LONDON CALLING

Hey everyone...

Well, I did make it to London. I paid for the internet access to our apartment today but it didn't work. Everyone else's works, so I'm wondering if my MAC address was either input wrong or I wrote it down wrong, but I'm mildly annoyed because I've paid them for it & I would like the chance to be able to USE it. I might call the guy tomorrow and check. Fortunately, one of my flatmates is delighted to let me use her computer to check my email and stuff. So, a short update for everyone.

London is lovely, I think I have a very fickle heart but I could easily say that I love this city. The very first night Kyu & I went all over the place, sat in Trafalger square and watched the sun set, the lights come on in the fountains & on Big Ben. We had a wee picnic from Marks & Spencer. It was great. Then some Irishman tried to pick me up. He really wants to have dinner with me, but he's old enough to be my dad and I think he has the wrong idea - he has the American concept of women. I've been hit on a half a dozen times already and I've been here 48 hours. It's crazy. But Sunday Kyu and I went out again and did the bus tour thing, then we went back to Trafalger square because there was a big Korean food festival there. Kyu is Korean - her parents moved to the states when they were 19 & started a shop in New Jersey. It was really cool because Kyu speaks Korean fluently, so to hear her talk to everyone and have her explain everything was neat.

I went to classes this morning & all my profs seem cool. Very funny and personable - it would appear already that there is a LOT less reading here than there was in Edinburgh. It is my understanding that the ABA came down on them for having too much reading for a summer course a couple years back. Since the Edinburgh peeps were unwilling to reduce the amount of reading, they reduced it in London for those of us that are doing both. There is hardly any reading. Next monday we're going to Wandsworth Prison. We've been told that all the girls must wear trousers & have been warned that it might be uncomfortable. But come on, it's a maximum security prison for men. What do you expect? I had to go out & buy some type of trouser. I found a pair of linen black trousers with a tie waist for 15 GBP on clearance. I figure they'll do well, it can't hurt to have a pair to trousers that AREN'T jeans. I'm actually getting a little sick of my jeans already. I miss my wardrobe!!!

So, in summation, I've made it here. I have my oyster card & checked into my apartment. My roommate is VERY cool - today she went shopping with me and we're very much on the same level. We're about the same age (she's 32) so we're both into this place where we like to do fun stuff but we aren't rampant about it. We had a great time weaving our way down Oxford Street today looking for sweatshirts and pants, buying postcards, all that stuff. So London is lovely thus far. I'm doing more walking than I even did in Edinburgh, which makes a great deal of sense because it's a MUCH larger city. My shoes are going to be quite worn in by the time I get to Europe.

It's so crazy that I'm here!

And time marches on...

Today Ben and I are writing our papers. It's insane. I'm nearly done - just have the last comparative portion to do which really should consist of about 3 paragraphs. I want to have it done by 1:00 GMT so that I can email it to Steenson's assistant and be done with it. Then I can set aside Comparative Constitutional History and move on to International Environmental Law. Our final is tomorrow morning at 9am. I want to do fairly well. I managed somehow to bring my GPA up with the spring semester - Crim Law grade & all. So I'd like to continue that trend. If I could get 2 A's this time around, then another 2 with my classes in London, I would be very, very happy.

I am in awe that we are leaving for London day after tomorrow. It blows my mind that I have been in Edinburgh for three weeks already!!! It went by so fast...I think I have mostly my classes to thank for that. Tomorrow is finals in the morning, then laundry and packing and all that jazz. I plan on leaving for the airport on the shuttle at 8:30 ish from Waverly Station, my flight to London is at 11:20 AM on Saturday. The only part that I'm really dreading is the evil figuring out how to get from Gatwick to the place where I pick up the keys to our apartment and then sorting out how to get to the apartment. Once I get there and can ditch all my stuff, I can get the lay of the land, walk around and figure out where school is in relation to where we're staying. I am NOT looking forward to having a roommate that I don't know & don't pick that I actually share a room with. A lot of the other students are really in the "we're overseas so we're going to live it up!" phase - thus, if I end up with them as an actually room-sharing-person and they're staggering in at 3am, I'm going to be CRANK-Y. I'll take my chances, it's only three weeks. But like I said, for all that I am determined to enjoy London and really experience the city, I want to do well in these classes.

I am determined to go see a couple shows while I'm in London. I really want to go and see some of the theatre that they have going on there. It's like New York - there is just so much to do and see that I want to really experience. While we were here in Edinburgh, we went out of the city one weekend to travel, but I know that I'm doing more traveling once I'm done in London, so I'm thinking I'm going to hang out in London both weekends so that I can really see London.

