I've watched every episode of Doctor Who and Torchwood in existence, so now I have to come back to this. Okay, wait, that's not true. I've watched all of the new episodes of Doctor Who. Because actually, that show started in the 60s (?), and there are approximately 30 series. I've seen the entirety of the new series, which are the last 3 seasons. Basically, when the Doctor was played by Christopher Eccleston and then (now) David Tennant (who you may also know as Barty Crouch, Jr., or, alternatively, my new future husband). Shut up, I'm moving on from Heath. And this is why I try not to keep a blog; the world at large becomes audience to my insanity. But really, David Tennant is brilliant, and so is the show. Torchwood is also good, though a bit more melodramatic and weirder (yes, weirder than a show about an alien who travels through time and space in a blue box). Also, the wearing of Chucks with full suits may be the most charming fashion statement ever. But as nobody else is watching either of these shows, I should move on so as not to bore you.
In case you were hoping to hear about my life of late, that's what the first paragraph was. Also, I've discovered that the BBC, like the major American TV stations, has an internet player for already broadcast shows. It's more efficient in that shows are available as soon as they've aired, but you can only watch the shows for a week after they've aired (unless you download them, in which case you have 30 days or a week from when you watch it). It's a very complicated DRM system, but whatever. I can watch the new season of Torchwood on Wednesday nights, and Doctor Who in the spring, and I don't need to buy a TV or a license. Which brings up another point: to own a TV here, you have to buy a TV license. It's about 140 GBP for a color TV and 50 GBP for black and white. So double that to get the price in dollars. You buy the license for a year, and it covers all of the TVs in your household. I have no idea why they do it that way, except that it may or may not help to pay for the BBC stations, which are all publicly funded.
Right, my life. Enough about TV shows. I also do exciting things like go to the library to do readings for class. And go to class, of course. When it isn't canceled. Which has happened, so far, twice, because the professors were sick, and then I didn't have Buddhist Art this week or last because the professor went on a delegation to China. Yeah, my schedule is much easier than yours, probably. But when I was in the library yesterday, I did see some amusing graffiti on the desk at which I was working. British students, and European students in general, are very political. So there were lots of things like:
FUCK THE ENGLISH, REMEMBER BANNOCKBURN
which earned the reply:
no I wasn't born.
And then there was stuff like:
GALICIA IS NOT SPAIN
which I found amusing because we learned all about that in my AP Spanish class in high school.
Of course, there were some nasty things about Americans, one of which involved being able to recognize the American students from a mile away because of their "stupid-ass UCLA caps" (seriously, fuck those guys). But the very best, for a variety of reasons was (Dan, pay attention):
If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion.
Even the graffiti is cleverer here.
Something that may be of marginal interest to people, I realize, is food. I haven't actually talked about what I can and can't get here much, and that's something that always interests me, and maybe other people as well. I mentioned the American chain restaurants here, but besides them, there's a variety of food types and ethnicities represented. Within a two-minute walk from my flat, I can get: Indian (which is the Chinese of the UK), Chinese, vegetarian (which I think is an off-shoot of Indian), Middle-Eastern, African/Mediterranean, Thai, Italian, pub food, sandwiches, and whatever I want from the 4 grocery stores on my block or the next. Also, there are a variety of uncategorizable cafes and coffee shops and little restaurants, and some place called Elephants and Bagels. I find that place intriguing. There are also tiny ethnic groceries in the same area, as you would expect. And, my personal favorite so far, Greggs. In the simplest terms, it's a bakery/sandwich shop. However, it's better than that, because 1) it's damn cheap and 2) they have savories, which are a variety of (as the name implies) savory things wrapped in pastries. Delicious pastries. For less than 2 GBP, I can get a really filling lunch, with dessert.
If I leave the immediate area around my flat, I can find anything else, I think. I've seen an American style place with burgers/pizzas/salads, though done in an expensive, take advantage of tourists way. I've seen multiple Mexican places, a tapas bar, lots of take-away places with things like falafel/kebabs/fish and chips, and even a Nepalese restaurant. I'm particularly intrigued by that one. Plenty of new things for me to try while I'm here.
As for grocery stores, I can basically buy the same stuff as you'd get in the US, except better quality. Like most places in Europe, Scotland (and the UK) is big on homegrown things whenever possible. So there's a large variety of local meats and cheeses, and fruits and vegetables also to some extent. What I really enjoy are all of the different flavors of things. Juices here are phenomenal. They mix things that we'd never even think of in the US, often involving apples. I love apple juice when it isn't too sweet, which tends to be the problem with the available types in the US. Here, they treat apples sort of like we treat cranberries, for lack of a better comparison, and basically I'm in juice heaven. Apple/elderflower is my favorite so far, but apple/raspberry and apple/mango are also delicious. I'm going to miss the variety when it's time to leave.
