In the whole of my current college career, Physics has by far been the biggest nuisance. I didn't take it throughout highschool, saying I would take it in College. Once getting to college, I was advised and decided to put it off until my sophomore or Junior year. My Junior year rolls around and I decide I want to study abroad. But I also needed to take physics THIS YEAR because I wanted to try at the MCAT's the summer after my junior year. Taking Physics was a DIRECT factor in my choosing to come to Edinburgh to study. I wanted to go to Australia, and if I had taken Physics my freshman year, I'd be writing to you from sunny Australia instead of raining Scotland. But the Physics semesters were backwards in Australia, so I decided not to go there.
I went to my first three-hour "tutorial" session for physics on Monday. While I was there, we were informed that there wouldn't be an actual lab section any time during this semester. Essentially, the Edinburgh Physics department decided that students wouldn't need a lab component of Physics 1 until second semester. This was a slight concern at the time, but I figured it wouldn't be anything major. After all, I was taking Physics at Edinburgh, a vary prestigious research institute. But Abby was a little more concerned, and she e-mailed our Pre-Med advisor back in Redlands. She was informed that she and her physics credit from this school would be rejected if she continued with Edinburgh Physics this semester, BECAUSE it had no lab component. The fact that we will have lab in Physics when we return to UofR made no difference. So....drum roll please...if I continue to take Physics here, I don't fall behind and don't have to worry about changing schedules, but I will have to give up on my goal of taking the MCAT's this upcoming summer, and possibly give up on making it into medical school. My second option is to drop Physics altogether and take a different course. I would be almost a week behind on work for this course and put myself to their mercy, and I would potentially miss my opportunity to graduate in four years. BUT I would save myself a semester that could potentially be a waste of my time, and take a qualified physics with a lab component at a later date. Basically I'm lost. I was hoping for another couple of years to decide if I wanted to go through with medical school, and make that effort of starting a long, grueling but rewarding career in medicine, or not. Because of PHYSICS (it's come back to haunt me again) I am having to make that decision within the next DAY, pretty much.
Prayers and words of advice are accepted of all shapes and sizes. Thanks for listening, and good night for now. I'm not going to be having one.
Any comfort you once took in the familiarity will be ripped to shreds as you learn to stand on your own, to delve into who you truly are and re-invent yourself into who you want to be. - Erin Stephany
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Success...as long as the battery stays charged.
The first day of classes have come and gone without too much damage...in fact, it's been a pretty rewarding day.
I managed to JUST miss the 11:10 am bus to King's Buildings (where the sciences and my physiology class are located) literally by seconds. I watched it pull away just as I was walking up, as if mocking me with exaggerated punctuality. It was a good thing I left early though, because I still managed to catch the 11:30 shuttle to class and make it with good time left to spare. Physiology went without too much stress, though it did feel a little different being in a lecture hall with roughly the same amount of students as my Redlands graduating class. We recieved a course guide book, I managed to sit close to the front so as to pick up all I could from the lecturer with my voice recorder. I'm also happy to announce that after listening to the recording, it came through fairly clear...there is of course a lot of background white noise, some random coughs and sniffles, but I was still able to zone into all of what the lecturer was saying. The lecturer himself sounds like a great guy. His british accent could put a 12-year-old with A.D.D. to sleep, but he kept things quick and funny and fairly relaxed. He didn't pound into us that the course would be insanely difficult, he made the course-work sound very do-able which was a breath of fresh air. He also said that the course handbook was really all we needed, and though he did recommend a few optional textbooks, he said they would be most important for those going on to a degree in physiology. He told us not to rush into buying a textbook we may not need and that the library offered many copies of the books he recommended. He even went so far as to say that his first recommended book, by two authors of the names Burn and Leevey, sometimes was nicknamed, "Burnit and Leave-it".
Physiology was my only class of the day, so I came home, relaxed a little bit and ate some lunch. I then decided to make one last go at the infamous CELL PHONE ISSUE. I used some minutes on my desk phone to call Carphone Warehouse, but the reps were of course not available and I left a message. Then I decided to make the journey back to the place and demand a phone. I got in, luckily there wasn't a long wait, and even more lucky was that when it came to my turn I was set up with Amy. Of all the times I've been in that store and waited for HOURS just to speak to a rep, I've discovered that Amy is by far the best, the most accomplished, and for all I know, the supervisor of the place. She's pretty and very young to know as much about phones as she does, but when any of the other reps have a problem they always go to her. So I go up to speak to her, and (OF COURSE) she fixes my problem and sends me on my way, working phone in hand, all within ten minutes.
