As you could probably guess, I don't spend every minute of my life studying. At some point in the semester, that will probably be how I roll, but for right now I do have some free time to spend, and I'm trying my damnest to take advantage of it.
One of the benefits of going to such a large school is the amount of clubs offered. Here they get all fancy and refer to them as "societies". So far I have decided to join two of these societies while I'm here whiling away my semester.
First off is the "Create" society. There are actually two parts to this society. On wednesday, a group gets together to do arts and crafts and on Mondays a group gets together to do some creative writing. I have joined the creative writing part, mostly because I have no idea what I would do with the crafts once I make them. So far I have gone to two meetings and it was a lot of fun. We didn't do much writing, but we sat around and talked and I think it is a really creative bunch of people. I can't wait to read what they have to write, and I hope they don't find my pieces too terrible. Let's also hope my brand of short stories doesn't throw them off to harshly. I'll try my best to write about rainbows and butterflies and not my usual stock of plot points. Maybe I will even post a few of my pieces here, eh?
The next society I have decided to take part in is the Cocktail Society. I'm sure I need to go into length of detail about what that one is all about. This society meets Thursdays (guess who doesn't have class on fridayssss) and they go to a bar that is normally to expensive for a student budget, though we get some nice discounts. It was a lot of fun. I got to have a "Turktini" (Turkish delight martini made with chocolate schnapps) and an "Appleberry" (apple liquor, vodka, lime juice, apple slices and smooshed raspberries) as well as a flavored shot of vodka (blackwell tart. I was supposed to get chocolate orange, but the bartender messed up. I wasn't too upset). There are also going to be some "master-classes" on learning how to mix cocktails, so I can bring my new knowledge to the states. I will be 21 by the time I get back, so we can get super fancy.
The drinking culture here is something to get used to. Its not that everyone drinks a lot, it is just so available and there doesn't seem to be any qualms against drinking before lunchtime. The fact that the drinking age is so young also effects things. Because all stages of university (from freshers to four-years) can drink, it is entrenched into the university culture. So, both student unions have really nice bars, and oh wait, the university subsidizes the price of alcohol in said bars. You can get a pint of beer for 2.30 which is pretty kick-ass. I've only had beer there once, and that was on trvia night- which we did pretty well at considering we shunned smartphones and were at a complete disadvantage on general knowledge questions about football players and the bbc. It was a good time nevertheless :)
I've also taken some time to explore the city. But I think I will take another blog post to describe the things I found and what places I've taken an affinity to. Right now I am just happy I finally found some cheerios- now if I can only gets some Reese Peanut-butter cups my life will be complete.
Tuesday, 27 September 2011
Thursday, 22 September 2011
Oh right, Classes
Well, this week has already flown by in comparison to last week. It might have something to do with the fact I now have classes to go to. Yay! It is weird to think it has been almost a month since classes started at Brandeis, and I am only a week into my semester. I think I am going to really enjoy my classes, though they seem like they might be a bit difficult. I only have to take three classes under this system, but you have to spend a lot more time outside the classroom studying- so that should be interesting.
I'm a History and an Economics major, and one of the departments they have in Edinburgh is "Economic and Social History", i.e. nerd heaven for someone like myself. Two of my classes are out of this department. First is "The Social and Economic History of British America from 1607-1770." which takes place at 9 am on Monday. The building is also the prettiest of buildings where I take classes.
Lets see how the optimism goes once all my essays become due, eh?
Roomate update: The girls are still very sweet, and Marleigh and I are really good about sharing food and things which is super neato. What isn't neat, is the kitchen. One (or maybe more) of the girls don't know how to clean out a microwave- and they seem to like to explode things in it, and sometimes the dishes in the drying-rack haven't been cleaned properly. Its like they don't know that just rinsing off a plate cleans it. We're going to have another flat meeting soon, so hopefully we will be able to clear that all up. They also like to make a lot of origami (cranes keeping popping up around the kitchen), so maybe whoever the paper-folder is can show me their techniques.
Until next time!
I'm a History and an Economics major, and one of the departments they have in Edinburgh is "Economic and Social History", i.e. nerd heaven for someone like myself. Two of my classes are out of this department. First is "The Social and Economic History of British America from 1607-1770." which takes place at 9 am on Monday. The building is also the prettiest of buildings where I take classes.
The other two take place in a building that look like this.
And I thought Brandeis had the monopoly on ugly industrial classrooms.
