Journey Into the Highlands

This week was my first break from lectures at University of Edinburgh, and my flatmate and I decided to take the opportunity to explore some of the country! We boarded a bus bound for Inverness, a city in the Scottish Highlands. It was my first time in a moving vehicle since I’ve been here- I usually get around on foot or by bike- and it was pretty strange. Being in a car is not something I miss! Nevertheless, it was a gorgeous bus ride north, and watching the landscape change from ancient city to rural valleys was pretty amazing. We arrived in Inverness late in the afternoon, and spent some time exploring the small, charming city.

I had never staying in a youth hostel before, but it’s definitely an experience worth having. It sort of felt like crashing at a family friend’s house for a few nights. Our hostel was small and cozy, with a fireplace, kitchen, and a phenomenal view out the window.

 

Inverness is close to famous Loch Ness, home of the elusive and illustrious Nessie the lake monster. The lake was snowy and beautiful, and so was Nessie.

 

We traveled westward to Portree, a small city on the Isle of Skye, one of Scotland’s most picturesque places. There are numerous paintings of Skye in the Scottish National Gallery, and I had been admiring them for weeks before our trip. The weather was chilly and wet, as Scottish winters tend to be, but that only made the views more stunning.

 

We returned to Edinburgh after a 9-hour bus ride, and I was happy to be back on my feet, out of a bus, and into my own bed. It felt good to be back in a city I know, and one that’s quickly become a home.

Upon finding yourself in another country…

When you arrive in a new place, there’s an instinctual desire to do as much as possible to conform- through clothing, activities, the amount you participate in classes. There’s this immediate comfort that you find in being the same as everyone else, until you realize how silly it is. I spent my first week in Edinburgh wishing that I didn’t sound and look so American. I arrived in the city with the belief that, in order to TRULY immerse myself in Scottish culture and society, I’d have to surrender my American ways. It wasn’t until recently that I’ve really realized how stifling and totally unsustainable that can be.

I’ve been in Edinburgh for a month, and I’ve realized that studying abroad is not about conforming completely to another culture or place, but about making links between the life you’re familiar with and the one with which you aren’t. The major avenue through which I’ve done this so far has been music. I joined the university’s Folk Society (FolkSoc, pronounced “folk sock”), which is a bit like Chase the Fiddlers at Bates, and have introduced a few American fiddle tunes to their repertoire. I listen to the Punch Brothers loudly on my iPod as I walk to class. Yesterday, I rented out a practice room in the Music Building and spent hours playing the American and French-Canadian tunes learned in Maine. I’m no longer shy about being from another country, and that’s led me to enjoy my experience in Edinburgh even more.

And now for some beautiful photos (perhaps unrelated to the above text, but I’m sure you won’t mind):

Just a few miles outside of city center, there’s beautiful farmland and hills.

The University has an allotment (vegetable garden) outside one of its science buildings, and we all know how fond of gardens this girl is…(CLICK!)

And lastly, for my fellow geology lovers, the Salisbury Crags near Arthur’s Seat.

Views

View from Arthur's Seat

Fish & Chips and the Philosopher’s Stone

Last night was Burns Night in Edinburgh! It’s traditional to drink whiskey, eat haggis, wear a kilt, and recite Robert Burns’ poetry all through the night. Bars and pubs were packed, and there were certainly kilts galore. I set out with a small group of friends for dinner at a pub called the Green Lantern, a few minutes away from central campus. Fish and chips (french fries) is a traditional Scottish meal, and we were all in the traditional sort of mood. A few minutes after ordering, our table was piled with plates of fried, delicious fish and potatoes and the most impressive array of sauces I’ve seen at one time.

After our meal, we wandered over to a small bar for a Pub quiz with the university’s Harry Potter Society. If you didn’t know, J.K. Rowling is a famous resident of Edinburgh, and is said to have done much of her boy-wizard writing at the Elephant House cafe just a few minutes from where I have class. (The bathroom in the Elephant House is covered with graffiti– “Wingardium Leviosa!”and “I <3 U NEVILLE!!!!!!” and “Cedric Diggory is totally HAWT”).

