Wind Band Christmas Concert

Happy St. Andrew's Day!

Classes are officially over and the study period has begun. I am just finishing up my final assignment, a close reading of 'The Piano Tuner' by Valerie Gillies, for Scottish Literature before starting my rigorous study schedule! My final class of the semester was my Scottish Literature tutorial on Thursday. We sat in our tiny room on the 3rd floor and discussed poetry over bottles of red and white wine provided by our tutorial leader and stopped part way through to admire the beautiful sunset (note: this was between 3 and 4 pm). I've heard of 'write drunk, edit sober' but I wonder what they say about when analyzing poetry? Discussion flowed much more easily thanks to the wine and I left in high spirits, especially because the sun was still setting in beautiful pink and orange as I walked home through The Meadows.

This is where I have tutorial every Thursday
Source: http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/sc-28390-buccleuch-place-23-25-/photos

Yesterday I went to Black Medicine Coffee Co with Debra to do work. It was really nice to catch up with her. I wasn't hugely productive, I admit but I did get some work done. I also ordered a delicious fruit scone and when it came to the table I swear the man said "Your scone, Ma'am". This was my first visit to Black Medicine and I am now so disappointed I hadn't gone earlier. It looks tiny from the outside and don't get me wrong it is small but there are two floors of wooden tables with wooden benches, mismatching chairs and stools. The hot chocolate was really nice and all the drinks came with a little biscuit. This may be my new study spot because the best thing about it was that there were loads of outlets!

Fruit scone, butter and jam from Black Medicine Coffee Co
Source: http://www.cosycoffeeshops.co.uk/uk/the-black-medicine-coffee-co-e/

I made a vegetarian chili for dinner which was successful apart from not being spicy enough for my liking. Note to self: add more chili powder next time! Afterwards I went with Erin, Joe, Puck and Puck's mother to see Amelia play her saxophone in the University of Edinburgh Wind Band Christmas Concert. It was so much fun and I really enjoyed the music. Highlights for me were Troika and the The Blue and the Gray by Clare Grundman which had in it the tune my home university, Queen's, uses for our school song. When I heard the tune I felt a surge of Queen's pride and felt ever so slightly compelled to get up and do the dance and sing the lyrics. This isn't surprising as it's so ingrained in us to do so at Queen's, any time you see the signal - someone raising their hand in the air and making circles with their index finger.

Here is a video of Queen's students performing the song (and dance) this year on Move In Day:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3X637140Vy

After the concert we went to Teviot, the Student Union, and we ordered Winter Warmers from The Library Bar. Amelia and I had mulled cider and Erin had a Hot Toddy. I am definitely getting into the Christmas mood, even though it's not quite December yet! The flat is going to the Christmas Market tomorrow so I'm getting really excited! I'll take my camera, promise!

Amsterdam

This weekend I went to Amsterdam and if I were to sum up the weekend I would say that it was absolutely incredible. Amsterdam is such a beautiful city and I had such a great time! We arrived on Friday in the early afternoon and happened upon a Christmas Market just outside the train station. We were feeling pretty peckish so we took advantage of the big barbecue and had a Bratwurst each and a little later an Appelbollen. Obviously both of these were delicious and all of the stalls put me in a very Christmassy mood. We walked around quite a lot because we couldn't find our hostel but I didn't mind because we got to see lots of the city and take some classic canal photos. After successfully finding the canal we wandered around Dam Square and went to the Anne Frank Huis. I thought it was incredibly interesting and moving to be able to walk where she walked, see the posters she put up still there and see the actual pages of her diary. That evening we sampled Amstel and Heineken in a little pub before going to the Ice Bar. The ice bar was unfortunately a major disappointment. It was a bar with ice sculptures and drinks in glasses made of ice and we had to put on coats and gloves since it was -10 in the bar (not so shocking to a Canadian). That was all OK but the 'show' which they played up a lot was a 3D movie more suitable for children. The first night in the hostel was OK but not great. We had a 6-person room but we had it to ourselves which was good. In the early hours of the morning we had the joy of listening to a guy throwing up loudly and repeatedly in the toilet just outside our room and when I went to the bathroom later his sick was all over the floor and toilet seat. Lovely!

