I wasn't physically at home for Christmas, but… my family came to Edinburgh instead. Even better, perhaps? It never quite felt like Christmas. Mom and I didn't bake. Anna and Dad didn't climb on the roof to hang decorations. A Christmas Story didn't play on BBC. Anna and I didn't quarrel over whose turn it was to put the top on the tree. We didn't go to my Aunt Janelle's to see Dad's side of the family. We didn't have Mom's side of the family over on Christmas Eve. It was weird. Different. But still great!
I went to bed last Friday night fearful that the fam's delayed flight from Charlotte to JFK would interfere with their flight from JFK to Edinburgh. I woke up Saturday morning with the disappointing confirmation that that was the case. I won't go into the details (I'll leave that to Mom, Dad, and Anna), but four suitcases lighter and 28 hours later than scheduled, my beloved family arrived in "my city" (as my mom calls it). I cried; I won't deny it. Mom was sans caffeine for days, Dad—against all odds—was extremely chipper, and Anna had a 2-day-old stain on her sweater. My family had arrived!!!
Sunday- The first matter of business after checking into our hotel was to buy something for my travel-worn family to wear since the luggage was MIA. Later, I showed off my flat, and we ate dinner at The Tron. We went on a tour of Mary King's Close-- an old close that is now underground and serves as the foundation for the City Chambers (see my "Drink the Beer, Not the Water" post).
Monday- I worked in the morning. I took the fam to Glenhas, our favorite deli, for lunch. That afternoon (after sunset... so like 4:00??), we rode on the Edinburgh Wheel... a ferris wheel in the middle of Princes Street Gardens. Anna is terrified of ferris wheels (and rollar coasters and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and It's a Small World), but I convinced her the ride was worth the panoramic view. Was I right, Anna? We had dinner at the Last Drop pub (yummmmmm) with Anna and the Brothers.
Tuesday- Day trip to Dunfermline, Culross, Stirling, and Roslyn Chapel. Dunfermline = chapel that the saintly Queen Margaret had built when she came to Scotland. Culross = 16th century sea town that escaped the Industrial Revolution. Stirling = William Wallace Monument and Stirling Castle. Roslyn Chapel = the most magnificent building I have ever been in!!!! Our tour guide grew up in the Edinburgh suburb, and he remembers the building being abandoned and covered with moss when he was in high school. A great deal of restoration work has taken place and is still taking place to preserve the chapel. Roslyn Chapel Read up on it.
Wednesday (Christmas Eve)- I worked in the morning. Anna and Mom explored the Edinburgh Castle in the afternoon while Dad and I took a double-decker bus tour of the city. My family, Kate's family (mom, granny, and brother), and Anna and the Brothers Wilson had dinner reservations at our favorite Italian restaurant before attending the midnight Christmas Eve service at St. Giles. Wow. The choir is beyond talented. Add it to the cathedral's acoustics and the setting of perhaps the most important church in Presbyterian history, and that makes one heck of a Christmas Eve service.
Thursday (Christmas day!)- I spent the night at the hotel. We ate breakfast and opened our presents (laid out perfectly beneath our Christmas tree—Anna's green pashmina taped to the wall with various odds and ends taped up as ornaments). We alternated between watching My Fair Lady and taking a Christmas nap. In the afternoon, we headed over to my flat to cook a pork roast and some veggies for our Christmas meal at Kate's family's rented flat.
Friday (Boxing Day)- I worked again in the morning. Mom, Anna, and I had lunch on George IV and explored the National Museum of Scotland (against Anna's will) while Dad rested a bit. We had traditional fish and chips AND haggis, neeps, and tatties for dinner that night before going to the movies to see Australia. Good movie!! Who knew a movie about herding cattle could be exciting? I opened my bday presents before going to bed that night… I got a backpacking pack! Wooo!!!!!
Saturday (my birthday)- My Christmas present to the family was a day tour up to Loch Ness. Sadly, we didn't see Nessie; however, we did see the thickest of Scotland fog, a bit of snow on the mountains, Glen Coe ("weeping valley"), and several castles. We took a boat tour out on the loch; it had to have been 10 degrees Fahrenheit. And then add a wind chill. Soooo collldddd!!!!! We had dinner at The Tass and went back to the hotel to pack.
Sunday- A taxi picked us up at the hotel and dropped me off at my flat before shuttling the rest of the family to the airport. The end of a great Christmas!
It was so much fun having my family here. Coming to Scotland was something I did very much on my own, so I love that I got the chance to introduce my family into this. I also loved knowing that I had a better sense of direction in the city than my dad!!!! (The sun is only out for 7 hours a day, and even then the sky is overcast-- cannot rely on the sun in Edinburgh, Dad!)
pictures for your entertainment
Christmas is over. :-( Birthday is over. :-( Now it's time for Hogmanay!!!!
