The Allens Abroad: Goodbye, May!

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Goodbye, May!

The second academic year is nearly over. I can’t believe the calendar above the clock on my computer reads 30/05/13. The months speed along. So, in familiar format, our month of May:

Holiday Planning: Rick Steve’s and Trip advisor are taking us on an adventure of the Low Countries: The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany. We leave on the 6th and arrive back on the 14th of June. Besides tasting the best beer, chocolate, and fries in the world, we’re looking forward to a trip to celebrate both of our 25th birthdays and some time away.

Piano: Teaching piano is a new love of mine. Last week, I had my final lesson with Elizabeth Snell, as her dad, Micah, finished his PhD and got a job in Texas! I’m excited to continue with Kirsten and Laura, and will be adding more students over the summer and into the fall.

Bonfires: Our new favourite hobby. The weather is still hit and miss, but on those perfect evenings as the sun sets and the tide goes out, you’ll find us at the beach with friends. Jumbo marshmallows are a rare find in Scotland, so s'mores have yet to happen.

Paris: Just in, Garrick successfully applied to take a French course in Paris for the entire month of August, and we’ll be going with friends from St Andrews. More to come!

Job News: I’m a term-time employee, meaning I’m done on 30th June and begin again in late August. Since I’ll be gone to Paris for the month of August, I’m just looking for something for the month of July. We’ll see!

The Scholar: Garrick finished tutoring for the semester and received great feedback from students. He's writing book reviews, preparing for conferences in Leipzig, St Andrews, and Baltimore, working on language learning, and doing his own research. Motivated is an understatement. His hobbies are cycling and The Simpsons.

Sea Glass: The Castle Sands beach is basically in our front yard, and beautiful sea glass is plentiful. With the help of an expert friend, I'm realising I have some quite valuable pieces in my collection that could be of interest to jewelers and artists. An Etsy shop may be in the works.

Homesickness Update: We’ve lived in Scotland for almost two years! This summer, there are special birthdays, weddings, and events in the USA that we’ll be very sad to miss. Our hearts are in two places at once. Although a good problem to have, it has its ups and downs.

Thanks for reading happy summer!