Home, Dublin and Turkey Day

Hello everyone! I have an essay due tomorrow so I figure now would be a great time to write a blog post.

(I can see my mother cringing as she reads this. Yes I am going to get it turned in on time, don't worry.)

I am gonna seperate this post into three parts: News from home, my trip to Dublin, and Thanksgiving. At some point I will get to writing about places in Edinburgh because I feel like that is a nifty list to have. It'll get done some point before I leave. Hopefully.

So onto news from home!

So first off I am sad to report that my beta fish, Horatio, has passed away. I am happy to report that my family decided to tell me about it instead of trying to sneakily buy me a new fish. While I miss Horatio deeply, I have found the strength to move on.

On a happier note, I can tell everyone what classes I will be for next sememster. I am going to be taking American Judaism (Oy.), Early Medieval History (Vikings!), Econometrics (Joyous), Spanish 3 (Where I make people cringe with my accent) and DDR (yes that is Dance Dance Revolution. Yes it is a gym class). I am also going to be the TA for Bus6A (Financial Accounting). Not only that but I am captain for Mock Trial team D (we are gonna rawk sawks) and I still have my job with the Bran Van.. Man, next semester is gonna be super busy. I am so excited.  (no really, I am)

I also can report on where I will living next semester, and that is not in a cardboard box! It will be in Ziv 130 in suite 103 room F (for fun times obviously). The demographics of the suite are five girls and one guy, so that should be quite interesting. I'm already planning all the things I am going to bring to set up a psuedo-kitchen because Ziv suites don't have actual ones- which is strange to me. Ah well, I am sure I will make do.

Getting all this news from home has been kinda strange. Half of me is excited and the other part is like "I don't want to rush the time I have here! There is only a month left!" And time is still going by too fast. For instance, the essay that is due on Monday is the last assignment I need to do before exams- an essay I wrote down in my calendar at the beginning of the semester and was like "that's so far away" no, no it isn't. Why does time do that? Not cool.

Enough of that. Onto Dublin!

My trip started out on a high note. While waiting on the street corner at 5 am for my friends a man all gusied up for an event, kilt and all, strolled by. As he passed me he did a bit of a jig, and I jigged back. Then we danced for five seconds more and then he kept on walking. It was a lot of fun.

The plane ride to Dublin was not bad at all though we were quite hungry and tired once we arrived. We explored for a bit before a cafe finally opened for lunch. After food we explored O'Connell street and spent about an hour making fun of the clothing in one of the stores before I bought a pair of jeans. They are red and make me very happy. The rest of the day consisted of a lot of talking, a lot of tomfoolery, greek food, MASH and socks on hands. It was a bunch of fun.

The next day we went on one of those hop-on, hop-off tour buses. We got to hear a lot about the city and we stopped off at Trinity College and Mary Malone before grabbing lunch. St. Patrick's Cathedral was closed for graduation, so we didn't see that- but we did get to go to the Guinness storehouse. It was fun learning about how beer was made, the history of it, and all the inner workings like transport and barrel-making. The best part was the pint of Guiness at the Gravity Bar, which is at the top of the storehouse and gives you a 360 degree view of the city. We got some nice pictures-even though we got photobombed.

After the storehouse we went back to O'Connell's street and then to Temple Bar for dinner. We turned in early because we had to leave at 4:30 am for our flight back.

And yes, I slept through sunday.

Thanksgiving was interesting. I didn't have a Thanksgiving dinner: I had three. One at a restaurant with friends on Tuesday, one with the program I came to Edinburgh with on Wednesday, and one on Thursday that was sponsored by the chaplaincy.  It was strange waking up Thursday morning and having to go to class- but I prevailed. It was also strange not watching the Thanksgiving parade with my sister while eating cinnamon buns. Instead I had french toast and peanut butter with my flatmate, it was nice- but it just wasn't the same.

The dinner for the chaplaincy was fun though. It was a potluck so I made a cream cheese and apple torte and Marleigh, my flatmate, made a cornbread pudding. There were so many different dishes at the dinner though. There was Chinese noodles, curry, german pretzel rolls, and yes- Turkey. Dessert was equally as international and equally as yummy. I am happy to say that the dishes Marleigh and I made were one of the first ones to go :)

After dinner I had a chance to skype with my family, which is always a good time. Overall it was a nice night and a great break from studying. Now I have a bunch more to look forward to. Next weekend I am going to Belfast. Also, Edinburgh is getting decked out for christmas with different faires and a ferris wheel. I am excited for the next few weeks, and I intend to experience as much as I can- and do some more studying too I guess.

