Pints for a pound, or $1.35

I hardly remember what I did this week because it went by very quickly. Much quicker than last week, for sure. I think as I've gotten more settled here it's become apparent to me that this is not just a vacation - it's my life for the next four months. 

Admittedly four months is a somewhat daunting period of time from where I sit now.  I'm having a wonderful time so far and am excited for the travel and experiences that await me, but that's a darn long time - likely the longest I'll ever be living outside the U.S. It's been pretty easy to make the adjustment so far, probably because the people here speak English too. I feel confident going anywhere and doing anything since I know I can always ask for advice or directions. And ask I have!

But now on to week two:

On Tuesday the interns attended a meeting of the finance committee at the Scottish Parliament. I wish we had known anything about what they were discussing, but we didn't and thus it was hard to follow and boring. I always feel bad when I think such things are boring, cause that's supposed to be my area of interest. But I will not tell a lie. It was interesting to finally make it inside the building, though. More on that later.

I watched the inauguration in a pub at the student union, surrounded by hundreds of excited Americans, Scots, and people from all over the world. The atmosphere was electric. I've heard before how much people from other countries follow U.S. politics, but it really impressed me that all these people would take the time to watch the inauguration and speech of another country's leader. I'll always remember where I was.

[caption id="attachment_124" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="The crowd of international students attentively watching the inauguration coverage."][/caption]

Wednesday was cultural field trip round two, and Paddy escorted us to the John Knox house and St. Giles Church on the Royal Mile. For those of you who did not have 13 years of Catholic education supplemented by the tour of a bearded man who knows everything there is to know about Scotland and its history, John Knox was a preacher during the Protestant Reformation. I've been less-than-impressed with the multiple museums and points of interest in Edinburgh thus far, and the John Knox house was another example of historical hokiness. At one point Paddy pushed all 15 of us into a teeny-sized room and made us listen to an audio presentation, of which the only line I remember is "Mary, Queen of Scots is a WHORE!" 

St. Giles Church was really beautiful, though. It's famous because John Knox delivered an important sermon there during the Reformation but even without that it would be worth visiting. There's a chapel within the church that was absolutely stunning, full of intricate carvings . It's called the Thistle Chapel and it's the meeting place for some semi-secret Scottish society. Sorry, no pictures since they are not allowed inside (which I found out the hard way - I took a picture and as soon as I put my camera down I looked over to the information table to see a sign saying "no photography" and a guard looking disapprovingly at me).  But as in journalism it's always better to ask for forgiveness than for permission.

[caption id="attachment_126" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="The not-so-fabulous John Knox House."][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_127" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="The exterior of St. Giles Church."][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_129" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="The interns being talked at by Paddy, who can amazingly lead tours not only on the streets but also inside every historical building and museum in Edinburgh."][/caption]

One more interesting tidbit from our tour: there's a design on the cobblestone in front of St. Giles known as the "Heart of Midlothian." Imagine my surprise when as we are standing right by it, random people spit on it. Who would want to spit on a pretty heart? But apparently, according to our omniscient tour guide, it's a football (for you Americans that's soccer) thing. Supporters of the team it represents spit on the heart for good luck and other teams' supporters spit on it as a sign of dislike. Confusing Scottish people!

[caption id="attachment_130" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="The oft spit on Heart of Midlothian. "][/caption]

 Of course I had to go out Wednesday night because it's the thing to do around here, so a group of us met at a place called "The Tron" where the special was pints for a pound. It's a great deal and getting better all the time...I read today that the pound is at its lowest value in comparison to the American dollar in 24 years.  We also went to another pub/club that night called "Rush,"  but nothing notable to report from there except that creepers abound when the students are out. 

[caption id="attachment_132" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="With the flatmates ready for a night out."][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_134" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="At "The Tron" enjoying my pint for a pound."][/caption]

The interns toured the Scottish Parliament building Thursday afternoon after we watched a question session in the main chamber. The first thing that struck me when I entered the chamber was how new it looked. Not new like just born new, new as in not the old style I'm used to seeing all around the city. I quite like it although it's apparently not so popular with the locals. Admittedly it would work better if Scotland was known for its sun rather than its gray skies and rain. The next thing that struck me was how much more entertaining MSPs are than U.S. congressmen. They're not afraid to seriously attack eachother and tell pithy jokes when giving their speeches. I think I picked the right country's legislature to intern with.

Friday was off for me but I still had to do some work; I met with my presentation group at the library. The workload is really picking up now that we're almost halfway done with a 5-week program. I had a presentation last week, another one next week, a presentation write-up due Wednesday, a media review due Monday, and a legislative brief due Friday. Whew! But I'm trucking along just fine, although every time I go to the library to get books or do work I manage to set off the alarm for one reason or the other. My count now is four times, and I'm sure it will keep increasing right along with my workload.

Friday night we celebrated the 21st birthday of one of the guys in the intern group, and it was a fun time. We met at his apartment first and then went to a pub called "The Three Sisters" - major creeper alert there - before reaching our final destination, a club called "Shanghai." As a note of interest, I've managed to completely avoid hard alcohol of any kind since I've been here. I prefer beer, wine, and of course cider. 

 

[caption id="attachment_144" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Before venturing to the Three Sisters and Shanghai - oh yeah, and check out the wall decorations."][/caption]

Today I spontaneously ventured outside of Edinburgh for the first time. I woke up relatively early this morning and decided there was no better time for a train ride, so I picked Perth as my destination and left. I don't really know why I chose Perth other than it had a pretty good review in The Rough Guide I brought along with me, but it turned out to be a very nice day. I think my favorite part was the train ride, actually. I've been itching to see the countryside and it didn't disappoint. The hour and a half ride to Perth was full of great views of charming small towns, the North Sea, and lochs - Scotland's got lots of them. 

Once I arrived I slowly made my way around town. There aren't really any famous points of interest other than St. John's Kirk which was closed unfortunately, but there was lots of charm. Here's a photo essay of my day:

[caption id="attachment_138" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Statue guarding the entrance to South Inch, one of two major parks in town."][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_139" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="St. John's Kirk"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_140" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="A random city street - see the charm?"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_141" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="View from a bridge over the Tay River."][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_142" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="An eccentric statue - Perth is known for them."][/caption]

Tomorrow I'm going to Stirling for the day and I'm also in the middle of planning next weekend's epic trip on the West Highland Railway. More to come!

And as a final note, a big shout out to the ladiez who valiantly defended my blog honor this week from its first enemy attack. I hope this blog doesn't want to make you puke, but if it does well just don't come back now, you hear? I'll keep writing as long as y'all keep reading.