The Highlands

I'm stuck in the Highlands. The internet only is available here when the wind calms down and that isn't very often. So I'll write about all my adventures when the wind dies down, but probably in the Lowlands.

Cheers.

Bapak

Hello,

To dispel any enquiries, "bapak" means "dad" in Indonesian. And I say that to say that my father has arrived in Scotland.

YAY!!!!

I'm super stoked that he is here. I'm having a great time just walking around and talking with him. It feels kinda surreal that I'm showing him around Scotland. This is a completely different side of the country for him though, so he doesn't know much about it. It is great that he's here. When he arrived, it took him 3 hours to get from the airport to me. It's about a 20 min. drive. I ended up running a mile or so to get to him. If you know the area, he was supposed to meet me at the Omni, but I found him at the top of Leith Walk near Ocean Terminal.

I've been having great fun recently. Happy Easter to all of those that I never wished it to. Easter Sunday was great here. It was really something to see people so happy that Jesus didn't stay dead, but came back to life. Praise God Jesus was stronger than death.

David, Yuli, and I were invited for tea over at John and Dana's and that was really great. We watched the telly and laughed and really enjoyed each other company. If you don't know who they are, I'll post some pictures later. Tonight will be a no picture night.

I had a wee confrontation within myself tonight over Christianity and Patriotism. I'm wondering how "ok" is it for me to love my country. Scotland is great, but America is my home and it is my favourite. (I'm trying not to seem arrogant by saying it's the best because that seems to be a "no-no" here). I'm sobered by that thought. America is not the perfect country, but none are. I appreciate what it was founded on. I agree with its founding ideas for the most part. I don't agree with a lot that the government does, but I can't hate the country for what the government does. My home is in heaven with God primarily, but I can't escape what I am here on Earth. I'm an American, and if I had to chose a country to live in forever, it would be the United States. I'm still out of how okay it is. I want to be as international as possible, and not think that the way I do things is the best. I don't want to belittle other people's homelands. And I don't think that I do. I'm rambling now. Take it for what it is.

So now I'm off to bed, tomorrow is a great big day for me. See ya then. Feel free to leave comments and thoughts. Comments have been scarce lately so I could do for the encouragement. Share your thoughts and we'll talk.


Cheers

A Note About the Brits

My fellow Americans,

I'm here today to explain a little something about Britain to you. These are things that I have seen and that have been told to me by some Americans that have lived here for a few years now.

One main difference seems to have surfaced between American culture and British culture is their view on law and government. While both think that it is good and necessary, they have different views on what kind of role they should play. A simple example is this: Americans think they can go until some authority figure says stop. British on the other hand stay put until they are told to go. A simple anecdote can demonstrate this.

I was in the cinema looking for our church, which meets in cinema 1, and they way that you get up to it is by using a staircase that has signs beside it saying "DO NOT ENTER please enter cinema by the lift." There was a certain British couple standing looking for the same church. They had been waiting, but would not go up the stairs until they were told they could because the sign said not to. Me being American, I took a look at the sign, looked around to see any authority figures and trotted up the stairs, to the astonishment of the British couple.

If that wasn't a proper example, then you think of one and send it back to me. I say that to say that there is much more government control of things here that we would consider un-constitutional. And they are. It's just that the Constitution doesn't work over here, as much as we might want it to. The government seems to watch you an awful lot.

Another thing is that if you want to come over here, you better have a lot of money. If you work in America and spend in America. It's the same monetarily as if you worked in Britain and spent in Britain. I take that back. Things are slightly cheaper here if you earn the pound, but if you don't it's expensive. A combo meal still cost about 4.99, but in American dollars it's 9.98. So everything is twice as expensive here. One great thing though is that the price you see is the price you pay. The tax is already added to it. the tax is about 17% though. It's outrageous. You pay tax on everything here. You pay rent of course, but you also have to play council tax which might be about 30% of your rent a month. This pays for who-knows-what. You also have to pay a tax on all the televisions that you own and the list goes on and on. Expect to pay for it if you want to live here. You do get to go on better vacations because your money goes a lot farther when converted.

On the policy of work, America has it very backwards. the US thinks that you have to work 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year. You might be lucky to get 1-2 weeks vacation when you start a job in the States. Here you start with 4-5 weeks off. So you actually get to spend the money that you make. Here work doesn't seem to be the be-all end-all of life. It as seen as a way to stay alive to enjoy other parts of life.

