(SIDENOTE: This special day also marks fifty-seven years of life for my gracious, giving father. Happy birthday, Dad! You're the best, and you're missed from across an ocean.)
Before I get too far ahead of myself, I need to start at the beginning--August 2009, the month I moved away from my hometown of Canton, Michigan, to Hope College, a tiny community located three hours west. The first few weeks were full of excitement, insecurities, fears, and a frantic search for a niche, for friends, for comfort. The beginning of my time as a college student truly shaped who I am today and what I value, though it was impossible to see at the time that it was occurring. I was cared for by a beautiful, wonderful community who is still dear to me today, and I couldn't be more grateful for that first week of discomfort and anxiety. It was after those first few weeks that Hope started feeling like home rather than just a college campus, and that feeling has never gone away.
The past week and a half that I've been at the University of Aberdeen has felt a lot like those first weeks as a freshman; I've experienced high degrees of excitement and joy and have also felt unsure, homesick, and out of place. What an interesting experience it is to feel these kinds of anxieties in your third year of college! However, just as I'm seeing the first very early signs of spring here in Scotland, I'm also experiencing the first feelings of belonging, of true happiness, and of home.
Friday marked the first day of rounding this corner. I had my first Victorianism tutorial from nine to eleven, and I spent two hours discussing and analyzing Jane Eyre with other literature students. The class is made up of about fifteen people, all from various parts of the world--Tunisia, England, Austria, Scotland, the States, Canada, and several others. We shared in good discussion, about both the literature at hand and about our own lives, and that made the experience even richer. Following class, I spent a couple of hours at a local cafe, drinking coffee, eating a sandwich, and reading Scottish poetry. I then had my Scottish literature tutorial from one to three, which takes place in a little hidden room in King's College. Here, the walls are lined with books from ceiling to floor on one side and the other side is lined with windows. The "tutor" (or person leading discussion) is an enthusiastic and knowledgeable young man who is clearly very interested in his students' well being and success in the course. I discussed "poetry before Burns" with a great small group--one from Stonehaven, another from Buckinghamshire, and another from Washington--and we shared quite a bit about our personal lives as well. How refreshing it is to meet new people and to be introduced to fresh perspectives! After that class, I picked up my student ID, returned to Hillhead, ate dinner, and talked to my flatmates. Around nine, I met up with Erik, Andrew, and Matt to discuss our weekend plans to visit Dunnottar Castle, and the four of us and Simon, a new friend from Sweden, went to the Union Bar to have a couple drinks and hang out. We spent a couple of hours there, and I headed back to my room. It was so good to be engaged in the classroom again and to spend quality time with friends.
Saturday was uneventful, as the weather was dreary, wet, and cold, so I spent the day with my flatmates and reading for class. Not much to report on there.
Sunday, I fell in love in with Scotland. Yes, it's true--we're officially in a relationship. I woke up before seven and showered before meeting the other four guys, and we left around eight thirty to walk to the bus station in the city. It was about an hour-long walk, and, when we arrived, we had just missed the bus to Stonehaven. We found a little coffee shop and drank coffee during conversation for about an hour and eventually got on the X7 bus toward our destination. The ride there was the start of it all. On my right were tilled fields and pastures full of sheep, and on my left were rolling hills, sharp cliffs, and a view of the North Sea that takes your breath away. The bus dropped us off on the side of a country road, and we walked toward Dunnottar Castle, which is situated on a piece of land jutting out into the sea. As we walked toward it, I was astonished at the beauty of the landscape--a castle in ruins, a majestic blue sea, rocky cliffs, rolling pastures, deep green grass. We walked down a large hill and back up some stony steps until we reached the entrance to the castle, which was far bigger than I expected it to be. Google Images, as Andrew and I agreed upon, did not do it justice. The ruins consisted of a ton of buildings that were resting on a large parcel of land. There were barracks, the warden's quarters, a kitchen, a chapel, a dining room, suites, a drawing room, a large bath area, a "thiefs' room," and a sort of torture chamber, to name a few. In the middle of all of these buildings was a large courtyard area that would have been used as a garden. After exploring and taking some photos, the five of us ate lunch on some stone stairs (that led to nowhere) that overlooked the North Sea. It was at this point, if you were wondering about the title of this post, that I started to cry--with laughter, with overwhelming happiness. I can't explain why, but I'm absolutely certain that God was present in that moment; the beauty of His creation was too much to take in. After lunch, we wandered down several paths to different areas of the beach and through a narrow valley following a small stream to a waterfall. We hiked past the castle, then, and around to the other side, where we could overlook the entire scene, which was indescribable. All that I could think was, "God is so good. He is so unbelievably good."
(SECOND SIDENOTE: If you want to learn more about this incredible castle's history, go here.)
Upon returning to Aberdeen, I walked to the grocery store to get food for my empty cupboards, made dinner, talked to some of my flatmates, and took the downhill turn toward sweet exhaustion. What a blessed day it was. Photographs are available on facebook and on the Imgur account to the right.
Today, as I said earlier, has been absolutely gorgeous. I spent several hours in the brand new library reading Great Expectations for class and soaking in the view from the fifth floor that overlooks the North Sea through giant walls of glass. When I returned home, I received my first piece of international mail--from JENSEN! Thanks, JStarr--you made my day!
I simply couldn't be more grateful for this opportunity and more excited for the rest of this semester. It is with pleasure that I indeed relish in these great expectations.
Love this Hannah! Looks like you are having a blast! I am keeping a blog for Argentina if you want to follow.
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