Day 48: A Crash Course in Scotland's Health Care System

February 21st (continued)-February 22nd

If I ever complained about the Megabus ride to London, I deeply apologize. The ride there was like a luxurious, spacious private limo compared to the ride home. Thank god I had stocked up on junk food minutes before leaving the station, as they came in really handy at about 3am to calm me down when I was ready to freak out on everyone.

So you're probably wondering why the bus was so, for lack of better words, incredibly shitty. It actually started off fine. I read a book for a few hours, then reclined my chair back and attempted to get some sleep. Except every time I reclined my chair, it slowly crept up back to normal position. I honestly don't know what was going on with it. I swear, one minute it would be all the way back and then all of a sudden, without realizing I had moved in the slightest, I would be bolt upright again. I spent the good part of an hour fiddling with it, then gave up.

The next, more pressing issue: it was freezing cold. I had a winter coat and scarf, but that didn't even cut it. At one point, I took a look around me and nearly everyone had either a hood or a hat on, it was that bad. Finally, I slid all the way forward in my seat and sort of crouched down next to the heater at my feet (which you couldn't feel unless you were about two inches away from it). Needless to say, it wasn't the most comfortable position I could have been in, but you've got to make sacrifices in these situations.

Finally around 3am, I dug into the bag of chips I had bought back in the station. Yes, it's probably the loudest snack I could have chose, no I didn't care, and no, it didn't matter because no one could sleep anyway. We got back into Edinburgh at 6 in the morning and I barely even remember the mile and a half walk back to my flat. I went right to bed afterwards.

Also I became slightly nocturnal this weekend, I blame the Megabus, of course.

February 23rd

I didn't do much today, but I did have a moderate panic episode around 4pm that a dress I had really wanted from a thrift store would be gone, so I sprinted there (also worrying that they closed at 4:30pm). It was there.

February 24th

I met up with Kathryn and we watched the Six Nations Scotland vs. Ireland rugby game at a student sports bar. All odds were against Scotland. Though I'm by no means an expert, I could just tell they weren't nearly as good, and to make up for their lack of talent they were really, really aggressive which doesn't usually work out. Well, you know what? Those bad ass Scotland mother f*ckers (am I allowed to curse here?) won the game! My favorite part was when the camera panned to a Scotland player who had blood smeared all over his face (bloody nose? punch?), with this desperate, wild look in his eyes during the last play of the game, which if Scotland had messed up, would have lost the game. The pride that Scotland has in their country makes me so glad to be here, even if it is for only a semester. Also fun fact: Ireland had possession of the ball for something like 70% of the game. And Scotland still won. BAMF.

February 25th

I went for a run this morning, to Craigmillar Castle. It took a few tries to find it, first I ended up in the Craigmillar graveyard, not quite the experience I was looking for. I finally got there, and mind you it was a pretty small place in the middle of nowhere. Nevertheless, there was a gift shop, there's always a gift shop, where I found out it was 5 pounds (7 or 8 dollars) to get in! I halfheartedly tried the begging approach but the guy wasn't buying it...no pun intended. Instead, he directed me to a path worn in the grass right on the other side of the fence that ran parallel to the path leading up to the castle. I guess I'm not the only one too cheap to buy a ticket.

February 26th

I'll just cut right to the chase- on a run today, I violently twisted my ankle in a pothole. I knew something was wrong as soon as I did it, it wasn't my ankle that hurt it was my foot. I limped a mile or two home, and stopped at a grocery store to buy a bag of peas to ice it with. So I spent the rest of the day icing it and hoping that no damage was seriously done.

February 27th

I woke up this morning to my foot throbbing in pain (darn it), and I reluctantly called the health hotline in Scotland, and the guy I spoke with recommended I go to the nearest hospital (double darn it). So I taxied my way over there and got an x-ray of my foot. Turns out I fractured my fifth metatarsal! Apparently it's a really common injury in athletes, but that doesn't really make it any better. Anyway, I got set up with a codeine prescription and crutches, and made an appointment to come back next week to get it x-rayed again. Side note: everything was free. The x-ray, doctor visit, prescription, crutches...all of it! Hey America, ya hear that?

