Larger Meeting of the Minds

I just got back from a great weekend in Leicester, England for a LINK weekend of all Ambassadorial Scholars assigned to universities in the UK and Ireland. I stayed with a great host couple, Howard and Jane, who showed me and three other scholars the beautiful English country side around Leicester. We went to a wonderful lock with an old English pub at the foot of the locks. There we sipped cider and ate tasty sandwiches and jacket potatoes (baked potatoes). We also had tea in their amazing garden and marveled at the fresh tasting vegetables from their garden at dinner. The next morning we explored the sensory-stimulating botanical gardens. (Pictured above.) It was another heaven on earth garden that I wanted to take home in an air freshener with me.

In addition, all the scholars met at a space museum where there happened to be a bunch of sci-fi characters interacting with the crowd. (The four of us were accosted by British storm troopers.) I also got a picture with Indiana Jones and a rather realistic Sean Connery. We all proceeded to the Leicester courthouse where we where met by the Lord Mayor dressed in his fine regalia. He hosted us for tea then he took us on a tour of the Victorian courthouse. It was fascinating.

To close the night, we had dinner and a barn dance at Leicester University where we were entertained by the Morris Men Dancers. You can see them dancing below. This type of dance is a traditional English folk dance that goes back at least 500 years. There is the leader, or "fool" as they termed it, who leads the dancers and has a traditional black face. They were wonderful!

All in all, I met so many great, kind, and intelligent people from all over the world, including Antigua and Zambia. I talked so much that I have lost my voice...seriously!! I hope I find it soon! What a stimulating weekend organized by the wonderful and talented Rotarians at RIBI. I am so grateful for this scholarship/life altering experience. I cannot wait to become a Rotarian myself someday with the goal of helping others have this amazing experience. What a wonderful organisation!! I will always be thankful for the opportunity and faith Rotary has in me. There may be hundreds of scholarships out there, but this is the best one. They are not only investing in my education and future, but also helping me to make a difference in the world through service. I hope I live up to the great responsibility they have entrusted with me.

On Wednesday, I am attending an International Night hosted by a local Rotary Club. There will be a Ceilidh (Scottish Dance) and I am sure scrumptious food. I'll take pictures. Stay tuned...

I am officially an Edinburgher!

I had my first Rotary speech today. It was a large crowd of 54 Rotarians and guests, including another Ambassadorial Scholar. I thought it went well and the crowd seemed to love my quirky Texas facts, my joke about whiskey/scotch, and the numerous pictures. None, to my knowledge previously knew anything about Corpus Christi and they were excited to learn about it. I traded banners with the Club President, Sandra Watson (the lady in the picture with me). I was also given a wee whiskey and a CD of Scottish songs. They were very hospitable and the food was delicious! At the beginning of the meeting, we toasted the Queen. All in all, it was a lovely experience and great kick off to my year.

Now, you are probably wondering the source of my title...On the way to the catch the bus home, I was approached by a lost couple who was from Russia, I believe. They needed directions to a street and not quite understanding their thick accent, they pointed to a place on a map. I was able to give them effective directions to their destination. I considered that to mean I am an official guest Edinburgher! I start school tomorrow and strangely, I am not nervous. I have an exciting and crazy-busy year ahead of me and I am looking forward to sharing it with all of you.

Cheers! (As they say here)

Meeting of the Minds

Sorry, about the lapse in entries, I have been very busy. Classes start next week and I have been busy with school meetings. I will be taking 3 classes, including one about ritual and religion. A majority of the work is done at home, so I don't have much lecture time, only about 2 hours per class. There are about 25 students in the Social Anthropology department and I am the only one with a prior degree in Anthropology. Ironically, there are also no Scottish people going for the degree! There are students from all over the globe, from countries like Poland, Finland, and China, but no Scotland. I love that the group is so mulitcultural and I feel that I will have a great experience. In fact, after our meetings our Programme Director, Dimitri, treated us to a glass of wine at a nearby pub. We spent a few hours getting to know each other, it was a lot of fun!

Today, I got to meet the other scholars assigned to Edinburgh. There are nine of us, two from Japan, one from Italy, and the rest from the US. I have gone out with two of the scholars previously and it was nice to meet the rest. What a great group of people. We are talking about doing a great group project for a charity, but I'll let you know the details later. We figure we can make a larger difference as a group. I love working with Rotary! The picture above was taken today.

Tomorrow I have my first speech at a local Rotary Club. I am more excited than nervous I think. I can't wait to tell them about the Corpus Rotary Club and about Texas. I will let you know how it turns out tomorrow. Wish me luck!!

Amazing Fireworks Show at the Castle!

Last night, we braved the wind, slight chill, and mass crowds to see the spectacular fireworks show over Edinburgh Castle. It was the best I've ever seen with amazing displays. At one point, the fireworks looked like a magical waterfall cascading down the dormant volcano that the castle sits atop. Watching from nearby North Bridge, it was hard to get a good picture, but I did my best.

The fireworks mark the end of the Edinburgh Festival. I hope to attend the coveted Military Tattoo next year. Tickets go fast, so I have to be quick.

On a related note, I've found that the weather here in Scotland changes so quickly, that I can go into a coffee shop for my tea (I've developed the habit of having hot tea in the afternoons) with sunny weather, and come out and it will be overcast and with the smell of rain in the air. Although there were slight sprinkles during the hour long firework display, it started to pour as we got back to the flat. It was quite a night!

On an unrelated note, my husband, Bryan, has two interviews tomorrow, both in sales. Let's all think good thoughts and wish him luck! That's all to report right now. I still have another week until school registration, which I'm sure I'll have plenty to talk about. Until then...

We moved into our new flat this week!!!

We got to move into our flat this week. It is a lovely flat in a great part of Edinburgh called Morningside. The flat is in a Victorian-age building complete with a beautiful fireplace, squeaky hardwood floors, and tall windows. The flat has a lot of character and is right around the corner from a grocery store. We are near a great pub too. (There's always a pub around the corner!)

However to my husbands horror, there is no cable tv! We cannot get satellite either because the building is under a conservation law and forbids drilling into the walls. All is well though. We discovered you can buy a digital box and get about 40 channels for free. (A tv license is required to have a tv though.)

The vacation mentality is slowly wearing away, as we have moved into our flat from a long stay in hotels. I had my first "Scotland dream" last night. That says wonders. It is theorized that dreams are expressions of the subconscious, trying to tell us what our conscious will not or cannot recognize. Up until last night, I have had my normal dreams that all take place back home. In fact, I would sometimes wake up with a momentarily feeling of forgetting I was here in Edinburgh. Last night my dreams took place in Edinburgh. It's interesting how the subconscious expresses itself.

This Sunday marks the official end of Edinburgh's month long festivals. They have a huge fireworks display near the castle. Bryan and I hope to go. Hopefully it won't rain too much. It poured today and was in the mid to low 50's. I'm not complaining though, I get to wear my sweaters and it is only September! I love Scotland! Until next time...