The Lull? Uh, bye: Before the Storm

I've been in Edinburgh for almost a week now and there's barely been time to take a breath. So here's the blow-by-blow of what I've been up to since arriving in Edinburgh.

Sunday 11/9

View of Edinburgh Castle from The Elephant House --
I wonder if it's this exact view, from my exact seat,
that inspired Hogwarts. Probably not. But one can dream.

After breakfast at a little place just down the road, I went to pick up my Biometric Residence Permit (BRP), open a bank account, wander around the International Welcome event, and then explore campus. There's a lot of construction going on right now, which is rather annoying, especially because one of the main Informatics buildings is one of those being worked on and it won't be done until after I'm done (Dangit! Guess I'll just have to stay for a PhD. Just kidding. Or am I? Probably. I don't know. I'll figure it out eventually). Despite the scaffolding and noise, I'm still awed by the architecture and old buildings, not just on campus, but all over the city.

Once I'd gotten a good feel for the campus, I wondered up towards the Royal Mile and Edinburgh Castle. I went as far as the castle ticket booth but didn't fancy waiting in line or spending £16.50 so I turned around and went off in search of a café. A very specific café. The Elephant House--birth place of Harry Potter and all around very nice place. After a cuppa tea and some short cake, I went back to campus and explored the library. After that it was time to head back to my flat for a quick mo before the residence hall rules and regulations meeting. After that a few of us went out to a pub just around the corner. And what do ya know, one of the other students I met there is also from Minnesota! Small world!

Monday 12/9

I started my day by going to register with the National Health Service (NHS). After that I spent much of the rest of the day catching up with a friend from my Norwegian class at the International Summer School in Oslo. I didn't know it until about a month ago, but she is also getting her Master's at the University of Edinburgh. Really small world! She showed me around north of the train station and after wandering up and down Princes Street and Rose Street, we stopped for ice cream next to the Edinburgh Festival Wheel, which was in the process of being taken down. From there we walked up to Carlton Hill, which has one of the best views of Edinburgh. It was very windy so we didn't stay too long and instead found some coffee to stave off the afternoon slump. Both sufficiently caffeinated, we each went our own way, I to pick up a few things for my flat, and she to pick up a bus card.

For dinner that evening I went to a residence hall event celebrating the start of Eid al-Adha, an Islamic holiday honouring Ibrahim's (Abraham's) willingness to sacrifice his son for God. The food was excellent and very spicy--something many of the international students less accustomed to spice struggled with, though I commend them for powering through. Better than the food was the conversation and lesson on what the holiday is about, given from both from a Christian and Muslim perspective. It showed that despite what the media presents to us and the twisted ideals of radicals, these two religions, seemingly so often at odds with one another, are not so different. In fact, they are based on many of the same people and beliefs and share many of the lessons scriptures or stories are meant to teach us. In the context of the community I'm living in, all the students here are from many different backgrounds and religions, yet we all share this space and are here to support one another. In a wider context, we all share this planet and must do what we can do preserve it for future generations. It will not come easy. We will have to make sacrifices, whether it's sacrificing a postgraduate student's valuable time to help keep shared living spaces clean, sacrificing your pride to admit that maybe you were wrong, sacrificing your life to protect those you love, or innumerable other sacrifices. Sacrifice is part of living, of leading a peaceful, fulfilling, effectual life. But it's never easy, which is why there's so much to learn from Ibrahim/Abraham and why I know this year of graduate school will be one of the most challenging of my life. As challenging as it will be for the sacrifices I will have to make (probably mostly sleep), I know that it will also be one of the most rewarding.

Since classes start on Monday, I had hoped to get caught up to today. But this post is long enough already so I'll leave it here. So, lucky you! You can expect at least one more post before my life is consumed by coursework. Just know, from this post and the post to come, that there is no lull before the storm. With the people I meet and adventures I have, I will make the most of my free time in Edinburgh before it gets swallowed up by reading and rainy weather. You can probably expect the wrap-up to my first week in Edinburgh either Saturday or Sunday. Until then...

Stay informed. -NLD