Testing: Pre-Departure and Introductions

"We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us."  --Anonymous

Hello Friends!

Welcome to my blog!  Whether or not you find yourself here as a personal friend of mine, a family member, a member of Sr. S's class, or someone who stumbled upon it, welcome.  I'm not sure entirely what it is you hope to find in these pages, but I hope you do.

I feel like most of the people who wind up reading this already know me, but, for those of you who don't, my name is Stephen (Steve) Pendergast.  Currently, I am a student at Siena College where I study both English and Philosophy in hopes of one day being a novelist.  I am studying abroad in Glasgow, Scotland for the spring semester of my junior year.  I know very little of the Scottish culture I am about to immerse myself in, but I'm very excited with what the future holds.

Here's me on Mount Marcy in the Adirondacks!

I don't only just read and philosophize though, I also am very active and I love hiking and all kinds of activities out doors.  I'm interested in nature as a whole, and I'm constantly striving to learn more about the natural world and immerse myself in it.  I'm also a music lover, and I listen to everything from alternative rock to a little rap and everything in between.  Currently, my favorite bands have to be Moving Mountains, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Imagine Dragons.

As for this blog as a whole, I'm hoping to use it in multiple ways.  For starters, I wanted to find a way to tell my story to all of those I'm going to leave at home for a little while.  While phone calls and social media are wonderful, I wanted to be able to tell my story in a way that is accessible to all of those I'm going to miss and wish to keep in contact with.  Likewise, this blog holds the wonderful opportunity for me to share my experiences with those who may not yet have the chance to experience international travel in this way.  Pragmatically, I plan on posting once every week (probably on a weekday, like a Tuesday or a Wednesday).  Of course, I'm not entirely sure what my schedule will look like next semester, and life will probably be jumping up on me in various ways so there will be a small learning curve.  That being said, I plan on having some specific schedule and be posting regularly.

To Sr. S's class, I hope that you all will enjoy seeing my experiences through Scotland as I share the culture and surrounding area with you.  Don't give Sr. S too much grief while I'm gone.

Lastly, I just want to thank two special people, my Mom and Dad.  Without your continued love and physical, emotional, and spiritual support, I would not be able to climb the mountains before me nor have the opportunities I have today.  Thank you.