I really do like it here, despite all of the outrageous taxes and government involvement in every aspect of your life. I like it. I hope this has been somewhat of an insight into life living here in Britain. I'll write about more of adventures soon. I'll have plenty of them next week. My Dad is flying in on Sunday and we are headed to the Northern parts of Scotland and are going to watch some great football matches. So you'll see some cool pictures, in the meantime, I hope you like the ones I've included. Cheers

Ian

A Purple Morning

I experienced two things today that I had never had anything to do with before:


1. I saw a deep purple sky - This morning about 5:30, I was in the city centre under the shadow of the castle. I had to be at work very early. (does anyone else remember me saying that I would never do this again). I was walking down Princes Street and looked up to the castle, which was not lit like it normally is. A few rooms had lights in them as to simulate someone actually living there. I looked above it and noticed the sky was not black or dark blue like a usual pre-dawn. It was a dark royal purple sky. I am a connoisseur of the suns appearances and salutations, but I have never seen this before. It was absolutely marvelous. I wanted to take a picture, but it wouldn't have come out anyway.

2. Wind - I walked out a museum today and took some brisk steps forward and realised that I wasn't moving anywhere. I was walking, but the wind was pushing me back with the same amount of force with which I was exerting to move forward. It was quite an experience. very surreal.

I know I haven't written recently, but I'm not going to make excuses. I don't answer to you. This is MY blog. (although I do appreciate you sharing this trip with me)

I worked a full day today and have nothing on the schedule tomorrow except planning for my new secret project. I'll do another post tonight about things that have been going on that are more exciting than my 8 hour shifts at the Bucks. I'll also post some pics. Check back in a few hours. Cheers

From Arthur's Seat to Murrayfield

Greetings cave dwellers and middle class America alike,

I'm actually currently watching "Father Ted" for those of you who that will have any meaning. I'm sitting the in the living room watching the telly with Jim the Labrador. Sundays are very tiring days in church work because they tend to last for a very long time. I got up at 7 this morning to get to church by 9 and then it was non-stop until 8 tonight. So I am very glad when I get home, that I get to sit down and enjoy a good dinner and watch some cops shows.

I'm enjoying being put to work though, which I am doing a lot of. The days that I do have off are terribly lonely. This is from Monday (it's been 24 hours since I started this entry), but when I got off work, I was already 1.5 hours late for connection group. (similar to cell groups) but I showed up anyway, just to be around people. I really enjoy going to connection groups. I like to be around other people in a small group setting.

My money comes in tomorrow, so I'll be able to buy groceries, but I've been doing pretty good on 4 pounds a week. (that's money) or $8. So far I have been in Scotland for over two weeks and have used around 30 pounds ($60) but it spends here like $30 because everything is twice the price. For example, a tall Starbucks latte is about $5 and a combo meal at McDonald's would be about $10. The only thing I've seen that is the same price as home is grocery store food. I get bread, peanut butter, and jelly all for about $5.

I kind of wish that I had more to say. I feel like I should, but the days are getting more routine. I'll soon start my assignment from the church and I'll let you know more about that when that happens. Anyway, I'm sorry for being boring. I'll try and post again before I go to work tomorrow when I'm not on the verge of falling asleep.


Cheers

Picking Dog Hairs Off My Sweater

As I sit here picking dog hair off of my sweater, listening to Dragnet, and trying to concentrate on writing this blog early because I might be out late tonight. Tonight I am headed to a St. Patrick's Day Party. Apparently St. Patricks Day is very big around here. Everyone goes out for it. (As a little side note, St. Patrick was born in Scotland and was sold into slavery in Ireland. He was able to escape and made his way back to Scotland where he had a dream of the Irish asking him to come back and save them. So he did. that is why he is known at the Saint of Ireland.)

Anyway, I want to take some time to tell you about my time in British Culture. One of the main things which may or may not be strange to you depending on where you are from is that the British seem to keep to themselves. Maybe it's just the cold and dreary weather, but they don't really speak to each other on the road. There are no "Hey, how are you"s. One Scotsman today, who hails from Glasgow and has a language that you have to stretch to call English, described his people as "dullfaced." Never smiling and the like. Of course, they view Americans as overly happy wishing each other a good day and always smiling. Scots seem to warm up to you before they are really friendly so friends take some work.

