Jamestowne Abroad

...Art comes from life, not from the studio

2012-01-01T21:42:00.000-08:00

If I learned anything on this trip, it was that you can find new compartments in yourself, no matter what stage of life you're in. I beat the odds, I studied abroad as a 28 year old, I discovered new places, created art I actually like and I loved new people. Life can be forever exciting if you close your eyes and take the jump.

The only negative thing about Dundee and this entire experience, was having to leave.

I will forever be changed because of this adventure and I will never forget my lifelong friends I met along the way.

Jaime + Dundee = <3

Final Days...

2012-01-01T21:36:00.000-08:00

My last week in Scotland was eventful and sad.

I completed many tasks from my bucket list including:

playing bingo at Mecca, creating a music video at the x-factor booth (posted on facebook) "islands in the stream" with morgan, went to the deep sea restaurant with Morgan and MB, went to T Ann Cake (it was amazing), went to the sea and took photos and baked cookies.

I didn't ever get to use the DJCAD facilities to develop photos or go to the doghouse pub, but all in all I think I did enough!

Here are the last photos I took. There are a very small amount I took in Amsterdam (two weeks before coming back to SC) of the windmills from the plane, the hotel, parts of the city, my bike, tobias, some globes and where we rented the bike. I should have taken more but the moments were more important than taking out the camera. Did a lot in Amsterdam. Mostly tried new beers, drank good coffee, rode bikes 24/6, froze my butt off, went to some museums, shopped in markets and tried to get tobias to laugh.

the next set of photos are in scotland. the final days of my studio, my corridor, my goodbyes, MB and Morgan and fun in nairn with stephen!

i also included some boring and depressing shots of my long day in the airports. it was pretty brutal. 23 hours on planes and waiting in airports while being an emotional wreck stinks!

I miss you Dundee! I miss you Morgan, Julien, Steph and Stephen!

Dundee DID save my life.

I'm off to Amsterdam for the week!

2011-12-05T10:16:00.000-08:00

I'll tell Tobias you said wassup!

Back to SC soo soon! AHHHHHHHHHHH

Huggin' Booth (cuz it feels so good)

2011-12-05T10:15:00.000-08:00

So for part of my Ephemeral module and for fun, I decided to build a hugging booth. I was initially going to have it on campus, but after MB gave me an idea, I took it to the city centre. It was heavy and tedious but thankfully I have two of the best friends anyone could ask for. The nice man at the reception let me borrow a sturdy trolly and Morgan and Stephen really helped me out! Not only that, they got some great footage from the day's shenanigans!

We found a spot right beside a carousel and snack stand, so it sorta looked like we belonged. Then we got asked by the Dundee City Ambassador people if we had permission. I think our accents charmed them all and they gave me an hour and a half longer. An old man with a hearing aid brought me some chocolate and a lot of people didn't hug. But those that did, certainly felt good! I know I did!

Christmas Light Celebration - Live Footage of Security guards dancing!

2011-12-05T10:02:00.000-08:00

Morgan and I went to the big Tesco to get Thanksgiving / Bday food and we came across this extravagant celebration!

Roller Derby - Bday Celebration Day

2011-12-05T09:59:00.000-08:00

the Dundee Roller girl team beat Perth 214 to 87 or something ridiculous like that!

we picked the right town!

Around Dundee

2011-12-05T09:54:00.000-08:00

My desk - Updated
Some Balloons from the Sagitarriun celebration
The Scottish flag blowing in the wind
Tiles outside Agacan ( a wonderful Turkish restaurant)
Weiner Drawings in the street
My studio before assessment
Morgan, Julien & I's height marked on the wall in the printing lab - 2nd week in Dundee

Recent Prints (mostly)

2011-12-05T09:49:00.000-08:00

More Amazing Crisp titles

2011-12-05T09:33:00.000-08:00

Dundee Bucket List pt 2.

2011-12-05T08:37:00.000-08:00

I forgot:

MECCA, the Bingo Hall
Make a music video in X-factor booth at the mall
Deep Sea Restaurant
The Doghouse
T Ann Cake

Dundee Bucket List

2011-11-13T12:18:00.000-08:00

I felt like it would be nice to write these down (to make sure I do them):

- Attend a church service
- Go Ice skating
- Go to the sea and take photos
- Develop photos using the DJCAD facilities
- Eat at the Turkish restaurant on Perth Rd
- Check out the roller derby team
- Go to another soul dancing venue
- See Tobias in Amsterdam
- Bake Cookies

i forgot the ones that made me want to write this post! daggonnit!

stay awhile!

2011-11-13T09:58:00.000-08:00

One of the events that stood out the most yesterday was a film screening of a documentary in progress right here in Dundee! The film is being made by a guy named Dylan Drummond.

I was sitting down on the ground behind him and he was standing up. Even before his film started, I felt the guy had extremely considerable rhythm. He was swaying and jiving during the other short films and I just thought he was a bit eccentric and spirited.

I realized at the end he was the filmmaker. His film titled "Keep the Faith" is about the Northern Soul scene in Dundee. It was a beautifully shot film with great music and all generations of people "feeling the music".

If you're interested in the film or the story please check out the website: keepthefaiththefilm.co.uk

i was grooving from the beginning scene. It wasn't a pretentious piece boasting what little the city of Dundee can boast, it was a narrative about these people who still keep their roots into the soul scene. the music is powerful. I asked Dylan after the screening where these locations are in the city so I can try to go myself and dance with these professional Dundee devotees.

One of the dancer ladies was present. she mentioned the scene is like being part of a gang, a committee or a religion. that it was a faith and you belonged to it. this story comes from the real voices of the dundoneon people! I love it!

Dylan said something like "culture offers a lot to buy into and is very transient and modern - you can switch up your culture day by day, but Northern Soul is loyal to their culture"

The film said to me that dance and music, like art, should be for everyone.

