ZOMG A POLICE BOX. ...That's a Doctor Who reference, btw.
Sorry it's been so long guys! This is gonna be a pretty dry post- basically just an update about what I've been doing because I have no energyto be creative and funny, although I'm sure that you all have experienced/will experience my wit in person, so never fear. I am going to be sprinkling in some Scottish slang words/sayings, so be on the lookout for them...
Fresher's Week
We had Fresher's Week at the University of Edinburgh which is apparently world-renowned. There were a lot of activities and parties that were sponsored by the uni. I didn't go to as many of them as I had originally planned because on Monday Imet actual Scottish people (well, boys). They're both really cool- Robbie and Sam- so I hung out with them throughout theweek. It's nice to have an insider's/native's perspective on the city- I feel like that's how I'm really getting to know Edinburgh.
Also during Fresher's Week I cemented some relationships with Americans from my program- Sam (yes, another one,which may or may not get confusing) and Megan who are from Carleton College and Colgate University, respectively. Sam is actually from Ballard as well and we know some of the same people. Small world, huh?More small world: one of Megan's flatmates who was on our program is from Harvey Mudd which is one of the colleges in the Claremont Consortium with Scripps. SO COOL! Here's apicture of Megan, Sam, and I:
This is actually while we were waiting to see the Pope- it was the first papal visit since Scotland split from the Roman Catholic Church way back when. Pretty cool, eh? Actually seeing the pope was pretty anti-climactic, even if he was in the pope-mobile. The coolest part about it was the procession that came before- there were a ton of bagpipe troops and schools. The event was on St. Ninian's Day so every school in the country named after him was invited to participate in the parade.
At the end of Fresher's Week Butler organized discount tickets to a football match for us. Scottish football is absolute rubbish but the experience was definitely worth having.
Fresher's Week was really weird since we were in Edinburgh but hadn't actually started classes yet. I was really glad when classes started and my days started to have some structure, although I still can't get the hang of my class schedule and have to consult my calendar all the time.
Classes/Academics
In terms of studying/school things are going really well. At first I was really nervous because the professors are kinda all over the place and there aren't really books that are required for the class- they give you a list of recommended books and you have to find the sections that are relevant. However, the classes are split into sections with different themes and each section has different books. The library has all of them on reserve but you can only get them for 3 hours and since there are so many it's really not worth it to buy the books. I'm starting to realize how much Scripps really holds our hand through classes.
The labs for my science classes, The Dynamic Cell and Chemistry for Life Sciences, are where I feel like I have a total advantage- thank you AISS, Professor Grill, Professor Wenzel, and OChem. I have lab partners for both of my lab classes and my 2 chem lab partners seem like really cool girls :)
This is Ceci, one of my chem lab partners :)I'm actually starting to study without having tests/quizzes hanging over me. The library (which I never use at Claremont) has these really cool PODS with a computer and seating. They're aimed towards group studying, which is perfect since Sam, Megan, and I are all in the same Modern Scottish History class.
I've also found a really cute coffee shop called the Bean Scene but I haven't actually studied there since I keep forgetting things that I need to study when I go. /I get distracted by conversations with the people I go with :(
Social Life
I had my homestay to the Lake District last weekend. I was with another Butler Edinburgh girl (Caitlin) and two Butler Glasgow School of Arts girls (Ariel and Kristi). The family we stayed with was really nice but they host American students a lot so it seemed less like a stay with a family and more like a touristy thing to do. It was beautiful and fun anyways and I had a great time. We went to a lake and hiked around rowed and then went shopping at some of the small towns nearby. By the end I was kinda homesick because the family was so nice and close-knit. Needless to say, I skyped with my parents that night :)
So my old room was getting to be WAY to far away for me to walk to and from social events so I moved. I'm now in Sciennes which is right next to this beautiful park called the Meadows:
My new room is a lot smaller than my old one but it's really cute and I love the way the flat is set up. I'm in an actual flat now with two other exchange students from Italy (Julia) and Singapore (Adelyn) and two first years from Scotland (Hazel) and Lithuania (Deimante).
My new favorite thing is headphones parties. Everyone has radio headphones and there are two frequencies to choose from. It's so funny because everyone is dancing and singing along but there's no music unless you're listening to the headphones. See this hilarious video:
Upside: this makes conversation with other people INFINITELY easier.
Downside: wearing headphones is kinda lame, but I think we pull it off :)
I really need to start joining societies and clubs here but it costs money to join and money to do the activities hosted by the clubs. I guess I'll just have to suck it up and do it (like I did with the 60 pounds for my gym membership. sad day....)
Shopping
In terms of grocery shopping, I went to Costco today! It was great- they had practically all of the same items as in the US so I stocked up on things like chicken nuggets and other easy frozen meals.
In terms of clothes shopping, I really need to start hitting up all of the charity shops on the main street in Edinburgh. They're second hand shops that are actually inexpensive, as opposed to the second hand stores in the US where a shirt still costs $20. Also, my mom is mailing me more clothes. Oh, fashion.
SOOO I'm gonna go now- I'm going blues dancing for the first time since I've been here and I should also maybe eat dinner, or something. And study a little bit. Maybe.
xo,
LeeAnn
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