Creative Writing and I love my flatmates

Last Monday I went to my Create Society meeting. For this meeting we needed to bring in an item and come up with a character to go with it. How did they get the item? What did it mean to them? Etc.

I came in with a small pocket mirror that I had picked up in a shop the week before.

When we got there, we had to write a short piece about the character and the item. I liked what I wrote, so I decided to post it here. 

Marla Woole

I was standing in the line at the grocery when I pulled out my mirror. I was convinced my mascara had smudged and that would never do.

“Oh what a lovely mirror!”

The voice behind me was one I knew. I had heard it before, at meetings, in shops. I spoke to so many people it was sometimes hard to keep them straight. I turned to the woman with a bright smile on my painted lips.

“Thank you.” I said as brightly as I could manage. I recognized her. Lillian or Lilly, her hair was a pale red- dyed terribly. She hadn’t made the choice to go gracefully into silver like I had. My color also came from a bottle, but it was professionally done.

“Where ever did you get it?”

The smile stuck on my face and I held the mirror closer. “This?”

Oh dear. It was very rare I was caught without a story. I had bought it at a garage sale in Pensy for 50 cents, but that would never do. My reputation would be ruined- Every one knew that Marla Woole had no use for garage sales. It may have been where most of my gathered things I had come from, but really- there was no reason to ruin the fun.

“My second husband gave it to me.”

The lie spilled from my lips almost effortlessly, it should after years of long practice, and I wasn’t about to let my moment’s hesitation undo me.

“He would travel often and he brought it back for me from one of his adventures- Thailand I think.” I felt the sadness creep into my face as I concocted the next bit. I didn’t really want more questions before I could think through all of it.

“He died about six months after. The plane he was piloting went down over Africa while he was on Safari. The man he was transporting survived but he…” I trailed off for effect, and the result I wanted was achieved. Almost on cue Lily or Lillian raised her hand to her mouth, her eyes wide. I slowly closed my mirror and slipped it away.

“I’m so sorry… I’m glad you have something to remember him by.”

I offered her a sad smile and turned to the cashier, as it was my turn in line. I paid for my chicken and eggs and with a wistful wave I walked out to the parking lot before I could say anything more. I think my best skill is in dramatic exits.

I didn’t have time to relish in my efforts though. I had more to think about. I had never realized I had been married before, and now I had two husbands to work out-maybe more. I delighted in the prospect. I always love a good story. 

I hope y'all enjoyed that :)

Oh! And if you guys wanted to know how my flatmates and I are getting on, here is a small photo story:

They are actually really sweet and a lot of fun. I just wished they weren't so messy!
I really need some Mary-Ann magic up in this joint :P

Until next time!

Edit: Marleigh is excluded in the flatmate complaint because there ain't nothing to complain about :D

Livin' for the Weekend

Okay, time is going by quicker and quicker. I'm afraid I am going to blink and it will already be December. But time is not allowed to go that quickly because a) I am having too much fun and b) I have five pretty big assignments due between now and then and I really don't want to think about all the work I am going to have to do in between all the traveling and things I've been planning.

Speaking of fun, last weekend was pretty kick-ass. On Thursday I got to chat with my family over Skype during Rosh Hashanah dinner, so I got to see my grandma and my aunts and uncles. I think the best part of that, besides seeing all their beautiful faces, was seeing who understood technology the least. I can't tell if I found my great-aunt talking very loudly at the microphone or my mother's inability to turn the program off to be more amusing. I was kinda sad I couldn't be there to celebrate the madness that is a Honig family party, but I know there will be many more new years and only a few short months to spend in Scotland.