OK - enough rambling. I have to get this paper done. I am so close & today is study day for us.

Life's little ironies...

OK folks - my stomach is really not appreciating Scottish "cuisine." Maybe more than you want to know at this point in our "relationship" - but I am reduced to eating only what I really KNOW and it must be PACKAGED. What a long strange trip it's been down the road of adjusting to other countries...and the fun has only just begun!!! My roommates think I have some bizarre stomach disorder - or I'm bulimic. I'm certain of it...

The "little ironies" comment may be lost on many, but I'm studying Comparative United States & British Constitutional History here in bonny Scotland, and one of my classmates sent me this ARTICLE from the Washington Post today about the Senator from NY acting like Oliver Cromwell and it was terribly appropo. I found it to be HILARIOUS. It simply fits well with what we're studying. The visual of this calamity running around the floor of the Senate was more than I could handle...too funny.

Well, the professor smiled on us today and practically handed us the final. He really outlined what he is looking for in this paper and I can't even begin to articulate how grateful I am. Even if that means I need to delete 4 pages of what I wrote. At least I know that I'll be on the right track. Super helpful. Today I was also musing on how easily and quickly I adjusted to unemployment - I'm not freaking out about money (yet!) or anything. I'm just enjoying the ride at this point. This week I decided I "needed" one non-school book. I bought Bertrand Russell's "In Praise of Idleness" and I'm really enjoying it. It speaks to me. I might adopt some of it as my life philosophy!!!

Places not to get lost...

Oh my, my legs are killing me!! I decided to climb Arthur's Seat last night - but I started at the wrong END...I started near Holyrood Palace and went up & down - then realized that I had to go up AGAIN to get to the top! It was worth the climb - I got some absolutely gorgeous PICTURES from up there. Coming down, got lost again. I was trying to find a better way down - something that wasn't straight up the side of the cliff!!! But I ended up on a side of the mountain that was a sheer drop off and there was no one up there but the bunnies & I. Whoops. Note to self - be very careful to remember which way I came (at that moment, I was VERY glad I left a note for the roommates...just in case.) But I found my way back - it was just a pop over the top of the hill again. I was disgustingly sweaty. I probably walked 10 miles - and most of it is straight uphill. Actually, coming DOWN the hill was worse.

Today I am determined to get a run on my papers. I'm going to have a huge, hearty Full Scottish (obscene breakfast including eggs, toast, sausage, beans, potatoes...you get the idea) then buckle down & get cracking. Hopefully I'll eat enough that I won't need to eat for the rest of the day & I can see if I can totally knock it out. The idea of a 20 page paper is intimidating because it takes me a long time to write & ruminate. I have to work on it NOW so that later this week I can edit.

Our paper has to be HOW many pages?

OK - I am actually enjoying my classes here, but I need to get cracking on the papers that I have to write. I need to do an 8 page scenario for International Environmental Law & a 20 page paper for my final exam on Comparative Constitutional History. I need to really WORK on that one. So I've decided to stay in Edinburgh this weekend. The weather is supposed to be really nice Sunday, so that day I'm going to climb MacArthur's Seat, then tomorrow I'm going to go to Edinburgh Castle. That way, the rest of the time I can work on my papers. I'd like to have the Scenario done and then have a substantial portion of the other paper at least roughed out. I put an outline down on paper in class today, so that should give me something to get started on.

Yesterday's bus tour was...interesting. It was fun to go see things - I climbed alllllll the way up the mountain and then up to the top of the Wallace Monument. You'll see in the PICTURES that this is quite the climb. Stirling Castle was beautiful - again, I struck out on my own and looked around. I got some great shots in the garden in the front and again in the back. Loch Katrine was very pretty - we were trotted through there in 20 minutes. Whatever...I did have the chance to get a great picture of a caterpillar. There are also pictures of an infamous Highland Cow (pronounced "Coo"). This one's name is Hamish & he's more of a pet - but up north they really raise them as cattle too. I was excited to get to see one...they're really cute! As predicted, some of the students were a bit rowdy...but what are you going to do, right?

I can hardly believe that next week is my last week in Scotland! Then it will be off to London! I feel like I'm still getting the feel of the place. I like the idea of spending some real time in a place - that is how you get to know things like "my" pub and where I can buy groceries and such. But it's good. Today I mailed a box of stuff from Scotland to Mom & Dad - some Scotch for dad, some chocolate for Mom. Hopefully it makes it there in one piece!!!

