#5- I am getting to old for dorm style hostels

For the last 8 years or so, I have been an eager enthusiast for dorm style hostel rooms. You can spend as little as 10 dollars to have a nice warm place to sleep at night with 8-14 of your newest acquaintances. What’s not to like? Last weekend, however, as Andrew and I were up in Inverness to see Loch Ness, I started to realize these rooms have their disadvantages. As people straggled in at all hours of the night I found myself thinking, really, must you slam the door. Then there was the person in the bed next to us that made the strangest chirping and groaning sounds (alternating in a rather peculiar sequence). But I think the worst part is I still make Andrew stay with me in the smaller than normal twin size bed.  I enjoy being in close proximity and this was suffocating even for me. As we left the next morning, exhausted from the horrific nights’ sleep created by the combination of factors described above, I looked to Andrew and said “maybe I am too old for dorm-style hostels”.  I don’t think our budgets are quite ready for hotels, but next time we are going to spend the extra five dollars or so to upgrade to a hostel room for 2! I feel like I am growing up J.

#6- We speak American, not English



Hairy Coo! - it took a lot of persuasion
 to get Andrew to pose for that picture



 Our weekend trip to "Loch" Ness

We found Nessie



Andrew and I have been enjoying fun new Scottish words. For example, glenn means valley, loch means lake, and Hairy coo is a Highlander cow.  Then there are old words which here have difference meanings: crisps are chips, chips are fries, and trolleys are shopping.  For the most part our learning of Scottish has gone relatively smoothly.  But every now and then I am a bit confused. For example, during my induction the secretary said she had a diary for me that I could use to keep notes about work, and I thought to myself “what an introspective place to work.” Then she handed me what I would refer to as a planner… that made more since. I am glad I learned then though, otherwise I would have been in church during announcements the next Sunday sharing my intimate writings with people sitting by me, as the person during announcements asked us to “get out our diaries because you will need them in a minute, and introduce yourself to the people sitting next to you”.  

Another example, in a later meeting I heard everyone around me talking about their students “vivas.” I kept thinking they were referring to some type of horrific disease, but in fact viva is the word Scotland (and the rest of the world) uses to refer to a dissertation defense (perhaps my earlier understanding of the word wasn’t too far off).  But I think my favorite are those times that people are using the exact same word to mean the exact same thing, but I just can’t understand through the Scottish accent. Or alternatively, they just can’t understand me through my American accent. I have gotten many a confused look from bus drivers, shop keepers, and colleagues as I ask them questions.  It makes each day an adventure!

# 7- Don't wear snow boots at work

So I am sure most people have lived in places where it snows before and know the dos and don'ts of snow boots. I, however, have lived in south and central Texas my entire life, and didn't really experience much snow. The first week we were here, there was almost always snow on the ground. Having the grace of my mother, walking in the snow presented quite a few challenges. I was constantly slipping around. Fix: snow boots. For Christmas, my mother gave Andrew and I both "all-weather" boots. Perfect for walking in the snow: great traction, warm, and they keep your feet dry. So, I perceded to wear my boots to work (and really everywhere else I went). The problem with my snow boots is they are heavy, and I tend to drag my feet. The result was a really loud clunking sound resounding throughout the halls of my office. People often looked at me with a funny look as I walked by them throughout the day. I realized they were staring at my boots, but I just didn't care. I didn't want to slip and slide on my way to work. One day, as I am walking through the halls, on of my collegues commented saying she liked my boots. I explained (in utter embarassment) "I know they are loud and somewhat unprofessional for work, but if I didn't wear them I would never make it to work without slipping in the ice or snow." She laughed and replied "I wouldn't either, I wear them everyday... of course I change into flats when I get to the office". As she continued her walk down the hall I had one of those moments where you are sure you must be the dumbest person in the world, but are so thankful someone pointed it out to you. I now keep my flats in my backpack if there is snow on the ground. 

#8 - "Never let the truth get in the way of a good story"

Depiction of William Wallace

We are all aware of how loosely the term "based on a true story" is used in Hollywood. Erin and I found just how loosely it was used for the movie Braveheart while on a tour of the Scottish Highlands. Apparently the term Braveheart never actually referred to William Wallace at all, but Robert the Bruce. Wallace never would have worn a kilt as he was born in the Scottish lowlands and the kilt of that era looked nothing like the kilts of today. Our tour guide also mentioned about Mel Gibson's Scottish dialect saying he wasn't certain that William Wallace spoke with a 20th century Glasgow accent. Despite the historical inaccuracies it seems that everyone here loves the movie, after all, it makes the Scots look good and the English look bad.

