Computer Scare

This morning, I received word right before breakfast (around 7:45am) that the computer lab was down. All I knew was that one person could not login to the network at all. After breakfast, some other people went to use the computer lab, and discovered that they couldn't log in either. After about another hour or so, we learned that it was a system wide problem at Gonville and Caius, so all students, faculty, administrators, etc also could not access computers or the internet. TODAY is a major due date for seminar papers, so many students were stressing. Honestly, I was only annoyed that I didn't have access to the internet. I finished my Joyce paper last night and re-read it this morning, but I had no errors on it or anything that I wanted to change at the last minute. I felt horrible for people who planned on finishing their papers in morning, and espeically people who had 2 huge papers today (students in Ulysses and King Arthur)!

After several more hours of panic and stress from students, the program director informed us the lab was up and running again. We learned this at 11:15, at the start of my Ulysses class. After class, I was finally able to get access to the computers again. That's the thing about technology....when you need it the most, it fails. Ahh, sadness.

In other news, the final banquet is tomorrow. It will be an extravagant, six-course dinner (I plan to take a photo of each course) complete with readings from students in travel writing about their reflections on Cambridge. After the banquet, our program director informed us it is tradition to go to the buttery after (our bar on campus) and hang out, since Yassmeen and I leave at 4AM for the airport!!! I don't know how much sleep I will be getting Wed. night....

The final few days

Life at Cambridge right now consists of Computer lab, computer lab, and oh, did I mention, computer lab? We are all in the middle of finishing up final papers. For most classes, final papers and exams are due on Wednesday. On Thursday, we still have classes (ridiculous, I know!) and then the final banquet. T-Carn (program director) told me he wants me to do a dramatic reading. This past weekend, I read a page from Ulysses for the talent show and it went over very well. Somehow, I was able to make James Joyce laughable. I'll keep you posted on that.

Friday morning, Yassmeen and I leave on teh 4:50am bus for Heathrow. We first have to fly to Dublin, where we have a two-hour lay over, and end up in Boston at around 4:15pm--pretty much the height of rush hour. I'm not looking forward to that looong travel day.

Okay, so back to reality. I really have to get back to this James Joyce paper, pretty much the bane of my existence. But hopefully, more updates to come once it is done!

Stonehenge Rocks!!!

Ever since the beginning of this program, I knew I wanted to go to Stonehenge. After looking at the list of excursions and learning that our group was not going this year, I spoke with the director about alternate ways to get there. When I mentioned I wanted to go, he actually discouraged me and told me "nothing's out there." That couldn't have been further from the truth.

Yesterday, I embarked on the journey to Salisbury (home of Stonehenge and the steak) with Ann Marie and Heather. I was planning to journey out there by myself, but a week before I learned Ann Marie would be going with her friend, so it worked out quite perfectly. Our route of public transportation would be arduous, so I planned on waking up very early that morning. However, my alarm clock didn't go off and I ended up at getting up almost at 8am, threw my travel items (camera, lunch, fruit, water, rainjacket) together in a bag and went downstairs to meet the other girls. We began the 5 minute walk to Parker's Pieces, where the bus would pick us up to go to London. It would be about 1.5 hours bus ride to London, then using the underground to get to Waterloo Station, then another hour or so train ride to Salisbury. Our trip to Salisbury went very smoothly, as trains in England run very regularly (nothing like the MBTA). However, unlike the MBTA, the prices for train tickets are very high (About $32 for a round trip ticket from London to Salisbury).

When we arrived, we decided to do the Stonehenge tour bus, since it included the price of admission and more information about the other (doing a regular bus and admission fee was about the same) parts of the town. We boarded the bright red, double-decker "Sightseeing" bus and I made sure to get a good seat on the top level, near the tour guide, Barbara. Barbara was probably in her late 50s or early 60s, and it was impossible for me to discern her nationality. She didn't really have a British accent at all, but she couldn't have been American. Or was she Spanish, and her accent had faded away? It stills remains a mystery. Anyway, Barbara began to inform us about the city of Salisbury, a medieval/gothic planned city. We drove by the hospital where Florence Nightingale, the founder of the Red Cross, was trained at, which was very excitiing! She also pointed out other places of interest, including Salisbury's main cathedral, where the Magna Carta was stationed at.