It moved me. Hope you'll check it out.

NEON II - Light Show Video

2011-11-13T09:38:00.000-08:00

sorry for the quality, my iphone has limited capabilities!

Neon II Dundee - Part of the Events

2011-11-13T09:07:00.000-08:00

Mostly yesterday was a variation of people using electronic devices to create drone like effects. one guy sort of created his own theramin using the face of his guitar and pushing electric toothbrushes and blowdryers through the waves to create powerful sounds. there was another event inside the old steeple church - great acoustics and sound, sort of mimicked hearing chants. he used his computer to deliver repetitive sounds being made within the church and left out instruments for the audience to use. there was another performance event at the top of the law where students from primary, high school and the college collaborated to do this light show. the events were quite fun and well prepared. I had a great time with Morgan and Jonathan!

During our breaks, we went to the chinese market, "Amigos" a weird diner and went shopping!

I got a headband that looks like braided hair and Morgan got green nail polish!

all is good!

here are a few shots from the day!

Fireworks Video

2011-11-13T08:49:00.000-08:00

Fireworks Shots & Woodburnings

2011-11-13T08:42:00.000-08:00

November 5th of Guy Fawkes Night:

HISTORY of Guy Fawkes (stolen from the International student society facebook invite)

November 5th is known as "Bonfire Night" or "Guy Fawkes Night", and all over Britain people fire off fireworks, light bonfires, and burn effigies of Guy Fawkes. Guido Fawkes was an Englishman who, in popular legend, tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament with barrels of gunpowder. He was caught, imprisoned, tortured on the rack, and finally executed, as we'll see.

400 years ago, Guy Fawkes was a co-conspirator in the "Gunpowder Plot" of 1605 in England. He and his cohorts decided to blow up the both Houses of Parliament in London and kill King James I upon the inaugural opening of the Parliament, and succeeded in smuggling several barrels of gunpowder into the basement of the Parliament.

This "Gunpowder Plot" occurred two years after King James I (of the "King James Bible" fame) ascended to the throne. A group of English Catholics, of which Guido Fawkes was a member, decided to kill the King because it was felt he had reneged on his promises to stop the persecution of Catholics. To this day, it is the law in Britain that a Roman Catholic cannot hold the office of monarch. And the Queen is still Supreme Head of the Church of England.

The plot was foiled at the eleventh hour; some of the plotters escaped, some turned King's Evidence and reported on the rest. The unlucky Fawkes was taken in chains to the Tower of London. He was hanged, drawn and quartered. After Guy was hanged, he was torn asunder and drug through the streets of London behind a horse cart. The charge was treason, though some people in England prefer to remember Guy as "the only man ever to enter Parliament with honourable intentions."

Steph and her flat mate Kevin, Stephen, Julien and I walked up there with the International student society. the fireworks lasted like 20 minutes. it was a great free event to attend. Even though it was freezing and took forever to get to the park - Adele, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry played during the show! Impressed?

Random Dundee

2011-11-13T08:38:00.000-08:00

The sunset on Tuesday, a giant slug, two funny windows and two stuffed greeters at a local pub.

nniiiiicccceeee

Crisps with funny names

2011-11-13T08:36:00.000-08:00

Morgan and I have become quite impressed with the crisps' flavors here.

I am in the process of taking more photos, but here are three so far I have managed to snap.

If the bag says what it tastes like, by God, it will taste like it! I don't know how they pack that kind of flavor into a potato chip!

It's close to a home cooked meal into a bag. I've eaten more crisps here than ever in my life by the way.

Enjoy!

More clay & whatnot

2011-11-13T08:32:00.000-08:00

i made a mask, a lady with big legs, a messed up painting, an african lady's profile and a sheep.

The wood cut and lino cuts have been printed and look pretty darn good but they weren't dry on Friday so I will update those next time!

Holler!

More Stuff

2011-11-13T08:29:00.000-08:00

A foggy day in the studio - my latest screen - my two wood burned sheep!

My latest ceramic guys

2011-11-13T08:26:00.000-08:00

a two headed boy, sorta became a two headed native american.

i added too much woodstain, but since then have sanded it into a nice texture.

either way i'm digging up on it.

Newcastle

2011-11-13T08:23:00.000-08:00

all i took.

a funny poster in a charity shop, a small ride for kids, TEA, out the window of the scrumpy willow and the sign on the bathroom door (why?) :)

Morpeth!

2011-11-13T08:19:00.000-08:00

Although a small town, Morpeth is a fabulous place to walk in the woods, walk the cold North Sea, walk dogs, see Herons bathing, watch Blockbuster movies, dance to Halloween music and have great home cooked meals! Stephen's mom and brother were splendid and so very sweet. I felt like I was part of the family.

I didn't take too many photos. I was living the moment. We also went to Newcastle for the day, a bigger city outside of Morpeth. We went to a delicious place for lunch called "Scrumpy Willow and the singing kettle" along with a few vintage shops and record stores. Also a store with old posters and cool postcards and there was a protest as well. Still not sure what it was about but I thought I might get my arm shot off. It was awesome!!!

Here's some of the minimal footage!

Updates Galore!

2011-11-13T08:11:00.000-08:00

So a lot has gone on the last three weeks. I took a trip to Morpeth / Newcastle / Glasgow with my friend Stephen, I went to see fireworks at Lochee Park in Dundee for Guy Fawkes Day, I went to the Neon II Digital Arts Festival, I got sick, I had my first porkchop in Scotland and I printed my first wood and lino cuts!

That's just a few of the highlights.

It's Sunday and the chill of the approaching winter in Dundee has caused me to fall ill. I thought I was over it yesterday but walking up to the Dundee Law at night froze my throat again.

I will be resting today and eating BLT's. <-- Another Dundee first!