Cheers.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Baby It's Cold Outside
In only two days time, my family will be in EDINBURGH!!!! In T -46 hours, I will be able to give my mom, dad, and sister big hugs! The first in over three months! I cannot wait for them to get here! EEEEEEE!!!!!!
My new job. Oh my new job. I’m not sure how much I am supposed to reveal about the history of St. Raphael’s (especially over the internet for all to see), but I’ll summarize it as briefly and politically as I can. Things had not been the best at St. R’s, and the Care Commission (the DHEC of care homes) gave them six weeks to shape up or ship out. To do so, a new manager (Mary) and a new team leader nurse (Ronnie) were hired. Over half a dozen staff have been “sacked” and another 10 or so have been hired. With four weeks under my belt, I have a bit of seniority here…odd as that may sound. The Care Commission came for the first review on Monday and Wednesday of this week and left us with tasks to be completed for our next review in six weeks.
If I were a permanent member of staff instead of a long-term temp, I would be contracted at 35 hours per week and be paid salary with no overtime. I work a full 35 hours half-way through Thursday. What I’ve been thrown into is three month’s worth of tasks that simply have not been attended to. Slowly but surely, I am digging my way out of the hole and things are beginning to run more smoothly. Oh, did I mention that three offices were swapped around the week before I came? My big task for next week will be to unpack all the boxes of files, try to make sense of them, and try to organize them. Luckily, Kate Howard—the Queen of Organization herself—works here, so I may steal her for a few afternoons.
Messy working conditions and hectic schedule aside, I do enjoy it here. I am getting to know many of the residents and some of their families, and I absolutely love Mary and Ronnie. I won’t hide that the idea of leaving for a less time-consuming and less stressful position has crossed my mind many times, but here I am still working at St. R’s. After I’ve finished digging myself out of the admin assistant grave, we will need to have a conversation about allowing me time to travel.
So when I’m not working 9-10 hour days, I spend a great deal of time with a good niche of friends we’ve made. We are regulars at Belushi’s on Monday nights for trivia (we’ve won 3 out of 4 nights), but our group has gotten too large to be one team. Most of the gang are Canadians, so they bustle about the city in hoodies while the southern American girls wear wool coats, scarves, gloves, and hats. And long johns on occasion.
Princes Street Garden is transformed into Winter Wonderland for the month of December. The bottom of the gardens (remember it was a moat…) is an ice skating rink, and the benches along the walking path provide a perfect place to perch and watch people fall. The west end is a “traditional German market” (read: sinfully good food). Hot dogs. Crepes. Sausages. Steak sandwiches. Doughnuts. Chips. Waffles with all kinds of toppings. Mulled wine. “Fire punch.” Candied almonds and cashews. Cotton candy. Absolutely brilliant. The flat mates and I ate our way through the market last week. NO regrets. We explored the rides on the east end of the gardens last night with our Canadian buddies Ross and Mark. Adorning the Scott Monument on either side are swings, slides, a merry-go-round, and… the EDINBURGH WHEEL. The ferris wheel offers the same view you would get by climbing to the top of the monument for a mere £.50 more and without the physical exertion. I am slightly terrified of heights, and Ross had a bit too much fun spinning our car, but again… NO regrets! Anna and I then rode the merry-go-round. We were the ONLY people on ride. Sweet. Mark, Ross, Kate, and Anna opted to ride the swings that sling you in the air (and look as if you WILL hit the monument); I decided to keep my dinner in my stomach, so I took pictures.
Our flat will be packity-pack-packed this week. My darling baby sister Anna will be staying with my while the fam is in town. In addition, Anna Wilson’s friend from camp will be with us until Monday or Tuesday; incidentally, her name is Claire, leaving us with two Anna’s and two Claire’s in one flat. Ross is sleep on one (or possibly both?) of our couches over the holidays to keep from paying his hostel’s increased holiday rates. (We are sympathetic towards weary and broke travellers.) Now add the aforementioned congestion to an additional 7 family members in town—my mom and dad, Kate’s mom, granny, and brother, and Anna’s two brothers. I love it. Can’t wait!!!!!
It already looks like Christmas, but now it’s beginning to feel like it too…
My new job. Oh my new job. I’m not sure how much I am supposed to reveal about the history of St. Raphael’s (especially over the internet for all to see), but I’ll summarize it as briefly and politically as I can. Things had not been the best at St. R’s, and the Care Commission (the DHEC of care homes) gave them six weeks to shape up or ship out. To do so, a new manager (Mary) and a new team leader nurse (Ronnie) were hired. Over half a dozen staff have been “sacked” and another 10 or so have been hired. With four weeks under my belt, I have a bit of seniority here…odd as that may sound. The Care Commission came for the first review on Monday and Wednesday of this week and left us with tasks to be completed for our next review in six weeks.
