Paper Writing (3/2)

So, I had a paper to write this week - actually two. Shocking, I know! I still can't believe how different the education/assessment system here is from Wellesley. Two of my classes are based entirely on the final exam and the other two have significantly less written work than I would have at home. Well, at least this means I get to spend more time enjoying Edinburgh!

Another Sunny Day (3/1)

Happy March!


The sunny weather trend seems to be continuing here in Edinburgh, while I hear stories of more snow back home. Here's a little slice of springtime to brighten up your day!

Many Apologies (2/28)

Yes, I know I've basically just skipped the past two weeks entirely. While the whole point of this blog was originally to be "a picture a day" (and part of me feels as though I am cheating by skipping posts), sometimes life just gets in the way of even the best laid plans. The Bonnie Lass's life has not been full of many adventures recently - I have been ill with a virus for the past week, and I suppose I could post pictures of my thermometer, medications, soup bowls, etc. but I somehow doubt that any of you would really care to see those. 


I do apologize for the lack of follow-through recently with this blog, but I will do my best to keep it current. I do have some exciting things coming up though: a trip to Dublin this weekend, more day trips, and a highland tour soon, so stick with me! For now, here's a picture of beautiful sunny Edinburgh I took today. The weather's been gorgeous lately (of course, the entire time I've been sick) and I really hope the sun stays around for a bit more time. 

Valentine's Day (2/14)

Ah, Valentine's Day. Or, as many of my friends and fellow singletons call it, Singles Awareness Day. Personally, I'm of the opinion that, hey, you know what, I like flowers and chocolate and pink and hearts, so I like Valentine's Day. One of the organizations was hosting a party at a local pub, so we decided to go, and I must say, it was probably the best Valentine's Day I've ever had!

Walk around Arthur's Seat (2/13)

I decided to take an impromptu trip around the base of Arthur's Seat today - of course I didn't realize that it's approximately 2.5 miles, and it started raining in the middle. It was actually a lovely walk though, very peaceful and clarifying.

Royal Yacht Britannia (2/12)

Today, my friend Bess and I toured the royal yacht Britannia, which was used by Queen Elizabeth II from 1953-1997. It was a really interesting and comprehensive tour - we got to see just about the entire yacht, including the Queen's suite, family living room, and the formal dining room where she would host important events. It was really like walking into history a bit.

Six Nations Rugby (2/11)

Six Nations is an international rugby competition between Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland, Italy, and France. There were some intense games going this weekend, including Scotland vs. Wales (Scotland lost horribly) and I got to witness quite a few sloshed Welsh celebrations.

Tea Time (2/10)

Up to Speed! (2/9)

I sincerely apologize for how behind I was in posting - sometimes life just gets in the way! Now that I'm all up to speed though, I will try hard to keep on track. If you're still reading, thanks so much for sticking with me and I hope you're enjoying my adventures!
<3 A Bonnie Lass from Wellesley

Discussions, Discussions (2/8)

I actually did quite a few interesting things today: went to class, went grocery shopping (ok, maybe not so interesting), participated in a focus group for my friend Dan and received free Ben & Jerry's ice cream, but alas, none of these were photographically documented. (I'm sure you're all devistated that I didn't take a picture of something at the grocery store.) However, probably the most interesting thing I did was go out with some of my friends and have an intense intellectual discussion about religion, determinism, the value of people and other philosophical things here:

(Disclaimer: I admit, I did not actually take this picture, it is from their facebook page.)



The conversation actually started out on the topic of control freaks (which I admit, I am one) and blossomed into this probably hour long intense debate and discussion. I won't go into specifics, but it was probably the first conversation of that magnitude I've had here, and it felt great even though I didn't always agree with what other people were saying. Clearly I've found some pretty smart people to hang out with here in Edinburgh and it's awesome!

Laundry Time! (2/7)

Disclaimer: Monday was not very exciting, although quite productive! My room is also now spotless! :)

So, I did laundry tonight. It was about time, since I was down to literally one shirt and two dresses in the realm of clean clothes. Fortunately, there are three washers/dryers in the Robertson's Close area and none of them were being used. They are actually exactly like Wellesley's (except, of course, for the price - doing laundry is expensive in Edinburgh!) so that was one less thing I had to learn to do differently over here, although trying to choose laundry detergent was a whole other story!

Super Bowl Sunday! (2/6)

This may come as a shock to those of you who know me and my general lack of interest in watching sports games, but I did actually go out to watch the Super Bowl on Sunday. It was definitely an interesting experience - there are quite a few American students here, so Teviot, the student union, had a large party for the big game. Three of the bars were packed with people cheering on the Packers and Steelers and drinking quite a bit of alcohol. Overall, a very fun night, although I did not stay until the end - the game started over here at 11:30pm and finished around 4:00am! Unfortunately, my camera ran out of batteries so I couldn't capture the event for myself, but thankfully someone else in our group was able to document the night.