Eating habits are similar to ours. They are, from what I've seen (and remember all these opinions are from just 2 weeks experience and with that I am trying to talk not make judgments.), cereal or porridge (oatmeal) in the morning and usually a soup or sandwich at lunch. They do have bakeries all around that offer fresh made sandwiches. Dinner is the big meal of the day with it being just as various as our own at home. I expected it to be a lot of meat and potatoes, but Edinburgh has become so cosmopolitan that you can walk down the street and have your choice of cuisine from around the world. I had Nepalese takeout two night ago and fish and chips last night. The big difference from home is the availability and consumption of alcohol. It is nothing for co-workers to go to the pub for lunch and have a pint, and while stores can't sell you alcohol after 10pm, you shouldn't have trouble getting there by nine because you can talk into just about any store and get any kind of alcohol you want. The Ikea (a contemporary furniture store) sales the stuff. Also, it is not seen as a bad thing over here to drink. The church here looks down upon drunkenness, but is much different than the Southern every-drop-contains-hellfire-and-brimstone take on it.

In my trip, I have realised how isolated America is from the rest of the world. We know nothing about it. This is partially our own fault, but I think it has a lot to do with the distance that we are from anywhere. Here the British vacation (or holiday) in all parts of the world. They travel more. This is in part, because of their strong currency. I don't want to make US Dollars anymore. They are falling and will probably continue to do so. Britain has the most stable currency in the world. Europeans just seem to have a lot to do with each other because they are much closer.

Those are my thoughts for now. Oh, I did get to see an original painting by Rembrandt, Raphael, and Botticelli at the National Art Gallery and spent some time in the cafe where J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter. Other than there there is no real news to give you from Scotland. So I will leave you in peace while I go wrestle an Alsatian for some dinner. Cheers


ian

The Next Day

Today has been different. My heart, while not as heavy, was much more attentive today on how I could make this world a better place. It started today at Starbucks. I have to say that I have no real great stories of anything that I did, but I felt that my heart was more attentive. There is this one guy at work named Jon who likes to ask me questions about America. I really like talking to him, and today he told me that he was an atheist so I'm looking forward to talking to him.

We had a training meeting last night about how we have gotten away from the espresso standards of Starbucks, and today we saw the fruit from that which made working on bar (where you make drinks) much more difficult. Other than that, it was a regular day at Starbucks. One thing I may have forgotten to mention is that a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich is unheard of here. I made one for a girl at work who is from Australia and she loved it.

After work, I headed over to Gordon's house. (he is one of the guys in my Monday night Uni(versity) group). Adam made dinner for us there and we had good conversation before heading to a Luminarium meeting. The Luminarium is a gathering of artists of all kind. It was alright, but I don't feel like that kind of artist. I did get to meet some new people though. I met this one guy named Benjamin and his mother and they actually gave me a ride back to Princes Street.

And so I end my night on the couch with the Headleys and their dogs. Pretty soon I will be lolled off to sleep by Jack Webb and his pursuit of criminals in the Los Angeles area. I hope everything is well in America. It's still FREEZING here.

Goodnight.

saya banyak senang hari ini daripada malam kemarin, jika kamu mau tau. saya tau yg saya kan bicara sama kamu tapi saya mau tulis di bahasa ini. mimpi indah.

Frail

I must be truly honest tonight. I am frail and my heart aches. This entry will be very personal, so if you just want to hear the bits about Scotland, reread last night's page.

Many of these following sentences are straight from my heart and may only make sense to those who know me best.

I feel frail tonight. My stomach and heart burns and feels like they are being squeezed. I am like a guitar with no strings; a single wind chime hanging all alone (to borrow from mewithoutYou.) In short, I don't feel much like a Christian tonight. It isn't anything of what I have done, but much because of what I have not.

Did Jesus not come to save the whole world?

What am I doing as an ambassador of Jesus to save this world?

I don't feel excited about Jesus, because I don't think I am experiencing Jesus. I may pray and gladly go to church and set-up beforehand with a smile on my face, but I don't feel alive in God. I don't feel this hope. I would say I was a Christian, but do I act like Christ. Isn't that what it means. What do I do daily to help the world? Sure, I'm a great guy, I'm friendly, people like me, I'm intelligent, but am I like Jesus. Or not even like Jesus. Am I trying to be like Jesus?