If I were a permanent member of staff instead of a long-term temp, I would be contracted at 35 hours per week and be paid salary with no overtime. I work a full 35 hours half-way through Thursday. What I’ve been thrown into is three month’s worth of tasks that simply have not been attended to. Slowly but surely, I am digging my way out of the hole and things are beginning to run more smoothly. Oh, did I mention that three offices were swapped around the week before I came? My big task for next week will be to unpack all the boxes of files, try to make sense of them, and try to organize them. Luckily, Kate Howard—the Queen of Organization herself—works here, so I may steal her for a few afternoons.
Messy working conditions and hectic schedule aside, I do enjoy it here. I am getting to know many of the residents and some of their families, and I absolutely love Mary and Ronnie. I won’t hide that the idea of leaving for a less time-consuming and less stressful position has crossed my mind many times, but here I am still working at St. R’s. After I’ve finished digging myself out of the admin assistant grave, we will need to have a conversation about allowing me time to travel.
So when I’m not working 9-10 hour days, I spend a great deal of time with a good niche of friends we’ve made. We are regulars at Belushi’s on Monday nights for trivia (we’ve won 3 out of 4 nights), but our group has gotten too large to be one team. Most of the gang are Canadians, so they bustle about the city in hoodies while the southern American girls wear wool coats, scarves, gloves, and hats. And long johns on occasion.
Princes Street Garden is transformed into Winter Wonderland for the month of December. The bottom of the gardens (remember it was a moat…) is an ice skating rink, and the benches along the walking path provide a perfect place to perch and watch people fall. The west end is a “traditional German market” (read: sinfully good food). Hot dogs. Crepes. Sausages. Steak sandwiches. Doughnuts. Chips. Waffles with all kinds of toppings. Mulled wine. “Fire punch.” Candied almonds and cashews. Cotton candy. Absolutely brilliant. The flat mates and I ate our way through the market last week. NO regrets. We explored the rides on the east end of the gardens last night with our Canadian buddies Ross and Mark. Adorning the Scott Monument on either side are swings, slides, a merry-go-round, and… the EDINBURGH WHEEL. The ferris wheel offers the same view you would get by climbing to the top of the monument for a mere £.50 more and without the physical exertion. I am slightly terrified of heights, and Ross had a bit too much fun spinning our car, but again… NO regrets! Anna and I then rode the merry-go-round. We were the ONLY people on ride. Sweet. Mark, Ross, Kate, and Anna opted to ride the swings that sling you in the air (and look as if you WILL hit the monument); I decided to keep my dinner in my stomach, so I took pictures.
Our flat will be packity-pack-packed this week. My darling baby sister Anna will be staying with my while the fam is in town. In addition, Anna Wilson’s friend from camp will be with us until Monday or Tuesday; incidentally, her name is Claire, leaving us with two Anna’s and two Claire’s in one flat. Ross is sleep on one (or possibly both?) of our couches over the holidays to keep from paying his hostel’s increased holiday rates. (We are sympathetic towards weary and broke travellers.) Now add the aforementioned congestion to an additional 7 family members in town—my mom and dad, Kate’s mom, granny, and brother, and Anna’s two brothers. I love it. Can’t wait!!!!!
It already looks like Christmas, but now it’s beginning to feel like it too…
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Turkey for You and Turkey for Me
Thanksgiving was last week. It was strange to be away from my family and my home, but to add to the quintessential Full House sentimentality, it made me even more thankful that I have a family and a home to love and miss. Kate made a scrumptious pot roast for Thanksgiving day, but our feast was on Saturday.
We passed the message by word of mouth and Kate posted a sign in the BUNAC office that the girls of 26/1 Gardner’s Crescent were throwing an American style Thanksgiving feast for anyone and everyone who wanted to join. I was, needless to say, very nervous about preparing my very first Thanksgiving meal sans my mother’s knowledge and guidance. One of my favorite parts of my experience here has been experimenting with cooking, but experimenting with T-giving when numerous hungry mouths are expecting to be fed is a completely different ball park. Expecting that 12 people would be in attendance and wanting to be prepared for a few unannounced, we cooked a chicken and a 7.2 kilo turkey. Yes, kilo. Remember…I’m in Europe.
Our schedule for the big day was as follows:
9am- Wake up. Kate and Anna go to the market on King Stables Road for fresh vegetables. Claire finishes cleaning the flat.
11am- Chicken goes in the oven.
