Freshers Flu

The past week has been pretty uneventful in terms of being an American tourist/visiting student. I caught Freshers Flu last week so my weekend consisted of bland eating, lots of sleeping and catching up with American tv shows. I'm feeling a lot better this week but have times when I still feel pretty cruddy.

I attempted to temporarily feel better over the weekend in order to make a trip to The Elephant House with Sarah for some tea and coffee. If you haven't heard of The Elephant House, it is where J.K. Rowling sat and wrote many of the early HP books. It advertises itself as the "the birthplace of Harry Potter." The back room overlooks Edinburgh Castle and while it isn't disclosed in the book, Hogwarts is in Scotland! Here is a link to an early interview (before the 3rd HP book) with J.K. Rowling at The Elephant House.

The inside of The Elephant House resembles your average coffee shop apart from the massive collection of elephant figurines. The women's bathroom is another story as it is like a shrine to HP.

That arrow points to the toilet.

As a big HP fan, I definitely will be making another trip to The Elephant House again this semester.

Week two of classes is over for me! Next week I have to give a solo fifteen minute presentation on American Abstraction art in connection with British artists like Joan Eardley and Alan Davie (Scottish Art class) and another presentation in my Sexual Politics class on debates in the women's art movement. Exciting stuff.

With having each of my three classes one day a week, plus a reading week, plus a revision week, I only have eight more classes for each seminar this semester; however, the amount of reading definitely makes up for the lack of class time.

In other news:

1. Oregano is pronounced as or-eh-gone-oh.

2. The wind was crazy earlier in the week and there were a lot of limbs down in the Meadows*. British people will give you a quizzical look if you say limbs in reference to branches.

3. Went to an ashtanga yoga class at the dance studio. It was kind of tough - especially while full and sleep deprived - but still great. It was nice to have a legit teacher and not one that is a UNC student. The only thing is that a UNC student would never put her bare feet on your hands while correcting your downward dog. Gross. Also gross - needing to cough up phlegm while in Salamba Sarvangasana…good luck with that.

Salamba Sarvangasana

4. Planning to go to Glasgow on Saturday with a few of the MC girls! Excited for this because it will be my first time out of Edinburgh and I definitely need to start acting like more of a tourist.

*I live right on the edge of the Meadows which is a large, public park that is nice to walk through or play football.