Day 3 - hittin' the waves at Napier

Daaaaay 3!!! Today we got a later wake up which was just what we needed after a loooong day.  Everyone knew this would be a great day because the sun was BEAMING.  Little did we know the day was going to be filled with thunderstorms and hail!! But, no matter the weather we were determined to make the very best of the day.

      After another great breakfast at Edinburgh University we got right into the fun stuff, going to Napier University and getting an inside look at communications in radio.  Here all of us had to work in groups to make what would be a quick radio show on current events.  The groups were split up into research and "story finding" groups, journalists interviewing people on the street, and some respectable producers (Kyler, Julia, and Brandon).  The shows were very fun to make but also a lot of hard work.  We got a whole new taste of what goes on behind closed doors of recording studios and found a new respect for journalists.  After that we had a quick lunch in Napier University's cafe, a bit of R&R, but then it was right back into fun and learning with the photoshop workshop.  We learned about tons of interesting ways to make beautiful and "epic" pictures.  Some of us found it very hard to keep up while others flourished and truly made some real art.  After saying goodbye to the wonderful staff at Napier we moved on to......shopping!!!

    Everyone had a great time hanging out and seeing a side of Scotland that we all felt a bit more comfortable in :) .  After a few kilts were bought, a few feet eaten by fish, and a few funny pictures, we were treated to real Scottish food at Howie's , a very old but gorgeous restaurant.  The few that dared to eat the haggis and chicken liver did get a little green in the face, but low and behold survived.
  
    Well now its time for a quite night in to get ready for the big day ahead of us tomorrow with new workshops at Edinburgh University, a trip to Scottish Parliament, and a fun night of bowling....goodnight and an even better tomorrow!!!
(Kayla C.)


And for those who are interested, the radio broadcasts in full (via zshare):
Brandon's group 
Julia J's group
Kyler's group

Day Two - Student Life

Wow... long first day as university students!

A great introduction to the UK University system and the University of Edinburgh and the chance to split into groups for afternoon study sessions. Group A visited the National Gallery of Scotland and crammed in a few hundred years of art history in a short time. Group B ventured up Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh's dormant volcano, which was a little muddier than anticipated but with excellent views. Group C travelled out of town a little to the centre for Veterinary Medicine, to learn more about this and look at cute puppies (photos of this activity to follow, waiting on a memory card from this group...)

In the evening, we deviated a little from the typical UK student activities to try some fish and chips (with salt and lots of vinegar for those who dared), and a ghost tour, where we learned about punishments hundreds of years ago, and the risks from the "bucket of nastiness" in pre-plumbing Edinburgh households. Delightful. Actually very good fun, and not too scary with the sun still shining.

Another busy day tomorrow, so just a brief overview tonight!

First impressions of Edinburgh and the trip:
Kayla: "The Scottish people are a lot nicer than I expected..."
Chloe: "Go"
Jeanie: "Cool"
Kevin: "Super cool"
Meagan: "Everything is a lot different to the US"

Chris W: "Beautiful"

Julia C: "Interesting"

Keith: "Fun!"

Julia J: "The architecture: some is really contemporary, and then there are castles"

Casey: "It's very beautiful here"

Erin: "I like it"

Chris G: "I'm having fun!"

Austin: "It's a beautiful city with a rich history"

Ryan: "It helps to know that I'm not the only one"

Suzann: "Beautiful"

Billy: "Enchanting"

Allie: "The architecture is the first thing I think of, it's really different"

Brandon: "Modern yet old fashioned"

Jimmy: "Very interesting"

Max: "It's an amazing country and has a lot to offer and I'm impressed at how well it introduces stuff to other countries"

Sam: "The architecture is really nice"

Ava: "I'm having a fun time"

Anthony: "Awesome!"

Cat: "The architecture is very different here"

Kyler: "Rich in culture and history and soul and passion"
Victoria: "Do we look like tourists?"

Day 1 - "Wiped out"

We are in Edinburgh!

Check-in at Newark was very smooth and fast, meaning 3 hours to wait in the confines of the airport lounge, with only Wipeout for entertainment on the TV. Then the flight: those at the back of the plane got to enjoy their sleep because the in-flight entertainment was not working. This meant an excellent opportunity to get on with the summer reading books!

At Edinburgh, the group were met by Susan, Fiona, Elizabeth, Alison and Alice and bussed to Pollock Halls to drop off stuff. Mike's notes on this part of the day just read "no sleep - fight on", that's how we were all feeling (and still are a little bit...) Lunch at the British Council offices, met by Julia, the director of British Council Scotland.

After a walking tour along the Royal Mile, led by the very Scottish looking, and sounding, ginger-bearded Gary, encountering a lot of (quite bizarre) street performers on the way, we ended up at the Camera Obscura for strange fun with mirrors and an incredible view over Edinburgh.

Some freezing cold, torrential rain rounded off the day out, and we returned to our accommodation for a pretty relaxed dinner and early night.

Memorable moments:
Anthony (after 7 hour flight without functioning video entertainment): "So... was anybody else's video not working?"
Brandon's intense and impressive plank pose for a photo

A weird statue man getting very attached to Allie and chasing her around the street - until Kayla rescued her by giving him some money.
Possibly the most memorable thing for everyone was the vortex tunnel in Camera Obscura, particularly with jet lag. A terrifying and disorientating tunnel of whirling lights, which is never going to sound as amazing/horrible written down.
Ava: "If I go in the vortex tunnel one more time I'm gonna throw up."
Mike: "Do you wanna go again?"
Ava: "OK!"