We were almost at Stonehenge when our bus merged onto another road with rows and rows of cars lined up! I wondered, "What's the traffic all about?!?" I asked Barbara if all these cars were headed to Stonehenge. Laughing, she said, "No, no...don't worry, it is not that crowded. We on a major thoroughfare that is always slow in the summer due to people leaving early from work for holiday." Thank Goodness!! After the bus driver manuevered us through the heavy traffic, the bus took a right onto another road and there it was: Stonehenge!

When most people think of Stonehenge, they think of it as a pile of rocks or rubbish, and wonder why so many make a pilgrammage from so far away. Stonehenge is actually one of the oldest prehistoric sites in the world. It was built around 3000BC, and the great mystery is how the stones were moved (from over 200 miles away) and how they were raised. Who raised the stones up like that? Is it a religious shrine? How on earth did they get the top of the stones on the other two standing ones?. More than all of this, Stonehenge is the first example of the post and lintel system in THE WORLD. That means all our architecture, our buildings, our doorways...every two posts you see with a lintel on the top....all originate from Stonehenge. Knowing the history, the mystery, and the wonder of Stonehenge is key for visiting it.

After I was out of the bus, and our group emerged from the tunnel underground (to go through the street), I first saw Stonehenge. My mouth dropped open and I clapped my hands together in excitement. Some other in our tourists turned and I said, "I'm sorry, I'm just REALLY excited!" Another woman reassured me: "Don't worry, I feel the same way." I began taking lots of photos, while at the same time, trying to stay close to our group leader Barbara. We first had a 20 or so minute informational session at various points of the structure, and about another 30 minutes free to ourselves. I could barely listen as she explained the elaborate pulley system used to stand the stones and the natural energy of the area....Here I was, at Stonehenge. Thousands and thousands of years old...and I'm standing right in front of it. I've seen photos of it for many years, and studied it in my senior year at Holy Cross in an architecture course. But there's nothing like actually being there, standing in front of it; the scale is immediate. You are aware of your smallness, and of its vastness. It's different from writing about an experience or taking photos of it. You are attempting to capture it, but in some way, these methods fall short. You have to go there.

After being awakened from my awe-like state with the realization that our bus would soon leave, we hightailed it to the gift shop, then boarded the bus. On our way back to the center, we stopped at Salisbury Cathedral. There, we got to see some rather remarkable items. The first was the oldest known clock in the world, from the medieval period. It was very odd looking and large, consisting of ropes that lead to the ceiling and various metal wheels. I tried to count when the wheel moved and it seemed as if it moved every 5 seconds. The second very exciting place in Salisbury was the Chapel House, where the original Magna Carta is. Unfortunately, no photographs were allowed there, and it was impossible for me to get one anyway since a guide was stationed right next to it. It was enclosed in glass, and it was literally a poster size sheet of paper (high quality, old paper tho). The writing was miniscule---I could barely read a line without going blind! They must have had very strong prescription glasses!

After leaving Salisbury, we walked around the town (which is very cute and reminds me of Cambridge with its canals, fun stores, and scenery) and grabbed dinner at a nearby pub. I had a mozzerella, pesto, and tomato sandwich with salad and some chips. Due to the recent outbreak of another case of mad cow disease here (thanks Alexa), I am sort of a pseudo-vegetarian here. I find myself eating hummus, peanut butter, cheese, and fish for protein rather than red meats. Red meat isn't that good for you anyway, so I don't feel as if I'm missing out.

After dinner, it was around 6pm, and we knew it would take us around 4 hours or so to return to Cambridge (I don't get why there isn't a direct train/bus from Cambridge to Salisbury), so we decided to head out. I would love to spend some more time in Salisbury, but part of me feels fulfilled visiting Stonehenge. I don't know when I will get to visit England again, as I am hoping to visit Austria next, so I was so pleased to make Stonehenge part of my experience here. It rocked.

Final Day in Scotland!

Can you feel the excitement and energy of the drummers?


Yassmeen and I clap/dance along with them!

Arthur's Seat and the Great Pyramid come together!

Penguins at the Zoo!

Waiting for the Penguin Parade

The Penguin Walk

Me before the drum show!

On our last full day in Scotland, we wanted to do it all: hike Arthur's seat, a smallish mountain near our dormitory, go to the Edinburgh Zoo to see the Penguins, and attend the Korean drum show. As I learned that day, it is possible to do it all!

