Taking Away the Text

It's been hard playing catch up this far into my travels but instead of cranking out some more long-winded descriptions here are some photos! I got a new camera in November and I've been really happy with it so far, I still don't know how to use half the features but it has a great zoom and I can definitely say my experiences have been well photographed.

All these pictures are of things I've seen, not so much of people, they'll come later :-)

The first few are the result of me goofing around with my new (exspensive, not to be lost, or mistreated!) toy:

Scotland!!!

From our day trip to the Highlands:

That's All For Now Folks!

4th Floor

Working at Parliament has been a great experience so far, its very different from anything I've ever done and definitely a change from classes, homework, and exams. It's also been a surprisingly social experience and a very positive learning environment.

My flat is about a 20 minute walk from the Scottish Parliament building which is an usual story in itself, the new building was design by Enric Miralles who apparently brought in some leaves and twigs during his interview, tossed them on the table and said, "this is my vision." It turned out pretty cool in my opinion. The building was/is still very controversial as it cost quite a bit more than expected and has a very modern look in a town know for its historical architecture.

From the sky it's suppose to look like ships coming into port and the lower glass roof like waves. This glass roof is actually the ceiling of the Garden Lobby where photo ops and interviews take place. This is also where the main staircase to the chamber is. I work in the building towards the top of the picture with that awkward looking staircase sticking out. It is known as the MSP Building, or MSP Block

My MSP's office is on the 4th floor, the view from my desk looks out across the hall out onto Arthur's Seat and the beginnings of the Salisbury Crags. The building feels very light, airy from all the windows and the light wood. All the different building materials they used is almost as interesting as the final product (at least I think so...). The 4th and 5th floors are the Scottish National Party (SNP) floors, going down the 3rd floor is where the Liberal Democrats (LibDems) set up shop, the 2nd the Conservatives (Tories) and then the 1st and Ground floor are where the Labour Party, the 2nd biggest party can be found. I hardly stray from the top floors but I have nipped downstairs to look around, no devil's horns or diaboical plans in sight!

On of the quirkest part of the MSP Block is the back side of the building:

When I first saw this photo I thought these were all some type of bizarre staircases. I have since learned that they are the MSP's thinkpods, a very cool space which the MSPs have found a variety of uses for. Here is what it looks like from the inside:

Its just a small space to think and look out the window, or occasional Anne has all 3 of us that work in the office perch here to talk, the rest of the time it provides a place to keep her luggage (as you can see the red bag here). All in all its a pretty nice place to work, no cubicles in this building :-)

The hardest question to answer is what do I do? Its really easy to just say "I'm an intern for blah blah blah" and that kind of conveys I do whatever is needed and don't get paid, which is true but it's much more enjoyable than that! So far I've done a wide range of things which has been great, kept things interesting. Primarily I do research for anything Anne needs, whether its pertain to a question in chamber, something involving her committees, or even statistics she might need, one day, maybe. In addition to that I've been helping Anne decide what she wants her website to look like, contribute to designing a newsletter, written a few motions, arranged several events, acted as photographer at one said event, and answered the phone everytime it rings!

From what I've witnessed and experienced the most important thing for an MSP is to be informed, about petitions, motions, bills, questions, their constituents, a very wide variety of topics. There is no way any of that would be possible without handy dandy reseachers who find the information they need, whatever it may be and then tailor it down so it's exactly what their MSP needs and can be read quickly!

Another thing that I did not expect was how different each day is, for example Mondays and Fridays the MSPs are in their constituencies so the number of people here at Parliament significantly drops (though the flow of emails hardly ever falters) and we get to dress casual and leave earlier. Tuesdays are an in-between day, gearing up for the more chaotic Wednesday and Thursday.

While the second half of Wednesday's most MSPs are in chamber its nothing compared to Thursdays, that is of course depending what is on the agenda for the week. Every Thursday at midday are First Minister Questions followed by Themed Questions and then usually a debate. Decision Time, or voting is on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 5:00 and just in case any MSP gets distracted there are several chimes that sound throughout the building leading up to 5:00, just to remind them. When ever chamber is in session, especially during FMQs the hallways up here echo with Holyrood TV (the Parliament's live feed) being played on computers and TVs, things really get messy if someone clicks pause. These are also the days the business-y clothes come out and wow! amazing how everyone can look like a grown up.

That pretty much encompasses the duties of an intern, we also provide lively conversation and entertainment (unintentionally, I'm sure).

Edinburgh, Scotland

Greetings!

It's been a while since I've even thought about writing here but most the other interns I'm here with regularly update their blogs, putting me to shame plus it makes it a lot easier to update people all at once! Woot woot!

I've been here in Edinburgh for a month now (yeah I'm really behind) but so far everything has been going great, minus a few unlucky situations, but I've determined all that will work out eventually.