Later that day, I slowly and painfully navigated my way to a three hour lab (aka I hobbled to the bus stop).

February 28th

I'm learning to walk a little faster on my crutches, and I can place weight on my foot so I walk around without them sometimes too. Also, my upper body is getting a killer workout and my left leg will probably be jacked after this haha.

If you, or anyone you know, has ever fractured their foot (this sounds like one of those homemade insurance commercials), I'd appreciate advice/stories!

To make up for the depressing-ness of my foot, I was determined to cook an awesome dinner- I made chicken with sauteed onions and peppers. Damn it was good!

London (Part 2): The Grand Tour

February 18^th (a continuation)

If I told you that Toot Hill Butts was the name of a town, would you believe me? Think what you want to think, but on the bus from Oxford to London, I swear to you I saw a sign for the town of “Toot Hill Butts.”  And this is why I will never fully understand the UK.

Upon arriving in London, I was determined to find my way to my next friend, Cara’s flat on my own- without the use of a smart phone (shocker, right?!) After studying the Tube map (London’s equivalent of the subway) for some time, scribbling down some station names and transfers, attempting to buy a ticket only to discover I had forgotten to look at what zone I was traveling in (rookie mistake, I know), I finally got myself on the right train. When I popped back out into the city, I was only a few minutes away from her flat, and navigated the rest of the way with a paper map I had drawn myself the day before.

River Thames

Sure enough, I found the place and was reunited with my friend! We spent the night wandering around London- Piccadilly Circus, Westminster Abbey, the UK Parliament, Oxford Circus, heck we even went clothes shopping! By the time we got back to her room I was happily exhausted and fell right asleep, “cat-dog style” as Cara calls it (sleeping head to foot).

February 19^th

We went for a long run in Hyde Park; thank god big cities provide these parks for people like me, I'd go crazy after even a day of not seeing any green space.

Later, Cara had some reading for class to do so I headed off to Buckingham Palace to see how it compared to the queen’s palace in Edinburgh. After our run this morning, our long walk last night, and all the walking I had done in Oxford, it finally started to catch up. I felt a sort of dull ache each step I took (maybe that’s a bit overdramatic). But hey, I was in London and didn’t want to waste a second of it. So I took “strategic” breaks on my way to the palace- a bite to eat in a Starbucks, people watching on a park bench, lounging in the sun on the grass…  A walk that was only supposed to take a half hour or so ended up taking nearly two, so you can imagine the buildup I had created over the two hour commute to this palace.

When I finally arrived, I was totally shocked to see one of the palace guards (the ones that wear those tall black hats, I’m honestly not sure where the head stops and the hat begins) MARCHING! I didn’t realize they were allowed to move! So I frantically snapped pictures and took some videos, because I thought this was one of those moments to go down in history, but I soon calmed down once I realized a) no one else was panicking and b) they marched nearly the entire time I was there. I'm guessing they don't need to stay stationary.

Besides the marching, the palace wasn’t all that exciting- very crowded and touristy, though what can I expect from an attraction of this sort. So I started the long walk back home (don’t worry, I took breaks on this one too).

At night, Cara and I watched Driving Lessons, a British movie which was slightly creepy but had a wholesome ending that made it all worth it. Plus, Rupert Grint from Harry Potter was in it, and how can you go wrong with Rupert Grint?

February 20^th

Cara had class today as well, so I was off for more adventures, this time to a place called Portobello Market. Although the area where the Tube disembarked was slightly creepy and dirty, as I got closer and closer to the market, the streets brightened up. It was a really cute place- they sold fruit and veggies, jewelry, tacky souvenirs, and the like. But I spent most of my time in secondhand book shops- I’m the first to admit that I’m obsessed, we just don’t have books nearly this cheap back home. On two separate occasions, I had finally selected a few books and was ready to pay when I realized I didn’t absolutely need them. And so the struggle continues.

