last from Edinburgh

I must say its been the best experience ever. This was exactly what I needed to confirm that I was meant to write. Tonight is our last night and its a bit sad. I've met many new friends- the "florida mafia" infiltrated the program, even if a couple of us came out of the great white north to do so. I have more pix to put up but tonight is our farewell party and I'm waiting for those. see ya'll soon

out in North berwick at tantallon

not quite Alice through the looking glass, more like thru the castle window

most of these were at the castle Edinburgh or Tantallon, this one is Felicia at Tantallon

"my italian vacation"

rainy day in Edinburgh

The rain started yesterday morning and hasn't let up, no thunder or lightning so it's cool. The program here is amazing and I have had a blast. Some of the names for things here will throw ya off....like when I went looking for band-aids to patch up the blisters....over here they are called plasters, crackers are digestives, pants refers to what is under your jeans and jeans are trousers. I have watched at tea time as baked potatoes came out with pork n beans on them (ick) and refused to go near the chow hall today simply because I couldn't stomach the smell of herring again in the morning. I thought I made lousy coffee until I drank the stuff here....pretty sure even the military wouldn't touch it. Right now I'm outside our cafe/bar that is on campus....they even sell bottles of whiskey with the university logo on them...not something you would see in the states. This trip has been the pits on cameras- I think out of our group 5 people have had cameras get wet or just quit working...that sux over here. some of the highschoolers will be leaving on sunday...thank heavens. some of them forgot all about the fact that at some point in time manners are needed. The people here walk everywhere...which is a killer with the cobblestones. I watched women in heels cringing at how far the heel was bending-just waiting to see one of them fall and bust their heads along with other things. its been different, its been fantastic and I am now in my last week which I'm both happy and sad about. so time to put up more pix.

so we have been to the castle and we're waiting on the bus sitting on a rock/stone bridge and about a minute after I took this shot- there was an accident about a half a block away from us....3 cameras out and do you thinki any of us took a picture??? yeah you guessed-Nope. after all of the fuss was done then we thought about it...

I loved the mist..it was so cool looking, like it was trying to eat the mountain

yeah I go all the way to scotland to take pix of a dog that looks like ours...she was a bit skittish but it was cool, she came to me and laid her head in my hand just like shadieux does- her owners said she rarely goes to anyone...I am the weimer whisperer I guess

moon over Edinburgh

Ceilidh---think Calais or caylee for pronounciation- equals to big party

Goran and Francesca, our student hosts

the Canadian pipers at practice

this is the big stadium where the military tattoo was held...just one small area.

the latest

ok, now that I can sit for a moment...it's been the jolly rush since I landed. The time difference is one thing..the food is another. I had a really bad migraine yesterday and the smell of herring just about did me in. I muddled through the day and made it...but it was close, so last night I blew off the program for last night and just wrote-the first true work since I got here. I have gotten some really great feed back from my tutor/mentor, and ran into a girl from MSU- small world.
This place is like a melting pot, there's people from all over the globe, sometimes the language thing becomes an issue in the critiques but it all works.
The castle in yesterdays pix is Tantalon, which I just misspelled, but anyway...it is beyond cool. We took a train out and back, had true fish and chips at the place with the fish on the window...there was a parade of the pipers through town...the last group played my favorite- amazing grace, so of course we had to cheer em on.
The day starts out with breakfast in a very crowded diner- with all the kids its crazy, then in the lecture hall by 930 and out at 1030, time for tea....then to our groups, a break for lunch at 130ish. depending on the day we have master classes or other speakers...so much info its crazy.
The weather hasn't been bad- today is the first chilly day.
I'm still trying to finish my classes at WMU soooooo. new pix will be added then its back to work. more later-

there was a wedding here the day we visited- talk about a lil girls dream!

not quite to loch ness

yeah it does say abbey road.

more pix

These were all at Castle Edinburgh

I dont want to know if its a real hoof

the castle

ok, so we get there and there's a hike to get in but the feeling in the air is almost magical. The place exudes the sweat and tears of its long and varied places in history. I had goose bumps- part of the reason I wanted to do THIS program is that back in the day- like 6-7 generations, my grandmother was a Campbell, Edinburgh castle is the stronghold of the Campbell clan. it was so cool to be wandering through a place that at some point in time, she may have walked on also. I was able to look it up after I got here too to verify what we had found before which was even better. In the morning I'm off to see Loch Ness, my plan for today was to veg out, do homework,etc......but the highland games are going on and three of us are off to see the sights there.
The people in the program are really nice, there's only one that everytime she opens her mouth I want to hurt her- she has the most condesending voice. There's a batch here from Fla., one of the women brought her husband and 1 yr old son- he's our unofficial mascot and he is just too cute, last night at the caldihl he had on a tiny kilt- he's always all smiles...makes me miss my girls. we were "invaded" by 2000 American highschoolers who are here for the Fringe- part of the theater events...they kept trying to sneak in to get the free beer and dance...I'm kinda mad- I broke my toe on monday...yeah I know. I did it coming off a bus. but there's more coming so hold on and check out the pics. :)

pics,pics,pics,and more pics

this is the staircase at Castle Edinburgh...can you imagine running up those in battle??

nope it's not a torture device, its the door at the castle

our ice cold lecture hall

yeah, once again-a church and strange blue lights.