Chinese New Year

'On the Eve of Chinese New Year, supper is a feast with families. Food will include such items as pigs, ducks, chicken and sweet delicacies.' (Wikipedia, 'Chinese New Year', 2010)

Focus on the word 'feast' in this Wikipedia entry for 'Chinese New Year' in Wikipedia. This is exactly what my 6th floor Churchill House Kitchen had last night. Today is the Chinese New Year, the most important of traditional Chinese holidays. It is also referred to as the 'Lunar New Year' because it is based on the lunisolar Chinese calendar. The importance of this holiday was reflected in the magnitude that it was celebrated at Richmond place yesterday and today. The kitchens all throughout Res are plastered in a vast array of flashy bright red and yellow paper decorations, coupled with endless steamers full of dumplings and dishes of sweet meats.

Geng, a Chinese Phd student living across the hall from me suggested that the hall celebrate Chinese New Year together (I think Geng was beginning to worry about the fact that he has never seen me use the stove or oven to prepare a meal...the sad truth is that the microwave, Tesco roast chickens, and take-out Beetlejuice and Kilmanjaro are my usual meal options). There are 3 other Chinese students on the hall, so they offered to cook while Becks, Jess, and I offered our services to provide an American dessert. The food was incredible. Ling made homeade turkey dumplings. I was offered to roll out a few, but remembering back to my tortilla making abilities (or rather lack thereof) in Guatemala two years ago, I politely declined, stating that I was doing everyone a favor by just watching...! Geng was the master chef of the event, preparing a roast leg of lamb (Note: Geng prepared for this day at LEAST a month in advance. He made 3 full roast legs of lamb in the preceding month to make sure he would get it right for the actual feast day), a delectable fish dish, and mussels. Yin-Hu made what to me tasted like sweet BBQ chicken and Jacqueline (a welcome guest from the other 6th fl kitch) brought Asian lettuce wraps. As you can probably imagine, we ate for hours. And hours. And then continued to eat. I strategically wore a jumper-dress so as my stomach expanded, it would not be confined by tight waistbands :-)

The best part about the evening though was getting to know the Chinese students on the hall and learning about such a significant tradition in their culture. I loved hearing stories about how Chinese New Year is celebrated within each of my friend's families and getting the opportunity to replicate some of those halfway across the world in Edinburgh.

Burn's Night

I apologize for the extreme gap in my writing...for some reason, time seems to go by faster than usual here in Edinburgh. I find myself waking up Monday morning to start the week and I barely blink and it's Friday. I suppose that's indicative of me enjoying myself ;-)

Two major happenings have occurred since my last post: I tried the infamous Scottish national dish, Haggis-and I went to my first real Burn's supper-both experiences which I very much enjoyed.

First, I shall digress a bit on the Haggis. It is certainly not a dish for the squeamish--as it is a dish containing sheep's heart, liver, and lungs, minced with onion, oatmeal, spices, and salt, traditionally simmered in the sheep's stomach for several hours. It is a description not immediately appealing to one's appetite, but I must say I found the first taste surprisingly flavorful, with a hint of nutty-ness and bite, along with a delightfully oat-y texture. Many of my American friends were not quite as fond of the Haggis--but in its defense (as I do feel oddly obliged to defend the dear Haggis)--in my opinion, it tastes very similar to American-style Thanksgiving stuffing made with sausage! Now mind you, stuffing contains things called giblets, which are essentially the little organs leftover from the Turkey when you buy it--it could be the kidneys, heart, neck, etc. So to me, it is rather odd that an American who eats stuffing on Thanksgiving, cannot stomach Haggis.

My first Burn's supper was experienced at the Dunbar Rotary club on the 1st of Feb. Burn's Night is traditionally held on 25 Jan (Robbie's birthday), but the suppers can generally be held within a week or two of the 25th. The dinner was held at the golf course in Dunbar and most of the Rotarians were in traditional dress (kilts and tartan galore). Everyone looked so Scottish!! The dinner began with David 'piping in the haggis' and Tom (the club president) addressing and stabbing the Haggis. Then my host Rotarian, Thelma, gave the Reply to the Toast to the Lassies--which she creatively re-worked to include aspects of the Dunbar club.