Also, ridiculous weather. Today, it was raining early in the morning. Then, it stopped raining and was overcast. Then, it started snowing, like full-on blizzard-style. When I left for class at 10:45, it was sunny. When I left class at 1, it was getting overcast again. When I left for my other class at 1:45, it was overcast. Leaving that class at 2:50, I walked out into a blizzard (and to understand that, imagine the huge, fluffy kind of snowflakes that turn you into a snowman because they stick and 30mph gusts of wind [they're rarely more than 5mph in LA]). It did that for about 2 hours, and then it stopped and got overcast again. The best thing about the weather is the wind. It's awesome to be in the library, or indoors anywhere, and hear it whipping around outside. The snow was also spectacular, as I haven't seen real snow in a few years now. I've missed it.
I think the theme of this post is: variety is the spice of life. I'm thinking that it's impossible to ever really get tired of a place where so much is available and so much is different from hour to hour. Not in the few months that I have here, anyway.
My life is thrilling, obviously. You guys should definitely aspire to be me. That's all.
- C
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Getting out and doing shit.
The last few days have been incredibly active, as far as me actually going out and doing stuff goes. You'd all be so proud. No riots or anything though, I leave that to you. I'll do a rundown of this by day, so we'll see what I can remember:
Thursday: I went to class etc etc. That night, I went to the first meeting of the Water of Life Society for this semester. That's the university whiskey (Scottish spelling: whisky) appreciation society, for those that I haven't mentioned it to yet. It was incredibly fun and extremely informative. I met a couple of other American students, so it didn't end up just being me, awkwardly sitting by myself. That was cool. We tried 5 different whiskeys, of varying types (though all Scotch) and got information about each of them. So I've tried 7 different whiskeys since getting here, though damned if I remember all of their names. Not too shabby. After the meeting, I tagged along to a bar and then a night club with the other Americans. They're with one of the big, multi-school study abroad programs, so it ended up being a fairly large group of people. Completely different than the USC abroad experience.
Friday: Went grocery shopping, as I was out of everything. That night was a Burns Night supper/ceilidh at the church I've started going to. Tremendous amount of fun. I tried haggis for the first time; it's actually quite good. All of the traditions and trappings that go along with Burns Night are also something incredible to behold. It's a meal where there's never a dull moment. I'm tempted to have my own version next year, but I don't know how successful I'd be at getting people to try haggis. I'll have to discuss this with Kate later. The dancing would also be a problem, as I don't know any Scottish dances. Though, I did do a few last night. No lie, I danced. With a lot more practice, I could be a pretty decent Scottish dancer I think. It wasn't at all hard once I got the hang of it. Though I guess it does help that the person that I was mostly dancing with was spectacularly good. After that, which ended at like 11:15, I went back to the Scottish economist's flat for Mah Jong and whiskey. And ended up staying there until 3am, just like last time. It's becoming a weekend habit. I'll be a Mah Jong master by the time I get home.
Today: I woke up at 10, which was disturbingly early for the time that I actually went to bed, and took a trip out to Rosslyn Chapel with the girl that I met from USC. It's about a 45 minute ride on a public bus from here, so no big hassle to get to at all. It was absolutely incredible. The chapel and the surrounding hills and valleys are just gorgeous. And it's made about 100x cooler by the fact that my dad's a Freemason (yeah, yeah secret society shut up), so I know a lot of the lore and symbolism involved in the carvings and the chapel itself. It's somewhere that I've wanted to go for a long, long time. After that, we had lunch in this adorable hotel right near the castle, and it was delicious and warm. The warm aspect of food is incredibly important with the normal weather here. Then, I came home, watched four or five more episodes of the new Doctor Who (totally addicted) and did laundry. Now, I think I might call home.
Also, if anyone's wondering why I don't really talk about feelings in this blog (not that you would be, but might as well address it), it's because it's so easy to find, really. Like, I have no problem talking about my general impressions of stuff, mostly how I'm feeling, etc., but mostly I'm focused on what I've actually, physically been doing. I don't want to talk about the crazy boring emotional stuff in a blog that's so out in the open, on my facebook profile and all. Also, I was going to give this address to my parents, so they could keep track of me. I haven't, for various reasons (like you guys making references to my reputation as a drunken slut etc) [kidding], but that kept me from actually treating this like my other blog as well. I have this thing where I only put on a brave face for them, regardless of how I'm actually feeling. It's dumb, as they're my family, and they, more than anybody else, should get to know when I'm terrified/lonely/homesick/falling apart or whatever, but that's not how I operate. I think crying in front of my dad when I realized that I wasn't going to be able to make the situation with my visa work was the most embarrassing thing that has happened to me in recent memory. And yes, I mean that, despite whatever else may have happened within the space of this last semester. I have serious problems, I know.
Now that I've broken the "no feelings" rule (aside: however the previous may make it sound, I am completely and totally content, I love this place and these people), let's move on to Heath Ledger. I am totally heart-broken about his death. I was going to marry him, somehow. Not even lying. I had a total delusion about that. It would have been one of my 3 wishes if I ever came across a genie. And his death was sort of like the death of my childhood, in one of those stupid, symbolic ways. But yeah, that's neither here nor there. But I do really appreciate the eulogy that Joel McHale of The Soup said for Heath, so I think I'll end this post with that. Something reasonable, one good guy talking about another:
True class.
