In my last post, I promised that my next post would be about Harry Potter. I did believe it at the time. But I am also chronically lazy, forgetful, and prone to saying I'll do things and then, through a combination of laziness and forgetfulness, not do them. So this post is not about Harry Potter. And I apologize for that.
But the next-ish one might be. I leave for a 6-day trip around the Highlands tomorrow, where I plan to see many Harry Potter-related sights, of which I will take pictures, and about which I will blog. So never fear. In the meantime, if you are not too disillusioned with me, feel free to read my general life updates below.
I've now been in Edinburgh for one month and three days, and I believe I am finally starting to feel settled. I am accustomed to drinking an average of five cups of tea a day. I go to class semi-regularly, and in my free time, I tend to sleep, wander, or watch truly disgusting amounts of television illegally.
Now, for a few quick updates.
1. Because I am taking Intro to Mandarin Chinese, I am naturally in the process of learning introductory Mandarin Chinese.
It is wickedly difficult.
Take Chinese, I thought to myself. It won't be so difficult. You're good at learning languages. You know some French, and some Russian - Chinese will be a piece of cake.
This is, unfortunately, not the case. In Chinese, there is no phonetic alphabet. Words are represented with characters, not with letters that correspond to specific sounds. You can look at a word and have no idea what it means, let alone how to pronounce it.
For example, I am at a loss to say how this means "passport."
But enough of that. Chinese - and my peculiar difficulties with it - deserves its own post. For now, know that it is a beautiful language, with a beautiful writing system, but that for native English-speakers, to learn it is first to pass through the fires of linguistic hell.
2. I recently climbed Arthur's Seat. This is a large mountainish hill, or a large hillish mountain, that sits in the middle-ish of the city. It was once an active volcano, and although many have assured me that it's now long-extinct, I still manage to convince myself on occasion that it will erupt, and everyone in a 30-mile radius will die in agony.
This is, of course, irrational. It's a thought I think less and less now. The more I look at it, the more it seems to be no more than a large and peaceful lump.
Rather beautiful, too. The view at the top, when it is not foggy, is really astounding. Usually I use "astounding" with a hint of sarcasm. At the moment, there is zero sarcasm. And I'm not even being sarcastic about not being sarcastic.
Climbing down proved to be more of an adventure than climbing up, mostly because I chose this way down. It would not have been a problem if I had been gifted with great strength and agility. But as it is, I have about as much litheness in me as a loaf of bread:
I left mostly unscathed, minus a few thistle-scratches and large bruises, and small blow to my pride.
3. I encountered a sparkly toilet. It looked like this.
In exactly six hours, I leave for the Highlands, where I suspect sparkly toilets will be curiously lacking.
Keep an eye out for further updates, and one day, the elusive Harry Potter post.
-Emily O.
