First of all, something I forgot to mention in my post yesterday: Getting through immigration at the airport was surprisingly easy. I was envisioning having to re-experience a lot of the song and dance I had to go through in order to get my visa, re: proving I have money and such. To that end, I had a folder full of stuff, just in case the immigration people wanted to see it. I even purposely fell to the back of the line, because I was expecting my interview to take a long time and I didn't want to hold up the people behind me. But, all they did was ask me for my original offer letter from the university (which I had ready), scribbled a bit on the back of my landing card, and scan two of my fingerprints. Maybe 2-3 minutes and DONE. Easy.
Now then. Yesterday, I had my first significant breakthrough with flat-hunting. First I called a company which manages some flats in Leith (the northern part of the city, on the Firth of Forth), and arranged to see two of them today at 2:00. Later on in the afternoon, sitting in the ruins of St. Anthony's Chapel up in Holyrood Park, I called another company with a flat available in Abbeyhill, which is a neighborhood in the east-central part of the city, just north of the Park. I'm pretty sure I could actually see the place from where I was sitting. I spoke to a lovely Englishman named Matthew who said I could come that day at 3:30 and view the place, which I did. It's a 3-bedroom apartment, and the other two people who live in it are a Scottish guy and a Spanish guy, both somewhat older than me and working. I met and talked to the Spanish guy for a bit, and he seemed very nice, and also seemed to like the flat a lot. Besides the bedrooms, there was a living room, a bathroom, and a kitchen. It was all pretty small, and the kitchen in particular was cramped and windowless, but it did have a dishwasher and a washer/dryer, both of which are BIG pros in my book. Plus, the view out the front door is of Arthur's Seat. Can't beat that in Edinburgh. I walked around the neighborhood a bit before I viewed the place, and I saw mothers with strollers, people walking dogs, and a couple of kids playing outside, all of which are pretty reliable indicators that an area is safe. The building where this flat is located is next to another building of very modern- and high-end looking flats, which means the people who live there are probably pretty affluent, which I've also found to be a positive safety indicator. And I'd be able to move in pretty much right away. All in all, I liked it. I told Matthew I'd call him by the end of the day today, after I view the places in Leith.
So, today's agenda is seeing the places in Leith and then making a decision. Whoo!
In other news, I moved into a different room in my hostel. I've never been in a room with thinner windows or curtains in my life. All the street noise and light from outside came in, as did an Italian family of three at about 1 in the morning. I didn't manage to fall asleep until sometime after 2am. So the fire is now lit under me more than ever to find a permanent abode. But there was one bright side, and take note here Inception fans: I remember the beginning of the first dream I had when I finally fell asleep.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Monday, August 22, 2011
LAND O' THE PURPLE HEATHER
I AM IN EDINBURGH. YAAAAAAY!!!
My flights over were okay, except for the part where we sat on the tarmac for an hour in Newark while maintenance tried to fix the left engine generator, before the pilot finally said "Screw it, we have a backup generator, let's go!" I am not making this up. I finally saw Avatar on the plane. My assessment was probably the same as everyone else's: stunning visuals and breathtaking music, but unoriginal storyline.
We landed at about 9am local time yesterday, and I took a cab to my hostel, rather than the airport bus. The reason: I brought an embarrassing amount of luggage with me. Two checked bags and two carry-ons. One of my checked bags is carry-on sized, but the other is a ginormous wheeled duffel bag that was barely within the weight limits when packed. I wish I had started packing sooner than the day before I left, because maybe if I'd had more time I could have contrived to not bring it...but what's done is done. At least the people at my hostel are letting me keep it on the storage room for the duration of my stay there.
After dropping stuff off at the hostel (Art Roch, on West Port), I went across the street to the Fiddler's Arms for breakfast. I had a full Scottish breakfast, consisting of eggs, bacon, sausage, blood pudding, baked beans, mushrooms, tomatoes, and bread. The only difference I could detect between the full Scottish and a full English was that the Scottish cook their bacon more thoroughly. I finally got up the courage to try the blood pudding, and it's actually quite tasty. It reminded me of haggis, but with a smoother texture.
After that, I walked down the Royal Mile, making a detour to the Vodafone store on Princes Street to buy a SIM card for my phone. The Royal Mile was crammed full of performers, what with the Fringe Festival going on. Musicians, singers, actors, balloon artists, and everything in between. I must say, in spite of how expensive it makes everything, I'm SO glad I arrived in Edinburgh during the festival. It's such a fun atmosphere. Also, the weather's nice so far. It was overcast when I arrived yesterday, but the sun came out in the early afternoon, just as I completed my walk down the Royal Mile and arrived at Holyrood Park.
