Winter in the City

In november, I got to experienced the first snowfall of the season. I was really excited since I've only seen snow while on vacation skiing and never actually seen the snow fall. So when the first snowflakes started coming down I turned into a kid and went a little crazy. I think I went out almost every day to just explore the city and take pictures. Most days I would go off on my own and just walk. I enjoyed the alone time and it gave me a chance to really appreciate the beauty of everything and the fact that I get to live here for five years. I'm definitely looking forward to the first snow again and having snow days! Now that the whole school is based in Easter Bush if it snows bad school will be cancelled...this past year school was cancelled for a week at the Bush, but since 1st and 2nd had classes at Summerhall(in the city) we still had to attend. Also in late November the Christmas Festival and German Market opens which has rides, an outdoor iceskating rink and tons of different food and craft stands. I really enjoyed going the first night when they have a large lighting ceremony and fireworks. There's just so much to do in this city it hard to keep up at times. Here are some pics from November and the christmas festival :

Squirrel Preparing for the Winter (IDK where it got a grape from tho)

Christmas Festival the night of the Lighting Ceremony

Fireworks ending the lighting ceremony

First snow!

Snowing in Princess Street Garden

One day my friend and fellow vet student Tyler and I decided to climb up Arthur's Seat! It was a little harder to climb up since there was snow and the steps up were now flat, but the view was definitely worth all the effort.

Me B4 the hike up!

View of the castle from the top...notice the tiny people lol

Well I haven't talked about school much so I'll try to keep it short and add on to future post. During the first semester, we take the Animal Body 1 course which is basically cell biology and the anatomy of the dog. Cell Biology was sometimes very complex and hard to understand, but since I majored in Biology in college I had a great background and had learned some of the material in previous classes. I don't know how the students without previous degrees can learn all of this when hearing it for the first time. My favorite part of the Animal Body 1(AB1) course had to be anatomy. Our first dissection was of a rabbit, then we moved onto the dog. Dissection was great there were 3 people per dog, and every dissection we would move to a different dog so we can see the difference in breeds, age, and weight. Fat dogs were harder to dissect since you would have to clean off fat to see the muscle so it took more time. We had dissection about 2 times a week for 2hrs at a time. In the AB1 anatomy course, we looked at muscles, nerves, veins, arteries, the skeleton, and the organs. We didn't go in depth into the organs since we will be learning about the body systems this year. We also had AHWAFS (Animal Health Welfare and Food Safety) classes which taught us about basic animal husbandry, veterinary public health, and animal welfare. The last course we take is Professional and Clinical Skills which we only had a few classes in first year. That course just helps us prepare for clinical years so we can build up over the five years by knowing breeds, what normal ranges are for TPR(temperature, pulse, and respiration) of the dog and cat, estimate weights and age, and to examine a patient properly. I found those classes very helpful since we got to physically examine a live dog. We would also go to our school's dairy and sheep farm to learn cattle and sheep handling skills. If you have any questions about Edinburgh and the vet program feel free to comment or message me and I'll try to answer it to the best of my knowledge.

Here's more winter pics for you...

St. Cuthbert Cemetery near Princes st

Christmas Festival

my headless snow angel

Church near Tollcross

Heading to climb Arthur's Seat w/Tyler

on the way up

climbing up to the heavens

the end is almost in sight

can never get tired of the view from the top

heading to Summerhall for morning classes

view from the dissection room of heavy snow in the Meadows

hot chocolate w/baileys courtesy of Melissa...great on cold snowy days

decided to go exploring one day on my own

like a whole different world

geese and gulls walking on ice

love the swans

behind the palace

Palace

Time to Catch Everyone Up

Wow I cant believe 1st year is over and 2nd year will be starting in about a month. I have so much to share with you all. Well I will start back in Nov my friends and I had a great time on our road trip. On the first day we headed out to the William Wallace Monument which had amazing views from the top or the tower. I still haven't seen Braveheart tho so I def need to do that sometime soon.

First View of the William Wallace Monument

View from the Top of the Tower (love the fall colors)

Me on top of the Monument

After the climb we ha a short drive to the Doune Castle which is most famous for being in the Monty Python the Quest for the Holy Grail Movie...which if you haven't seen it you should it's hilarious. That castle was great! We were basically the only people there that day plus there wasn't anyone watching your every movement so we ran around acting silly and just had a blast.

Doune Castle

On on drive to our first hotel for the night we even got to see some highland cattle otherwise known as hairy coos. We saw Hamish a well known Hairy Coo and his friend.

Hamish is the one in the back..he ignored us. Arent they cute!?

We stayed at the Onich Hotel which is right on a loch and had a gorgeous view that morning.

stones and shells on the shore of the loch

After breakfast, we made our way to the Eilean Donan Castle. We didnt go into this castle and just explored outside which was great. We even found a dead shark! Only vet students would be excited about that lol.

