Big News...

VERY exciting conversation with Dr. Robert Zinser yesterday.  I got to hear more about Rotary's collaborative Maternal Health project in Nigeria, and how the project is continuing to expand!  He shared with me the great need for a 'universal language' to be developed amidst the international community surrounding FAMILY PLANNING:  a necessity to decrease maternal and infant mortality rates globally.  I will be meeting with my professors at QMU this week to see if I can steer my research in this direction, and coauthor (with Dr. Zinser) a dissertation that would make a very important impact in my field! The timing is perfect, as both Britain and the USA (through the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation) have just pledged significant funding towards MDG 4&5.  I have been exploring current publications in this area for a specfic project/topic to gear my efforts towards, and yesterdays phone conversation may well have layed the foundation for this year!  This opportunity is a seemingly perfect collaboration between my academic interests, service with Rotary, and passion to empower women worldwide.  Fingers crossed that I get support from my academic department this upcoming week to pursue this project- I'm incredibly excited about the prospect!

Exciting Possibility!

I've just finished my week of orientation at QMU.  Most of the days were packed with introduction sessions to things like using the library and the student services office, with optional social events at night- mostly geared toward the undergraduate students.  My program, MSc in Sexual and Reproductive Health, is offered through the Institute for International Health and Development.  IIHD is pretty autonomous within Queen Margaret University and part of our orientation was spent in discussion groups presenting relevant topics in our focus area that we will be concentrating on this year.  I am so excited for classes to begin, after learning about the past experiences of the other students in my program. 
As I've been fortunate in having international experiences integrated into my education, I've always considered myself to have a somewhat broader worldview than many people I know.  But it has been very humbling this first week to realize that I know nothing of the world, particularly of the struggles in Africa and the Middle East.  I have recognized after a few of these early class conversations that I have much to learn and need to primarily listen right now.  I want to represent my country well, and serve in the capacity of an ambassador for the USA, sharing my experience of life in North America.  However,  it is difficult for me to represent a view on topics like 'safe abortion' coming from my cultural context, when right now it is seeming so unrelatable to the reproductive health issues in other parts of the world.
I am beginning to think about my service project for Rotary and a focus for my dissertation.  I have been researching Rotary International's initiatives in Maternal and Infant Health and have found a very impressive project.  Rotary clubs from Germany, Austria, and Nigeria have teamed up to form a comprehensive strategy to improve maternal health in Nigeria, with a focus on preventative health education and treatment of obstetric fistula.  Obstetric fistula is a result of prolonged/obstructive labor, often in very young mothers, where the baby cannot pass through the birth canal and the vaginal tissue becomes necrotic and dies, resulting in the development of a fistula (hole).  Women are ousted from society and abandoned by family because of resulting urinary and fecal incontinence.  The success of Rotary's project in Northern Nigerian states of Kano and Kaduna (http://www.maternal-health.org/rotary/project-information-1/index.html) has me so interested in this project/intervention methodology, that I sent emails to every contact person I could find online, and I was ecstatic to receive a message back from the head of the project yesterday! He will be calling me today and I am so excited to find out if there is some avenue that I can become involved in this project.  I will blog again after our conversation today...

High on Life!

Sometimes, you have an experience that is impossible to put into words and that would be the case with the past 4 days.  Caitlin and I made two stops in Inverness and Fort Williams, both really cool towns full of great culture and activities!  But above and beyond were the people we met as we explored these places, and the experiences we shared together.   After arriving in Inverness we found a hostel near the bus station where we met 3 incredible Spaniards just living life to the fullest- an energy and attitude that was contagious!  The owner of the hostel became our go-to guy for great recommendations of neat things to do!  We took a wonderful walk around River Ness which was beautiful.   Inverness was hosting a National Pipers competition, which we got to preview in the street our first night, before stumbling upon a Battle of the Bands and Hootananny’s- a pub famous for their live traditional Scottish music.  We went to the pier, hoping to see the town’s two famous dolphins swim by (they didn’t…but the walk and view was worth it!)  We bussed into town to find that we had arrived at a no-access point, but an ‘unofficial’ hike led us to a beautiful bay of Loch Ness…no Nessie sightings but stunning scenery and a very peaceful, calming place.  Both nights we ate at the same pizzeria with friendly staff and really great pizza!  Day 3 we hopped on our new friends’ itinerary and bussed to Fort Williams where we hiked Ben Nevis- the highest mountain in the United Kingdom!  The first 2.5 hours of the hike were beautiful, unreal weather (10 days of sunshine per year…we got one of them!) and beautiful hills, sheep, and little waterfalls 360 degrees around.  The next 2 hours, we were hiking through a misty cloud up to the top, which was bone chilling wet/cold, but complete with ruins of a castle and a shack where we warmed up and refueled (apparently originally built as an observatory to study the weather patterns at high altitude).  We were so cold we ran down until we started regaining feeling in our hands.  After a good night’s sleep, we took a bus via Glascow back to Edinburgh.  Can’t stop smiling and couldn’t be happier to be in my present situation- surrounded by new, fascinating people in a wonderful country.  (I took no pictures on the trip, but I hope to steal some from my travel mates and post them!)