The next day we had a delightful breakfast in a little cafe. We chose a seat in the corner overlooking the street and had coffee, a stroopwafel and a ham and cheese frittata. We took a canal cruise that day which was amazing. The views of the streets and bridges were great. There was an audio tour hosted by a couple who had lived in Amsterdam for 60 years. I'm not sure if they were real or not but their banter was incredibly cheesy. After the tour we went to the Heineken Experience. It was cool to learn how beer is made and there was a fun ride which took us through the process of being made into beer by heating us, throwing water at us and pushing us around. We tried to go to the Van Gogh museum but sadly it was closed. That night we had a great meal at a steak restaurant called De Nachtwacht. The steak was amazing - the best I've ever had and it came with a baked potato, fruit, pepper sauce and garlic sauce. That night in the hostel was unfortunately even worse than the night before. There was a kerfuffle coming from across the hall and it turned out there was a man in one of the beds that wasn't supposed to be there and he was with a prostitute. They got kicked out after lots of shouting but it was pretty scary! A bit later two Spanish guys came in to sleep in our room which was fine, they turned off the light pretty quickly. But just as I had fallen asleep a man from the hostel came in and started shouting at one of the Spanish guys saying that he was in the wrong bed. There was a lot of communication problems going on between the man (who was speaking English) and the Spanish traveller but eventually it got sorted and I managed to get some sleep.

Other than the hostel issues, the trip was absolutely amazing. I really enjoyed it and I think Amsterdam is a beautiful city. I hope I can go back there some day. Now it's back to reality and I've got a stats assignment due Thursday that means I've spent the last two days in the library. Exams are coming up as well which is daunting but at least it means that Christmas is soon! The Christmas market in Amsterdam really got me in the holiday mood! The Edinburgh Christmas Market on Princes Street opened last weekend and I'm planning to go sometime this weekend!

A Happy Birthday

It has certainly been a busy week for me - I celebrated my 21st birthday and went on my first trip outside of the UK since being in Edinburgh.

My birthday party was on Tuesday, strategically planned because I don't have class on Wednesdays. My flatmates surprised me by baking me a cake with 21 candles and singing Happy Birthday to me. They also gave me a present - a tray with a bean bag bottom and Heinz Tomato Soup picture! And made me a sash with "21 Today" on one side and my phone number on the other. We all got doll'd up and walked over to Rose Street together. The plan was to try to complete the Rose Street Challenge which is to have a drink in every pub along Rose Street, a street in the city centre known for having lots of pubs! I regret to inform you that we were not victorious HOWEVER, it was so much fun and I found a few really nice pubs I'd like to go back to. My favourites were probably Dirty Dick's and The Standing Order. Dirty Dick's was cute and cosy and had great decorations of knick knacks all over the walls and ceilings. The Standing Order was huge and very fancy with a high ceiling.

On my actual birthday I woke up to a wonderfully large pile of presents (you can expect thank you emails soon) which I unwrapped in my pajamas. I had bacon and scrambled eggs, toast and coffee before meeting up with Aidan to go to the Edinburgh Zoo. Despite the bus driver missing our stop we made it there and I had such a fun time running around excitedly like a child. We saw lots of different kinds of monkeys, penguins, koalas, sun bears, hippos, wallabys and a tiger. Unfortunately there weren't any meerkats but we booked a special viewing of the pandas and got to see the zookeepers drag lots of bamboo into the male panda's cage and see him searching for fruit amongst his bamboo. Thankfully, we avoided seeing a reptile show where you could touch them if you wanted, yuck! 

After the zoo I was pretty tired, especially because of the last night's adventures. This is truly devastating but... I missed the pub quiz! I am ashamed but I did go out for a nice Italian dinner at one of the places I went with my Auntie Valerie and Uncle Adrian when they came to visit. I had a delicious Lasagne Al Forno and we picked up some vanilla ice cream and raspberries to have for dessert. 

Before I came to Edinburgh I wondered what my birthday would be like this year since I didn't know anyone else here but it was absolutely wonderful. It was so nice of everyone to wish me happy birthday or to come to my party and celebrate with me! I also had lots of presents and cards from family and friends which made me feel like they were nearby as well!

Grandma and Auntie Joanne Visit Edinburgh!

On Saturday my Grandma and Auntie Joanne flew up from England to visit me. We met up for dinner at Ristorante Gennaro in the Grassmarket, across the road from their hotel. I had a delicious Spinach Cannelloni for my main and Panna Cotta for dessert. We had a good chat over dinner and went back to their hotel for a cup of tea and more chat afterwards. They gave me a pile of birthday presents and kindly called me a taxi to take me home when it got late.

Sunday morning was an adventure as my flat had the task of defrosting the freezer. It was all built up with blocks of ice and the lady who inspected the flat earlier in the week said we needed to deal with it before Monday. What I thought was going to be a major hassle actually ended up being quite fun. We cleaned and organized the fridge at the same time and used a hairdryer and saucepans of boiling water to melt the ice in the freezer. It's all beautifully organized and clean now. Satisfaction of a job well done!