I can't stop listening to She & Him and I wish I had more time here. I love Dundee. My advisor told me my work is becoming more sophisticated, I am on a roll. If I can come back for graduate school or something, I might just do it. I already miss my friends i've made here. Time just flies by! So whoever is reading, take my advice! You only live once - try to be happy and enjoy your time! Magic is in the air and if you let it in, you'll experience sparkling willows hugging your shoulders and birds singing by the trains!

Enjoy the next few posts.

Performance Art

2011-10-22T20:18:00.000-07:00

So Bruce Mclean, a well known Scottish performance artist graced the art school this week to perform "a cut, a scratch, a score" with some fellow artists. It was an installation project and I still am not sure i quite understand it all. I went to the "salons" all week, which were basically the artists discussing topics and meanings with the audience. Being in the ephemeral module, I thought it would be a nice bonus. I tried to understand it but I can't translate. It was a nice week long of performance. On wednesday in the city center of Dundee the artists demonstrated a score of musical and non-expectational proportions. basically the artists composed a set which consisted of various percussion, opera singing and noise for the public to interpret and enjoy.

On Friday they did their final performance. There was a choir, lots of cut outs, amazing drums, harmonies and more stuff i don't understand, but very much enjoyed.

here is some footage!

Buckingham Palace be cwazy

2011-10-22T20:08:00.000-07:00

here was a slew of cute french kids that made waiting for the guards a lot more entertaining!

London Vibes

2011-10-22T20:06:00.000-07:00

London Stizzle

2011-10-22T20:04:00.000-07:00

My hero, the elephant man, or Joseph Merrick, stayed at the Royal London Hospital. I didn't get there in time to tour the museum but I witnessed an old man being carried away and talked to the receptionist.

here is some footage of the whitechapel stop along with other London vibes!

London stizzle

2011-10-22T20:01:00.000-07:00

Tate Modern

2011-10-22T19:56:00.000-07:00

some favorites...

Going to the art bar...

2011-10-22T13:48:00.000-07:00

I have more to update from London, but i'm leaving to meet Stephen now at the art bar. Then we're heading to the Reading Rooms to listen to some doo wop, soul and rock n roll!

saturdays man!!! More soon!

Frieze Art Fair

2011-10-22T13:45:00.000-07:00

here are a few shots from within Regent's Park where the fair took place. a number of artists had their work outside on the park grounds.

Below is a Kiki Smith piece called "Alice"
It's ironic because I was just told about Kiki Smith, read a book about her the night before the fair and then saw this beaut!

Pretty wild right?

Frieze Art Fair

2011-10-22T13:41:00.000-07:00

Frieze Art Fair

2011-10-22T13:38:00.000-07:00

http://www.friezeartfair.com/about/

check it out!

Frieze Art Fair - London

2011-10-22T13:35:00.000-07:00

Frieze Art Fair - London

2011-10-22T13:33:00.000-07:00

Just a few of my favorites from the day. I didn't cover the entire exhibit because it was intensely huge but what I covered, was amazing!!!

Latest Woodburnings

2011-10-22T13:29:00.000-07:00

the second to last one is not chewbacca, it's Lionel the lion faced man!

Cupar Arts Festival!

2011-10-13T11:27:00.000-07:00

Cupar Arts Festival!

2011-10-13T11:26:00.000-07:00

Cupar Arts Festival!

2011-10-13T11:25:00.000-07:00

Cupar Arts Festival!

2011-10-13T11:23:00.000-07:00

Cupar Arts Festival!

2011-10-13T11:22:00.001-07:00

Cupar Arts Festival!

2011-10-13T11:21:00.000-07:00

Cupar Arts Festival!

2011-10-13T11:19:00.000-07:00

one of the women, had an exhibit in her actual home. it was transformed for the week but still very beautiful. her garden also had "exhibits" and each stop you were to read a poem. i hugged her, amongst a lot of other strangers. i took a photo of my finger, because i got my first splinter.

Cupar Arts Festival!

2011-10-13T11:17:00.000-07:00

So there was some really cool exhibits in some really nice locations.

you will come across some apples being grown in a room, we had to cover our shoes with bags, an onion experiment, some glass, some lights, a large sugar mill tower (the second most amazing place i've been besides a cave) surreal and loud and huge with amazing acoustics.

a few fellow students clapped and it sounded like fireworks. it was too dark to take photos but it was beautiful. i attempted to post some anyway.

Loch Ness / Inverness / Urquhart Castle

2011-10-13T11:14:00.000-07:00

this last photo i saw walking home from morgan's on monday night. it was pretty cool

Loch Ness / Inverness / Urquhart Castle

2011-10-13T11:10:00.001-07:00

Loch Ness / Inverness / Urquhart Castle

2011-10-13T11:09:00.000-07:00

Loch Ness / Inverness / Urquhart Castle

2011-10-13T11:02:00.000-07:00

Loch Ness / Inverness / Urquhart Castle

2011-10-13T11:01:00.000-07:00

Loch Ness / Inverness / Urquhart Castle

2011-10-13T11:00:00.000-07:00

here come a ton! too bad i can only post five at a dang time.

Random

2011-10-13T10:55:00.000-07:00

Jute Suit from the Jute Museum in Dundee

Graffiti on the way to the post office

Books I finally completed

Part of my Halloween costume - Bearded lady

Student Rail Card - I have extra copies so let me know if you need one

if you can call it that...

2011-10-13T10:50:00.000-07:00

masked guy etching plate

indian lady printed from a real screen!

Phil sleeping print!

Studio Inspiration Update

Latest Woodburning

(clay next week - finally)

Two American, One Welsh

2011-10-13T10:46:00.000-07:00

hazy photos from last night's shenanigans. Despite the shadows, Stephen is not eating my head!

