Welcome to the U.S!

This is very delayed but I'm writing this blog to let everyone at home know what I'm up to. If you type in your email address you should be able to receive a message when I've posted something new.


I flew in to Boston on Thursday 1st August and by the time I'd cleared passport control and customs it was 8.30pm (1.30am in the UK). I got picked up by Max and his family and we drove to Harvard Square in Boston to get something to eat. I was falling asleep at the table and by the time we got back to their house in Connecticut it was almost time to wake up in Forfar. I didn't have a long lie though because Max had knee surgery for a torn ACL a week before I got there so we had to drive to an early doctor's appointment. On the way back however we went to the UConn Dairy Bar which is an ice cream shop run by the university to pick up an ice cream cake for my arrival.

Max cutting the first piece

Chocolate ice cream, a layer of brownies, then cookies and cream
ice cream, topped off with frosting

Max wasn't able to get around that well for the first few days and you have to drive almost everywhere here. Since I can't drive we were relying on lifts from his parents and friends so we kept things fairly local. I went to the gym a dozen times, had countless burritos at the the Mexican fast food place, and watched loads of crap American tv. Despite this busy schedule we managed to squeeze in a few day trips.

The first week we went on the Essex steam train and riverboat. It's a restored antique steam train that travels through some nice little towns and countryside before linking up with a riverboat that takes you down the Connecticut River.
The cars still had old adverts above the luggage racks and all of the staff wore period uniforms.


During the journey the conductor told us about the history of the train including it's Hollywood appearances. It was featured in the latest Indiana Jones film, George Clooney's Leatherheads, and the dining car was used for filming Malcolm X because the he had apparently worked as a Porter on this car.

The dining car used in filming

Hot Dogs

The cruise took us along the Connecticut River past Gillette Castle, a weird looking building built by an eccentric actor in 1914, and a lot of really rich looking big houses. The guide pointed out a tiny little boat that drives around the River on the weekends selling hot dogs to all of the yachts.










Another trip we took was to the Nathan Hale House. Nathan Hale is the State Hero of Connecticut and the local tourist attraction is a house which his family owned but he never actually lived in. He was basically America's first spy who went undercover during the Revolutionary War aged 21 to find out what the British were planning and was tricked into confessing he was a spy in the pub. He relayed no useful information to the Americans because his secret code was Latin, which was commonly understood, and he kept it all in his boot. I'm still not sure why he's a hero but Americans don't have much else in the way of historical attractions so I let it slide. The building was on Most Haunted and our guide told us a couple of ghost stories which added a bit of excitement.

Nathan Hale House - clutching at straws

Max had made fun of me for looking like a hick in a pair of denim dungarees and that afternoon we went blueberry picking at the orchard which did in fact make me look like a bit of a hick.

Country chic

The following week Max, his dad, and I took a day trip to the town Mystic to see the aquarium. In the afternoon we had lunch at Mystic Pizza, where they shot the Julia Robert's film, Mystic Pizza.



That weekend we decided to get the bus up to Boston to visit Max's brother Zach since he was walking better. We stayed mainly in the studenty Cambridge area. The first day we just had a bit of a wander round the shops and the Harvard campus then went out for tea. We had huge American style sandwiches which the guys at the table next to us ate with cheesey bacon covered chips, falafels and dip, huge beers, and some more sandwiches to go. After eating far too much we met Zach at his flat and had a few illegal beers.

Snacks in the park

Street Art

Zach was up early in the morning so we picked up some coffees, got a lift back to the student area and had breakfast outside a trendy bar. We spent a bit more time exploring the area, and did some sunbathing in the JFK memorial park. Later we got the subway back to the city centre and wandered round Quincy Market before getting the bus home.

Coffee on Harvard campus

Max and a squirrel sharing a cereal bar 

City centre

Two weeks ago I started my International Orientation and got the key to my dorm room. We sat through lots of talks about safety, underage drinking etc. and then had a lot of parties at night. My halls are for international students and Americans who want to meet them so there's a mix of people. My American roommate moved in a week later, she's a 17 year old first year student from Connecticut. I started my classes on Monday and I'm still really confused about this education system. Some of my classes only have multiple choice exams and although there's a lot more work it is a lot more basic than in Glasgow.

In order to live in University housing I have to have a meal plan. I basically swipe my card at the door and have unlimited access to buffet style food. There are about a dozen different dining halls all over campus, including one in my building and you can go any time of day. There is far too much temptation so I've been trying to walk past the pizza to the salad bar and go to the gym a lot.

This is Labour Day weekend which means I have Monday off uni so I'm going to Acadia National Park in Maine to do some kayaking and walking. Hopefully I'll take some good photos and post them soon!