The British America class seems like it is going to be the most work, even though it has the least amount of lecture time. I kinda suck at the whole "independent study" thing because I have no ethic apparently. I hope that I will be able to overcome that though, and tackle my multi-book reading list with fervor. I'm excited to learn early American history through a British lens, especially because this class is also going to cover the West Indies- which always seems to get left out of American lectures on similar areas.
The other class I have in the ECSH department is "Economic History 2.1: The Global Economy" This class is covering the growth of globalization from the 14th century to the industrial revolution. It is actually a full year course (the 2nd part covers up until modern times), so instead of taking the usual final exam, I will be able to take a Take-home exam. That, combined with it being a 2nd-year course, is making me feel optimistic about my workload in conjunction with this class. Now that I have written that, it will promptly become my hardest class. The two classes, funnily enough, also have the same professor. She seems very nice- and already asked why I am taking two-different year level courses. Hopefully my "Your third year course scares me" explanation was good enough.
Last, but not least, is my business class which is called "Business Research Methods I: Quantitative Techniques." -a long and fancy name for Statistics. And yes, all the course titles were hell to write on my course forms. Stats seems like it will be interesting. It is my largest class, in a huge lecture hall, but there seems like there is going to be a lot of opportunities for individual attention. I just hope it covers everything I need for my Econ major, especially because it is going to have to be my basis for Econometrics :x
Roomate update: The girls are still very sweet, and Marleigh and I are really good about sharing food and things which is super neato. What isn't neat, is the kitchen. One (or maybe more) of the girls don't know how to clean out a microwave- and they seem to like to explode things in it, and sometimes the dishes in the drying-rack haven't been cleaned properly. Its like they don't know that just rinsing off a plate cleans it. We're going to have another flat meeting soon, so hopefully we will be able to clear that all up. They also like to make a lot of origami (cranes keeping popping up around the kitchen), so maybe whoever the paper-folder is can show me their techniques.
Until next time!
Sunday, 18 September 2011
One week in
So this week as been something interesting. First off, it doesn't feel like it has only been a week since I've moved in. If I didn't know any better, I could have sworn a month has gone by. It is crazy. I think once classes start tomorrow, my perception of time is going to become normal- or maybe next week will feel like a year. Who knows!
I have settled quite nicely into my flat. I've gone grocery shopping, walked around a bunch, gotten lost, found a few short cuts, made dinner, bought a pair of headphones to sleep in, and found out how to get to campus. I also have met all my new flatmates.
Marleigh is the other American in my flat. She is from California and the two of us have been hanging out quite a bit. We even made dinner together, which was pretty neat. I'm glad that I was able to find a friend in the people I live with (always a plus) and hopefully things remain friendly. If nothing else, both of us actually clean up the kitchen when we are done using it.
Sophie and Rivkah are two Freshers (how the Brits refer to freshmen) from England and they also seem nice, though we have not hung out as much. Silvia, our last flatmate, is also a fresher- but she is from Singapore. (Our flat is quite international :) ) So far I think I have lucked out. One of the other girls I have hung out with is living in a flat with 3 girls and 3 guys, and apparently it is already a very messy affair because the guys all drink way too much and none of the girls are particularly neat. I'm crossing my fingers that my first impressions hold on the gals of flat 9, though it is kinda clear that some of them have no idea on how to live on their own. I think they will work out the kinks in a few weeks though.
One of the reasons I didn't really post this week is because there has been so much stuff to do. The orientation week here is nothing like how it was at Brandeis. Instead of putting the Freshers into groups and shuffling them around campus and having one set event a night, they just give everyone a huge booklet of all things and events they have and pretty much say "have fun". One of the strangest things to get used to is the fact that more than a few of the events include drinking because, oh wait, it is legal to drink here when you are 18. Another fun fact is that in order to buy cutlery (Including plastic knives) you need to be 21. I learned this when my friend was carded at the check-out line with some butter knives. (I managed to squeak by without getting ided.) I think that is a bit hilarious.
I took advantage of a lot of the events offered. I went to a movie-themed party (Yes, those freshmen parties are still awkward even if there is alcohol being served) to people watch, I went on a tour of the castle as well as a "Gallows to Graveyard" tour of the city streets. A group of us went to see a hypnotist as well as a few movies. We went out to a few pubs, and I even drank some beer. Yesterday I went to St. Andrews for the day, which was a lot of fun. We saw some ruins, of the Castle and the Cathedral, and walked around. We even went to the Golf Museum! Or rather, the gift shop of the Golf museum. While the city was nice, visiting St. Andrews made me happy that I had chosen Edinburgh as my university destination.