So needless to say, I spent the rest of the afternoon running around getting phone numbers from people and giving mine out to others, then cleaned up the kitchen a little bit. I helped my flat-mate Oli (he's pretty much the best cook out of all of us, and we nicknamed him I.C. for Iron Chef) fix a very lovely dinner of Chicken Curry with Carrots over rice.
At this point, things may be looking up. There are still a lot of unknowns, and as the days go by, I won't have the luxury of recording every one of my lectures so I'll still have to take detailed notes. I also don't know what kind of work load Econ and Physics will require of me on top of Physiology. But at this point I only have one class a day except for Mondays. If I can keep my schedule organized and keep up my study habits, I should be...(knock on wood)...
okay.
P.S. my Cell number is 07503031039 and from the U.S. it is 0447503031039
I managed to JUST miss the 11:10 am bus to King's Buildings (where the sciences and my physiology class are located) literally by seconds. I watched it pull away just as I was walking up, as if mocking me with exaggerated punctuality. It was a good thing I left early though, because I still managed to catch the 11:30 shuttle to class and make it with good time left to spare. Physiology went without too much stress, though it did feel a little different being in a lecture hall with roughly the same amount of students as my Redlands graduating class. We recieved a course guide book, I managed to sit close to the front so as to pick up all I could from the lecturer with my voice recorder. I'm also happy to announce that after listening to the recording, it came through fairly clear...there is of course a lot of background white noise, some random coughs and sniffles, but I was still able to zone into all of what the lecturer was saying. The lecturer himself sounds like a great guy. His british accent could put a 12-year-old with A.D.D. to sleep, but he kept things quick and funny and fairly relaxed. He didn't pound into us that the course would be insanely difficult, he made the course-work sound very do-able which was a breath of fresh air. He also said that the course handbook was really all we needed, and though he did recommend a few optional textbooks, he said they would be most important for those going on to a degree in physiology. He told us not to rush into buying a textbook we may not need and that the library offered many copies of the books he recommended. He even went so far as to say that his first recommended book, by two authors of the names Burn and Leevey, sometimes was nicknamed, "Burnit and Leave-it".
Physiology was my only class of the day, so I came home, relaxed a little bit and ate some lunch. I then decided to make one last go at the infamous CELL PHONE ISSUE. I used some minutes on my desk phone to call Carphone Warehouse, but the reps were of course not available and I left a message. Then I decided to make the journey back to the place and demand a phone. I got in, luckily there wasn't a long wait, and even more lucky was that when it came to my turn I was set up with Amy. Of all the times I've been in that store and waited for HOURS just to speak to a rep, I've discovered that Amy is by far the best, the most accomplished, and for all I know, the supervisor of the place. She's pretty and very young to know as much about phones as she does, but when any of the other reps have a problem they always go to her. So I go up to speak to her, and (OF COURSE) she fixes my problem and sends me on my way, working phone in hand, all within ten minutes.
So needless to say, I spent the rest of the afternoon running around getting phone numbers from people and giving mine out to others, then cleaned up the kitchen a little bit. I helped my flat-mate Oli (he's pretty much the best cook out of all of us, and we nicknamed him I.C. for Iron Chef) fix a very lovely dinner of Chicken Curry with Carrots over rice.
At this point, things may be looking up. There are still a lot of unknowns, and as the days go by, I won't have the luxury of recording every one of my lectures so I'll still have to take detailed notes. I also don't know what kind of work load Econ and Physics will require of me on top of Physiology. But at this point I only have one class a day except for Mondays. If I can keep my schedule organized and keep up my study habits, I should be...(knock on wood)...
okay.
P.S. my Cell number is 07503031039 and from the U.S. it is 0447503031039
Monday, September 21, 2009
Wine, Cheese, and Rugby Tasting
Yesterday was quite a relaxing, satisfying day. It was relatively nice day, pretty dreary in the morning but it cleared up with some patchy clouds. As if this is even a big surprise, the weather is kind of funny here. Yesterday for instance, we were at the Edinburgh Sports Fields watching the girls' rugby match against...Dundee I think it was. We were obviously outside, and when the sun shined through it was very bright and warm to the point of discomfort. Then a cloud would roll through for a few minutes, and at first the clouds would be welcomed because it took the glare out of our eyes, but after a few seconds it feels like the temperature just drops about 10 degrees F. That's probably exxagerated, but the wind seems have a mind of it's own. It will very cleverly wait for the clouds to block the sun, then strike at full force without warning...then when the sun peaks through again, the wind disapperates without another whisper until the next cloud floats by.