Saturday (2/5)

This is the first Saturday that I've had nothing scheduled to do since I've been here. It's really crazy to think that I arrived exactly four weeks ago. I feel like so much has happened since then and I feel so comfortable in Edinburgh, but four weeks is really not a very long time. I have been expecting the time to fly by, which I suppose it kind of has, but at the same time it seems like I've been here much longer than a month.

Now that I've been here and away from Wellesley for a while, I'm starting to get a bit worried about reverse culture shock when I come back. I mean, I'm going to have to go back to school without boys in September! I love Wellesley, don't get me wrong: the classes are interesting (for the most part), the professors are amazing and really care about their students, and I've made some incredible friends, but being here has popped the Wellesley bubble a bit and made me realize how awesome the "real world" is too (also, guys make really awesome friends!) I suppose I shouldn't really be worrying about coming home until maybe about May (or even August), but it's just something I've been pondering. Anyway, to keep this post from getting too heavy, and since this is in fact a photo blog, here's a slightly ridiculous picture of me pondering:

(photo credit: Esther)

A Rainy Day in Edinburgh Town (2/4)

So I have figure out where all the rain in Edinburgh had been hiding, because it's all been coming down for the past few days. I must say, as gorgeous as this city is, I am not a big fan of the rain, although I do love my awesome music note rainboots that I've been rocking today. Oh well, I suppose this is what I get for coming to Scotland!

Pub Night Part 4 (2/3)

So tonight was once again Pub Night at the Greenmantle. This week's was particularly fun because there were two birthdays being celebrated - one on Thursday and one on Friday, so there was a joyous changeover at midnight. These pub nights have really become a highlight of my week. Everyone I've met through the ISC is incredibly nice and fun to be around, and I'm having a great time with them!

Korean Food (2/2)

Since we've been here, Esther has been scouting out all of the Korean restaurants in Edinburgh. We went to one of them, Kim's Mini Meals, tonight with some friends and it was delicious!

Old College (2/1)

Happy February!

This building is the University of Edinburgh's Old College, located about 2 minutes from my building. It is actually a whole bunch of connected buildings, but the dome is really what stands out. It makes a very useful landmark when I am exploring, and I can always find my way home.

Robertson's Close (1/31)

This is my building. I live in Stairwell 11 or Robertson's Close, which is the corner section in this picture. Not super exciting from this angle (I believe the view of the other side is nicer), but at least there are some other cool buildings nearby.

Sunday (1/30)

Sunday was not exciting in an adventure sort of sense, so here's another picture of Edinburgh. Cheers!

Whisky, NOT Whiskey (1/29)

This week's ISC trip was to Dewar's whisky distillery in Aberfeldy, a small town in the highlands. The busses left Edinburgh at 8am (so early!) and the trip took about 2 hours (just enough time for a nap). It was really interesting to learn about the whisky-making process, and I found out some fascinating tidbits of information: apparently, in order for it to be considered Scotch whisky, it must be made in Scotland and Scotch is spelled without an 'e', unlike its Irish counterpart. I have also discovered that I'm not a huge whisky fan (as there were samples at the end of the tour), but the experience was definitely worth the trip.

Arthur's Seat, a.k.a. the Hill-tain (1/28)

Today, Esther and I finally climbed Arthur's Seat, a very LARGE hill in the center of Edinburgh which was formed by an extinct volcano. I kept calling it a mountain, which technically it is not, hence the name hill-tain. Unfortunately, the weather was better when we decided to make the journey than when we actually began it, but the views from the top were still gorgeous.

 View from the bottom.

 View from the top!

 We made it!

I look like I'm about to start flying...or get beamed up!

Our next plan is to climb it veeery early in the morning to watch the sunrise. I'm excited, it's going to be beautiful!

Pub Night (1/27)

So, Thursday night seems to have turned into pub night for me. The ISC hosts an event every week at the Greenmantle pub near campus. It's a really great place (awesome deals on food and drinks!) and I've met a bunch of interesting people there. The nights are pretty popular right now, but I've heard that they tend to get less and less busy as the semester goes on. For now, at least, the place is packed every Thursday.

AHAHAHA! (1/26)

I have discovered the best joke shop aside from Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes:

I can't help but laugh every time I see it now - I suppose that could be because I'm just reading the name, however, I think the fake disguise glasses on the outside are the best part. I have yet to go inside, but if the cleverness of the name is any indicator, this must be a darn good joke shop.

