...and beyond!

On Thursday morning, I woke up and was promptly startled by Jill screaming "HAPPY THANKSGIVING!" to me as if it was some sort of all day festival. I laughed and we decided to run into Fatti's room and bring her the same Thanksgiving wishes. We, at that point, had been planning on going to the IFSA Thanksgiving meal, which would probably be nice but didn't make us think of Thanksgiving like a turkey and stuffing. We were distraught. So, Fatti and I made the decision, at around 11:30am on Thursday, that we wanted a real American Thanksgiving. Off to Tesco we go!

Well first, we needed a list of ingredients--epicurious.com it was. Luckily, on their front page they had a variety of Thanksgiving recipies listed and suggested many ways to cook the turkey and some other dishes. We opted for what we were used to and both cooked some things that we usually have at Thanksgiving at home. I made sweet potato casserole and green bean casserole and Fatti made roasted potatos and vegetables. We had initially planned on just buying some little chickens but when we arrived at Tesco we realized that they did in fact have big turkeys (frozen, mind you) so we decided to go for it. We thawed this 4kilo turkey in 2 hours (microwave + hot water) We cooked a turkey spiced with some delicious things and stuffed it with instant stuffing. WE cooked a turkey, it was awesome. And intimidating, but definitely worth the struggle of removing the neck...!

Our flatmates + Monica & Yvonne shared the meal with us and we were all so happy and full by the end that it did feel like a real Thanksgiving. And, we decided that we were all most thankful for meeting one another. (Awww)

Pictures will come soon!

So it's becoming more and more real that the semester is almost over. In order to remedy the unpleasant thoughts that come with the fact that Fatti and me will not be residents of Darroch 3/3 next semester, my two favorite Scottish girls, Jill & Yvonne have begun to plan their trip to America. Along with this comes them screaming and shouting about all things they think are American and being able to DO IT ALL. This was perhaps the funniest thing I have seen and heard. It's mostly funny because they weren't completely far off, and yet they were still so completely excited.

They want to go to diners at 3am, drink Mountain Dew until they turn green, go to the 'mooovies' (as opposed to the cinema) and eat popcorn, see the Statue of Liberty, have American money (I gave Yvonne a dollar, she was ecstatic), go to a MALL (a number 1 priority--specifically Abercrombie and Auntie Anne's Pretzels), go to a baseball game, go to Tiffany's in New York, and mostly, just be in America.

They're obsessed with their idealized American pop culture, more so than any one else I know in the states. They want to meet all the girls from the Hills and have watched the entirety of the OC an embarassing number of times. I can't wait to share my American with my wannabe Americans as they have shared Scotland with me.

The lack of hot water in my flat.

I went to the gym earlier this afternoon and returned about an hour before my class planning on showering and changing before heading off to the last lecture of Science & Society, a class which I will sincerely MISS) but alas, there is no hot water. So I go press our "boost button" This button which is supposed to heat the water either within or after a half hour. It very rarely works. I am sick of cold showers. Not just a little cold. FREEZING cold. UNPLEASANT.

But, let's be honest. A pretty minor complaint. I leave Edinburgh on the 19th. I'll be heading to a town named Pontefract in Yorkshire where my lovely flatmate Frankie lives. With her I'll visit to Liverpool and York and then head on my own to Bath and Stonehenge. I'll finish my mini-UK tour in London once again and take the train to Paris to meet the family.

Hah. Classes are finishing up this week, it's crazy. Had the my last Databases lecture today also. I'm going to Berlin this weekend with Monica and then meeting up with Fatti & her sister. I can't WAIT!

I realized today could spend all day on top of Arthur's Seat. I went up for the 4th time with Dougie, a friend from Brandeis who was in Edinburgh for the weekend, and was reminded how absolutely amazing it is. I don't think there are very many places where you can climb a few hundred meters in what feels like the great outdoors and when you get to the top you realize you're actually surrounded by a beautiful city. It's spectacular. You look down and see a massive golf course and the Firth of Forth and a castle, a palace, a university, and so many stores and homes. I'm going to miss that.

Picture sfrom Calton Hill on Bonfire Night (Guy Fawkes Night)

THE EVENT:



THE AFTERMATH:

How cool it was to sit with my flatmates watching returns come in and explain to them how it all works. Definitely an experience to remember! Good Work, Team America.