Anyway, the rugby game itself, as I'm sure you can imagine, was very fun to watch (emphasis on the GIRLS' rugby match). The halves were forty minutes, so it did get a little dry, but then there'd be one play right in front of the stands where a girl would just get TRAMPLED, and you suddenly realize again why you came. Simultaneously though, you're cringing at the obvious pain of the completely naked blow that this girl was given. Within the first ten minutes of the match I watched a girl from the Edinburgh team give a perfect double-leg take down to the Dundee girl with the ball, and I was hooked. Then again, there were some carefully unnoticed illegal checks that were pretty brutal, and that was just girls. Imagining revieving one of those checks from a bunch of testosterone junkies that probably make up the Edinburgh guys team...yeah.
After we maneuvered our way back to town on the bus, it was time for the barbecue put on by the R.A.'s of College Wynd and Kincaids Court. This was a fun social event; I say social event rather than food event because the majority of the time spent was waiting with hundreds of other residents for your chance at the table to get your burger. Luckily a few Americans (Hailey, Abby, Geraldine, Kati, etc.) and myself were first to get there, so we didn't have long to wait, but getting a second burger was STRICTLY out of the question. Originally we had planned on the bbq being our dinner, but we soon realize that this would not suffice, so we brainstormed. Turned out that I was having an ACUTE urge for macaroni and cheese with red wine, and my idea spread pretty quickly to Chef Abigail and the rest of our motley crew. I bought all the groceries including some outside stuff I needed for around 20 pounds which was a great deal. In return, Abby made a fantastic macaroni casserole (with a slightly burnt cheese sauce) and, together with my 3 pound (very reasonable) bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, we all sprawled out in Abby's room eating dinner and watching episodes of The Office.
I'll be praying for more nights like that one. Nothing like a little good company, good food, and The Office haha
P.S. Wish me luck, because classes start........ TOMORROW! AAAAAHHHHHHH!
Friday, September 18, 2009
The Discovery
A pretty bold title, but the discovery itself is substantial enough to deserve something bold. Tonight it finally hit me just how amazing of a city Edinburgh is and the plethora of opportunities that it offers. 
This brief epiphany of enlightenment came while I was at a live-band night in one of the bar-esque stages on the main square. To anyone who is familiar with Portland, this place reminded me quite vividly of the Crystal Ballroom. Very chic and old-fashioned. The building itself looks like it's hundreds of years old, church-like. Yet the inside is anything BUT church-like. There's a restaurant and bar on the first floor, an "underground" venue and bar in the basement, and two bars on the floor above along with this ballroom. It was surprisingly large for a place you could have missed if you didn't know what you were looking for. Actually, it could be exactly the kind of place you'd find if you WEREN'T looking for it. Like Alice and the rabbit hole or Aladdin and the lamp, its the type of gem you sometimes stumble upon when you're doing something completely different. This place had that type of untapped magical feel, and when I walked in with my three American friends, I knew I was in for a good time.
We listened to three bands that were absolutely fantastic. There were the usual tone glitches and tech problems, but all three of these bands had "the light". Whatever it is is that makes a person tap their foot ever so gently with the rhythm and not even realize they're doing it, these groups had it, especially the middle group. A band subtly christened "Poor Edward" was my favorite of the night, and I actually shook the lead singer's hand afterword when I was coming out of the men's room and saw him. They reminded me of another group that I've recently fallen head-over-heels for...Manchester Orchestra. The lead singers literally look identical: similar body types, similar singing ranges, similar playing style, and I loved every minute of it. One thing Poor Edward had that M.O. doesn't was a back-up-singing bass player who was without a doubt the final ingredient to making this band so phenomenal. P.S. the picture isn't actually Poor Edward but the band that played after them called "Lead By Example". They weren't as breathtaking, and a little more boyish, but still good, and I dig their band name.
(That's my boy Matt from Mass. chillin behind me in this photo).... It was while I was sitting on a stool, leaning back against the wall, surrounded by friends and 15 feet from the main stage with room to spare, that I made The Discovery. I had just paid zero pounds and zero pence to close my eyes peacefully in a half-empty-hole-in-the-wall-small-venue-ballroom and listen to pure, untapped talent serenade me in the middle of the night, in the dead center of Scotland's greatest city. And when you picture it that way, can it really be possible NOT to believe in miracles?
One plane ticket to Edinburgh: a small fortune. Nearly eight straight nights of loud, partying, drunk Scots and Americans: time, frustration, and even more money. Finally making THE DISCOVERY: priceless.