I was sorted into Hufflepuff House for the night, and the quiz began. Now, I’m no Harry Potter novice– I’ve read all of the books, seen most of the movies, I’ve been to a few midnight premieres– but my Hogwarts knowledge came nowhere close to that of the veteran HP Society members. To make a long story short, I was amazed at the depth with which these folks knew their favorite wizarding series. For example, did YOU that Hermione scored 112% on her first Charms exam? Neither did I.

I didn’t eat haggis or drink whiskey, but had a happy Burns Night nonetheless!

Cooking for one in Edinburgh

It’s been a week since I arrived in Edinburgh! Although “settled” is a vague term, I’ve more or less settled into a routine here, and it’s been wonderful and new. I finally recovered from jet lag, and can therefore (more or less) function as a normal human being, which helps quite a bit when it comes to making friends. I’m living in a flat with three other girls, and we’ve got a kitchen! What a thrilling thing for a lover of cooking! In my living situation, I have not only the ability to cook meals for myself, it’s necessity. The result, so far, has been some pretty unorthodox-yet-delicious dishes. I’ve never had so much say in what I eat, and it’s truly very powerful. Here’s a little peak at what I mean- I’m confident you’ll understand what I mean by unorthodox…

Butternut Squash, Carrot, and Chickpeas over Rice

Grate a cup of butternut squash and 1 large carrot, sauté in a few tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat 

When squash and carrots are nearly soft, add a cup of cooked chickpeas.

Add a generous pinch of salt, a few shakes of black pepper, and a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar.

Serve over rice!

You’ll have to trust me that it was positively delectable.  I can tell that the cooking experiences I’ll have this semester will hang with me all my life. On another note, here are some neat photos taken around my building and on my daily walk to campus:

The view from my window.

 

From a Third-Floor Flat in Scotland

Today was my first day abroad in Edinburgh, Scotland. Before this weary traveller goes to sleep, I thought I’d share a few thoughts as this long and magnificent day comes to an end.

This ‘day’ was actually a marathon of days, starting yesterday afternoon when I arrived at Newark airport and tearily bid farewell to my parents at the international terminal. One look at the inhabitants of Gate 80, however, showed me that I was far from being alone in my travels. Nearly every other seat was occupied by a bright-eyed and nervous-looking American college student, bound for the University of Edinburgh, just as I was. Some flipped frantically through travel documents, while others exchanged goodbyes with family members on their cell phones. I struggled at first to keep my backpack, coat, and fiddle in order, like an overburdened mother trying to keep track of her many children. (“Sit STILL, you three!”, the stress-laden college student screamed at her inanimate objects).

The flight was remarkably smooth. I was seated next to another student bound for Edinburgh, and next to him sat a young Scottish man who, to our delight, turned out to be a guide for one of Scotland’s most raved-about touring companies. He shared wisdom on sites not to be missed, beers not to be overlooked, and made us practice our pronunciation of the word Edinburgh (“Edin-BRAH! Edin-BRAH!”).

When the plane landed, the local time was 7:30 in the morning. The day was just beginning, yet I hadn’t slept a wink. (Needless to say, I’m thrilled at the imminent joy that is bedtime!) The day proceeded as I met my flatmates, navigated cobble sidewalks, and tried not to pass out at the sight of remarkable, centuries-old architecture. A truly emotional, exhausting, and inspiring start to a semester-shaped journey.

Auld Lang Syne? Totally Scottish.

Happy 2012!

Amidst the revel and celebration that marks the beginning of a new year, I’ve found myself  steeped in awe; in less than two weeks, I’ll be boarding a plane to Edinburgh, Scotland for a semester abroad at Edinburgh University. My winter vacation has been oddly reminiscent of the summer before starting college- I’ve been signing up for orientation events, choosing my housing situation, and (my Geology professors would approve) looking at countless Google Earth satellite images of the city to which I’m headed.

In the weeks to follow, I’ll try to give some insight on what it’s like to leave Bates for a semester. What will 5 months in Scotland be like? I know you’re on the very edge of your seat! Read on!

