FIRST DAY! (morning post)

GREETINGS!

Well, it is my first day here in Edinburgh. As I speak I am sitting in a cafe on Canongate, which is a main thoroughfare (though only two lanes) in Central Edinburgh. It is quite chilly because it is early (9am), but I think I have already adjusted to the time because I got a LOT of sleep last night.

Much to my surprise, the ‘Cafe Culture’ is much like it is in America: a couple sits in the corner eating a hearty breakfast, a family with a young boy sits and chats about nothing at all, and a businessman in the corner enjoys his daily espresso and croissant. Not knowing that there were some fine breakfast places around town, I got a shoddy one at the hotel for £4.5. I have come to understand that there is another national drink in Scotland: Irn-Bru. It rivals Coca-Cola for the top soft drink here, but I have not yet tried it. The music at the cafe is American! Right now they are playing Red Hot Chili Peppers, and before that it was Modest Mouse and Interpol.

The accents here are not too hard to understand (and are quite charming), but I think something that will take some getting used to is the way things work; unlike at Starbucks, you are served your tea or coffee. I had my tea the British way, with cream, an I actually am enjoying it this way. Seeing double-decker buses is nothing new for me because we had some in Davis that served as School Buses.

Thus far, I have made no friends, but hopefully that will change tonight when I meet with the rest of my EAP group. The people here seem friendly and all of them have a distinct look to them. They always seem to walk with a purpose and never seem to be able to sit down and enjoy life except at the pub and cafe. Even more then walking with a purpose, they drive with even more of one. The streets are always filled with cars and it always seems the Crazy Taxi is going to hit that poor pedestrian using the crosswalk. You can tell this is not the tourism town that London is.

The sights here are marvelous. The streets are laid with cobblestone and the buildings with centuries-years-old brick. Almost every store on the street has a coat of arms (I suppose representing who owns the place) and it makes me feel like I am in the company of royalty. I cannot wait to explore what there is to see at the museums. I think after my cup of tea here is done, I will goto the Edinburgh Museum (FREE!) down the street and see what there is to see.

I AM SO EXCITED TO FINALLY BE HERE!

Remember, it costs ME nothing for you to call me. Here is my phone number: +447924415897

Also, I am on SKYPE: airjesse123 and AIM: airjesse123

literally 20 DAYS!

It's only 20 days before I am on my way to Scotland from SFO. The excitement is building up! I really think this is going to be the experience of a lifetime and one to never forget. If anyone has some useful insight into any of the following, let me know:

Cell phones (what is the best thing to do? Prepaid? Pay as you go? A plan?)
Best pubs in town (self-explanatory)
Best stuff to do in free-time (museums, shops, attractions, etc)

anything else that might help!

I CAN'T BELIEVE I LEAVE SO SOON!

dwed

EAP UK/Ireland Pre-departure Orientation AND Great News

Hey everyone! I actually have two exciting updates to tell you all about.

First.
I just attended the EAP UK/Ireland specific pre-departute orientation and it only made me more excited! There were two people there who had been to Edinburgh the previous year and oh boy did they have some stories to tell. Apparently there is this event dubbed Fresher's Week where all the new students get introduced to Edinburgh and basically goto dozens of events. It all sounds pretty exciting. They also had some UK natives who were visiting Davis and they also had some useful insight. All in all, I am just SO stoked to go abroad in THREE months!

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HUZZAH! I'M IN!

IT'S OFFICIAL-- I'M IN!

Hey y'all... check out what i just received in my inbox:

Dear Jesse,

Congratulations! I just received word from the Universitywide Office for EAP (UOEAP) that you have been selected for placement at University of Edinburgh, Scotland for the 2007-08 academic year. In a few weeks, you will be receiving a large packet from UOEAP containing specific information about your program in the UK, as well as forms that will need to be completed and returned to various offices. In addition, you may begin receiving material directly from University of Edinburgh. Please read all information carefully, as there may be dates and deadlines that you will need to meet regarding housing, course enrollment, etc. and you will need to include additional time for international delivery.

Best of luck, and if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at any time.

Regards,

Zak Frieders

As you might imagine, I am pretty freakin' excited! I can't wait to get over to Scotland. Please send your thoughts on things I shoud do in preparation for my trip and / or things I shouldn't miss while abroad.

EAP Orientation

Well, today was the first of two mandatory EAP orientation meetings. It all went well-- though I was scared for potheads going to Uganda where they execute people for holding a dime bag. I am so excited to be off to a new place with so many new things to come! The orientation brought my attention to the differences I might be facing when I am abroad-- especially about unsubstantiated anti-US prejudices. This bothers me, but I will be able to cope with it.
I want to thank my mom and dad for the gift card to Borders for guide books. THANKS GUYS!

Guide Books

Hey readers. If anyone has some good quality guidebooks about Edinburgh, The UK, Scotland, England, or Europe/Eurail in General I'd love to have them. Donations Welcomed and Appreciated!

Edinburgh Radio

Hey all:
I just found out about this cool radio station that runs out of U.Edinburgh. It's streamed via iTunes. Maybe I will become a DJ and you can listen to me spin! Check out the website www.freshair.org.uk/.