This is my travel journal from my study abroad trip to the UK and France. The names of my teachers and classmates have been changed for privacy reasons.

DAY 12- May 31
            Exam today! I have carpal tunnel now, I wrote so much. Shame we weren't allowed to type them, but we had to maintain some integrity. I think I did pretty well, although I may get points taken off for sarcasm. On an unrelated note, I've been watching a lot of BBC news when I'm in my room. Well, mostly because I like to have the TV on. I hear the voices and I think someone else is in the room. (Kind of like leaving the radio on for the dog.) I keep seeing these people I saw at the Scottish Parliament appearing on the news. Neat.

               Okay, so class happened and then we had to putter away until Pub Tour Time. Did I mention we were going on the Pub Tour? I ended up on a bus with all the guys and was apparently the only one who knew the way to the Beehive. Our tour began on what had to have been the third floor of this pub. This whole place was one of those pubs that felt really old, with lots of dark heavy woods, thick carpets and wood floors. And curtains. And upstairs was a tiny little room, barely big enough to seat twenty or so, with a stage that was almost as big as a floor mod. (3'6" x 3'6")

               This show is how I wish history class could be. I mean, at least once or twice a month as a way to reenforce what we've learned. Little comedy, little drinking...it's very conductive to education. It's two characters, Clart and McBrain, leading the audience from pub to pub while having a hilarious debate about the duality of famous Scottish writers. It was AWESOME. Did you know you can sing one of Robert Fergusson's poems to The Yellow Rose of Texas? Yeah, they asked where everyone was from, and when they found out how many of us were from Texas the guy said "Well, you're gonna love this!"

               So there we are, drinking and learning. We hit about three or four pubs and I had a drink at each one. (This will come into play later.) Now, I don't usually drink, but it's much easier to do so here, and I felt that I just wouldn't be in the spirit of things if I didn't branch out. I met some very nice people on the tour. There was Vicky, whose spelling I'm only guessing at. She's not really from anywhere, just traveling. I also met Alex, Stephanie, and Adam, all from different parts of America. Chicago, California, and Georgia, I think, or maybe two of them were from California?

               The second pub, one of my professors actually bought me an ale. This was probably because it was very crowded and that way was faster. The third pub, I had a pint of cider, but my new friends and I got so involved in our conversation that we'd barely touched our drinks when it was time to move on. We ended up chugging them. I felt perfectly fine during the next scene, but when we started walking to our next location, the ground started to zig-zag.

               Well, there was a quiz at the end of the tour and the only answer I knew was "Maggie Smith." Afterward, I talked theatre with the tour guides. With the guy, actually. I think his name was Mark. Then I got together in the pub with Adam, Alex, and Stephanie. Either we were all buzzed or it was just me, but whatever it was we decided we needed some haggis like, right freakin' now, and we went roaming the streets in search of it.

               Adam said he knew a place, but we got there and it was closed. But we were having a great time just walking and talking, and we were a little hungry, so we went on aimlessly until we found a kebab place. Cheap, too. I got more chips than I could ever hope to finish in one go for like ₤2. It was getting late, and we all had things to do in the morning. (Driving, train catching, delivering a presentation, etc.) But we swapped contact information. Adam had to go one way, and the girls were nice enough to stay with me until my bus came.

               Yeah, I'd realized that while they were all in hostels and pretty much on their own, I was the only person who had to answer to someone. And that's kind of a sobering thought. But you know what? I'm glad I did that. I made some new friends, I had a great time, and I managed the bus on my own like a big girl. Still, I ended up tiptoeing into the dorms and closing doors quietly. I didn't get back until after midnight. (I later found out that I was one of the early returners.)

               Nothing happened. No teachers popping up out of the bushes shouting "YOU HAVE FAILED THE BUDDY SYSTEM!" Nothing. I don't think anyone noticed I was gone. Huh. Fun night, though! And I had more fun with those people than I've had with anyone in class so far.