- C
Thursday: I went to class etc etc. That night, I went to the first meeting of the Water of Life Society for this semester. That's the university whiskey (Scottish spelling: whisky) appreciation society, for those that I haven't mentioned it to yet. It was incredibly fun and extremely informative. I met a couple of other American students, so it didn't end up just being me, awkwardly sitting by myself. That was cool. We tried 5 different whiskeys, of varying types (though all Scotch) and got information about each of them. So I've tried 7 different whiskeys since getting here, though damned if I remember all of their names. Not too shabby. After the meeting, I tagged along to a bar and then a night club with the other Americans. They're with one of the big, multi-school study abroad programs, so it ended up being a fairly large group of people. Completely different than the USC abroad experience.
Friday: Went grocery shopping, as I was out of everything. That night was a Burns Night supper/ceilidh at the church I've started going to. Tremendous amount of fun. I tried haggis for the first time; it's actually quite good. All of the traditions and trappings that go along with Burns Night are also something incredible to behold. It's a meal where there's never a dull moment. I'm tempted to have my own version next year, but I don't know how successful I'd be at getting people to try haggis. I'll have to discuss this with Kate later. The dancing would also be a problem, as I don't know any Scottish dances. Though, I did do a few last night. No lie, I danced. With a lot more practice, I could be a pretty decent Scottish dancer I think. It wasn't at all hard once I got the hang of it. Though I guess it does help that the person that I was mostly dancing with was spectacularly good. After that, which ended at like 11:15, I went back to the Scottish economist's flat for Mah Jong and whiskey. And ended up staying there until 3am, just like last time. It's becoming a weekend habit. I'll be a Mah Jong master by the time I get home.
Today: I woke up at 10, which was disturbingly early for the time that I actually went to bed, and took a trip out to Rosslyn Chapel with the girl that I met from USC. It's about a 45 minute ride on a public bus from here, so no big hassle to get to at all. It was absolutely incredible. The chapel and the surrounding hills and valleys are just gorgeous. And it's made about 100x cooler by the fact that my dad's a Freemason (yeah, yeah secret society shut up), so I know a lot of the lore and symbolism involved in the carvings and the chapel itself. It's somewhere that I've wanted to go for a long, long time. After that, we had lunch in this adorable hotel right near the castle, and it was delicious and warm. The warm aspect of food is incredibly important with the normal weather here. Then, I came home, watched four or five more episodes of the new Doctor Who (totally addicted) and did laundry. Now, I think I might call home.
Also, if anyone's wondering why I don't really talk about feelings in this blog (not that you would be, but might as well address it), it's because it's so easy to find, really. Like, I have no problem talking about my general impressions of stuff, mostly how I'm feeling, etc., but mostly I'm focused on what I've actually, physically been doing. I don't want to talk about the crazy boring emotional stuff in a blog that's so out in the open, on my facebook profile and all. Also, I was going to give this address to my parents, so they could keep track of me. I haven't, for various reasons (like you guys making references to my reputation as a drunken slut etc) [kidding], but that kept me from actually treating this like my other blog as well. I have this thing where I only put on a brave face for them, regardless of how I'm actually feeling. It's dumb, as they're my family, and they, more than anybody else, should get to know when I'm terrified/lonely/homesick/falling apart or whatever, but that's not how I operate. I think crying in front of my dad when I realized that I wasn't going to be able to make the situation with my visa work was the most embarrassing thing that has happened to me in recent memory. And yes, I mean that, despite whatever else may have happened within the space of this last semester. I have serious problems, I know.
Now that I've broken the "no feelings" rule (aside: however the previous may make it sound, I am completely and totally content, I love this place and these people), let's move on to Heath Ledger. I am totally heart-broken about his death. I was going to marry him, somehow. Not even lying. I had a total delusion about that. It would have been one of my 3 wishes if I ever came across a genie. And his death was sort of like the death of my childhood, in one of those stupid, symbolic ways. But yeah, that's neither here nor there. But I do really appreciate the eulogy that Joel McHale of The Soup said for Heath, so I think I'll end this post with that. Something reasonable, one good guy talking about another:
True class.
- C
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Illiteracy and the library.
I seem to have this problem that involves becoming illiterate the moment that I set foot in the library. It's rather problematic, as I usually end up looking like an idiot. This usually raises issues with using the doors, in that I'm always pushing when I should be pulling or vice versa. The handles are the same on both sides of the door, so I have nothing to go on sometimes. And occasionally, the doors are actually labeled "push" or "pull," and I still fuck it up. It's sort of frustrating, but mainly amusing. I'll probably figure it out. Eventually.
In general though, the library system here is a lot more complicated than what I'm used to. A variety of factors play into this, but I won't go into them, because it's not the most exciting of topics. But yeah, the library is testing my powers of intellect. And I have to use multiple libraries, because some things are in the main library, others in the classics library, and still others in the art and architecture library. Again, sort of like SC, but with less organization and more confusing doors. You can tell I've been spending most of my time doing assigned readings and being disoriented.
Something else that's different, academically, is the paper that's used for essays and handouts and notebooks and whatnot. A4 is the common paper here, which is drill chart sized. 8.5 by 14 or whatever. I would like to know why that is, sort of. Why can't paper be a standard size everywhere? I have to redo the page layout on Word. It's weird little things like that that nobody ever tells you before you go somewhere. I also have to format my papers slightly differently, with more spaces and different spellings and placements of punctuation. Little nit-picky things that I can totally handle.
