OK, so not really midgets. It was an attention getter. Worked, didn't it? But what I'm really talking about is all the people who work as cashiers in supermarkets. Jonmikel voiced this opinion: 'At first, I thought everybody who worked there were just midgets!' It was a joke, mind you, but this is where it stems from: all the cashiers in supermarkets are sitting down. They all have fun little chairs they can lounge in while ringing up your groceries. It is kind of wierd at first, talking down at somebody, but it makes sense. I mean, why strain your back standing for 8 hours, when you could sit? It makes so much sense, that I wonder why the US hasn't caught on yet. Maybe that makes sense, too...
Anyway, I also have a statement to make about electric showers. While looking for flats here back in the States, I was confused about this term. When I got here, I realized that it meant that the water in your shower doesn't use a hot water heater - it's electrically heated by a box on the wall that isn't attached to the faucets on the bathtub at all. The temperature control is on this little box, and it's actually all very confusing. I hated it at first, being unable to figure out how to control temperature, and the water pressure is usually lacking. I mean, if the people in MOROCCO can figure out a normal shower, why can't the British? (OK, here I make the assumption that this is not just a Scottish thing, but a general UK or even European things) But now, I have come to a revelation. These things are cool. It means we don't have to waste electricity running the hot water heater. Don't really need hot water in the sink anyway. So that's kinda cool. Maybe they have something going for them, after all.
Also, everywhere we've stayed since we got here has high ceilings. I can remember high ceilings also from my various trips through Europe and Morocco, and I think they are very cool. High ceilings make even the smallest of places feel roomier, which is nice for our flat. And the ceilings are usually decorated with at least neat trim, if not anything elaborate (such as I saw in Croatia). It's just a nice touch.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Friday, September 28, 2007
Yesterday, on an amazing Thursday, Jonmikel turned.... one year older. :-) I bet last year at this time, he had no idea where he'd be now.
For his birthday, I... well, went to class first. As luck would have it, there was a guest speaker coming to the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures that many people wanted to go see, so we got out of class early. So we went shopping, of all things. Didn't buy anything, but we did stop at this Middle Eastern hippy store that had a lot of way cool things in it with which to decorate our new (and wonderfully white) flat. Some exotic pillow covers will do wonders, I'm sure. We ARE starting to accumulate some cheap but tasteful nick-nacks, so the place doesn't feel so sterile. We did spill a bit of wine on the white couch, and were fairly upset about it, until we found a half-empty bottle of Oxy-Clean under the sink. Obviously, the owner has done the same thing many times before. I guess you can't have a white couch, white walls, white carpets and a white rug without having Oxy-Clean.
At any rate, after some window shopping, we wandered down to Rose Street, which is the fancy pedestrian street full of shops and pubs and restaurants, for dinner. During the summer, I hear this place is hopping with sidewalk diners and drinkers, but as the temperature has turned chilly (in the 40s for you Yanks), all the action has moved indoors. We stopped at the Mussel Inn, a place I saw in all the guidebooks and, upon looking it up online, found rave reviews for it. It's a small seafood place that specialized in, you guessed it, mussels. I was worried about reservations, but it turned out all right: they had one table available, but only for about an hour and a half. Would that be enough time? Now, you would never hear such a question in the US. An hour and a half? Most American diners are and and out in about 45 minutes. Here in Europe, everything is slower. After a hard day's work, you're expected to go out and drink and eat slowly and just relax. Which is nice, because that's how Jonmikel and I operate anyway. And honestly, an hour and a half for us is NOT enough time, but we wanted mussels, so we made an exception. The staff was wonderfully polite and hovering without being obnoxious. And if it wasn't for the ghastly exchange rate, it would have been a fairly inexpensive meal. But we figured we go out to one of the fantastic victorian-looking pubs we saw on the way.
Which we did. We found a wonderful little place with low lighting, a more mature crowd (think 30- and 40-something professionals instead of college-age), and a huge, mohogany island bar. Talk about ambience. We sat and people-watched and had a beer, then headed off for home.
Once we got home, even thought it was pushing midnight, we noticed how light it was outside. We could see the path sup Arthur's Seat perfectly. There was a full moon somewhere beyond the clouds, but it was so hazy that it was trapping all the lights from the city. The effect was amazing, and we had to take advantage of the situation. So we decided to climb Arthur's Seat. At midnight. We rushed home, changed into more rugged atire, grabbed a bottle of wine, and took off. We climbed up to an old chapel on one of the hills, St. Anthony's Chapel, which looked down over the city and a small loch, housing some swans, swans that appeared to be glowing orangey in the hazy light from the city. It was a great little hike, and a great place to hunker down out of the wind and talk religion and sip wine. I guess spending the night of your birthday hanging out at 1000-year-old ruins when you're a history buff isn't so bad, eh?
