A Compilation of Cultural Differences

I thought it would be interesting to dedicate a post to things I thought were weird/funny/language differences/etc.

1)Toilets instead of Restroom/bathroom

2)Cheers for....well, pretty much anything. It not only means thank you, but also: have a nice day, it's okay, don't worry about it, see you tomorrow...and many more

3)Pulling that little string instead of a light switch

4)You can turn OFF outlets. No more phantom energy being sucked out by your electronics!

5)TONS of cheese. Cheese everywhere. oh, and potatoes.

6)Pregnant women drinking and smoking...?

7)Really powerful hairdryers? Maybe it was just the one I rented from Pollock Halls, but I felt like my hair was being seriously damaged every time I used it

8)To go along with #7, big hair!

9)MAJOR lack of public drinking fountains. Dying of thirst.

10)Everyone in Glasglow sounds like they're drunk/yelling when they speak.

11)A lot of people running places, sometimes not even to catch the bus

12)"A Wee Bit"

13)Females always look like they're ready to take on the world. Their sense in fashion makes me feel like a slob

14)You can buy a single beer out of a 4,6,8 pack

15)Grilled cheese=Toastie

16)No such thing as brewed coffee. It's either espresso, "white coffee", or instant coffee

17)Surveillance everywhere! CCTV cameras on every corner.

Nyam Nyam

This was one of our favorite places to eat, largely in part to it's location relative to Pollock Halls, but it has many other shining qualities as well. The food is mostly italian with a wide selection of pasta, pizza, and baguette sandwiches. There is also a galato counter, which I never took part in, but heard rave reviews from some other people in the group. Also, the place is owned by a family, and we saw the same woman working there the 7 or 8 times we visited. She was always super friendly and made sure to ask us if we enjoyed our food when we left. Her young daughter also waited on us a couple of times, which just gave the restaurant a really authentic feel. Another plus is that it's BYOB, although we never took advantage of that either. I'm not sure if there was a corkage fee or whatnot either. You can dine-in or takeaway, but the takeaway menu is about 1 pound cheaper for all of the dishes.

Getting Around

One of the best things about Edinburgh, and the UK in general is that it's so easy to get from point A to point B. You can almost get anywhere with not much stress or even planning at all. I never did this personally, but it would be easy to take the bus to Waverley Station and just pick a random destination to visit for the day. Everything is very inexpensive, and aside from that, efficient. The buses are always prompt, and if you happen to miss your bus, it's likely that another one will arrive within the next ten minutes. They even have night buses, which run selected routes all through the evening for an additional fee (I think it's something like 1.50). Even the buses travel about 45 minutes outside of the city centre, which is different than an American city which has more limited access. It was challenging figuring out what bus to take for the first week, but once we got our hands on a bus map we were like old pros. The efficient public transit in Edinburgh is something I will miss once I return home.

Edinburgh Castle

Castle Confusion

After reading Bob Morris' article about the restoration of the castle, I was a bit nervous about how it would influence my experience. Couldn't he have just let me life in my blissful oblivion imagining that everything I was seeing was actually original?!?! but, in all honesty, I think that even without his influence I wouldn't have been thrilled about experiencing the castle. It all started when we had to wait in a 30 minute line just to obtain out tickets. As soon as you enter the castle, you are bombarded by commerce and consumption. "Buy this!" "Remember your experience, take home a bottle of whiskey!" I found the entire experience to be a bit gregarious, not to mention I had a difficult time navigating at all. People would stop in the middle of a walking path to take photographs, and there were simply too many people there for me to feel at ease. My favorite part of the castle was seeing the crown jewels in the small museum they have set up, although even that was slightly claustrophobic. For people visiting Edinburgh, I would recommend walking up the royal mile and being a tourist for a moment, walking up to the castle and seeing the archway, but I'm not sure if the admission fee or wait would really be worth your time to actually access the castle. (And maybe avoid Bob Morris' article until after your visit!)

Pollock Halls and Lee House

Lee House

The JMCC

Shiraz!

Living in a single dorm room was actually kind of a relief for me, because in Athens I shared a room of comparable size with two other people. Overall, our accommodations were very nice. There is a small kitchen with a sink, microwave, and mini fridge, which was able to house our snacks and beer sufficiently. The cleaning service is really convenient, and something I will miss as I return back to the states. The first couple of weeks (prior to an influx of spanish-speaking exchange students) we would all play cards in the lounge area just off of the entrance to Lee House. There is also a resident cat named Shiraz who liked to sneak into our windows, especially when it was raining. The cleaning company didn't really seem to like that though, hah. Just across the way is the John Mcintyre Center which has a full bar, and food is served until about 9PM. It was nice to go there when we were all feeling a wee bit lazy, even though the prices slightly steeper than if we just would have walked somewhere. My main complaint is that we didn't have somewhere to cook our own food, just because dining out for every meal gets expensive, but aside from that, my experience living in lee house for 5 weeks was enjoyable.

