Houston, We’ve Had a Problem

Posted by Kalie on September 9, 2009

Okay, so it wasn’t really Houston that had a problem, but rather Newark.  Houston was my problem solver.  Here’s the story…

I woke up early to catch my 11:30 flight to Newark in Omaha.  We (Shawn, my parents, Jesse, Jenna, Matt, and myself) left at 7:30am, allowing us four hours to get there and checked-in on time.  As I entered walked up to the desk to check-in, the man helping me asks for my last name.  I think nothing of it and reply, “Whidden.”  He immediately took out his walkie-talkie and urgently said, “She’s here.”  I’m a bit worried by this, thinking maybe I’ve been red-flagged by the Scottish government because of the unpaid parking ticket my family got two years ago in Edinburgh.  After some fast typing, the man tells me the plane I’m supposed to take going to Newark is running four hours late and I’ve been moved to a different flight going to Houston, and it’s leaving right then so I must run to catch it before it takes off.  I do as he says and quickly explain the situation to my family.  I was so caught up in the idea of missing the plane that I walked toward security, completely forgetting to say goodbye.  My parents caught me before I got there and we exchanged a hasty goodbye.  Once through security, I found my already-emptied gate and the man taking the tickets said, “Ah, you’re the London girl!  Glad you could make it!”  I was comforted by this, and by the fact that the pilots were still waiting outside of the plane.  Being the last person on the plane, I found my seat easily.  To be sure, I asked the man sitting next to me if this plane was going to Houston, and he assured me that it was.

Once to Houston, I had a few hours of layover until my flight to London.  The plane was really nice – a Boeing 777 with tv screens on the back of every seat.  Each person could choose from hundreds of tv shows and movies, and thousands of music to listen to.  I entertained myself by watching episodes of the Big Bang Theory, The Simpsons, and House, looking out the window at the nighttime view of the US, and sleeping.  After seven hours of air time, we finally arrived in London.  I had a four-hour layover there, filled with getting my luggage, going through customs, re-checking my luggage, and finding my gate.  The flight to Dublin was only an hour, and as I exited the plane onto the tarmac was greeted by suiting Irish weather: chilly mist and fog.  I went through customs again, found my luggage again (this time it was minus the two things on the bottom that keep it parallel to the wheels – excellent), and bought a bus ticket to the city center where I met my brother’s friend, Clay, who I’m staying with.  So far I’m having a great time and will update you soon on my happenings in Dublin!

Cheers!

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About the University of Aberdeen

Posted by Kalie on September 2, 2009

The University of Aberdeen (aka, “the Uni”) was founded in 1495 by William Elphinstone, Bishop of Aberdeen and Chancellor of Scotland.  The Uni is Scotland’s third oldest, and the UK’s fifth oldest university.  Over 13,900 students, representing 120 nationalities, attend the Uni.  It is split up into three colleges and campuses: College of Life Sciences & Medicine, College of Physical Sciences, and College of Arts and Social Sciences.  Check out Aberdeen’s university website at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/.

I will be living at the Hillhead Halls of Residence, which is an area comprised of 10 residence halls.  It is a 15-minute walk to campus from where I live.  I am staying in Burnett House, a self-catering flat, with five other girls.  We each have our own bedroom and will share the living room and kitchen.  I’ll be doing my own cooking, so I don’t plan on learning how to prepare haggis or blood pudding!

I can’t sign up for classes until I arrive in Aberdeen, but I hope to take the following courses:

• THE HISTORY OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY I: ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL – The course will identify major themes and topics in the development of Western Philosophy from the philosophy of ancient Greece to the medieval period. Detailed attention will be given to selected themes and topics in metaphysics, epistemology and ethics and their treatment in the relevant centuries. Amongst the authors to be considered will be Plato, Aristotle, Augustine and Aquinas. The selection will always be designed to illustrate the philosophical background of major philosophers to compare earlier with later treatments of particular philosophical questions, and to bring out the influence of earlier discussions on later, including current, philosophical investigation. Primary sources, in translations, will be used as well as secondary material.

• FROM LEARNING TO TEACHING – From a focus on the concept of learning in year one of their studies, students will now deepen their knowledge and understanding of this through an investigation of the concept of teaching and its relationship to learning. This course will broaden student knowledge of educational systems, professional responsibilities and their implcations for teaching and learning in the 21st century. Professional skills of communication, self and peer evaluation, critical enquiry and reflection will be further developed within a range of learning contexts. Using collaborative enquiry and drawing on new learning, students will be encouraged to challenge personally held assumptions, beliefs and values about effective learning and teaching.

• GAELIC FOR BEGINNERS 1A – This is an intensive language course for students who have little or no previous knowledge of Gaelic. It concentrates on the acquisition of basic grammar and vocabulary, and on the development of reading, writing, speaking and listening skills.

The first two courses will count toward my major, and the Gaelic course is just for fun (you should probably ask me how fun it is later).

I also hope to get involved in some student organizations while I’m there.  I would like to join the Celtic Society and the Scottish Dance Society.  Both societies hold “Ceilidhs,” or dances, where people dance the traditional Scottish ceilidh dance.  I’m really excited for this because it’s pronounced like Kalie.  I wonder how many Kalie’s will be dancing the ceilidh at a Ceilidh?  I’m also considering joining the Beer Pong Society with the following description: “It’s got websites dedicated to it, it has its own league, is played religiously across frat houses and college dorms in the US, and now it’s coming to the UK. Be part of the FIRST official UK Beer Pong Society! Come and try the game that is set to sweep the nation.”  … Just kidding! 🙂

To learn more about Aberdeen, the 3rd largest city in Aberdeen, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aberdeen.

Cheers!

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In The Beginning…

Posted by Kalie on August 17, 2009

…There was Oxford.  That, in conjuction with my brother’s six-week summer study abroad trip there, is the first I remember being interested in studying abroad.  Then there was our three European family vacations.  Each trip increased my interest in traveling.  The most recent hop across the pond was a 10-day stay in northern Scotland.  We spent the majority of our stay in Turriff at Delgatie Castle, the castle my mom’s ancestors took over in the 15th century.  During our time there I fell in love with the culture, people, and scenery.  I knew I had to make it back to that region sometime.

So, I began looking into study abroad programs in Great Britain.  At first I was interested in a short summer program, but there  weren’t too many of those options in Scotland.  Then I thought the spring semester would be my next best option, as to avoid missing a season of Husker football.  After some research, though, I found that nearly all the programs lasted from January to late May/early June.  Five months seemed a bit long to be away, and there are events (like the St. Edward Alumni banquet) that I didn’t want to miss.  Through the process of elimination, the fall semester seemed to be my only option left – although it meant missing a season of Husker football and my 21st birthday.  Oh well.

Last fall I attended a study abroad session and learned that the University of Aberdeen in Scotland had an exchange program with UNL.  I knew at that moment this is where I wanted to study.  I had been to Aberdeen before during our trip to Scotland – eaten at the local Burger King, watched the premier of The Simpsons Movie, commented on how punk the night crowd was, even saw a part of the University campus.  Little did I know that two years later I would be going to school there.

Since then I’ve learned that preparing to study abroad is a lot of work.  From choosing which classes to take, to applying for a Visa, to deciding on housing, to applying for scholarships, etc…it’s all important and time-consuming.  But it will definitely be worth it!

Cheers!

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