In the afternoon I met up with Grandma and Auntie Joanne again to have afternoon tea at the Calton Hotel. There was tea, sandwiches of three varieties, crisps, scones with jam and cream and lots of little cakes. It was absolutely lovely. Going out for afternoon tea was on my Edinburgh bucket list so I really enjoyed it. I can now cross it off the list... though I might have to take my sister out for gluten free one when she comes to visit! Afterwards Grandma and Auntie Joanne came back to see my house. We went our separate ways to have a snooze (necessary after consuming lots of yummy things) and met up later for dinner at their hotel.

It was so wonderful to have them visit me. I am very lucky to have such nice family like them and Auntie Valerie and Uncle Adrian who are willing to travel all this way to see me and thoroughly spoil me the whole time they're here! I am looking forward to seeing them all again over the Christmas break.

Not sure if I've mentioned my Christmas plans yet but my parents are coming here to Edinburgh after my exams are over and are staying for a few days. I am hoping we'll get to do some of the tourist-y things like the castle. I also want to show them my house and campus so they can imagine me going about my life here. We're then renting a car and driving down to see my family in England where we'll meet up with my sister who will be flying from Canada. Catherine and I are going to go to London or Oxford together after New Year and then she's going to come back up with me to Edinburgh. I am really excited!

Triumph and Trainspotting

This Wednesday I went to The Golf Tavern for the pub quiz as per usual. Unfortunately no one could come except for Aidan and I so the bar staff and a table of two girls were helping us with some of the questions. Every week a team is awarded two free pizzas for having the best team name and every week we have failed. Buuuuut this week WE WON for our team name - "Our Drinking Team Has a Pub Quiz Problem". Two boys I knew from my residence showed up shortly after and joined our team which was great. Despite a rocky start we ended up getting 40/60 which isn't too bad - especially considering the first round was Sports and I had no clue!

On Thursday I did some shopping to get an outfit for my birthday party and came home with a dress and shoes. The party is on Tuesday and I'm starting to get really excited! I'm not sure what I've got planned for my actual birthday on Wednesday but I'm considering going to the zoo and out for dinner. I've got a nice pile of presents and cards that have been arriving in the post as well - thank you!

Last night I went to a movie night hosted by the boys' flat. We watched Trainspotting, a Scottish film about heroin addiction. I thought it was really good, despite the scenes when they were injecting needles into their arms, yuck. They filmed parts of it in Edinburgh and it was really awesome to recognize parts of Princes Street. After the movie we had our own pub quiz with one of the boys as quiz master and went to The Golf Tavern for a pint before closing. There was live music at the beginning which was awesome. It was really nice to hang out with the group all together like that.

Remember, Remember The Fifth of November...

Happy Belated Guy Fawkes Day!

I was really excited to celebrate Bonfire Night yesterday as it was the first time I'd celebrate it since moving to Canada in 2003.

I'll explain what Bonfire Night is all about for those of you who might not know. In 1605 a man named Guy Fawkes tried to blow up parliament, including the King but he was caught. To celebrate his failure, every year on November 5th people in the UK have fireworks, sparklers and a big bonfire. The most morbid part is that people burn an effigy of Guy Fawkes on the bonfire.

And of course there is the poem:

Remember, remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.

The movie V for Vendetta is based on Guy Fawkes and the character V wears a Guy Fawkes mask.

My flat and friends made plans to walk up Arthur's Seat to get a good view of the fireworks display. Amelia and Puck made mulled wine and put it into flasks and we also packed some treats. Amelia made some jaw breaking but delicious treacle toffee, I had parkin that my aunt and uncle brought me and Puck made sticky toffee pudding.

We didn't quite make it on time for the big display but we did see a lot of fireworks on our walk. When we got to the bottom of Arthur's Seat we saw people setting off fireworks right in front of us. At one point they started going off in all directions and people were screaming. They were standing very close and we thought they were hurt but it seems they were OK because a minute later they started lighting more! We also saw a group of people with a big fire outside an apartment building, throwing chairs and possibly a tire on. Sadly it was too windy for sparklers.

After the fireworks we went separate ways and I split off with Aidan to go to Malone's for an Exchange 360 party. We met up with Shannon there and had some drinks. They cleared out the bottom floor of the pub for a ceilidh. At first there was no one down there but a group slowly gathered and people started dancing to bagpipe music. It was cool to see a ceilidh in action.

Shannon and I 

Aidan enjoying a Tennent's

Aidan and Shannon at Malone's

Ceilidh gathering a bit of momentum

Edinburgh's Best and Worst

Instead of the usual post about what I've been up to I thought I would compile a list of my favourite and least favourite things about living in Edinburgh so far. 

