Weekly Recap #4, 2022

Another busy and exciting week in the books! January 25^th was Burns Day, which is a “holiday” here in Scotland that celebrates the life and work of Rabbie Burns, Scotland’s national poet (you probably know him as the writer of everybody’s favorite New Year’s Eve song, “Auld Lang Syne”). As such, it was a fun and festive week with lots of cultural events to commemorate the day. Plus, even though I rarely say this, I think all of this week’s outfits are winners! I didn’t even wear the same bottoms twice, which is kind of a big deal when you pack as few pants as I did. Anyway, keep reading to see the cute looks I put together and to hear about some foods and events that are unique to Scotland.

Monday, January 24

Since I only have one class on Mondays that is online and recorded, I decided to skip in order to take a day trip to Alloway, Scotland, which is a village about an hour train ride southwest of Glasgow. It is most famous for being the birthplace of Rabbie Burns, so I visited with a group of students from uni to explore the Rabbie Burns Birthplace Museum and the cottage where he was born. It was interesting to learn about his life and legacy and to read some of his poems (the first pic in today’s post is a monument dedicated to him near the museum). Most exciting about the day, however, was the sunny weather and beautiful views of the countryside. This was the first time I had gotten out of the city, and Scotland finally looked like how I had imagined it—lush, green, cute cottages everywhere, and absolutely picturesque. It was such a great trip!

As for today’s outfit, I thought this look was really cute. I only had two complaints, the first of which was that I didn’t know what to do with the collar of my shirt—it seemed weird crinkled underneath my jacket but even weirder if I pulled the collar out on top. The second issue was my ponytail. I always seem to forget that ponytails make you look bald in pictures, so the few snaps I got of myself in Alloway are a little funny looking. Ah well.

Buffalo Plaid Shirt: JCPenney, $30, last worn here | Maroon Moto Jacket: BB Dakota via Wish Boutique, $25, last worn here | Grey Mom Jeans: Express, $19, last worn here | Black Knee Boots: Clarks via DSW, $100, last worn here

Tuesday, January 25

I grabbed coffee with another study abroad student this morning before doing some homework and blog tasks in the afternoon. I strongly considered staying in tonight, but I forced myself to go to the Taylor Swift Society’s sub-crawl—a sub-crawl is a pub crawl but where you ride the subway and get drinks at different stops.

I’m so glad I ended up going because the group of girls I was paired with were so nice! We had a lot of fun together and all wore white t-shirts so that we could write notes on each other’s tops (I guess T-Swift does that in her “You Belong with Me” music video?). I do know this: if I keep going to Taylor Swift Society events, I am going to have to learn a lot more about Taylor Swift. We played icebreakers such as “What’s your favorite Taylor era?” and “Who was Taylor’s worst ex?”. I very quickly had to fess up that I don’t really know anything about her… but the girls assured me I still have time to learn.

As for today’s dress, I love the tweed texture and black collar detail (even though you can’t really see it in this pic). The only thing I would do differently next time is wear a brooch or two near my neckline for a little added sparkle.

Black Collared Dress: Maison Jules via Macy’s, $30, last worn here | White Knee Socks: DSW, $15, last worn here | Black Knee Boots: Clarks via DSW, $100, last worn here

Wednesday, January 26

I slept in really late today and then went to my Intro to Scottish Culture class in the afternoon, which I only have every other week. Afterwards, my friend and I went to this cool restaurant in town (an old church converted into a bar/restaurant/club) to eat a traditional three-course Burns Supper in celebration of Burns Day.

The first course of our Burns Supper was cock-a-leekie soup (chicken stock and leek soup thickened with rice), which I really enjoyed. The main course, and the traditional Burns Day dish, was haggis, neeps, and tatties. Haggis is the national dish of Scotland, and it is a savory pudding made from sheep innards (traditionally served in the lining of the sheep’s stomach!). Neeps and tatties are turnips and potatoes, respectively. While the flavor of the haggis was good… I have to admit that the texture was too much for me. It was very wet and sticky, like something uncooked, and just knowing what it was made the meal a little less enjoyable for me. I guess I expected the haggis to be more like a meatball texture? I’ve heard it can be prepared lots of different ways, but I think it’s safe to say I can cross it off my Scotland bucket list. At least I tried it!

