!

Ok so I'm not being too productive with all this spare time but I figured I would give you a picture of where I am typing from.

In the past 4 days I have slept 12.5 hours. I haven't been sleeping well as I adjust to this night shift pattern.

tomorrow at 2 pm, (it is 2:48 am now) I am heading up to the Highlnds with my flatmates. It is going to be lots of fun but we are also being cautious because it has been snowing a lot up north. I'm excited to finally see some munrows (mountains) and do a little bit of hiking.

unfortunately I have not accomplished all I set out on Monday. I have a lot of essays to write for different scholarships and I am no further along then I was last week at this time. It feels like I'm procrastinating on a paper, which brings me back to college (not that I ever procrastinated, just the feeling brings me back :) ) But I have deadlines and have made outlines so I am aiming to finish it within a week, which is ahead of schedule.

Probably my favorite website is relevantmagazine.com. In terms of music, approach to Christianity, articles, advice, (etc), it takes the cake for me. The poll they just put up on their website could be the greatest use of the Internet ever. Take a look
Poll

What Christian pop-culture icon would you rather see in a reality TV show?
Carmen
Sandi Patty
The Power Team
Gerbert
The guy from McGee and Me


That is my childhood! I don't know what the Power Team is, but Gerbert, McGee and Me were fixtures on our television. Sandi Patty reminds me of our tape deck in one of our DustBuster vans, and Carmen, well Carmen is just too cool! Think about it, he was a Christian singer and he didn't even sing, he just talked into the microphone with music in the background! My vote is with Carmen

Here are some more photos. Two are views from my flat, the others are from Stonehenge (obviously!), the Roman Baths in Bath, and a church in Wiltshire, England.

Take a picture, it will last longer

Here are some more photos. I would include the photos I have with my friends but I think it's probably best not to. (They aren't paranoid, it's just that I want to respect their privacy) By the way, the picture of me in Brussels, I'm holding a jacket behind my back which is why my shirt is bulging out to the side, I'm not pregnant. :)

Random Photos

Again, because I am at work and even though this computer is ancient I was able to upload some random photos. Some of these are over 5 months old and the ones I'll include this week will be really random, but enjoy nonetheless!

I am working right now...

on Night shift. We now have broadband at work and because it is 2:30 in the morning and everyone is asleep, (except me and my co-worker) I am just sitting in the office being a vigilant keeper of the gate! It sounds easy and I suppose it really is. Since 9 pm I have kept busy with various tasks but most of them have been completed so now I am just watching the time go by.

It is a good chance to read, relax, pray, and think. Since I am doing 3 nights in a row I have 5 days off immediately after. My flatmates, all four of us, are heading to the Highlands this weekend. It is suppose to be incredibly cold but I don't care. I can't wait to get up in the mountains and take in some of God's original creation. One of the members of staff has a cabin up North that she is so kindly allowing us to use for free. It will be a good time to bond and see some more of Scotland.

The weekend went well but this past day was strange. On Sunday I slept in and then went to my Manager's church at 4 in the afternoon. They were having "Homelessness Sunday," so staff and ex-residents from Bethany were to lead the worship service. I was able to play the bass and was blessed to hear some testimonies of people who have undergone incredible conversions.

Because I was preparing for Night shift I stayed up until 7 in the morning. I would have been happy with staying up until 4 but I was a real trooper! However when I finally went to bed I only slept until 1 pm. Not good! I went for a run to try to tire myslef out but that didn't work too well. The rest of the day I felt either really tired or really awake. So I spent my afternoon leading up to work just trying to figure out if I wanted to be in bed or not. It doesn't help that I'm feeling a little under the weather, which I can blame on Danny because he has been sick of late. So I have about 6 hours to go and I'm feeling pretty groggy.

Better get some coffee!

The exciting conclusion

I read my last blog and boy am I glad! I would have forgot to tell you about the exciting conclusion of my night...

I went to Bible Study. That's about it!

The last 3 days I have worked and am pretty tired. 2 twelve hours shifts don't seem too bad, but the third one in a row really exhuasted me. Right now I am feeling pretty tired because I had to get up early to fiddle around with our gas in the flat. It was leaking last night and I got up early to mess with the main valve thingy watchamacallit. I am no Bob Veila but it's fixed now.

