Scotland- Katie vs. Kady

First glimpses of Scotland, birds-eye-view!

Edinburgh Castle, bug's-eye-view!

The view from my (dirty) hotel window.

The view across the street from the hotel we stayed at the first two days. The big building with the clock tower is a very fancy hotel.

Hello! I have finally conquered the great and terrible internet connection monster and am writing from my very cold room. I was not given a bedding set at the start of term for some reason, so I ran out and bought the cheapest duvet I could- it's not the wooliest and warmest of blankets. Also, the heating system is a bit odd- I have to press this little button for the heat to go on, and then it goes off after a half hour so I have to press it again. It's a nice way to avoid wasting energy, but still!

Anyways, Scotland is interesting. The first few days were a little miserable- Margaux and TK, take heed! It's not easy being in a strange country without really knowing anybody at all! However, the start of classes has been a big help, and I've been going out with students in my building. The amount of bars and clubs in this city is absolutely insane! Not to mention the fact that there's a bar in the student union building and it looks like Hogwarts. Beer for lunch!

It's odd getting used to all the little differences. The electrical plugs need to be switched on before you can use them, crosswalks are not at the corners, I don't recognize anything in the grocery store, and people actually use one-pound coins (it makes me view "loose change" much differently). Almost every Scottish or English person I've met has questioned me about the pronunciation of my name- anyone with a UK accent pronounces it "kay-tee" and my American accent says "kay-dee". I never noticed before, but people are astonished that I don't pronounce the "tee" correctly.

Regardless, I'm loving Edinburgh more and more. The city is beautiful and the people are generally very friendly. On my way to class I look down the streets and see crags and hills. There are no skyscrapers and the taxi-drivers are charming. I'm hesitant to whip out my camera for fear of looking like a total tool-box, but I'll post more pictures soon.

katie