Holyrood Park is my favorite place in Edinburgh. I suppose it's because I, like most people, associate Scotland as a whole with gorgeous wilderness and mountains. Holyrood Park brings a little of that to the city. I had forgotten until yesterday how high those crags are, and they were all covered in green. I sat in the sun and read a book and watched people play with their dogs.
Then I went to an internet cafe on Blackfriars Street (the same one I'm in now, actually), checked email, and wrote down phone numbers of flats I want to call. By then it was about 2:30, so I went back to my hostel and checked in at 3:00. By this point I was desperate for a nap, but when I got to the room, I discovered that the ladder to the top bunk I had been assigned was broken. Joy of joys. I got them to assign me to a different bed, and then I napped a bit, to the sound of a jazz band playing outside in the Grassmarket.
After about an hour and a half of napping, I got up, showered, and read a bit down in the hostel lounge. Then I walked back down the Royal Mile to Canongate to see my Australian friend Morven perform stand-up comedy at a bar called Kilderken, as part of the Free Fringe. Morven and I met on a Wild in Scotland tour in April 2010 and kept in touch, and it was great to see her again. I also met her friends Julia, who was also performing, and David, who is an English guy from London who she went to University with. By the end of Julia and Morven's act, I was about to fall over from sleepiness again, so David walked with me back up the Mile as far as Cockburn Street (he was catching a train to Paisley), and I returned to my hostel. I ate a sandwich in the lounge and talked to my Brazilian roommate Felipe for a bit, and then went to bed. Besides, Felipe, I shared the room with two Swiss (I think) guys, and two girls of indeterminate nationality. I'll be in a different room tonight.
SO. Today's primary mission is apartment-hunting. I've already called one agency, who said they will call me back later. Morven directed me to a different website than the one I had been searching on, so I'm about to try that. Hopefully it works better, because I would really, REALLY like to be moved in somewhere before the 30th. Wish me luck!
My flights over were okay, except for the part where we sat on the tarmac for an hour in Newark while maintenance tried to fix the left engine generator, before the pilot finally said "Screw it, we have a backup generator, let's go!" I am not making this up. I finally saw Avatar on the plane. My assessment was probably the same as everyone else's: stunning visuals and breathtaking music, but unoriginal storyline.
We landed at about 9am local time yesterday, and I took a cab to my hostel, rather than the airport bus. The reason: I brought an embarrassing amount of luggage with me. Two checked bags and two carry-ons. One of my checked bags is carry-on sized, but the other is a ginormous wheeled duffel bag that was barely within the weight limits when packed. I wish I had started packing sooner than the day before I left, because maybe if I'd had more time I could have contrived to not bring it...but what's done is done. At least the people at my hostel are letting me keep it on the storage room for the duration of my stay there.
After dropping stuff off at the hostel (Art Roch, on West Port), I went across the street to the Fiddler's Arms for breakfast. I had a full Scottish breakfast, consisting of eggs, bacon, sausage, blood pudding, baked beans, mushrooms, tomatoes, and bread. The only difference I could detect between the full Scottish and a full English was that the Scottish cook their bacon more thoroughly. I finally got up the courage to try the blood pudding, and it's actually quite tasty. It reminded me of haggis, but with a smoother texture.
After that, I walked down the Royal Mile, making a detour to the Vodafone store on Princes Street to buy a SIM card for my phone. The Royal Mile was crammed full of performers, what with the Fringe Festival going on. Musicians, singers, actors, balloon artists, and everything in between. I must say, in spite of how expensive it makes everything, I'm SO glad I arrived in Edinburgh during the festival. It's such a fun atmosphere. Also, the weather's nice so far. It was overcast when I arrived yesterday, but the sun came out in the early afternoon, just as I completed my walk down the Royal Mile and arrived at Holyrood Park.
Holyrood Park is my favorite place in Edinburgh. I suppose it's because I, like most people, associate Scotland as a whole with gorgeous wilderness and mountains. Holyrood Park brings a little of that to the city. I had forgotten until yesterday how high those crags are, and they were all covered in green. I sat in the sun and read a book and watched people play with their dogs.
Then I went to an internet cafe on Blackfriars Street (the same one I'm in now, actually), checked email, and wrote down phone numbers of flats I want to call. By then it was about 2:30, so I went back to my hostel and checked in at 3:00. By this point I was desperate for a nap, but when I got to the room, I discovered that the ladder to the top bunk I had been assigned was broken. Joy of joys. I got them to assign me to a different bed, and then I napped a bit, to the sound of a jazz band playing outside in the Grassmarket.