Last night, I went to the ‘Welcome Ceilidh’ held at QMU as the first event of Fresher’s Week.  I’m happy I went, and in addition to learning the traditional Scottish dance I made my first QMU acquaintances.  I slipped out around 11 to meet my roomies who had found a bar showing American football in the city not far from our apartment (great live music too)!! This was a very exciting discovery…the Steelers performance was not so exciting…

This morning was my first day of induction at QMU!  I was nervous, not knowing if the school/course of study would be as it sounded online (the biggest disadvantage for me studying overseas was not visiting any of the schools before applying/enrolling).  I couldn’t be happier! We are an intimate group of 19, all with very diverse backgrounds and coming from different parts of the world:  a doctor from Pakistan, a pharmacist from Germany, a nurse from Holland, a recent graduate from Canada, a couple from Zimbabwe etc.  Altogether, the 19 students represent 15 different countries!  The 5 professors at the Institute for International Health and Development, where I will be taking all of my classes, seem to be both passionate and knowledgeable.  The teachers are very keen on incorporating our (students) past experiences into the course study, and I am sure we will learn a lot from each other!  Orientation continues tomorrow, and I am SO EXCITED for what lies ahead!!

Scotland bit:  I have done my shopping almost exclusively at second hand stores, very similar to Goodwill in the states.  However, in Edinburgh there are a TON of them…I walk past three on my two minute walk to the bus station!  Each one benefits a different organization (UK Cancer Research, Save the Children etc) and they have everything from clothes to home goods to textbooks.  It’s easier for me to spend money knowing that it is supporting a good cause, and I wish we had more of these orgs in the USA!

 

 

New flat, new adventures!

It has been a busy week!   I moved into my new flat at 1 Rankeillor Street, with flatmates Giulia, Susanna, and Jaime.  Saturday night, our first night together in the new place, we had a phenomenal dinner together!  Good news for my tastebuds, but bad news for my wasteline:  Giulia and Susanna who are from Italy are wonderful cooks!  They made the best lasagna I have ever tasted with a huge salad, Jaime (from Spain) made his famous Sangria and I made my new-and-improved PB pie (none of them were familiar with peanut butter?!) We coined the term ‘Spiterican’ as the fusion of our Spanish, Italian, and American English languages.  I’m shaking off some rust with my conversational Spanish, dormant since Argentina, and working on learning some Italian as well J We rounded off a night of great stories and conversation with a trip to the Liquid Room- an electro bar not far from our place. It was a great night, and I’m sure there will be many more to follow this year!



Arthur's Seat from halfway up!

Sunday was another beautiful, sunny day.  A group of us hiked up Arthur’s seat, the major hill in the center of Holyrood Park.  It yielded gorgeous, panoramic views of the city and we enjoyed a Tesco picnic lunch surrounded by some seriously good scenery.  We walked by the new Scottish parliament building- one of the most unique buildings I have ever seen- before continuing on to Carlton Hill.  Another park, Carlton Hill has lots of history and neat buildings/structures.  There were great views of Arthur’s seat and Salisbury Crag nearby and it was cool to learn about some of Edinburgh’s prominent figures highlighted by monuments.  Sunday afternoon, I trekked 1.5 miles out of city to Leith Links which was hosting a ‘Mela Festival’.  Mela is a celebration of international music and dance.  I was only there for about 2 hours, but was able to see a Qawali band and a Middle Eastern orchestra.  I walked back to the city and caught a bus to Jackie and Ken’s.  Ken and I cycled to Inverleith Park where we had a terrific view of the 45 minute firework display taking place over Edinburgh Castle.   The firework show marked the end of the Festival and a celebration of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.  There was an orchestra playing on Prince’s Street (we heard on the radio of the group seated in front of us) and the fireworks were terrifically in sync with the music.  There were so many different colours, and a ‘waterfall of light’ down over the castle that was quite a sight!