The dinner was a full course of Haggis, neeps (turnips), and tatties (mashed potatoes), followed by a dessert of raspberry cranachan and homeade shortbread cookies from Rona's sweet shoppe. After dinner, several members (including myself!) got up and recited a Burn's poem, in memory of the legendary poet. I read Castle Gordon. Unfortunately, I was not nearly as entertaining as most of the Rotarians who got up, but I was happy to do it and is it bizarre that I find I like reciting poetry??? One of the Rotarians did a rendition of McGonagall's (one of Scotland's notoriously terrible poets) Tay Bridge Disaster, which invoked much laughter from the crowd. It was honestly the best night I have had thus far in the semester.

Sadly, I do not have pictures to document this experience, as naturally, I forgot my camera! ;-( However, I found a nice picture of Haggis online that I shall include for your viewing pleasure.

London Town

This past weekend I traveled to London with Laura and Greta. I took the train down on a Friday afternoon and arrived just in time for dinner. Laura has a friend from BYU who lives there and offered for us to be able to stay at his place for the weekend (which is fabulous because as I am sure you can guess, London is expensive!)

It was such a wonderful opportunity to get away from Edinburgh for a few days! Friday night we had a low-key evening and ate dinner at Nando's in Euston Square. I LOVE NANDOS. For those of you in the States, Nandos is basically a chicken restaurant, but you can have your chicken any way you like it - burger, pitta, wrap, salad, plan old roast chicken - with about 15 different sauces to choose from - mild, medium, and hot peri peri, tomato and basil, spicy garlic, lemon and herb just to name a few - with about 10 different sides available as well. Most of you who know me know I love love love to eat chicken (hence, why the roast chickens in the back of Tescos shudder when I walk through the door).

Saturday we began our exploring in the markets--I will upload pictures as soon as I can find the cord for my camera (yes, I lost it--no, it's not a regular USB that every other camera takes, of course!) The markets were huge, filled with every delightful food imaginable. The flowers were exceptional. The aroma of fresh baked bread, freshly cured meats, and mulled wine permeated the air. I even was able to find a Starbucks nestled right around the corner so I could have my 4-shot, extra hot, no foam, latte fix ;-)

From there, we moved on to the Millenium Bridge, visited St. Paul's, and found our way to Oxford Street. We had dinner at Wagamomma (not sure if I am spelling this right) in Leicester Square and went back to Jake's (Laura's friend's) at a reasonable hour.

Sunday we slept in and I spent the majority of the afternoon at the Imperial War Museum in Southwark. I never bore of that museum. I have been there several times now, but it is still my favorite. It is fascinating to me to think about how war can really shape lives, whole generations in fact. I really wanted to see the 'LIfe in the Trenches' exhibit, but it was only showing at certain times and I had to catch a 4pm train back to Edinburgh. Leaves something on the schedule for next time I suppose!!

Brussels Sprouts Grow on Trees!

We all know money doesn't grow on trees...so what's the next best thing? Brussels sprouts on trees, obviously!! I was pleasantly surprised when Jacqueline and SA Rebecca bought me one of these fine trees back in November in Edinburgh. I was so shocked by the fact that brussels sprouts grew on trees (not that I had really thought about it...I suppose I thought maybe they grew underground??) that of course I told my mom about it (and NOT surprisingly, she already knew they grew on trees-the woman knows everything). When I arrived home from my aunt and uncle's house in MD last week, my mom had a big beautiful brussels sprout tree waiting for me in the fridge :) All smiles on this end!!

13th December 2009: Trekking back to Delaware and Rumination of the First Quarter of my Scottish Adventure

What an adventure indeed these past three months have been!! I woke up about a week ago and truly realized how privileged I am to be in the position I am—I wake up every day and experience something new, whether it’s a completely new place (like Glasgow or St. Andrew’s) or something as simple as finding a new coffee shoppe. I am trying to soak this all in and really grasp every moment. It’s funny how you can take something for granted simply because you are experience it on a regular basis—but my life the past 3 months has been far from ordinary and I am so lucky to be living in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, pursuing my Master’s at one of the world’s top universities, and meeting some of the most amazing people.