Okay. I am going to head out now, but before I do- here are some pictures
I have settled quite nicely into my flat. I've gone grocery shopping, walked around a bunch, gotten lost, found a few short cuts, made dinner, bought a pair of headphones to sleep in, and found out how to get to campus. I also have met all my new flatmates.
Marleigh is the other American in my flat. She is from California and the two of us have been hanging out quite a bit. We even made dinner together, which was pretty neat. I'm glad that I was able to find a friend in the people I live with (always a plus) and hopefully things remain friendly. If nothing else, both of us actually clean up the kitchen when we are done using it.
Sophie and Rivkah are two Freshers (how the Brits refer to freshmen) from England and they also seem nice, though we have not hung out as much. Silvia, our last flatmate, is also a fresher- but she is from Singapore. (Our flat is quite international :) ) So far I think I have lucked out. One of the other girls I have hung out with is living in a flat with 3 girls and 3 guys, and apparently it is already a very messy affair because the guys all drink way too much and none of the girls are particularly neat. I'm crossing my fingers that my first impressions hold on the gals of flat 9, though it is kinda clear that some of them have no idea on how to live on their own. I think they will work out the kinks in a few weeks though.
One of the reasons I didn't really post this week is because there has been so much stuff to do. The orientation week here is nothing like how it was at Brandeis. Instead of putting the Freshers into groups and shuffling them around campus and having one set event a night, they just give everyone a huge booklet of all things and events they have and pretty much say "have fun". One of the strangest things to get used to is the fact that more than a few of the events include drinking because, oh wait, it is legal to drink here when you are 18. Another fun fact is that in order to buy cutlery (Including plastic knives) you need to be 21. I learned this when my friend was carded at the check-out line with some butter knives. (I managed to squeak by without getting ided.) I think that is a bit hilarious.
I took advantage of a lot of the events offered. I went to a movie-themed party (Yes, those freshmen parties are still awkward even if there is alcohol being served) to people watch, I went on a tour of the castle as well as a "Gallows to Graveyard" tour of the city streets. A group of us went to see a hypnotist as well as a few movies. We went out to a few pubs, and I even drank some beer. Yesterday I went to St. Andrews for the day, which was a lot of fun. We saw some ruins, of the Castle and the Cathedral, and walked around. We even went to the Golf Museum! Or rather, the gift shop of the Golf museum. While the city was nice, visiting St. Andrews made me happy that I had chosen Edinburgh as my university destination.
Okay. I am going to head out now, but before I do- here are some pictures
The rest will go up on facebook at some point soon.
Oh! And also. Pants in Britain means underwear. Keep that in mind if you come over here and you like someone's outfit- or telling your roommates about your pajamas. I promise, hilarity will ensue if you don't.
Saturday, 10 September 2011
Robertson's Close
Haha! A second post! Oh man, look at me go.
So today was move-in day. I am officially situated in Room 2 of Flat 9 in Block 9 of Robertson's Close.
The room is actually quite nice, and I think I might have gotten the largest of all five rooms- which is pretty sweet. Of course, it also looks out onto the Cowgate (the main clubbing street in Edinburgh) so that is gonna be pretty fun come trying to sleep. Right now I can hear a bunch of people singing, I heard some drunken shouts earlier, and there is a constant hum of laughter and chatter- though no music (thank goodness). I hope, since it is a Saturday night, that this is the worst it is going to get- but we will see. If not, I will invest into a pair of earplugs and sleep as far from the windows as I can get :)
The flat itself is on the third floor of the building, though there are several half floors- so that is probably an inaccurate estimate. I need to go up two regular flights, and three tiny flights in order to get up- which isn't that terrible. There are five rooms, a beautiful kitchen/common area (it looks like it was newly renovated) and two bathrooms (though only one shower). The entire flat is all girls. So far I have met 1.5 of my roommates.
I suppose I should explain the .5 first. Around 11 pm- two girls stumbled in after going to a pub crawl. Both of them had heavy british accents and both of them were rather drunk. From what I gleaned, one of them lives here and the other one lives in another flat in the building. I didn't catch whom was whom, but I figure I will find out in the morning.
This building is for both international students and Freshmen (called Freshers here) and each flat is a mix of both. Whoever the .5 turns out to be is a Fresher, but the other girl I met is another American in her third year. She is from California and seems rather nice. We already bonded over a misbehaving shower and discussing kitchen cabinets, so that is always good. I am excited (and a bit apprehensive) to meet the other two girls. As long as they don't shout and clean up moderately well in the common area, I think I will be happy.
Oh good. There is chanting coming from outside my window. Well, this should be an interesting night.
