I know it is the highlight of everyone's day to read my blog entry, so I appologize for not writing as much as I usually do :) hahaha No, I am totally just kidding.

I guess the reason I haven't been writing as much is that I feel like this place is my home. I already have a just a normal life. I the hostel feels like this really big house with tons of roommates, which means that things are never boring. I am working a little bit, here and there, cleaning the hostel and doing some catering work... just a normal life.

But today I am feeling inspired to give everybody the update on my life, just because my past few days have been those rare kind of days where everything just works out perfectly... I mean, nothing major really, just tons of little things have all been going right, just for me :)... like, on a whim, I went to register with another temp agency that someone told me about, and the woman there is just amazing... I feel like she is my best friend... She has called me every day since I registered there, found me work within two hours of my interview, has appreciated my cute new work pants with me, talked about social issues with me... She is just wonderful :) And then today I got on the wrong bus, and I guess I was looking really confused, because the driver gave me a free day pass and patiently explained how to get to where I was going. And then I found two shirts for work for only 50 pence each at thrift stores... Yesterday, I went to this place called Chocolate Soup, and had the most delicious, chocolatly, rich concoction that I have ever had... I feel full just thinking about it :) I have great friends here that I cook with regularly (so, maybe I will actually learn how to make something soon)... Life is just good.

Yesterday, I was walking down the street going home and I overheard this tourist say after taking a picture of the trees with the leaves changing colors and the park with the castle in the backgroud, "Can you imagine actually living here?" She totally reminded me of myself when I was traveling, and I was just overwhelmed with how lucky I really am to be here in this place.

So, I guess I should stop rambling and tell you about what is going on in my life because it is really good :):):):):):):)

Today I got up and went for an interview for a position at the City Council of Edinburgh. The position actually sounds really great. It is some reception work, answering the phone, email, stuff like that, but mostly I will be working with people who come into the office to apply for social assistance for housing. The whole system is completely different over here than it is in the states (people over here get enough from the government to acually live comfortably on, which has it good and bad sides for sure). But, yeah, I really don't know much about my job yet, but the interview went well, and I am starting Monday. It is full time, great pay, and the people at the office seem wonderful too.

But I still have not forgotten about my job working with children or doing social work in some capacity. So, I have sent off my paperwork to get a criminal background check, and am just waiting for that to come in as well. I am unsure about the afterschool program at this point, because I would prefer something full time, but I met this guy at the hostel who works through a temp agency at homeless shelters in the city... He really enjoys it, and I also had an interview with this agency, and it sounds very promising as soon as my info gets back to them... So, I may be doing that as well as my office work... We will see.

So, that is the update on my life... I must go for now though becuase I only have a few more hours of sunlight left and I am going for a walk with my friend, Jamie :)

Haggis, Neeps, and Tatties

I was recently reminded that I have not been writing on my blog as much as I should be, so here goes.

My life in Edinburgh is pretty amazing. I love my hostel, and I have met tons of incredible people here. I have half-heartedly started by job search by giving my resume to several temp agencies, and I am going to get registered with them this week... one doing office work, the other doing catering (like I did all through college)... I actually applied for an after school program working with children (I know you must think I am crazy, but I just can't help it... working with children just makes me happy :)

I cannot even describe how amazing this place is though. There is so much positive energy here and the beauty everywhere just blows my mind. My favorite place is Arthur's Seat... I wouldn't describe it as a mountain, but it is is very big hill that takes about 30 minutes to walk to from my hostel. There are tons of trails through the area, and every time I go, I try to take a different path to the top... The whole thing is about 250 meters up (I don't exactly know the conversions for you Americans who don't think in metric units), but it is relatively high. You can go up and just look out over the whole city. And then there is this place that is perfect for bouldering (Johh, you are going to love it :)... One of my friends from my hostel actually showed me the place, and I am already getting back into rock climbing... It is so much better on real rocks :)

The light here is very different. It is always very hazy, even on the rare occasion that there are no clouds in the sky. There is just a foggy cover over everything all the time. It makes everything look extremely beautiful though, especially as the sun is setting behind all of the beautiful old archtitecture... I keep trying to capture it with a picture, but it just isn't possible (You will all just have to come and visit me here to see it for yourself, I suppose :)