This brief epiphany of enlightenment came while I was at a live-band night in one of the bar-esque stages on the main square. To anyone who is familiar with Portland, this place reminded me quite vividly of the Crystal Ballroom. Very chic and old-fashioned. The building itself looks like it's hundreds of years old, church-like. Yet the inside is anything BUT church-like. There's a restaurant and bar on the first floor, an "underground" venue and bar in the basement, and two bars on the floor above along with this ballroom. It was surprisingly large for a place you could have missed if you didn't know what you were looking for. Actually, it could be exactly the kind of place you'd find if you WEREN'T looking for it. Like Alice and the rabbit hole or Aladdin and the lamp, its the type of gem you sometimes stumble upon when you're doing something completely different. This place had that type of untapped magical feel, and when I walked in with my three American friends, I knew I was in for a good time.
We listened to three bands that were absolutely fantastic. There were the usual tone glitches and tech problems, but all three of these bands had "the light". Whatever it is is that makes a person tap their foot ever so gently with the rhythm and not even realize they're doing it, these groups had it, especially the middle group. A band subtly christened "Poor Edward" was my favorite of the night, and I actually shook the lead singer's hand afterword when I was coming out of the men's room and saw him. They reminded me of another group that I've recently fallen head-over-heels for...Manchester Orchestra. The lead singers literally look identical: similar body types, similar singing ranges, similar playing style, and I loved every minute of it. One thing Poor Edward had that M.O. doesn't was a back-up-singing bass player who was without a doubt the final ingredient to making this band so phenomenal. P.S. the picture isn't actually Poor Edward but the band that played after them called "Lead By Example". They weren't as breathtaking, and a little more boyish, but still good, and I dig their band name.
(That's my boy Matt from Mass. chillin behind me in this photo).... It was while I was sitting on a stool, leaning back against the wall, surrounded by friends and 15 feet from the main stage with room to spare, that I made The Discovery. I had just paid zero pounds and zero pence to close my eyes peacefully in a half-empty-hole-in-the-wall-small-venue-ballroom and listen to pure, untapped talent serenade me in the middle of the night, in the dead center of Scotland's greatest city. And when you picture it that way, can it really be possible NOT to believe in miracles?
One plane ticket to Edinburgh: a small fortune. Nearly eight straight nights of loud, partying, drunk Scots and Americans: time, frustration, and even more money. Finally making THE DISCOVERY: priceless.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Halloween Withdrawals
So in about 15 minutes I'll be taking off for a "Ghost Tour" through the "haunted" underground city in Edinburgh, accompanied by at least three girls and meeting more once I get there, probably screaming and grabbing onto me the whole way through. In the words of a very close brother I know and love...it's gonna be RAW!
In other news, I got my video from the Arthur's Seat hike up on facebook and I'll have it up here as soon as I can. Also found out my SIM card for the phone I bought yesterday is apparently broken, so I have to be mailed a new one. These phone problems never seem to end. I definately caught the short end of the luck stick seems like, but hey, such is life.
So try not to sweat too much in anticipation of my post-ghost-tour news, I'll give all the full frightening details tomorrow probably some time. We're heading for a super fun bar called Frankensteins afterword. A perfect ending to a scary tour, right? Once again, more later.
YIKES! -apollo
In other news, I got my video from the Arthur's Seat hike up on facebook and I'll have it up here as soon as I can. Also found out my SIM card for the phone I bought yesterday is apparently broken, so I have to be mailed a new one. These phone problems never seem to end. I definately caught the short end of the luck stick seems like, but hey, such is life.
So try not to sweat too much in anticipation of my post-ghost-tour news, I'll give all the full frightening details tomorrow probably some time. We're heading for a super fun bar called Frankensteins afterword. A perfect ending to a scary tour, right? Once again, more later.
YIKES! -apollo
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Because some things are better left unsaid....
I've been getting some bad reviews since I haven't posted in a few days, and my only defense is the title of this blog. So much has happened since moving into my flat on Saturday that I can't even begin to recall it all and give it the proper justice it deserves in this blog. For a brief hint as to the ridiculousness of this past week's events... my room is already a mess, I've lost a sweatshirt, we had to mop the floor the day after moving in, and I've taken the hardest single-page math test I've ever seen in my life.
At this point the most important story is my classes. Tuesday morning I woke up at 8 am and left at 8:30 am with the girls to walk to our Meetings with our Director of Studies, or DoS. The girls' meeting was at 9:30 am since they are both in the School of Biological Sciences, and mine was at 10:30 for School of Physics. The reason we left so early was because we didn't know how long the walk would be from our apartment to Kings Buildings, where all of the Sciences subjects are located. It turned out to be a very rewarding ONE HOUR walk. Needless to say I doubt I'll be making that particular delightful stroll again any time soon. Lucky for me, there's a bus line that runs from the main square to the Kings Buildings that is free for students.