Just to note: I have the ugliest curtains known to man
At least I had a fun day. After lugging my suitcases up the stairs, I set up my room before going to lunch with two of the girls that I bonded with over orientation weekend. One if from Nebraska and the other is from Nevada, and both of them are really sweet and funny- and if nothing else, they seem to be amused by my antics (switching up letters in words, making up words, not being able to say words, etc.). We ended up going shopping in a store called "PoundStretcher" which is my new favorite place as they have everything I needed and it was all very cheap. I may actually go back tomorrow to get some more general stuff for the flat. Also grocery shopping! I am super excited about that.
I am getting a bit more orientated in the city. I know areas, though I am having trouble remembering where each area is in conjunction to everywhere else. I think I am going to spend an evening with google maps to see if I can help myself through that :)
Tomorrow I will be walking to where my classes are for the first time. Hopefully I won't get to lost, or fall down any hills. That would stink.
Cheers!
So today was move-in day. I am officially situated in Room 2 of Flat 9 in Block 9 of Robertson's Close.
The room is actually quite nice, and I think I might have gotten the largest of all five rooms- which is pretty sweet. Of course, it also looks out onto the Cowgate (the main clubbing street in Edinburgh) so that is gonna be pretty fun come trying to sleep. Right now I can hear a bunch of people singing, I heard some drunken shouts earlier, and there is a constant hum of laughter and chatter- though no music (thank goodness). I hope, since it is a Saturday night, that this is the worst it is going to get- but we will see. If not, I will invest into a pair of earplugs and sleep as far from the windows as I can get :)
The flat itself is on the third floor of the building, though there are several half floors- so that is probably an inaccurate estimate. I need to go up two regular flights, and three tiny flights in order to get up- which isn't that terrible. There are five rooms, a beautiful kitchen/common area (it looks like it was newly renovated) and two bathrooms (though only one shower). The entire flat is all girls. So far I have met 1.5 of my roommates.
I suppose I should explain the .5 first. Around 11 pm- two girls stumbled in after going to a pub crawl. Both of them had heavy british accents and both of them were rather drunk. From what I gleaned, one of them lives here and the other one lives in another flat in the building. I didn't catch whom was whom, but I figure I will find out in the morning.
This building is for both international students and Freshmen (called Freshers here) and each flat is a mix of both. Whoever the .5 turns out to be is a Fresher, but the other girl I met is another American in her third year. She is from California and seems rather nice. We already bonded over a misbehaving shower and discussing kitchen cabinets, so that is always good. I am excited (and a bit apprehensive) to meet the other two girls. As long as they don't shout and clean up moderately well in the common area, I think I will be happy.
Oh good. There is chanting coming from outside my window. Well, this should be an interesting night.
Just to note: I have the ugliest curtains known to man
At least I had a fun day. After lugging my suitcases up the stairs, I set up my room before going to lunch with two of the girls that I bonded with over orientation weekend. One if from Nebraska and the other is from Nevada, and both of them are really sweet and funny- and if nothing else, they seem to be amused by my antics (switching up letters in words, making up words, not being able to say words, etc.). We ended up going shopping in a store called "PoundStretcher" which is my new favorite place as they have everything I needed and it was all very cheap. I may actually go back tomorrow to get some more general stuff for the flat. Also grocery shopping! I am super excited about that.
I am getting a bit more orientated in the city. I know areas, though I am having trouble remembering where each area is in conjunction to everywhere else. I think I am going to spend an evening with google maps to see if I can help myself through that :)
Tomorrow I will be walking to where my classes are for the first time. Hopefully I won't get to lost, or fall down any hills. That would stink.
Cheers!
Thursday, 8 September 2011
And off she goes
So, I'm in Edinburgh.
I debated with myself about starting this blog, because hey- everyone makes a first post and then never goes back to update it, and I am notorious for starting journal-type things and then dropping them. But whatever, if nothing else I will have one post to look back on and I will have expanded the internet a little bit more. I do plan on trying to keep up on this thing, but plans go haywire and we will just have to see, now won't we?
I suppose if I wanted to make this legit, I should have done a post before I left- one of those "What do I expect" posts, but to tell the truth- it didn't ever really hit me that I was about to spend four months in another country. I am now in my hotel in Edinburgh, going through orientation and it still hasn't quite sunk in. That should be fun when it finally does.
It has been interesting so far. Coming into Edinburgh is a bit like walking into a piece of fiction. It is so old, it is almost hard to believe- especially coming from America. It is hard to take a country's history seriously when the building where the Pizza Express is housed outdates the nation by a few centuries or so. I love the architecture of both the Old Town and New Town and I really can not wait to explore and figure out where I am going. My lack of a sense of direction is really not helping right now, but I think I will manage. Me and some people I met from the program have already gone exploring. I keep telling myself this place isn't nearly as big as NYC, so it can't be that bad- but we'll see if that theory holds. I think once I am actually settled in my apartment I will be a lot better off.