We left and drove, which seemed like forever, to reach our B&B near Loch Ness for the night. The next day we went to Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness. It's pretty much just ruins but still beautiful, and I was def looking for Nessie while we were there lol but sadly no sightings.

View through Binoculars or the flag which was on top of the castle

Urquhart Castle ( used the color accent on my camera )

We left Loch Ness and headed to a small hotel in a town called Dinnet. On our way to the hotel we even got to see snow!

Dead Thistle in the Snow!

The final day we headed to Aberdeen to shop and have lunch before the long journey back to Edinburgh. On our drive back we even got to see the North Sea for the first time for all of us. It looked cold and rough but amazing.

The sun was just starting to set and was a great way to end our trip.

I am hoping we will have many more road trips in the future, there's so much of Scotland to explore. I'm glad I have four more years to learn and explore.

I'll be updating in segments so I'll see you guys tomorrow and thanks for reading!

Life in Edinburgh....

So I know its been forever since my last post. So many things have happened and I've had very busy and crazy weeks. I guess I'll start off from where I left before. Well of course I got my Visa or else I wouldn't be in Scotland, but before I left about 1.5 weeks before my flight I got into a car

accident. I hydroplaned on the highway and hit a tree.Luckily I wasn't injured too bad just a cut on the back of my head which had to have 9 staples toclose it, I couldn't open my jaw all the way and then of course a few bruises and scratches. I was very lucky. After that I did't have that great of a week in the US. I spent most of the week in bed and barely doing anything besides going to the doctor to get radiographs and then an MRI to find out that my jaw was fine and would heal on it's own. Thank God for insurance! Once I found out my jaw should be fine I was a lot less stressed about headingto a foreign country while I was still injured. I went out one last time with my best friend Jessica and Shawn which was awesome and we just hung out and had some drinks.

The day of my flight I was kinda nervous. It was strange, I wasn't really sad that day probably because I was more excited. I think the day before was when it hit me that I was leaving for awhile. Friends and family were over for my nephew's birthday, and when Shawn went to leave my eyes watered up since I knew the next time I saw him I'd be saying goodbye. I said goodbye to Shawn and my dad at the airport, and then my mom and I were off to Newark then Scotland.

We arrived a Edinburgh airport and I was soo cold. It was beautiful and more than I could imagine. It was also very different since it was a big city. It was hard to get used to especially city life and some of the places looked sketchy but thats how citys are especially when you've never been to one. Flat hunting was a pain, but I found one a few days before my mom left. It a large studio flat so def not like a dorm room. I like where I live a lot its close

to the grocery stores and about a 20 min walk through the Meadows to get to school. My second day here I finally got to climb up to Arthur's Seat. I had been looking forward to this since I found out I was going to

school there. It was a beautiful day and also rained a bit, but nothing like Florida rain. The rain here is more of a mist or drizzle, and when it rains"hard" it is still not bad. I saw swans, 2 rabbits, and slugs all on the way up. I really need to do it again. There are so many paths that my mom and I went up a few hard ones and when we finally found the "stairs" up it was raining and my mom stayed there so I had to go up alone. The View was definitely worth the climb up on slippery rocks. I'm glad I didn't

give up and stop climbing.

My mom's final day in Edinburgh we decided to go to the castle.

It's so beautiful and I still can't believe that I live in a city that has

a castle lol. I love looking at it as I walk past, and and I usually

take a picture since everyday is different. The castle is so big and

it's crazy that it has survived all this time.

Well it's getting late. I will have to do another post talking about class and life as a Dick Vet Student. My friends, Shawn and I are going on a roadtrip in like 6 hrs. We are headed to the highlands since we have a 4 day weekend so I'll try and write some at the B&B if they have wireless. Ok good night!

The Final Weeks in the US

So the summer's almost finished..it's gone by so fast. Well since my last post I went to Texas and had a great time with my family. I got to go to my god brother's wedding which was beautiful. Such a perfect day besides the heat. I forgot how hot it could get in TX. After my TX trip I haven't really been doing much. I've been going to Clearwater Beach most weekends with my boyfriend and sometimes his family and just hanging out. I guess I should relax while I can, since once school starts i'm going to be very busy.

I also started to run. I am so not a runner, but for almost 3 wks I've been running(well jogging lol) everyday. If it is raining I'll have to do the elliptical instead, but I am starting to get used to it being my daily routine. I only go out for about 30 mins sometimes more. This past week I was able to jog about 42 mins without stopping! For me that was amazing even though I only ran a little over 3 miles. I'm hoping to get my time for 3 miles (which is ~5K) to be 30mins which is about average for runners. I am hoping to keep up the running once I move to Edinburgh as well. Maybe I will find a running buddy, and we can run around Holyrood Park! That'd be great.