After that conversation, I ended up going out with some friends. We went out to meet a group of people who were spending the night in Edinburgh. The pub we went to meet them at was pretty full of people over the age of thirty, and us "natives" (yeah, okay) thought it was pretty odd that that was where they had chosen to drink. The next pub we went to was a bit better though. It was on the Royal Mile and had a nice atmosphere, though it wasn't nearly as charming as the pub our group has deemed as its own (Though there will be more on that in a later post). I finally got to have some whiskey while we were there. I can now cross "drink Scottish whiskey in Scotland" off my bucket list. Next up is "Have beer with breakfast." Though, I don't know how keen I am on knocking that one off.

After the pub we parted ways from the group of visitors. We headed back to our flats and turned in early because some of our number had class the next morning (naughty, naughty) and we had planned a full docket for that afternoon. Sleep proved particularly difficult that night and didn't help that one of my flatmates had blessed me with a cold. But, I didn't let that get in my way :)

Friday was absolutely gorgeous. the sun was shining, there was a slightly cool breeze, and it was actually warmer in Edinburgh than it was in New York which was really something to celebrate. It was the perfect weather for our next excursion; climbing Arthur's Seat. 

A bit of background:

-ahem-

"Arthur's Seat is the main peak of the group of hills which form most of Holyrood Park. It is situated in the centre of the city of Edinburgh, about a mile to the east of Edinburgh Castle. The hill rises above the city to a height of 251 m (823 ft) and provides an excellent panoramic views of the city."

Thank you wikipedia.

So yes, there is a giant hill in the middle of the city and because it was such a breathtaking day we decided we had to climb it. (We being Lucy, Lucy's boyfriend, Marleigh, Lindy and myself)

Orginally when we got to the seat, I was very much daunted by the height. I was already a bit tired and I was feeling very out of shape, but I began the climb anyway. The way up was really steep, but the rocks formed a kind of staircase so the climb wasn't too terrible and the views were abesolutely stunning. Stupid me forgot her camera, but I have lovely friends that let me steal their shots :)

Afterwards we headed home and for dinner that night we went to Mums (Another destination that will be discussed at a later date.). I was bad and got a milkshake, but it was delicious so it was well worth it. After we stuffed ourselves silly we proceeded to the Royal Mile to go on a tour called "Hidden and Haunted."

It was run by the same company that did the the other tour I was on, but this one focused more on stories about ghosts then on people being hung or having their head chopped off. Here is our guide. She added to the experience tenfold.

See what I mean?

We even went down into the vaults, which are supposedly one of the most haunted areas of Britain. Apparently there is little boy down there, a cobbler, and a ghost called the watcher who isn't very nice. I didn't spot anything, but I think something stepped on my foot. MAYBE IT WAS A GHOST!!! ... or it could have been the guy standing next to me. I'll let you decide which one is more reasonable. I guess I will have to look for hauntings elsewhere. I did have a good time though, whether I saw spectres or not.

One of the girls did catch a blue orb on her camera though.

Ghost or spec of dust? The world may never know...

On Saturday we headed to Stirling and explored the castle.

It was very pretty, but it was so rainy and foggy and they didn't give us enough time to really explore the city because they decided we were going to the William Wallace momunment. Because it was so foggy we didn't even attempt to see it. We swung right into the cafe and grabbed seats. It ended up being a good idea, because about a half an hour later the cafe was packed- but we were already comfurtable. It was fun hanging out, but we were very glad to get on the bus back to Edinburgh.

After a quick dinner we decided to head out to do a pub crawl. I ended up having to leave early because my cold and lack of sleep the night before had finally caught up to me. What lack of sleep you ask? WELL my very lovely flatmate decided it would be super awesome to come home drunk with a bunch of friends, dragging a traffic cone behind them and screaming-   at 4 am. Let's just say I was not too keen about that, and on Sunday I had a very nice conversation with said flatmate about not doing that again- minimal bodily threats were issued :)

Luckily, I was able to sleep in on Sunday. I also spent the entire day in my jammies drinking tea and bopping around on the internet. Oh! I did some work as well.

That night My friends, Erin and Lindy, and I went to the pub quiz once more where once again we suffered a stunning defeat. It was still a lot of fun AND because it was czech night, they raffled off some Czech imported beer. Guess who won some?

Awwww Yes :)

Overall it was a pretty eventful and fun weekend- But I don't know how it is going to compare to next weekend. I am going to Inverness on an organized trip with my IFSA-butler group. Three days going through the highlands of Scotland. I know, such a hard life.