Also I'm feeling a little groggy because I just ate so much food. I went out to do some grocery shopping, which is always a hassle for me. I pick grocery stores on far ends of the city so I can get the excersise on the bike in between. But it takes me forever to shop becaues I am so tight with my money! I try to squeeze out every penny. Anyhow after biking around and doing some shopping I came back to the flat with the plan to eat! Since Bluffton I have lost some weight, actually a decent amount, and since here I have just stayed the same. So I am trying to make an effort to put at least some of it back on but it is going to be a battle :)

Tonight is Mexican Movie night!!!! Chips, salsa, beans, tortillas, rice....Really just an excuse to eat, talk, and maybe watch a little bit of a movie! Tomorrow is....Poker Night!!! Again an excuse to talk and socialize around a table of cards.

Last night we had to re-match of staff versus residents. If you remember before the score was 3-3. Well this time we played on a smaller pitch, with 6 players a side. Let's just say we were a little more motivated this time, the scoreboard read 18-2, staff.

Well I need to do laundry, get a shower, meet up with some volunteers to say "hi," and then maybe get a nap in this afternoon.

Also I worked myself into a starting role on our football team, so I am the starting right back for Edinburgh City Mission. (This is big time you know!! :)

Mike

Going places

I went to Glasgow today with Lauren. It was a fun, cheap trip, until we were coming back on the rail. She forgot her Young Person's Rail card so they charged her full price for a return ticket on top of the ticket she already bought. I had my Young Person's Railcard but when they issued it to me they only gave me one part of the card. So I too had to pay the extra 10£ on top of the first ticket I bought. What makes it worse is that thepublicc transportation here hasn't figured out how to use things like computers. So there is no database (although each railcard is assigned a unique number) that records your purchase and what not. So for Lauren she couldn't get a refund because you have to have your card with you. For me, well, it is even worse. Because they didn't give me part of my railcard at the time of purchase it is invalid. So now I have to buy another railcard on top of paying the extra money for the ticket to Glasgow.

This isn't the first time this week that I have had problems with travel plans. We were complementingabouts on the way back about how well we did to go to Glasgow and back, get some food, visit Museums and Cathedrals for 8£ total, and then that happened. Oh well, that's the way it goes I suppose!

So what has happened as of late? I had the weekend off, which was relaxing. Saturday I played football in the morning and then went to a friends house to watch football and eat pizza. That night was really boring, which I really enjoyed. It was the first night in a long time where I didn't havanythingng to do, and I enjoyed jusreadinggn and watching the Olympics. On Sunday I went into work to work on seminary applications, that evening Danny and I led worship again. It is quite commitmentnt to lead worship because it takes up half the day. We are leaving the flat around 4 and returning around 9, but it is well worth it.

I have Bible Study at church here in a bit but don't know if I'm going to bother. I left the flat at 10 this morning and haven't been back yet. I'm still quite happy with work here. I thought my schedule would make for exhausting days and long shifts, but I have actually enjoyed it a lot. I have still managed to find time to exercise everyday. This morning I went for a good long run, yesterday I lifted, the day before played football, etc... I was getting really bored with just running everyday so I have been happy to have some variety as of late. My chances to play football are picking up and since I can use to gym for free now it adds a change of pace. I actually find it easier to get up and exercise at 7:30 in the morning when I am about to work a 12 hour shift.

So I might go to Bible Studay but I might not...If you can't tell right now I am trying to make up my mind and weigh the pro's and con's via writing this blog. There are obviously very view con's, but it is a very basic Bible study. It is very introductory and shares stuff like, "Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are the 4 Gospels, they each give an account of Jesus's life and ministry." But it is still good for getting discussions going...

I have 3 days of work in a row because I am doing 3 days of night shift next week. The shift patterns are difficult to understand sometimes but the way it goes is I work 3 days, off 3 days, then I work night 3 days, and then I'm off 4 days. That's not the norm. But it works out well because in two weekends everyone from my flat is heading up to the Highlands. It will be a good time for us to bond and relax.

Well tune in next time I write to find out the dramatic conclusion to whether or not I went to Bible Study!

P.S. I apologize for the poor spelling, grammar, and punctuation

Things happen

I like to do things. Moreover I like to busy, and when working a 2 day on 2 day off schedule that means for big chunks of free time. I always seem to worry about getting things planned for my days off so I'm not bored. However, I have no reason to worry because things just seem to happen!

