I have officially settled back in here in Edinburgh. Classes started last week and I am getting pumped up for a new trimester of learning. I'm taking Strategic Brand Management, Global Marketing and International Festival and Event Management this year and so far they are all excellent! Now that I know what my assessments will be for this spring I'm trying to get an early start on them. Also, I got my results from last trimester back and you all will be happy to know that my formula for balancing nose-to-the-grindstone time and adventuring time has payed off. Though the grading system is different here, I've managed to get top marks on everything (still waiting on the results of my last exam, but I feel confident enough to brag about things in advance - signed, Hopefully Not Jinxing Myself). Thus, with good grades and a good attitude, I'm ready for this new trimester and hoping to repeat the performance. However, there is one terrifying blight on this upcoming trimester and it takes the form of my dissertation! Let's say it all together - "We're so scarreeedddd!" Don't worry, I don't have to write it right now, but I DO have to prepare by putting together a 4,000 word (12 inches of parchment for my Harry Potter fans?) research proposal, so if any of you have tips, now is the time to share them!
Now, on to the adventuring! Another great thing about this trimester is my schedule - I have class all day on Monday and Thursday, but don't have anything on Tuesday or Wednesday and only have one hour of class on Fridays. So far, this has meant more walking adventures than usual in the past couple weeks as I can now go gallivanting on those mid-week days, too! Last week, I walked around the neighborhood and stumbled upon an old cemetery for veterans which was stunningly beautiful and only a little bit creepy. On Wednesday of last week, I went to check out Inverleith Park which has a delightful pond and an inordinate amount of adorable dogs! Then Marianthi (a fellow program member) and I walked up to what we assumed was a castle but turned out to be a college (which can sometimes mean high school here)! We definitely tried to sneak in, but the security was pretty tight and we didn't want to get arrested.
This week, Marianthi and I went to the little village of Duddingston to explore. Now, I had heard there was a cool garden to check out and an old kirk, which I'm very fond of, but I had no idea there was also a pseudo-mountain and a loch! Needless to stay, the scenery struck me dumb (or dumber, I suppose. lol) So we walked halfway up the mountain to get a better view of the loch, but were also just enjoying some amazing weather here! The sun was shining, the lake was frozen, the mountain was green - it was all just lining up beautifully. Plus, as soon as we arrived I saw this store:
So...enough said. As a bonus, we stopped into the Sheep's Heid for lunch and discovered that it is actually the oldest existing public house in the whole of Scotland. And we got more fancy hot cocoa. I'm going to start a fireside chat called Fancy Hot Chocolates with a Hot Chocolate (aka yours truly).
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