this is what a monster post looks like
13 September 2007
sooo. it's been a few days since I've been here and it's been a bit of madness the whole time. at the start, Jessica and I got the special treatment. a couple of security guards got the unpleasant task of searching and scanning all of our carry-on crap, which of course contained all of our metal objects and "questionable" liquids in unmarked containers. luckily, my guard was laidback and made lighthearted side comments about terrorists, bombs, and threats. just following Protocol.
flights were decently decent. we were surprised at Delta's coach service and their agile beverage carts. 5 points for Delta!
arrival in Edinburgh commenced with a niiiiice shared taxi ride with our study abroad comrades we met on the plane ride. between the 4 of us, I think our luggage weighed as much as a zippy Smart Car.
our Budget Backpackers hostel was awesome! we had a really easy time storing our crap luggage and checking in etc. surprisingly, that day we decided to go on the hostel's free walking tour guided by our friendly hostel front desk man, Marty, who's supposedly 19. he grew up in Scotland and had just returned from New Zealand so he was cute, blond, and had a sweeeet accent.
after our 5 hour nap, we finalllyyyy got to meet up with Achim! after a bazillion attempt to call him via the hostel's phone, I resorted to calling all the way home to Jessica, who had been g-chatting with him to tell him where to meet me. Jessica M, Achim, and I went to Glenhas Cafe, a local place with awesome paninis. after an extremely well-rested night in Backpackers, the 3 of us went to a local cafe called Black Medicine who had Illy coffee (yes!) and (YES!) bagels and cream cheese. the cafe's decor was similar to like, a Tahoe lodge with natural wood furniture and river rock walls. I'd definitely be in that place on a cold winter's day [which this country has PLENTY OF].
orientation officially started on Wednesday afternoon...meeting everyone from all the other UCs felt soooo good, as did moving into an actual hotel where we could kind of hang loose and "settle in". I love not having to really worry about where I'm going or what time or whatever, since Orientation is pretty much all set up for us. so far, it's been freaking awesome! other than the CSF Bay Area Trip, I'd never been on a student trip, and it feels great to finally connect with the right connections.
soooo, this post is probably too long for most people's attention spans, plus I don't think many people read this. :)
peace+love
19:54
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