A cute shop in Portobello Market

I had some more time to kill later on today, so I checked out The British Museum. I saw they had a special exhibit on the history of money in the UK, which I thought looked interesting. After navigating through waves of people and up three flights of stairs, I finally reached the tiny exhibit room. Not giving up, I went to the natural history section, which never disappoints!

That night in the British spirit Cara, a friend of hers, and I watched a Harry Potter movie.

February 21^st

Cara and I ran in London’s other major park- Regent’s Park. Where we entered it was bare, even ugly, but as we went farther along it transformed into a gorgeous place- all flowers, fountains, and trees. On the way back home, as we dodged cars and buses, I wondered for a moment if running in all this pollution is detrimental, but I try not to dwell on these things.

Since Cara had class, I got in one last day of exploring. First I went to the Wellcome Collection, a museum with informative displays and exhibits relating to the history of medicine and current medical issues; it was one of my favorite free museums! Many of the objects in the museum were collected by Sir Henry Wellcome, ranging from torture devices to prosthetic limbs.

Covent Gardens was my next destination. This upscale area of town had the typical outdoor shops and bakeries but was livened up by the presence of many street performers. When I first arrived, one performer who must have recently ended his show was holding up a bloody finger, desperately calling out for some assistance, so I gave him all the clean napkins I had. 

A daring street performer in Covent Gardens

At night, we met up with some of Cara’s friends for a… Harry Potter tour of London! While the Harry Potter part of the tour was rather disappointing (the tour guide seemed to be more obsessed with "Joanne" Rowling, as he fondly referred to her, and pointing out facts from other movies that had nothing to do with HP), the parts of London we walked through were absolutely gorgeous. 

River Thames

After the tour, I was off to catch a bus back to Edinburgh, the gory details of which I will write about in my next post, as I've got early class tomorrow!

London (Part 1): In a Fashion Frenzy and Oxford: Members Only

February 14^th-15^th

Ah the wonders of Megabus. I took an overnight one to London, and while it wasn’t the worst night of my life (that would be the night I spent at an airport), it was pretty close to it. I arrived in London groggy and disoriented, and in dire need of a bathroom- I try to avoid the ones on the bus if possible- and of course, when I find the bus station bathroom, I realize they charge you for it! Welcome to London.

Neat seating in Camden Market

My friend Emily from Cornell found me at the station and after putting my bags down in her flat, we toured the city: Big Ben, the London Eye, Camden Market, and ended the night with a fish and chips dinner with another friend from Cornell at a cute pub.

View of Big Ben from across the river

February 16^th

We went to London Fashion Week! I really am not qualified enough to talk about fashion week, or even fashion in general. But I can tell you what I saw, which would be a collection of the most bizarre outfits, hair, and accessories I have probably ever seen. Clearly, I was out of place. But it was neat to go because it’s something I never thought I would do.

Emily and I at Fashion Week!

Later that night, we went on a late night snack run and cooked pizzas in a pitch black kitchen because someone had blown the fuse earlier. It doesn’t get much more college than that!

February 17^th

Off to Oxford! On the bus ride there, instead of the usual grumbly announcements from the bus driver, I was treated to a violin playing softly in the background and a prerecorded message announcing departures and arrivals. Oxford would. Once there, I met up with Dave, another friend from Cornell. Dave didn’t waste any time- after a proper English breakfast (which just means they fry everything) we went right to walking around. By the end of the day, we had probably gone five miles or so- I was exhausted but we had seen nearly everything! 

One of the colleges at Oxford

Dave and I at Christ Church, one of the oldest colleges in Oxford

Oxford is made up of over thirty colleges within the university, and each college has its own dorms, dining hall, classrooms, etc. So there was a lot to see. Some colleges even have walking paths, lakes, rivers… it’s all a little excessive, but really beautiful because everything is so well taken care of. On one of the paths we were on in the woods, we witnessed a proposal! 

How gorgeous is this? The rowing team practices on this river

Later that night, we went to a formal dinner in a Hogwarts-style dining hall.

