The children of the future are going to have to memorize SO many historical events that happened in 2020. Just think, Kim Jong Un faked his own death to weed out the disloyal members of his inner circle and it doesn't even make the top ten craziest events of the year. So much has happened since the last time I posted that I'm not even sure where to start.
I guess the beginning is as good a place as any.
The first thing to happen after my last post was a two-day birthday extravaganza. My friend Sienna and I have back-to-back birthdays; hers was on May 28th, and it was a May Queen party. We dressed up as May Queens, complete with flower crowns and flowing skirts and did a photoshoot in a graveyard for that slightly haunted, ethereal look. Then it was back to the flat for food, games, and even a piñata! Sienna was one of my first friends in Scotland. During orientation, I overheard her talking about how she was from the States, so I awkwardly asked if I could join her for lunch. She's been a fun and steadfast friend ever since, and it was such a joy to celebrate with her!
The very next day was my birthday - so at midnight we toasted to my twenty-fourth year, and I wished my twin sister a happy 'Scottish birthday' as she would have to wait another eight hours for May 29th to dawn in Arizona. It got us thinking - she was born two minutes before me, but because of the time zones, I turned twenty-four before she did. Does that make me older this year? (Hint: Eliza says no.) After some good sleep and a failed attempt at making a blanket fort, we piled pillows and blankets on the floor of the flat and watched both Princess Diaries movies while we lounged and ate Chinese food.
What really took the cake (besides the literal lemon cake Rachel made for me, which was absolute heaven) was the surprise Pim planned for us. In truth, her hints about the surprise made us equal parts confused and annoyed. For weeks, every few days she'd say:
"For the surprise, make sure you're wearing protective gear"
Or
"Your outfit should be something you don't mind being photographed in"
Or
"Wear comfy shoes, because we're going to walk a lot. You might get sweaty"
Or
"Wear something you don't mind getting wet - or muddy"
By the time she announced the surprise was ready, we were just about fed up with her conflicting advice and utter refusal to tell us anything useful.
And then we were immediately overwhelmed by joy.
Pim put together a 45-minute video of our friends and families wishing us happy birthdays and telling us how much they love us. It left us speechless - it was just so sweet and wonderful, and truly a surprise worth waiting for.
With June came heavy hearts and righteous anger. It's been frustrating being so far away - my American friends and I are itching for some way to help the people in our country from here. We're signing petitions, donating money, doing research, and raising awareness. The initial hype of activism will eventually fade away, so we're reminding ourselves every day that this is a marathon, not a sprint.
Police brutality and racial discrimination have been colossal problems in America for far, far too long, and change is overdue. Things won't go back to the way they were before because they shouldn't go back to the way they were before. For my part, I'm trying to make room for black folks to speak, to support them and not drown them out, to educate myself, and to be ready to fight on their behalf. I am open to constructive criticism and advice - one of the most powerful things we can do is be willing to admit we were wrong, and to teach ourselves and others what is right.
For some reason, I thought living through historical events would be different. Protests continue throughout America every day - keep it up! - and meanwhile, my day-to-day doesn't look too different here. Every day I work on my major project, order takeout, go for my government-approved outdoor exercise session, and continue to fall behind on laundry. I find myself wishing the fight was as simple and tactile as the big, final fight against evil is in stories. I wish I could inhabit Steve Rogers in the first Captain America movie and punch Hitler (Trump?) in the face over two hundred times during training. I wish I could destroy a horcrux, return a lightning bolt to Zeus, unmask Count Olaf from under his obvious disguise, take away Firelord Ozai's firebending, throw the One Ring into the Fires of Mount Doom. Of course, getting to those crucial points wasn't easy for the protagonists of those stories, but man would it feel good to physically defeat my enemies.
On a different note, though still speaking of stories, I had my first mentoring session of the semester a few weeks ago. My project becomes more and more fleshed out by the day. Talking with Laura was so helpful - she's helping me overcome what she calls the 'fear of the first draft'. I often have a difficult time starting my first draft because I want it to be perfect, right out of the gate. But I know it won't be (and in truth, it really can't be), and that scares me, so I twiddle my thumbs and think about the story instead. So I'm moving slow - right now, it's just about shoveling sand into that sandbox. Putting down some words on a page. Eventually I'll build a castle, but for now? I just need that sand.
A few days ago my friends and I walked out to Dean Village, a cute spot outside the city complete with a river, bridges, and a waterfall. It was nice to stretch our legs and see new sights and meet an incredibly cute dog named Paxton. I will never get over how incredibly green everything is here! We agreed that walking through the village filled us all with an overwhelming sense of peace.
Apparently our one week of summer sun is over - a few weeks ago it was pleasantly warm, with blue skies and plenty of sunshine. Everywhere you looked, people were laying out sunbathing (which was hilarious, because they're all so pale that it's kind of painful to look at them). Then the weather turned back to cool winds and cold rains. It's much more Scottish this way, I must say.
I see more and more people out and about every day, though lockdown hasn't completely lifted here. We're allowed to sit in the parks instead of just walking through them, but everyone's still being cautious. Most restaurants and stores are still closed, but the important thing is that Byron's (my all-time favorite burger place) is open again for delivery!!
In other news, here's a funny and embarrassing anecdote from earlier today:
Pim was coming over to do some writing in my flat, and I really didn't want to get up and walk all the way downstairs to let her in. So I had the brilliant idea to throw my key out the window so she could let herself in. The obvious flaw? The windows are incapable of being opened more than an inch wide for 'safety reasons', and directly below my window is a small ledge. So even as I was shoving my key fob through the crack, Pim said, "Wait Annie, I think it's going to get stuck on the-"
Ledge. I pushed my key straight out the window and onto a ledge. Where it is now stuck. Forever.
Thankfully, a very patient administrator was around, and I have a new key now. I'm also glad that the Master's course I've chosen doesn't seem to require any type of critical thinking, since I've proven I am incapable of that, and I surely would not have made it into the course if that was a requirement.
It's been a few hours, and Pim is still laughing at how excited my face looked right before I lost my key. I honestly thought I was being so brilliant - but oh, well. It happens to the best of us. And all the laughter has been a great pick-me-up!
Lord willing, I will be visiting home in just a few weeks. My flights have only been canceled once, and my back-up flights are still holding strong. Prayers for safe and healthy travels are greatly appreciated, and I am so looking forward to seeing so many people I love in person.
Things I miss about America:
- garbage disposals in sinks
- driving
- it's a place where I've never thrown my key out a window and directly onto an unreachable ledge
- Chick-fil-a
- friends & family
- warmer weather
- my parents' backyard
Book recommendation: The Shadow of What Was Lost by James Islington. My oldest brother recently texted my siblings and I imploring us to read this book so he could share his excitement with us - so I bought it and swiped through those 600 pages in two days! It's been a while since I've read high fantasy, and this was a book I could not put down. The world-building is extensive, the characters are well-developed, the magic system is thorough, and the plot twists had me gasping out loud in my empty apartment. There are two more books in this series (!!!) and I am so excited to read them!