Well Hello Everybody.
It appears there will be nothing but delays and battles to get anything done around here. Our main advisor, Dr. Collins, said that touring abroad will make one more critical of their home. I can say this...experiencing the staff here has made me more critical about this University and its decided lack of efficiency. The internet may or may not happen, the ResNet will only accept "fully matriculated" students, which as internationals, we are not. My theory: we're paying to be here, they can damn well bend the rules for everything else, why not this?
Anyway.
We had a whirlwind tour of Edinburgh today, led by said Dr. Collins. Unfortunately, it was nothing I didn't already know how to find...but it was kind of interesting to hear all his little stories and ancedotes about the various sights. He is rather spry for so elderly a gentlemen, he has a thick Welsh accent and stutters horribly, and he talks ( and walk!) in circles, so that should make his history lectures interested. Perhaps I can feign boredom on the nine am start time! Also,everyone over here seems to feel that as American students, we can't possibly have any idea about politics, religion, or tolerance...even within our own country. That should be a fun myth to dispell, I'm really looking forward to my first encounter/ discussion in class with a few of my professors.
I'm sorry this is so jaded, its been a long day and I'm very tired and frustrated. I'm really not stupid,but I am apparently some massive abnomility amongst the students here. As I was informed by the cafeteria, library, computer lab, help desk, and housing warden, "EVERYONE has a matriculation number, because you can't get INTO the (insert appropriate type here)building without it". Well, apparently, NOT everyone has one, and so we shall see. I think i see why everyone here drinks all the time, its because they drink out of despair at the stupidity of their fellow beings. No wonder they could never flippin win a war! More on that later.
Ah well, enough rambling from me I suppose.
The city really is gorgeous...I really have to figure ouit a way to post pictures. Maybe if I bring all my cables and programs and crap down here, I can get it uploaded, hehe. That isn't violating security, oh no, not in the slightest (tries to look innocent, fails miserably). The castle is prettier at night, so I'll walk back up there sometime soon to get pictures of that. I think we're going to do a cheesy "catacomb horror tour" one of these nights, so I'll be sure to get pictures of that too.
Can I take a moment to thank everyone for the great emails and guestbook entries? I really love the feedback, and its nice to know people are thinking about me, especially since you're never far from my thoughts either. Every day I see something where I say to myself, "wow...I know someone who would really appreciate this..."
Anyway. Good day and good cheer to you all, I'll email everyone again soon.
(part two follows, click here)