I am easing myself back into the working world slowly by working a couple of hours every day at my hostel in return for a free night here. It is really nice right now to just vaccuum away and daydream, but I have a feeling eventually I will get tired of this and get motivated to do something a little more challenging :)

Falling in love with Edinburgh

Yesterday, after nine hours and some nice sleep and scenery on a bus, I arrived in Edinburgh. My hostel here is nice, a very social place with a movie room, a lounge, a kitchen, a restaurant, a dining room, everything a backpacker could possibly want. :) I met a fun group of people right away and we went into town for a while in the evening... The first thing I noticed... Boys here actually wear kilts! I just think it is so great :)... and actually very attractive.

This morning I got on the bus to go into town, went one stop, and was caught almost breathless at the beautiful scenery around the corner from where I am staying... This huge stretch of coastline, the sand surrounded by rolling green hills and parks, people with dogs and children walking on the sand, everything so incredibly green and lush. It looked just like a scene from a postcard... So, I jumped from my seat on the bus, got off at the next stop, and wandered around this area for a while, taking pictures, writing in my journal, watching the other people, imagining what it would be like to live in a place like this.

Eventually I decided that I should probably actually go see the city. So, I spent most of the day just walking around... The famous castle dominated the landscape when I got off the bus in the old part of town, and you can see it from almost every place in the center. It is easy to tell that there is a large student population here... tons of organic food stores, used bookstores and music shops, a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. I stopped for some soup for lunch in one of the cute vegetarian cafes, and shared a table with a woman who ended up telling me all about here life, her job, her children... We even shared the baked potato that she ordered for lunch :)

I have met many people that are working here, and everybody tells me it is easy to find work this time of year (knock on wood), so I am thinking of staying here. Even as I write this, I can't believe I have only been here for one day... I already have favorite places in the town picked out and a group of friends to hang out with at night... Now all I have to do is figure out how to deal with the cold!

My hostel

I almost forgot to tell about my one of my favorite parts of London: my hostel...

As you can tell from the extensive blog entries, I really just don't want to leave my hostel today. It is pouring down rain outside and the internet here is free, and I am just so content to sit here in this beautiful place and type away emails and such...

The first thing I thought of when I walked into my hostel a few days ago is how much it reminds me of the Page House. It is this huge, old Victorian house made from dark wood. It has high arched ceilings with chandeliers to add to the lighting from the bay windows looking out on a park. There is a HUGE common room with overstuffed sofas with throw pillows to match, nice art on the walls, huge windows that create this welcoming lighting, always people sitting playing games, chatting, or just hanging out... It just feels like an elegant old home than a hostel.

Many people I have met here ended up staying at this hostel and working in London becuase they just didn't want to leave... I can understand why... :) I just may be back :)

London

I was definitely not prepared to go through a culture shock when I came to London, but I have to say that this has been this biggest culture shock since I arrived in Macedonia two months ago... I recognize everything here... the language, the brands in the stores, the modern city... it is all so familiar, I almost feel like I am back in the states. It is so strange to go in a store and not have to think about what language that to speak in, then the words for what I want to communicate, and then try to pronounce things correctly or speak very slow, definitive English with very basic phrases... I can just talk and people understand me!! It is almost too easy! :) And the stores have all the brands that I see in America... I saw frozen dinners and processed food in the supermarkets for the first time since I left home. There is a Starbuck's on every corner and huge megastores everywhere... It almost reminds me of Manhattan sometimes... the taxis everywhere, the subway, people hurrying by on the sidewalks.

But I have to say, I feel completely different about London than most people that I have talked to... The stereotypes are that the city is just big and cold and impersonal... I haven't found that at all... I think the people here are very friendly... and very polite... if someone bumps into you on the subway, they actually appologize... And the people I have met are very friendly, not just other backpackers, but people that actually live here... a woman and her little girl on the bus that sang Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to me (that just made my whole day:), the man that works in the supermarket that I go to every morning, random people on the subways, I was just standing in a street looking really lost one day, and a man walked up to me to help me... I think the people here are great... I honestly don't know what everybody is talking about... :)
The city is very clean as well, and it feels safe because no matter what time it is, there are people out and about. In some cities, I would not walk around alone after dark (aka Paris), but here, it feels completely different. And I absolutely LOVE all the parks... They are everywhere, which is nice, because it is a busy city, and fastpaced, but it is so easy to just find a nice park to sit in for a while if you need a break from the commmotion. It seems that most people here have their lunch breaks in the parks. And they are some of the most beautiful places I have ever seen... huge, old trees, ponds, paths, very green still... sigh... I just love it. :)