Rabbie Burns Night (1/25)

Tonight was Burns Night, a celebration of the birthday of the great Scottish poet and lyricist Robert Burns (also known as Rabbie). For those of you who don't know who he is (I certainly didn't before I looked him up), he wrote the lyrics to "Auld Lang Syne", among many other things. Although the traditional Burns Night celebration involves the consumption of haggis and the reading of Burns' poetry, I spent the night out to dinner with friends doing neither. However, I did honor The Bard by drinking Rabbie Burns Ale (which tastes a bit like caramel and coffee) at a pub called The Blind Poet, so I figure I did my part.

Homework... (1/24)

Alas, my days are not all filled with great adventures and wonderous new sights. The only new sight I saw today was that of articles I needed to read and analyze for class. Oh well. One interesting thing though: The paper is a different size than American paper. Taller and thinner. Very odd.

Lost Voice (1/23)

Somehow, I managed to lose my voice this weekend. Usually laryngitis is preceeded by a cold for me, but somehow I managed to skip that first step and go immediately to croaking like a frog. This of course made meeting people very difficult (or at least interesting), as I had to explain that I don't normally sound like a choking amphibian. Perhaps I should cut down on the partying a bit. ;) In any case, I did manage to discover my new absolute favorite type of cough drop. Unfortunately, black currant is practically non-existent in the States, but at least while I'm here my sore throats will taste a bit better.

St. Andrews (1/22)

 On Saturday, the ISC (International Student Centre) sponsored a trip to St. Andrews, home of golf, the oldest university in Scotland, and many seagulls. St. Andrews is a really lovely coastal town, and it actually hit me: I'm actually in Scotland! I mean, of course Edinburgh is gorgeous, but the sleepy little old town really had that Scottish feel and charm. We were able to visit ruins of both a castle and cathedral and after climbing approx. 150 stairs, got to tak in the spectacular view from atop the cathedral's tower.

Great Scott! (1/21)

This is the Sir Walter Scott monument in Edinburgh's New Town. It's actually possibe to go up in the tower and, I'm assuming, see a fantastic view of Edinburgh (for £3). I have a feeling I'll make it up there eventually, but for now I'm just going to enjoy the view from the ground.

Sunsets (1/20)

(taken 1/20)

(taken 1/21)

I love sunsets. My favorite time of the day to drive is when the sun is either just about to set or just has, when it's still light out but everyone has their headlights on (which is probably also the most dangerous time to drive, but I digress). I will admit, I miss the sunsets over Arlington Pond, but the ones here in Edinburgh are a completely different kind of beautiful.

Getting Down to my Scottish Roots (1/19)

Tonight, Esther and I decided to check out this place about 2 minutes from our building called the Captain's Bar, a pirate themed pub that advertised "Beer, Coffee, and Live Music".


It was fantastic.


The musicians played traditional Scottish tunes on flute, drum, guitar, harp, violin, and my personal favorite, bagpipes! The place had a great local feel and the band just kept growing, with more and more local musicians stopping by to join in. The music was really beautiful and fun, and it was an all around great experience. I'm even inspired to bring my flute next time and play along! (maybe)

Wait, I'm actually Going to School Here? (1/18)

Yes, in all of the hustle and bustle of being in a brand new city, I do sometimes need to remind myself that i am in fact here to take classes and learn. Obviously, I've been going to lectures and completing my (somewhat limited) homework assignments, but it can be easy to forget school when I'm being distracted by the beautiful sights of Edinburgh. Just to alleviate any fears about my academic performance this semester, here is some proof that I actually have been studying.

 Of course, it was accompanyed by this deliciousness:

at a funky coffee shop near my building, but hey, whatever gets you through reading about syntax and semantics, lexical decision tasks, and ambiguous words, right? ;)

My Car has a Twin! (1/17)

I discovered this car while walking to class. It's a bright blue Ford Focus hatchback, just like my little blueberry at home. There are subtle differences of course (like the steering wheel on the other side!) but I was happy to find a little piece of home here in Edinburgh.

My Room! (1/16)

Sunday was not the most interesting of days - I think I was still recovering a bit from the birthday festivities of the previous nights. I did finally clean and organize my room here in Scotland, and I thought you all might want to see where I will be living for the next 5 months!

Overall, it's pretty great room. Nice and cosy (notice the spelling!) with just enough room for me and the somewhat limited stuff I have over here. Also, the location is great - 5 minutes from the main academic campus and really close to a lot of shops, restaurants, and best of all, a grocery store!