So after making it to the building where my meetings were to be held, I met a few other people, made some friends while waiting for the meeting to start, because it turned out that the first meeting would be comprised of the entire freshman class of Physics. We all piled into the lecture hall and recieved a very enjoyable combination of lectures from various professors, heads of the department, and outside physics-based organizations. Then came the math test that I mentioned. We were surprised with a DIAGNOSTICS TEST. Oh, no problem, it wasn't going to go on any of our course grades, we were just being tested to determine our skill in maths so the professors would learn how to better teach us. It was a massacre, and that's putting it lightly. I've taken three semesters of college calculus, but that test made me feel like I was in fourth grade again.
I'm not going to go any more into it because it's so painful, but the rest of the day wasn't much less stressful. We finished the main lectures around 1 pm, split for lunch and then filtered away into our individual/small group meetings with our actual DoS's. Turns out mine is an Italian physics professor who has been given charge of all of the international physics students. She was very pleasant but had a very thick accent which took some getting used to. Her English sounded like she had a whole apple caught in her larynx. So the main issue that I went to her for was the fact that I had been placed in Physiology 3. Because my actual Biology course experience is so limited, I haven't met any of the Phys 3 pre-requisites, and I know I'm not qualified to take the course. I needed to be placed into Physiology 2. She was able to do this for me, with one teensy weensy detail. On Mondays, My first class is in downtown, near where I'm living. My second class, Phys 2, which starts an hour later, would take place in Kings Buildings (the one hour walk away). And my third class, Physics, again an hour later, would take place back in town. Then on Friday, the physiology lecture and physics lecture are at the EXACT same time. So since I am not the flash, I haven't mastered teleportation, and haven't been able to figure out how to be in two places at once, it appears that my schedule is impossible. But not quite, ladies and gentlemen. My parents, bless their souls, bought me a digital voice recorder before I left. Hailey is taking physiology 2 with me, and Abby is in physics with me. Theoretically, I could give Hailey my recorder on mondays to record the physiology lecture. Then on Fridays I would go to the physiology lecture and Abby would record my physics lecture. It's hectic, and probably stupid, but what else can I do? I could drop physiology altogether and try for a different biology class. But the only other one I could take would be a Cell Bio class. Not only do I HATE cell biology, but I don't even know if it wouldn't conflict as well. Physiology 2 is where I want to be. At the same time, I'm putting the success of my whole semester in the hands of two other people, and a one-and-a-half-ounce voice recorder. I think I trust my friends more than the recorder, but what if one of them got sick and had to miss a lecture on either Monday or Friday?
So if you managed to read through this entire book of a post without falling asleep, then please comment on my situation. I'm in a state of stalemate because I've been given the classes I want, and for some sick reason, the prospect of taking an impossible schedule is a rush. But can I do it while trying to keep my sanity in Scotland? I doubt it....
At this point the most important story is my classes. Tuesday morning I woke up at 8 am and left at 8:30 am with the girls to walk to our Meetings with our Director of Studies, or DoS. The girls' meeting was at 9:30 am since they are both in the School of Biological Sciences, and mine was at 10:30 for School of Physics. The reason we left so early was because we didn't know how long the walk would be from our apartment to Kings Buildings, where all of the Sciences subjects are located. It turned out to be a very rewarding ONE HOUR walk. Needless to say I doubt I'll be making that particular delightful stroll again any time soon. Lucky for me, there's a bus line that runs from the main square to the Kings Buildings that is free for students.
So after making it to the building where my meetings were to be held, I met a few other people, made some friends while waiting for the meeting to start, because it turned out that the first meeting would be comprised of the entire freshman class of Physics. We all piled into the lecture hall and recieved a very enjoyable combination of lectures from various professors, heads of the department, and outside physics-based organizations. Then came the math test that I mentioned. We were surprised with a DIAGNOSTICS TEST. Oh, no problem, it wasn't going to go on any of our course grades, we were just being tested to determine our skill in maths so the professors would learn how to better teach us. It was a massacre, and that's putting it lightly. I've taken three semesters of college calculus, but that test made me feel like I was in fourth grade again.