Yesterday we had the chance to visit Rosslyn Chapel. This was a relatively unknown tourist attraction before a 2003 novel called The Da Vinci Code was written and it's subsequent movie released. If you've seen the movie then you know that Rosslyn Chapel is associated with the Knights Templar and the Holy Grail and is visited by Tom Hank's character. Our tour guide revealed to us that before the movie was released the chapel received 30,000 visitors a year, afterwards, it grew to over 150,000. There was even an incident where a man came crashing in to the chapel with an axe in hand, destined to destroy the pillar that supposedly houses the Holy Grail. He was quickly arrested and taken away without fulfilling his quest. There are some similarities between the chapel and the free masons but after touring it didn't take long to find out that Dan Brown and Hollywood took numerous liberties in stating the facts. 

Although Hollywood tells good stories, we have found that Scotland is a true epic of its own. 

#9- Chicken Kieves are amazing

Number 9 on our list is the discovery of chicken kieves.

When perusing the grocery store in Scotland, you are constantly inundated with such delicacies as haggis, cow's tongue, and blood pudding. This can make shopping for food just a bit more challenging. Of course there is still the option of chicken, beef, and seafood, but what was a truly amazing find for us was the chicken kieve. In case you aren't aware of this gift from heaven, it is a breaded chicken stuffed with something delicious such as bacon and cheese or marinara sauce. It takes only a few minutes in the oven and has saved us on many a night. If you come to visit us we will do our best to pass this blessing on to you as well.

Top 10 things we've learned in Edinburgh

Over the next ten days we will be releasing our top 10 things we've learned since moving to Edinburgh.

Here's #10:

Everything is done differently - We knew that by moving here we would be entering a different way of doing things, we just didn't expect it to be quite this different. Let's start with the most basic and fundamental difference, the bank. In the UK, having a bank account is the most foundational part of life. All bills are paid for by direct debit from your account. The rest is charged to your debit card and occasionally people use cash. Now, in the States, if you want to open an account and you have an address and some money, boom it's open. Thirty minutes tops. Here, in order to have an account you have to have an address that isn't a hostel and proof of a UK job. Here's the revolving door, in order to find a place to live to have an address, you need a bank account and in order to open a bank account, you have to have a permanent address. The only solution? Find a place to live and hope that the landlord will let you sign a lease with cash and that the bank will accept this new address before the first month's rent is due. Seven days after we first went in to the bank we finally got our account opened. Interestingly, we went with the bank that is considered lenient on the whole address/job thing. Most banks here wouldn't even begin a conversation without either. 

Another difference here is television. In order to watch anything on a television you have to have a license. This is just for the privilege of turning it on and watching over the air programs. If you want cable or satellite you have to pay on top of that. And if you move to a new address, you have to purchases a new license. 

The third difference is utility bills....but we still haven't figured out exactly how those work. All we know right now is you can choose to either pay for usage, or a flat rate. This flat rate may be more than your usage or less. Like I said, we have no idea what we're doing.   

The list goes on to include council taxes (comparable to city/property taxes), cell phone bills, online security, and purchasing tickets to sporting events. We seriously need a manual over here. 

Check back tomorrow for number 9!

Burn's Day (including haggis)

Erin wearing her Texas tartan.

Last Saturday we got to celebrate our first official holiday since arriving in Scotland. This is not a holiday that everyone gets off of work, but it is still exciting none the less. On January 25th, the nation celebrates the birth of the great poet Robert Burns. A traditional Burn's dinner is served containing haggis, mashed potatoes, and something containing mushed up carrots and turnips. The evening usually includes the reading of his poems, singing of "Auld Lang Syne," (which he wrote) and a wee dram of whiskey.



Since the 25th fell on a Tuesday, our church decided to have a Burn's dinner the following Saturday along with a Ceilidh. A Ceilidh is a traditional Scottish dance, kind of like going to a large square dance, only with kilts. There are numerous dances, some for couples and some        for the whole group. One of the highlights of the evening had to include when everyone stood at the beginning as the haggis was brought in to the room and Robert Burn's poem "Address to a Haggis" was read. (Adress to a Haggis)


We did in fact try haggis for the very first time. I think the nausea Erin felt afterwards speaks for her feelings of the dish. I didn't mind it as much as I thought I would. It turns out that eating the leftover parts of a lamb ground up is not the worse part, the worst part is the oatmeal that's added to it. We've been told that unless we showed proof that we ate haggis than it never really happened. Here's your proof.