The dinner also came with whisky (naturally, because it’s Scotland), and the third course was a delicious dessert of shortbread cookies, cranachan (raspberry mousse), and a scoop of raspberry sorbet on some sort of fruit compote. It was delicious and huge, just how I like my desserts.

Afterwards, I went with some friends to a Burns Night event at a nearby bar which was supposed to turn into a ceilidh… long story short, the event was a bust, so we went to the end of the student union’s ceilidh instead. A ceilidh is a traditional group dance in Scottish and Irish communities that involves lots of steps, twirls, and hand-holding (not really Covid-safe at all). The event was really fun, and it was overall a great night to experience some of Scotland’s culture.

Regarding today’s outfit, I bought this baby pink sweater at the same time I thrifted my faux fur jacket a few weeks ago. At first I couldn’t decide if this sweater was really cute or really ugly, with it’s asymmetric tulle ruffles. But I’m glad I ended up buying it because if nothing else, it’s a really unique piece!

Pink Sweater: Thrifted, $13 | Polka Dot Skirt: Francesca’s, $23, last worn here | White Knee Socks: DSW, $15, last worn here | Black Knee Boots: Clarks via DSW, $100, last worn here

Thursday, January 27

I finally had my first Stained Glass class today, which is through the Glasgow School of Art instead of the University of Glasgow. It’s a three-hour class once a week, and I’m SO excited for it! I kind of expected to waste a lot of time today going over safety procedures or the history of stained glass, but thankfully we jumped right into it. We learned how to cut glass and shape the lead around the pieces, and we’ll be making three different projects throughout the semester! How cool.

After my other class back on U of G’s campus, I went straight back to my flat for a quiet night in. I’ve been trying to go to every event possible in order to meet people and make the most of my experience here, but it felt so good to just keep to myself and relax tonight. I really needed the break.

Grey Tee: JCPenney, $6, last worn here | Maroon Moto Jacket: BB Dakota via Wish Boutique, $25, last worn here | Black Corduroy Skirt: Francesca’s, $35, last worn here | Fishnet Tights: Forever 21, $7, last worn here | Leopard Rain Booties: Ralph Lauren, Macy’s, $60, last worn here

Friday, January 28

I had my art history seminar on campus today and then met up with a friend to walk his dog around the botanic gardens near campus (which were, expectedly, not much to see, since it’s the dead of winter). Later in the evening, I went to a social for the uni’s Salsa Society. The plan was to meet at someone’s flat at 8 pm and then go to a salsa dancing club a little later in the evening. I was SO excited to go dancing, but since I didn’t have a proper dress for it, I thought these fun pants would be the perfect alternative. I’ve never worn this maroon moto jacket with the palazzo pants before, but I actually think they paired quite well together! I also did something new with my hair, which I really liked—two super-tight Dutch braids leading into a high ponytail.

While it was fun meeting people at the social, by the time we finally went to the club, we had missed the cutoff for free entry. I knew I had an early morning on Saturday, so I decided to head home without any salsa-ing. Bummer, but I definitely plan on heading to the club at a later date! My idea of a perfect night out always involves some form of dancing.

Black Mock-Neck Top: JCPenney, $11, last worn here | Maroon Moto Jacket: BB Dakota via Wish Boutique, $25, last worn here | Patterned Pants: Francesca’s, $15, last worn here | Black Knee Boots: Clarks via DSW, $100, last worn here

Saturday, January 29

Today was SUCH a fun day, as I went on a tour with a bunch of other international students to the Scottish Highlands to see the Glenfinnan Viaduct (aka the Harry Potter Bridge where the fictional Hogwarts Express runs!). There were so many beautiful views, so I plan on sharing a full blog post on the experience in the coming weeks.

Pink Sweater: JCPenney, $18, last worn here | Maroon Quilted Vest: Francesca’s, $45, last worn here | Skinny Jeans: Express, $42 | Leopard Rain Booties: Ralph Lauren, Macy’s, $60, last worn here

. . . . .

I’m trying to catch up on some school work this morning, but otherwise I have a social with the quidditch team tonight—we are going to go see the new Spider Man movie and grab dinner together.

Which of this week’s outfits is your favorite? As always, thanks for stopping by the blog today, and be sure to join this week’s linkup!

 

Miles of smiles,

Grace