1:30pm- Turkey goes in the oven
5:30pm- Dressing goes in the oven
6:30-6:45pm- Cook vegetables and make gravy
Our first guests arrived around 6pm, and our last guest walked out the door around 1am. I believe the official head count was 12 guests plus Kate, Anna, and me. Out of the guests, we had two Americans, one New Zealander, and nine Canadians. Have no fear; we taught the Canadians what dressing is and how to have a proper Pilgrim/Original American meal. (Further note: Out of the nine Canadians, eight speak French. I wish very strongly that I could speak another language. Maybe when I have time on my hands, I will take Spanish lessons.) We got nothing but sincere thanks for having people over and for cooking the food. It was, if I might say so, a successful Thanksgiving feast! The turkey could have used a bit more salt and the gravy could have used more of the turkey broth, but I am still damn proud of the outcome.
We are meeting more and more people every day, and our social calendars are becoming more and more booked. Last night, we all visited our friend Scott while he was bartending at T G I Fridays. (Yes, I know that’s an awfully American restaurant to visit whilst in Scotland, but we are loyal friends.) We got to benefit from two order mistakes, and I got a free milkshake. It’s great to have connections where it really counts.
Work is very incredibly totally busy. At all times. I get to work thirty minutes early, usually stay a bit late, and take the shortest lunch break the Scottish government permits, and I still can’t seem to keep up with my growing to-do list. I am really enjoying myself. I love the people I work with, and thanks to my sting-pulling, Kate will so be joining our ranks. I love seeing Thelma’s face light up when her husband comes for his daily afternoon visit and watching her wave goodbye until his car is completely out of sight. Whenever I need a five minute break, I know Peggy will always be willing to take a hand-holding stroll down the hall. I don’t think I have to admit that work isn’t always smooth sailing; the constant busyness and overload of tasks and a certain unfriendly employee can start to get to me by 5pm, but an evening with our new friends gives me the energy for another day.
My family gets here in 16 days!!!
We passed the message by word of mouth and Kate posted a sign in the BUNAC office that the girls of 26/1 Gardner’s Crescent were throwing an American style Thanksgiving feast for anyone and everyone who wanted to join. I was, needless to say, very nervous about preparing my very first Thanksgiving meal sans my mother’s knowledge and guidance. One of my favorite parts of my experience here has been experimenting with cooking, but experimenting with T-giving when numerous hungry mouths are expecting to be fed is a completely different ball park. Expecting that 12 people would be in attendance and wanting to be prepared for a few unannounced, we cooked a chicken and a 7.2 kilo turkey. Yes, kilo. Remember…I’m in Europe.
Our schedule for the big day was as follows:
9am- Wake up. Kate and Anna go to the market on King Stables Road for fresh vegetables. Claire finishes cleaning the flat.
11am- Chicken goes in the oven.
1:30pm- Turkey goes in the oven
5:30pm- Dressing goes in the oven
6:30-6:45pm- Cook vegetables and make gravy
Our first guests arrived around 6pm, and our last guest walked out the door around 1am. I believe the official head count was 12 guests plus Kate, Anna, and me. Out of the guests, we had two Americans, one New Zealander, and nine Canadians. Have no fear; we taught the Canadians what dressing is and how to have a proper Pilgrim/Original American meal. (Further note: Out of the nine Canadians, eight speak French. I wish very strongly that I could speak another language. Maybe when I have time on my hands, I will take Spanish lessons.) We got nothing but sincere thanks for having people over and for cooking the food. It was, if I might say so, a successful Thanksgiving feast! The turkey could have used a bit more salt and the gravy could have used more of the turkey broth, but I am still damn proud of the outcome.
We are meeting more and more people every day, and our social calendars are becoming more and more booked. Last night, we all visited our friend Scott while he was bartending at T G I Fridays. (Yes, I know that’s an awfully American restaurant to visit whilst in Scotland, but we are loyal friends.) We got to benefit from two order mistakes, and I got a free milkshake. It’s great to have connections where it really counts.
Work is very incredibly totally busy. At all times. I get to work thirty minutes early, usually stay a bit late, and take the shortest lunch break the Scottish government permits, and I still can’t seem to keep up with my growing to-do list. I am really enjoying myself. I love the people I work with, and thanks to my sting-pulling, Kate will so be joining our ranks. I love seeing Thelma’s face light up when her husband comes for his daily afternoon visit and watching her wave goodbye until his car is completely out of sight. Whenever I need a five minute break, I know Peggy will always be willing to take a hand-holding stroll down the hall. I don’t think I have to admit that work isn’t always smooth sailing; the constant busyness and overload of tasks and a certain unfriendly employee can start to get to me by 5pm, but an evening with our new friends gives me the energy for another day.
My family gets here in 16 days!!!
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