Couple on Carlton Hill

I spent most of Monday getting settled in the apartment, rearranging my room and buying the odds-and-ends needed to get situated.  I went for a run in Holyrood Park which has a scenic 5K loop around Arthur’s seat.  We have finally identified the wonderful (my opinion) smell that seems to permeate the entire city…its wort from the numerous breweries!  I’m beginning to associate that smell with my new  home here in Edinburgh.   I saw Brave, the new Pixar film based in Scotland, at Odeon- a nearby theatre..great movie!

Yesterday I went back to Parliament to explore the building. I asked if I could have a look around and was told Parliament was working and that I could sit in their session! It was a very cool experience, a bit hostile and argumentative, but tis the world of politics! Scottish Parliament is young- the building just opened in 2004- and they are currently seeking the best balance for the country of devolution/independence from the United Kingdom.  In the entrance hall, they are currently showcasing the “William Wallace Letters” exposition, so I learned a little bit more about the Braveheart protagonist.  

Scottish Parliament



Scottish Parliament from Salisbury Crag

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last night, we welcomed a fourth scholar, Stevie, to Edinburgh.  She has just finished 5 months on the Appalachian trail! We met at Nick’s apartment where ‘Los Cartos’ delivered some delicious Chipotle-like burritos before heading out in New Town for some beers, ciders and newfound ‘Crabbies’- a delicious ginger beer!

After talking it over the past few days, Caitlin and I decided to take advantage of these last couple days without classes by taking a spontaneous bus trip around Scotland.  This morning while cybersquatting in McDonalds, we bought tickets via Megabus to Inverness! I’ll post again upon our return J

Fun Scotland fact:  Ben and Jerrys has a whole set of flavours only available in the UK!! As someone who made it a personal mission in the states to try all 70+ B&J flavours, this was an exciting discovery. There was a scoop shop attached to the Odeon theatre where I sampled “Oh My Apple Pie” and “Vermonster” two ‘British line’ flavours.  DELICIOUS J





View of city from Arthur's Seat

Loving Edinburgh

I have found a flat! I meet with the landlady on Friday to make sure we're on the same page and if all goes well I can move in on Saturday! I will be living with 3 other postgraduate students:  2 girls from Italy who will be studying at the University of Edinburgh and 1 boy from Spain who is taking up accounting at Herion-Watt University.  The flat is at the southeast corner of the city, with a bustop to QMU at it's doorstep and well within walking distance of the centre, groceries, bank, pubs etc! I'm going just over what I had budgeted for a room, in part because it is so conveniently located but also because the room is HUGE and crying out to host visitors....I'll say no more.

On Monday night, Ronnie and Careen who have lived next door to Jackie and Ken for 30+ years invited the 3 of us over to dinner.  We had a phenomenal time, and ate and drank VERY well (Careen is a great cook!) I have realized through nights like this one, where I am being asked many questions about the USA, that in order to be a good ambassador I need to brush up on aspects of my own country!  I enjoy engaging these conversations, and asking questions about Scotland and Britain in return, but I am afraid that I am not as knowledgable as I should be in some areas- particularly government.  I am reading and watching the news daily, a habit I wish I had developed sooner!  I have been asked quite a bit about ObamaCare, about our healthcare system, our educational system and about our election process.  I am slowly getting a handle on Parliament, the Royal Family, the NHS, and the University process in Scotland.  To me, nights like this one are what make studying abroad such an invaluable growth experience!

With the accommodation issue almost settled, I took the whole sunny day yesterday to enjoy exploring the city.  I made it up the 287 steps (small, tight spiral staircase...meeting others on the way up or down was very...intimate) of the Sir Walter Scott monument, which yielded the most stunning views of Edinburgh (see pictures below!) I visited the National Museum, National Library and other galleries/museums, but did not spend enough time in any of them (couldn't be inside on a rare sunny day!!)

St Giles Cathedral (one of many in the city)

Sir Walter Scott Monument



View of Holyrood Palace from top of Scott monument

View of Edinburgh Castle and National Gallery



Princes Steet (main Street in Edinburgh) and Gardens

I matriculate at QMU this coming Monday, and the next Sunday (Sept 9th) begins 'Freshers Week'.  I just received a mailing, detailing all of the events for this pre-classes activity week.  Sunday opens with a Ceilidh (traditional Scottish dance) and the week is full of foam parties, bar crawls, day trips, club/sports fair, comedy shows and night clubs.  Not knowing anyone, I am considering buying the 'Fresher's Wristband' for free access/tickets to all events..may as well take full advantage of the opportunity to meet new people!

