of America.
The next day, I woke up at 9 a.m., feeling revitalized and determined to find a way to fix my computer. After a morning of conversing with RGU IT guys and failing to find any kind of answer, I shopped for food and clothes and everything in between until I was exhausted of that. Then I went for a much needed run to relieve the pounds of frustration and impending boredom. Lost in my thoughts and running aimlessly down the twisty roads, I soon found myself in lack of any idea of where I was or where I was going. Some two hours later, I finally got back, exhausted and starving. So I cooked myself dinner.
I eat every last piece of chicken, and then wash the dishes, making sure to put everything away and clean the counters. Then I make a mental note to buy a cutting board. As I get back to my room, I begin at last to unpack my suitcases and tidy up my room. There’s no music because my computer is still sitting on my desk, closed, and no voices because no one has moved in yet, and I feel a sudden wave of appreciation for the well stocked kitchen/dining hall that I’m usually around, the computer I can usually use, and the people that are usually around. Laughing, I decide that I’m probably going to live after all, and remember the fact that I’m really actually finally in Scotland.
P.S. For more pictures, because I'm too lazy to upload them all here, visit http://picasaweb.google.com/fireflyXOX.
No comments:
Post a Comment