//edit:
1. Add Obama to your RSS: http://change.gov
2. Cute:

I'm in a funny sort of place--because I'm here for less than two months more, which is the same amount of time I've been here for so far, a good amount of time, but still very little. I leave soon. Countable weekends soon. Next weekend is staying in to do work weekend. The following one is London. The one after that is another homework weekend. The one after that is Berlin. And then it's finals. And then it's Paris. And then I'm home and it's Sarah's wedding and wisdom teeth and Brandeis. AH!

I have a lot I want to do and a lot that I've done. Having people visiting was not only fun as it was productive in my Edinburgh/Scotland-seeing necessities. I went up Arthur's Seat a few more times, went to the Castle, went to the parliament more times than necessary, the palace and its gallery, a few museums and up the Walter Scott Monument.

Election Day is Tuesday also, which is so crazy. I think I'll be up all night for no reason other than to witness history and be a part of something that I have finally started to get some understanding of. Started to have conversations and thoughts and knowing that there's never really an ending point but just a lot more turning and cycling.

I'll leave with some pictures.

I've been enjoying a wide array of visitors for the past week. I've really enjoyed showing people the city and getting a chance to do the toursity things I hadn't previously done. It's also been really fun having my flatmates and friends here meet people from other parts of my life.

First, Jacob, a friend from Brandeis, came from Copenhagen, where he is studying abroad for the semester. They have a THREE WEEK fall break on his program (he's at an international program), so he's spending much of his time in the UK. With Jacob, I, for the first time, entered one of the many 'authentic Scottish' stores on the Royal Mile. We climbed up Arthur's Seat where we nearly fell off the top due to wind, ate delicious Indian food, and visited the parliament. I took him to my favorite little coffee shop to get some work done, showed him the Elephant House (where J.K. Rowling wrote parts of Harry Potter--very exciting), and ate fish & chips. My flatmates had a great time with him and I think he equally enjoyed the Darroch 3/3 experience--tea with every meal and a fun time experimenting with food.

A side note, let me tell you about the Royal Mile. It's probably the #1 tourist location for those looking for a stereotypical Scotland experience. A road filled with kilt stores and cashmere stores and places that serve haggis. At the top of the road is where the castle lies. And you know, that's all there is to Scotland...(:

Jacob left Tuesday and Mom came on Thursday. When she arrived, we walked around a bit on the Royal Mile and purchased some lovely cashmere scarves. Then she took my flatmates(+Monica) and I out for sushi which was delicious and fun for all involved. Friday, we went to the Palace and the Queen's Gallery. After a bit more touristy shopping, we went out for dinner at a nice little Scottish restaurant. The weather on both Friday and Saturday, for the first time, was rather unpleasant. Saturday it unfortunately rained non-stop. During which we took a bus trip to Loch Lomond and the Stirling Castle with a few other stops in between. We took a cruise on the Loch in an enclosed boat, luckily, because it poured the whole time. Stirling Castle was great, and we tried to spend as much time inside as possible. That evening, we had dinner with my flat mate Frankie and her family who were in for the weekend. Said goodbye after dinner, and picked up Seth from the airport shuttle!

Like I said, nonstop visitors. Seth is studying abroad in London, so is pretty familiar with the UK experience. As such, we attempted to make his time here uniquely Scottish. I think we did a pretty good job. On Sunday, Seth's first stop was to purchase a tartan hat complete with a pom on top and matching scarf...both of which he wore all day. We went up the Walter Scott monument and got amazing views of the city. We visited the castle (after getting a bit lost...), and it was actually cool to see two castles back-to-back like such. In Stiring castle, we had learned that their restoration of the Great Hall was based on that of the Edinburgh Castle. Sure enough, after entering the Great Hall in the Edinburgh Castle, it was strikingly similar. We climbed up Arthur's Seat just as dusk was falling and by the time we got up faced an incredibly windy and beautifully lit Edinburgh. Went out for good dinner and came back to the flat for tea.

Missy & Sarah arrive on Thursday, I cannot wait! Until then--I'll be getting ahead on my work...spending lots of time in my favorites Black Medicine Coffee Company and BeanScene switching between tea and hot chocolate. Sounds good to me.