Onto less boring considerations, have a video of James McAvoy on Craig Ferguson the other night. It's a good exercise in understanding why it's so fun over here:
That's all for now. I have nothing else with which to bore you, currently.
- C
In general though, the library system here is a lot more complicated than what I'm used to. A variety of factors play into this, but I won't go into them, because it's not the most exciting of topics. But yeah, the library is testing my powers of intellect. And I have to use multiple libraries, because some things are in the main library, others in the classics library, and still others in the art and architecture library. Again, sort of like SC, but with less organization and more confusing doors. You can tell I've been spending most of my time doing assigned readings and being disoriented.
Something else that's different, academically, is the paper that's used for essays and handouts and notebooks and whatnot. A4 is the common paper here, which is drill chart sized. 8.5 by 14 or whatever. I would like to know why that is, sort of. Why can't paper be a standard size everywhere? I have to redo the page layout on Word. It's weird little things like that that nobody ever tells you before you go somewhere. I also have to format my papers slightly differently, with more spaces and different spellings and placements of punctuation. Little nit-picky things that I can totally handle.
Onto less boring considerations, have a video of James McAvoy on Craig Ferguson the other night. It's a good exercise in understanding why it's so fun over here:
That's all for now. I have nothing else with which to bore you, currently.
- C
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Adventures of the religious sort.
Okay, so here's the thing: as much as I am a non-believer, church is a comfortable place for me. I know what to expect, generally, I know what's going to happen next and what the people will be like. And when I say church, I mean the Episcopal church. I was raised going to church on Sundays and major religious holidays. I was an acolyte and then a lay reader, I was baptised and confirmed in my grandmother's church of choice (Church of the Atonement, a tiny congregation in the town where she was born all of a million years ago). Church is safe. I even enjoy church, at certain times of the year/when I'm in certain moods. Lent/the Easter season is my favorite. Like spring, it's all about rebirth and making things new- a fresh start, if you will. So, while here, I've decided to go to church, as I was saying.
Most of the reason that I don't attend services in the US, besides the part where I'm way too busy/tired on most Sundays to bother and the fact that I don't have a car, is because religion in the US terrifies me. People who go to church regularly are becoming more and more the type of person that lives for religion. I'm not interested in that. I think that it makes people one-dimensional and boring, in addition to making them ignorant of most other things that make up a life worth living. Not everybody, but yeah, my feelings on all things religious are well known.
Here, it's much different. Religion isn't about abstaining from things and depriving yourself of worldly pleasures and not enjoying your time on earth. Religion, like everything else in Scotland, is fun. With that said, I went to a young persons' group meeting for the church that I'm planning on attending last night. The meeting was at a pub and was really just a small group of people who were willing to make me feel welcome. We talked about "church" for approximately 5 minutes the entire night. Other than that, we talked about everything else under the sun. While drinking. After the pub, we decided to go to CC Bloom's, which happens to be a gay nightclub. Yeah. Everyone's welcome in the Episcopal church. At I don't even know what o'clock, I left the nightclub with a girl named Alice, and Tom, an economist (ahaha) who are both in their mid to upper 20s. We went back to Tom's flat for "coffee" which actually ended up being a bottle of wine and some scotch (my first woo). I haven't been so drunk in a long, long while. I don't actually remember going to bed, though I do remember walking home.
Anyway, Tom's flat is in New Town, which is the other side of town. It's very wealthy, as well. Imagine the type of townhouse where you would expect to see a rich Victorian family, and that's Tom's flat. The person who owns it is the heir to the position of head of the Clan Cameron, though I didn't actually get to meet him. I assume that he's Tom's age or a little older.
Today, I got up and went to church (still slightly drunk, not gonna lie), which was a good way to pass the morning. There was a coffee hour afterwards where I met some more people and bought a ticket for the Burns supper and ceilidh that the church is hosting next Friday. Again, something terribly exciting to do.
And that has been my weekend. Also, I haven't been to church since last Easter, and I figure that I could use some spiritual cleansing after last semester ahaha.
I've heard that the weekend back home was passed with debauchery and insanity, so well done. Until next time, send me emails.
- C
Most of the reason that I don't attend services in the US, besides the part where I'm way too busy/tired on most Sundays to bother and the fact that I don't have a car, is because religion in the US terrifies me. People who go to church regularly are becoming more and more the type of person that lives for religion. I'm not interested in that. I think that it makes people one-dimensional and boring, in addition to making them ignorant of most other things that make up a life worth living. Not everybody, but yeah, my feelings on all things religious are well known.
