A Northern World

Life in the northern parts of the world certainly brings many advantages and disadvantages. First, the bad. Step outside and only by 8:30am will you begin to see the sun rise. This is also if you are lucky. The Scottish weather has a tendency to go from a very gray day into the night, hiding the sunlight for hours on end if not entirely. Then night fall comes at about 3:30, capping such a short day. It feels as if there is no time to get anything done and the day should be over with the falling sun. So it certainly is a readjustment to the whole lifestyle.

But it is one that comes with the most definite of advantages as well. To begin, being so far north, the sun barely caps the horizon, which makes for some of the greatest sunrises and sunsets you will ever see. And in such a picturesque country already, this just makes the incredible that much more amazing. Settled among the green rolling hills the sun shines a bright orange and red bursting arrays of color which are reflected off of the water that is the lifeblood of Scotland. It is as if this was where heaven touched earth. It also shows how the sunlight is such a vital and integral part of life. It makes a deeper and greater appreciation of how the sun is such a powerful force giving energy and life to the world.

This is life in the Northern world, a challenge that makes you earn the uniqueness and amazing days that dawn, but worth every minute of it.

Spirit of the Season

As the holidays are just around the corner, this is the time where every emotion is abundant for university students, regardless of what level. First are the late nights cramming for exams and papers, the rush to the finish. It's the finality of the semester that suddenly sinks in, there's not a next week anymore. It's also the time where students have the sudden realization of the progression of their academic careers. It is a monumental half way point of the year... and how quickly time passes. Then there is the "what am I doing with my life question" that you have to answer, or at least start thinking about... tis the season.

But it also the time of the year where everyone gets an extra little bounce in their step, there is a sense of excitement and optimism in the air. It is the feeling of Christmas. It's the holiday spirit that is a little contagious. Even through the midst of cramming and rushing from class to class, there is a little time to catch that spirit.

Being in Aberdeen has certainly been a new perspective, or at least one I've long forgotten. There are distinct seasons here, as it just snowed. This is a way to watch the progression of time, seeing sun turn to snow, and the snow uncover the months of hidden ground. This helps to capture the spirit of Christmas somehow. The gentle snow against the lit Christmas tree in the town square, standing as it has for hundreds of years, is a reminder that no matter how quickly time seems to pass, it stands still at the same time. That is what we too must do. Move through life looking to our tomorrows, but keeping a still picture of where we have been and done. That is the spirit of the season.