the "confusing scotland" post

Okay, so I think that, all things considered, I'm doing pretty good at adjusting.  Really, you should all be impressed. Like, the driving on the left side rather than the right is weird. I can deal though, as long as I don't have to do any driving. (I still check before crossing the street home-style, however). But there are a couple things ... It's not that there are all these huge differences between here and home; instead, a lot of really little things that you barely notice until that inopportune moment when you sit back and go "huh, that's weird." This is my mini list of those things.

Exhibit A: the money.

Why would you make your ten pence coins larger than the twenty pence? And why is the fifty pence coin twice the size of the one pound coin? And why IS there a one pound coin? It makes things awfully confusing when you're trying to pay for some last minute things at Tesco right before the store closes and there is a long line of angry Brits behind you, confused in turn as to why you can't seem to figure out their oh-so-simple coinage system.

Really, folks?

Exhibit B: the light fixture.

This is mine, which has been broken for three days now, making nights in the flat super dark but a little cozy without all the brutal flourescence. Mostly because, sad to say, I couldn't figure out how to fix the stupid thing. It should be simple to screw out a lightbulb and replace it, but it is not. Fortunately, it turns out the Accomodations Manager doesn't mind sending up a repairmen for the poor helpless American.

Exhibit C: THE SINKS.

Did you notice the caps? Good.

That's because this is the most aggravating of all.

These sinks are the most annoying thing in the entire world. It doesn't seem so difficult to put one spigot and two knobs, so that a person can recieve the required water temperature when washing dishes, or their hands, or their face. Nope. Because here in Britain, it is very important that you be decisive when it comes to water temperature. Do you want to be scalded or frozen? Seriously, make up your mind. It doesn't matter that it's early in the morning and you just left the comfort of your bed - no, the time has come to decide. Invariably, your hands will either be lobster red and steaming or too cold to turn the water off, so I've been alternating. Warm water, of course, requires moving your hands back and forth between the simultaneously running faucets.

Hello, Britain! Aren't you supposed to be ahead of the curve on eco-friendly things?

Apparently not.

But look! Everything is not completely bitter!

I climbed Arthur's Seat yesterday, walking past a loch full of swans wanting bread from little children, which, fortunately, there was plenty of, and the ruins of a tower overlooking the loch. It was kind of neat to see the whole city and the sea to the east once I got to the top. Next time I'm going to make a point of wearing suitable climbing clothes (NOT a skirt) and proper headgear. It was bloody windy up there.

i like to be beside the sea / the tide comes in once more / but i'm safe on higher ground

116 pictures +

2 cups of tea +

1 tower climbed +

1 long busride +

2 skype conversations +

4 new books +

1 set of aching legs later

it has been a wonderful day.

honestly, the best day I've had since being here.

st andrews is the most gorgeous place in the world and I never wanted to leave.

also the yule ball was loads of fun and burns night is tuesday already so there's lots going on and even more pictures to upload but here's a few to start.

on top of the Rule Tower at St Andrew's -

all of us, at the beach -

molly and I being ridiculous, as usual, sitting in the monk's seats of the old cathedral -

Ora et Labora, in the St Andrew's gift shop (look how legit we are!) -

lauren and I, Yule Ballin' it up -



sweet dreams everyone :)

i lost my way long ago

angus and julia stone, "yellow brick road"

If.I.Wake.Up.Tomorrow.Will.You.Still .Be.Here?

Seriously, yesterday was the most gorgeous day possible. Cold, but sunny. I'm not going to post all the pictures on here (I probably took 50, and the wireless in the library is too slow for that), so check the facebook for the rest of them. But here are a few of my favorites:

These are all from the top of Calton Hill, the same place my pictures were from the first day. I can't wait to see it in the spring. It's a very tourist-y place (I'm already acquiring a dislike for them) but at the same time it's one of my favorite places I've been so far. Nature in the city and all that. It's not so hard to find, as it turns out.

I made friends with a bunch of weird Indian tourist guys who asked me to take a picture of all 4 of them, and then with them ... apparently they thought I was a local. I also tried Indian food with Claire last night for the first - and last - time at a really sketchy place on Nicholson Square. I'm still a bit reluctant to buy food from an ethnic store though.

I've been asked for directions several times now - and been able to give them (a great feeling).

The only thing I'm worried about is lectures and the individual reading and not really knowing what's expected of us. Hopefully once tutorials start someone will tell us exactly what is going on academically here, which would be great. I feel like everything else has come together, except for that tiny detail. 

And as I'm sitting in the library waiting for my History of Art lecture to being, there is a girl wearing sneakers with individual toes. Scotland is starting to grow on me again.

just so you know ....

I promise I'm still alive. I haven't been mugged or given in to homesickness, or anything else. And obviously, I didn't jump on a plane home either.

In fact, things are most definitely looking up. It's sunny today! How's that for a change? I've made a few good friends and we're planning a trip to London in two weeks, as well as St. Andrews on the coast next weekend. I don't want to jinx anything but if all goes as planned I'll be in Paris and Italy for spring break with another lovely Sigma, which would make me so happy. 