After about an hour and a half of napping, I got up, showered, and read a bit down in the hostel lounge. Then I walked back down the Royal Mile to Canongate to see my Australian friend Morven perform stand-up comedy at a bar called Kilderken, as part of the Free Fringe. Morven and I met on a Wild in Scotland tour in April 2010 and kept in touch, and it was great to see her again. I also met her friends Julia, who was also performing, and David, who is an English guy from London who she went to University with. By the end of Julia and Morven's act, I was about to fall over from sleepiness again, so David walked with me back up the Mile as far as Cockburn Street (he was catching a train to Paisley), and I returned to my hostel. I ate a sandwich in the lounge and talked to my Brazilian roommate Felipe for a bit, and then went to bed. Besides, Felipe, I shared the room with two Swiss (I think) guys, and two girls of indeterminate nationality. I'll be in a different room tonight.
SO. Today's primary mission is apartment-hunting. I've already called one agency, who said they will call me back later. Morven directed me to a different website than the one I had been searching on, so I'm about to try that. Hopefully it works better, because I would really, REALLY like to be moved in somewhere before the 30th. Wish me luck!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
2 days to go.
Much has happened over the last couple of days.
On Tuesday night, I played first oboe on Stravinsky's Rite of Spring with the Durham Symphony summer reading orchestra, and I had a fantastic time, despite the fact that we didn't have nearly enough strings and most of the brass kind of sucked. We woodwinds rocked (all 20 of us), and the percussion were also quite good. This is a piece that I have ALWAYS wanted to play, and I didn't want the rehearsal to end.
Yesterday I ran a lot of errands. I dropped another load of stuff off at Goodwill, and then went to get a second opinion on my laptop. The guy at CompUSA came to the same conclusion as the guy at Intrex - that the power jack has come loose from the motherboard - but he seemed to think that a new power cord might be a good cheap/temporary fix. I think I'm just going to take the thing with me as is and see if I can manage, or else get a cheap little Netbook over there or something. Also bought a charger for the international phone, a power adapter (good for the UK, Europe, AND Australia!), and some underwear, because hey, you can never have enough underwear. Picked up a couple of boxes of contact lenses, and finally went to the bank to ask about buying pounds. It takes about three days after ordering for them to arrive, so that was a no-go. I'll just make a big withdrawal at an ATM when I get there, and put as much stuff on my credit card as possible.
On today's agenda: canceling my Verizon contract, and setting up a PIN for my credit card.
Things are finally falling into place, and I'm finally getting excited about leaving IN TWO DAYS!!! Before I was just nervous and stressed about the stuff that hadn't been sorted yet, but now that all the smaller stuff has been taken care of, I can get excited! True, I still don't have housing and banking settled, but I'm letting go of that and trusting that those things will get taken care of once I get there.
On Tuesday night, I played first oboe on Stravinsky's Rite of Spring with the Durham Symphony summer reading orchestra, and I had a fantastic time, despite the fact that we didn't have nearly enough strings and most of the brass kind of sucked. We woodwinds rocked (all 20 of us), and the percussion were also quite good. This is a piece that I have ALWAYS wanted to play, and I didn't want the rehearsal to end.
Yesterday I ran a lot of errands. I dropped another load of stuff off at Goodwill, and then went to get a second opinion on my laptop. The guy at CompUSA came to the same conclusion as the guy at Intrex - that the power jack has come loose from the motherboard - but he seemed to think that a new power cord might be a good cheap/temporary fix. I think I'm just going to take the thing with me as is and see if I can manage, or else get a cheap little Netbook over there or something. Also bought a charger for the international phone, a power adapter (good for the UK, Europe, AND Australia!), and some underwear, because hey, you can never have enough underwear. Picked up a couple of boxes of contact lenses, and finally went to the bank to ask about buying pounds. It takes about three days after ordering for them to arrive, so that was a no-go. I'll just make a big withdrawal at an ATM when I get there, and put as much stuff on my credit card as possible.
On today's agenda: canceling my Verizon contract, and setting up a PIN for my credit card.
Things are finally falling into place, and I'm finally getting excited about leaving IN TWO DAYS!!! Before I was just nervous and stressed about the stuff that hadn't been sorted yet, but now that all the smaller stuff has been taken care of, I can get excited! True, I still don't have housing and banking settled, but I'm letting go of that and trusting that those things will get taken care of once I get there.
Monday, August 15, 2011
More farewells, and annoyance beyond belief.
My mom's side of the family came over to my house yesterday for a farewell party. My mom's side of the family is huge. My cousin Ev took a group picture - there are 20 of us in it, and that's not even everyone. Everyone signed a photo frame too, and I'm going to take it and the photo with me. I also hung out with my friend Tracey the other night, and she gave me an orange towel as a farewell present. I was actually very excited about the towel, because per The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, a towel is the single most important thing a traveler can possess.
In other news, the flat I wanted and the girl I was talking to about living together have both fallen through. Most of the properties I've emailed haven't answered me back, and I'm incredibly annoyed about that, but I don't feel like there's a whole lot I can do. :/
5 days to go...
