Welcome Week at the Uni

Welcome week is also known as Freshers Week at the University of Edinburgh, and it has been packed with activities to make any lonely new student feel at home with everything from horse-back rides, to hikes up Arthur's Seat, to Ceilidhs, to a Harry Potter sorting hat ceremony. Most of it was geared to Undergrads, but there were plenty of events targeted to Postgrads as well.
     Along with a Ceilidh (pronounced Kay-lee), and a folk music party, I attended no less than three induction meetings. One was in the College of Art with all my new Post Grad compadres. They were all too insane to take photos, so you'll have to go with me in my mind's eye...
     The school of Landscape Design and Architecture has the largest student body of all the arts this year. And while the majority of students seem to be Asian, students have come from all over the world to attend one of the best schools in the world. This school is incredibly competitive which makes for a very enlightened and inspiring student body!
     The most impressive induction meeting was held for all the Postgrads (in all the various colleges) at Assembly Hall on the Mound.      I've learned not to trust google when it comes to mapping how to get around in this city because it doesn't take altitude into account. One of the most difficult treks in this city takes you DOWN into the Prince's Street gardens and then UP again to the mound where the castle resides. But there was no avoiding it for this meeting, because that's where Assembly Hall looms over the city. To give you an idea, here was the view of the city from the front door. Inside was just as impressive. We entered an amazing courtyard. Not at all intimidating. I got there early, which is why I was able to get this shot. But it soon filled up with Post Grad students and we gathered in line to go in.      Inside the building at last, we heard from the Vice President and heads of various departments about all the resources available to us. All this while we sat in a building that dates back to 1858 for a school that began in 1582. Yes, you read that right - 1582.      After the meeting, we were served coffee and tea in a gathering room. I've been loving these opportunities to meet my fellow Post Grads. I actually met a Creative Writing MFA from Washington, DC (hi, Calder!), an Interior Design student from Shanghai (hi, Gloria!), and a Linguistics student from Greece (hi, Katriana!). On the way in, I met an Art MA from Ireland (hi, Naeve!). It's been like that all week. And everybody speaks English (a requirement to attend here), granted at various levels of proficiency. So there's been lots of opportunities for me to practice my Spanish and French. In fact, the girl sitting across from me in our new studio space is from Spain (hi, Catherine!). More on that soon. Meanwhile, more eye candy: