Week 6

Hi ya!

This week I decided I needed to culturally experience Edinburgh a little more.

Last Saturday, Ashley and I decided to go out and check out some touristy sites around Edinburgh. We started at the Museum of Edinburgh which was just right of the Royal Mile. The museum basically just explained how Edinburgh emerged into the city it is today. The museum occupied Huntly House which dates back to the 16th century. The museum was pretty small so it didn't take long to go through. When we came out, we decided to check out Canongate Kirk which was right across the street. We couldn't go in the church but we walked around the graveyard and saw the grave of the poet Robert Fergusson. From there, we decided since it wasn't much farther down, we would go check out Scottish Parliament. It turned out they were open to the public so we decided to go in and check out the debating chamber. It kind of reminded me of seeing the UN. We just went in and looked but I think I'd like to go back and take a guided tour to learn more about everything. We've been talking about it in my Scottish history class but I still don't have much of a grasp on British politics.

Wednesday we got 2 pound tickets from the International Student Center to finally go and see the Castle. Tickets are normally around 10 pounds so it was definitely a good deal. We had to meet at the ISC at 1:35 but we ended up standing around for almost a half hour waiting for everyone, which was pretty annoying. They gave us a hand out and when we got over to the castle we were free to wander as we liked. Not only were there great views of the city, but a lot of small museums associated with war and Scottish history to see. The people I was with didn't seem to care too much about all the museum stuff so they went through pretty quickly and I stuck behind to look at everything. The Crown Jewels were pretty cool and I also really liked seeing the prisoner of war stuff. They had barracks all set up like they would have been when prisoners were actually detained there. It took me about 2 hours to go through everything, and I think I may have even missed some things. But it was definitely cool to see considering its such a famous landmark in the city. And of course, its always nice when you don't have to pay full price!

Today I met up with my falafel friend Lily and we went to the Fruitmarket Gallery which is a contemporary art gallery built in the original Edinburgh fruit market. They only have one exhibit at a time and right now it is an exhibit by Scottish artist Claire Barclay. It was mostly sculpture but she also had some water colors and screen prints which were my favorite part of teh exhibit. Lily and I both decided we found her work very visually appealing but didn't really understand the message. A lot of the pieces were untitled which I also didn't like very much. I think it's always easier to interpret art when you have a title to go off of, kind of like in poetry as well. Anyways, you can check out more about the exhibit here on the Fruitmarket's website http://www.fruitmarket.co.uk/exhibitions/current/. Since it was only one exhibit it didn't take too long to go through so we decided to check out the City Art Center which was right across the street. They had a lot of really cool modern art including an exhibit of Bob Dylan's work. Lily and I were both unaware that he was also an artist but we both enjoyed his stuff. For a sample check out this link http://www.bobdylanart.com/index.php?section_id=3&subsection_id=1&category_id=1&subcategory_id=1&shopId=1&id=1. From there, we went over to Princes Street and got some tea. From there we parted ways and I headed back towards Pollock. I decided to wander around a little on my way back and saw some of the city I haven't seen before. I was kind of worried about getting lost, especially because I didn't have a map on me but I was fine. I found my way to the Meadows and once you're there it is pretty easy to find where you have to go. The whole city is so beautiful, it was really nice to just walk around and enjoy everything.

This week, we're reading Roderick Random by Tobias Smollett for my English class. I haven't gotten too far but like the other books we've had to read lately, it doesn't seem to exciting.

I've uploaded some more pictures that you can check out here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/NedPix/NEDINBURGH02?authkey=Xk_DqPcaT3c#

Also, here's a panoramic video I took of New Town from the Castle:

Hope all is well with all of you!

Week 5

Hi ya!

OK, so let me start by saying that whoever said it doesn't really snow in Edinburgh is a big fat liar! I feel like it's snowed more than it's rained since I've been here. And it's not just light snowfall, it's always heavy wet snow. Yesterday it snowed in the morning and then the snow turned into rain in the afternoon. It was ridiculous! Haha, sorry, I'm not a fan of the snow.

So, this past week...

Last Thursday, I had a nice surprise. I went to grab lunch at Elfalafel. It was kind of an off time so their was only one other person in their. I ordered and the girl who was waiting for her food asked if I was American. It turns out she was from Michigan (when I asked her where in Michigan she was from she whipped out the hand and pointed and everything, which she assumed I would think was weird but little did she know, I know all about the hand, haha). She said she goes to Bowdoin College in Maine but was here studying costume design for a semester at Edinburgh College of Art. Long story short, we ended up eating lunch together and she was very friendly and it seems like we have a lot in common. She has the theater connection through costume design and she's an English minor. Hopefully we'll be able to get together again soon! That night, Ashley and Kendall had to see a gig for their popular music and technology class. I tagged along and we went to a jazz bar over by campus. It was a lot of fun! We saw a band just finishing up their set and then the band we came to see came on. They were like a mix between jazz/ r&b/ and funk. They were really good, but unfortunately, they didn't start their set until around midnight so I couldn't stick around for the whole thing. I had to get up early the next morning to meet with my history tutor to discuss my essay that was due this week.

Friday Morning, I got up and met with my tutor. She helped me with structuring my essay and gave me some tips on sources. Even though the essay wasn't due until this Thursday, I felt kind of behind in the whole process. I'm so used to only starting a day or two early at home, but she made it seem like I was pretty crunched for time. I guess I'm also not used to having to write history essays and doing a lot of outside research. After that, I did some shopping on the Royal Mile. I wanted to show some Scotland pride at the rugby game on Sunday so I wanted to buy a tartan scarf. All the gift shops have 2 for 10 pound tartan scarves deals so I got 2, the traditional red pattern as a souvenir and then a blue one to wear more everyday, that hopefully does not look as touristy (Scotland's rugby team is also blue). From there, I went to meet up with Kendall and Amber for tea at The Elephant House. This claims to be the birthplace of Harry Potter. It's said that JK Rowling used to frequent there a lot. Anyways, Amber goes to Iowa State. We had chatted some on facebook before coming over here and then we ran into each other a couple times at the beginning of the semester, but it was nice to finally get to sit down and get to know each other a little better. Plus, the tea and sandwich I had was delicious! From there, I went down to Princes Street and did some shopping and then headed back to Pollock to help Ashley figure out how to do her laundry. Haha, I hope with my help, her first experience was not as terrible as mine! That night, we met up with Kendall and we all went to another flat to meet some of her other friends. They were all really nice and we joined in their game of charades. From there, Ashley and I left and tried to get into a club but the queue was really long so we decided to forget it and went back to Pollock to turn in.

Sunday was the rugby match! The match was part of the 6 Nations Rugby Tournament and Scotland was playing Wales (the reigning champ). Ashley and I met up with Kirsten, Ryan, Adrienne, and Kendall on Princes Street to catch the bus over to the stadium. The stadium area was pretty hectic! Lots of rowdy fans in kilts and draped in Scottish and Welsh flags. On our way over to the stadium, we got fliers about an event The Great Grouse was hosting. The Great Grouse is a brand of whiskey and the official spirit of Scottish rugby. Anyways, they handed out free samples and they had a live band playing. It was a lot of fun! When it got closer to match time, we headed over and found our seats in the stadium. We were in the second level of seats but they were pretty good. You could see everything that was going on. The match was really exciting. Very fast paced and fun to watch even though we weren't totally sure what was happening. We met a group of people sitting in front of us that tried to explain the rules but they said even if you follow it, it's difficult to keep up on all the rules because they're constantly changing. There were a couple girls sitting behind us that we talked to a bit too. They were med students from New York who were studying here for the month. It seems like just a semester is such a short time to try and figure everything out, I can't imagine only being here for a month! Anyways, Scotland lost but the game was still a lot of fun to watch! Hopefully we'll get to see some more while we're here!

Monday, I met with my ALG group to discuss Pamela. None of us had finished it and we all agreed it was probably one of the worst things we've ever had to read. It's just 500 pages of nothing happening! And then, once something does finally happen, it doesn't make any sense! I only got a little more than half way through it, but the part I read definitely was not a pleasurable experience. Luckily our questions were based on parts towards the beginning of the book so we were able to get what we needed done.

Tuesday, it was my turn to be the presenter for my ALG group in class. It was pretty intimidating. The teacher always wants you to elaborate so I was worried I wouldn't really know what to say, but I think I did OK. Conversation in class was pretty low so I have a feeling no one really finished the book. That class is starting to be pretty frustrating. Things are too fast paced and I feel like I don't have enough time to really get everything out of it that I want to. Here we have a week to read 500 pages (which in addition to other homework can be a lot) and then we discuss it in class for two hours and move on to a new novel. I'm used to spending at least two weeks on a novel at Iowa and I feel like I'm able to get more out of that because I have more time to analyze and digest things.

Wednesday, I didn't have class so I spent the day working on my history essay that was due on Thursday. I chose to discuss Scotland's poor history of health since 1914. I felt like I knew what I wanted to talk about, but it was difficult to get out on paper. Like I said before, I haven't written a history essay since freshman year at Iowa and it's definitely a different way of writing than for English since everything is based on fact and not just supporting your own claim.

Thursday, I continued to work on my paper all the way up until the deadline. It had to be 2500 words including footnotes which I had some difficulty with. You have to turn in multiple copies and the grading is totally anonymous so you can't put your name on anything. Instead, you have to fill out these forms to turn in with your essay for them to identify it as yours. It's pretty complicated and I had to scurry to finish it all in the Scottish history office with a bunch of other students. But, it's done and it's turned in so I'm happy about that. I don't really know what to expect because this is my first essay I've done here and the grading seems to be much different, hopefully it all turns out well. I learned that it's definitely difficult to procrastinate and stay on top of things here though. I need to work on that.

I haven't been feeling too well today so I just slummed around Pollock and caught up on some sleep. Kendall, Ryan, and Kirsten are all out of town this weekend so I don't have any big plans, but I'm hoping to check out some of the touristy things I haven't seen yet in Edinburgh along with all of my homework.

I've added some more pictures to my album. Here's the link.
http://picasaweb.google.com/NedPix/NEDINBURGH02?authkey=Xk_DqPcaT3c#

Also, here's a link to a song the band played before the rugby match. It's been stuck in my head ever since! It's called Loch Lomond and there's multiple versions of it, the more traditional, slower paced, folk version and the more upbeat version which I like better. Here are links to both. You can decide yourself which is the better version.

Slow:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXGVFJqSqqg

Fast:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRcurOYc0r0

Glasgow

Ok, so I should be working on my loads of homework, but it's late here and I'm just not into it. So, let me update you on the details of my first excursion outside the great city of Edinburgh.

Some of us have been getting pretty restless from school work and seeing the same things in Edinburgh over and over again so we decided it would be the perfect time to visit a new city and see what Glasgow had to offer. After making arrangements for bus rides and an overnight hostel stay, we left for Glasgow at 9:30 on Saturday morning. The Edinburgh Bus Station was kind of a hike from Pollock, but we made it in plenty of time. By train, the estimated time of travel is about an hour, the bus was estimated to take a little longer but we thought it was worth it to save a few extra pounds. All in all the bus ride was fairly easy. It took only a little over an hour, making one stop and we got to see parts of Edinburgh and Scottish countryside we've never seen before, including my first glimpse of some authentic Scottish sheep! After an extremely short bus ride, we arrived in Glasgow around 10:45. The station was right near City Center and the hostel was within walking distance. The hostel, which was right along the River Clyde, proved to be a little farther than expected, but definitely a manageable walk. We couldn't officially check in yet, but they took our information and we were able to leave our stuff at the reception desk while we went out to explore. Unfortunately, there was a mix up with Ashley and my online registration and they refused to give us the student discount but even without it, the stay only cost 15 pounds which I didn't think was too bad considering the location, that they provided bed linen, personal lockers, and a continental breakfast. We dropped our stuff off and made our way to the GoMA, Glasgow's Museum of Modern Art. They had a lot of cool modern art from many artists I've never heard of before. Though it wasn't nearly as impressive as New York's MoMA, it definitely was a worthwhile stop. Next, we decided to grab some lunch. We looked around for a bit but finally decided on picking up some Gregg's and eating in the train station. I don't know if I've mentioned Gregg's before but it's a chain they have all over the UK that serves sandwiches and pastries. They have these things called chicken bakes which are basically heaven in a flaky crust. It tastes just like chicken pot pie and you can get 2 for only 1.50. Since being here, they have quickly become one of my favorite parts of Scotland, haha. Anyways, though Gregg's is quite cheap and delicious, they lack seating so we got our food and went across to eat in the train station. There we filled up and made a plan to head over the Glasgow Cathedral and the Necropolis while the sun was still kind of out. On the walk over to the Cathedral, we stopped by City Chambers. Since it was Saturday, they were closed and we couldn't go in, but seeing the architecture from the outside was quite impressive. When we arrived at Glasgow Cathedral, they were having a concert by a chanting medieval choir. We were still allowed to look around but we had to make sure to be very quiet. It was pretty cool to walk around and look at everything while hearing some authentic chanting in the background. The architecture of the Cathedral was beautiful on both the inside and outside. Unfortunately due to the lack of light inside, my pictures don't really do it justice. After looking around for a bit, we headed out to the Necropolis right behind the cathedral. My guidebook said you were supposed to be able to see great views of the city from the top. The Necropolis was filled with lots of large beautiful graves and mausoleums. The sky had started to cloud over which provided the perfect atmosphere for walking around a graveyard. It was pretty spooky. Unfortunately, the overcast sky made the views of Glasgow not as impressive as one may have hoped, but it was still nice to be able to look out over everything. After the Necropolis, we contemplated going to another museum but realized that if we were going to make it in time for tea, we'd have to head to there instead. We went and had tea at one of the Willow Tea Rooms. My guidebook says "First opened in 1904, this became the most famous of local entrepreneur Kate Cranston's revolutionary tea rooms, where respectable men and women could meet up, in private or in public, without the shadow of the 'demon' drink." It was really nice to sit down and relax and have my first official British tea time since being here. We all got a pot of tea and a desert, and it proved to be the perfect way to relax after walking around so much. Leaving there, we found ourselves in a main shopping area so we decided to poke around in some shops. After some shopping, we decided it was time we should head back to the hostel and officially check in and get ready for dinner. We were staying in 14 person dorm rooms, which I think everyone was a little nervous about at first, but they proved to be fine. The four girls were together on the ninth floor while me and Ryan were put in the same room on the fifth. The rooms were clean and each had their own bathroom facilities. I took the bottom bed to Ryan's top and tried to just think of it as summer camp, haha. We got all set up, and changed, and headed out for some dinner. Adrienne's guidebook suggested a cheap noodle bar that sounded good. It was kind of a hike to get there but the walk was worth it. It was definitely some of the best Chinese food I've had in awhile. After dinner, Adrienne wasn't feeling very well so we walked back to the hostel with her. Ashley was really tired so she decided to stick behind as well. The rest of us decided we wanted to go check out a club so we got a recommendation from the guy at the desk of a place that was cheap and played good music. Again, it ended up being kind of far, but worth it. We didn't have to pay a cover charge and they played pretty good music. After dancing for a little while, we decided to call it a night and head home.