For his birthday, I... well, went to class first. As luck would have it, there was a guest speaker coming to the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures that many people wanted to go see, so we got out of class early. So we went shopping, of all things. Didn't buy anything, but we did stop at this Middle Eastern hippy store that had a lot of way cool things in it with which to decorate our new (and wonderfully white) flat. Some exotic pillow covers will do wonders, I'm sure. We ARE starting to accumulate some cheap but tasteful nick-nacks, so the place doesn't feel so sterile. We did spill a bit of wine on the white couch, and were fairly upset about it, until we found a half-empty bottle of Oxy-Clean under the sink. Obviously, the owner has done the same thing many times before. I guess you can't have a white couch, white walls, white carpets and a white rug without having Oxy-Clean.
At any rate, after some window shopping, we wandered down to Rose Street, which is the fancy pedestrian street full of shops and pubs and restaurants, for dinner. During the summer, I hear this place is hopping with sidewalk diners and drinkers, but as the temperature has turned chilly (in the 40s for you Yanks), all the action has moved indoors. We stopped at the Mussel Inn, a place I saw in all the guidebooks and, upon looking it up online, found rave reviews for it. It's a small seafood place that specialized in, you guessed it, mussels. I was worried about reservations, but it turned out all right: they had one table available, but only for about an hour and a half. Would that be enough time? Now, you would never hear such a question in the US. An hour and a half? Most American diners are and and out in about 45 minutes. Here in Europe, everything is slower. After a hard day's work, you're expected to go out and drink and eat slowly and just relax. Which is nice, because that's how Jonmikel and I operate anyway. And honestly, an hour and a half for us is NOT enough time, but we wanted mussels, so we made an exception. The staff was wonderfully polite and hovering without being obnoxious. And if it wasn't for the ghastly exchange rate, it would have been a fairly inexpensive meal. But we figured we go out to one of the fantastic victorian-looking pubs we saw on the way.
Which we did. We found a wonderful little place with low lighting, a more mature crowd (think 30- and 40-something professionals instead of college-age), and a huge, mohogany island bar. Talk about ambience. We sat and people-watched and had a beer, then headed off for home.
Once we got home, even thought it was pushing midnight, we noticed how light it was outside. We could see the path sup Arthur's Seat perfectly. There was a full moon somewhere beyond the clouds, but it was so hazy that it was trapping all the lights from the city. The effect was amazing, and we had to take advantage of the situation. So we decided to climb Arthur's Seat. At midnight. We rushed home, changed into more rugged atire, grabbed a bottle of wine, and took off. We climbed up to an old chapel on one of the hills, St. Anthony's Chapel, which looked down over the city and a small loch, housing some swans, swans that appeared to be glowing orangey in the hazy light from the city. It was a great little hike, and a great place to hunker down out of the wind and talk religion and sip wine. I guess spending the night of your birthday hanging out at 1000-year-old ruins when you're a history buff isn't so bad, eh?
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
So I don't think I mentioned our trip to the beach. Well, we made one. :-)
Actually this last weekend we took some time in between my busy research schedule (for my work in Yellowstone, not for classes here) and walked to the beach. Yes, there is a beach here in Edinburgh. It's odd that a lot of times I don't even think of being close to the ocean. There is very little here around Holyrood Park, or in Old Town, or in New Town, to remind you that you are, in fact, in a port town. The city is actually so huge (by pedestrian standards) that most of the time, the seagulls are the only thing remotely marine. And plenty of seagulls there are. At leas they aren't piegeons. But our place IS about 2 miles from the ocean. That may not seem like much to you folks with cars, but it's not exactly an easy jaunt by foot. Which is fine for an afternoon; which is what we made of it.
The beaches are nice: sandy, long, fairly un-littered and uncluttered with people. Lots of dogs, though. And swans, too. I never even though of swans as making homes in salt water, but here they were, in the Firth of Forth, a saltwater harbor. And the dogs thought they were just the coolest things ever.
But the weather was chilly, so we were all bundled up at the beach. But it is nice knowing that the ocean is so close; I have always had a thing for the ocean, plus it means fresh seafood everywhere. Mostly in the forms of mussels and fish, but other things are found here, too.
But the beach area is known as either the Docks, which is more north, or Portabello, which is on the southern end of the Firth, a little close to us, and a lot more posh. It's the trendy side of town, though the Docks area are becoming more popular with the younger professional crowd: cheap, ecclectic and creative housing on the ocean. Sounds like New York?
Anyway, tonight is the coldest its been since we've gotten here: in the low 40s right now, with mid 30s expected overnight. So we have our fireplace on. How sweet is that? Our flat has a little gas fireplace. Very romantic and actually VERY warm. We'll see how much our gas bill is soon. :-) But I did hear they got some snow in Gardiner... if only we could be so lucky.
Actually this last weekend we took some time in between my busy research schedule (for my work in Yellowstone, not for classes here) and walked to the beach. Yes, there is a beach here in Edinburgh. It's odd that a lot of times I don't even think of being close to the ocean. There is very little here around Holyrood Park, or in Old Town, or in New Town, to remind you that you are, in fact, in a port town. The city is actually so huge (by pedestrian standards) that most of the time, the seagulls are the only thing remotely marine. And plenty of seagulls there are. At leas they aren't piegeons. But our place IS about 2 miles from the ocean. That may not seem like much to you folks with cars, but it's not exactly an easy jaunt by foot. Which is fine for an afternoon; which is what we made of it.
The beaches are nice: sandy, long, fairly un-littered and uncluttered with people. Lots of dogs, though. And swans, too. I never even though of swans as making homes in salt water, but here they were, in the Firth of Forth, a saltwater harbor. And the dogs thought they were just the coolest things ever.
But the weather was chilly, so we were all bundled up at the beach. But it is nice knowing that the ocean is so close; I have always had a thing for the ocean, plus it means fresh seafood everywhere. Mostly in the forms of mussels and fish, but other things are found here, too.
But the beach area is known as either the Docks, which is more north, or Portabello, which is on the southern end of the Firth, a little close to us, and a lot more posh. It's the trendy side of town, though the Docks area are becoming more popular with the younger professional crowd: cheap, ecclectic and creative housing on the ocean. Sounds like New York?
Anyway, tonight is the coldest its been since we've gotten here: in the low 40s right now, with mid 30s expected overnight. So we have our fireplace on. How sweet is that? Our flat has a little gas fireplace. Very romantic and actually VERY warm. We'll see how much our gas bill is soon. :-) But I did hear they got some snow in Gardiner... if only we could be so lucky.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Where our flat is located is a quiet part of town, outside the main loop but still close to shops and such. However, you can still hear sirens from here, usually at a distance. I would just like to mention how disappointed I was to find out that sirens here in Scotland (I have no idea about the rest of the UK) are not, in fact, of the European type that I had so looked forward to hearing here, but instead are of the boring and annoying American type. And you hear them just as much. Fire trucks are the exception, their sirens being wonderfully… European. Someone needs to inform the Scottish Police that tourists come here for the sirens. A re-instatement of tradition is called for.
Also, they have magpies! Who knew! It feels just like being back home in Montana; there’s even a Buffalo Bar with a big picture of Chief Joseph hanging in the front window. Granted there it’s like $20 for a burger and $10 for a beer, but it’s the atmosphere they’re going for.
Also, they have magpies! Who knew! It feels just like being back home in Montana; there’s even a Buffalo Bar with a big picture of Chief Joseph hanging in the front window. Granted there it’s like $20 for a burger and $10 for a beer, but it’s the atmosphere they’re going for.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Sundays in Edinburgh seem very quaint and predictable. We ended up having to walk Uptown (as I am now going to call Old Town, where the University is, because it is, in fact, uphill from us) to find some internet, as we don’t yet have it in out place. The way up follows a route through Holyrood Park, a nice chunk of big mountain right in the middle of a bustling city. On our way through, it was nice to see it simply full of people. Families and couples mostly (where as in the early evenings during the week its full of young people playing football or rugby) picnicking and flying kites. Despite the fact that in the early afternoon it was cold, windy and rainy, people were out enjoying themselves on a nice Sunday. Flying Kites. How Mary Poppins can you get? Coming from a childhood of such Disney movies I was delighted to see that people still DO that on weekends; it seemed, well, quaint and perfect.
The afternoon DID turn out quite nice, in the mid-60s and sunny, but as soon as mid-afternoon came, suddenly public spaces were deserted for the more cozy and rowdy atmosphere of local pubs and biergartens, where big screen TVs showed that day’s rugby match. From the looks of the crowds (drinking and only half-interested), I would say that the match did not include Scotland, for Scotland matches, I have learned, include much singing and cursing and cheering. The last time Scotland played a World Cup match, you could hear the whole city cheer all at once from our window. And I do not use hyperbole here; I am 100% serious. Plus, you couldn’t have gotten into any reputable pub if you had Tyra Banks naked at your side. People crowded the sidewalks outside of windows to see TV screens. It was wild, and wickedly fun.