After fueling up on a breakfast on eggs, toast, boiled tomatoes, and a daring move to try the haggis, we were ready to take on any challenge! Haggis, quite simply, is sheep intenstines. It sounds disgusting, I know, but it is all chopped up in tiny pieces and mixed together with stuffing. Picture a dark brown/pudding like substance with flecks of white. I tried a bite of it at breakfast and it didn't taste so bad. It resembled VERY salty turkey stuffing. I gave myself kudos for trying it, but I don't think it will be a regular part of my diet.

After the bold haggis move, I attempted an even bolder move: climbing Arthur's Seat. Arthur's Seat is a high mountain, approximately 250 meters to its top. Supposedly, children and young adults in the Scottish school systems were forced to run to the very top of it on occassion. Cruel and unusual punishment. We decided we would climb up on our own pace. Luckily, there were stairs made of rocks built into the side of the mountain, so going up was the easy part--it was like walking up many stories of uneven stairs. The view from the top was spectacular--we could see the entire city of Edinburgh and even a small island off its coast. Coming down the mountain was actually the most difficult part of climbing it!! We literally got off the beaten path, since we climbed down a different side/area than we climbed up. The rocky stairs were nowhere near our reach, so we had to do some mountain climbing down over jagged rocks and slippery paths. I ended up going down the mountain on my butt for most of it.

After our mountain expedition, we grabbed a bus to the zoo to be on time for the 2:00 penguin walk! Before my trip to Scotland, I heard many stories about the penguins there. They are at the Zoo, but at 2pm everyday, about 10-12 are released and walk around the courtyard. I didn't want to miss that! We arrived at the Zoo and had plenty of time to see other animals, including polar bears, painted dogs, koalas, and of course, the penguin walk. We camped out about a half hour before to get a good spot on the edge of the courtyard. Before they released the penguins, I heard this announcement: "Please have young children stand or hold them in your arms, as the penguins are curious about things on their eye level and will peck. Also, please do not feed them and take care of loose objects, since the Penguins will try to eat anything and everything." I had to stand, and waited as the penguins were released. They then walked by, about 11 of them, and were so close I could almost touch them! (But I didn't, thanks to the huge announcement/disclaimer)! Seeing the penguins that close for all of 5 seconds was similar to seeing a flower that blooms every 50 years. It was such a brief glimpse, a tiny second in time. Part of me wondered, "Is that it? I want my money back!!" while the other part of me was thrilled to experience something so unique.

When our group became tired of the smell of maneur and the young children going nuts over the penguins, we left the zoo. We did about 1-2 hours of souvenior shopping/bargain hunting, and then got ready for the last event on our schedule: the Korean drum show. The drum show was only 5 pounds entry, since it was a preview of their performance. It was held in a large, outdoor courtyard by the old Edinburgh University. Before we got there, there were huge drums and different set up on stage, along with colorful ribbons and banners to add to the festive nature of the performance.

When the Korean performers actually came out, they entered from a side entrance, tapping their instruments, drums, and tamborines and weaving through the crowd, encouraging us to clap and sing. Their energy was infectious; the crowd began to clap and dance along with them. Each musical piece they performance was different. One piece was a slow, singing ballad while others involved them drumming and encouraging us to sing, "hey, hey, hey" with them. The BEST part, by far, was the end of the show. At the end, similar to how they all entered, they grabbed their musical instruments and began to weave through the crowd, but this time encouraged us to form a conga line. I grabbed the shoulders of the person in front of me, while another person held onto mine from the back. We probably formed the largest conga line I was a part of, as we all danced and swayed around the courtyard. Then, the conga line became a massive circle, when they invited people to come and dance with them. Yassmeen and I got in the center and begin to dance and clap along with them. It was so much fun--a natural rush!!

Sustained from the euphoric high of the performance, my group went out to dinner for Indian food (chicken bhouna was awesome) and then got back to the dorms around 10:30/11pm. It had been a long and productive day, and overall a wonderful two days in Scotland, but we had to head back early in the morning Sunday to return to Cambridge. Yes sadly, papers and the reality that this is a "study abroad" program hit.

The bus ride coming back was unmemorable--and I'd especially like to block out the rancid smell of garbage and the gross prepackaged sandwich I had for lunch. But overall, my trip to Scotland was wonderful, and I would love to return someday to explore more of this unique part of the UK.

Ode to Hob Nobs

It's a running joke in the program that I love Hob Nobs. They are a British cookie/biscuit like item that is a great treat to dunk in tea (see photo above). They are coincidentally, high in fiber. I wrote this short piece that I shared among friends who loved it. Hope it gives you a sense of the cookie culture here.