Sunday morning, Ryan and I met the girls for breakfast. The breakfast wasn't too exciting but it was food that was already paid for so no use in complaining. We ate and figured out where we wanted to go for the day. We decided to start off at the People's Palace. To get there, we walked through Glasgow Green, the oldest park in Scotland. The People's Palace is an interactive museum all about the people of Glasgow. It was pretty interesting. They talked about Glasgow during the World Wars and how it has emerged from being a city known for being dirty and poverty stricken to more of a cultural center. After looking all through that, we decided to head over to The Barras, a large flea market not too far from Glasgow Green. It was kind of a let down. It was basically a bunch of booths selling crappy merchandise so we didn't stick around there too long. We left there and headed back towards City Center. On the way we found an Italian place to eat which was pretty good, but the waitress didn't really know how to divide up our check so I think some of us ended up overpaying, not by too much though. We headed back to City Center and after shopping some more, we headed back to the hostel. We had some time to spare before catching the bus but we were all pretty tired so we hung out in the hostel bar and watched some of the Chelsea vs. Liverpool futball match. We had been reading about fried Mars bars being a Glasgow thing so Adrienne asked at the desk where to get some. The lady said we just needed to go to the store and get some and then take them to a chips shop and they would fry them up for us. We tried a couple places but neither were willing to do it and the last one said no one really does it anymore, so we just ate the Mars bars plain. They were still delicious. By then, it was time to head back to the bus station and back to Edinburgh. The ride home (still a weird feeling to consider Edinburgh 'home') felt even faster. I got back to my room and did some homework and turned in for an early night.

All in all, it was a good weekend! We were able to do a lot and not spend too much money so that was really nice. It was cool to explore a different part of the country and compare and contrast the two. Glasgow was a nice place to visit, but I feel as far as living goes, I picked the better Scottish city.

I've added some pictures from the weekend. I apologize for the darkness of some of them. The gray skies that lasted most of the weekend made picture taking somewhat difficult, but I hope you enjoy them! http://picasaweb.google.com/NedPix/Glasgow?authkey=aWVzFh4ud6M#

Unfortunately, this week does not seem like it will be too exciting. I have a lot of work to get done. I just finished Moll Flanders and have to have Pamela read for my English class by next Tuesday, my first ethnology tutorial is this Thursday, it's my turn to lead discussion in my history tutorial, and I have my first essay (2,500 words) for my history class due next Thursday. A lot to do, but I'm confident I can get it all done, or at least most of it. This Sunday, we have tickets to the Scotland v. Wales match of the 6 Nations Rugby Tournament so that should be something exciting to look forward to.

Hope all is well with all of you!