Tonight, I am making dinner for Jackie and Ken.  I had Mom send me the recipes to one of my favorite meals:  Beef Burgundy (with Sue's famous Sex on the Beach dessert!) The trip to (multiple) grocery stores took over 2.5 hours!  I had to get creative with a few of the ingredients..they do not have graham crackers, so I bought 'digestive biscuits' and put them in a blender to make the crust.  Cool whip was another tricky one...I bought creme fresh (a cross between yogurt and cream) and managed to find a rare bottle of whipped cream which I'm going to try and mix into a cool whip-ish topping! No instant pudding, but I found custard and 'chocolate dessert' that I'm mixing together.  Powdered sugar is close to 'icing sugar' in Britain.  I couldn't find Burgundy wine, but I think Pinot Noir is the same?  I also got a Merlot and a red French blend hoping that after a few glasses, anything I made will taste alright! Onion soup isn't unavailable, dried or canned, so I'm using dried onion flakes and beef bouillion as a base. Fingers and toes are crossed that it tastes alright- I had Mom on skype in the kitchen double checking some of my substitutions..

Scottish Linguistics:  I am finding that lots of things in Scotland are just 1 letter off from their counterpart in the US.  For example, they go shopping at TK Maxx (the same in all respects as our TJ Maxx) and dance to the Hokey Cokey (instead of the Hokey Pokey).  American attempt to be completely seperate and unique from the English??  I read Harry Potter #1, for probably the 15th time, but 1st time reading the British Version "HP and the Philosopher's Stone".  It's not only the title that is different, but words and phrases that we don't use (ie they talk about 'revisions' instead of exams).

Day 10!

Edinburgh Castle!

Day 10!  I'm hot on the apartment hunt in Edinburgh, which has been a blessing in disguise as I am quickly learning my way around the city!  I have seen about 7 places and I have 5 viewings in the next 2 days- I'm hoping that one of them will be home! As the Fringe Festival is in full swing, it is very entertaining to wonder the streets! There are lots of free and ticketed events and I have really enjoyed the atmosphere!

Last night, Caitlin and I went to the Military Tattoo, a phenomenal show celebrating Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee.  It featured international armed forces, bands, dancers, and of course- lots of pipers! I don't think I will ever get sick of bagpipes- such a cool sound! David Hasselhoff was sitting in the section next to us! The backdrop was the Edinburgh Castle, and the show concluded with fireworks shooting out of the castle!




President Bob Hislop of Rotary Club of Edinburgh

This morning, I had the pleasure of attending a meeting of the Edinburgh Rotary Club.  All of the Rotarians were genuinely welcoming and very friendly, and I really enjoyed chatting with the few I met before the meeting began!  The speaker gave a very powerful presentation on Auschwitz.  Caitlin and I were asked to return and give a speech together, which we enjoyed brainstorming this afternoon!  I presented the club with a banner from Downtown York Club and along with their reciprocated banner I was given a CD of Scottish music compiled by club members, as well as a wee bottle of single-malt Scottish whiskey!! Other things that were distinct about the club meeting:  we toasted to the Queen mid-meal, and toasted again to Rotary International at it's conclusion!  The Edinburgh Club has about 120 members, with 55 attending today (50% attendance is required).  The club is celebrating 100 years in existance this year!


            

 

We enjoyed dinner tonight with Caitlin at 'The Elephant House', the coffee shop famous for being the birthplace of Harry Potter! JK Rowling wrote the first drafts of the series in this restaurant- her photos hang all around and the bathroom is decorated with HP doodles and quotes all over the walls!

 

Some more Scottish linguistics: Arcade is a shopping mall, the Chemist is where one goes to buy nailpolish, makeup, medicines and so on. The letter Z is pronounced zed.  Apparently, the Scots find it odd/funny when North Amercans say "Have a nice day"...I haven't yet figured out why this is so strange...



It's already been a week?!?