Now, if you’ll pardon me, I’ve got to get back to memorizing this list of common Scottish sayings.

A Case of Contra Nostalgia

For the second year in a row, Freewill Folk Society is organizing the Bates Community Folk Festival ! It’ll be a glorious February weekend of amazing folk music concerts, student performances, jams, and tons of contradancing. Though I’m sad that I won’t be on campus for the event (see here), I’m happy just to be a part of the planning.

Sitting here in my New Jersey kitchen, thinking about the festival and the incredible dances I attended this semester, however, brings about a horrible case of what I’d like to call “contra-nostalgia”. In order to understand contra-nostalgia, you’ve got to understand a little bit about the contradance scene in New England.

Contradances happen ALL the time in Maine. There are multiple dances a week, and if you went to all of them, you’d find yourself travelling to every corner of the state. At Bates, there’s a dance nearly every month.

(Not sure what a contradance is? Click here and here )

Widespread though the dances may be, the New England contradance community is surprisingly tight-knit, and familiar faces abound after attending just a few dances. Not just familiar faces, but friendly, kind, warm faces.

The monthly dance in North Yarmouth, ME.

Add in foot-stompin’ live folk music to the mix, and you’ll begin to understand why it’s not unlikely for a contradancer to go to a dance every weekend.

The band Sassafras Stomp performing in N. Yarmouth.

The cure for contra-nostalgia? When there’s no dance for miles around, that’s a tough one, but writing about it sure is a step.

The November Blues

It’s no secret- I’ve been neglecting my blog lately! I’m not sure why, but it seems like November is the month in which my work ethic tends to tank. I think it’s a combination of things: my classes, while still unbelievably great, have lost their newness and with it has gone my initial excitement to dive head-first into readings and lab reports and projects. I can see the end of the semester, and that’s sort of a dangerous thing. My focus has shifted away from Bates and onto my semester in Scotland, which is approaching quickly! I realized this all over Thanksgiving break, and have actually returned with a renewed sense of excitement for the work that awaits in these next few weeks.

On another note, my Geology classes have once again provided some of the most beautiful photo-ops in Maine. Here are a few:

Sprague Marsh in Phippsburg, where my Hydrogeology class has been doing field work.

My classmates pull up an auger that was drilled into the marsh peat, sand, and silt. The data gathered from the auger helped to make a geologic cross-section of the marsh.

The moon rising over Schoodic Peninsula in Acadia National Park.

Watching the sun rise from the top of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park. Cadillac is the first place you see the sun rise in the entire country!

The view as we climbed the "Beehive" in Acadia.

First-year seminar students gather on Sand Beach for a mini-lecture about the composition of the sand.

Don’t Fret: The Binder Was Just Hiding.

Last weekend, members of Northfield, Bates’ folk a cappella group, made a very important discovery. We had been searching since the beginning of the school year for our famous big blue binder. Ever since I joined Northfield my freshman year, I had admired this over-sized, overflowing gem of Bates folk music  history, which to date contains most of the songs that Northfield has sung for pleasure and for performances since the group formed over a decade ago.

Needless to say, as this year’s leader, I was terrified at the thought of the precious thing having been lost in the hustle-bustle of last year’s graduation! It was nowhere to be found, and we all but forgot about it.

That is, until last weekend. Sarah Davis, a Northfield alumna who graduated in 2010, paid us a visit to teach the group about “shapenote singing”, an interval-based form of reading music in which each note has a different shape according to its distance from the base note. Sounds complicated, no? Apparently it was developed to allow people with no musical background to be able to sight-read song music. Personally, I think it’d be much easier for these folks to learn to read music, but that’s not the point.

With Sarah coming, we had extra incentive to find our giant songbook, and find it we did, deep in the closet of another club’s office! To make a long story short, I’m totally transfixed by this collection of sheet music. It’s an incredibly powerful thing to hold that much history in your hands. Sarah’s arrival marked another happy transfer of knowledge through song from one Bates “generation” to the next, which is really what Northfield is all about. I’m excited to see what we’ll add to that famous binder this year.