Edinburgh is gorgeous. It’s a city quite unlike any other I have ever visited—and the more time I spend in and around it, the more I fall in love with it. I love picking a new coffee shoppe to study in or going out to a new place to eat. Yet, I often find myself not taking advantage of this as much as I should…this sounds awful, but there are days (esp with Final Assessments in the past 2 weeks) where I hardly leave my room!! Next semester I am making a resolution to get out more!!! To study out more! To eat out more! And to travel more! As mentioned in previous entries, I find I don’t actually go somewhere unless I plan it out and mark it on the calendar indefinitely—so my plan is to put on the calendar where I want to go next semester and buy the tickets in advance—then I’ve strategically roped myself in!! ☺

As much as perhaps the programme I am enrolled in is not what I was anticipating, I am enjoying being back in school again. I am enjoying the opportunity to broaden my perspectives (which I am dramatically doing), while simultaneously strengthening and further shaping what I believe and why. Next semester I am taking three courses (and also continuing the French classes at the Applied Language School)
-Corporate Social Responsibility and the Law
-Economic Issues in Public Policy
-Global Politics of Public Health

I have made some of the greatest friends here. The first, which I have mentioned several times, is Laura Scott. Basically, we’re two peas in a pod, Shirley and Vern, peanut butter and jelly (you get the point!) She’s 23, from Texas, and enrolled in the Global Health and Public Policy programme. She is going to go to medical school after this year and then progress on to be a doctor! We both love working out, chai tea, hot chocolate, and candy more than any other humans I have ever met. I seriously don’t know what I would have done without her this semester! Laura knows what I’m thinking without me having to say it. She is a great advice-giver and possesses a gift of saying the right words of encouragement when I need it.

Another friend I have become really close with is Rebecca Manias (my St. Andrew’s buddy!) She lives next door to me and keeps me sane in Richmond! I cannot verbally describe how funny she is—my late-night YouTube buddy (check out Greg the Bunny on YouTube when you get a chance…just sayin’!), mid-afternoon study break entertainment, and garlic baguette-loving partner in crime.

I’m sad to leave Edinburgh at the moment, but thrilled at the thought of Christmas with my family! And catching up with my friends from home/New Jersey. It’s been too long without seeing them and I am ready for Gordon-Maggie morning workouts, baking with quality appliances, and Wal-Mart (yes, I miss Wal-Mart!! You all have NO IDEA how much you take this place for granted…in Europe, there doesn’t seem to be any stores where you can get groceries, craft supplies, and electronics ALL in the same place…) An hour left on the flight and I am back to enjoying Forrest Gump and perhaps another nap (I’ve already slept for 4 out of the 7 hours…which is good considering I went to bed at 4am and got up at 545am)

Dunbar Rotary Club

Tonight I spoke at my 'host' Rotary club in Dunbar. What a fantastic group of people! Tonight was the monthly 'spouse' night, where members are allowed to bring their significant others, so there was quite a large group. In addition, Lindsey Fyfe accompanied me (the other Ambassadorial Scholar hosted by the Dunbar club). Lindsey is from Los Angeles and studying at the Edinburgh College of Art. She is indeed quite a talented young lady (but then again, I suppose most Rotary scholars are...or rather 'talented young persons', since all of us aren't ladies--sorry William!) She was just commissioned to design a Christmas postcard by the City of Edinburgh--for which she selected the 'Heart of Midlothian' as her subject. Lindsey gave a brief talk to the club before I went on about the project and why chose chose the subject she did. So impressive!



My talk went well (but then again, it's hard not to do well when you have a group of 30 people who are there to see you succeed and cheer you on no matter how awful of a speech you give!) Unfortunately, the projector was not compatible with a Mac, so I was not able to show my slide show. Thus, I improvised!! I discussed where I'm from, some of the projects my host Rotary district is involved in, how I became interested in the scholarship, and what I plan to do with it while in Edinburgh and after. The Rotarians couldn't have been more supportive of my ideas and thanked Lindsey and I both for our presentations.

What can I say, my host club is fabulous!!

Ceilidh!

I went to my first Ceilidh! It was right down the street from Richmond Place (where I live)--which was convenient considering it was freezing outside and I had on a halter dress! The Ceilidh is a traditional Scottish dancing event, which can be an informal event or competitive. Some of the most popular Ceilidh dances are 'Strip the Willow' and 'The Gay Gordons'. Some of them are really complicated and some quite simple. Thankfully, at most informal Ceilidhs, there is someone up front (called a 'caller') with a mic explaining the dance steps to the crowd before the dance actually begins.