Well, it's only day 3 here but it feels as if I've been here for a week already!
The flight over here had its ups and downs. I barely slept during the 6 hour flight, but the airline served a great meal, complete with wine and metal (silver?) utensils including two forks! I don't even use two forks at home. You could definitely tell it wasn't an American airline company. All we get is oversalted peanuts and if we're lucky a sodium-laden meal. At the airport in London, I was able to meet up with a friend from Cornell and we had the same flight to the Edinburgh, Scotland airport. Students from the University of Edinburgh met us at the airport and helped us figure out how to get a taxi to our apartments.
When I got to my apartment (or flat, as they call it here), I was greeted by a short girl wearing a Hello Kitty onesie pajama get-up. Flatmate #1! My other flatmates are from England, Connecticut, and Italy. It's an awesome mix. Later that night, I went to a free dinner, my first meal here, and of all things it turned out to be haggis. For those of you who haven't heard of this traditional Scottish dish, it is made of sheep innards (heart, liver and lungs) with spices and a few other things added. Before I got here, I wasn't sure if I ever would have the guts to try it (no pun intended) but that night it was the only thing to eat and I was starving so I gave it a go. I'm going to be honest here, it wasn't all that bad. Actually, I kind of liked it. (Please don't judge me...) The best way I can describe it is with a taste similar to spicy taco meat and a texture similar to mashed potatoes. I'm still here now, so I guess it's safe to eat? Now black pudding, made with blood, I'm not so sure about.
The next day, I went exploring with a friend. We both bought some things we needed (a towel, I couldn't go much longer without one) and then walked along one of the popular streets here-Princes Street, and later the Royal Mile. The city is absolutely gorgeous- everything is so much older and historic here than cities in the United States. I wonder if people have more pride in their hometowns because the history is so easily visible.
That night, I cooked my first dinner here for myself; well I'm not sure if you can call it cooking as I just microwaved some ravioli noodles. Tonight was a step up though: I baked macaroni and cheese with chicken. Today I had two classes. The first was Environmental Pollution, which is a third year class. Apparently we get to go on field trips to power plants and other similar places, so it seems more interactive than most classes at Cornell, which I'm excited about. My other class is Soil, Water, and Atmospheric Processes which is a second year course. Both professors have Scottish accents, which I could mostly understand until they got excited or started mumbling.
I have to share this: at the grocery store tonight, while looking at juices, I noticed two kinds of orange juice: with bits and without bits. They call pulp bits here! I thought that was awesome. So overall I'm having a great time; I'm still adjusting and settling in but after Day 3 I feel like I've learned lots so far. Cheers!
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