But What Is A Freshers?

It's the UK version of a Freshman, and there's even an entire week to celebrate Freshers, affectionately called "Freshers Week." Not very original, but incredibly fun. Freshers Week is essentially orientation, but instead of awkward ice breakers and forced familiarization with school policy, Freshers Week contains a variety of events that you can choose to go to (or not) and meet people. But, let me backtrack for a second.

It was a cold and foggy Wednesday morning....when my parents and I landed in Edinburgh airport. St. Andrews is approximately an hour from the Edinburgh airport, so we straightway went to check on my new home (woot woot). The first culture shock that arose was that what was appropriate attire to leave the 90 degree heat in Virginia was going to give me hypothermia in Scotland. I'm Egyptian. I don't do cold. The second culture shock was that I was the odd one out now, as in I was the one with the accent and weird American quirks. But, I'm a pretty odd person as it is. Anyways, I didn't move in until Saturday, so over the next few days I did the necessities like open a bank account, get a UK phone number, and take a day trip to visit Manchester

St. Andrews is not William and Mary, but in a good way. My classes span from the old architecturally sound buildings that make you feel like you're studying alongside royalty (shoutout to Prince William, one of our most esteemed alumna) to the newer, less-pretty math and science buildings, which are closer to where I live (I live very far away from town). The town of St. Andrews is magical though. You can take a walk down Market Street and try one of the many fabulous restaurants or pubs, shop at stores like H&M, or even grab a pumpkin spice from Starbucks. But, if you go just two streets over, you can engage in more romantic notions by getting lost in the ruins of old churches, walking along the beautiful coastline, or appreciating our well-kept golf course. Even if you try your hardest not to, it's fairly difficult to not fall in immediate love with this town.

I moved into my on-campus, apartment style housing on Saturday of that week. I have one roommate and 4 other flatmates who are wonderfully glorious yet polar opposites of people. It goes from the very sane and put together person to the very eclectic and dependent person in Lindsay 11. My life is "New Girl", minus the awkward relationship issues. (See my twitter feed for more details).

Freshers Week had many, many events, and on Saturday night, we kicked off the week right with something called "The Bubble," which is this massive party with bubbles (love them). I met tons of cool Freshers, and constantly had to explain to them that no, I am not a Fresher and no, I am not a transfer, but I'm this weird in between called a Joint Degree Student. 

The next day, We had a WaMStA (William & Mary/St. Andrews) Joint Degree Programme (JDP) Lunch where I finally saw all the peers. I actually am really thankful that such cool people are in the JDP because I probably would be very lonely and introverted if it weren't for them (shocker I know). The W&M and St. Andrews reps of the program graciously bought all the students a lovely dinner. As a college student, I have a  deep appreciation for free things, especially food.

Sunday night, our event was this thing called Clan Warfare. Every dorm complex had representative colors and went to the Union to engage in "clan" warfare/competitions, or whatever you want to call it. My roomie and I also met up with our academic dad in the Union later that evening to learn the secrets of what we needed to know as newbies in this town. Academic parents are a tradition at St. Andrews. For Americans, you can equate them to bigs in a sorority or fraternity except every student has an academic dad and an academic mom as well as many academic siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. Their purpose is guidance and love (?) among other things. My academic parents are both wonderful people who are WaMStAs that I met through the program last year. 

On Monday, I spent my last day with my parents enjoying the foodie parts of St. Andrews, and doing last minute shopping for my flat. Tuesday morning, I said my final goodbye to my parents before they boarded their plane to head off to their French adventure and leave me amongst the lovely British people. There were tears and hugs, but we made it. Oh yes, we made it. Tuesday night was an event called Afishal. Afishal is this DJ with drums. Yes, it's exactly what it sounds like. He just has a huge set of drums that light up when you hit them and for each song/remix he would play the song on the drums. He also had a frontman who "controlled the crowd" by pumping them up and rapping/singing the songs. Being the music aficionado that I am, I was front row with my friends. Being Stephanie Gaber, I managed to catch the attention of Afishal's frontman, which ended in him jumping off stage and handing me the mic to sing "All Night" by Icona Pop. Guys. I have pictures. 

Wednesday, I became a real REAL student because I registered for classes, and against the advice of my advisor, I am taking more credits than is allowed. But, would you expect any less. I then attended a Music Fayre where I decided to try out for a cappella (PS I just found out while writing this that I will in fact be in an a cappella group called the Belles). I'm currently attempting to live out my Anna Kendrick Pitch Perfect college fantasy, and I have absolutely no shame. 