The answer, if I really search my heart, is no.

That means there are two possible reasons for my hurt. a.) My heart is dead and I am realising that or b.) my heart, in response to the former is becoming alive again and it is the pain of shaking off the grave dust. I pray it is the latter. I think it is.

I was on the 31 bus on my way to Tesco tonight when it hit me. I can pray all I want and strive to do more to be close to Jesus, to seek to speak in tongues, or to know the Bible cover to cover, and still not be like Jesus.

Didn't Jesus come to save the entire world?

I want to be Jesus minded. I want to realise Jesus' in actuality. I want to be excited about Jesus. The excitement that one would seek for a woman is what I mean. I would daydream, I would delight in her presence. I would be so excited to tell my friends about her and all she is doing and proudly show her off (trying to avoid the image of a trophy wife.) in humility to be proud of being with her. I yearn for this to be true of my saviour. I want to be excited to share Jesus because I recognise what he has really done for me and I'm so thankful and genuinely excited. Any excitement now would be just because I believe I should have it. I feel I have to work up so much. Now I still believe that you can be just as excited and be sitting quite still, which I'm thinking is more my style since, although I consider myself one, charismatics tend to intimidate me.

I was almost in tears on the bus when I realised that I might not really be a Christian, if we stick with the denotation of the word. or at least a poor one if any. I would prefer to be a poor one than not. Now don't go flying off the runway with sympathetic comments about my condition, although I would like to hear your thoughts on this entry, I still believe that Jesus is real and I've accepted what he's done, I'm just worried I'm still standing underneath the cross and not walking out to save the world like he implored his disciples while he hung there.

I want to save the world. I want Jesus to live in my heart.

Jesus, come into my heart, really show me what you did for the world and let me be so excited that it boils over into all the earth.

Isn't that why you came anyway?

If you're interested in what I did today. I pulled at 12 hour shift at Starbucks and met many wonderful new people and gained a burden for their friendship and their condition, spiritual and otherwise. Because once again.

Didn't Jesus come to save the WHOLE world.

Gasoline

You've got to see this.

Gasoline Smuggling.

Gasoline here in Edinburgh is about $8.00 a gallon. It cost my host family $200 to fill up there car.

Hugo Chavez might not be such a bad guy.

Brilliant Weekend

Sometimes you have those weekends that are super great, but leave you feeling completely exhausted. This was one of them.

I had all of Saturday with nothing to do, so I used it as a Sabbath (a day to rest and do nothing and not feel guilty about it.) I didn't leave the house all day until I went for a walk at about 11:00pm. I stayed in and finished the Harry Potter series as well as Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell. Both were very good. I actually slept very late, until about noon.

Nothing was very exciting until Yuli had some Russian speaking friends over. It seems to be a weekend thing for that to happen. I do enjoy it. I might take a shot a learning some Russian to be able to communicate. We had 4 guests over, and it was a night full of discussion and laughter and Russian

Today was much more difficult, but much more rewarding. I woke up at 7 and wanted to be anything but awake. I actually missed the bus so I had to wait in the cold wind until the next one came. Surprisingly the weather is much better here than it was threatened to be. So I made it to the church and we did that whole thing, and I finally met Adam Mabry. Adam is the guy who is in charge of my internship. The surprising thing is that he is only 24 years old and already has a 3 year old child. His family was great though and I got to make his kids balloons. I hung out with Adam after church today and while driving around town. Got to see the school that Hogwart's (Harry Potter's school) was modeled after. That was pretty neat.

Tonight, the church in Edinburgh started a new congregation out in a place called Bathgate which is about 15-20 mins outside of Edinburgh. It was great to be apart of a new thing starting and to be there at its inaugural service. I had the opportunity tonight to make balloons for all the kids who are at this church. There were tons of kids in this church so I was very happy about that. I enjoy being around kids. So today was super fun, but also super tiring. I didn't fall asleep until about 4am and I had to get up at 7am so I am knackered. I'm excited about my future here in Scotland, and it will start to unravel soon. I will be sure to keep my loving public satisfied. I'm sorry to say that I must end this blog without much real content. Maybe I can give you something heavier to chew on in the next installment.

