Day 97: Kitchen Disaster

So, this happened the other night:

I was calmly making fish and chips (like any good imitation-British person ought to do) and FaceTimeing with my friend Alex. The fish and chips were in the pan, which was in the oven, and all was going as planned. The chips were nice and crispy, the fish was sizzling, and I was hungry.

So I took the pan out of the oven and placed it on the stove top to let it cool off for a second.

Only, it didn't cool off. The fish just started sizzling even louder.

Just as I realized that I had placed the pan on top of the element which lets the heat escape from the oven.... the pan exploded.

Looking back, it's actually quite funny, though I admit it shocked me at the time. I gave a little shriek and Alex was wondering what in the world was wrong and there was smoke rising up from the stove and there was my poor pan split into half a dozen pieces and my fish and chips spread out across the stovetop.

I managed to open a window before the smoke alarms went off, rescued my poor fish and chips, and reassured Alex that I wasn't in the middle of a major catastrophe.

Now I need to go buy a new baking pan. But the lesson has been learned: never place anything on the bottom left stove element when the oven is on!

P. S. I'm almost done going through my London photos, and I've got a good start on my Dublin ones, so I should hopefully have those posts up soon!

Day 4: Settling In

It’s now been several days since I arrived in Scotland, and I think I’m satisfactorily settled in. My suitcases are unpacked, my posters are up, I have a phone, I’ve got a bank account with money on the way, and I’ve met a number of new people. I have a good feel for the town, and I don’t think I’m likely to get lost again any time soon. :)

Tomorrow, things will start getting properly busy. Until now, the only students in town have been the ones who live off-campus, like me. Halls (residences) open tomorrow, so the vast majority of students will show up then. I’ll hopefully get to see the other Western students tomorrow, and maybe meet some new people at a big welcome party in the evening. There’s also a Christian fellowship kickoff tomorrow morning, which should be a great place to meet new friends.

I’ve already met a few people, mainly postgrads, thanks to my fantastic flatmate. She’s doing her PhD at St. Andrew’s, and so she’s introduced me to a number of her friends. I’ve been to a lovely little bible study, which is going to grow like crazy whenever most of the students show up, and tonight I met an exchange student from Nova Scotia. Funny how special it is to meet people from so close to home.

I think I’m ready for the craziness of Fresher’s week. The past days have been wonderful for getting settled in, and having very little on my to-do list meant that I could sleep in, or just wander around. I’m not the kind of person who likes to throw myself right into something unfamiliar, so I’ve really enjoyed having a few days to adjust.

But now I’m ready to meet people, and join societies, and stay up late, and become a real St. Andrew’s student. I’m ready for life to get a little busy. Fresher’s week: here I come!

P.S. Is it sad that my big happiness of the day was finding a grocery store that was so much cheaper than Tescoes? I know Tescoes is a big thing here, but Aldi is less crowded and the prices are way better (similar or cheaper than in Canada). Basically, I’m just happy that I’ll be able to eat well without spending more than I would back home.