Lots Happnin' Lots Photos

2011-10-13T10:42:00.000-07:00

So since last time a few things have happened. Most of them being travel and planning for more travel. The international students took a trip to Loch Ness and Inverness last weekend. It was an early trip but it was so gray and gorgeous and Scottish!

Early this week, We also went to part of the Cupar Arts Festival for a day trip. It was in Fife and the small town was very nice and laid back with a great little variety of charity shops.

I met a lot of really friendly people, got a fake tattoo from a German artist exhibiting there and still managed to cook dinner that night.

Tomorrow I leave for London to attend the Frieze Art Fair and to see my favorite historical character's remnants at the Royal London Hospital Museum. Joseph Merrick, here I come!

there are a lot of photos coming up so bare with me. some are from Loch ness and Urquart Castle, some are from Cupar and some are recent / mostly completed art. There are a couple of my module advisor as well. She's a performance artist. She blew up a weather balloon for hours. At the end it reached the spike hanging from the ceiling and popped. The photos I took show how much air from her lungs it took to fill the balloon. pretty hardcore!

Last night I went to the Reading Rooms with Stephen and John (the newer flatmate from California) for a techno / soul night. It started off slow, but by the end we were sweating and had on our full-blown boogie shoes. I think I might have even fractured my hip, but who cares! We had a great time and stayed up til 7am!

By the end of next week, i should have a slew of more memories to add.

Enjoy!

Foie Gras

2011-10-02T14:19:00.000-07:00

Tonight I tried foie gras from the can, straight from versailles, france.

a specialty? yes!

tasty? not so much for me.

Thanks to Julien for letting me try it anyway. Now I can mark that off my bucket list.

More workins

2011-10-02T13:05:00.000-07:00

I'm using this image from the movie "freaks" to experiment with some more wood burning. I forgot how much I like having time to work!

I was doing some sketches of strangers and these three little women popped out. I needed my colored pencils, pastels or crayons, but they are all in the studio, so i used some of my make-up to spice it up.

Lazers, Jaime

Weekend, na na na na Weekend!

2011-10-01T15:56:00.000-07:00

So this is "sex awareness" week at the University of Dundee.
There have been a lot of events that I unfortunately missed but there was a photo competition that needed to promote or be about "pillow talk".

Since I had tons of Phil sleeping photos, i thought i could incorporate the pillow in there somewhere. I came across my psycho photo with me and phil sleeping in the background. I submitted it for the heck of it and low and behold, I won the dang contest!

it was a very small exhibit, maybe only 4 or 5 other photos were submitted. But it was a nice, informative night with free wine and I got to keep this large board cut-out of the photo!

I am amused and happy!

go sex awareness! go cabaret! go LGBT! go meat!

some more stuff i'm halfway done with...

2011-09-27T11:38:00.000-07:00

i am going to make a screen of the sleeping phil and the indian circus lady.

Then, thanks to Julien, i experimented with some dry point / etching and had these two other prints. the lady with the zebra and the bearded woman.

i suppose they go with my theme, which is basically circus performers.

I also experimented with a lino cut, using my famous "sujin" photo from high school. I can't draw or cut out hands obviously. the last is a large two character crayon drawing i did one day last week when i was trying to inspire myself. it didn't work but it's funny.

Peace out!

New art yalls!

2011-09-27T11:32:00.000-07:00

i've been waiting on my wood burning tool for almost two weeks. it finally arrived today so i have actually completed something. and to top it all off, i really, REALLY like it! here's the steps! tomorrow i believe i'm going to get started on some clay. it's nice to do what you like! :D

cool!

2011-09-25T12:29:00.000-07:00

i tried to win this "angry bird" jerk for a long time. I never got the sucker. but he's behind glass so i guess i have the last laugh really.

stephen's white patch of hair and the rest of the good photos. after seeing today's spread, i realize how big my teeth actually are.

peace!

by the way... i ate mcdonalds for dinner.

... fun ...

2011-09-25T12:25:00.000-07:00

holla at a ride

2011-09-25T12:23:00.000-07:00

carnival schmarnival

2011-09-25T12:21:00.000-07:00

More photos from Carnival!

2011-09-25T12:17:00.000-07:00

we totally played this one machine that lets you win everytime. so excluding julien, we all won stuff.

Stephen won a chameleon. he named him peter

I won a duck, i named her jackie.

Steph won a koala who i don't think she named yet.

Morgan won a chameleon as well and named her cedar.

what a day!

Horne's Pleasure Fairs

2011-09-25T12:13:00.000-07:00

Dundee has a carnival and my fellow pals and I totally went. it was one of the best days in Dundee so far, even though there were only four rides and it was super tiny. it was amazing and we're lucky our heads didn't explode from laughter.

here are some photos first of my primary besties in Dundee.

Morgan - fellow american and major awesome artist queen - printmaking / creative wizard

Julien - mon ami from France. he's killer. fine arts major

Steph - Canadian who also likes true blood and has gorgeous hair. fine arts as well!

Stephen - wandered about from Newcastle Upon Tine. such a gent! Philosophy dude.

the rest are just random photos from our day!

Enjoy!

St-St-Studio

2011-09-14T15:50:00.000-07:00

my studio, my view, morgan's spot. it's suhhweet!

Tesco & Sketches

2011-09-13T16:40:00.000-07:00

This is a blurry close up of the tesco. It's like wal mart. I can see it from my flat but it's very far. Everyone shops there for groceries. I choose to go to LIDL instead which is like Aldi because it's closer. I haven't officially established a favorite place as of now to do the grocery shopping but there are options for food all around.

I can't draw but I actually like these little doo-dad sketches.

that's it for maybe a week! Enjoy!