Goodnight.

Aunties and Differences

I received a email late Wednesday night from my Aunt Danielle asking if I was going to be free for lunch on Thursday. I was. She drove all the way from Dunoon to Edinburgh to see me. I thought that she might have business in the capital, but she said that she just came to see me. It was so great. I haven't seen some of my Scottish family in years. It's just another reason I like this place.

Anyway, She took me to the City Centre (downtown) and we went to go eat at this little restaurant called Vittoria. It is a local favourite of my Uncle Neil (Aunt Danielle's husband). We had a nice little lunch and then set off to do some walking. I took her (listen to me, sounding as if i've been here longer than a week) up to Calton Hill, the famous overlook of the city. She had actually never been up there. Then she took me to Holyroodhouse, the summer getaway of the Queen of England. The house was alright. Sure, it was very luxurious and fancy and we even got to see where Mary, Queen of Scots, stayed, but it didn't look very livable. Maybe you get different taste when you have that much money. I really enjoyed spending time with my aunt and I can't wait to go visit her in Dunoon.

Last night, I got a chance to connect with my small group at home. My video didn't work, but I saw everybody and it was really good to see them except that it was about half past midnight here when we connected.

Today was a very busy day for me and I can surely say that I am "knackerd." I woke up at 6 this morning to catch the bus to get to work and did an 8 hour shift at Starbucks. When I got off I headed over to the associate pastor, Perry's, house. I got to met all of their children: Evan, Justin, Elise, and Jon. Perry's wife, Danielle, made a delicious dinner for us. Afterwards, we met up with a bunch of the people from the church and play Lasertag for an hour. We went to Pizza Hut afterwards and enjoyed conversation, and then walked 5 miles home. I could have taken the bus, but it felt right to walk and enjoy the night.

Now for the differences. I'm learning key differences in life here and at home. Here they are:

You end up with so much bloody change here. The smallest note is 5 pound (about $10) so when you buy anything they give you all kinds of coins, and you pockets get really heavy.

Lunches at work are paid here. So for an 8 hour shift you work 8 hours total including your breaks, and you are paid for all of it. I earn $5 eating lunch. How cool is that?

Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches here sound gross to people. They never have thought to mix the two and don't think that they would go well together at all.

Waiters don't expect to be tipped much. They made roughly 1.5x's minimum wage and you can leave less than 10% and they will be happy and thankful.

There are many dialectic differences such as:
If you say pants here, it means underwear
Trousers means pants

(at the onset of this, I thought I had a lot of those, but I can't remember anymore. Maybe next time)

This difference theme will be an ongoing attempt to give you a glimpse into culture here. It seems to be a very understanding culture as I spill barbeque sauce on my pants and said so, and they just laughed and let me know that they were trousers and that I shouldn't make such comments about my undergarments. That's one that is going to be hard to get used to.

Anyway. I hope this satisfies those hungry minds for a few more days until I can write again. Tomorrow I will sleep late and go do some tourist stuff. Until then.


Cheers

Ian

Lonely Days

Don't take this title to mean that I am having second thoughts about being here. In fact its quite the opposite. I love this city, and I'm really starting to feel a part of it. I haven't even been here a week, but I feel like I'm a part of it. I helps that it seems like no one is really from here. To this point, I will give the example of today at Starbucks. My co-workers in Starbucks today were from the following places:

India
New Zealand
Manchester, England
Melbourne, Australia
Portugal
Chicago, USA
Durham, USA

As you can see, people are from everywhere except Scotland. So even though I'm a foreigner, I fit right in.

I apologize for not blogging every day, but I have been extremely busy and have been traveling all day long so when it's time to get home, I don't really want to type anything. I'm forcing myself to do this right now. Let me know if you're getting bored of the way I'm writing. I sometimes worry it sounds like a daily planner.

Tuesday was actually a lonely day. I dig bag a job at................wait for it.................Starbucks! I'm sorry to all of those people I lied to saying that I would never work at Starbucks again. It fell on me and worked out perfectly so how could I say no. In my defense, I will say that the view is stunning. I work in the heart of the city, so when I walk out the door, there are all kinds of people around. I am in walking distance from any kind of shop that you could imagine. And when you step out and take a look to the right you can see what you see to the right. Now don't think that you know what it looks like from the picture, because it doesn't do it any justice. I work in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle. How cool is that?