Anyways, what else can I tell you about London... I have seen some really interesting looking people while I have been here... I was having some coffee this morning, and this woman who looked to be about 65 years old comes in, clad only in hot pink: her sneakers, her socks, her jogging suit, her umbrella, her backpack (whick also had fake hot pink flowers sticking out of the top), her headband, and, yes, even her hair... I thought until now that I had the coolest, hippest Granny in the world, but I don't know if you can top that... :)

The museums are all really amazing... and free, which is nice, because everything else here is extremely expensive (literally twice as much as you would normally pay anywhere else). I went to the British museum, which I absolutely loved because it focused on culture and history and was just very accessible and interesting... I ended up staying for over five hours and still didn't see the whole thing (almost as bad as Mama with the rocks in DC) :) just kidding :)

Last night I went to see Phantom of the Opera... It was just amazing... I got so sucked into the show, it was strange to come back to reality afterwards :) There is just so much to do and see here, it would take months and years to see it all.

So, in summary, I am loving London a lot, but I can't afford to stay here much longer without a job... So, my plan is to catch a bus to Edinburgh tomorrow, see what that city is like, and then make my decision as to whether I want to work in London or stay in Scotland...

Wish me luck! :)

A picnic in the rain

So, I had some really amazing roommates in my hostel in Paris... They were all very social and fun, and we got along beautifully. We had been planning for our last night in Paris to go have a picnic at the Eiffel Tower... we were all excited about it for the few days beforehand, and kept making plans together about how great it was going to be. But we woke up the morning of our last day in Paris to a dark, cloudy day with rain coming down in a steady drizzle. We went out sightseeing during the day and decided to meet back up later for our picnic, hoping that the weather would be much better by then... But, it rained all day long... the sun just never came out... So, we met back up at the time, and decided that we should just go anyways since we had been looking forward to it for so long (2 days is really long in backpacker time)... so we bundled up in our rain jackets and hats and scarves, and headed to the Eiffel Tower through the rain... When we got there, the park behind the tower that is usually convered with couples, street merchants selling tacky souvenirs and champage, groups of friends, and the occassional guy playing the guitar... well, it was completely deserted... We looked at each other and laughed, found a bench to sit on (because the grass was completely soaking wet), squealed like girls when we sat down on the bench and got completely soaked, and continued to sit and enjoy our picnic... great view, great food, great company... :) It turned out to be a beautiful night, despite the weather... I mean, not many people can say that they had the whole Champs de Mars to themselves :)

The man in the bush

I got to meet one of my friends, Jess, from Florence in Paris because she happened to be traveling there at the same time as me. So, we stopped in a park for lunch and found a nice plot of grass to sit in surrounded by beautifully manicured bushes and shrubs. We had been sitting there talking away for over an hour when we heard something rustling in the bush just a foot from where we were sitting... We looked into the shrubbery, and there was a man in there!!!!!

I think just because we didn't know what else to do, we just looked at each other and burst out laughing... :)

But the man just stayed... We laughed some more, looked at each other nervously, neither of us knowing what to say or do, and looked back at the man in the bush... Finally, he said, "oh, sorry" and climbed out of the bush and walked away...

It was the strangest thing!!!!

I don't know why exactly, but we both thought this was the funnniest thing we had ever seen... We just cracked up, laughing and laughing there in the park... Neither of us had any idea what the guy was doing, and that is probably a good thing, but it was the funniest part of that day for sure. :)

My favorite things from Paris continued

My stay in Paris was nice... The Louvre was amazing... so huge I only saw a fraction of everything there, and that took several hours!

Annika and I found an international university that was one of the prettiest places I have ever seen... so now we both have plans to apply there and go to school in Paris :) The Luxembourg Gardens nearby were so beautiful it looks like a postcard.