I am both really excited and really nervous about the next few weeks. I can't wait to explore, go traveling, get lost, and experience scottish culture in a way that a tourist never really could. I want to get a good feel for this city, to be able to point out local places, and be hip with the slang. I can't wait to come back to America with a mish-mosh of a Long Island and Scottish accent. I think I am most excited about what this experience can offer me for the future. I sure as hell plan to have fun with societies, clubs, traveling, and going out- but I also know that the person I am now will not be the person that will board the plane in January to go back to the U.S. I hope that person is a better person.
But what if I'm not? I think that is what is making me the most nervous. Not getting lost, or trying Haggis, not being able to meet people or getting bad grades; the thought that these five months will show me more things I dislike about myself than what I like. Will I be able to handle the Scottish Academic system, where personal study is so important and preparing ahead of time is the only way to pass? Will I not travel as much as I hope to because I am afraid to leave my new comfort zone? Will I get mad at the differences between here and home and end up disliking this city, which I want to love so much? I hope all the answers to these questions are no, but I am not Professor Trelawney and there is no way for me to predict the future.
But I am going to work as hard as I can to make sure that if I end up not liking something about what happens I can say "Well, at least I tried". I have a feeling everything will work out, and that I am just being silly. Time will tell, and I am a lot more excited then I am nervous. I can't wait to get my own room so I am no longer in a hotel surrounded by Americans. I feel like that is when I am really going to be able to dive in, and figure out how to use the potential these next few weeks hold.
Wish me luck!
Hopefully I will post soon :)
I debated with myself about starting this blog, because hey- everyone makes a first post and then never goes back to update it, and I am notorious for starting journal-type things and then dropping them. But whatever, if nothing else I will have one post to look back on and I will have expanded the internet a little bit more. I do plan on trying to keep up on this thing, but plans go haywire and we will just have to see, now won't we?
I suppose if I wanted to make this legit, I should have done a post before I left- one of those "What do I expect" posts, but to tell the truth- it didn't ever really hit me that I was about to spend four months in another country. I am now in my hotel in Edinburgh, going through orientation and it still hasn't quite sunk in. That should be fun when it finally does.
It has been interesting so far. Coming into Edinburgh is a bit like walking into a piece of fiction. It is so old, it is almost hard to believe- especially coming from America. It is hard to take a country's history seriously when the building where the Pizza Express is housed outdates the nation by a few centuries or so. I love the architecture of both the Old Town and New Town and I really can not wait to explore and figure out where I am going. My lack of a sense of direction is really not helping right now, but I think I will manage. Me and some people I met from the program have already gone exploring. I keep telling myself this place isn't nearly as big as NYC, so it can't be that bad- but we'll see if that theory holds. I think once I am actually settled in my apartment I will be a lot better off.
I am both really excited and really nervous about the next few weeks. I can't wait to explore, go traveling, get lost, and experience scottish culture in a way that a tourist never really could. I want to get a good feel for this city, to be able to point out local places, and be hip with the slang. I can't wait to come back to America with a mish-mosh of a Long Island and Scottish accent. I think I am most excited about what this experience can offer me for the future. I sure as hell plan to have fun with societies, clubs, traveling, and going out- but I also know that the person I am now will not be the person that will board the plane in January to go back to the U.S. I hope that person is a better person.
But what if I'm not? I think that is what is making me the most nervous. Not getting lost, or trying Haggis, not being able to meet people or getting bad grades; the thought that these five months will show me more things I dislike about myself than what I like. Will I be able to handle the Scottish Academic system, where personal study is so important and preparing ahead of time is the only way to pass? Will I not travel as much as I hope to because I am afraid to leave my new comfort zone? Will I get mad at the differences between here and home and end up disliking this city, which I want to love so much? I hope all the answers to these questions are no, but I am not Professor Trelawney and there is no way for me to predict the future.
But I am going to work as hard as I can to make sure that if I end up not liking something about what happens I can say "Well, at least I tried". I have a feeling everything will work out, and that I am just being silly. Time will tell, and I am a lot more excited then I am nervous. I can't wait to get my own room so I am no longer in a hotel surrounded by Americans. I feel like that is when I am really going to be able to dive in, and figure out how to use the potential these next few weeks hold.
Wish me luck!
Hopefully I will post soon :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)