There are a few differences that I have seen about Starbucks here and in the States. First of all, 90% of all drinks we make are made into ceramic mugs. That's very different from the .001% of drinks that we use mugs for in the States. People here are much more environmentally conscience and concerned about FairTrade. Cappuccinos are also a VERY popular drink. Those of you who have worked in Starbucks know how annoying that can be. My coworkers are great, and I was even invited to play football in Portobello (a beach town connected to Edinburgh).

I am also going to be doing balloons for the kids at the opening of the Bathgate congregation on Sunday. I spent 2.5 hours tracking down balloons and an apron. yesterday. During this expedition, I discovered "The Elephant House" which is supposedly the birthplace of Harry Potter, and I didn't realize this until yesterday but J.K. Rowling lives here in Edinburgh and wrote Harry Potter here. (As a side note, I'm 2 hours of audio away from finishing book 7 of Harry Potter)

All of today was spent working at the Bucks and coming home and enjoying a great meal made by Yuli. I'm really enjoying staying here with them, and were building a good friendship. Tomorrow, I'm going to eat lunch with my Aunt Danielle and snag some tickets to the Croatia vs. Scotland football (soccer) match. So I'm going to retire.

Feel free to leave any questions and I'll answer them in the next post. Until then, I hope you guys are doing great. Take care.


Ian

Sunday and Monday

Yesterday and Today were my two baptism days. and by that I mean I was plunged into Scottish culture.

I was woken very early on Sunday to get ready for church. I had to be at the church at 9:00am so I had to catch a bus at 8:20am. The meeting is held in a cinema. I'm sorry I don't have any pictures of that. I spent most of the morning setting up lights and meeting new people. I even got to go upstairs in the cinema where they play all of the films.

Afterwards, I went to a Russian shop with Yuli, Natasha, and Agnieska. I didn't understand anything in there, but I was along for the ride. It was Natasha's birthday so we were hunting for some kind of cake for her. We arrived home and had a homemade mushroom and barley soup. It was much better than I thought that it would be. I'm enjoying Yuli's cooking because it is so different than anything I've ever had before. She made spaghetti that night , but it was much different than spaghetti at home.

After lunch I took the bus out to The Meadows to play some rugby, but by the time I had gotten out there, there as no one left. So I took some pictures and decided just to walk around for a while and explore. I've been doing a lot of that over the past few days. I probably spend maybe 2 hours a day walking around the city. You can see in the last picture that there is a very pretty church. The only thing is is that there are so many of these churches and they are all beautiful. The architecture here is very amazing. It's almost too great to think that simple man made it.

I spent the rest of the evening spending time with the Headley's (David and Yuli) and watching the telly. I will mention that the weather has been marvelous over the past few days.

Now onto today, Monday. I woke up much later than I wanted to. I set the alarm for 8:00 but didn't wake until 10:00. I first order of business is to get a job. So in order to do that I had to claim my citizenship. I couldn't make any calls at my house since David runs a business out of it and he is on the phone all the time so I made my way to the office where I met Perry and Tom. They gave me a whole list of things to do. I did figure out that I will be able to get a passport, but it will take up to 6-weeks. So I'll have it for my return trip (don't worry Dad, I won't show it at US immigration). This list might not mean anything to you but here's my TODO list for what it's worth:
▪ google "culture shock" (unspoken value systems)
▪ GET JOB
▪ Assesments
▪ Sunday 4:30 at Bathgate Congregation
▪ Balloon Animal supplies
▪ Learn Polish!
▪ Spiritual assesment
▪ Scotland resource book

It seems that I am going to make balloon animals for the kids at the new church that is opening up. I'm excited about that. Also I think I am going to be at the forefront of a new outreach to the Polish and Chinese communities by holding sessions on how to speak English. I have a lot to do and study for the next few days.

After my time in the office I was sent down Princes Street (pictured) to get a cell phone. I was successful and now you can reach me at 07818 615 071. I would prefer texts though since they are cheaper and I'm on a pay-as-you-go. I then strolled lazily down the Royal Mile to enquire about a job at Starbucks (go figure). I was told to hold on for that.

