Off to a running start

As you may have noticed, it's been just over a week since my last entry. School is almost entirely to blame for this delay, as this week all of my classes have finally started, and I had a small assignment due for the Research Skills and Methods course I had last week. Despite feeling a bit swamped initially, I am liking my program so far. I only have two classes a week (one on Modernist literature and cultural theory, the other on Canadian Lit, funnily enough), which means I also have a four day weekend, but also tons of reading to do every week. In the Modernism class I'm getting to read a lot of classics which I've always meant to get to (for next week I have to read Heart of Darkness, for example). Despite having written my undergrad thesis on Alice Munro, I haven't every really done a basic CanLit class, and this one takes an interesting post-colonial/gender approach. I'm the only Canadian in the class, so I do get the occasional question about Canadian history (which is sometimes followed by a shrug of shoulders and nervous laughter). The profs seem friendly, down to earth, and quite funny, so it looks as though I will get along quite well here. The CanLit class is held in the prof's office, so halfway through we break for tea and chocolate biscuits!

If you'll indulge my English Lit nerdiness for just awhile longer, I'll proudly tell you that I also now have a general reader's ticket for the National Library of Scotland. This means that I can go in and use their material (which is generally kept away in storage, and cannot be taken out of the building). The NLS is a copyright library, meaning that anytime a book is published in the British Isles, a copy must be sent to the NLS. So basically, they have everything - including a bunch of rare materials and manuscripts.

The Edinburgh Public Library is just across the street. I have a feeling I will be studying there a lot - the building is gorgeous, with a big domed main room, and those two-story bookshelves which have a balcony half-way up. Best of all, both of these libraries are just around the corner from my residence! The University library is another story - although they have a lot of online materials, their actual holdings seem rather disorganized - half are shelved using Dewey decimal, the other half using Library of Congress, and the online catalogue is not nearly as detailed as McGill's.

Turning back to topics you might actually care about, there is still lots to explore in and around Edinburgh. A bunch of us have signed up to take a day-trip next weekend to see some castles south of here, and a potential visit to Stirling this weekend is in the works. I am beginning to feel (or at least convincing myself that I am) more like a local, pushing past tourists on my way to campus and looking unfazed when the Castle's 1 o'clock cannon strikes. I'm getting much better at looking right, then left when crossing the street, although signs like this are still helpful:


I've had not one but two deep fried mars bars, and let me say that they are delicious. The combo of fried dough and chocolate almost reminds me of beaver tails back home. And in lieu of poutine, our new post-bar obsession is chips with curry sauce, as documented below (with fish and chips in the background):



We also found the sauce in a jar at Sainsbury's (a grocery store here) for 4p - that's about 8 cents! Compared to the 2 pounds 50 you pay at a chip shop, homemade curry fries may be a much cheaper option. I've also had steak pie (delicious), but despite my love of a good brunch, have still not had a traditional Scottish breakfast! Hopefully that will change soon.

Still on the (recurring, it seems) topic of food, we've also discovered a brilliant (hehe) farmer's market, located just on the other side of the castle from us:


It's mostly organic food from local farms, but surprisingly not too pricey, and all in the shadow of the castle! They have lots of different types of meat (venison and ostrich, for example), but the highlight so far has been the delicious, delicious cheese! I got some excellent mature cheddar two weekends ago, and some tasty brie this weekend. The fresh scones are also a good buy - future visitors will have to come along and check it out!

Tonight we're all going to a pub quiz, which should be fun, and then tomorrow I may meet up with second-cousin Natasha Olechowski who is in town for a visit. Then may watch a taped version of the Palin-Biden debates on Sunday at a Democrats Abroad event (last weekend we watched the Obama-McCain debate in the same cafe). Weird how close to North American and home technology can make me feel - especially the miracle that is Skype. Hope everyone is well, I'll try and post again soon.