In other news, the flat I wanted and the girl I was talking to about living together have both fallen through. Most of the properties I've emailed haven't answered me back, and I'm incredibly annoyed about that, but I don't feel like there's a whole lot I can do. :/
5 days to go...
Saturday, August 13, 2011
7 days to go; or How Spectacularly Unready I Am.
One week until I move to Scotland. I am so not ready.
Things I Haven't Yet Sorted Out, in order of most worrisome to least worrisome:
a) A flat. I really thought I'd have a few viewings lined up by now, but people and properties aren't emailing me back. D:< I have roofs over my head sorted out through September 7, but I'm facing the prospect of Being Homeless Oh Noooezz after that.
b) Money; specifically how I am going to move my money from my American bank account into a British one, which I can't do until I have an address in Scotland anyway. The tentative plan right now is to transfer everything except what I'll need for the first couple or three weeks into my parents' account, and then have them do a wire transfer. I'll pay for everything I can with my credit card in the meantime.
c) My laptop. The battery has quit completely and the power cord only works if I manipulate it just so. Computer Shop Guy says that the power jack has come loose from the motherboard, and the repair will cost a couple hundred dollars and ten to twelve days, neither of which I really have to spare right now. Dad took my laptop apart when I got home and attempted to fix it himself, and it's behaving itself a bit better at the moment. Do I take it to Scotland as is? Do I shell out the money for the repair and have the thing shipped to me later? Do I say "screw it" and just buy a new laptop? Do I eschew modern technology altogether and just be laptop-less this year?
d) A phone. I have an unlocked phone, but the charger is missing, and has very possibly been thrown away. Do I order a new charger? Do I buy a new pay-as-you-go phone when I get there?
e) Oboe reed cane. I need to stockpile a bit before I leave, because I am out.
Things I Haven't Yet Sorted Out, in order of most worrisome to least worrisome:
a) A flat. I really thought I'd have a few viewings lined up by now, but people and properties aren't emailing me back. D:< I have roofs over my head sorted out through September 7, but I'm facing the prospect of Being Homeless Oh Noooezz after that.
b) Money; specifically how I am going to move my money from my American bank account into a British one, which I can't do until I have an address in Scotland anyway. The tentative plan right now is to transfer everything except what I'll need for the first couple or three weeks into my parents' account, and then have them do a wire transfer. I'll pay for everything I can with my credit card in the meantime.
c) My laptop. The battery has quit completely and the power cord only works if I manipulate it just so. Computer Shop Guy says that the power jack has come loose from the motherboard, and the repair will cost a couple hundred dollars and ten to twelve days, neither of which I really have to spare right now. Dad took my laptop apart when I got home and attempted to fix it himself, and it's behaving itself a bit better at the moment. Do I take it to Scotland as is? Do I shell out the money for the repair and have the thing shipped to me later? Do I say "screw it" and just buy a new laptop? Do I eschew modern technology altogether and just be laptop-less this year?
d) A phone. I have an unlocked phone, but the charger is missing, and has very possibly been thrown away. Do I order a new charger? Do I buy a new pay-as-you-go phone when I get there?
e) Oboe reed cane. I need to stockpile a bit before I leave, because I am out.
Friday, August 5, 2011
My paperwork is in order.
My visa came today! It is essentially an official-looking piece of paper affixed to one of my blank passport pages, with my photo and vital stats and so forth.
I'm getting excited now. Cleaning my room continues to progress, and today I brought a load of clothes and several loads of books to my parents' house at the beach, to be left there. It feels like Moving: Part One.
I'm getting excited now. Cleaning my room continues to progress, and today I brought a load of clothes and several loads of books to my parents' house at the beach, to be left there. It feels like Moving: Part One.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
YAAAAAY!!!!
My student visa has been issued! I CAN OFFICIALLY GO TO SCOTLAND NOW!!!
Seventeen days to go, and I feel like I have far too much left to do. I cleaned out my closet the other day, and today's big project is cleaning out my room. I suppose I feel uneasy because the Really Big Stuff - finding a place to live and opening a bank account - can't happen until I actually get there. The thought of landing in the place I'm going to be living in for the next year without a fixed address, a bank, or a job, is both terrifying and exciting. Mostly terrifying. But, "It'll be an adventure."
Seventeen days to go, and I feel like I have far too much left to do. I cleaned out my closet the other day, and today's big project is cleaning out my room. I suppose I feel uneasy because the Really Big Stuff - finding a place to live and opening a bank account - can't happen until I actually get there. The thought of landing in the place I'm going to be living in for the next year without a fixed address, a bank, or a job, is both terrifying and exciting. Mostly terrifying. But, "It'll be an adventure."
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