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Published: January 10th 2007
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Finnegan's Wake
they advertised "live Irish music!" . . . and had a band doing U2 covers! I love everything about this city so far (well, except the weather, which is cold and windy and almost constantly drizzling!) My flat is very centrally located, and the whole "Old City" is very compact and easy to get around. Considering that I am the QUEEN of those with poor senses of direction, it must mean something that I already know my way around without a map!
Saturday night I decided that jet-lag happens all the time, but you only have a first night in a new city once, so I went out with my flatmates and our across the hall neighbors to a bar called Finnegan's Wake. Unlike the novel, the bar was lots of fun . . . sorry to any Joyce fans out there!
Only downside was that I came back late, set my alarm for PM instead of AM, and slept through most of my international students orientation! I woke up at 12:45 for an 11:00 orientation. It was no big deal, though, cause I arrived just in time for lunch and to get the paperwork without having to sit through all the talks!
I met a fellow philosophy major from upstate New York
Bannerman's
inside Bannerman's, right across the street from me named Sean at orientation, and we spent the day exploring the rainy city, partially in search of an open computer lab so we could figure out when and where our classes were. It was a bit of a wild goose chase -- turns out beauracracy functions the same where here as it does at any American university . . . at least the visiting students office is much more efficient than its TCNJ equivalent! But it was fun, and it was good to connect with a fellow American philosopher in a foreign city.
I had absolutely fabulous fish and chips at a pub called the Advocate my first night -- brilliant, as they say in the UK. If anyone ever tells you Scots don't know their food, they're lying -- as long as you like sausages and fried things, it is wonderful!
I'm enjoying all of my classes so far, too -- I'm taking Moral and Political Philosophy, which is a big lecture course, which I'm not used to, but it seems like it will be a good class. And it's taught by Matthew Chrisman, who is an American! The same American professor is also co-teaching my meta-ethics
New College
I have class here! class (which is a small seminar of about ten people, it seems wonderful!), with another American named Michael Ridge, who is the department chair and comes highly recommended to me by one of my favorite TCNJ professors. I think it's so funny that I came thousands of miles to be taught by my countrymen!
My other course is Systematic Theology, and I think it will be absolutely fantastic. It's taught by an Irish man named Johnny McDowell, so his accent is wonderful, even if the lectures are boring -- thankfully, they aren't. The best thing about taking a philosophy course is that it is in "New College," where the School of Divinity is housed. It's in this absolutely gorgeous old church building -- the library for the school is actually in the converted church -- and it's on this mound overlooking the Edinburgh Castle at one end of Old Town, simply the best location!
Monday night I went to the first meeting of the Edinburgh Philosophy society -- they had a discussion group in a local tavern, and it was great! There were lots of cool people there -- some of them (such as myself) a bit odd,
New College 2
hasn't snowed here yet, but doesn't it look pretty? but I figure that's to be expected with a philosophy crowd. It was a lot of fun, and they host lectures and discussion groups every week, so I'm hoping to attend a lot of them.
I ducked out of the PhilSoc early (along with a few others from my discussion group) to go to a kareoke bar with my flatmate Lauren, from California, and her friend Elisa. We went to the Three Sisters bar (Six Tits, as I was told the locals call it), and I sang I Will Survive, of course -- cliche, I know, but a classic. Afterwards, we went to a club called Subway where Monday night is 70s rock music night. The place was deserted, but the music was great!
I find it's been easier so far to meet other international students, cause they're in the same boat as me. There's an International Student Center, and Tuesday nights are International Student nights at Bannerman's, a bar literally across the street from my flat. An overwhelming majority of them are Americans! But I have met people from Australia, France, Germany, Holland, Wales, Ireland, and England! The ISC is running a day tour of the city and evening pub crawl, so that should be a good way to meet even more people.
Anyway, I'm exhausted and hungry, so I'm going to wrap up this entry and go make myself a sandwich and take a nap!
Signing off --
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Christine
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Hooray!
I'm so glad that you're settling in and having a good time! And you've already started the long road to eating cheap, which does indeed leave more cash for b...ooks indeed! (Try the ciders, they're fantastic!)