A church in one of the colleges

February 18^th

Dave had class this morning so with map and camera in hand, I went for an early morning run. I hadn’t woken up early in ages and forgot how pretty the morning is when the sun has recently risen and dew still covers the grass. On the path I ran on, there was a guy with a radio playing music and cheering the runners on- he even kept track of how many laps I did! It was slightly creepy, but mostly really nice :) I felt like one of the locals, it was pretty neat.

The park that I ran in

After my run, I climbed up a viewing tower in a church and got a great view of the entire city, and then explored a botanic garden. For the first time in a while, it felt like spring! At one point, I was walking on a city street, the sun streaming down on me, a street performer playing a happy tune, and I couldn't help but smile to myself. Normally, I never give money to street performers because I would be broke if I gave to all of them but this guy made me so happy that I turned around and walked back to drop some change in his hat.

View of the street from the tower

Dave and I met up for lunch at a pub so good and so cheap that I kept thinking something had to go wrong, but it really was the perfect place! After walking around in awe for a few more hours, I boarded a bus back to the big city.

View of one of the colleges

Day 34: London Bound!

I am leaving for London soon! I'll be staying with three different friends, and I probably won't have time to blog but I'll be back in action next weekend!

Day 31: Scottish Pride

Thursday, February 7^th

The highlight of today was a salsa lesson- we went over the turns again and finally it clicked. The nice thing about these lessons is that you switch partners all the time, so if one guy is just as confused as you are, there’s always the chance that the next guy might know what’s going on. I finally found that guy! And although his pants were tighter than mine, he was an awesome dancer; dancing with him really helped me learn the new moves.

Friday, February 8^th

It was Miren’s 21^st birthday today; she had us over for breakfast in the morning: crepes and nutella! I went to class, then met up with Laura to go shopping for Miren’s birthday present! We bought a few shirts and also meat and cheese then all had lunch together with the crepes that were left over. That night, a bunch of us went to TGIFriday’s for a birthday dinner- who knew they had Friday’s over here?! It was one of the best meals I’ve had here (is that sad?) We had bought a cake for her and brought that out for dessert. Later, we headed to one of the ‘classier’ clubs to go dancing.

Saturday, February 9^th

Six Nations Rugby Match- Scotland vs. Italy!!

I have never seen more Scottish pride than I saw at this game. Kilts, flags, fish and chips, face paint… it was the perfect day!

And, to make it even better Scotland kicked Italy’s butt!

Rugby was certainly an interesting game, similar to American football but they formed these huddles all the time and built these people pyramids every so often. (If you actually understand rugby, I’m sure I’m doing a terrible job at describing it…)

Later that night, my flatmates and I went to an Irish pub to celebrate. There was live music, good-natured dancing, all in all we had a great time!

Sunday, February 10^th

Brunch this morning with Laura and Miren. Drumroll please…. I cooked pancakes! They had never had “American” pancakes before so I offered to make them. They came out great! Apparently no one here knows how we get our pancakes so fluffy, meanwhile I had never even realized that it was something special.

Later, I went for a run. I’ve wanted to go to the beach for awhile because I knew that it was fairly close so I finally looked on a map online. My flatmate had been to a beach called Portobello, which seemed like the closest one, so I looked up that one. It appeared that I was supposed to go straight…on one road….the entire time. Easy enough, I thought. I brought a small map with me, but it didn’t even have the beach on it, so it wasn’t much help. I started off, and of course at one point the road came to a fork (why did I not see this on the map…) I chose the way that felt right and continued along. Eventually, I saw a sign that said “Portobello: 1.” I kilometre? 1 mile? 1 minute? I didn’t even care. All I knew was that 1 of anything couldn’t take all that long.

Soon, a “Welcome to Portobello: Edinburgh’s seaside” sign appeared. Other than that plaque, there were literally NO signs of any beach. I was welcomed into Portobello through a dark, dirty, graffiti covered tunnel. I wasn’t going to let it deter me though. In a few minutes, finally the shore appeared through the city streets, a very odd set up for a beach but it was a beach nonetheless.