After traveling with Annika, I have re-developed my coffee habit... We had several coffees every day... it was just soooo good :) One night, we went out to a trendy area of town to wonder around until we saw a place that looked nice... My favorite was a place with big red furniture, candles everywhere, dark wooden floors, and several people wearing burrets. At one point, a mouse ran through, but nobody really noticed or cared. Further down this street, we found a second hand store that felt like being in a closet... We tried on crazy outfits and took pictures and laughed at each other until my sides hurt...

There is just so much to do and see in Paris... The challenge is that there is really no center... just 22 different sections... and there just isn't time to explore them all... It was much busier than I expected, very loud and lots of traffic at times... but many areas were just beautiful and absolutely picturesque, and, of course, very romantic.

My favorite things about Paris

Our first day here, we jumped off the train, excited from the coffee and the promise of a great holiday in Paris and went on our way through the huge and very Parisian- looking train station to the Metro to find our hostel...

Well, after taking the train the wrong way out of town, being relieved that we had taken the train the wrong way when we saw the area we were in, standing in line to buy train tickets to get back into Paris, getting back to the train station where we started, getting a snack to calm our nerves, finding the right metro to get on (and going about five minutes two stops down the line), we arrived at our hostel.

This hostel was called the Peace and Love hostel... yes, I am not even kidding...
The sign was easy to find, and we walked past the big awning that said Peace and Love twice, but all we could see there was a pub and restaurant... Finally, a guy sitting there waved us in and explained that the hostel was here as well... We checked in with a very friendly girl behind the bar, and she gave us our room keys and showed us a tiny door behind the bar where the rooms were located... So, we squeezed through the staircase, barely able to fit with our bags up a whole bunch of stairs to our room... The place was absolutely adorable... It was painted in lavender and light pastels, and everything was just very cute with lots of personality... So, we walked into our room and found a bunk bed and a matress propped against the wall (because there wasn't enough floor room for it to lie down flat). My favorite part was the shower: It was directly in the room... no bathroom, no door, not even a shower curtain... you could see straight through the door... So, this wouldn't be such an issue if it was a private room with just me and Annika, but we were sharing it with another guy that we had never even met... We were both a little apprehensive about exactly how the showering system would work :) But we had a fun time laughing about it and taking pictures of us in our room :)

So, anyways, after we settled into our hostel for the first night, we decided to take a look around Paris... We ended up walking through the beautiful gardens near the Louve, down the Champs Elyse, and up to the top of the Arch de Triumph where we watched the Eiffel Tower light up for the night... It was an amazing night... At one point, we just looked at each other and gave each other a big hug... to realize that we were actually in Paris looking at the Eiffel Tower together... almost unreal... It was one of those moments (Jim Bob called them golden moments :) that I will always remember.

Feels like home...

My time with Annika was a wonderful and much needed break from the chaos of hosteling. I had the most beautiful life for the few days I stayed with her. I listened to my favorite CD a million times because I missed it so much... (Garden State soundtrack if you were wondering)... I took showers without flipflops... I blowdried my hair in my underwear while dancing to my favorite music... I drank amazing cofee every morning and went for long jogs in the park next to her apartment... It was just a beautiful time. It was so nice to get to enjoy a little bit of my old routine, from back in the days when I had a routine :)

Every day I would look forward to the time when Annika would get home from work... I felt like a housewife a little bit as I straightened the room waiting for her to arrive so our fun-filled evenings could begin :)

The first night we walked around Cologne and she showed me all of her favorite places as we caught up on the past two years of our lives since we had seen each other... One night we went to a friend's birthday party... her friends are very funny and great to hang out with... One night we relived our high school years and watched five episodes of Dawson's Creek :)

Seeing Annika again is just another one of my dreams that has come true this trip... That crazy summer two years ago, we both promised each other that we would see each other again and travel together... But, of course, at the end of summer camp people make lots of random promises that don't always happen... But for some reason, we found this connection... And now I think more than ever, we are friends for life... :) We are already planning more trips together, more times to look forward to...

So, today, it wasn't too hard to say goodbye after our time together in Paris because I know that I will see her again, hopefully very soon... (just for the record, I only cried for a few minutes, which is good for me... :)

So, Annika, thanks for a great time... I am really glad that we got to share the past 10 days... And Paris just isn't the same without you... :)