Thursday night, our lovely Union had a British pop-rock band come perform called Scouting for Girls. Imagine 90s Counting Crows + The Script + Andy McMahon's piano skills in Jack's Mannequin all combined into one, and there you go. I obviously had never heard of this very popular British boy band before but every single other person in the crowd knew every single word to every single song. There was a moment where I became nostalgic with this indescribable feeling of being in a crowd of people who were so united by music. 

On Friday night, we continued our weeklong party of Freshers Week at the flat-warming party of my academic dad. It was a nice calm after the recent crazy that we had experienced. BUT. On Saturday, we went to an all day music festival. Flower crowns, face paint, and all. Not only did I add another flower crown to my ever growing collection, but I also discovered new bands. 

Flower crowns+ music = my two favorite things. 

At night, the union planned this thing called Hot Dub Time Machine. Hot Dub is this travelling dance party featured by DJ Tom Loud. DJ Tom started his music in the year 1954 and played a 2 and a half hour mashup of all the hits up until 2014, including but not limited to The Beatles, ABBA, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, AC DC, Macklemore, Icona Pop, and Scotland's very own Calvin Harris. Similar to the Scouting for Girls experience, it was surreal to be in a crowd with that kind of energy. It was unbelievably sweaty and gross, but just imagine yourself in a crowd of people who can sing pretty much every pop, rock, indie, R&B, hip hop, rap hit from the 1950s and you'll get a sense of what it was like. You can go listen to DJ Tom Loud's other mixes on his Soundcloud if you're interested here . 

St. Andrews is not William and Mary, but it's a beautiful and wonderful place nonetheless. I'm still getting used to the various cultural shocks (like stores closing at 5, the incessant cold and rain, and that "fit" actually means attractive and not athletic), but I love it nonetheless. I love that I can go to the beach whenever I want to. I love that I'm planning really cheap trips to other places in Europe. I love that I'm going to be doing a cappella with some really cool people this year. I love my academic family, my WaMStAs, and most importantly I love St. Andrews. And I can't wait to share more of my Scottish adventure with each and every one of you. 

"Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future."

~John F. Kennedy

Empire State of Dreams (New York Part 2)

Ok, so I know this is long overdue, but I've been slightly busy attempting to move to a new country over the past few days. Anyways,  in my last post I told you all about my summer of music in the Big Apple. Even though I spent 75% of my summer doing music related activities, I actually did enjoy the city and other activities once in a while. My wonderful, lawyer sister/confidant/mentor/best friend lives in Brooklyn, so I spent the summer slowly taking over her apartment and following the Rio World Cup with her very closely. New York City was also the perfect place to satiate my natural curiosity through exploration and discovery. Overall, this summer was one that is not soon to be forgotten.

I spent my first day in New York exploring Cobble Hill aka residential, family Brooklyn. After wandering around for about an hour, I headed to Brooklyn Bridge Park which became my Central Park replacement over the course of the 13 weeks that I lived in the city. Brooklyn Bridge Park is this NYC park that sits on the East River and provides you with a fabulous view of lower Manhattan's financial district. It has about 6 piers with various activities (soccer fields, basketball courts, and my personal favorite, great restaurants for the foodies). On that first day, I also discovered a little music shop right next to my sister's apartment with a Steinway in the window. I wanted to go in, but for some reason I didn't. After a few weeks, I finally got around to going inside, and realized that all  6 of the pianos inside were refurbished and/or rebuilt. I learned that the store took old, beat up pianos, rebuilt them, and resold them for a much lower price that you would expect. They literally sold these pianos (that played really well) for pennies in comparison to what their starting price was. Hi. My name is Stephanie, and I have a love affair with pianos and want to marry one.

I also had the privilege of hanging out with one of my best friends, Abby, for the first month of my internship. Abby, an insanely talented photographer, was doing a program at Parsons for the month of June, so we just kind of explored NYC for that month. We kicked off the month at Gov Ball NYC which was a weekend of new experiences and fun music to say the least. Also, having a photographer as a best friend means that she can take great selfies (if we're Facebook friends, direct yourself to my profile picture). We also attempted to earn our hipster stars by hanging out in Williamsburg BK, finding unheard of coffee shops, and getting lost in the shelves at The Strand where I found a book about Jay-Z and she found one about Mick Jagger. Besides Abby, I also had two other friends who were in the city, one of which being one of my college best friends. Her and I had a few lazy afternoons where I would visit her Upper West Side apartment, and we would have deep conversations about life and whatnot. Living in a new city is intimidating enough as it is, but I was lucky enough to have some of the best people right alongside with me basking in the glory that is New York City.

