Losing Teeth to the Loch Ness Monster

The Napier Whisky Society took a trip to the highlands to visit Scotland's smallest and largest distilleries. There were 27 people on two small buses, none happened to be from Scotland. Most were German, Swedish, and English. The first day, people started drinking on the bus at 11 am. They kept it up (me too, yikes!) til 3 am and then began again the next morning at 9am. So, more of a drinking trip than an educational one, which I should have expected. We went to Edradour, the smallest distillery in Scotland and one that produces less whisky in a year than Glenfiddich (the other distillery we visited) does in a week. Other interesting sites were the Loch Ness (recent Nessie spotting BTW) and Fort George, built in the early 17 hundreds. My two most memorable moments were speeding along Loch Ness to that "Do it like they do it on Discovery Channel" song while drinking expensive single malt whisky and when I was speaking to a Swedish guy named Anton when his front tooth suddenly fell out.

Mush i de thiol i

To learn about Scotland's culture, I ask millions of questions. I especially love learning Gaelic phrases (but mostly from Irish people who tend to learn at least some in primary school). For instance, “más í de thoil í ” means “please.” (I probably butchered the accents and spelling) it sounds like “mush e de hull e” and, “is a`nm dom,” means, “my name is.” I like learning about the history of Scotland and listening to old men in pubs talking about modern politics (although I don't always understand them). I'm missing out on a lot I'm sure just by being here for such a short time. It's really hard for me to say which parts of a culture I like or dislike most. I don't feel like I have spent enough time here to really tell that.

School or no school

Having a visitor from the US has really pointed out how little time I spend in class. I have four day weekends and usually no homework. This is majorly different from my experiences in the US with over 20 hours of class per week and homework every night. As a foreigner here, it has been greatly to my advantage to have so much time off as I am able to spend long weekends exploring. Another difference is that here they have long term projects that start in the first year and continue until graduation. They also must choose what to study upon entering Napier and then take courses almost exclusively in that field. This is at least what I have understood so far.
Having class only two or three times a week allows students to participate in clubs, internships, and keep jobs. I consider this a huge advantage as students are able to have a more rounded education and be able to at least partially support themselves.
The only problems I have experienced are the long gaps between classes from week to week and how this may reduces my ability to stay focused. My previous experience in university makes this one seem easier, but I am also not participating in the long term projects, and I don't have and internship or a job.

Puffin or no puffin...

Just got back from Oban and the Isle of Mull. We woke up at 6 am two days in a row to catch the earliest train out of Edinburgh and the earliest ferry out of Oban.
We caught the Isle of Mull's first bus ride of the day and asked our bus driver about a cheese factory we were dying to tour. He let us out in the middle of nowhere with nothing open and not a soul in sight.Then, along came the post man who told us the cheese factory was actually 20 minutes away and that our bus driver was a liar... we then had a very "Leap Year" experience trying to make our way through pastures and up and down muddy roads to the factory. There was no one there but a man tending to the calves and he let us in to see them. There was also a shop with a sign that said, "Sorry there is no one here to help you. Please help yourself to the cheese. Money goes in the box and change is in the rooster. Have a nice day."
We bought cheese, got our change and then went off to see the capitol city, Tobermory. The town in squished between a cliff and the bay and is one row wide. We stayed there for the sunrise and then the sunset(no longer very far apart). We never saw any puffins, but we did see eagles, herons, and three swimming seals.
The ferry ride back was a huge contrast to our day in the quiet fishing villages as there was a group of more than 40 rugby players dressed in wrestling garb on their way to a costume party in Glasgow.

St. Andros St. Adrews

First of all I met someone named Andro, a name he legally changed to from Andrew when he was 9 years old.
Secondly, the same night another Scottish person I was playing laser tag and then cranium with, told us how cranium was no longer fun for him because the last time he played he had to act out "edible underwear" to his "wee grandma."
Thirdly, I went to St. Andrews the city and saw the ruins of a huge cathedral built in the early 1300's and attended by Robert the Bruce.

Where Mary, Queen of Scots Was Born

Linlithgo Palace was built a really long time ago. Mary was born there in 1542. How did they build those things?

More problems being normal

Over the weekend, I went to Loch Lomond ("I'll take the high road, and you take the low road....in Loch LOooooooomand!")It's one of the largest lakes (lochs) in the British Isles and sits at the border between the lowlands and the highlands. On our way there we stopped at a wool mill where there was man chasing miniature horses around in a pasture. The horses chased the sheep and at first I thought is was some funny spin on Babe. So, to be funny in front of the large group of watching tourists, I said, "what are they? ha ha...Sheep herding horses?" The man said, "Actually, they were historically bred for pulling carts." ......
Later that day I went to a French party where most of the people were French and there was French food and drinks. In another attempt to be funny, and to salvage an extremely boring conversation with a Frenchman, I imitated my French roommate's thick French accent. It did not go over well, but it did allow me freedom from my failing conversation.

Rugby and the Queen

On Saturady we went to see Vinnie play rugby. We ended up at the wrong game until we figured out that he was second string. They didn't seem very good, but what do I know?
WE accidentally met up with all of them later, after the Ceilidh. They were drunk and hilarious and we made friends with several. A really old man kissed me and said he was so happy to see me again, even though I don't think we had really ever met.
The Queen's Palace was great. I especially enjoyed learning about Mary's tragedies. I loved that we could climb the spiral staircase and see her bed chambers. It was interesting how many royal people's hair was stashed in lockets and gifted to others. What a peculiar thing to be presented with. I loved all the portraits and noted that even with different ideals of beauty, those royal people were not a handsome bunch.

Post-Pope and Mary King's Close

The underground city is actually the foundation for modern High Street. The ghost tour was not very ghostly but more informative. I can see why there was so much disease, lots of closed in spaces, no plumbing, no fresh air, lots of rat/flea habitat.
The Pope wasn't wearing his giant hat. What a disappointment. I also learned that he uses the 16 mil for good (not evil) JK. I don't know for sure. This is all stuff my roommates said. I will look it up.

The Pope and Being a Tourist

The Pope will be in town tomorrow. All public transportation to the city center has been shutdown and my street has barricades on both sides. Scotland, or someone, paid 16 million for the Pope to come and speak with victims of violence? That's a lot of money for one person.
Also, tonight all my friends and I will be touring the second layer of Edinburgh through Mary Queen's Close. Edinburgh is apparently a three layered city in parts. Instead of demolishing and rebuilding, the first layer was built on top of and then the second. The black plague went rampant down there, when peasants rented out the underground city. We will be seeing the part beneath the Royal Mile tonight and then will be up to see the Pope's parade in the morning.