St. Andrews Part 2

2011-09-13T16:36:00.000-07:00

Classes Begin (sort of)

2011-09-13T16:32:00.000-07:00

Well the weekend was nice here. The international students took a trip to St. Andrews on Saturday. it was wet and windy and the sort of "dampened" the enjoyment but I did manage to have some great conversation by the water with two Finnish girls and Julien. We all ordered fish and chips at this little hole in the water place, but it actually turned out to be delicious. I noticed again, no one has their dog on a leash here! it's so weird!

So classes have officially begun. Everything is still in the air and most of the week has just been dedicated to stocking up on some materials, brainstorming and decorating my studio spot but I met my tutor and other students in and around my studio and that was nice.

My new pal, MB or Mcbeth showed me and morgy around to the Tayside Recycler building. it's like a double decker warehouse full of amazing things. For columbians, it would be comparable to the habitat for humanity store but bigger and with more knick knack type stuff. there was clothing, kitchen stuff, art, bedding, paper, tools, electronics, furniture, books, crafts and much more!

I found five cool books, tons of spare fabric, a giant chunk of nicely shaped wood, three plates, a blanket, two wooden carved birds, a cheese grater (something i tend to need like every day) a lot of old wall paper with great textures and patterns, some wrapping paper and a lot of scraps for sketching and projects.

I have nothing to do tomorrow but I will be going to my studio and trying to get my creative flow flowin' like the nile.

I am trying to find my "artistic identity" and it's a lot more difficult to do than i thought. I feel like i'm an artist but i don't always know for sure. I don't feel like i belong to any other tribe, but there's always that "maybe i don't have it in my genes feeling" too.

I honestly don't work on "art" as much as i should for sheer pleasure. I don't know if that's because I have more pressing things to do back home like work or if i don't think i can do something successful in my time frame or what, but that is changing right NOW!

I am realizing in dundee that I am an artist. I am just now really beginning to find myself because I have the time and the abundant resources and motivation to work on my ideas and myself. When your handed an assignment in the states, it's fairly easy to come up with an idea for that project, here however everything is self paced and self encouraged. I could just do whatever I feel like and I am sure that would be fine. On the other hand I want to come back to Columbia with mad skills and I finally want to really like what i do!

Tomorrow I will composite some more solid ideas for beginning a clearer theme. My theme thus far is usually a sympathy towards unfortunate or comical figures. That will continue to work it's way but hopefully get even clearer.

I plan on doing some collage work, printmaking and painting and hopefully some wood burning too. the materials here are free so i have no reason not to take advantage of them. this will be my first official printmaking course so i'm stoked about mastering the technique... or at least understanding it!

Morgan and Julien inspire me every day. tonight Jules and I went to a free lecture. In Columbia, i would never want to go to a lecture in my spare time. I just thought, hey why not. It was interesting. This american psychologist came to speak about an experiment dealing with how British / American eyes see words and faces differently to how Chinese people see them. the conclusion is that we do see things differently: a span of words, the way we gaze at text and where we focus first when we see a photograph, but it isn't a cultural difference, it is a writing difference due to language. some parts flew over my head and some parts i found relative and interesting. i still probably don't know what i'm talking about fully, but I would have never gone to this somewhat interesting discussion if I wasn't told about it today. I totally overlook this stuff in my student emails because i would typically ignore them back home. Thankfully I have two genius friends who enjoy learning and taking time to explore things that i never really do. I feel very lucky to be in this circle. it makes me want to be a better person in general.

I have such a routine back home and here everything is changing. I love it here!

enjoy some pictures. the DCA - Dundee Contemporary Arts exhibit. you can go into this room and play songs on a juke box dealing with different issues and wars. There is a civil rights selection, feminism selection and so on and so forth. I chose Beyonce's "Who run the world" it was amusing to me, but Julien felt uncomfortable. some interior shots from the recycle center, morgan and i's feet, some sketches of my dad, mom and phil and some more from st. andrews.

Enjoy!

Dancing Video

2011-09-07T16:42:00.000-07:00

i don't know about the quality, the the dancing is premium!

Even Smore

2011-09-07T16:35:00.000-07:00

Smore Updates Cont.

2011-09-07T16:34:00.000-07:00

Smore Updates

2011-09-07T16:31:00.000-07:00

So as an international student, there is plenty going on for you in Dundee. "freshers week" or welcome week is dedicated to new students and they heavily focus on the international students. So far it's been a mixture of traditional Scottish dancing, meet and greets, group gatherings and pub crawls. A lot of it isn't really my scene but i can't say i haven't had fun meeting other international students. i've met a handful of Canadians, French, Germans, Polish, Irish, Chinese and more from all over the globe. it's a very happy and excited group of people. Last night we took a walk up to the Dundee Law. It's a large monument on a hill in the center of the city that allows you to see breathtaking views. The walk was painful, you are basically walking straight up for a mile. The view was nice and i'm glad I did it, but I don't know how long before I will do it again. I am keeping full on mostly PB & J, sandwiches, cereal and venturing off into the city for lunch. Tonight I had a lamb kebob from a local place and some chips (fries). it was very good!

My new pals, Morgan, Steph and Julien are a lively and kind bunch. We met during our advisement meeting on Monday since we're all art students and have been sticking together pretty much every day since. I will have to get some pictures of them soon for next post.

Morgy, as i like to call her is from seattle, most recently pittsburg and she has big glasses and big hair. a very approachable lady. Steph is from Canada, born in nova scotia and living in Alberta currently and Julien is a french guy who is quiet and polite and has the same birthday as I do. None of these people like to drink! I find it refreshing but I thought everyone drank, especially in Scotland!

I am finding more and more, not so many young people do. It's quite odd but I like it.

