...and beyond!

I occasionally get "woof"-ed at as a casual reminder that my blog needs updating. So thanks for that, Evan...

This weekend was meant to be my homestay. I had been placed with another girl from Butler in a home in Edinburgh because they ran out of places to send us outside of the city. So eight of us were here. I was kind of disappointed, but was still hoping for the best because it could still be fun to meet a family. I'm not entirely sure of how the homestay was introduced to the families with whom we were placed because it was presented to us as a cultural experience for us and the family. An opportunity for the exchange of knowledge and ways of life. Of course, Edinburgh is a highly developed Western city, so I wasn't quite sure how much "culture" I'd get to experience, but it could still be nice. The woman with which I stayed was very kind and the house was nice, but we didn't spend so much time with her. She made us meals and I had a comfortable place to sleep, but there wasn't much dialogue. She treated it more like a lodging--like we were renting a room in her home. When we arrived at her house she asked if we had plans for the evening; we were confused because we thought that the homestay was our plan for the evening. I ended up watching Annie with my roommate; we sang along. Saturday we were taken on a bus to Glasgow by the "group coordinator," a lady named Francis who seemed to love being able to get to know all of us. That was nice. Glasgow was cool, but we only spent about 3 hours there. Went to a museum then to a shop that she wanted to check out. And then we got back on the bus and came back to Edinburgh for what was supposed to be a free night & next day. There didn't seem to be any purpose in staying in the house for another night when I was only a few miles from my own flat, so we asked if we could leave that night, and did just that.

I have a bit of a cold now, which is kind of unpleasant, but tomorrow evening is Erev Rosh Hashanah, which will be nice. A girl from Brandeis & I planned an elaborate meal in which we will share some of our Jewish love with our flatmates & friends. I'm excited, and have been cooking for a few days! It's funny how unfamiliar the food is to the other Americans and Brits alike. How do you describe matzoh balls and kugel and rugelach is to someone who has never had it? Make it!