I'm not going to go any more into it because it's so painful, but the rest of the day wasn't much less stressful. We finished the main lectures around 1 pm, split for lunch and then filtered away into our individual/small group meetings with our actual DoS's. Turns out mine is an Italian physics professor who has been given charge of all of the international physics students. She was very pleasant but had a very thick accent which took some getting used to. Her English sounded like she had a whole apple caught in her larynx. So the main issue that I went to her for was the fact that I had been placed in Physiology 3. Because my actual Biology course experience is so limited, I haven't met any of the Phys 3 pre-requisites, and I know I'm not qualified to take the course. I needed to be placed into Physiology 2. She was able to do this for me, with one teensy weensy detail. On Mondays, My first class is in downtown, near where I'm living. My second class, Phys 2, which starts an hour later, would take place in Kings Buildings (the one hour walk away). And my third class, Physics, again an hour later, would take place back in town. Then on Friday, the physiology lecture and physics lecture are at the EXACT same time. So since I am not the flash, I haven't mastered teleportation, and haven't been able to figure out how to be in two places at once, it appears that my schedule is impossible. But not quite, ladies and gentlemen. My parents, bless their souls, bought me a digital voice recorder before I left. Hailey is taking physiology 2 with me, and Abby is in physics with me. Theoretically, I could give Hailey my recorder on mondays to record the physiology lecture. Then on Fridays I would go to the physiology lecture and Abby would record my physics lecture. It's hectic, and probably stupid, but what else can I do? I could drop physiology altogether and try for a different biology class. But the only other one I could take would be a Cell Bio class. Not only do I HATE cell biology, but I don't even know if it wouldn't conflict as well. Physiology 2 is where I want to be. At the same time, I'm putting the success of my whole semester in the hands of two other people, and a one-and-a-half-ounce voice recorder. I think I trust my friends more than the recorder, but what if one of them got sick and had to miss a lecture on either Monday or Friday?
So if you managed to read through this entire book of a post without falling asleep, then please comment on my situation. I'm in a state of stalemate because I've been given the classes I want, and for some sick reason, the prospect of taking an impossible schedule is a rush. But can I do it while trying to keep my sanity in Scotland? I doubt it....
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Fire Alarms and Noodle Soup
Woke up about an hour after my last blog to a fire alarm blaring into my head...directly above MY bed. I was still half asleep and for some reason thought that unbelievable noise was coming from my cell phone, so I started rummaging through all my luggage trying to find the phone...or the banshee, whichever. I finally stood up on my bed and realized that it was the alarm making the noise. We threw some clothes on, and I had just opened the door to start walking outside when it turned off. So that was my night, and I can safely say I slept beautifully and peacefully for the rest of the night. I guess this is just another chestnut to emphasize my wild and wacky expedition.
It was absolutely beautiful this morning. We woke up around 6:30 and wasted time in bed for about another hour. Hailey was feeling nauseous, so she didn't want to leave the room, so Abby and I went out around 8 to scrounge for breakfast and run some errands. We found a great little hole in the wall cafe just across the street where we could sit down with a nice view of the bustling street outside. I ordered a delightful croissant with jarlsburg and loaded with bacon, all for a reasonable 3,75 (that's pounds by the way, so it was around 7 bucks. From there we roamed around various areas of town for about 2 hours trying to find this bank that Abby needed to find for free transactions. Two hotel managers and two cops later, we finally found it, and also a post office where I could exchange dollars for pounds for free. Our last stop was the local Sainsbury (the Scotland Safeway) for some noodle soup, pellegrino and Scottish Gatorade for Hailey. She's feeling better :) and so am I.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
The first day's always the hardest....
And it's the truth. I'm going to try and keep this short since I can barely stay awake to write it, but I know that if I don't I'll forget to write it all down later.
After I finished my Guinness at the hotel we left to roam the city for a few hours. As tired and nasty as the three of us were (Hailey, Abby, and myself) we were not allowed to check into our rooms until later that afternoon (we arrived at the hotel around 11 am and room check in wasn't until 2 pm. The first place we hit was the castle. It's enormous, write smack in the middle of town and up on a giant rock so when you're crossing the bridge you can see the entire city. It was magnificent. Everything is just as grey as I was told it would be. The combination of cobblestone streets, thousands of double-decker buses streaking down the narrow streets, and endless overcast weather sure do drive it home that I'm not...home...anymore. Well, maybe not the endless overcast skies, because I'm pretty used to that. In all seriousness, I actually find myself enjoying the grey skies with little patches of cold sun streaming through every so often. It isn't all that cold, and when the water is coming down, it gets really nice. I was pleasantly surprised by the wind, however. Almost knocked me over a couple of times, it was very cool. As we were walking up a set of stairs in an alleyway from our hotel up to the castle, I stopped and looked behind me, out over the west side of the city with a particularly strong gust of wind bellowing in my face and nearly pulling my jacket off. I just started laughing and put my arms out, and I think that's when it finally hit me that I was really in Scotland, and I knew everything would be alright.
So we got a good chunk of time in roaming around the city, following our noses to the pubs and the bistros, finding the pointing arches of historic land marks and churches renovated into cafe's. We found the Greyfriars Church and it absolutely blew me away. I loved the interior architecture of the church, it looked like it had seen a lot, but it was beautiful. It had a fun side too because the church was surrounded by a graveyard. Wait...did I say it was fun BECAUSE of the graveyard? Actually I meant it, because they have a lot of halloween-type celebrations, "haunted" tours, and other festivities at that abbey and in the graveyard. There's actually a little cabin right by the gate into the abbey that is called "The Wee Creepy Shop in The Graveyard". How can you read that and not laugh?