Since this summer was a summer of new experiences and changes, I did something that I had never considered doing before and I became a vegetarian. I have this habit of getting bored really easily with my life, and thus changing something in order to spice it up. This time it just happened to be that I changed my entire Egyptian mindset and joined the dark side (as my parents probably think). Because being a vegetarian meant that I could no longer eat a lot of foods that I really liked, I had to find a new way to keep myself interested, which resulted in me taking up cooking. Before this summer, my experience with cooking included setting my parents' oven on fire and burning pre-made pot stickers. I went into this new, unchartered territory with fear and trepidation, but as it turns out, I'm not THAT bad. I even got the occasional compliment on my food. At least I now know that if I ever hate the Scottish food (which I heard is very probable), I have the abilities to become Chef Steph.

One of my most memorable weekends in the city was when I got to spend July 4 in the Big Apple for the second time in my life. I had a good friend from college come in town that weekend, so she got to experience Brooklyn with me firsthand, American flag shirt, red lipstick, and all. We kicked off the day watching Germany beat France and Brazil beat Colombia in the World Cup Quarterfinals (for the record, I wanted Colombia to beat Brazil). We then got to watch the fireworks on a rooftop overlooking the East River with all of my sister's friends as my sister and I had both done the up close, sweaty crowd experience before and weren't exactly dying to do it again. We finished off our July 4th weekend with a lazy day in Central Park with another college friend. For some reason, this weekend, as low key and "chill" as it was, made it into my top two weekends this summer. It's always refreshing to just spend time with people you love and talk about everything from your favorite foods to various topics in social justice.

One other experience that I will soon not forget was trapeze school. Yes, you read that correctly. I took a class in that thing that people do at the circus where the jump off high landings and catch other people and stuff. The weekend started when one of my cousin's came into town to visit my sister and I. We celebrated my sister's roommate's birthday, went to Coney Island the next day, and finished off the weekend at trapeze school. For the life of me, I could not get the hang of it at first, and almost (ALMOST) quit, but I decided to try it one last time for kicks and ended up mastering (heh heh) the very beginner of beginner moves (This is the story of a girl who tried and tried again as the cliche commands). I honestly would love to do it again: 1. Because it actually was fun and 2. Because I'm stubborn and competitive and want to be the best at everything I do.

I spend 13 weeks in the city, so I can't really document my every experience (some others include taking surfing lessons and spending a weekend with my family in Jersey to celebrate my cousin's wedding). But I got to do something I love in a city I love. I tried new things. I read a ton of books (yes, one of them was about Jay-Z), decided to be a vegetarian, took up cooking, and learned a lot about myself as a person. If I take one thing away from this summer it's this, do you. Do things that make you happy. Try something new. If you're unsatisfied, move to a new city. If you want to take up a new hobby, take a class or read a book. Don't limit yourself for any reason.

As for my favorite place in the world, I'll be back. Don't worry.

Oh, The Places You'll Go!

"Congratulations!

Today is your day.

You're off to great places.

You're off and away."

Today's the day! I'm fleeing the United States of America to start my Scottish adventure, and I'm 50 shades of nervous/excited/scared etc. This past weekend I went to have one last hurrah at William and Mary before I left. To be honest, I don't know if that was the best idea because I just didn't want to leave. Let me tell you something about William & Mary, as nerdy as we are and as much as we complain about the quirks and weird things that occur there, it is hands down one of the greatest places (can you tell how much I love it?). But, I am leaving, so in order to mentally prepare myself, I made a list of "5 Things That I'm Going To Miss" and "5 Things I'm Looking Forward To."

5 Things That I'm Going To Miss (in no particular order)

1. Abby's Mix CDs

Ok, so I have a best friend and her name is Abigail and she make the best mix CDs. I was privileged with two last year. Not only does she have an uncanny ability to make mix CDs, she for some reason has the most impeccable timing in sending them. Both CDs came in times where I was either having an awful week or was unrealistically stressed. I literally made a Spotify playlist of her CDs because they were such beautiful specimens (you all should go follow it now).