Anyway! I am going to watch BBC news now. They have an iplayer with tv shows and movies. It's about all the tv watching I can do over here for free, so I stick to it. So far i've watched "chicken run", "breasts are best", "twins of the twin towers" and something else i fell asleep too.

here are some photos of the journey up dundee law, my flat (you can't tell but the bathroom looks like a weird laboratory. it's all gray plastic, like a plane bathroom and the shower is crazy tiny), the moon coming down my street tonight and hopefully i can post this hilarious video of the dancing from tonight. Note the long haired guys enthusiasm!

goodnight!

New Spirit

2011-09-06T09:14:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Sorry for being a debbie downer earlier. I am experiencing a lot of new emotions and getting acquainted with a new lifestyle has been challenging but i must say now everything is coming in to focus. I have met some art students and that has really changed my attitude. Sitting in my flat the first two nights was a bit miserable but now that I have people to explore with, the days fly by and i'm full of excitement. There are a lot of great things about the art department and the staff is one of them. I found my studio space today and reserved my spot in the room. It's on the 5th level of the art building with a nice view. I have a sturdy wooden table covered in paint and a little blue chair. I feel almost like i'm living someone else's dream. Before I didn't know how to process it, but now it's starting to feel natural and perfect. Thanks to all my friends who have said nice things to lift my spirits. The darkness has floated down to another town and I see nothing but good ahead. What was a few days ago is now completely opposite. I guess everyone needs to adjust, I just took what felt like longer.

Today I hung out with a new friend Julien, from France. He draws insects and dead things. He has the same appreciation for unfortunate animals as I do unfortunate people. I was very impressed by his work and it makes me feel honored to know I'll be attending a school with these kinds of talents. I think I will become very inspired here. It's all about the attitude and since mine has lifted, things are awesome! i really feel i belong here.

No new photos as of now, but once I start traveling more and start making art, I will post a great deal!

see ya later!

More from last day

2011-09-04T05:31:00.000-07:00

my body is here in dundee, my brain is somewhere else. I really need to get out of this funk.

the first photo is more haggis. this one was better!

Last Day / St. Andrews

2011-09-04T05:29:00.000-07:00

We decided to get up very early for our last day, drive to St. Andrews, walk around the course and the city and try to not let our emotions get the best of us. It's my first day in Dundee without Phil and my heart is broken. I've never felt such a strong sadness as I do today. It's much harder than I expected.

My flat mates are nice. Two french girls, Emma and Mariane and a Canadian girl, Rasha. All friendly but I am so reclusive at this moment, they probably think i'm a depressed old goat.

They are young and free and as soon as morning came they were out the door. For me, i'm sitting in my room trying to conjure up enough courage to walk around. Phil being my rock and my right hand man the past 10 days has been great. Now it's all up to me and it's very lonely. No car, no home, no friends. I am excited for school to begin so I can meet more people.

As of now, i'm just chillin in my flat, writing on my blog, but I know it will get better and when I get home, i'll have my baby waiting for me.

Ok so here are more photos til the next time!

Around Dundee

2011-09-04T05:24:00.000-07:00

Dundee! the sunniest city in Scotland

2011-09-04T05:22:00.000-07:00

we arrived to dundee close to night, near the water. On a thursday night the city can be misleading. we were a little disappointed but we had a nice dinner at a mexican restaurant, went back to the hotel and bonded. I figured the next day when we walk around we'll see more human beings and we did. it was fun! we had lunch a cool pub and walked around the entire city. Me coming from a smaller city myself appreciated the easiness of getting around. Not saying I still won't get lost, but it could happen!

...

2011-09-04T05:18:00.000-07:00

yep there's still more

2011-09-04T05:17:00.000-07:00

keep going!

2011-09-04T05:16:00.000-07:00

More still!

2011-09-04T05:14:00.001-07:00

Even more...

2011-09-04T04:49:00.001-07:00

More Edinburgh

2011-09-04T04:46:00.000-07:00

Castle views, castle interior, pubs and scenery.

The royal mile leading up to the castle is full of cashmere shops and tartan shops. Nice stuff but not too interested.

Edinburgh

2011-09-04T04:38:00.000-07:00

this place was my favorite. I described it as asheville times ten thousand however Phil didn't see the connection. It's the capital of Scotland, even though Glasgow is larger. It felt more historic and charming than the eye make up in glasgow. We enjoyed a lot of nice pubs and quality time together. We visited the edinburgh castle, took a ghost tour, tried our first Haggis (the country's dish) and walked a lot! When i say we walked, i mean we walked! it was like a ten mile extravaganza! definitely the start to dropping the pounds!

Rest of Inverness

2011-09-04T04:34:00.000-07:00

Phil brought his little video camera. What a guy!

Inverness Hotel

2011-09-04T04:32:00.000-07:00

We had a view of the Loch and a castle. it was the best hotel of the trip! However we only got to stay there one night and since the nightmarish ride took us five hours rather than three, we only got to enjoy the city for a day. It was very quaint and small so easy to get around and see everything. We ate at their oldest Indian restaurant the night we arrived. It was established in 1986! ha ha. delicious food and cozy bed. We have a nice time. This was Phil's favorite place I believe. We talked about opening a hostel there called "southern hospitality" and just served southern cuisine. yea, it probably won't happen!

Glencoe

2011-09-04T04:28:00.000-07:00

A82

2011-09-04T04:26:00.000-07:00

Before we left the hotel we confirmed with the front desk the best way to get to Inverness, our next destination!

It was A82. Now I heard A roads weren't that bad, they are more like a highway. Up until the moment we drove to inverness I believed that as true.

Picture yourself in a strange car, going down a winding road / mountain for 3 hours with large buses coming around just inches away from you at a rapid speed?

it was hell! We stopped about half way to Inverness in Glencoe. the view as I described over and over was "gargantuan" it was super duper huge! and so beautiful. It was a shame I was fearing our lives the entire way and missing out on some of the beauty but it was quite the adventure. I said "slow down" to phil about a million times. Every car behind us passed us. I just don't see the point of going that fast when you can't see your next turn and huge buses are coming at you! i'd rather be safe. Later in the trip I looked up A82 accidents. they were gruesome. That is exactly why I was scared!

