But before we move forward into the first week of classes, let's look back on the past week which was FULL of activities! On Tuesday, the day started strong with a backstage tour of the Festival Theatre, one of Scotland's biggest and longest running theatre's (under different names over the years). The Theatre is literally the building right next to my flat! The facade is all glass, which sort of looks out of place on my otherwise very quintessentially Edinburgh street. But the auditorium space itself is straight out of 1928, art deco style, and absolutely stunning. We got to go into the auditorium, onto the stage, into the traps, and into a dressing room while our guide told us of the history and workings of the building…
Story time! The Festival Theatre happens to be the theatre where the Great Lafayette Fire took place in 1911. There once was a celebrity performer/illusionist called the Great Lafayette who had a traveling show in which he played a magical maharashtra. His most famous trick was disappearing on stage and then magically appearing somewhere else in the theatre. He was a good friend of Houdini, who had given him four golden rings (this will be important later). On May 9, 1911, while his show was being performed at the then called Empire Palace, there was a problem with a newly installed electric light. A small fire began to spread across the stage during the performance. The audience applauded, thinking it was just another illusion ("Wow, that fire looks so really!"). But, as the fire spread and got bigger, the conductor in the pit realized what was happening. He quickly began playing "God Save the King," during which every audience member stood. The ushers were then able to get the 3000 audience members out of the theatre safely as the safety curtain was lowered over the proscenium. Sadly, eleven actors and one real lion that was used in the performance all perished in the fire that destroyed the theatre, including the Great Lafayette. A burnt body with a maharashtra costume was found in the rubble and was sent south to be cremated and then sent back to Edinburgh for a funeral. However, on further investigation, another body with a maharashta costume was discovered in the traps of the theatre, with four golden rings on the one hand. Thus, the wrong body had been cremated, and the answer to Lafayette's big trick had been solved. He had a body double that looked exactly like him. The real remains of the illusionist were then sent away for cremation and swapped with the wrong ones before the funeral in Edinburgh, which ended up being about the size of Princess Diana's funeral. That was how famous he was. I know that was a long story, but I was fascinated by it and wanted to not only share it with all of you, but also wanted to personally remember the details for future reference. Hope you enjoyed it!
Probably the best part of the tour was when we found out about Student Comps. If students show up at noon on the day they want to see a show, they will be given the best available seats remaining for only 10 pounds. I will most definitely be taking advantage of that!
After the tour, I went to the Academic Fair, Poster Sale (Harry Potter and Game of Thrones are now well represented in my room), and Vintage Clothing Sale all put on by Freshers Week. That evening, I went over my friend from Richmond, Katie's, flat where me, her, and her two flatmates from Northwestern cooked dinner. It was a lot of fun (I wasn't much help in the kitchen, but they were great company :) ). Afterwards, I went to a pub quiz at the Bedlam Theatre, hosted by the Edinburgh University Theatre Company, with two girls I had met earlier in the day. Our group, comprised of us three and four other girls, actually won the whole event which was full of theater-related trivia. It was so much fun, and we were extremely proud of ourselves!
On Wednesday morning, I tried to get tickets for a George Square Campus tour, but all tickets were sold out by the time I got to the office. So, instead, I ended up taking an hour and a half walk around the city on that warm, absolutely beautiful morning in Edinburgh. I had breakfast at the Elephant House (where JK wrote HP), checked out the National Library of Scotland, went up to the Castle, and then walked down the Royal Mile. As I walked around, I actually got a bit emotional. I still can't believe I am here, in my favorite city in the world, actually LIVING here for months. I just feel so incredibly lucky; it's difficult to express the gratitude in words.
I then went to the Societies (clubs) Fair where I talked to all the theatre societies, the history society, and the dance society, in order to get a feel of what I might want to get involved in here while simultaneously wanting to travel. That afternoon, I went to a Crash-Course Ceilidh. A Ceilidh is a Scottish social dance, where everyone gets to dance with a large number of partners (think Jane Austen-style dances, but better because it's Scottish). The dances were simple but the Scottish music, the teachers in kilts, and the large group of students attending made it a really great time! I then attended an Auditions Workshop at the Bedlam Theatre. It was at this event that I began to question by initial desires to audition for the upcoming productions… more on that later…
Thursday morning, I finally got to go on a tour of the campus. Some interesting facts about University of Edinburgh:
1. Everyone in the city calls it "Uni" or "The Uni"
2. The Medical School building is not a medical school at all anymore, but is still called that because of its famous reputation as one of the best schools for anatomical research in the early 19th century and because of its equally infamous reputation as a place grave robbers and serial killers would sell dead bodies to be used as cadavers. Cool, right?!
3. One of my academic buildings has been voted the most ugly building in Edinburgh for multiple years
4. Law School students here are notoriously extreme practical jokers at the Uni
5. There are two squares with the majority of academic buildings, but overall, the University (or Uni) is spread out over Old Town Edinburgh.
6. I love the Uni for (and in spite of) all these things!
I met two visiting students on the tour that later accompanied me to the Edinburgh Modern Dance Society's taster event. We learned one jazz/contemporary routine and one hip hop routine. I had the absolute best time! I miss dancing so much. It was a part of my life for so many years. And I really haven't taken a serious class for 4 years now. It was about ten minutes into that two hour taster that I decided I would be taking dance classes regularly while I am here. No question about it!
Friday was a BIG DAY! THE NIKELLE REUNION! After 4 months of being apart, my lovely roomie and best friend, Danielle, and I were finally going to be reunited. She traveled up from the University of Lancaster in England with her friend Sarah to stay with me for the weekend and, of course, to see Edinburgh (the best city EVA!)