2. Swem Library

At the College of William & Mary, we like school and studying. At any one time, there are high levels of stress that exist on campus. Because we're an odd bunch, Swem becomes most W&M students' second home. I personally spent a very large amount of time at Swem. I spent my first (and only) Freshman all nighter there.  I broke my laptop during midterms in Swem with the tea I purchased from Greenberry's (may she RIP). I went there between my last two finals to binge watch "House" despite the fact that I was not planning on studying at all that evening. Yes, people even go to Swem to socialize when they don't want to be alone in their rooms with nothing to do on a weeknight. First floor Swem in the evening is also probably in my top 5 places to people watch. Swem, I'll miss you and all you have to offer. There has never been a library quite like you.

3. Thursday Nights

Thursday nights are the most paradoxical entities in existence because most college students have class on Fridays, but that doesn't stop us from hanging out, going out, binge watching Netflix etc etc. Some of my best memories come from Thursday nights. From making gingerbread houses to visiting the Crust, there's nothing like a W&M Thursday night.

4.  Being 2 Hours From Home

This is the first and only time I will probably admit this. But, it is unbelievably convenient to be 2 hours from home. I could decide that I wanted to go home literally a day beforehand. It's close enough that my parents actually came down just to have dinner with me multiple times, and in the rare instance where I was homesick, it was comforting to know that I was so close. 

5. The People

I'm tearing up just thinking about this. I met some of the most amazing people and made some of the best friends at W&M. I think I would probably be crying my eyes out if I didn't have the comfort of knowing the friends I made are lifelong friends. Even though I'm an ocean away, I know that they'll be here when I come back and that they'll still be ever present in my life. 

"And when things start to happen,

Don't worry. Don't stew.

Just go right along.

You'll start happening too.

Oh! The places you'll go.

You'll be on your way up!

You'll be seeing great sights!

You'll join the high fliers

Who soar to high heights."

5 Things I'm Looking Forward To

1. Travelling

I love travelling. I think there's something romantic and mysterious about the discovering the unknown. I especially have a fascination with Europe and all that it has to offer, and because I'm going to live in Europe, visiting all these places will be much easier (you should hear my rant on why Europeans just do life better). Nonetheless, I can't wait to explore a hidden part of a town or cultivate a new appreciation for a rare tradition through my adventure.

2. Being Independent

Yes, yes, I know this seems like an oxymoron because I just told you I'll miss being 2 hours from home, and I will. I'll miss the convenience of being so close to where I grew up, but I'm also insanely excited to be completely on my own. I'm excited to learn new things about myself and figure things out on my own. I'm ready to go on this adventure and become the person I'm meant to be (as sappy as that sounds).

3. Diverse Schooling

So my major is International Relations because I love learning about the world, how it works, and how other people think and process. I also love theorizing about how to fix all the world's problems (which are many). W&M has a phenomenal IR program, and I've learned more than I could hope to in the past year, but it's also only one point of view. St. Andrews will be probably have a different perspective on many issues, and my classmates will be from all the ends of the world with their varied understandings of the world. I'm excited to have my mind further opened with a better understanding of how other cultures think and function in respect to all of these International-y issues. 

4. Being Legal

I'll just leave that one there for your entertainment.

5. Adventures and Memories

I told you in my first blog post that I was terrified to go to Scotland, and oh how true that is in this very moment as I write this. But, I also told you that I was excited for the memories that I would inevitably make. There is no doubt in my mind that I will talk about this experience for the rest of my life. I look forward to the day that I'll tell my kids about that time I moved to Scotland and had all these once in a lifetime experiences and adventures. 

I will miss you America, and more importantly I'll miss you W&M. You brought me to a place in my life that I couldn't have gone without you. You introduced me to some of my best friends (s/o to Mia and Anais among many others) . You brought me joy, sadness, excitement, anticipation, and I wouldn't trade my Freshman experience with you for anything in this entire world. 

America, I can't wait to come back to you after my Scottish adventure with all my newfound lessons and experiences.

"So...

Be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray

Or Mordecai Ali Can Allen O'Shea,

You're off to great places!

Today is your day!

Your mountain is waiting,

So get on your way!"

(I'd like to thank Dr. Seuss for helping me write this post, and I know I have yet to post my NYC part 2 yet. It's coming soon though! So stay tuned in the next few days.)