Here, it's much different. Religion isn't about abstaining from things and depriving yourself of worldly pleasures and not enjoying your time on earth. Religion, like everything else in Scotland, is fun. With that said, I went to a young persons' group meeting for the church that I'm planning on attending last night. The meeting was at a pub and was really just a small group of people who were willing to make me feel welcome. We talked about "church" for approximately 5 minutes the entire night. Other than that, we talked about everything else under the sun. While drinking. After the pub, we decided to go to CC Bloom's, which happens to be a gay nightclub. Yeah. Everyone's welcome in the Episcopal church. At I don't even know what o'clock, I left the nightclub with a girl named Alice, and Tom, an economist (ahaha) who are both in their mid to upper 20s. We went back to Tom's flat for "coffee" which actually ended up being a bottle of wine and some scotch (my first woo). I haven't been so drunk in a long, long while. I don't actually remember going to bed, though I do remember walking home.
Anyway, Tom's flat is in New Town, which is the other side of town. It's very wealthy, as well. Imagine the type of townhouse where you would expect to see a rich Victorian family, and that's Tom's flat. The person who owns it is the heir to the position of head of the Clan Cameron, though I didn't actually get to meet him. I assume that he's Tom's age or a little older.
Today, I got up and went to church (still slightly drunk, not gonna lie), which was a good way to pass the morning. There was a coffee hour afterwards where I met some more people and bought a ticket for the Burns supper and ceilidh that the church is hosting next Friday. Again, something terribly exciting to do.
And that has been my weekend. Also, I haven't been to church since last Easter, and I figure that I could use some spiritual cleansing after last semester ahaha.
I've heard that the weekend back home was passed with debauchery and insanity, so well done. Until next time, send me emails.
- C
Saturday, January 19, 2008
How I've been spending my time.
Since I basically have nothing to do with myself for a lot of the time, I tend to wander around the city. It's pretty awesome, as it's basically impossible to get lost.
Yesterday, I went out to lunch with the girl that I met from SC. I also got a Young Persons Railcard, which basically gives you discounted train rides through the British rail system. SC is reimbursing us for the card, so mostly I did it because it was free, and it will probably come in handy later. Lunch was at a chain Italian restaurant, called Bella Italia, which was actually fairly delicious. I was impressed. And to get the railcard we had to go to Waverley Station, which is Edinburgh's main (and I think only) train station. It reminded me a lot of Paris' Gare du Nord. There are shops and food stands and whatnot down by the platforms. European train stations are basically the same as airports, just less of a hassle to get into and less crowded. So more pleasant, really. I wish the US had such a developed train system.
Last night, I was going to go on a pub crawl with the Water of Life Society (which is the university's whiskey appreciation society), but the pub that they were meeting at first was way too crowded for me to figure out who the members actually were etc. It was a tiny little place, and very loud. So basically I had a nice walk through the city at night, and then went to a different pub, closer to my flat and way less crowded. I sat by myself and had a pint of Stella and played the one game on my cell phone, which happens to be an impossible version of soccer. It's like electronic foosball, mostly. It was way less pathetic than it sounds.
Today, I walked over to the main shopping street, Princes Street. It's ridiculous on the weekend, but only on the side of the street where all of the shops are. The Royal Scottish Academy, which is that museum that I took pictures of from up by the castle, is also on that street. I went over there to buy a belt, because I desperately needed one, and got 2 for £2 at H&M- definitely my favorite store for accessories, here or at home.
Also today, I walked past the church that I think I'll be attending. I need something to do on Sundays, and church is as good an option as any. I can't spend all of my free time in my flat, and church is generally entertaining and basically free. It's also a possible place for meeting people. Besides, going to church once in a while couldn't hurt, in the event that I'm wrong about my whole well-reasoned atheism stance. But mostly, it gives me a reason to get up and out of the flat instead of just sitting here and eating shortbread (ahah so good). The one I'm looking at is called Old St. Paul's, and it's the oldest Episcopal church in Scotland. I really like all of the history behind it, my views on religion aside. It's sort of like a living museum, which is my favorite kind of church. It even has an impressive website, if you care. Added benefit: my grandmother will be absolutely thrilled.
Another thing that may be of interest to you is the type of American chain places that exist here. I've seen: Subway (albeit with different sandwiches to cater to British tastes, i.e. Sweet Chili Chicken), Domino's, Pizza Hut, KFC (which was the only place I saw a black family ahah terrible), Starbucks, Gap... I think that's it. KFC has ads for these weird chicken-on-a-stick things called Firecrackers or some such. It's like three balls of fried chicken stuck on a skewer. I guess so it's easier to eat and walk. And very exciting for me, I've so far seen 3 Mexican restaurants. One of them looks like Chipotle, with all the shiny metal and light wood, so I don't have high hopes for that place. But one of them is probably at least decent. Maybe. I'll try them all with an expectation of disappointment and see how that goes.
Something that I forgot to mention when I was talking about classes is that all of my instructors are women. And none of them are Scottish. One is Chinese, one is Canadian, and the other is American, though she did her undergrad work at St. Andrew's here in Scotland. It's odd, as I thought that the academic field was male-dominated everywhere. Granted, art history is becoming a very female-associated field, but classics definitely isn't. I think every semester at SC I've had a majority of my classes taught by men. So this is something else new and different.
