Neighborhood Adventures

I haven't been on any big trips since going to Dublin, but a lot of exciting things are coming up in the next few weeks and I can't wait to share them with you all! I've been saving my cash for my upcoming adventures and writing my final essays. I will be done with all things academic related on March 31st! Which means I'll have almost two full months to travel and just soak up Europe without the drag of having to go to 4 hours of class a week. Like ugh.
My goal is to complete all of my assignments before Hannah and Megan arrive next week! I've finished one essay and am 1,000 words into my Shakespeare one. It's slow going, but I only have four days until Hannah gets here!! She arrives in Dundee on Tuesday and I am so excited, considering I haven't seen her since August. Megan arrives a couple of days after her and then we have a few days as a trio, recreating our SB12 vacation in NYC. I cannot wait to show them around my home. Being the obnoxious planner that I am, I've created an intricate itinerary so we won't waste a single second!
It hasn't all just been Netflix and essays in the last two weeks though! Last Saturday was one of my favourite (my computer knows I'm in the UK and demands I spell it this way) days I've spent in Dundee! Nat and I crossed the Tay River Road Bridge, something I had done before, but this time we turned to the left instead of the right. We followed the Fife coastal path all the way down until we were nearly across the river from Broughty Ferry! Along the way we met a few dogs, a group of elderly walkers, and some horses in a pasture. It was a rare beautiful sunny day and after our snack/lunch we stretched out on the grass, soaking up the rays as best we could. We walked back toward Newport-on-Tay before heading back over the bridge and home to shower. We had a hot date that evening!
I've made friends with a girl in my Shakespeare class and I actually shared my first box of Monsters Inc. macaroni and cheese with her when I got my package from Tracy! Her name is Maria and she is from Newcastle, England. She even saw my bare bed and offered me an extra set of sheets from her own closet for the semester! She lives in a flat less than a mile from ours with her boyfriend, Roy, and they invited us over for an evening of fajitas and a movie. I loved that I could introduce she and Nat, because making friends out of all of my friends is one of my favorite activities. I actually introduced Hannah and Megan and they've become close, and Megan introduced Tracy and I and now I can't imagine life without her! Connections with people are the very best.
Maria and Roy were absolute perfect hosts. She met us outside of the landmark McManus Gallery and walked us the rest of the way to their adorable flat. We met her cat, Bonnie, and chatted on the fluffiest couch I've sat on since leaving the States while Roy made the fajitas.

*Insert F.R.I.E.N.D.S. clip with Ross wailing "my fajitas!" here* 

(YouTube wasn't helpful)

Dinner was nothing short of scrumptious. And I think I ate my weight in chips and salsa. We laughed and laughed at nearly everything. There we were, four different nationalities in the same room. Roy is from Scotland, Maria from England, Nat from Canada, and I'm American. Much diversity. Such culture. I LOVED it! Even when they burst out laughing at our pronunciation of Irn Bru, which is apparently not pronounced exactly as it sounds. They swear it's Iron Bruh. WHERE'S THE O, Y'ALL? Put an 'O' in there if you want it pronounced that way! ;) 

We finally tore ourselves away from dinner and our lovely conversation and went into the next room to watch "About Time" with Rachel McAdams on the projector. Cinema quality with the amenities of home! Despite Roy predicting everything that happened and me crying because duh it's a movie I have to cry, we had such a wonderful time!!

They walked us back to McManus in the few raindrops that were falling and Nat and I walked home the rest of the way discussing our calendar for when to reciprocate their dinner invitation and what on earth to make. I consider it easily in my top 3 evenings since moving to Dundee! I love that my circle of friends is getting wider and wider. I read something in Thought Catalog the other day that I absolutely adored. 

"I have some friends who I would consider family, based on the length, dedication, and unconditional love within our relationship and some blood relatives who I do not consider family because of the lacking of all of those previously listed qualities."

I love creating a family I get to choose of friends who mean the world to me. I'm already making lists of American goodies to send to Nat and Maria when I return to the States. Everyday this giant world gets a little bit smaller. Unfortunately, I'm not shrinking with it considering I'm on my third donut in two days. If you need me in May look for the Very Lucky Whale laying out on a Greek Island.