But, before she arrived in the evening, I had a great last day of Freshers Week. I went to The Elephant House again for breakfast, this time with Catherine my flatmate. Then, I officially joined the Edinburgh University History Society and went, for free, to the Edinburgh Castle. It was my three visit to the Castle and definitely my favorite visit. I took my audio guide and spent tons of time in specific parts of the Castle, listening to every detail on the guide about my favorite figure in Scottish History, Mary Queen of Scots. Since my last visit to Edinburgh in 2012, my interest in this woman has sky rocketed! So, to be in her room, in my favorite building, in my favorite city in the world was really remarkable. I ended up staying in the tiny side room where Mary gave birth to her son James VI (James I of England) for about 20 minutes. The workers probably thought I was up to no good. But, I didn't care. It was a very powerful experience for me and no one was going to ruin it :)
The room where Mary gave birth to James VI of Scotland (later James I of England)
Danielle and Sarah arrived in time for dinner! Katie, her Northwestern friends, and I took them to a Thai restaurant and then out for drinks at a bar. Being with Danielle again was the best way to start off my time here. She is a little (but my favorite) piece of Richmond, so having her here in Edinburgh so soon after my arrival added some extra special comfort to the beginning of my study abroad experience. The arrival of Danielle and our planning for the weekend made me realize I want to be free to travel and to dance and to hang with friends more than I want to audition for shows at Bedlam. I decided (what I had decided months ago but then changed my mind about) that I will not be auditioning for shows will I am here. I am going to focus on history and dance, my two minors, and on traveling which is so important to do while you are abroad. I couldn't be more happy about and relieved by my decision.
Saturday was one crazy day! First, Danielle, Sarah, and I climbed to the top of Arthur's Seat, the extinct volcano formation at the end of the Royal Mile that I had climbed with my mum back in August. It was a beautiful warm, sunny day so we had a very exhausting but nice climb to the top.
Arthur's Seat from the bottom
Nikelle at the top of Arthur's Seat
Sarah, Danielle, and I on Arthur's Seat
After making the much easier descent, we ate lunch at the Palace Cafe before going to tour Holyrood Palace, where Queen Elizabeth spends here summers each year, and where many Scottish royals have lived over the past 400 years. Obviously my favorite part of the tour were, again, Mary Queen of Scot's personal bedchambers where, when she was 8 months pregnant, her husband Darnely had her supposed lover, Riccio, stabbed 56 times before her eyes. The end of the tour was my second favorite part during which we ventured into the ruins of Holyrood Abbey, the oldest remaining part of the old monastery that was first built on the site.
Holyrood Abbey Ruins
The Abbey
Holyrood Palace
Mary's portrait
Mary's bed!
For the next hour, the three of us trekked up the Royal Mile, crossed the North Bridge to Princes Street in New Town, and walked through into the depths of New Town until we finally found the Royal Botanic Gardens of Edinburgh. It was a hike! But when we got there it was so beautiful! It's crazy to me that a city with such harsh weather basically year-round would have such beautiful acreage of gardens.
I do love taking flower pics!
Yup, more flower pics
Nikelle at the Botantic Gardens
The Rock Garden
We returned to my flat, by bus not by foot, and relaxed until we left to get dinner at The Fiddler's Arms, a pub in the Grassmarket. That night, we went out with Katie to a couple pubs/bars for drinks. It definitely wasn't my scene, but I wanted to be with the girls, especially Danielle.
On Sunday, I took the girls to Edinburgh Castle. It was a hazy, chilly morning which I believe really suits the formidable, medieval Castle. We took a 30 minute guided tour from an older Scottish gentleman who wore a kilt and had a very thick (often difficult to understand) accent. It was a very appropriate experience for the girls to have at the Castle. After that, I took them all around, sort of giving them a tour based on my knowledge of the Castle and the info I could remember from my audio tour on Friday. They really enjoyed it! And it was very special for me to share my favorite place in the world with Danielle.
In the evening, we went on a free ghost tour around the city. It was more of a historical tour than a ghost tour, but it was still really great! I heard a lot of the same stories I have been hearing this week in other tours I've been on, but I don't mind because these retellings only strengthen my knowledge of those fascinating parts Scottish history. The following morning, I got to take the girls to the Elephant House for breakfast. Of course, Danielle is also a huge Harry Potter fanatic, so it was a must-see, very exciting experience for her, and I am so glad I could be there to experience it with her.
Danielle and Sarah left yesterday while I started class at the Uni. I had my first Celtics Civilizations course. There are about 60 students in my class, smaller than I had thought but still way bigger than anything I have ever had at UR. We just went over the syllabus and expectations, so nothing super interesting to report yet. Last night, I went to a beginner jazz class and to an advanced jazz class with the Edinburgh Modern Dance Society. It was by far the best University sponsored/related thing I have done here so far! I am definitely going to join and going to attend as many classes as I can. I've missed dancing so so much and here is a perfect opportunity for me to get back into it!
I have all three of my classes today, so junior year finally seems to be kicking off! It's so bizarre though because I honestly feel like this is just a summer program (where it just happens to be 50 degrees). It doesn't feel like I am starting my third year of college. But, I guess when the work kicks it may feel different. We will see.
I promise most of my posts will not be this long once I get into the swing of classes. But I hope you have enjoyed the stories, the history, the pictures, my tales of Edinburgh Uni Freshers Week and of the Nikelle Reunion.
Until next time :)
No comments:
Post a Comment