I talked to my mom for a long time last night. She called, since she always does lots of shopping on the weekends and didn't want me to call today or tomorrow when she might be out. It's not like I'm that much further away from my family now than I am when I'm in CA, but I think, to them, it feels that way. My mom worries because at least when I'm in CA she knows that I can figure out how to get help if I need it, or she knows how to use the existing governmental/whatever structures to get to me, but here, she has no idea what to do in case of emergency. I understand her concern, and phone calls are as good a way as any to pass some time. Especially when I'm just sitting home on a Friday night. What I miss most, right now, is having people that I can just call up when I want to do something.
However, I do enjoy having the flat to myself on weekends. I can't decide if that evens out the weirdness of having Marina's boyfriend live here from Sunday night to Friday morning, but it definitely helps.
I think I might go read or something, as I'm tired of spilling my guts at this moment. Enjoy your day, kids.
- C
Yesterday, I went out to lunch with the girl that I met from SC. I also got a Young Persons Railcard, which basically gives you discounted train rides through the British rail system. SC is reimbursing us for the card, so mostly I did it because it was free, and it will probably come in handy later. Lunch was at a chain Italian restaurant, called Bella Italia, which was actually fairly delicious. I was impressed. And to get the railcard we had to go to Waverley Station, which is Edinburgh's main (and I think only) train station. It reminded me a lot of Paris' Gare du Nord. There are shops and food stands and whatnot down by the platforms. European train stations are basically the same as airports, just less of a hassle to get into and less crowded. So more pleasant, really. I wish the US had such a developed train system.
Last night, I was going to go on a pub crawl with the Water of Life Society (which is the university's whiskey appreciation society), but the pub that they were meeting at first was way too crowded for me to figure out who the members actually were etc. It was a tiny little place, and very loud. So basically I had a nice walk through the city at night, and then went to a different pub, closer to my flat and way less crowded. I sat by myself and had a pint of Stella and played the one game on my cell phone, which happens to be an impossible version of soccer. It's like electronic foosball, mostly. It was way less pathetic than it sounds.
Today, I walked over to the main shopping street, Princes Street. It's ridiculous on the weekend, but only on the side of the street where all of the shops are. The Royal Scottish Academy, which is that museum that I took pictures of from up by the castle, is also on that street. I went over there to buy a belt, because I desperately needed one, and got 2 for £2 at H&M- definitely my favorite store for accessories, here or at home.
Also today, I walked past the church that I think I'll be attending. I need something to do on Sundays, and church is as good an option as any. I can't spend all of my free time in my flat, and church is generally entertaining and basically free. It's also a possible place for meeting people. Besides, going to church once in a while couldn't hurt, in the event that I'm wrong about my whole well-reasoned atheism stance. But mostly, it gives me a reason to get up and out of the flat instead of just sitting here and eating shortbread (ahah so good). The one I'm looking at is called Old St. Paul's, and it's the oldest Episcopal church in Scotland. I really like all of the history behind it, my views on religion aside. It's sort of like a living museum, which is my favorite kind of church. It even has an impressive website, if you care. Added benefit: my grandmother will be absolutely thrilled.
Another thing that may be of interest to you is the type of American chain places that exist here. I've seen: Subway (albeit with different sandwiches to cater to British tastes, i.e. Sweet Chili Chicken), Domino's, Pizza Hut, KFC (which was the only place I saw a black family ahah terrible), Starbucks, Gap... I think that's it. KFC has ads for these weird chicken-on-a-stick things called Firecrackers or some such. It's like three balls of fried chicken stuck on a skewer. I guess so it's easier to eat and walk. And very exciting for me, I've so far seen 3 Mexican restaurants. One of them looks like Chipotle, with all the shiny metal and light wood, so I don't have high hopes for that place. But one of them is probably at least decent. Maybe. I'll try them all with an expectation of disappointment and see how that goes.
Something that I forgot to mention when I was talking about classes is that all of my instructors are women. And none of them are Scottish. One is Chinese, one is Canadian, and the other is American, though she did her undergrad work at St. Andrew's here in Scotland. It's odd, as I thought that the academic field was male-dominated everywhere. Granted, art history is becoming a very female-associated field, but classics definitely isn't. I think every semester at SC I've had a majority of my classes taught by men. So this is something else new and different.
I talked to my mom for a long time last night. She called, since she always does lots of shopping on the weekends and didn't want me to call today or tomorrow when she might be out. It's not like I'm that much further away from my family now than I am when I'm in CA, but I think, to them, it feels that way. My mom worries because at least when I'm in CA she knows that I can figure out how to get help if I need it, or she knows how to use the existing governmental/whatever structures to get to me, but here, she has no idea what to do in case of emergency. I understand her concern, and phone calls are as good a way as any to pass some time. Especially when I'm just sitting home on a Friday night. What I miss most, right now, is having people that I can just call up when I want to do something.
However, I do enjoy having the flat to myself on weekends. I can't decide if that evens out the weirdness of having Marina's boyfriend live here from Sunday night to Friday morning, but it definitely helps.
I think I might go read or something, as I'm tired of spilling my guts at this moment. Enjoy your day, kids.
- C
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Things of grave import.
Not really. Nothing I do is of grave import. I don't think so, anyway. But hey, let's go over the reason I'm really here: classes.
