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.