Finding a place to eat dinner turned out to be a challenging task, especially since we had no idea what we were doing, what the customs were of eating out, and we were dead tired to top it off. We ended up at this Italian place in New Town that was sit-down and looked nice from the outside and was reasonably-priced (by the way everything you buy here is highway robbery. Stupid inflation....) I got some spaghetti bolognese which was decent. There were some cute waitresses there, but of course we had a balding waiter who looked at me like I was Forrest Gump trying to sit next to him on the bus. I wish you could have seen the fiasco that was we three Americans trying to figure out how to pay a Scottish-Italian waiter with three different checks using a combination of pound cash and credit cards. We must have spent ten minutes just digging up the right change for the tip.
All in all though, I think today was good for us three, and definately good for me. We had our day to scope out the city, and now we're a little more secure with our knowledge of the surrounding area than some of the kids coming in tomorrow. Orientation also starts tomorrow and we will be loaded with questions to pound into the IFSA-Butler staff about culture, shopping, eating, and especially eating out!
It's only about 8:30 pm, but I'm crashing. I'm very much looking foward to tomorrow. We'll be well rested and already semi-well acquainted with the city in time for Orientation, and I'm very hopeful that everything will run a lot smoother from here on out.
After I finished my Guinness at the hotel we left to roam the city for a few hours. As tired and nasty as the three of us were (Hailey, Abby, and myself) we were not allowed to check into our rooms until later that afternoon (we arrived at the hotel around 11 am and room check in wasn't until 2 pm. The first place we hit was the castle. It's enormous, write smack in the middle of town and up on a giant rock so when you're crossing the bridge you can see the entire city. It was magnificent. Everything is just as grey as I was told it would be. The combination of cobblestone streets, thousands of double-decker buses streaking down the narrow streets, and endless overcast weather sure do drive it home that I'm not...home...anymore. Well, maybe not the endless overcast skies, because I'm pretty used to that. In all seriousness, I actually find myself enjoying the grey skies with little patches of cold sun streaming through every so often. It isn't all that cold, and when the water is coming down, it gets really nice. I was pleasantly surprised by the wind, however. Almost knocked me over a couple of times, it was very cool. As we were walking up a set of stairs in an alleyway from our hotel up to the castle, I stopped and looked behind me, out over the west side of the city with a particularly strong gust of wind bellowing in my face and nearly pulling my jacket off. I just started laughing and put my arms out, and I think that's when it finally hit me that I was really in Scotland, and I knew everything would be alright.
So we got a good chunk of time in roaming around the city, following our noses to the pubs and the bistros, finding the pointing arches of historic land marks and churches renovated into cafe's. We found the Greyfriars Church and it absolutely blew me away. I loved the interior architecture of the church, it looked like it had seen a lot, but it was beautiful. It had a fun side too because the church was surrounded by a graveyard. Wait...did I say it was fun BECAUSE of the graveyard? Actually I meant it, because they have a lot of halloween-type celebrations, "haunted" tours, and other festivities at that abbey and in the graveyard. There's actually a little cabin right by the gate into the abbey that is called "The Wee Creepy Shop in The Graveyard". How can you read that and not laugh?
Finding a place to eat dinner turned out to be a challenging task, especially since we had no idea what we were doing, what the customs were of eating out, and we were dead tired to top it off. We ended up at this Italian place in New Town that was sit-down and looked nice from the outside and was reasonably-priced (by the way everything you buy here is highway robbery. Stupid inflation....) I got some spaghetti bolognese which was decent. There were some cute waitresses there, but of course we had a balding waiter who looked at me like I was Forrest Gump trying to sit next to him on the bus. I wish you could have seen the fiasco that was we three Americans trying to figure out how to pay a Scottish-Italian waiter with three different checks using a combination of pound cash and credit cards. We must have spent ten minutes just digging up the right change for the tip.
All in all though, I think today was good for us three, and definately good for me. We had our day to scope out the city, and now we're a little more secure with our knowledge of the surrounding area than some of the kids coming in tomorrow. Orientation also starts tomorrow and we will be loaded with questions to pound into the IFSA-Butler staff about culture, shopping, eating, and especially eating out!
It's only about 8:30 pm, but I'm crashing. I'm very much looking foward to tomorrow. We'll be well rested and already semi-well acquainted with the city in time for Orientation, and I'm very hopeful that everything will run a lot smoother from here on out.