At any rate, as I said, we do not have internet in our place yet, and won’t until Wednesday. So I am stuck using the University’s wireless, which, for lack of a better word, sucks. For an internationally renown university, they seem to have fallen off the internet bandwagon sometimes in the late 90s, perhaps right after people stopped using the floppy discs that were actually floppy. Their wireless struggles to function, their website looks like a high school student’s mid-term project, and their online “Blackboard”-type site looks like something from the MS-DOS era of computing. And none of it works the way its supposed to. Sooooo, needless to say, I am looking forward to have fiber-optics. And streaming baseball.
The afternoon DID turn out quite nice, in the mid-60s and sunny, but as soon as mid-afternoon came, suddenly public spaces were deserted for the more cozy and rowdy atmosphere of local pubs and biergartens, where big screen TVs showed that day’s rugby match. From the looks of the crowds (drinking and only half-interested), I would say that the match did not include Scotland, for Scotland matches, I have learned, include much singing and cursing and cheering. The last time Scotland played a World Cup match, you could hear the whole city cheer all at once from our window. And I do not use hyperbole here; I am 100% serious. Plus, you couldn’t have gotten into any reputable pub if you had Tyra Banks naked at your side. People crowded the sidewalks outside of windows to see TV screens. It was wild, and wickedly fun.
At any rate, as I said, we do not have internet in our place yet, and won’t until Wednesday. So I am stuck using the University’s wireless, which, for lack of a better word, sucks. For an internationally renown university, they seem to have fallen off the internet bandwagon sometimes in the late 90s, perhaps right after people stopped using the floppy discs that were actually floppy. Their wireless struggles to function, their website looks like a high school student’s mid-term project, and their online “Blackboard”-type site looks like something from the MS-DOS era of computing. And none of it works the way its supposed to. Sooooo, needless to say, I am looking forward to have fiber-optics. And streaming baseball.
Friday, September 14, 2007
So today, I am officially a student again. A more grown up student, but a student, none-the-less.
Being back on a campus is odd, and sometimes refreshing. By refreshing, I mean I get student discounts on beer again. No, seriously, it's good to feel like a student again, because that means that somehow, I belong, that I'm not a tourist. And it's a neat place to belong. Not only do you hear all different accents (Americans/Canadians are evereywhere, I swear) but you also hear as many different languages: I walked down a sidewalk for about 100 feet and managed to hear French, Arabic, and something VERY Eastern European. And everybody looks different and just slightly out of place. Ah, the start of a new year. The crowd looks young (I SWEAR I never used to be that young and silly-looking, right?), but at least this is such a big city, that I can disappear into a swarm of 20- and 30-something professionals, should I so choose. It's a young city.
I am still amazed that this is a serious, internationally well-known university that not only serves booze at their official school functions, but also in their student union. Brilliant. And that contraception and emergency contraception (which is over-the-counter here, as I learned when I registered for health services) are practically handed out on every corner around campus. It's just a much more liberal (and dare I say, learned?) attitude toward all things puritans run and hide from. And funny, nobody seems to be dong anything stupid. I have yet to see a terribly drunk kid stumbling down the street or starting a brawl because he was drunk. If you don't make it a big deal, it doesn't become one.
Anyway, enough with that preaching; I swear I drive myself crazy sometimes. I would like to say, though, that for the second time since we've been here, a big group of people has walked into a place (this time, a movie theater; last time, a bar, for example), looked around, saw all the empty seats, and insisted on cramming in next to us. I haven't figured out if its a cultural thing, but as an American with a very large personal space bubble, I find it uncomfortable.
Also, I've decided to amend my previous statement about how much I love the fashion here. I hate skinny jeans. Audrey Hepburn, what were you thinking? Though the boots here are way cool.
Oh! And I almost forgot to report the most expensive tequilla ever: it's a bottle of which there were only 300-some made in the world. A Cuervo brand. 70 pounds a shot; that's about $140 per SINGLE shot of this tequilla. Talk about rich! Sold in the Basement Bar, a quaint (but yes, overpriced, though they may not be kidding with this one) little bar down the street from our temporary housing.