Just like for the rest of you fools, yesterday was the first real day of classes for me, due to getting here late/last week's snafus/etc etc. In case you're interested, this is the final version of my schedule:
Mondays:
9 - 9:50 Buddhist Art in China
11:10 - 12 Sinners, Saints and Seers: Scottish, English and Irish art from 600 - 900
2 - 2:50 Custodians of Empire: The Praetorian Guard
Wednesdays (Jan. 23, Feb. 6 and 20, March 5):
2 - 3:50? C of E seminar (aka discussion section)
Thursdays:
11 - 1:10? S, S and S tutorial (also aka discussion section)
2 - 2:50 C of E
4:10 - 6 B A in C tutorial
So, for every week that isn't one of the ones with special Wednesdays, I only have classes two days. And people wonder why I'm on the computer all the time. It's also because you're all still sleeping when I'm in class, generally, but whatever. I really need to find something to occupy my time, because homework? Mostly reading, and not too much of it. And then some seminar/tutorial questions, based on readings. For two out of three classes, my assignments consist of a paper and a final at the end of the semester. For the other one, I have a final, an in-class essay, and two copies of a log book (which is just where I have to answer my seminar questions) due. Shut up, I earned this after last semester's hell.
Anyway, yesterday was supposed to be my first full day of classes. Except I got to the first one slightly late, which actually didn't matter, because there were technical difficulties with the projector for approximately 25 minutes. Yeah. And then, the second class was canceled because the instructor was sick. Uh huh. And then the third class was fine. With the exception of Buddhist art, I have a serious and genuine interest in the subjects about which I'm learning. The readings that I've had to do so far, even for Buddhist art, have been interesting, or at least easy. And the classes have all been approved for credit by the AHIS/CLAS departments, which is another weight off of my mind. My semester is going to be awesome, thanks for asking. Hope all of yours go as well.
On another note, my flatmate apparently has a boyfriend. I first discovered this when she was gone for the entire weekend, from Friday to Sunday, and took her toothbrush. Brilliant deducer that I am, I figured it was a male. Sunday night, they both came back to my flat. And he hasn't left yet. Mostly, they spend their time in the shower. Not even kidding. They've had four while I've been home in the last two days. And it's not like they're having sex in there or anything. They do that in her room. This blog might turn out to be less about my sex life and more about Marina's. Whatever. And he's not even Scottish, so it's not like I get the joy of a Scottish accent around the flat out of this. It also sounds like they're arguing all the time. It might just be because of their accents and the fact that they're both speaking English (which is neither his nor her first language), but the word choice also suggests argument to me. Well, less arguing, more debating. God knows what. Okay, enough about them.
I've taken to writing down everything (shopping/to do lists, class info, contact info, etc) in a little notebook that I take everywhere with me. I entitled it "Shit to keep track of." I'm good at concise. It sort of helps, but I still bump things from one day's to-do list to the next's. As long as it all gets done, no harm in that.
This is what it is going to look like for the rest of the week. Grey. Also, it should look darker than this, but I don't feel like playing with the camera anymore. And it's only 3:45.
Just like for the rest of you fools, yesterday was the first real day of classes for me, due to getting here late/last week's snafus/etc etc. In case you're interested, this is the final version of my schedule:
Mondays:
9 - 9:50 Buddhist Art in China
11:10 - 12 Sinners, Saints and Seers: Scottish, English and Irish art from 600 - 900
2 - 2:50 Custodians of Empire: The Praetorian Guard
Wednesdays (Jan. 23, Feb. 6 and 20, March 5):
2 - 3:50? C of E seminar (aka discussion section)
Thursdays:
11 - 1:10? S, S and S tutorial (also aka discussion section)
2 - 2:50 C of E
4:10 - 6 B A in C tutorial
So, for every week that isn't one of the ones with special Wednesdays, I only have classes two days. And people wonder why I'm on the computer all the time. It's also because you're all still sleeping when I'm in class, generally, but whatever. I really need to find something to occupy my time, because homework? Mostly reading, and not too much of it. And then some seminar/tutorial questions, based on readings. For two out of three classes, my assignments consist of a paper and a final at the end of the semester. For the other one, I have a final, an in-class essay, and two copies of a log book (which is just where I have to answer my seminar questions) due. Shut up, I earned this after last semester's hell.
Anyway, yesterday was supposed to be my first full day of classes. Except I got to the first one slightly late, which actually didn't matter, because there were technical difficulties with the projector for approximately 25 minutes. Yeah. And then, the second class was canceled because the instructor was sick. Uh huh. And then the third class was fine. With the exception of Buddhist art, I have a serious and genuine interest in the subjects about which I'm learning. The readings that I've had to do so far, even for Buddhist art, have been interesting, or at least easy. And the classes have all been approved for credit by the AHIS/CLAS departments, which is another weight off of my mind. My semester is going to be awesome, thanks for asking. Hope all of yours go as well.