Apex International: Edinburgh pitstop #1
I'm finally here. It is just now noon here in Edinburgh. I'm at the Apex International hotel and found out they have COMPLIMENTARY INTERNET. These days complimentary internet is like finding out that Jesus crash landed on my doorstep. It's miraculous. Hauled around all the girls luggage out of the airport, into the cab and up the flight of stairs to the hotel front desk. Finally had a chance to take a breath and order my first beer in the UK. Anyway, gotta go explore. More later.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Anticipation
So I'm sitting here at my computer trying to organize this blog, thinking about what all it should encompass, meanwhile the surrounding desk and the rest of my bedroom appears to have vomited everything that I own into a shamble of clothes, books, papers that are probably extrememely important, a few action figures and a frisbee. So all in all, nothing too surprising.
Except that I've been stressing out all day. Despite all the productive packing and cleaning and organizing and shopping, I can't get over this looming feeling that no matter how much I get done, it isn't enough. There's something I'm not packing that I should be, there's a phone call I forgot to make, there's a check I forgot to write, there's people I'm forgetting to see. Maybe it's just the normal pre-three-month-trip-to-a-country-I've-never-seen-jitters, or maybe it's the self-confidence that I've lost from the countless costly mistakes and forgotten necessities. Either way, it seems that I've made the error once again of properly preparing further ahead of time, and I've come down to crunch time still unprepared and unwilling to leave.
I mean, what causes this? I'm supposed to be going on the trip of a lifetime, something I've been slowly planning for months and months, something that I wanted, that I still want. So why did I wait so long to pack? Why did I ignore all those delightful e-mails designed to prepare me for exactly what's happening right now? What am I so scared of? I've been out of the country before and survived, so what's the deal?
I think out of all the crap that's thrown around in my room, some of it probably lost forever in the endless abyss that is under my bed, the one thing that I'm missing the most.....is my BACKBONE. I think I'll find it before I leave on Monday, though. Probably hiding under the big pile of papers that I think are my tax returns....I just wish I had it now. I wish I knew exactly what I need to do, knew what I need to finish before I leave the U.S., and knew exactly how to do it.
But then again, where's the adventure in that? And that's what all this is supposed to be about right? Having an adventure from day one. Maybe having my backbone is just that: not knowing. Maybe it's being sure of nothing except that I'm going to make mistakes and that things are going to be far from perfect, and going through with it anyway. With experiences like these we just have to be as smart as we can with what we have, try to enjoy ourselves, and not ask for anything more. I don't think any amount of guide books, helpful e-mails or even previous international trips are going to fully prepare me for what I will find when I land in the Land of the Scots, but I think I can manage to have a good time.
Backbone, backbone....yup, found it. Now what'd I do with my passport?
Except that I've been stressing out all day. Despite all the productive packing and cleaning and organizing and shopping, I can't get over this looming feeling that no matter how much I get done, it isn't enough. There's something I'm not packing that I should be, there's a phone call I forgot to make, there's a check I forgot to write, there's people I'm forgetting to see. Maybe it's just the normal pre-three-month-trip-to-a-country-I've-never-seen-jitters, or maybe it's the self-confidence that I've lost from the countless costly mistakes and forgotten necessities. Either way, it seems that I've made the error once again of properly preparing further ahead of time, and I've come down to crunch time still unprepared and unwilling to leave.
I mean, what causes this? I'm supposed to be going on the trip of a lifetime, something I've been slowly planning for months and months, something that I wanted, that I still want. So why did I wait so long to pack? Why did I ignore all those delightful e-mails designed to prepare me for exactly what's happening right now? What am I so scared of? I've been out of the country before and survived, so what's the deal?
I think out of all the crap that's thrown around in my room, some of it probably lost forever in the endless abyss that is under my bed, the one thing that I'm missing the most.....is my BACKBONE. I think I'll find it before I leave on Monday, though. Probably hiding under the big pile of papers that I think are my tax returns....I just wish I had it now. I wish I knew exactly what I need to do, knew what I need to finish before I leave the U.S., and knew exactly how to do it.
But then again, where's the adventure in that? And that's what all this is supposed to be about right? Having an adventure from day one. Maybe having my backbone is just that: not knowing. Maybe it's being sure of nothing except that I'm going to make mistakes and that things are going to be far from perfect, and going through with it anyway. With experiences like these we just have to be as smart as we can with what we have, try to enjoy ourselves, and not ask for anything more. I don't think any amount of guide books, helpful e-mails or even previous international trips are going to fully prepare me for what I will find when I land in the Land of the Scots, but I think I can manage to have a good time.
Backbone, backbone....yup, found it. Now what'd I do with my passport?
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