Being back on a campus is odd, and sometimes refreshing. By refreshing, I mean I get student discounts on beer again. No, seriously, it's good to feel like a student again, because that means that somehow, I belong, that I'm not a tourist. And it's a neat place to belong. Not only do you hear all different accents (Americans/Canadians are evereywhere, I swear) but you also hear as many different languages: I walked down a sidewalk for about 100 feet and managed to hear French, Arabic, and something VERY Eastern European. And everybody looks different and just slightly out of place. Ah, the start of a new year. The crowd looks young (I SWEAR I never used to be that young and silly-looking, right?), but at least this is such a big city, that I can disappear into a swarm of 20- and 30-something professionals, should I so choose. It's a young city.
I am still amazed that this is a serious, internationally well-known university that not only serves booze at their official school functions, but also in their student union. Brilliant. And that contraception and emergency contraception (which is over-the-counter here, as I learned when I registered for health services) are practically handed out on every corner around campus. It's just a much more liberal (and dare I say, learned?) attitude toward all things puritans run and hide from. And funny, nobody seems to be dong anything stupid. I have yet to see a terribly drunk kid stumbling down the street or starting a brawl because he was drunk. If you don't make it a big deal, it doesn't become one.
Anyway, enough with that preaching; I swear I drive myself crazy sometimes. I would like to say, though, that for the second time since we've been here, a big group of people has walked into a place (this time, a movie theater; last time, a bar, for example), looked around, saw all the empty seats, and insisted on cramming in next to us. I haven't figured out if its a cultural thing, but as an American with a very large personal space bubble, I find it uncomfortable.
Also, I've decided to amend my previous statement about how much I love the fashion here. I hate skinny jeans. Audrey Hepburn, what were you thinking? Though the boots here are way cool.
Oh! And I almost forgot to report the most expensive tequilla ever: it's a bottle of which there were only 300-some made in the world. A Cuervo brand. 70 pounds a shot; that's about $140 per SINGLE shot of this tequilla. Talk about rich! Sold in the Basement Bar, a quaint (but yes, overpriced, though they may not be kidding with this one) little bar down the street from our temporary housing.
I swear, the world is really made up of just 500 people, all wearing different clothes and speaking different languages to provide the illusion of 6 billion people. Everywhere I go, I see people I swear I know. The other day, as we were moving out of our quarters in Budget Backpackers Hostel, I saw this kid, blonde-haired, blue-eyed, and German sitting outside. He looked EXACTLY (to a T, only a few years older, which makes sense) like this kid, Robert, I knew in high school. Robert was a German exchange student, and i had the biggest crush on him sophomore year. And this stranger was even wearing the same glasses. I didn't say anything to him, as he looked content in being German and drinking with his buddies, but it could have been him. Especially after the incident at the Dublin airport where somebody knew Jonmikel, I'm not going to discount anything. Small world, really.
At any rate, the move from the hostel to a new hotel went well, even if we have 800 pounds of luggage each (exageration, sort of). We even got a comment at the airport from one of the taxi guys: he asked us if we were immigrants. Which, technically, I suppose we are, at least for the year. :-) But we had to move hotels because the hostel was booked solid (sad news for some Scottish backpackers who came here last minute) and we needed another week in temporary lodgings. But we found a place in New Town, in a trendy area close to a grocery story (I'm sure the two aren't directly related), that is actually very nice. It was the cheapest place we could find, and it's a whole flat, with a kitchen and living room and everything. The shower is a little iffy; I mean, if Morocco can discover a normal shower, why are the British still using so-called "electric" showers? Is is so hard to mix hot and cold water to create normal water pressure? The shower in this place and I battled it out for a while, until I declared defeat and took a bath.
We also got to explore some more of the city. When you just stick around Old Town, the place feels so small. But it's a HUGE city, so my impressions were off. We walked around Princes Street for a bit, it being the premier shopping district in town. No we didn't buy anythiing (poor students, right?), but it seemed very cosmopolitan. It's amazing to think that this area is called New Town, when in fact it was built in the 1700s. Doesn't seem very new, especially to us Americans who are amazed when something is 50 years old. We also took an hour to lay down in Princes Street Gardens, which was very pleasant. It was cool yet sunny, so we soaked up some rays with other young couples and children, and emo kids looking pissed off at the world and yet very at home in such a sunny place. But the whole garden used to be Nor'Loch, a big lake, and so the ground is marshy. And yet, much like they do in the States, they built on top of it and wonder why buildings are sinking. Hmmmmm....