Ode to Hob Nobs
By Lisa “Hob to the Nobbity Nob” Litterio

The explosion of oats and milk chocolate permeated my tongue and elicited an instant “mmmmm” from my mouth. Taking the precious remains of the cookie out of my mouth and dipping in a cup of tea, I marvelled at its endurance: the oat biscuit formation not melted by the heat. It was a cookie, but it was something so much more: a Hob Nob.

Before my RyanAir plane ever landed at Bristol, England, I had never heard of Hob Nobs nor digestive biscuits. I was an unassuming American, partial to the one and only Oreo, America’s cookie of choice, or occasionally a Mrs. Field’s. I was not a cookie fanatic; it was a “sometimes” treat. My first Hob Nob experience was in a tourist and smog filled Service station at Gordano. My friend Yassmeen and I were looking for a quick dinner upon our arrival to England. Grabbing a sandwich that was not riddled with mayo (a true challenge, I can assure you), I looked in the biscuit aisle for a delicious after-dinner treat. A bright blue, circular container caught my eye, with large, white lettering: Hob Nobs. Embracing my hand around the package, I read the details: a wholesome, oat biscuit covered in milk chocolate. Sounded good to me. And the resealable package was an added bonus.

As soon as I returned from the station and opened the resealable package in the solace of our hotel room, I examined the entity thoroughly. Circular, no more than a centimetre high, yet coated with chocolate on the top. It had a grainy, rough texture against my palm. Opening my mouth, I rested the cookie, chocolate side up, on my tongue. My first taste was almost crunchy, quaker-oat like substance, then the milk chocolate hit: pure bliss. As I glanced at the side of the package again and noticed the fiber content advertisement, it seemed the ultimate paradox to me: a healthy dessert. What was this magical delight? And why had I never seen it before in the United States?

Hob Nobs are unique to the UK and surprisingly, a rather recent phenomenon. McVitie's first introduced the brand in 1985. A milk chocolate-covered version was made available in 1987, and the biscuit is currently available in many varieties, including dark chocolate, chocolate orange, and HobNob bars. I am not adventurous when it comes to this treat; I stick with the regular chocolate, although digestives at tea time may tempt. What is a Hob Nob, you may wonder? Digestive, biscuit, cookie, or other? At first, I was confused with the label of “digestive” biscuits. Why not call them colon cookies? Laxatives? Just come out already and say it, chaps! However, I soon learned from personal experience that biscuits aren’t what we think of us biscuits. They are cookies! Only the British refer to cookies as only chocolate chip cookies. Nothing else. Can’t we just have a universal cookie/biscuit system? Why the cultural confusion? Hob Nobs are in a league all their own; not siding with the “cookie” or the “digestive,” but referred to by their brand name, thus rising above the regularity of the savoury biscuit aisle.

Hob Nobs are not only a cookie, but they are also a peacemaker. For the past two weeks, my regular bedder, Jackie, has been on vacation. In her place is Pam, a woman who does not and cannot stop talking. She is not physically threatening; standing at about 5’2” and maybe 150 lbs, with crooked teeth and short, cropped grey hair. Yet, there is not a moment of solace in my room when Pam is around. Opening the door, she begins talking in her thick, British accent, “Hello and how are ya? I was gonna wiggle the key in the door and knock at the same time, but I didn’t know if that would be alright. Let me tell you about the time I had opened a door and a student was in their towel and…….” As Journey would sing, “it goes on and on and on….” I would purposefully avoid Pam during the day by packing a lunch and returning to my room around 3pm, when she would (hopefully) be gone.

Today was her last day, and since it was a Friday with no classes, I felt some remorse for my treatment of her, including the gossip around her back. She was telling me about her weekend plans, including stopping by Elly if I had the chance, when an epiphany hit me: there are a package of Hob Nobs in the kitchen I just bought! Telling Pam to hold on, I ran into our gyp (the British kitchen) to grab the unopened package of Hobnobs. Displaying them like a prized trophy, I handed them to her. “Pam, I got you this, since I knew it would be your last day.” Her eyes became animated with laughter (and even tears?) and her short, stocky arms extended wide to embrace me. “Oh, thank you so much!! Thank you! I love Hob Nobs. This is wonderful!” She continued to talk onward and followed up with some more hugs, while part of me tuned her out.