FINALLY! An afternoon off!

Finally we have an afternoon where we don't have anything to DO after class and I can sit and update you all. I took the afternoon to climb Calton Hill, which afforded me a beautiful view of Edinburgh. It was so lovely to just stand up there and look out over the city and the bay. I loved having the chance to just wander around on my own. I spend so much time in my little part of Edinburgh, that I don't feel like I get out very much. Right now I'm back at "my" pub up the hill from my apartment enjoying my turkey burger & salad. I love that they have free WiFi & they are starting to recognize me. I like that. I like Edinburgh better when I'm not with a herd of law students - who incidentally act like loud, crazy Americans. I really feel it when we're in a group and then people assume that we are all the same. Yikes. I feel closer to the city when I'm out in it on my own and wandering around. It's awesome then. Perhaps we, as Americans, are less insane and intimidating one at a time as opposed to a massive group!!

They are keeping us really busy for class. Tomorrow we are going to Stirling Castle, the Wallace Monument, and Loch Katrine. I'm really looking forward to the trip, my only hope is that the weather holds out - the weather has been cruddy most days. Today it's lovely, though!!! The trip should be great, I think that is a fabulous way to spend a school day.

I've decided that I love tea - I'm rapidly becoming a convert. I'm drinking loads of it. We'll see - Austria is much more a coffee country, but I love coffee too.

OH - and I'd be in GENEVA in January - not Berlin - if I go. My bad. I don't know why I got all turned around. But Geneva is awesome too!! That isn't on my list of places to visit, so may as well add it!!!

Edinburgh, Oban, Balloch, Loch Lomond...

This weekend 2 women from class & I went to Balloch at the southern end of Loch Lomond then on to Oban for Saturday and Sunday. I took tons of PICTURES. It was a lot of fun, by the end we were totally beat. Loch Lomond (yes...like the song "on the bonny, bonny banks of Loch Lomond...") was FABULOUS. It was a perfect day. We ended up staying at Dalkirk Farm on the edge of town in a 3 bed room that was once the stable. It was charming - replete with sheep, cows, the whole 9 yards. The owners were such a darling couple that were simply astounded that we walked all the way from the train station to their house. We had such a nice day - we took a boat trip up the Loch, then hiked up to the castle that is on the lake. We spent an hour just sitting on a dock watching people play with their dogs and the boats go up and down. We then went to Trosachs National Forest where there is literally an art exhibit IN the forest. It's fascinating to look at. Then we BARELY escaped a downpour and ended up eating fish & chips (OMG - I got SO sick. So much for thinking after all these years I could eat fried food!). Then we went out to the farm for the night.

We originally were going to go to the Isle of Syke, but realized by the time we got there, we'd have to turn around and come right back, so we decided to go to Oban. On the way out we had a 1.5 hour stop in Dumbarton Central so we went walking around (smmmmmallll town in Scotland) and ended up having scones and tea at a church fundraiser for Alzheimers!! We had scones with church ladies. They were so cute & were delighted to tell us all about their trip to the United States -- to Las Vegas!!! I loved it. Originally we were going to go to the Isle of Mull, but there was a random football (read: soccer) tourny on the Isle so we couldn't get accommodations on the Ilse & it was POURING. We ended up staying in Oban and going to the Oban Distillery, the Chocolate Company, and out to dinner at the Waterfront Bar where I had the BEST fish pie. Then we went to this place called MacTavish's where we saw a "Scottish Show" including bagpipes, a tiny girl dancing over swords and a singer (which was actually only marginal - yikes). Finally we got a good nights sleep at the B&B. We walked a TON. I had a great weekened, but now I'm glad to be back. It was long, strange trip. We did have a good time. This morning we ended up chatting with a woman from the United States who has been living in London for the past 4 years working for the Justice Department at the Embassy. She was REALLY interesting - she told us that we HAVE to go see a show in London - that they are fabulous. She has worked for the Justice Department for 40 years. I was telling her how I was also selected for the internship at the London Embassy but that I turned it down for the UN - she told me that was GOOD because they pretty much treat their interns like errand runners. Phew! Missed that boat. Thank goodness!

In summation – a lot of rain, but a lot of fun. I took so many random pictures (see link above) that are a lot of fun. Scotland is gorgeous – once we were on our way to Oban, the train ride alone was a treat and made it worth the trip. Thus far my only real complaint…the exchange rate. UGH!!! What is the US doing wrong???