One thing about the whole place, though, is that everywhere you go, it smells like beef stew. Really. Everywhere, starting at about noon. Its thick - humidity and cigarettes and beer and beef stew. And its everywhere, even in seedy areas where you would except body odor or something. No, no, beef stew. And rain, which it has been doing all morning. It's been looking like rain since we arrived, but has been remarkably dry. Now it's let loose on us, which is fine, because the grocery store is 2 blocks away - close enough to make an emergency run for food. I have a lot of work to finish up for the Park Service anyway, so its good to have an excuse to stay inside.
At any rate, the move from the hostel to a new hotel went well, even if we have 800 pounds of luggage each (exageration, sort of). We even got a comment at the airport from one of the taxi guys: he asked us if we were immigrants. Which, technically, I suppose we are, at least for the year. :-) But we had to move hotels because the hostel was booked solid (sad news for some Scottish backpackers who came here last minute) and we needed another week in temporary lodgings. But we found a place in New Town, in a trendy area close to a grocery story (I'm sure the two aren't directly related), that is actually very nice. It was the cheapest place we could find, and it's a whole flat, with a kitchen and living room and everything. The shower is a little iffy; I mean, if Morocco can discover a normal shower, why are the British still using so-called "electric" showers? Is is so hard to mix hot and cold water to create normal water pressure? The shower in this place and I battled it out for a while, until I declared defeat and took a bath.
We also got to explore some more of the city. When you just stick around Old Town, the place feels so small. But it's a HUGE city, so my impressions were off. We walked around Princes Street for a bit, it being the premier shopping district in town. No we didn't buy anythiing (poor students, right?), but it seemed very cosmopolitan. It's amazing to think that this area is called New Town, when in fact it was built in the 1700s. Doesn't seem very new, especially to us Americans who are amazed when something is 50 years old. We also took an hour to lay down in Princes Street Gardens, which was very pleasant. It was cool yet sunny, so we soaked up some rays with other young couples and children, and emo kids looking pissed off at the world and yet very at home in such a sunny place. But the whole garden used to be Nor'Loch, a big lake, and so the ground is marshy. And yet, much like they do in the States, they built on top of it and wonder why buildings are sinking. Hmmmmm....
One thing about the whole place, though, is that everywhere you go, it smells like beef stew. Really. Everywhere, starting at about noon. Its thick - humidity and cigarettes and beer and beef stew. And its everywhere, even in seedy areas where you would except body odor or something. No, no, beef stew. And rain, which it has been doing all morning. It's been looking like rain since we arrived, but has been remarkably dry. Now it's let loose on us, which is fine, because the grocery store is 2 blocks away - close enough to make an emergency run for food. I have a lot of work to finish up for the Park Service anyway, so its good to have an excuse to stay inside.
I am no longer homeless!
We found a place to live for the year! And actually, it was the one in the right price range that we liked the most. I was worried about the location at first, but its only about a mile to the Uni, which is defintely doable. Plus, its right at the foot of Arthur's Seat, this small mountain right in the middle of the city and in Holyrood Park. So that's gonna be really nice. And it's quiet in the neighborhood, and there's a Chinese Take Away place a block away sooooo... that's always fun. And it's small, but workable, and has a small study space for Jonmikel to set up shop.
The problem with the flat is that when we signed up to look at it, it was supposed to empty already. But when we got there, the guy was still living there. The Real estate agent called his secretary, and she said oh, he won't be out until mid-October. Well, we need right now; we're homeless. Oh, well he'll be out at the end of September. So we go look at another place (that we didn't like), and the real esate agent talks to us again, and convinces the guy to move out in a week. So we move in next Thursday, but we had to find another place to live for the week. We were staying at a hostel in Old Town, but everything down there was booked full for the weekend. So we found an apartment in New Town, close to some local shops and pubs in a trendy area. So that's nice for now. But It'll be really nice to have a place where we can unpack. BUT we just saw a fox outside our window!! How cool is that? Wildlife in Europe!
Anyway, I've fully matriculated into the University. I met up with some of the other new students in my department, and I think It'll be good. The coolest one is this guy named Rob from Ireland, who is me. Seriously. He went to the equivalent of a crappy state school, got a degree in sociology because he didn't know what else to do, did some traveling and decided to do something with the Middle East. Knows a few words in Arabic, but nothing serious. Likes to drink and have a good time, is kinda lost in the whole school world, unfocused... you know, just like me. Then there's Mark from Brown (and no, I didn't punch him); Rick who is rather religious for my taste but his Ph.D. dissertation sounds cool (why many Muslims deny the crucifiction of Christ); Pascal, from Brooklyn, who was smart enough to go to a Canadian school; A girl from Egypt whose name I have trouble pronouncing; Sammy, from Egypt; Ben, who never really introduced himself; a Malaysian guy; and a British guy who is really Middle Eastern and just got his citizenship not that long ago... So a small group, but it might be interesting. A variety of backgrounds. The program seems like it won't be that hard, so I'm feeling very wary right now. But so far, it seems like a lot of the classes I did as an undergrad... lots of critical reading and the like. And a 15,000 word thesis? No problem... right? I'll get back to you.
