Day One in the City (14 September)

I woke up late this morning and decided I needed to get oriented with the city. I asked my RA where I could go to get all the things I need and she drew me a little map and off I went. I passed a clock and watch repair shop but decided to just invest in a new clock. I’m pretty sure the damage is done. It was a beautiful day but still a little too cold for just a tee shirt. But you can tell the tourists from the locals by whether or not they are wearing north faces or tee shirts. So I carried my coat and toughed it out. And I was asked how to get to the train station. So I fooled someone. Except for the small problem of where the train station actually is... Anyways, as you can see from the map, my adventure was not a complicated one… in theory.

Well, somehow I ended up on a completely wrong street. I kept walking thinking that Scots must walk very quickly if this was only supposed to be a 10 minute walk and started worrying about how long it was really going to take me to get to school if they say it takes 20 minutes. I walked all the way to the Royal Mile and felt like I had gone too far but decided to explore a little more. Of course it is all touristy and busy so I kept on going until I found a little grocery store to grab some breakfast and a huge water bottle. (I don’t think I’d had any water since the airplane).

I kept walking after that and got down to Market Street that runs below a bridge and near Waverly station (so now I know where it is). I came upon that next and also discovered a beautiful church (one of the many. I feel like there is one on every block).


I walked in to find a stone staircase with Jesus and the Saints sculpted into the back wall and all lit up. Music was playing and I thought that maybe I could sneak into the back and watch whatever rehearsal was taking place. I walked up the stairs only to find that this is in fact the front entrance and that it is in fact Sunday and that it is in fact the morning and that this in fact a church service that I am interrupting. I tried to pretend that I was only looking at the statue and quickly retreated down the stairs and back outside amidst the disapproving looks of the congregation. I walked back for probably another 25 minutes in defeat for not being able to find this store or St. Andrew’s Square. I found quite a bit of other squares, but not this particular one. As I was walking a young man said hi and we started a conversation. His name was Ebe (short for Ebrehem) and he was from “the Gambia,” he told me.

He was nearly impossible to understand and didn’t know where St. Andrew’s Square was either and had a hard time pronouncing it, so I wasn’t sure if he knew what I was asking, but made me ask some other people. So we set off to find it. I opened my purse to look for something and noticed that not only had my nearly full liter sized water bottle completely drained into my purse, but the contents were floating or submerged. Including my camera. We madly took everything out and carried the different items (Ebe taking the opened umbrella) and went straight to a camera shop (closed, it’s Sunday) and then to another where I was instructed to blow dry it as soon as I could and that under NO circumstances was I to turn it on in the next twenty four hours. None!
This was an accidental picture, by the way...

Ebe took me into the old University- through a grand cobble stoned entrance and into a courtyard surrounded by a castle like building. Unfortunately my classes are in the new University, but this was breathtaking. I would have pictures except for the water bottle incident. I’ll try to go back and take some later. Ebe and I walked all the way down St. Nicholson Street (the street I was supposed to be on to find my shop) and never saw my shop. So Ebe had to go and got on a bus and I trekked back up the hill in search of my home. At which point I came across my store. I bought a new clock and a lamp and a random assortment of other things I had forgotten or left at home. I made it home with two bags, a wet purse and a potentially broken camera.

After all that excitement and a little blow drying I needed a nap. I woke up just in time for our house meeting, met some new friends and went up to the third floor where they all live. Liz and Ellen (both from England) had stolen traffic cones and are using them for doorstops. They each have half of an alpaca piñata named Jose, because they don’t know any Mexicans or any Mexican names. They don’t remember acquiring him. Aidan and Robert love music. We sat around in Robert’s room and they played their guitars and we all sang. And Robert can play the Pink Panther theme on the tin whistle so I think we shall be best friends. After we tired of the sing along and Ellen had resorted to blowing bubbles to get the boys away from their music we went down to the Ceilidh (pronounced Kay-lee). It is a traditional Scottish party and we learned traditional Scottish dances. Being from the highlands, Robert already knows them and because he didn’t have his kilt with him tucked in his newly acquired kilt towel (yeah…it wraps around and even has a sporran in the front) and led us in the dances. I was lucky enough to be his partner all night, because I’ve never even heard of a Ceilidh before. We went to the pub afterwards (and I can have gin and tonics, thank god, so no, I will not be liking beer when I get home, sorry) and decided it was Sunday night and that the dancing had worn us out. A pretty eventful day if you ask me. The next week is called Fresher’s Week with all sorts of activities to keep us busy. So don’t be expecting this kind of detail for the rest of the term, it’s back to the books after this.