Adam and Sarah come to town and I goto Poland!

Woah! It has been quite a while since I last posted and so much has happened. Let's start on the academia front. This week has been super-stressful and I have had an essay due for plant biology, a project for economics and an assessed problem due for cell biology. It really was unfortunate that all of these collided in one week, but that's life.
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Now onto sports. Well, Cal isn't looking too sharp this season and I think we might have to wait one more year for that rose bowl. I really thought this was the year it would happen, but some poor decision making and overall weak defense made this season a bust. The Chargers on the other hand, with the exception of this last game, have looked pretty impressive. I say Chargers can get to the Superbowl... as for Cal, anything but the toilet.com bowl would be a win.

A bit over three weeks ago my best friend Adam came to visit all the way from Michigan! We had a great time here doing all the usual touristy stuff but also the student-oriented activities. I had a great time showing him around everywhere. We went golfing at Braid Hills Golf Course, explored Edinburgh nightlife, went to a wine-tasting, went shopping in New Town and explored the wonders of Old Town. After visiting me in the Scottish capital, Adam went south to London where he had a fun time walking around in downtown. I was really sad when he left and I can wait to see him and the rest of my friends and family on December 16!

Sarah also came to visit-- from Bordeaux, France. I had a blast with her, too. We got to see the Edinburgh Castle, go wine tasting, check out all the museums (including a Picasso exhibit) and take a hike to Holyrood Park (PHOTOS!). Sarah enjoyed her stay and even made some new friends. She was really envious of the awesome campus that we have here, especially McEwan Hall (named after the brewmaster). I'm excited to see her in Paris next weekend when I fly down there! I am really lucky to have such great friends that want to come up and visit me, but then again, who wouldn't want to be in this lovely city!



After Sarah left, it was that time of year: Halloween. It wasn't the crazy Halloween we have in the states, but rather a small celebration with costumes and the occasional drink. It was fun being in the dorms though, because I got to see a bunch of (interesting) costumes without having to walk very far. I was dressed up as a baseball player because in this country, let's face it, that is foreign! I found an American Football player in the mix, too!

Even with all the excitement of people visiting, the highlight of this last month was my trip to Warsaw (PHOTOS!) to see Maggie and Jacek! They were such great hosts and I really appreciated them not only putting me up in their guest room, but also showing me a great time around the awesome city of Poland. Throughout the weekend we went to see a bunch of monuments (little upriser, uprising monument, Warsaw ghetto monument) and museums (the palace and the national gallery). All of the sights were thrilling to see, but especially the larger-than-life war portrait by Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz. The food in Warsaw was tremendous, especially the perogi! We went to Hard Rock Cafe for my last meal in Poland and saw the famous Polish movie star, Olaf Lubaszenko!!! I also got to see a Finnish band called "Apocalyptica" who play Metallica songs on four cellos! The concert was a lot of fun but my ears hurt a bit afterward. I really hope I get to Poland some other time, maybe Krakow or Gdansk. Thanks again to Maggie and Jacek for showing me a great time!!!



This last Monday was Guy Fawkes Night in Edinburgh, and there were HUGE fireworks displays all over the city. Arthur's Seat caught on fire and there were over 900 calls to the fire department. I had to stay in to write my essay, but it was still fun looking out my window and seeing all the cool firework displays.

I'm looking forward to going to Paris to see Sarah!