Arthur's Seat

Any guide book that you happen to pick up will tell you to make the climb up to Arthur's seat, and this is one case where you should listen! Don't think that you're better than the guide book at finding things to do, or that you will find some sort of secret activity where you won't find tourists. Take this opportunity to bask in your tourist-ness and just do it! Pollock Halls is conveniently located right next to Holyrood Park, and Arthur's Seat is essentially our backyard. I'll never forget walking back from class and seeing the sunset over the peak in the skyline. Cheesy as it may be, that is the single image that will stick in my mind after I leave this place. The hike isn't too challenging, but just enough to feel like you got a bit of exercise. I'm kind of afraid of heights, so if i wanted to look around on the way up, I had to stop and sit down, or else I got really dizzy and my legs started to shake. I'm such a wimp. You can see the whole city from the top and there is a cool panoramic map pointing out landmarks in the view. It's really windy, too! There were moments when I literally thought I was going to be blown over. I want to head up there again to watch the sunrise, but my days left in Edinburgh are winding down and I'm not sure if I'll be able to find the time to do so :(

Get-togethers at Dr. Buckley's

One of my favorite non-academic activities that we did together as a group was the ritual of Thursday pizza nights at Dr. Buckley's flat. We got some amazing pizza from Zaza's with super thin crust, and a ton of toppings. Alex was nice enough to set out some snacks, salads, and dessert along with the pizza. Everyone went crazy for the potato pizza, which WAS really good, but I also enjoyed the vegetable variety. Not only was it nice to get a free meal, but it was something to look forward to after class every week. Even though we only had class three days a week, with all of the walking we did, and spending multiple hours in the classroom at a time, we were more than ready to relax when it was all said and done. It was kind of interesting being able to legally have a beer with my professors, and something that I will miss when I head back to the states. Not to mention, everyone always had a good time watching Owen and his obsession with Natalie and Karl. I hope that students taking part in this program next year get to do something similar and casual like we did- I feel like it was program money well spent.

North Berwick

Kevin and I took a small day trip to North Berwick per Dr. Buckley's recommendation and it was beautiful despite the rain. It was only 6 pounds per person round trip, and it a quaint town on the coast. The beach was really pretty, and there were a ton of jellyfish washed up on the shore which was cool because I've never seen a jellyfish in my life. We walked around the beach for a little and then went to the information center to see what else there was to do. It was closed, and we were trying to make our way one of the castles, but we weren't really sure how the bus system worked and then it started raining pretty hard. We made the executive decision that were didn't really want to deal with trying to figure out the buses while we were getting soaked so we decided just to call it a day. I'm amazed at how casual people are here about getting completely soaked. I saw a business man with no rain jacket and no umbrella just completely drenched, and it didn't even seem to faze him. In the U.S. our days get completely ruined when it rains and people just hibernate and spend the day inside...oh, and people tend to drive like maniacs too. Here, because it happens so frequently people just adapt and make the best of it. I would say go to North Berwick on a nice day, and at least walk around the beach and look at the boats and small shops that this community has to offer.

Oban Day 2

Day 2 in Oban was really when we hit some low points. We woke up to someone essentially kicking us out of our room in the hostel to begin cleaning. Apparently we never got the memo that there was a check out time. We were all still sleeping and one of the employees was kind of rude and said "we've never had so many people who refuse to follow the rules." It was nice that they had toast, cereal, jam, and peanut butter for us to eat for free. We were all kind of out of money, and didn't know what to do with our day, so we wandered up to a coliseum-like structure at the top of the hill. Apparently the only reason it exists was to create jobs for the construction of it, which I almost find humorous. The rest of our day consisted of us trying to kill time until our 4PM train departed back to Glasgow. While Oban had it's positives, I think the negatives outweighed the positives in this place. The crowd seemed a bit older and had more money to spend. The bus system was not nearly efficient as it is in Edinburgh. You really need a car and a sufficient amount of money to get around and really experience Oban. I would recommend it for a day trip, but even then, it's a pretty long train ride to do that. If I could change anything about the program this year I would recommend omitting Oban all together, and maybe finding another town in the highlands to visit instead.