I walked along the sand, took some pictures, felt the water, and ran for a bit left and then right. If it’s not warm enough to sunbathe or go swimming, the beach is quite an awkward place. I didn’t know what else to do with myself, so I finally headed back the way I came.

The rest of the day I just relaxed and did mundane chores- laundry, grocery shopping, printing a few things at the library. All in all, it was a great weekend!

Day 26: Discovering Nature in the City

Saturday, February 2^nd

Botanic Garden

With the whole day ahead of me, I decided to go on a longer run/adventure. I headed to the Royal Botanic Garden, about three miles away. It was completely free, I got some great pictures, and it was a nice break from the city. These past couple days, I’ve just been craving the countryside. This is really the first time I’ve ever lived in a city, and I usually love it because there’s always something to do, and there’s so much more culture, but sometimes it just gets too loud, too dirty, too hectic. So today was the perfect break. And I saw a squirrel! On the run back home, I stopped at the National Gallery (perk of the city), but it really wasn’t my thing. I really haven’t got a clue what all the art means, what the “hidden message” is. Later, I was so hungry that I caved and went to Subway (I know…). So worth it though! 

Waterfall at the Botanic Garden

Sunday, February 3^rd

Today was my “chill” day- I met up with a friend for lunch in Black Medicine, one of my favorite cafes here, and went grocery shopping. At night, I met up with Laura and Miren and we went to one of the student pubs here to watch the superbowl! It’s 5 hours later here, so kickoff didn’t start until 11:30pm. The place was completely packed, mostly with American guys, and I had forgotten how obnoxious they can be sometimes, especially when mixed with beer and football! We stayed for the first half or so, then called it a night.

Monday, February 4^th

Near Arthur's Seat

I signed up for a half marathon! It’s in April right here in the city. I am now kicking my training up a notch. This morning, I had a few hours before class so I went out for a long run. Somehow, I ended up in what I like to call the ghetto here. Of course, the street names were things like “Spring Gardens” or “Royal Park Terrace,” notably littered with garbage and the signs covered in graffiti. Message to Britain: cute street names only do so much. The rest of the day, I had class then went to the library to work on an essay. Boring, but it had to be done! And actually the topic I’m writing about is pretty interesting: mercury pollution in the Arctic and how it accumulates in organisms and magnifies as you go up the food chain. After a long night of work, I came home, had dinner, skyped a friend, and went to bed.

Tuesday, February 5^th

The view from the path I run on

The beginning of today was pretty standard: class, worked on a paper, class. On the way home, I was so hungry I went right to the grocery store and bought 5 bags of chips, or crisps as they are called here. That night, we had a brief meeting with our RA here so he could let us know how much electricity we’ve used in the past few weeks. We were right below average. If you’re way under, you get reimbursed; if you are way over you have to pay extra. It was actually pretty neat to know how much we had used; I will definitely be more conscious of it now that I know they monitor it. From what I’m gathering, the UK does a pretty decent job with sustainability and conservation. For example, in many public places, toilet paper isn’t on a roll, it’s in individual sheets. As random as that is, I definitely use less paper this way. All the outlets here need to be turned on to use them. The hot water in our kitchen sink is low flow. That’s all I can think of so far, but it seems like America could take a few tips from the UK.

Wednesday, February 6^th

"Selfie," I had to do it...

Today I went for a run in the morning, to the trail around the base of Arthur’s Seat again. This time I brought a camera! And 5 emergency pounds (no I did not bring extra weight with me, pounds is the currency here). Since I knew where I was going, the run seemed way shorter, so short in fact that I added a bit more on afterwards- I found this bike path called “Innocent Bike Path,” extremely sketchy (dodgy as they say here), needless to say I didn’t stay on it for too long. After the run I went to the library to work on a paper, then home for dinner. Hopefully once I finish this paper the next few days will be more exciting!

Day 21: Arthur's Seat Tricks Me Not Once, But Twice

I’m separating entries by date now- trying to make them less hectic!

