The Final Countdown

At the time of writing, we have 18 days left in Scotland. Today, we turned in our last piece of coursework at the University, so all we have to worry about now are finals. I've got two (one on May 11th and another on the 13th), while Aaron only has the one on the 13th with me. I could tell you that we're going to spend this glorious amount of free time that we have studying, but that would be a lie. Sorry, parents.

I'm sorry it's taken so long to get another post up here. This is definitely a labor (I still don't put the "u" in words that don't need them) of love, and while we both have certainly enjoyed doing this, it just takes a lot of effort and motivation that is difficult to find at times. It's kind of like writing an essay for fun, but it is a lot of fun. And we certainly don't want to just leave you awesome people who actually read this hanging. We appreciate you taking the time out to keep up with us. It means a lot. Really.

So where should I start...Spring Break, anyone? Aaron already outlined a lot of what happened at the end of his previous post, but I'll give my shot at a quick run-through. Our "Spring" Break actually began the Wednesday before Easter and was pretty much the antithesis of what most Americans would consider Spring Break. The closest thing to tropical heat we felt was in an elevator and the only sunblock we had was the clouds, but it was still a great week.

Aaron's girlfriend, Deborah (Deb from here on out), came to visit from Hong Kong where she's studying abroad this semester. They hadn't been face to face for four months. To say he had anticipated her arrival would be like saying Fat Albert was husky; it just doesn't do either justice. The two of them spent a few days in Paisley and Glasgow before going down and visiting our friend Suz who's studying at Oxford then traveled to Prague to meet Aaron's missionary family he interned with last summer. I'll spare most details for the sake of brevity, but just ask them about that week when you see them in person again. Try not to smile.

While they were out frolicking across Europe, my family arrived a day after Deb. We did our best "Clampetts Go To Scotland" impression and decided to see what we could north of Hadrian's Wall. We stayed a couple nights in Glasgow and made a quick stop in Stirling to see the famous castle. We spent Easter Sunday in Kirkintilloch with the Leishmans, the host family Aaron and I stayed with while our RUF friends were here, and had an absolutely fantastic time. It's not a coincidence that the Southern US is known for its hospitality and history of Scottish emigrants. They rolled out the red carpet for us, and we're still thanking them for it.



Then we made our way east to a delightfully sunny Edinburgh. That seemed to be the consensus favorite (no "u") section of the trip. I don't know if it was the daffodils or the sunny weather, but my guess is that it's due in no small part to it being the last leg of the trip before we rented a car. Four Suitses, about 8 full-sized suitcases, in a modern station wagon...on the wrong side of the road. Since I was the "acclimated" one, I had the distinction of riding in what should be the driver's seat acting as "navigator" while fearing that my final resting place would be somewhere on a curb in backwoods Scotland as my father took defensive driving to a new level in an attempt to avoid the never-ending stream of oncoming traffic to his right. There was frustration, genuine fear, and gnashing of teeth, but I'm alive today writing you this, so you know it turned out alright.



We did have a great time, though. We drove the rotary-laden road from Edinburgh to Aberdeen where we'd be spending a few more nights. From this point on, it was pretty much a sightseeing scavenger hunt as we saw a few castles (including our ancestral home at Dunnottar Castle on the east coast), the Old (golf) Course at St. Andrews, and the small town of Keith (which was my grandmother's maiden name). The vistas were beautiful, and we definitely made some worthwhile memories, but when the time came for the fam to catch their flight back to the States, they were ready. It didn't feel like Spring and there wasn't much time to rest for a Break, but I think they'd tell you it was time well spent.



Once Aaron and I left that oasis of a week, it was running before we could walk with coursework, and our first major assignment (40% of the final course grade) was due two days after our loved ones left. Then, the following Friday, I had two more assignments of similar importance to hand in. In the same vein as "Senioritis", I'd like to add another term to the American academic lexicon: "Abroadathargy". When you're in an exciting, fascinating place meeting people you'll probably never see again, it's difficult to muster up enough energy to type up 5,000 of business jargon. But we did it. And, as I've said earlier, it's done.

Then we went to Rome! Didn't see that coming, did you? But yeah, we went to the former capital of the known world to celebrate the disappearance of our major stresses. It was a fantastic time. We only went for 3 days and 2 nights, but it was an absolute blast. As I was trying to fall asleep one night in our hostel I had to just remind myself how blessed my Georgian butt was to be sleeping within walking distance of the Colosseum. In typical Aaron and Matt style, we hit the highlights with a quickness and left totally awed and satisfied at what we had seen (and full of gelato). From the Spanish Steps to the Sistine Chapel, it was all wonderful. And warm! Although the BBC forecast was calling for rain in Rome that weekend, it was picturesquely gorgeous (I'll blame it on British weather envy). We even got a shadow of a tan. It's long gone now, of course.




And so we're back at the beginning. 18 days left. We've still got plans to go on a road trip to the north and see some of the Highlands. Don't doubt for a second I'm done watching live football while I still can. If you've been praying for us, thank you so much for your support. It means the world. We honestly couldn't have made it this far without you. And keep it up! We've still got some time left here. While it's tempting to start thinking about friends from home and family and summer and humidity and sweet tea and Chik-fil-A, we're going to enjoy the rest of our time in Scotland to the best of our ability. Would you expect any less?

P.S. After such a positive response to our last video in London, here's a gem from Rome. Enjoy.