What was it about Hob Nobs? Sure, they taste amazing, but they almost have a magical force. A softness about them ….I’m not referring to the softness of your waistline after consuming one too many, but the way they somehow bring people together. Despite the cultural gaps and the faux pas, there are Hob Nobs. Standing like a beacon of hope in Sainsbury’s or Tesco, they offer your taste buds temporary moments of sheer delight and permanent satisfaction. I wonder, if Hob Nobs were implemented at diplomatic summits, would there be peace? What would happen if leaders from various nations were served Hob Nobs and tea? Instead of slandering one another’s country or policies, they would debate on whether to eat Hob Nobs chocolate side up or chocolate side down. Maybe it’s too great a leap from the supermarket shelf to world peace. But I’m quite certain, that if there’s one cookie out there that can make that claim, it is the savoury, delightful, and oat-y Hob Nob.

Updates!

I will have time for the last installment of Scotland tomorrow. Right now I am working on my seminar paper due tomorrow. Since I'm a grad student, I have ONE major paper in the course rather than 2 small papers. It is going to be around 17 pages total, which is decent, and it is on the poetry of Yeats. Fun stuff, so I'll have to keep you waiting on the penguins!

Scotland--Day 2

Me and Yassmeen with William Wallace!

The Kilt Factory, where kilts are made

Edinburgh Castle


Me with the guard on duty there

Working hard at the Whiskey Museum with Yassmeen and Cat

The Military Tattoo Advertisement

Bagpipers of Scotland--The opening act!

On Saturday morning, we rose early since we had a scheduled tour of Edinburgh castle at that time. The castle itself is situation high up on hill and overlooks most of the city. I knew it would be a Holy Cross-esque hike to the top. In order to get to the castle, we all boarded on the coach bus (trust me, I didn't want to get back on for a long, loong time) for the 10 minute ride to the castle. However, there was a small snag. The leaders of our group ending up leading Nigel, our bus driver, down a one way street! He was a volatile, Mr. Clean look alike and ended up flipping out! After coaxing him to do a 26 point turn in the middle of the street, Nigel said, "There's no way I can turn this bus around! It's not a car; it's a fifty-nine seater!" After some expletives and more disgruntled statements from Nigel, they ended up letting us off all the bus, while our group leader ran down the end of the street so Nigel could back up the bus a good 300 yards or so to the previous intersection. I did not envy him at that moment in time, yet I wondered why our leaders (from the US!) are supposed to provide the bus driver (a UK driver) with detailed directions. It didn't seem right.

The Castle itself was beautiful. It was a large, circular building, and in the front of the castle, huge bleachers were set up for the evening--the Military Tattoo. Before the Scotland trip, I heard countless stories of the Tattoo, and at first, I thought we were getting a tour of a tattoo parlor and didn't understand the huge fuss about it. The Tattoo is a musical performance/event that is compromised of many different musical acts. For example, there is traditional Scottish bagpippers in kilts, but there are also dancers from Tawain, a military marching band from Massachusetts (YAY!), and professional ,young motorcyclists. Tickets are usually sold out VERY far in advance, and our group tickets were purchased in November of 2006 just for this event!!! :)

After completing the castle tour with audioguides, we got sucked into the Scottish kilt-making museum, which turned out to be a black hole of gift shops. The weaving/textile factory was in the middle, and it required you to walk around through countless gift shops just to get out. I thought I would never see the light of day, but we finally made it out of there!

After the Castle, we grabbed lunch at a nearby café, and only had a small amount of of time before our next appointment at HolyRood, the palace of Scotland. We thought we would pop into the very famous Whiskey museum. I am not a fan of whiskey at all, but this tour changed my mind! After buying our tickets (about 7 pounds each), we went into the museum and were served a blended whiskey in a special whiskey glass. Our tour guide explained to us that blended whiskey means that it is part whiskey from barley and also part whiskey made from mixed grains. I learned how to swirl, smell, and taste the whiskey in a very posh manner. The whiskey didn't taste like anything--it didn't leave an alcohol smell/potency in my taste buds, but it partly burned/warmed my throat as it went down. It may sound strange, but I felt it more in my throat than my mouth. Through the tour, I learned numerous tidbits about whiskey (probably more than I ever wanted to know): it needs at least 3 years in a barrel to ferment, it varies in color and smell, and blended whiskies are produced at a much higher rate than barley whiskies. I also made the obvious connection to scotch. Whenever you hear someone in a movie say, "scotch on the rocks," they are referring to scottish whiskey. I'll get it next time Sean Connery utters that in a movie. The highlight of the whiskey museum was the barrel ride! We got to sit in barrels (made for about 4 people) and take a trip around the museum for the history of whiskey. The ride was dark, complete with life-like figures smuggling whiskey during its scarcity and at the end, we were led straight to the gift shop!

