“Who Doesn’t Love Chocolate?  Well, I’ll admit it, I’m not a chocoholic, so I’m throwing down the gauntlet: convince me that chocolate is worth all the fanfare by bringing your own favorite chocolate treat, be it dark, milk, or white! Be sure to bring your sweet tooth, as we’ll be sampling lots of yummy treats.”  – Emily -

Join us Monday, January 9 at 7:30 pm for a night of chocolate celebration at Emily’s house.  Take up Emily’s challenge and bring your favorite chocolate to share with everyone. If you need a lift, contact Jenna or Christy. Hope to see you all there!

You are invited to our last AWF meeting of the year — a Christmas cookie exchange!  We’ll be meeting Monday, December 12th* at 7:30pm at Katie B’s house.

Please bring a batch of cookies to share (roughly 2 dozen) and a container or bag to carry home your spoils. After sampling a few to make sure of their yumminess, everyone can load up their tupperware with all the different kinds of cookies and take them home for their families to enjoy.  It’s a perfectly delicious way to start out the month of December and we hope you can make it!

There will also be a display of handmade items from Katie and Krisi available for sale, so come excited about some Christmas Shopping.

If you need directions or a lift, please contact Christy or Rachel Ann.  Cheers!

On another note, here are some of the upcoming events in Aberdeen’s winter festival.  And if you missed the lights parade last week, make sure to check out the incredible light displays on Union street after dark.

• Aberdeen’s Winter Festival Christmas Tree Lighting – 27 Nov, 4pm – Castlegate
• Nativity Scene Unveiling – 27 Nov, noon – St Nicholas Kirkyard
  
• King’s College Lights Up for Christmas - 1 Dec, 4pm – Lawn outside Elphinstone Hall
• Aberdeen’s Santa and His Parade – 4 Dec, noon – Castlegate/Union Street

Remember “Show and Tell” from elementary/primary school?  Wasn’t it just the best??!! You are invited to Leah’s home for an elementary school themed monthly gathering on Monday, 7 November, at 7:30 pm.  Come enjoy snacks you might find in a lunch box and bring something to “Show and Tell” (maybe a picture, souvenir, hobby, etc.)

It will also be the third annual Basement Shop (except it will be in an attic this year) where newcomers (and really, anyone wants/needs more stuff) may rifle through the items collected by AWF.  There are all sorts of little household things from assorted kitchenware to storage containers, kids stuff and more. Please come ready to take lots of stuff … anything left over will be going to a charity shop.

If you have any questions, need a ride, or directions to Christy’s house, please contact her at christy.sumner@gmail.com and we’ll make sure you get to the meeting.  Please RSVP if you are joining us, so we know how much food to have.  See you there!

Come out to Rachel Ann’s flat on Monday, 5th September, 2011, at 7:30pm for an Accessory Swap.  Grab an accessory out of your closet that you’ve grown tired of….a bag, belt, scarf, piece of jewelry, watch, hat, etc., and go home with something new to you.  If you’re not up for that, come anyway and enjoy the chatter, laughter, and goodies.  Also, we will be packing bags that night to give to new women moving to Aberdeen.

Since a new family is taking our flat, I have new families on my mind and what they need to know. We have a fabulous website {aka AWF} that many women have spent hours thoughtfully putting together, which is definitely worth a thorough perusing. However, I thought I’d just high light a survivor’s guide for preparing and the first few days.

As you prepare…

Housing- you can look for flats online with agencies, as well as on Gumtree. AWF has tons of info on this, I am sure. Make sure to ask what comes with the flat- is it furnished? What does that mean- does it include linens and dishes, or just minimum furniture? This will help you plan.

Regardless of whether you come with a flat secured, or just a temporary place to stay, google and print maps with how to get to the University, as well as one of the main grocery stores: ASDA, Morrison’s, or Sainsbury’s. All 3 of these places have groceries, of course, but they also supply stuff for your home, including linens, dishes, etc.

Once you arrive…

You may also want to keep those maps handy for eating- probably you’ll be on your own for food, so know that each grocery store has a cafe as well. Come with some pounds {you can even change money at the airport} if you don’t have credit cards or a bank account you can use yet. If you are planning on using your American cards, make sure you know what charges your bank will charge you for using pounds, etc.

Also, there is the HUB on campus, which has a Subway on the ground floor, as well as a student cafeteria with lots of options on the “first” floor. This may or may not be open if you come before the start of term {end of September}, but Subway keeps good hours.

For phones and internet…

I think this may be the best info I provide you with… It takes a long time to get phone lines and internet set up here. Know that. Thus, my biggest recommendation would be to get a mobile phone as soon as you can. Head down to ASDA- a 20-25 min walk to the beach from the Uni, or a bus ride {Beach Retail Park on Route 14 / 15}… Anyway, buy 2 pay-as-you-go mobiles (what they call cell phones). You won’t have a credit history here, so no contract- you’ll just pick out a phone and pay by the minute. Then, you just “top it up”, meaning add pounds at a time. ASDA has a good selection and well-priced minutes 4-8p/minute. Get your phones so you have a way to call people and communicate in country. This way you won’t go crazy as you need to ask for help, etc.

I would also advise the student to get registered on campus, so you can have log-in info for computer access. That way, you can go to the HUB or somewhere on campus and use the internet.

We have a FB page!

Lastly, I did want to make sure you know about our women’s page on FB…Aberdeen Women’s Fellowship…search it and then like it. The ladies here post random stuff that’s going on, things they’re selling or giving away, etc. It’s great! While we’re on that topic, we don’t have Craig’s List, but we do have Gumtree- you can find so much and it might be helpful for when you first move here.

The pile of books to explore and exchange.

Katie, Rachel Ann and Melissa sipping a cuppa tea.

Christy, Jenna and Joyce snacking on yummy pound cake.

Leah, Joy and Emly enjoying lively conversation.

Photo credit: Andrea Singarella

Book Swap

Monday, 8th August, 2011 @ 7:30pm

at Melissa’s flat

Bring a book or books that you no longer need/have already read, and pick up something interesting from someone else. It could be anything–fiction, nonfiction, child-rearing, theology, whatever. Even if you don’t have a book to share, come anyway and tell us about something interesting you’ve read lately and enjoy some yummy food and tea.  Please let Melissa know if you are able to attend.

photo credit: eyesontutorials

It may not be hot in Aberdeen this July, but it’s still summer and time to pull out your party gear for a Latin-inspired atmosphere. So come to Shalle’s flat dressed for a celebration however you choose and we’ll munch on lots of delightful foods. Perhaps even a tolerable lesson for the “ballroom” might peak your curiosity, so join us at 7.30pm on Monday 4 July for an amiable party!