Like last Thursday, I had nothing planned. The night before my pastor phoned to say he wanted to meet for lunch. Then I saw there was a cool exhibit at the museum that took up my afternoon and at night Danny ended up coming home from the conference early so we caught a movie.

On Friday I found out that now my work gym card gets us into the gym for free! So I used that in the morning and came back to find some of my co-workers got the day off. So we went for a drive/walk (sounds kinda of corny, but it was fun) to Crammond (imagine a fishing village), then watched a football match, made some awesome dinner, and then Danny and I headed to friends flat to say, "hi." We actually did more then say "hi," we played Jenga! (I lost once)

And then we had work. I wonder how numb I am becoming sometimes. When I first came here I was far more affected by situations. We had a resident refuse to leave the building and I was the only male there so I had to calm him down. The only problem was he was completely wasted and the police had to come. Of course the police then let him out of their custody and he returned 1 hour later so we could re-live the excitement.

What I find humorous at the House is how the residents try to pull the wool over my eyes. I walked into one flat and a guy was sitting on the couch but probably thought he was sitting on Pluto. I knew he had been smoking grass not only by the way he looked but by the fact I could smell it. It didn't help that he started the conversation and talked for 20 minutes straight about how Mark McGwire (baseball player) was the guy that his dad said he knew.

Even when I was leaving work the next day, Sunday, I ran into a lady on the street, drunk and carrying her child. The kid had a 6 inch slice in her head and was bleeding everywhere. So I walked her up to the closest drop in center.

Monday was a nice day at work but I was just reminded how blessed I am by my co-workers. We went out after work and just spent a good time chatting away. Yesterday, I was pretty lazy. Well I say lazy but I did a 1.5 hr bike ride then hiked on the crags for a little by myself. In the afternoon I went to Bethany Hall and worked on the computers so I could set up my FASFA.

Today, I went for a swim. I'm getting better, the old ladies aren't passing me by anymore! Danny is around today as well so we just chilled in the flat for a couple of hours. I'm heading back now to go to a friends flat for some food and then we are catching a movie.

It's a nice day out and I'm looking forward to the coming weeks. March 1st I head up to the highlands with my flatmates. Late March Josh is coming over and all of our travel is finally finalized! And just yesterday I booked my flights to Germany for the World Cup and to visit Dan.

Alright, that's life on this side of the ocean. Hope you had a good valentines, I spent mine with my house group reading the Bible, so I spent it in the presence of Jesus! Beat that :)

This was hard...

Well I have been meaning to write for about one week. A lot has happened, like always, yet I just can't seem to get around to writing. I have had the last 4 days off and I haven't touched the new Donald Miller book I have and haven't even scratched in my journal.

So here are the highlights of my past week and a half

-Learning to drive stick/ learning this on the left side of the road
-Playing football
-Celebrating my birthday with the volunteers
-Going golfing on my b-day
-House group, leading worship
-Big screen, movie night, at our flat
-Keeping the projector last night so I could watch the Steelers win a Super Bowl!
-Eating Bannana pudding! (yum) Eating Birthday Cake (yum!)
-Playing 9 games of pool for really cheap at a pool hall that made me feel like I was in some low budget film!
-Losing all 9 games of pool and therefore relinquishing any bragging rights I had beforehand

I have spent the pass two days mostly filling out applications and forms for Seminary. It takes a lot of work and coordination to mail stuff all over the world for references, transcripts, and what not!

My birthday was cool, the volunteers came over and we went out and listened to some music. It was a guy on the guitar and his mate on the drums. He was pretty good and I started to predict the songs he was going to play and actually got two right in a row! A Beach Boys and Beatles tune!

There is so much to write and so many things I could share but I just don't know where to begin. It seems like I'm just getting comfrotable here in Scotland and realize that I have to start preparing for moving on. I think that is one thing that makes this year difficult. I have known all along that it is temporary, so it is hard to commit fully to anything. That being said, I was don't regret my choice at all. I have made some incredible friends and had some great experiences!

I am excited for my upcoming travels, my bro is coming in late March. In June I'm going to visit Dan in Germany. Late July will bring more travels with Dan. June and August my parents and sis/bro-in law are going to cross the pond!