On another note, my flatmate apparently has a boyfriend. I first discovered this when she was gone for the entire weekend, from Friday to Sunday, and took her toothbrush. Brilliant deducer that I am, I figured it was a male. Sunday night, they both came back to my flat. And he hasn't left yet. Mostly, they spend their time in the shower. Not even kidding. They've had four while I've been home in the last two days. And it's not like they're having sex in there or anything. They do that in her room. This blog might turn out to be less about my sex life and more about Marina's. Whatever. And he's not even Scottish, so it's not like I get the joy of a Scottish accent around the flat out of this. It also sounds like they're arguing all the time. It might just be because of their accents and the fact that they're both speaking English (which is neither his nor her first language), but the word choice also suggests argument to me. Well, less arguing, more debating. God knows what. Okay, enough about them.
I've taken to writing down everything (shopping/to do lists, class info, contact info, etc) in a little notebook that I take everywhere with me. I entitled it "Shit to keep track of." I'm good at concise. It sort of helps, but I still bump things from one day's to-do list to the next's. As long as it all gets done, no harm in that.
This is what it is going to look like for the rest of the week. Grey. Also, it should look darker than this, but I don't feel like playing with the camera anymore. And it's only 3:45.- C
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Almost settled.
With the exception of a few small things and, you know, a group of friends, I basically have everything that I need here taken care of. So I can get into actual impressions of the city and whatnot, now that all of the boring stuff is off of my mind.
I honestly and truly love it here. It might actually be my ideal environment. Once I have people to go out and do stuff with on a regular basis and I can take advantage of the pubs and nightlife, this will probably be the perfect city. It's hard to really say why. I love the people, always hurrying somewhere, but not like we do in the US. Hurrying because if you're outside too long, your nose will freeze. They're all remarkably cheerful, despite the weather. The city is beautiful, old and impressive but still thriving. It's really sobering and cool to look up and see a castle from certain places. There's a sense that the city is nothing so much as solid, and it makes the rest of life seem a lot more stable. Everything around me has been in existence for hundreds of years, and it's hard to imagine that it won't be here for hundreds of years more. It's nice to be able to make dumb mistakes (which I do) and not have people look at you like you're a complete idiot, also.
And then there's the university itself, with its mix of old and new buildings, the type of place where the past and the future collide. Again, totally dumb, but it's what I imagined a university to be when I was young. A place where thousands and thousands of people have learned all sorts of things so they could go out and make the world a better place. Or not, but I was an idealistic kid
Overall, I think this semester is going to go by really quickly. Too quickly, I'm sure. I still have a lot of things to get used to, little things that don't matter much, but it's nice to be settled. I haven't been able to feel this calm since last summer, because calm and band season don't really go hand in hand. Now all I have to do is force myself to join a club or something so I can go out drinking every night like you guys do (p.s. holy shit, people).
Then maybe I can take pictures of boys and pubs and whatever else you guys want. And have some scandalous behavior to write about, which, as we all know, totally my style. As you may have noticed, I have a single bed. I'm tempted to scientifically determine whether that or an air mattress is more awkward for certain activities. I have no hypothesis, any opinions would be welcome.
And Lena, my flatmate being Russian (actually from Russia) is amusing because I have a friend from back home with whom I vowed to live in Edinburgh one day. She is also Russian. So I am, in fact, living with a Russian in Edinburgh, it's just the wrong one.
And I should probably go to bed now, since I have class at 9am. Sweet.
- C
I honestly and truly love it here. It might actually be my ideal environment. Once I have people to go out and do stuff with on a regular basis and I can take advantage of the pubs and nightlife, this will probably be the perfect city. It's hard to really say why. I love the people, always hurrying somewhere, but not like we do in the US. Hurrying because if you're outside too long, your nose will freeze. They're all remarkably cheerful, despite the weather. The city is beautiful, old and impressive but still thriving. It's really sobering and cool to look up and see a castle from certain places. There's a sense that the city is nothing so much as solid, and it makes the rest of life seem a lot more stable. Everything around me has been in existence for hundreds of years, and it's hard to imagine that it won't be here for hundreds of years more. It's nice to be able to make dumb mistakes (which I do) and not have people look at you like you're a complete idiot, also.
And then there's the university itself, with its mix of old and new buildings, the type of place where the past and the future collide. Again, totally dumb, but it's what I imagined a university to be when I was young. A place where thousands and thousands of people have learned all sorts of things so they could go out and make the world a better place. Or not, but I was an idealistic kid
Overall, I think this semester is going to go by really quickly. Too quickly, I'm sure. I still have a lot of things to get used to, little things that don't matter much, but it's nice to be settled. I haven't been able to feel this calm since last summer, because calm and band season don't really go hand in hand. Now all I have to do is force myself to join a club or something so I can go out drinking every night like you guys do (p.s. holy shit, people).
Then maybe I can take pictures of boys and pubs and whatever else you guys want. And have some scandalous behavior to write about, which, as we all know, totally my style. As you may have noticed, I have a single bed. I'm tempted to scientifically determine whether that or an air mattress is more awkward for certain activities. I have no hypothesis, any opinions would be welcome.
And Lena, my flatmate being Russian (actually from Russia) is amusing because I have a friend from back home with whom I vowed to live in Edinburgh one day. She is also Russian. So I am, in fact, living with a Russian in Edinburgh, it's just the wrong one.
And I should probably go to bed now, since I have class at 9am. Sweet.
- C
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