On the way we stopped at a few Lochs or Lakes. Here are some of the happier times down A82.

Glasgow Cathedral

2011-09-04T03:48:00.000-07:00

and some more

2011-09-04T03:46:00.000-07:00

the last of the necropolis, someone's apple and condiments in the UK!

can you guess what each is?

Photos again!

2011-09-04T03:43:00.000-07:00

Final Moments in Glasgow

2011-09-04T03:41:00.000-07:00

by the second night we realized we hadn't drank a beer yet and so we ventured out into the city and stopped in a very strange, "old man" bar. we tried a tenants, which is brewed in Glasgow (we passed the brewery on the sightseeing tour) and it was very good.

the bar slowly transitioned into a karaoke bar and some older metal heads came in to sing a lot. We stepped outside and introduced ourselves. They were fun(ny) to speak with and talk to about the city but we were obviously from two different textile factories. ;)

Anyway we proceeded to hang with them and Phil got the attention of this little bald man in the bathroom because he wanted Phil's thick hair. He looked like the singer "moby" and sang us bob dylan, townes and ozarks songs. He really knew his stuff. he insisted we take him email and I gave him my word I would write him. I did and still haven't heard back. awwhh too bad.

the last day we went to the necropolis, Europe's largest cemetery. it was beautiful and abundant and scary in some parts. a lot of trespassing had taken place in the past so there were bars on concrete monuments and bottles of beer laying around. Not what you think you'll see when looking at tombstones from centuries ago but it worked.

Phil kept saying "i guess there are assholes everywhere" and i guess there are!

Botanical Gardens

2011-09-04T03:34:00.000-07:00

More photos!

2011-09-04T03:31:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention in Glasgow they were shooting a film starring Brad Pitt. Apparently it is cheaper to film in Glasgow over Philadelphia so our first sight in Glasgow was a set for Philadelphia, where we had just left.

I am including the JFK Blvd other Philly things. It was a bit surreal! Especially since we were looking for streets on the city map that weren't there.

More Photos!

2011-09-04T03:26:00.000-07:00

Glasgow Day 2

2011-09-04T03:25:00.000-07:00

We did a lot in Glasgow. It was a refreshing way to start the journey because we didn't really know all the city had to offer. Thankfully we received a free sightseeing bus tour from the hotel and since we could hop on and hop off and be picked up every 15 minutes, we took full advantage.

KeBob places are very common over here and so is Indian food. I figured the indian food would be but the kebob places were a surprise. It's even common to go to a pub and along with the sandwich and fish and steak menu is an option for an indian dish. The grocery stores also have tons of microwavable options for masala and curry dishes. I can't even find Masala sauce in Columbia unless I'm at certain Publix'

so we started a day late but it was fine. We went to the top level of the double decker tour bus. The cool chill was so nice. We had headphones and listened to the city's history. It was fun and we stopped at some cool parts of town. Merchant City was very cool, smaller area with tons of pubs. I feel like the hunter gatherer would fit nicely in there. The city also boasts a flea market every weekend called the Barras Market. I was totally down for that so we went and I bought some gold shoes and a gray vest. all for the amount of 5 pounds total. I would have bought tons more except for the fact that we would have to haul it all and phil was very phil-like by telling me that was a dumb idea. So i didn't get a lot.

There were also a lot of thrift shops around and continued to be throughout the trip. that was something i really enjoyed. We went to the glasgow botanical garden, the university of glasgow and ended at the Kelvingrove Museum and the Glasgow Museum of Modern Art. Museums are free here so it's a great, inexpensive way to have fun! The Kelvingrove museum was rich with coffee smells and a string band, it felt very large and regal. The GoMA was less showy, with a much smaller collection. It was very minimal but the art was good. I particularly enjoyed how all museums seem to incorporate children. They had a section where you look in the mirror and draw a self portrait and hang up. It was cool!

This was also the day I realized, I am not a huge fan of most pork. Our breakfast sausage was odd and the hotdog we got at the garden was odd. The bacon is good but sausage in the UK is not for me.

Glasgow or bust!

2011-09-04T03:13:00.000-07:00

We made it to Philadelphia safe from Columbia and the excitement grew. We walked around, ate at Chicky & Pete's. Which was actually good. Phil chose it even though I thought it was the funniest name but it was good. I had a philly cheese steak and he had some fish thing I believe. we split some fries, had a coke and awaited the second flight together. This was our first trip riding in a plane together so it felt extra special (to me at least)

On the way to our first destination, Glasgow, we had pretty good seats. Bulk head seats with the extra leg room. We had a window seat and a middle seat but I asked the older man if he wanted the window seat and phil and I were the middle and end seat! Even more leg room!

The man was from Hilton Head ironically enough. He and some of his friends were traveling to St. Andrews to play golf. He reminded me a bit of my dad and a bit of my great uncle Travis. Dry wit, charming and knows what he wants.

It was a tedious chore trying to sleep on the plane. We knew we needed to try because of jet lag. We watched a little of "water for elephants" not that good by the way and fell asleep for maybe an hour or two. i tossed and turned and felt so out of it. i took two ambien but they didnt make me sleep any better, just made me feel crazy.

We arrive to Glasgow, pick up our rent a car, it was just the airport but everything felt new. The skies were gray, the people were speaking differently and we knew we figured the rest would be down hill.

Our first hotel was very close to the airport so the ten minute drive of getting used to the new automobile was pleasant. We had a hybrid car with a few odd buttons and Phil was obviously driving on the opposite side of the road in which we were used to. He did well!