Oban Day 1

Our trip to Oban was a series of highs and lows. When we first got there we all walked to the hostel to check in. It was my first experience at a hostel, and my first impression was pretty positive! There were books, DVD's, a pool table, and a bunch of couches to hang out on. We dropped off some of our stuff and went on a search for some food. Kevin, Jaymie, and I walked around for what seemed like forever to find something for lunch...all the menus posted outside just seemed way more expensive than food in Edinburgh. Fish and chips was prevalent as Oban is considered to be "the seafood capital of the world." We settled on some pub food that was tucked away a bit. The food was okay, but service took forever and we were trying to catch the ferry so it was a little chaotic. The ferry ride was absolutely beautiful! I probably would have taken the ferry just for the scenery alone, again, something that looked like it was out of the movies. We passed castle ruins, a lighthouse, and so many small islands on the way to Mull. When we got off of the ferry, we walked directly to the information center across the way, not knowing that the busses we needed to get to the castle essentially coordinate with the ferry, and only come back every 2 hours or so. We were low on money, and didn't have transportation anywhere, so we asked the woman at the information desk what we could do. She said there was a marked hiking trail right down the road, and we were sold. Good, clean, (free!) fun. It was a 5k loop that took us around the interior of the town and it was amazing! We didn't pass a single soul and it was sightly rainy which created a really cool looking mist around some of the taller mountains. There were also some beautiful waterfalls and interesting plant life. We made our way back to the ferry and grabbed some takeaway in Oban before getting ready to meet up with the rest of the group at a pub across the street. We had a really good time at the pub, with a band playing an interesting(?) assortment of cover tunes all night. On our way back into the hostel that evening I attempted to have a conversation with some french speaking guys who were standing outside. I took 4 years of french in high school, and was appalled by how little I retained! Overall it was a good day, but I was a little bummed that we didn't get to see the castle on the isle of Mull.

Rudi's

Rudi's is located across the street from the old medical building where we had class. The sandwiches range from about 1.80-2.30 and are absolutely delicious for a takeaway lunch. It can get a little bit crowded during peak hours, but I think that adds to its appeal. While the sandwiches are all wonderful, the main attraction of Rudi's might be "Rudi" himself, although none of us were positive if it was actually him, the man, the legend, or not. We were always greeted with "hello beautifuls!" and "have a beautiful day!" He could brighten even the most gray of my rainy Scotland days. This is the perfect place to visit if you're trying to eat on a budget.

Peckham's

If The Abbey was my most visited pub, then Peckham's is definitely my most visited corner store/supermarket. Convenience stores exist in abundance here, and represent about 25% of the store fronts we walk past daily. They carry a wide selection of wine, beer, and cider, as well as a variety of mostly organic snacks. I got the most amazing yogurt of my life for 62p, and a delicious cup of warming lentil soup for 1.30. They also have a desert and cheese case which includes a variety of quiche and potato tarts as well. The quiche is sold by weight, and an average sized piece is only 1 pound! This is a good place to grab something quick on your way back from class to Pollock Halls.

William Wallace Monument

I've never seen Braveheart in my life. There. I said it. So, I didn't really know anything about William Wallace, or the battles he fought it, but I followed about half of the group up to the monument anyway, because it looked like a nice little hike. I'm so thankful that I did though, because it provided an awesome view of Stirling and surrounding areas, and it was a perfectly beautiful day in Scotland. I've noticed that the clouds here are particularly fluffy (on sunny days) and the sky is SO blue. Photographs end up looking like they've been edited with the contrast turned way up, which I just cannot seem to get enough of. There was a 6 pound fee to travel up tot the top of the monument, which we all felt was a bit steep, so we opted just to sit on the benches and enjoy the scenery. There was a reenactment around the side of the monument with someone playing a soldier in Wallace's army. Apparently, Wallace really was a huge, burly man, and was over 6 feet tall. After we returned to Pollock halls I attempted to watch the film and fell asleep about 2 hours in...I guess I'm just not meant to ever watch Braveheart after all.

Stirling Castle

Stirling Castle was my first castle of the trip, so I think I went into it with relatively high expectations. Thankfully, it lived up to most of them, although I will admit I was expecting something much larger. At the entrance, I grabbed the free audio tour, mostly because I think it looks hilarious when people walk around with a perplexed look on their faces as they walk about. The rooms in this castle were much larger than Craigmillar, and more clearly marked. Actors walked about and most of them just stood there unless you asked them questions. My favorite part of this castle was the queens room, because the ceiling was painted elaborately and everything was designed to fit the era from which it came, although it's doubtful that much of it was actually original. I didn't know that so many different people used the castle throughout it's lifetime. I guess I just assumed that one ruler lived there until he died and then it was sold off to someone or something? Stirling was a cool place to walk around for the day, but I probably wouldn't want to stay any longer than just a day trip. We all grabbed a bite to eat on our way back to the center of town at a pub, which I can't remember the name of. Probably due to the fact that my food was just decent.