I can’t believe that on this hour, exactly ONE WEEK AGO, I was boarding my plane in Newark to Edinburgh!  The flight over was great, although very turbulent, but just 6 hours and 15 minutes! My Rotarian host parents, Ken and Jackie, are angels sent from heaven and they kindly opened their home to me until I can find accommodation for the year.  Ken picked me up from the airport just before 8 AM on Tuesday, August 14 (Scottish time, it was just 3 AM Pennsylvania time) and took me to their house, which is just two miles from city centre.  Within 10 minutes of my arrival in Scotland, I had already made both classic American mistakes:  (1) nearly got hit by a car while looking left before crossing the road and (2) went to the driver’s side car door before seeing the wheel on the left.  After safe arrival, Ken took the official "First photo" in Scotland to the left!

Over breakfast, Jackie invited me up to their cottage in the Highlands, where several of her cousins were congregating to celebrate one cousin’s Golden Anniversary.  I instantly accepted, and before I knew it was in the backseat of their car driving north to Glenshee!  I spent a terrific four days with Keith and Mags (celebrating their 50 years of marriage), Jean, Anne, Ken and Jackie.   We shared many laughs as I struggled with Scottish words and phrases (it IS a different language- really!) The cottage is surrounded by 360 degrees of beautiful hills covered in lush green, heather, and lots of SHEEP! I joined the cousins on some of their outings:  we went to see the castle in which the Queen spends the month of August every year, which was only about 20 minutes from our cottage (I now understand why Queen Victoria picked the Highlands for this castle so many years ago- it is BEAUTIFUL!) That same day, we went to ‘Carthie Kirk’- the church where the Queen and Royal Family worship on Sundays through August.  AMAZINGLY we had missed the Queen coming through by less than HALF AN HOUR (she was driving her RANGE ROVER back from a HUNTING TRIP in the mountains…I hope I am half as cool at 86!) I hung back at the cottage with Ken a couple days to do some work outside- he has a tool shed filled with all kinds of fun toys! I drank more tea in 4 days than in the past 22 years, but since Ken introduced ‘Irn Bru’ it soon accompanied every tea time.  Scotland is the only country in the world where Coca Cola is not the dominant soft drink:  Irn Bru is an orange soda, which to me tastes like a hybrid of Sunkist and Bubble Gum- it’s very popular, it’s delicious and it’s high fructose content cures hangovers!  I had my first sherry (yum) and an assortment of Scottish whiskeys (working on it).  We went out to celebrate Keith and Mags 50^th and the first thing on the menu was “Traditional Haggis with Neeps and Tatties”.  It’s exciting to order something without the slightest idea what will show up on your plate.  Well ok, I’d heard tell of Haggis but I was PRETENDING I didn’t know what I was eating (for those of you who don’t know, Haggis is sheep heart, lungs and liver mixed with onions, oatmeal and spices simmered in a sheep’s stomach).  In all honesty, it was delicious- as were the neeps and tatties (potatoes and turnips) and all finished off with a sticky toffee pudding mmm.  Thank god Edinburgh is very runner-friendly!! Our last night in the Highlands, Jackie made a phenomenal meal for Keith and Mags, the whole dining room decorated in golden streamers and candles! It was such a special night that I will remember for a long time! We came home on Saturday night, and Ken compiled a slide show with all the pictures everyone had taken from the week- a perfect way to end a perfect holiday! 

Sunday was my first time going into the city!!  WOW I have never been to a more beautiful, unique place in my life!  The skyline, Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Castle, Royal Gardens, the parks, the buildings, the shops, restaurants and pubs!  I spent the entire day yesterday and today in the city, and I am beginning to feel that even with a whole year I won’t get to see the half of it! Edinburgh is currently hosting several festivals (International, Book and Fringe) so the streets are bustling with live acts, music and comedy on top of tons of ticketed events!  I saw a man dressed as a genie levitating in the street today (after 10 minutes of staring closely for strings, wires, magnets etc I finally gave up). I met another Rotary scholar, Caitlin, who is terrific…we were good Scottish girls and swapped stories and experiences over tea time! We are both hot on the apartment hunt (or as they are called here “flats” or “digs”).  We have tickets together to the Military Tattoo on Wednesday night together- should be fantastic!

I know I skimmed over some details trying to fit one week into one post- I'll get better at this!  The sun is shining in Edinburgh and LIFE IS GOOD!  Until next time, here are some fun Scottish vocab and phrases (I think I’ll put a couple at the end of every post!)  Cheers everyone!

Boot and Bonnet (Hood and Trunk of car), Dreich (Dreary/Dull..often referring to Scottish weather), Posh (Fancy), Wee (Small/Little), Spurtle (Tool used to make porridge), Zizzer (Blender), Kirk (Church)