Sunday, January 27^th

As I promised, I will tell you about my Arthur’s Seat hike on Sunday. When I woke up the sun was shining (I’m dead serious) so naturally I had to be outside. I decided to go on a run and left the flat, not really with a plan in mind. I just let my feet lead me and I ended up at the base of Arthur’s seat. I ran up the first hill, then the second, and figured what the heck, I’ve already started going up I might as well go all the way to the top. There are many paths to the top, so I selected one and started the trudge. In the beginning the ground was fairly dry but as I made my way up it got muddier and steeper, until I was nearly rock climbing in some places. Well, I eventually made it and wow! You could see all of Edinburgh, nearby cities, and out to the ocean. It was incredibly windy though; so windy that at one point I had to sit down because I was afraid I would just blow right off! What scared me even more was a heard a man say “I wonder what it’s like up here when it’s actually windy,” I certainly don’t want to find out…

Also at the top, I saw a rainbow! What a magical place. Eventually I headed back down on a random path thinking that it didn’t really matter which one I chose, as long as I took it all the way to the bottom, right? Wrong. As I was going down, I saw a huge lake that I hadn’t seen on the way up, and then acres of open land, also which I had never seen before. Uh oh. When I finally got to the bottom, I had no idea where I was. And I also had no phone or money with me. But I ran in the direction I thought I needed to go for awhile and finally recognized something I knew- that ugly Parliament Building (see Day 11 for pictures). Thank god! I was still a mile or so away from my dorm but at least I knew where I was. Crisis averted.

Later that day, I tackled another mountain of a task- grocery shopping for the week. This time, I had a list with me, as I had read a Wiki “How to Cook For Yourself” and the article recommended making a list first. Easy enough. The actual shopping went well I’d say, but I was there for about an hour (is that normal…?) And my shopping basket was ready to explode when I finished.

Monday, January 28^th

I had the dreaded 9am tutorial (the US equivalent of a lab or small discussion section) today, and took a bus there which gave me just enough time to make it if nothing went wrong. Well, the class was on the 8^th floor and the elevator I took only went up to 7… I got off at 7, which was a construction zone. Things were off to a good start. Eventually I found a help desk and asked how to get to this elusive eighth floor classroom. It turns out only one elevator in the building goes to the part of the seventh floor that has stairs up to the eighth floor. Who knew. Anyway, on that elevator I swear the automated voice that announces what floor number you’re on chuckled when it announced seven.

Somehow, I was only a few minutes late. After the tutorial, my friend and I met up for lunch. She had seen people on the campus with yummy looking freshly made sandwiches, so we went on a hunt to find them. After asking around at a few places, we found them! In a school supplies convenience store, two ladies in the back were making fresh sandwiches, a sight I had been dreaming about since I got here (the sandwiches, not the ladies!) I selected my usual ingredients, and boy it did not disappoint. I spent the next twenty minutes muttering phrases of admiration in between bites.

A neat building I found on a walk

We had two more classes. The first was environmental pollution, and the lecture was actually fascinating- about air pollution and the impacts it has on peoples’ health. Our next lecture was an introduction to soil science.

That night, I had planned to cook the rest of the hamburger meat I had, but when I took it out I realized it had gone bad; I felt like a hunter that just lost his deer to maggots and flies. It was a real low. Instead, I had non-meaty pasta.

Tuesday, January 29^th

View of the city from the top of the museum

My 21st Birthday! Owen skyped me until midnight on Monday night so he could wish me a happy birthday J On Tuesday morning, he skyped me again-5am his time! Then I skyped my mom and sister. Kelli had made me a video with pictures from when we were younger, complete with some of my favorite songs. We were all crying by the end of it. I also got two birthday cards in the mail from my mom. Then when I ran into the kitchen for something, my flatmates had all left a birthday card in there for me! What a great start to my birthday! Then I had class, nothing exciting there. Afterwards, I treated myself to another one of those sandwiches. I then went to the top floor of the Museum of Scotland, where there’s roof access and you can see the entire city. Despite the rain, it was still beautiful. I had to go back to class from 4 to 5pm.