We found a place to live for the year! And actually, it was the one in the right price range that we liked the most. I was worried about the location at first, but its only about a mile to the Uni, which is defintely doable. Plus, its right at the foot of Arthur's Seat, this small mountain right in the middle of the city and in Holyrood Park. So that's gonna be really nice. And it's quiet in the neighborhood, and there's a Chinese Take Away place a block away sooooo... that's always fun. And it's small, but workable, and has a small study space for Jonmikel to set up shop.
The problem with the flat is that when we signed up to look at it, it was supposed to empty already. But when we got there, the guy was still living there. The Real estate agent called his secretary, and she said oh, he won't be out until mid-October. Well, we need right now; we're homeless. Oh, well he'll be out at the end of September. So we go look at another place (that we didn't like), and the real esate agent talks to us again, and convinces the guy to move out in a week. So we move in next Thursday, but we had to find another place to live for the week. We were staying at a hostel in Old Town, but everything down there was booked full for the weekend. So we found an apartment in New Town, close to some local shops and pubs in a trendy area. So that's nice for now. But It'll be really nice to have a place where we can unpack. BUT we just saw a fox outside our window!! How cool is that? Wildlife in Europe!
Anyway, I've fully matriculated into the University. I met up with some of the other new students in my department, and I think It'll be good. The coolest one is this guy named Rob from Ireland, who is me. Seriously. He went to the equivalent of a crappy state school, got a degree in sociology because he didn't know what else to do, did some traveling and decided to do something with the Middle East. Knows a few words in Arabic, but nothing serious. Likes to drink and have a good time, is kinda lost in the whole school world, unfocused... you know, just like me. Then there's Mark from Brown (and no, I didn't punch him); Rick who is rather religious for my taste but his Ph.D. dissertation sounds cool (why many Muslims deny the crucifiction of Christ); Pascal, from Brooklyn, who was smart enough to go to a Canadian school; A girl from Egypt whose name I have trouble pronouncing; Sammy, from Egypt; Ben, who never really introduced himself; a Malaysian guy; and a British guy who is really Middle Eastern and just got his citizenship not that long ago... So a small group, but it might be interesting. A variety of backgrounds. The program seems like it won't be that hard, so I'm feeling very wary right now. But so far, it seems like a lot of the classes I did as an undergrad... lots of critical reading and the like. And a 15,000 word thesis? No problem... right? I'll get back to you.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
I feel intensely less stressed than I did upon my arrival in Edinburgh. I have completed registration, I have fully enrolled in my school, and my loans are being taken care of. I feel like I know now have time to relax and appreciate the fact that I’m in a city that was built 1000 years ago. I mean seriously. Edinburgh is a huge modern city with buses and cars and taxis and trains and restaurants on every corner and internet access standard in every bar/coffee shop and modern fashion everywhere, and yet all these things are in buildings that were built in the 1600s. It’s an amazing mix of good maps and labyrinth streets.
And beer ads on college grounds, some even sponsoring college events. Such blasphemy would never happen in the US. Drinking is taboo there. Here, it’s the preferred afternoon activity. But its not obnoxious or in your face. If you don’t want to drink, there are always people having coffee. But things are just so much more relaxed, and you can tell immediately. But is IT weird being in a college-town again. That’s kind of what big sections of the city are – a big college town. And distinctly European; I’ve decided I love the fashion! Looking forward to getting some money in order to start shopping. Even though I seem to fit in already, with my scarves and red hair. And things just seem to move slower here; not Montana slow, but slower.
Also, looking forward to finding a place to live: my last stress-point for now. We have some viewings tomorrow, and one of the places I really like from the pictures, and the location seems nice, right on the edge of the big city park in the area. Hopefully, putting internet in it will be easy, that way we can just take it and be done. And then we can relax and climb Arthur’s Seat and enjoy the town some more!
We’ve already adopted a local bar as our own, which is where I am right now writing this. Free Wi-Fi, live music every night, cheap beer, and all the live Rugby World Cup games (which we plan to attend some of, because its such a big deal here, and if we’re going to play Scottish, we might as well do it right!). Good food, too, as right now I’m eating Haggis for the first time. For Laura: it tastes exactly like goetta! I’m hooked! And I have a new beer: McEwans 70. A nice amber ale. Medium strong. I feel as if I’m adjusting already!