After the whiskey tour, we headed to the HolyRood, the old Scotland palace, and did a quick tour through there, since everyone was exhausted from all the walking/touring. We headed back to Pollock Halls for a quick dinner, and then left to go to the Military Tattoo, almost 2 hours early! The tattoo started at 9, but we were advised to get there as early as possible. The Royal Mile, the main street in Scotland, was shut down since the street was literally a wall of crowds to get into this event. After slowly making my way through the crowd, by grabbing onto sweatshirts of other friends and staying close with one of the group leaders, Margaret Love (doesn't she have a great name?), we finally made our way to our seats in the bleachers.

The actual Tattoo went by so quickly--there were so many amazing musical and performance acts, from the young boys (ages 6-12) who did motorcycle stunts to the military marching band from Massachusetts....I absolutely loved it! No wonder the event sells out so quickly. If you ever have a chance to go to Scotland, DEFINITELY going to the Military Tattoo, the castle, and the whiskey museum. More adventures to come involving our last day in Scotland...special appearance by penguins!

The Journey to Scotland--Day 1

Outside the Bronte Parsonage, at the Literary Lawn

At the Scotland Border

As I awoke to the sound of my alarm clock ding-ing, I read the black numbers: 6:00am. "You must be joking??!" I thought to myself, as I contemplated going back to sleep, when I realized I was not joking and today was an important day for me to get out of bed on time. It was of course, the trip to Scotland, the bonus weekend for four days around Edinburgh. What amounted to four days was in actuality 2, since the majority of Thursday and Sunday was traveling in a 59 passenger coach bus. By bus (not including stops), the Scotland trip would be around 8 hours. In order to alleviate the insanity that comes with being in a tightly enclosed space, the organizers of the trip included a 3 hour stop along the way, in Northern England at the Bronte Parsonage, the country estates of writers Charlotte (Jane Eyre, anyone?) and Emily Bronte.

After an incredibly early but delicious breakfast, we boarded the bus for Scotland. There are 49 people in the group total, and the coach bus fits 59, so there were 10 extra seats. Despite our scheming, I ended up with Yas (but on the way home we each got our own seats) as my seatpartner, which was fantastic, but still, cramped for space.

The stop at the Parsonage was a welcome relief. Our cook, Stewart, had made us each a boxed lunch--the best box lunch I had in my life! I signed up for a hummus and whole wheat sandwich, but I was surprised by the amount of food in the lunch--a piece of fruit, an apple juice, crackers and cheese, a piece of homemade vegetable quiche, and some sort of banana bread. It was spectacular and positively wonderful we didn't have to shell out extra cash for an expensive, tourist lunch. At the parsonage, we walked around and saw the countryside, including climbing to the top of the moors (small mountains) and walking through large fields near cattle and horses. We also had a chance to tour the Bronte home and I learned more about Charlotte Bronte--she was only around 4'10", lived a relatively short life, and her father was not as "sinister" as some of the autobiographies make him out to be. After spending several hours there, we were rounded back on the bus. However, some students spent longer than usually walking around (or um, going to get ice cream), so we ended up leaving from the parsonage at 3:00pm instead of 2:30pm. Our director, almost 70 years old and very regal, went to the front of the bus and grabbed the microphone: "I'm very disappointed with you all not being here on time. This is unacceptable. Bye." Somehow, the way he delivered it (perhaps the "bye" at the end, making it more like a phone conversation) was comical and we all burst out laughing. I was back on the bus early too and the same old cliche of "preaching to the choir" definitely applied here. C'mon now.

After several uneventful hours reading on the bus, occasionally napping, and playing movie games with my seatmates, we finally arrived outside of Edinburgh around 8pm. Tired and exhausted, we unpacked our belongings at Pollock Halls, part of the university that houses students there. My room was amazing, and much better than Cambridge....it had a shower and bathroom in the room, which was fantastic! By the time I unpacked and grabbed a quick bite to eat at the pub, it was around 10pm, and time for bed. We would all need a goodnight's sleep for the day(s) ahead! More to follow....