Really, it's amazing what a day of retail therapy will do for a person. It's Sunday and sunny so I'm going to go climb some hills and have some relaxing time, and with any luck I'll have some great pictures to post soon. It's hard to take good shots when it's constantly raining.

Thank you all for helping me keep my spirits up :) 

"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new each morning; great is your faithfulness." _Lamentations 3: 21 - 23

homesick.

Homesickness (n)
definition: the distress or impairment caused by an actual or anticipated separation from a specific home environment or attachment objects.

It turns out that even though I didn't recognize it at first I am very, very much homesick and people-from-home sick. I'm not sure that things would be better if people I knew were here, I just want to go home. Actually, I've been mentally combing through the ways I could go home and be at UC instead this semester, which would work on many levels since classes don't start til Monday of next week. For a night I actually had myself convinced I was going to do it but I don't think that the money would transfer back to UC, so of course there goes that.

On another note though, classes are good. I have Celtic Civilisation (spelled the British way, of course), Early Modern Scottish History, and History of Art. The first two sound redundant but aren't, and at the very least I'm hoping they'll cover some of the same things, so when exam time rolls around I can pretend to know what I'm doing. History of Art is a lecture by this woman who sounds like she ought to be narrating a PBS documentary, it's more than a little funny.

The flat mates all seem lovely, I can't remember half their names but at least they're all girls, and the rumor about a French boy moving in has turned out to be entirely false, thank goodness. First year girls are funny.  Being 20, I'm like an antique to them.

So far as long as I keep myself busy things have been good, it's the nights in when everyone else is out drinking as much as possible that I don't have much to do. I've flown through the seventh Harry Potter in 2 nights, so clearly I'm going to need many more books so I'm not crying over Skype constantly to anyone who will listen, which has been the pattern the last few nights.   

I've managed to meet one really sweet girl that I've hit it off with very nicely. Unfortunately her boyfriend is coming to stay over spring break so she's entirely not helpful there, but I'm sure by then I'll have figured something out. There isn't much else to do but "keep calm and carry on" as they say over here (or "keep calm and carry a wand," from A Very Potter Musical) and June 1st will be here before I realise.

That's the plan anyway.

twist and shout

We went out exploring last night after we got done session. Of course, evening is after sundown and here any time after 4 is evening. We're told that will change in spring when it gets light early and stays that way until 8 or 9 at night. 

What's so nice about Edinburgh is just how much there is going on at any given time. Down behind the National Bank, on Princes Street, there is a carnival still going on from Hogmany (which is their New Year's Eve), complete with rides and an ice skating rink and American hip hop music. Across the street an old gentleman in a kilt was playing the bagpipes for money, and double decker buses full of tourists were ripping through the streets. Thankfully Princes Street is in New Town and therefore a lot more safe for buses than old Town, where the roads are barely wide enough for two cars to go through, and very windy to boot. The bus drivers here must be the best in the world. 

We also went to see the Elephant Cafe, which is where JK Rowling is said to have penned the first Harry Potter Book! It was a wonderful place.

  

After exploring for a good bit we went back to the hotel and then out to dinner at the Black Bull, a pub across the street. It was lovely - very old fashioned and with great food that came relatively cheap. Sometimes it's easy to buy things without thinking how much they would be in American dollars (their money is also much prettier). We stayed there for a while doing some people watching, and then a DJ showed up for what turned out to be "Sixties Night." Apparently Brits are just as fascinated with the American 60's as we are. There were about forty Butler students in the pub and when we all got up to dance we took up pretty much the entire floor. I'm not sure if this is unusual in Scotland or not, because not too many others did the same, but we had a wonderful time and when we left it was snowing again outside, which made for a magical walk home, but a much more miserable time hauling our luggage through the streets this morning. 
 
I'm all moved into my apartment now! It's a little dismal at the moment, but I'll find ways to pretty it up and show you all soon :) First, though, I have to go buy all the things I didn't bring or just plain forgot ... who forgets to pack socks, anyway?

love from Scotland, 
Emily <3

This Beautiful City

Today was our first full day in the UK!  Most of us started feeling the effects of jet lag this afternoon sometime this afternoon, and although its only noon back home, its five thirty here and after being up all night coughing and (i think) with a fever, I'm already quite ready for bed.

We went on a whistle-stop bus tour of the city this afternoon, in gorgeous, if not warm, sunlight. Our tour guide, Will - who was in fact wearing a kilt, clearly had a thing for Sean Connery as he kept going on and on about him, trying to copy his accent. Still, as funny as he was, what with jet lag setting in and the warm bus and something soothing about bus rides, we were all half asleep until he drug us up this hill that overlooks the entire city, both Old Town and New Town (New, because it was designed in 1776). A couple shots that I got:

 My favorite, the less-than-halfway completed Scottish version of the Parthenon; apparently they ran out of money but decided to keep it there anyway:

 this is New Town, looking toward the North Sea:

 And this is Old Town, with the castle in the left background:

That's all for now, I think. Tomorrow will be a great adventure of listening to programs and hopefully getting a change to explore a bit. Plus, I want to (possibly) take a quick nap before Skyping the family at 10. 

It's all a little overwhelming at this point and after spending all of yesterday crying and today being ill I am definitely ready for bed. Maybe we'll hear bagpipes outside again while we're falling asleep.