And beer ads on college grounds, some even sponsoring college events. Such blasphemy would never happen in the US. Drinking is taboo there. Here, it’s the preferred afternoon activity. But its not obnoxious or in your face. If you don’t want to drink, there are always people having coffee. But things are just so much more relaxed, and you can tell immediately. But is IT weird being in a college-town again. That’s kind of what big sections of the city are – a big college town. And distinctly European; I’ve decided I love the fashion! Looking forward to getting some money in order to start shopping. Even though I seem to fit in already, with my scarves and red hair. And things just seem to move slower here; not Montana slow, but slower.
Also, looking forward to finding a place to live: my last stress-point for now. We have some viewings tomorrow, and one of the places I really like from the pictures, and the location seems nice, right on the edge of the big city park in the area. Hopefully, putting internet in it will be easy, that way we can just take it and be done. And then we can relax and climb Arthur’s Seat and enjoy the town some more!
We’ve already adopted a local bar as our own, which is where I am right now writing this. Free Wi-Fi, live music every night, cheap beer, and all the live Rugby World Cup games (which we plan to attend some of, because its such a big deal here, and if we’re going to play Scottish, we might as well do it right!). Good food, too, as right now I’m eating Haggis for the first time. For Laura: it tastes exactly like goetta! I’m hooked! And I have a new beer: McEwans 70. A nice amber ale. Medium strong. I feel as if I’m adjusting already!
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
We were hardly in a foreign country for 15 minutes before somebody, specifically a woman who sat behind us on the plane across the Atlantic Ocean, recognized Jonmikel. She's standing behind us while in line for Irish customs and says, "Did you used to work in Yellowstone?" She remembered him from a class of Leslie Quinn's she took last summer, the last time he drove a bus for the Yellowstone Association. How wierd is that, that you can travel across the entire world and meet someone who knows you? Similar to my time in Germany, where Tyko's good friend he meant in Ghana was the best friend of a girl Laura and I went to high school with, and who was a good friend of Laura's brother. How bizzare? Also, we met the Scottish National Rugby team in the Dublin airport during out layover. They were on their way to France for the Rugby World Cup. They were singing and in kilts... a sign of good things to come.
As you can tell, we're finally in Scotland. It's hard to believe that we're here, and we're here to stay. We aren't on vacation, we won't be back in the States in two weeks bearing gifts and annoying travel photos. No, we're here. We've moved. And that's odd.
We got to see some of Jonmikel's friends, Dan and Heather in Charleston, WV, on our way out to DC to fly. It was nice to hang out with people who are just so relaxed. We arrived and were immediately offered a beer. There was no baseball game, but we decided to go to the ballpark anyway to eat at the restaurant that overlooks the ballpark. We show up and…. There are people in line at the ticket counter? Wait, but Jonmikel said… OOOOHHHH, Jonmikel had been following the Charleston SOUTH CAROLINA team, not the West Virginia Power! So the team made the playoffs, and we all spend the night drinking and watching baseball, and in my case, getting to know one another a bit better. It was nice to be out of the Gardiner circle, and I bet it will only get better.
But the flights went off without a hitch. They even took our overweight bags and our oversized carry-ons. Though Aer Lingus has gone down hill a bunch since last I flew on it. No matter, cheap tickets.
As you can tell, we're finally in Scotland. It's hard to believe that we're here, and we're here to stay. We aren't on vacation, we won't be back in the States in two weeks bearing gifts and annoying travel photos. No, we're here. We've moved. And that's odd.
We got to see some of Jonmikel's friends, Dan and Heather in Charleston, WV, on our way out to DC to fly. It was nice to hang out with people who are just so relaxed. We arrived and were immediately offered a beer. There was no baseball game, but we decided to go to the ballpark anyway to eat at the restaurant that overlooks the ballpark. We show up and…. There are people in line at the ticket counter? Wait, but Jonmikel said… OOOOHHHH, Jonmikel had been following the Charleston SOUTH CAROLINA team, not the West Virginia Power! So the team made the playoffs, and we all spend the night drinking and watching baseball, and in my case, getting to know one another a bit better. It was nice to be out of the Gardiner circle, and I bet it will only get better.
But the flights went off without a hitch. They even took our overweight bags and our oversized carry-ons. Though Aer Lingus has gone down hill a bunch since last I flew on it. No matter, cheap tickets.
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