Edinburgh

So now I'm in Edinburgh. The first week was Freshers Week which is mainly designed for freshmen (or as they're called here freshers) but also includes people new to the school. Most the events were very overwhelming and the queues were far too long but it was still a good time to meet a lot of people. I went to most events with my friend, Sasha, who lives in my flat. We mostly went to concerts or bars in one of the student unions (yes their are two and yes they have bars) called Teviot. The other is named Potterrow.

The picture on the left is Teviot at night lit up with the somewhat famous (or at least I think so) purple lights and the picture on the right is a band called Bwani Junction who opened for the band, Fatherson, who we went to go see on the second night of Freshers Week.

Last Saturday, Sasha and I also hiked to Arthur's Seat. Arthur's Seat is a large hill near the coast (between where I live and the sea but still in Edinburgh) that everyone hikes up because the view is amazing. 

Last week was my first week of classes. Classes are different here in that I only have three (History of Art, American History (for the perspective), and Architecture History) and while that seems like not that much, there is a lot more independent study. Basically, there is no busy work like quizzes or drafts or even midterms. There is a reading list recommended per week (which is more than enough to consume all spare time) and students can read as much or as little as they think necessary. Instead of midterms, there are essays due and in one of my classes I have journals to do every week but they aren't due until the near end of the semester. So, the moral of this story is that it is really easy to procrastinate. 

Where I live is very close to George Square which is where most classes in the College of Arts and Humanities are so that is nice. It is also near the Meadows, one of Edinburgh's parks. Although it is called the Meadows, it is really just a flattish park that has a golf course but isn't really meadow-like at all. But still lovely. 

(left is view from my window and right is the Meadows at sunset)

Next weekend I hope to go on a trip with some other international students to St. Andrews. As for now, I am still trying to decide which societies (clubs) to join. So far I have joined the Wine Society and the Labour Students Society (which involved joining the Labour Party so don't know how that is going to work but sorry Dad) but am thinking about the Art Society and Retrospect Journal (a history, classics, and archaeology journal I am hoping to design for) along with the Water of Life Society. What is the Water of Life Society you may ask? It is not a charity if that is what you're thinking. In Gaelic, the word for whiskey also means "water of life" so it is in fact the Whiskey Society. 

Amsterdam

For the past week I was in Amsterdam (in the Netherlands if you need clarification) and it was awesome! On the first day, Lila and I met up with my friend Matt from UNC who is studying abroad in Maastricht. We went on a "free" tour where the guide made money on tips so it was not expensive but also not free. But the tour was excellent and we saw all of Amsterdam.

  

The picture on the right is with Matt. The next day, Lila and I went to this hostel outside Amsterdam called the Lucky Lake Hostel and it was amazing. We went to the lake and kayaked through the canals. We also rented bikes and went into the nearby town, Abcoude, which was cool because it wasn't as big and busy as Amsterdam. The people at the hostel who worked there and stayed there were super nice and interesting. There was a group of guys from Cambridge who had biked from Cambridge to Amsterdam (using the ferry). 

The first one Lila took of me on our way to Abcoude and the second one is Lila by the lake at sunset. 

The day after that we went back into Amsterdam and stayed at a subpar hostel with treacherous stairs from the ground floor up which was always eventful. For the next two days Lila and I did a lot of wandering around the city and sitting in Vondelpark. We also went to the Van Gogh Museum which was slightly overpriced but also amazing because Van Gogh is amazing. If anyone is travelling to Amsterdam ever I would recommend this bakery called De Laatste Kruimel ("the last crumb") near the University of Amsterdam because its great and excellent and Lila and I went there many times. 

We also saw this man playing the french horn in the canal once amongst our wandering and he was literally just playing the french horn going around in circles in the canal which was quite entertaining. 

The last picture if of the Rijksmuseum which we didn't go into but it looked so pretty at sunset that I couldn't resist. This is also where the I (Am)sterdam sign (art?) is. 

Now I am in Edinburgh! It is really fun and I will recap it later but it is Freshers Week so there are events all the time often around three at the same time so it is like being a freshman again. Yay.