Let's start on a positive note with my favourite things. 

1. I feel like Edinburgh perfectly balances big city with small city. It is the capital of Scotland and has a population of almost 500,000 people. There is never a night with just one event to attend and there are so many coffee shops, pubs and clubs. It seems like there's something to suit everyone and maybe I only feel this way because the city is still so new to me but it seems like I will never run out of things to do and explore here. The smaller city feel comes from the fact that I feel safe here and know my way around well enough. But mainly it's that I felt at home here almost as soon as I arrived. It's not just me either - the other exchange students I've met have said the same thing.

2. The architecture of the old buildings and the misty/rainy/grey weather is beautiful in a dark and Gothic way. Walking through the lanes of The Meadows lined with trees and watching people play football or walking their dogs adds to journey from home to class or to the library. You can see Arthur's Seat from almost anywhere in the city and if you can't see Arthur's Seat then you no doubt have a great view of the castle.

3. If you've been reading my blog so far then you already know how much I love the weekly pub quiz so I won't mention it again. But pubs! And cider! There are so many different pubs and they're all so cozy and have their own personalities built by the decor and the type of people that go there. The selection of ciders available here is much larger than in Canada where I can only usually find one or two kinds. I have really been enjoying trying different ones.

4. All my favourite British foods - jammy dodgers, party rings, jaffa cakes, malt loaf, salad cream, baked beans, tomato soup, bacon... the list goes on.

5. All the accents and international students. What I really like about the university is that even the people from the UK have such different accents and then there are people from all over the world here on exchange. I am sure there are lots of international students at Queen's too but I don't normally take the opportunity to mix with them. I really like the Northern English accent. My flatmate Amelia is from Cumbria and I love the way she pronounces things.

Now for the less positive side... I was hesitant about including this because I don't want to sound negative but I think it's important to write about the things that I find difficult to adjust to or don't like because it's not realistic to like everything. Also it's very easy to sound pretentious talking about a year abroad if you don't write about what you don't enjoy!

1. To be honest, I'm finding it pretty difficult to adjust academically. I've mentioned before how things are done differently here: no textbooks and more sources, more time in the library, more essays etc. I understand the idea that we should use more sources and not rely on only one (like a single textbook) to learn but I find it difficult to get used to. I have never been to the library so much! I rarely go at Queen's, preferring to do my schoolwork at home or in a coffee shop. It's also strange jumping straight into third year classes with people who have been in the same program together for the last two years. Thankfully I have my friend Debra here who is also  in Psychology at Queen's. As I said, I feel very connected to Edinburgh as a city but I don't feel very connected to the university.

2. The weather. Of course this would be included on this list! I am very affected by weather and in Canada I have trouble getting up when it's dark and cold and feel pretty miserable in the winter. It has already started to get dark here quite early and apparently gets dark around 3 or 4 pm in the winter. I don't really mind the rain because I was expecting it but it's not very nice all the same! Obviously it's not ever going to be as cold as Canada here, I think it gets to around 0 degrees C, but it can still feel pretty chilly. I think it's a different kind of cold, more of a damp bone cold rather than a biting cold like in Canada.

3. Trying to balance work and fun is difficult. My issues with academics here mean I just don't feel like doing work very often and because I'm on exchange my attitude is different to when I'm at my home university. At home, I'm pretty much all about school and I don't usually spend as much time with friends or going out. This year I have been much more open to hanging out with people because I wanted to make new friends and meet new people. I also have five housemates instead of my one back home. My idea of what exchange would be like was quite different to the reality. It's actually a lot harder to make time to go on trips around Europe when you have essays due!

4. It's pretty expensive to live here. There's not much to say about this except that the cost of living is more expensive here than in Canada. I found out today that a lot of coffee shops don't let you use the WiFi for free. And you have to pay to use the toilets in the train station. Just things like that are a little different.

5. I expected to keep in better contact with friends and family from home. I thought I would Skype people more often and write letters all the time. I am finding it pretty difficult to stay on top of replying to letters. This is partly because the post office makes me take each letter there before I get a stamp because there are different ones depending on how much the letter weighs. It is also partly because I get frustrated with my handwriting and because I already write out a lot of what I get up to on this blog. The time difference makes scheduling Skype calls a bit difficult.

To sum up, there are positives and negatives to my experience in Edinburgh but overall, I love being here. Obviously I miss friends, family and Canada but I am enjoying my experience and am not ready to come home just yet! I am surprised at myself because I thought I would find exchange difficult. I am used to thinking of myself as shy and scared and I didn't think I was the right kind of person to go on exchange. It is nice to find out I was wrong!