So I went to lunch at "The Standing Order." It was a good hike from the Royal Mile , but it was well worth it. I was not used to how restaurants worked here. (Dad, I'm looking at you) Apparently, you have to get a table first so they know where to bring your order. I had to sort this out with the bartender. I ordered a traditional Scottish meal with a Scotch Pie and chips (fries) and baked beans. It was an extraordinary meal. There was something about eating Scottish cuisine in Scottish company that was just brilliant. I left more elated than I should have felt because of what I had eaten. I did meet this bloke named Callum. He was super friendly and helped me with the ordering process and spoke to me the whole time I had lunch. He was a well traveled man who had once moved the Paris to make records. He was VERY talkative and very interesting. I enjoyed my lunch with him

The sun was on it's way down at this point and when it went down it got REALLY cold. I walked from Princes Street to West of the University of Edinburgh for the student connection group. They made FairTrade vegetable curry for dinner and we talked and laughed and had a great time. I have met so many new great people. I'm excited about being a part of their life for this little time I'm here.

Now I am home and dreadfully tired from typing for the last half hour. I want to say hello again to all of my friends and family at home. I really miss all of you and can't wait to see you. A special thanks to my small group for all of the encouraging emails. They are worth more than you know. Enjoy the rest of your Monday, America. It's Tuesday here.

Tomorrow Sounds Good

Hello Everyone,

thanks for all of those who are reading my blog. It makes me feel special. This is a blog to tell you that I will not post a blog tonight. I am way to tired and it is too late. Also tomorrow I have to wake and call the Office of Passports to try and get the ability to get a job. I'll leave you this to ponder.

Protection or Control?
All buses have *8* cameras on them for my safety.
I found "Big Brother." He lives in the United Kingdom.

Princes Street

Cheers Bloggees

I have to report that Coca-Cola does have something to fear from IRN-BRU. It smells like bubble-gum flavouring, and it tastes like.....well, I can't describe how it tastes. It just tastes very good.

I have no pictures for you guys today. I have had a very great day though. Today was the day that I really got a great deal of exposure to the city of Edinburgh. This is the most beautiful city that I have ever seen. It is so beautiful from so many different angles. The architecture here is amazing.

I went to a new church members meeting at Starbucks today and met the pastor of the church that I will be working with named Tom and the associate pastor named Perry. I really enjoyed meeting all the new people and even bought something at Starbucks. It was a mushroom and cheese and spinach panini.
After the meeting, I took a walk with Perry as he got me a bus pass for the month that cost $80 and he showed me around the city a little. The first picture is Princes Street which is the main street in Edinburgh and from that street you can see Edinburgh Castle. It is an amazing sight to see a centuries old castle overlooking such a modern city. it was brilliant.

After Perry showed me the ropes, I hiked up to Calton Hill which is one of the highest points in the city where you can see almost every part of the city. It was great up there, but the rain came in while I was on top of the hill and I had to hid from it behind a rock for a while. It was a great feeling though. The city was really alive today. below is a picture of Calton Hill (or a view from it). I'm getting very excited about being in this city and for the first time I thought that I might want to stay, but I've only been here for 3 days so it could just be an adventure thing. I walked over to the castle, up the Royal Mile, and came down the other side where I caught a bus on the way home. It was neat to fit right in with the locals, although I'm sure I must have stuck out.
I hopped off the bus and made a great discovery. I dropped into a shop to pick up some crisps (potato chips) and some KitKat (dark choclate, but the regular is better). And the price on the tag was the price I paid. No guessing the sales tax. I knew exactly how much I would be spending. It was a great experience.

When I arrived home some of Juli's (my hostess) friends from europe were here. Natasha and Agnieska are from Belarus and Poland respectively. They are here visiting for a few days. They invited me down to a "nightclub" tonight, but i had to decline because I don't dance so there is no point in the standing around in an environment that you can't even hear yourself in.

At the moment I am lying in the bed waiting for sleep to come because I have to be up at 7 in the morning to catch the 8:25 out to Leith Walk.

As for a reflection on this, I had much more fun today, but I still kind of miss home. I watched King of Queens tonight and realized that I am a stranger here. I will say that David got me on this show called "The Bill" and it's brilliant. Hopefully, this gave you a picture of my day and time here. I miss all of you guys are home.

Love

Ian