When I first arrived, on Friday January 8th, it was right towards the end of the terrible cold weather that had been affecting the whole UK. Consequently I finally arrived to Edinburgh 4 hours late with no baggage and the city was covered in a light layer of snow. It was very pretty but not so easy to get around town, cobblestone gets very slippery!

Here is the satellite image of the whole UK that was on the front page of the Scotsman the day I arrived. It shows the whole of mainland Britain except for a small part of Scotland completely covered in snow! It's like something out of The Day After Tomorrow, spooky.

Saturday morning I went over to the flat I had arranged to let a room in. Although I've been gradually learning my way around the Old Town area of Edinburgh where I live, eat, sleep, drink, and work most the time (I have to go elsewhere to shop...) the Royal Mile has been my main route for most outings.

The Mile, is pretty cool in several ways. First of all its a long, straightforward street with an assortment of restuarants, pubs, tourist shops, and sights that are all easy to find and visit. Beyond that it is the heart of Old Town and all the buildings and churches still have their historical facades with closes and wynds weaving in and out of the buildings. This part of town has been densely populated since Edinburgh's early history.

At the top of the mile is Edinburgh Castle the biggest tourist attraction in town. It is built on the Rock which is a part of an ancient volcano. Here is another reason why the Mile is interesting. The Mile slopes downhill away from the Castle all the way to the new Scottish Parliament building (where I work!) but it is sloped like that because of glaciation as a glacier slowly moved downhill and carved out the modern landscape the town has been built upon. Oh yeah, the nerd in me went crazy!

My flat is on Victoria Street which is a short, steep cobblestoned road right off the mile. It's also right next to the Grassmarket (use to be where the cattle market was held) where there are a ton of resturants and pubs. We're on the 1st floor and technically its a 2 bedroom apartment with a kitchen, living room, shower room, and toilet room. However, due to the long history of the building there is another random room right next to the street. I have no clue what it might have originally been for but somebody built in a lofted DOUBLE bed and there's a little desk, some shelves, and all-in-all its the perfect amount of space! I've dubbed it my "bat-cave" so far no serious ladder issues, thank god I brought my headlamp!

The rest of the flat is great too, everyone calls the living room my opium den (not because of the presence of opium hehe) but it is very colorful and...bohemian, I guess would be a good word. The bathroom set up is actually comical. There is a toilet at one end of the hall, it's "victorian" with a wooden seat and pull handle with a porcelain fish on the end, to clarify splinters are a non-issue. At the other end of the hall is the shower room. The shower is raised a little and the top of it goes up into this bizarre raised space in the ceiling, they definitely had to squeeze it in. All over the place the guys have hung up cool photos, articles, pretty much anything they thought was interesting I guess, it makes for some good reading material over a bowl of cereal.

Clearly, I'm very happy with my living accomodations and I hear some wild things late at night from the street below, all part of it's character. At first it wasn't so warm and cozy, literally, since the boiler broke my second day in and we had no heat or hot water, and I had only one outfit. It took 10 days for me to get both of my bags so that first week was definitely...interesting. It was challenging to not look like a dirty hobo at work but at the same time much worse things could have happened. I'll continue with my first day of work soon! (Oh and I have pictures to share as well)

Thank God for Starbuck's Internet

Hello!

As silly as it sounds I am eternally grateful for the Starbucks not too far from mi casa. Its quite a happening place but best of it has internet and chair tea, perfecto. Let's see what have I been up to. Two weekends ago I visited D.F. again I really love Mexico City. Its so massive I could never have imagined a place a) so full of people and b) so sprawling. The metro seems unending at it only connects a fraction of the city. This time around I was with a group of students in my program. Saturday we visited Teotihuacan a city of ruins found near Mexico City. It is perhaps best known for the Sun Temple and corresponding Moon Temple. However there are pyramids scattered everywhere that form a faint image of the city that once dominated the area. Not so long ago all the remains were buried under dirt and appeared to be only hills! 

After Teotihuacan we continued on to Mexico City and while the rest of the group checked out the very cool Museum of Anthropology which I visited the first time around myself and a couple others headed out to see more of the city. We made our way to Zona Rosa which is the liberal/gay district. It was a nice little area but annoyingly full of American chains I didn't even bother to take photos. Along one of the main streets we did discover a series of "artistic" benches which lead us to El Monumento de Independencia. We also visited Garibaldi Square home of the famous mariachis although it was too early in the evening for too many to be performing. 

Sunday was a hectic, jam packed day. First to El Templo Mayor, Aztec ruins right next to the heart of Mexico City, the Zocalo. The Spanish built right on top the most impressive and sacred part of Tenochtitlan (the Aztec City). Before checking out of our hostel we did get to watch a replay of Michael Phelps final olympic race. Most of the Olympic broadcasting down here covered sports like archery, taekwondo (Mexico won two golds), speed walking, weight lifting, wrestling, and occasionally swimming. Speed walking was pretty interesting to watch, who knew? Any how we also visited Los Bellas Artes, more murals, Frida Kahlo's house which is now a museum and awesome, and La Plaza de Tres Culturas site of a student massacre in 1968. Drove by the Olympic Stadium from that year too then headed back to Querétaro utterly exhausted.