Work has been going well and my 4 days off have been nice. I am actually writing this at work, we now have broadband here and I decided to come in on my day off to use the computer. I have actually been writing seminary essays for the past 2 hours and decided this would be a good break.

Until next time...cheers!

Just a little tired..

I woke up this morning pretty exhausted. I haven't had much time to catch up since I returned on Monday. After two days of working I had to go to an all day training session yesterday. I was out late visiting friends and making new ones on Wednesday and last night. It's good to spend time with people but I realized that this is my first day back in Edinburgh for about 2.5 weeks. I'm going to try to take today easy but I have a lot of things to catch up on. Shopping, mail, random errands, updating a bus pass, printing photos, buying a gift....

Tonight we are having "poker night" at our flat, which of course isn't for real money, so it's a Christian version of poker night. :)

I was suppose to work on Saturday but Danny and some of my co-workers want to take me out to see a play during the afternoon. Some of my co-workers are going to be gone next weekend so I'll celebrate my birthday tomorrow with them. It will nice early b-day gift and the play is suppose to be incredible. It's actually a stage production of Trainspotting, which is a Scottish film with Euan McGregor. I watched the film with Danny yesterday after our training and the whole movie takes place in Edinburgh.

Sunday I'm helping lead worship again so I could use prayer for that. My visit to Trowbridge, again, was incredible. The Steelers also won which was awesome! It seems that I picked the wrong year to leave the country, maybe the Pirates will win the World Series by the time I come back :)

Speaking of coming back....I bet you are wondering (maybe your not) what I will do when I return. Well I am looking at Seminary and three Seminaries have caught my attention. Right now I am in the process of filling out application for Northern, Denver, and Asbury. The problem is it is such a pain to do these applications overseas. It means a lot of mailing and although I can do them online and save the applications, only a bit gets done at a time. I just need to set out a day and hammer them away.

Take care, enjoy the weekend and the rest of January!

Blessed!

It has been a long time since I updated last. Actually it has only been about 1.5 weeks but so much has happened! Wow I don't know where to begin. How about this...I'm sitting in the living room of people who were complete strangers until two days ago. Right now I am watching the San Antonio Spurs beat the Miami Heat while typing on a laptop via a wireless connection! Yeah, I feel like I am at home. Not to mention I am eating some awesome turkey soup and have a room upstairs with a huge bed and all of this is available to me at the cost of....0!

Let me backtrack a little bit here. Last week after my night shift I went up to Stirling Scotland. When you here Stirling think of William Wallace, Braveheart, yada yada. One of the volunteers is placed there and his host family completely welcomed me into their home. They gave me my own room, pizza, tuna pasta, drove me to the train station, pretty much put their complete home at my disposal! They have two little children and I enjoyed the time we spent together, we were able to stay up late into the night twice talking about everything from Christianity to music and Mighty Python!

When I came back to Edinburgh I worked over the weekend after seeing the Wallace Monument and the Stirling Castle. On Monday I jumped on a train with Nick to go to the Time For God conference in London. The theme was "New Begginings" and we explored the theme via the grueling task of watching movies! We would watch a film and then discuss the themes and how it relates to our expriences. It was great to get together with the other volunteers and we were given a lot of free time to talk, play games, and wander the city.

Now you might wonder where am i? Well the family I stayed with in Stirling has family in Wiltshire England, which is where I am. Since I was down in England for the conference I wanted to use the location to my advantage. The family from Stirling called their family here in Wiltshire and asked if I could stay with them. They didn't hesitate! So after the confernece I jumped a train over here and they too picked me up from the train station.

And man do I feel spoiled. Wiltshire is home to two important landmarks, Bath, and Stonehenge. So after picking me up on Thursday they brought me to their home, their kids have since moved out, so they have a lot of space. On Thur she cooked me a traditional English meal and then we went out to a community play. Yesterday I took a bus to Stonehenge and of course they wouldn't let me leave without a packed lunch. When I came back in the evening I went out with Mr. (I should leave some anonymity) for curry night with the guys from the church. I had my first curry experience and the six of us enjoyed enough food for twelve and talked late into the night at the restauraunt.

Today I went to Bath and I just got back a couple hours ago. They had a birthday party to go to so they gave me a key and left the house at my disposal! Wow, I am so blessed. They have opened their house to a complete stranger and before they left they told me to make the homhe my own. She has been trying to do my laundry and won't let me go a minute without food or warm tea!