On the subject of the big move, I have a little over 3wks left before I move. My mom is going to fly with me and help me find a flat and get settled. I haven't gotten my plane ticket yet, but I'm planning on leaving Sept. 5th. I also haven't finished my Visa yet. I am waiting on my transcripts from UF to come in...hopefully today. Once I get that then I can send out my application. It's such a stressful process, but I should get it easily. I am more worried about my boyfriend getting his Visa, but hopefully the Visa people will be nice and not give us any problems. I also have been obsessively looking up flats in Edinburgh. I know I shouldn't be looking now since the flats most likely will be taken by the time I get there, but I can't help it. Plus I like seeing the different apartments and hoping I can get a nice one for cheap.

Ok well I have to go check the mail! Hopefully I'll get that transcript lol. oh yeah I also forgot to tell you guys I got a stethoscope! I am very excited and have been trying to use it on my cat, but he's not cooperating since he keeps purring. I'll have to catch him off guard one day lol.

It's been a crazy summer so far...

So I know it's been awhile, and I still haven't gotten much figured out about the big move in Sept. As of right now I plan on flying to Scotland a week before orientation with my aunt and uncle. During that week, I will hopefully find a flat and get settled in. It's not a lot of time, but i'm sure we will get everything done. I am so glad they can go with me or else I don't know how i'd get through the big move. I love them and thank them for helping me through this.

On another note, I did graduate from UF with my Master's in Science. Since graduation I haven't been doing much. I started off my summer in Miami to visit a friend who was visiting for a week and to see my family. I had a lot of fun especially being able to see my cousins. Most of the summer i've been living in Gainesville and working very few hours in a lab at UF, but in about three weeks I'll be moving make to Brandon with my parents. I'm almost dreading the move since I won't really have my own space and because I will actually have to start organizing for the move. Its gonna be a long 2 months figuring it all out.

Memorial weekend was a weekend to remember. I went down to Clearwater with my friend to my boyfriend's sister's beach house. That Sat we went to a Rays game and one of the players threw me a ball and I caught it! They all said he threw it to me since I was dark skinned like him lol. I was just excited so it was fun. After the game, they had a Hall and Oates concert which was also a lot of fun but also funny to watch the people rock out in the crowd. We spent most of the weekend hanging out on the beach with friends and my bf's family which I love. They are just so generous and fun. Then Mon night was the backstreet boys concert! My bf got me tickets for me and my two friends (Jen and Carly) which were 3rd row seats. Once we got inside we were soo excited to see how close we really were, and we found out that we could stand up and get in front row. Needless to say I was in heaven for that night. I know BSB is not well known anymore, but they still make amazing music and I loved them since 4th grade so it was definitely a dream come true. I even got to hold hands with all of them and they sang to us. We got a few great pics from our camera phones that I'll have to try and attach later.

It's been a late night for me since I was finishing up some packing for my trip to Texas. My family and I are driving to Texas for a wedding. I am very excited since I love visiting my family there and since that was were I was born. I haven't been there in a couple years so it will be interesting to see how much the town has grown and changed. It always brings back memories of my childhood of being on my godparents farm and playing with the goats and chasing the guinea fowl...which I still do everytime I visit lol. I guess thats were my love of animals first started, and I'll always be chasing after or playing with some type of animal. This trip came at the perfect time since I will get to see my hometown one more time before I move away for 5 yrs. It is were my life first began and remembering where I came from keeps me grounded and makes me who I am, and now I have another new life journey to look forward to in about 3 months which will also shape who I am in the future.

Well it's late so I better try and get to bed because tomorrow and Friday will be very long days since the trip is about 15hrs or more depending on stops and such. We plan on leaving in the afternoon or early evening but knowing my family...we run on Cuban time so I'm guessing we will leave later than expected.

I'm Headed to Scotland!

So I finally found out ...after I called UF and had to wait almost an hr..that i was rejected from UF's vet school. So I am definitely headed to Edinburgh for the 5 year veterinary program. I am very excited to finally know what I am doing for school. Though I am a little nervous about moving so far away. I think my dad probably was the most surprised about this outcome. I think he thought I'd definitely get into UF especially since I had "connections", but I guess those didn't come through. I think he's more scared of me moving to a different country and not being able to be near my family, but i'll be ok. My boyfriend, Shawn, is going to move with me so at least I won't be completely alone, and I have also made friends with two other girls in the program(who i've never met in person lol).

I think going to the UK for 5 yrs will definitely change me and allow me to grow in ways I wouldn't have if I stayed here at UF. I've been at UF for 5 yrs now, and another 4 yrs would have been the same thing just with different classes. I'm so excited to travel and meet new people. I also heard that the classes are amazing and there is a lot of hands on experiences. Now I just need to finalize everything and get my official welcome packet.

YAY I'm going to be a Dick Vet!!!! *

*University of Edinburgh's vet school is the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies so everyone calls them Dick Vets lol i know it's silly but awesome.