Craigmillar Castle

Hands down...without a doubt...Craigmillar Castle was my favorite place I visited this entire trip. I love that it provides such a contrast for every other castle that one would like to visit in Scotland because how they have chosen to preserve it. It's really easy to get to from Pollock Halls via the city bus, and there is a brief walk through a park to the top. You walk into the visitors center/guest shop and pay a 5 pound fee to gain access to the castle. The best part is that you kind of get to roam freely. There are small plaques in each room explaining the use, and maybe a total of 3 larger information stations explaining the history of the castle, but aside from that, interpretations are pretty much up to your imagination. There are no actors, no vending machines, and very few people there in general. Some of the rooms can even be a little creepy because you have to walk through a series of doors to get to them and it's not very well lit. I found that I was making up stories in my head whilst exploring. My favorite thing to think about is the huge, elaborate parties they would have in the Hall, for nearly every meal. 50+ people drinking, eating, and having a good time...sounds like my kind of dining experience! The surrounding land is beautiful and serene, and you are able to walk around the entire perimeter of the castle. Everyone who visits Scotland should be required to visit Craigmillar.

Glasglow Science Center

The child in me was immediately drawn to the surface when I saw the Glasglow Science center on the map that we picked up at the train station. It was a little bit farther away, so we walked over to the bus station to figure out what bus to take there. What ensued was probably the most stressful bus ride of my life, as we found out that we were going the completely wrong direction, away from the city centre. Stops were getting farther and farther apart, and we ended up about 45 minutes outside of the city...moral of the story is that none of the city buses go directly to the science center. It would be best to just take a taxi there (it's only about 6 pounds). Admission is reasonable, and there is an IMAX theater if you feel like splurging on a 10 pound experience. In all honesty, this is one of the best science centers I have ever been to. It's very interactive, and there are special events for younger children. Adjacent to the center is a tower which is the tallest tower in the world that can rotate 360-degrees, landing it a spot in the Guinness book of world records. Unfortunately, the tower was closed when we visited, and according to our cab driver on the way home, it has been closed for quite some time because the elevator is too large for the shaft, and they have trouble moving people to the top. The center closes earlier in the evening, so if you plan on visiting, I would do so earlier rather than later.

Glasgow Necropolis

The necropolis stretches for about 3 blocks on the edge of the city centre of Glasglow. If you take the train to Glasgow central you are within walking distance of many sights including the modern art museum, St. Mungo's Cathedral, and the People's palace. The necropolis is interesting because almost every single tombstone is elaborate and very large, much different from the sort of uniformity of grave sites in the U.S. Most of the people were unrecognizable and essentially your "average Joe" if you will (aside from the part that they probably had enough money to have a proper, and elaborate burial), but there were some people of interest including John Knox. We happened to visit on the same day as "The Queens Annual Parade" as we were told by a local police authority, so Kevin and I were literally the only two people in the entire place. It was pretty creepy!

Gladstone's Land

Gladstone's Land is a museum recreation to capture what tenement housing in 18th century Scotland would have looked like. This was of particular interest because we were studying how housing has evolved through time in Scotland, but I think visiting this destination would be worthwhile for anyone. The rooms are divided and set up according to who would have lived there and what activities would have taken place. The kitchen is where the servants would have slept and done their work. Additionally, there is a vertical hierarchy for each floor, whereby the poorest people would be the closest to the filth and stench of the street, and the middle class might be on floors 2 and 3. The flat at the top of the building would house skilled workers or writers who could access the natural light for as long as possible. The guides in Gladstone's Land were very informative and interested in what we were studying at the university as well. They have info cards for every room giving detailed descriptions. I would recommend going on a day that might be considered "off-peak" because it was very busy and crowded and hard to see everything.

J.D. Wetherspoon

I would definitely recommend going to any J.D. Wetherspoon restaurants for cheap food and drinks. I visited The Counting House during my weekend in Glasgow, and they have a deal where you can get a burger(veggie, please!) and a pint for 5.99. They have a variety of salads, small plates, and healthier options as well. Wetherspoon restaurants are located throughout the UK and are usually old buildings that have been repurposed. The resulting atmosphere is one in which you feel more important and upscale than you actually are. Tall ceilings and elaborate paintings are typical. The location in Edinburgh is called The Standing Order and is located in New Town.

The Abbey

A small group of us ended up at this place called The Abbey on South Clerk Street our first night in Edinburgh. There were only a few other people in there, most of them in their 40’s and 50’s. The bartenders were super attentive. They were quick to give us some recommendations for other pubs to visit in the area. I had my first Scottish brew, which I can’t remember the name of, but I was less than impressed. I requested a darker beer, Belhaven’s Best, which really hit the spot. Jaymie, Kevin, and I got a bit lost on the way back to Pollock and ended up exploring a bit. It was only midnight, but the streets were VERY quiet, especially in comparison to Athens. With the assistance of a stranger (everyone is SO friendly here!) we successfully made our way back. This pub ended up being my single most visited establishment in Edinburgh. Their prices are reasonable and it's the closest pub to Pollock Halls.