From my flatmates!

Later that night when I got back to my flat, my flatmates had left me presents at my door- a cupcake, cake, and this huge chocolate Happy Birthday treat. They are the best! My flatmates plus a few more friends all went out to dinner at a pub/restaurant. After we ate, they brought out a cake with candles and sang happy birthday. They really made my birthday feel special. We went to a pub after dinner; it was a really neat place with huge couches in the back room to just lounge around so we ordered a few drinks and shots and hung out. Then, the night continued when Miren, Laura and I went to a club for some dancing. What a great birthday! It truly was one of the most fun birthdays I’ve had in awhile, and it was all because of the great people I’ve met here.

Wednesday, January 30^th

The aforementioned dungeon

Miren and I got discounted tickets for a tour of the castle! I’m going to be honest here, I’m incredibly glad I didn’t pay full price for it. I did like one thing- the old prison chambers and vaults. In many places, stone steps led down to dark dungeons, which we could just barely make out as everything was so dimly lit. Of course these stairs were roped off, but this time I had no desire to see what was beyond the rope. At one point, we heard voices coming from behind a locked door and looked at each other in horror. My curiosity got the better of me and I tried to shimmy the door open but it wouldn’t budge, so we just forgot about it  and left. Well, when we were walking around the outside of the building we realized the voices were coming from a bathroom. This was just one example of how everything was made more dramatic than it really was. For instance, “David’s Tower,” which sounds incredibly epic, turned out to be only a few feet tall (what was left of it anyway). Or “St. Margaret’s Chapel,” which we were told was a must-see, as it is the oldest surviving building in Edinburgh. Spoiler alert here if you had plans to see it, but it was basically a church for infants, and by that I mean it was tiny. For those that like war museums and monuments, visiting the castle would be perfect, but it really wasn’t my thing.

Thursday, January 31^st

I has class all day: 11 to 12, 2 to 5. Right after class, I headed to a salsa lesson. Again, the boys’ dancing skills were uhh…interesting. I can’t say I did much better though; we learned turns which took a while to sink in for me. After salsa, I cooked myself macaroni and cheese. The box said there were three servings in there; I devoured it all myself. Also I’m pretty sure it contained three days’ worth of sodium (or maybe it was fat?). Later on, Miren, Laura and I went to an international club. There were stickers with country flags on them, the point being that you wore your country flag so people knew where you were from. I’m pretty sure I was Canadian, French, Dutch, and American all at different points in the night.

Friday, February 01, 2013

I had class this morning from 11 to 12, then headed home for a quick lunch then off for a run! I looked online and saw there was a 4-mile path around Arthur’s Seat, so I planned to do that. You should know by now that things did not turn out as planned. At first, the path was straightforward but then diverged and I took a wrong turn and ended up at this lake run by birds. Well after watching The Birds this past winter break I sure as hell wasn;t taking any chances so I turned around and took a different route. That led me to what looked like a Scottish ghetto, which scared me almost as much as the birds had so I went yet another way.

"As long as only one hundred of us remain alive we will never on any condition be brought under English rule." Go Scotland! I found this in the museum; it was declared in 1320

Finally, I was on a road that looked like promised path around Arthur’s Seat. I kept going, and going, and going… and “Excuse me ma’am, does this path loop around?” “Yeah of course, just follow the pavement and you can turn around and come back down here on the road.” That didn’t sound like a loop to me… But I continued, a view of the water and surrounding towns below me on my left, a huge expanse of rolling grassy hills on my right. To make things interesting, the moment I ran by two men that had hopped out of a sketchy looking van, they threw bread on the ground in front of a lake for the birds. Not again! I sprinted through and made it out alive. When I had finally resigned myself to the fact that there was no way this path was looping around and I would just have to run twice as long as I had planned, the hillside opened up and I saw a view of the city again. What a relief! In minutes, I recognized where I was, and soon enough I was on the stairs that led back to my dorm. Next time, I am bringing money and a camera.