Oh yeah, it gets better! Not only do I have the luxury of internet and television (this is television on steroids, american channels!) but tommorow they want to drive me around some more of Wiltshire and show me some more sights. Now I already convicned them to let me make them breakfast, which will be pancakes and french toast, but in the evening we have churcfh at 4 pm. Then after church is the church potluck!

The only thing I was worrying about was, how am I going to watch the Steeler game on Sunday. Well, guess what? Their son who is my age and lives here in town is a big American Football fan, just like his roomate. Guess who they follow? That's right, the Steelers. And of course there are two AMericans in the congergation who are from where else? Pittsburgh! So when they heard about me being a fan they said I had "no choice" but to go to their flat and watch the game. I said, "but...but..well... if I have to." Ha ha. Wow, sometimes you just know God is watching over you.

By the way Stonehenge is awesome!

Weird Week

So I had three days off from work and now I have another 3 days off. If I would of known about this I would have planned some sort of traveling. Last night I had to cover an emergency night shift and right now I'm doing quite well considering I have had 4 hours of sleep in the past 36 hours. The nice thing about covering the night shift is that my boss gave me the next couple days off on top of what I already had off.

On Monday I am going to London for a conference and still trying to see if I can find a place to visit/stay while down there. What else? On Sunday I was able to see to Steelers beat the Bungles which was a definite plus. The weekend was pretty mellow, I spent it hanging with other volunteers, watching football, and going to church. This sudden burst of free time is nice but at the same time it gets me feeling unsettled because I want to use my days off wisely.

Last night I played football before my night shift and the residents actually tied the staff. We played pretty horrible and should of won 10-3, not tied 3-3! Well I need to go get some rest and try to get my body back on a normal schedule. Until the next time, enjoy!

Mike

So This is the New Year

Happy New Year! (I have always thought it a strange holiday where people get stressed over trying to find something important to do!) :)

This was definitely a New Year unlink any other. I along with around 20 people or so from different countries (Sweden, England, Czech Republic, Spain, Germany, The States, Ireland...) hung out together at one of the volunteer flats and then we headed down to Princes Street. There were loads of people, music, and a spectacular fireworks show that took place over the Edinburgh Castle.

Now that Hogmany has ended the city is getting back to normal, as is work. I spent my days off this past week traveling to some villages outside of edinburgh, meeting up with friends to watch football, and going out to eat to make some new friends! I have the weekend off and it actually looks to be rather mellow! A nice change in pace.

Last night we put the projector up in our flat and had about 7 friends come over so we could play FIFA 2006 on the X Box. I'm not a big video game fan but it was a good excuse for us to get together and relax.

Work has been hectic as of late. Everything from poice visits and extreme alcohol use to battling mental problems and depression. I know I am quite fortunate to be getting this experience but my hat goes off to the people who do this type of work year in and year out. It does really demand a lot of patience, love, and dedication!

Enjoy the New Year and don't make any resolutions you can't keep!

Mike

So This is the New Year

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

There is a lot to catch up on since I last wrote. It has been a busy 8 days here in Edinburgh. After working last Thursday and Friday I had Christmas Eve off and really enjoyed it. All the volunteers that were in Edinburgh came to our flat and we made some food and then went to the city center for a candlelight service at midnight. It was a really traditional service at one of the old churches. We took communion, sang some songs, and then walked back to our flat into the early part of Christmas Day. On Christmas Day all the volunteers had to work, so in the morning I opened up my packages and cards! Thanks to everyone who sent me something in the mail, it was a blessing and made it feel like Christmas.

Around 2 pm Nick and I headed to work where we ate plenty of turkey, ham, stuffing, cake, potatoes, cranberries, and more! There were only about 7 guys in the House and the mood was fairly melancholy. A lot of the guys got emotional when we went around the flat and handed out the gifts we had bought them. It was even more difficult to turn some guys away from the Hostel when they came back drunk. They struggle at the Holidays because it reminds them of the things they don't have or have lost.

We have tried to make this past week special for the guys by holding an "activities week." I have led trips to the cinema, theatre, and held game nights. Of course another bonus of this job is the free stuff I get to do! I didn't work yesterday but I went along with staff and some of the residents for some go-carting! These go-carts got upwards of 35 mph and the track was pretty intense! I can say I represented my country well by taking first place in the second race! All that Chicago driving is paying dividends.

