It comes in pitchers?

I can't believe it's been a week since I last wrote. I guess I've been spending so much time adjusting to life here that I haven't even realized how much time is going by. The second week of classes is almost over, and it definitely seems like nothing I can't handle in terms of academics. The only thing that might be a problem is time management. The way courses work here, we spend a lot less time per week in class, but have a great deal more reading to do outside of class. In order to make sure we actually get everything we need to done, a few of my friends and I have come up with a system to kind of check in on each other and make sure we set goals for ourselves on what we want to accomplish. For instance, I've been trying to go for a run at least a few times a week. Since everyone here knows this, they check in with me at lunch or dinner to see if I went running that day. It's actually really effective, knowing that you have people looking out for you. We also make library and study dates together with the same effect.

Even though I've only been here two weeks or so, I've found quite a few people who I've been getting along with really well. They're all very open and friendly, intelligent and motivated. As I've already explained, they're great at checking in on each other and making sure everything is going well. On top of that though, they're a lot of fun to hang out with. We've made some fun discoveries, such as finding out that a pub near us serves Long Island Iced Tea by the pitcher. Does this seem like a poor choice to anyone else? We thought it was, so Kelsey, James and I decided to order it one night to test. Turns out it's actually not too bad. I think making it in a pitcher allows the bartender to mix in a high proportion of Coke, so it's less alcoholic by volume and ends up being safe. It's definitely a good deal though. The whole pitcher is seven pounds (the money kind, not the weight kind), and comes to about nine drinks total, making it a great choice if you want a drink that lasts long enough to talk over but isn't too expensive.

We've also found a great little cafe in town, where the coffee is so good that I'll even drink it. I hate coffee, but I took the chance of trying it at this place and was immediately hooked. True, it was a mocha rather than a cup of black coffee or something of that sort, but it was fantastic. They also served absolutely fantastic scones. I think Kelsey, Stephanie, Hannah and I spent about an hour and a half over coffee there. It's a very welcoming place, and, since it's not part of a chain, we got to feel good about ourselves for supporting local business.

Apart from having found people to hang out with, I've also been enjoying having a lot of time to myself. Like I said, I've been going for runs, and usually spend at least an hour a day walking. The town is not very big, but it's so quaint that I can't help enjoying it the same no matter how many times I see it. And yes, I'm sure some of you are laughing at me for using a work like quaint, but I'm not sure how else to describe it.

I'm also really excited to see more of the rest of Scotland. This weekend, I'm signed up to go on two separate trips, one to the Highlands and one to Loch Lomond. I'm not sure exactly what these two trips entail, but at the very least I know the words to the song! I'll be sure to let you all know how the weekend goes. For now, I'm off to bed! Those 9am classes ruin all my fun.