Last weekend was another trip this time more laid back and without a guide. Saturday we headed to Guanajuato about two hours away. Its a gorgeous city nestled in an amazingly green valley with colorfully curving streets just like I expected to find in Mexico. The city also boast the childhood home of Diego Rivera which we visited so I have now been steeped in the fascinating  history of two of Mexico's most famous artists. That afternoon we journeyed to San Miguel De Allende a major ex-pat city and home to many skilled artisans. The best part was easily the hot springs just outside the city, the most relaxing sunday yet.

I only have about 10 more days here in Querétaro and I just can't seem to get enough of the city! Classes are getting busier as we near finals but my friends and I have also become more adventures in the evening finding new cafés to study, pastelerías, resturantes and places to find souvenirs. This weekend will be my first and last full weekend in Querétaro who knows maybe I'll even go with my family to church, maybe.

Besos,

Cara

BYOTP- Bring Your Own Toilet Paper

¡Hola! I have now mastered using accents, the upside down question marks, and exclamation points on my computer, very exciting. Today I turned in my first essay and had a pretty intense midterm. TGIF, I'm done with the terrifying stick shift autobuses, university bathrooms that lack toilet paper, and long-winded presentations! At least for this week. 

Ever since I returned from Arkansas things have been pretty hectic. I didn't seem to miss that much during my trip other than illness. In addition to a couple outbreaks of food posioning two students were really ill and ended up going to the hospital Monday. Both are doing fine now but one of them actually had typhoid and decided to go home so our merry bunch is short one :(which when you only have 9 in a class and 22 overall is quite a loss. Wednesday I had a presentation about Mexican weddings, my partner and I each had to talk for 8 minutes so if you have any questions on the topic, I probably have an answer. The weather has been milder, at least temperature wise, than when I first arrived with thunderstorms in the evenings after really nice, warm days. These thunderstorms are unlike anything I've ever experienced. Tuesday night I swear the thunder and lightening was right in my neighborhood. 

Tomorrow morning we leave for D.F. for the weekend and I will finally get to see the pyramids in Teotihuacan! Until I return to Querétaro.

Love,

Cara

Los Luchas Libres

Buenos dias!

I guess I'll begin with last Tuesday which turned out to be pretty hectic. After classes a group of us went to have a cooking lesson with one of the señoras, their family actually runs a bakery out of their home. We made fresh pineapple juice, bomb guacamole, and chalupas. My favorite part had to be the guacamole, the chalupas were pretty good, simple, but a little to fried in grease for my taste. That same evening our group had tickets to a lucha libre, Mexican wrestling match, headlined by the famous Dr. Wagner. We watched several fights before the main event. It was quite a production. Dr. Wagner and his partner entered in blue and white practically demanding the crowds' attention. Their two opponents were clothed in black and red spandex, which is always....attractive. They were clearly the villains of this match. It was pretty ridiculous to watch and the crowd got equally ridiculous. And just when you thought Dr. Wagner was getting his butt kicked he made a spectacular come back and claimed the last two rounds (they do actually have three rounds and a ref, all official like). It was a pretty fun evening and, its safe to say it was an important part of our, "cultural experience."

Tomorrow morning I have to get up super early to catch a bus to D.F. for an intermission in my Mexico experience. Next destination: Monticello, Arkansas.

Until I return,

Cara 

Mi primero fin de semana

I have officially been in Querétaro a week! After finishing classes friday I went home and collapsed, speaking Spanish so much is certainly tiring. It's a good thing I didn't go out friday night because on Saturday our group took a trip to Bernal about an hour away from Querétaro. Bernal is famous for its monolith, one huge piece of rock kinda like an iceberg with only a piece of the whole formation visible above ground. We hiked a good ways up the monolith and had an amazing view. The hike was more difficult than i thought it would be in part because of the increased elevation and the route we chose. It definitely seemed worth it though as we ate lunch up top with amazing views all around. After we descended we spent some time in the town of Bernal which is much more touristy than Querétaro. After we returned to Querétaro I was exhausted and took an extra long siesta. Somehow though around 9:30 I managed to find the energy to go out to a local bar called Barro KDA (like barracuda).

Sunday was a wonderful day of rest. I only left the house in the evening to go with my señora and señor to visit some family. My señora's brother did not approve of my American pronunciation. So for the next 45 minutes I was being drilled on how to say my "R's" roja, rey, carro, arroyo, etc. He even took a page out of My Fair Lady and had me reciting "the rain in spain falls mainly on the plans!" He was very nice but es muy insistente, or persistent.

Today it's back to classes including a field trip to the mercado to practice our food vocabulary.

Hasta luego.

besos,

Cara