On Tuesday I went to go see the Edinburgh capitals, which is the professional hockey team here. But it is about equivalent to college hockey in the states, although I'm convinced MSU or Boston College would dominate.

Last night was the torchlight processional through the city center. Loads of people marched through the city with torches up Calton Hill where they shot off fireworks. There are about 4 other volunteers staying up here right now for hogmanay so we watched the procession and then went and listened to some Polish Music at a little coffee house.

Tonight there is a huge Cedhli out in the city center with a parade and dancers. Edinburgh goes to the extreme for the new year so I can't say that I have been bored of late! Here's a good link if you want to see what is going on here....http://www.edinburghshogmanay.org/

Beside that I am looking forward to doing some traveling soon. I am going down to London on Jan 16th for a conference and hopefully I'll get a chance to travel in February. It is starting to ice over here in the city and the snow is now sticking to the ground. Take care.

Mike

What's new?

Nothing much to report since my last post. I worked Sat-Mon and it proved to be a hectic weekend. We were pretty short of staff so I was busy all three days. Yesterday I finally got a chance to relax and went on a nice 1 hour bike ride around Arhurs Seat and the Crags. In the afternoon I went to one of my friends flats, she leads our house group and I showed up early to help make some mince pies for that evening. So now when I go back to the states I can make proper Scottish food! We had a good evening with the group and had some new faces show up.

I also went to a candlelight service on Sunday evening after work. It was nice that my church keeps that tradition that I grew up with. Today I had a nice 4 hour staff meeting, which was a surprise since I forgot about it. AFterwards J.P. Danny and I killed two hours by golfing, yet again! When I'm done here in the library at 6 I have to run out to the central post office to pick up a Xmas package from my Mommy! I should probably also do some shopping for some real food, we have a lot of sweets, chocolate, chips, and cookies in our flat from all the different Xmas parties we have individually gone to. It would be benefical to have some alternatives!

On Wednesdays the Cinema is really cheap here so I might hop on over to Ocean Terminal (think of a big American Mall) with Lauren, Paula and Nick so we can watch Chronicles of Narnia. We'll see...until then, since I might not get a chance to post, Merry Christmas. If you care to know I'll be workign Christmas day which will be nice. We cook up a big meal and it should be a pretty relaxed atmosphere. After work Nick, Danny, and I are heading over to another staff member's flat who is working with us that day. Many blessings

Mike

Mayo and sugar over popcorn??

So not much to tell...I went golfing again yesterday with some friends and then in the afternoons we had a staff vs. Residents football match. It was great because I am able to get all of my "revenge" against the residents by making them look funny on the pitch! There weren't enough residents to play a proper staff vs residents match but it was still a good kick about.

Tonight we have organized a volunteer xmas get together. We'll probably just make some cookies and chat before several of the volunteers head home for Christmas. About half of the volunteers are going back to their respective countries (Germany, Sweden, Czech Republic) but a lot of us are sticking around.

I'm feeling a little sore today from football yesterday and I just went to the gym for a swim. Man let me tell you swimming is not easy! I was fine working out in the gym but when I jump in the water I become a stone. I was doing laps and there were a bunch of 40 year old women passing me in the pool!!!

Lauren and I are getting together this afternoon to knock out some Xmas shopping since the volunteers are doing "secret Santa." So actually I have lucked out because this will be my only real Xmas shopping of the year!

What else....last night when I got into bed I found an ironing board under my sheets. Danny has become the practical joker of the house and I need to get some revenge, so any ideas will be gladly welcomed. As a side note we made popcorn last night and he thought it was disgusting that I put a little bit of salt on my popcorn. He put mayo and sugar on his! Mayo and sugar??? And what is even worse is he went to the shop to get us dinner and came back with 2 "Chicago style deep dish piazzas" I told him he would have to come home with me for the real experience, although I have to respect the Scottish effort put into the pizza.

I have free calls to the states on Sats in December so if you want a call give me an e-mail. Also Danny and I are leading worship again on Sunday so prayer would be great, and we are trying to kick off a coffee house ministry once a month at the church. Enjoy the season!

Mike

Golf, Kung Fu, and Carols

I went out for some golfing on Wednesday, my day off, which makes me even more Scottish. Think about it, December, cold weather, blustery wind, and yet I was playing golf! Some guys from work and myself braved the weather and shot 9 holes. My hands were so cold I couldn't feel my right hand thumb. Which in turn made me alter my grip, which actually was good because I started driving the ball farther!

Friday night was Kung-Fu night! We watched some cheesy Kung Fu movies, order Chinese food, and rented a projector from work. It made for a difficult morning on Saturday when I got up to play some soccer. We tied 3-3 when our opponents scored with 30 seconds left! We are still 3rd in the league, so we are in striking distance of first place.

Saturday night I went with a group of friends to a big Christmas concert at Usher Hall. There was a full choir, orchestra, brass ensemble, and more that performed Christmas Carols, worship songs, contemporary music, along with a brief message.

Yesterday was a realaxing Sunday and once again Danny and I led worship at church. Today was suppose to be my day off but I just finished a training course on anger and conflict mediation! I can't seem to pay attention for too long during those courses but they are beneficial to an extent! Tonight I'm getting together with some of the volunteers for dinner and then going out to listen to some music. Tomorrow I hit the grind again with a couple days of work!

I do feel like Christmas is arriving! Briefly on Saturday I went to Ocean Terminal, which is a three story mall (it looks like it has been plucked from Naperville, or any big city suburbs) and the place was absolutely packed! I was so caught up in the spirit I almost jumped in the line to sit on Santa's lap but I was in a hurry. Tis the season!

Dancing with guys in kilts

I danced to a guy with an accordion last night for 3 hours! I went to my first Ceilidh with 3 girls from none other than Bluffton University! They are heading home from studying over in Belfast and it was great to have them stop by! We were able to get together over the weekend and I showed them the city, made some penne pasta (I think in retrospect I got the recipe from eating my mom's version), and listened to some good ol traditional folk music.

I realized I had not made it to the city center for awhile but since last Thursday I was down there 5 nights in a row, excluding Sunday. After work on Sunday, Danny and I led worship at church, it went well. Tonight I have house group and tomorrow I'm going golfing with Danny, a friend from work and our pastor. But the apex of the weekend is going to be on Friday. Danny and I are beginning to plan these movie nights at our flat. We are going to watch two similar movies and make food with the theme. So this Friday we are watching a Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee movie, with some stir fry, instant noodles, and rice! The future holds a Western Night (beans, Mexican food) Mob/Mafia Night (pizza, pasta) and maybe an Ocean night (Seafood)!

Fun fun!

Bagpipes vs. Fiddle

I read through some of my post and realized that they are pretty boring. It reads like a personal calendar. So I hope if I post more often, with smaller posts, it will be more interesting to read.

Yesterday was St. Andrews day which not one person at work knew the purpose behind. All I know is that the castle was open for free. So we organized some guys from the House who wanted to go up to the castle. Of course not all of staff can go on these little trips, since there are things to maintain at the hostel, but since I'm a tourist/volunteer it seems that I always get priority! So myself and another project worker took about 5 guys to the castle. The perks of this job!

Also the night before we had a lot of staff on and somebody suggested taking the guys to a movie. Well the other 4 members of staff had support meetings, interviews, or paperwork to do, so they asked if I would be "willing" to take the guys to the cinema. As you can imagine I decided although it sounded hard and difficult I would have no problem going and watching a movie for free while working.

What I like most about these outings is that it is a great chance to talk with the residents. In the House the environment is always a little restricted. There seems to be a barrier, or an unspoken tension, that always exists between us and the clients. But outside the House we are put on more of a level playing field. Instead of being a "assistant project worker" I am just another guy going to watch a movie with other guys. It's nice.

I got off work early and met up with Nick and Lauren downtown. On the Royal Mile they pulled out a stage for some bands. Dougie MacClean played with his band and a branch of the tattoo marched up and down the mile. Dougie MacClean plays a mixture between folk and rock. I would say he is a guy who made traditional folk music cool and was in his prime back in the 70's-80's. I really knew I was in Scotland when he pulled out a fiddle and his lead guitarist pulled out the bagpipes. With a full band jamming behind them they had a bagpipe-fiddle-sound-off. Kind of like dueling banjo's! Good times!