We checked in and walked around the city to try and stay awake. it was hard but we were excited. Of course I wanted to go into every shop i'd never seen before but read about in blogs. Primark, Dorothy Perkins, H & M (we don't have one in Columbia) I didnt buy anything because the pound to dollar exchange is so bad, it just didn't feel like a deal.

Primark is a mix between like forever 21 and kmart. it's cheap and trendy and has some very good deals on practical things. There is one in Dundee as well so i'll probably go there often.

I noticed that a lot of people were looking at Phil funny. We were stared out quite a lot. I wasn't really sure why. In the city centre in Glasgow, there are a lot of hip, young, fashionistas and the older people even dressed very fancy. It's not like Phil or I looked out of place, we sort of blended in with our boring colors. I suppose now it was the beard because I only saw about 5 other beards this entire trip and i think one of them was an american beard.

My first impression of Glasgow was neutral. I wasn't looking for anything good or bad but made some observations. It's a busy area, especially for commercial shopping. No one likes to say excuse me! i said it or "sorry" over and over but people just seem to be in a rush. Also most younger ladies loved their hair and make up! I saw some very impressive beehives, bump it styles and eye makeup going on. It felt very "UK" for some reason.

We were becoming hungry. It was almost 6pm Scotland time, but 1pm our body time and we had essentially been awake over 25 hours. We didn't know what to try so we went to this little Ke-Bob place right outside the main shopping area. We ordered a lot! Too much in fact but we weren't sure of the sizes so we went all out! We ordered some meats with pita, a salad, fries, pizza and falafel. It was joined into a combo so it didn't sound like it would be that much (i ordered the pizza as an afterthought) we stuffed our faces and had tons to take back to the hotel.

Everyone who walked by looked at us like we were crazy. Not sure why but we were getting used to the weird looks.

We went back to the hotel, set our itinerary for the rest of the time in Glasgow and hit the sack! Slept a solid 12 hours and started fresh the next day!

The Beginning

2011-09-04T02:38:00.000-07:00

Well, well, well! it's going to be a bit difficult to try and go back through the horrifying
steps of the first day, but if you want it, you'll get it!

Thursday, August 25th: Original Departure Date

We met at 10:30 for breakfast at Lizards thicket. This included mom and buzz, dad, sarah and mema and meredith and pag. it was nice and sweet, with a few laughs thrown in. My dad was emotional as always and my mom's volume was up there. At that point, it still hadn't really hit me that I was leaving the country. I mean it really didn't. Not until we were going through the scanner did I realize, we are about to enter another world.

We say our goodbyes, we cry like babies and Phil and I wave the entire path down to our gate. It was so hard to see my parents crying but I knew it would be part of the journey and I figured out this point, it would only happen once. We arrive at our gate early, some of the first people there and we wait and wait and wait.

I am hopeful it will all work out and the plane ride will go smoothly. You see, we had purchased cheaper tickets three months prior to this via an employee through a buddy pass. We understood these passes were not a sure thing, and we may have to be placed on another flight, but we did understand they would work. We had confirmations, we paid for them, we got through checking out baggage, etc. What could possibly go wrong?

Well i'll tell you!

First of all the flight filled up. Soldiers were missing flights and asian ladies with their sons were missing connections, they all headed to our plane since they had first dibs. I was sweatily counting the people going down the tube to arrive to the plane. I knew once I hit 47 that would be the maximum. There was also a weight limit this particular day for fuel so the usual 55 seats was not valid.

I counted 45 and still carried that last ounce of hope. Then two more stragglers got the seats. Even if the stragglers didn't get them, there were two other men on standby for the flight. We were a bit crushed but knew we could reschedule and wait for the next ones. We talked to a kind and busy gateperson and they suggested we talk to the employee to get it figured out.

What I didn't tell you earlier is that this person was laid off two weeks prior to departure. We confirmed with him our tickets would still be valid but once we went to the check in area and spoke to a manager, our luck changed.

We waited outside a gray door shaking our feet and worrying about how long we'd have to wait for the next flight.

we did have reservations to make in Glasgow afterall.

20 minutes later, a woman came out with a phone number and insensitively said "call this number for your refund" Phil and I were numb. A trip we'd been planning for over three months is now just cancelled, just like that?!

Phil was mad. I've never seen him mad but he was mad. My mom and Buzz were pulling back up to pick us up when we told them the bad news. Surely I thought my mom would be able to do something. she moves mountains with her voice! she stormed in there, patiently waited in line and asked to speak to someone about this matter. No one would budge. We pleaded to get a valid buddy pass from another employee, offered cash, explained the situation, begged almost for another way. This was not just a leisurely trip, my school was waiting, our reservations were waiting and the time we put into this was filled up.

We were crying all day, just like in a movie where people cry in the airport all day!

Buzz flies a lot so he had some Delta employees assist us. They booked Phil a new flight for 2,000 and booked me one for 3,000. it was heartbreaking. At this point I didnt want to do it without Phil. He just had to go. This was OUR time that we so desperately needed. We were exhausted and full of emotions. It really hurt that no one would help us. We ended up having to be re-booked with the airline that screwed us over because they had the cheapest ticket of them all. Which is basically the reason they needed our money i guess.

We went home, doubted it all, worried about money and worried about the trip. having to say all of those goodbyes again and having to feel that pain again. we had dinner at D's wings with Meredith and Pag, vented to them and when we got home, we cried ourselves to sleep.

The next day, the goodbyes were a lot less difficult. It was more like a "get out of here already" than a "don't leave!"

So friday we started it all over again. the same flight, but a guaranteed spot. We were excited.

Looking back to then I am glad that we made it work. Phil helped me so much with everything. Even though his credit card is ridiculous now and even though it could have all been avoided, we made it!

This was the beginning to a heartfelt and loving vacation with my baby.

Here are some photos of us waiting at the gate - day 2 - tired and excited!