Happy Thanksgiving!

Apologies for the long delay since my last post!  I’m having trouble with my computer staying on longer than 5 minutes before ‘blacking out’.  I didn’t realize how reliant I was on my laptop until it stopped working!! 

Scotland vs All Blacks scrum

Scotland got crushed by the All Blacks last last Sunday, but the game was AWESOME! My flatmate Giulia celebrated her 23^rd birthday on the 14^th and I got another lesson in Italian cooking with Susanna while we made her birthday feast J I spoke at the Inner Wheel Club on Saturday the 17^th, which is an all ladies group associated with, yet independent from Rotary. I got to join ladies from around the whole district for coffee before their quarterly meeting..they’re doing really great work, and have just proactively opened up membership to women not affiliated with Rotary (previously, members were wives of Rotarians but with increased participation of women in Rotary, this membership pool is quickly dwindling!) Saturday night, I had the treat of seeing Jackie’s choir (Edinburgh Royal Choir Union) perform at St. Cuthbert’s Church.  They compiled a unique progression, beginning with a Stravinsky Mass, followed by a Mozart Wind serenade, and concluding with a powerful Bruckner Mass.  Jackie was in her element- and it was really great to see her doing something she is so passionate about! Last weekend, Edinburgh hosted a fiddle festival Friday-Sunday.  I went to a ‘Try the Fiddle’ session on Sunday afternoon, and decided at its conclusion to enroll in weekly fiddle classes beginning in January! Whoa!! Tuesday was the best Ceilidh yet, and for the first time Susanna joined me and LOVED it…I think I have a convert! But the highlight of this past week was sharing in my favorite American tradition with my flatmates and friends.  Caitlin, Stevie and I collaborated on the making of Thanksgiving dinner for our flatmates:  turkey and stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin and grasshopper pie. Cait and Stevie sang Thanksgiving songs (why don’t we have one Yoders?), we told the Thanksgiving story, and went round table sharing what we are most thankful for! It was the hardest day yet to not be home, since TG is such a special day in my family..but I was very ‘thankful’ for skype to be able to see family and guests! 

Thanksgiving in Edinburgh!

After a great weekend, I’m heading into a final week of classes before FLYING HOME on Friday! I’ll be turning 23 in Emmaus, Pennsylvania before heading cross state to spend time with my grandparents and interview at University of Pitt School of Medicine! Alysha and I leave on the 7^th for New Orleans where we’ll celebrate her birthday and enjoy some quality sister time before my interview at Tulane on the 10^th.  I’ll be flying back on December 16^th to spend Christmas and world-famous Hogmanay in Edinburgh.  The city is magical right now, with a ferris wheel and ice skating rink newly added to Princes Street, lights, decorations…it is stunning!

First Gaelic vocabulary:  Sláinte (which literally translates to ‘health’) is used as ‘cheers’!

Shakespeare, Guy Fawks and James Bond

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my Aunt Nan and Nana on November 9^th and 10^th! I am so lucky to have these two wonderful ladies in my life! I love you both very much and send you all the best wishes on your birthdays from across the pond!



Rotary Scholars at International Night in Portobello

I cannot remember time ever flying by as quickly as it is now!  It has already been two weeks since Italy..whoa! I gave a talk at the Rotary Club of Musselburgh last Monday and on Wednesday enjoyed some more Rotary fellowship at the ‘International Night’ hosted by the Rotary Club of Portobello.  We had a great dinner followed by entertainment (by the scholars…surprise!)  


What papers do to students..

Thursday night, Jackie and I had a delicious dinner at Darios before heading to Lyceum Theatre to see a modern interpretation of Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream…it was a neat twist on a classic play and the costumes were great! I was living in the library last weekend and early this week, working on my first assessment which I submitted on Thursday…14 pages, 30+ references (what a relief to hand in!)  I celebrated with some QM friends after hand-in with a great dinner, Ben and Jerry’s, and the new James Bond movie, Skyfall, at Ocean Terminal. 

 

 

Craigmillar Castle

Monday was Guy Fawkes Night, commemorating the unsuccessful ‘Gunpowder Plot’ of 1605.  My flatmates and I walked into Holyrood Park and caught the tail end of a fireworks display in town.  Lots of people were having their own firework displays (much to the dismay of the police), and the field as well as Arthur’s Seat and Salisbury Craig were alight with sparklers and lights..really beautiful! As another break from studying, I went for a run on Tuesday (intentionally getting lost) and found myself approaching the backside of a magnificent castle.  I scaled the wall (unintentionally avoiding the ticket office) and spent two hours exploring the remains of Craigmiller Castle, built in the 15^th century.  It was magical walking through all the rooms:  the grand hall, courtyard, basement- all incredibly well preserved.  I can’t imagine what it was like in its heyday.

Later that night, I went to the Scottish Parliament’s Cross Party meeting on International Development with some colleagues from my Social Development Policy and Practice class.  We heard from campesino and indigenous representatives all the way from Colombia, who shared the struggles of their peoples arising from local mining. Seeing their pictures and hearing their stories provoked great discussion round table and raised a lot of questions about powerful stakeholders and injustices around the world. Tomorrow I am going to see the All Blacks take on Scotland at Murrayfield! Sold out stadium! ‘Scottish rugby match’ was definitely on my Edinburgh Bucket List..I can’t believe the match I’m going to is Scotland hosting the All Blacks!!

Scottish tidbit:  Auld Lang Syne is a poem written by Scotsman Robert Burns in the 18^th century.  It translates literally to ‘old long since’ or colloquially ‘long ago’.  At the conclusion of dinners, parties, ceilidhs, everyone holds crossed hands and sings the chorus together (I bet if you google/youtube, you will recognize the tune!)

I realized I hadn't put up a picture of Queen Margaret yet!