An American-Style BBQ

Yes, in February.

A couple of the American students in our complex decided it would be fun to utilize the barbecues in their back yard (despite being told that they were not for use. HUH?) and host an American style bbq. The weather was not nice, but we managed to cram about 20 or so of us into the student flat. We had burgers and hot dogs and chicken breasts, guac and chips, fruit, salads, and of course, lots of desserts. I made boston baked beans. I was able to meet some new people and see some old faces as well. It was a nice break. Thanks to Lydia and Sang.

What a chore!!

It was in need of doing for a couple of months now, but I finally got the motivation to do it. Our tiny freezer kept getting smaller and smaller with all of the ice building up around the inside. I also discovered the there was a HUGE chunk of ice that went around the back of the freezer part and into the fridge. So THAT was why everything in the back of the fridge froze! I lost some good produce from that! Well, our friends have invided us over for lunch after church tomorrow and they said they would take us to Costco afterwards. YIPPEE! This is my one chance to stock up on chicken breast (I already have a chicken enchilada dinner planned) but we almost had NO freezer left.

I have never defrosted a freezer before, but Sam told me how to do it. So I took everything out of the fridge and freezer, boiled lots of water, and got my blow dryer out. I alternated the water, chipped away at the ice, and blew the dryer. It was quite a chore and it was very interesting to see the chunks of ice that were coming out. So now I have a nice clean freezer with lots of space, and hopefully our fridge will work more efficiently now.

Passion Play

Josh and I decided to take part in the Easter play. It is performed in the Prince's Street Gardens. Last year over 3000 people attended even though the weather was not favorable. We went to our first rehearsal last night. Josh preferred not to have a large speaking part as he is already so busy with school. It looks like he will be a non-speaking disciple. He will probably still be in a large part of the play and it will require a lot of interaction and ad-libbing, but I think it will be fun. Most of the women speaking parts are already filled, so I will probably be part of the crowd. This will take place on Easter Saturday, so think of us then and pray that it will be a good turnout.

Here is a link to the Easter Play website: http://www.easterplay.org/Play2005.html
And here is a link to some pictures from last year's play: http://www.archphotography.info/a_frame.php?nav=3&snID=10094

Tom and Amanda in the Times

Here's a link to their story. They are the couple I posted about earlier going through the process of adoption.

http://nwitimes.com/articles/2006/02/12/news/lake_county/638851e73226b9a88625711300015d6e.txt

Also, if you have some time, take a look at the link "Another Expat Family" There is a little girl in need of lots of prayer. I don't know her, have never met her, but I met this family and I have been following Addie's plight. Once you are on the family's blog, you can click on their "Addie's site" link to learn more about what she is going through.

Did You Ever Wonder?

I have shared some things that are not available and you have seen my wish lists, but that is not nearly a comprehensive list of things that are not available here. Did you ever wonder if your favorite food item is available here? Here are a couple of links to companies who cater to American Expats. You can get an idea of the foods that are not or hardly available here. Take a look at the prices, too. The pound is nearly twice the amount of the dollar, so you can double the price to get the dollar amount. Yes, people do pay those prices!

http://www.skyco.uk.com/

http://www.cybercandy.co.uk/aaasmt/

Being in a larger city there are more products available to us. Some can be substituted for something else. I have even made some things from scratch that I otherwise wouldn't have, like BBQ sauce. :)

So what items do you think you would miss? We have a discussion going on my Expat forum right now about how we actually miss things here that we wouldn't normally eat in America. Strange how that works.

Help sponsor a child to go to school

Some of you were able to give generously last year to help my friend's daughter go to school. My friend and his family are in the Philippines. There are public schools that they can send their daughter to, but the classes are very large and the education is poor. Last year we worked together and with just $400 we were able to send her to a school that could be the start to a better future. She is only 4 just now, but to get her into a good school in the beginning means better chances of getting into other good schools.

This year we will need a little more than $400 as she will be entering kindergarten. This cost also covers uniforms, books, and other supplies. Enrollment is in May, which may seem far off, but let me remind you that it only seemed like yesterday that we were having our New Year's celebration. :)

My friend has sent me pictures and school work done by his daughter. I think she is very bright! He has also sent many notes of gratitude for the help we were all able to provide. If you would like some more information, contact me or leave a comment and I can e-mail you privately.

I will be collecting money and wiring it in a lump sum to reduce the fees for wiring. Paypal is not available there and it would not be safe to send a check, so this is my only option. If you would like to contribute money you can send a check to Josh's mom or put it in my Paypal account. I can give you all of that info. Let me know that you are doing it so I will know where the money came from and what it is for. Also, let me know if you would rather give some money monthly or if you can even help long term.

Thank you for your consideration.

Good Days

It's been good lately. After having a wee bought of depression over the last month or so (some days not so wee) and getting sick at the end of last week, I have had some really good days. I guess it started Monday. Work went smoothly. In fact, it was really good as one whom I have had a hard time working with actually seemed to be making an effort to work well with me. There were all the silly typical ingredients of a 'good' day: the sun was shining (not much of that here!), the birds were singing, I had a spring in my step. :) It was really good to feel content and at peace. I didn't come home and slouch on the sofa after my shower. I actually didn't mind the usual chores of dishes, picking up, starting dinner.

I know Monday was just a really good day and it wont last forever, but I enjoyed it for all it was worth. I had some friends over last night and I got to do what I love. It is even better to see people enjoying my cooking and to know that I was able to make them happy. We had a picture party. We brought together some of our photos of family and travels and sort of got to know eachother a little better that way. We found that Emma takes REALLY great photographs. And she is so humble about it! Of course I didn't have my scrapbooks from home, just the one I put together to get me through some of the lonely times; pictures of family, friends, and Chicago. I told the girls that WHEN they come to visit me in the States they can see my other scrapbooks. :)

HAAR

We have had a couple of days of thick fog. Haar, they call it here. A thick sea fog. It is not so thick today, but Monday afternoon as I was at the computer I suddenly noticed that I could not see the buildings out my window. It was sort of romantic and intreaging to walk through it, but I can't imagine what it must be like to drive in it! I remembered reading in one of my novels set in 19th century Edinburgh where they mentioned the haar had come in and the soldiers in the castle could not leave from fear of 'falling through the crags in the city.' I saw that before a time with street lights and cars showing you at least where the road is, that it could be difficult to manouver through the city

Happy Chinese New Year!!

Kung Hey Fat Choi!!

We wish our Chinese friends a Happy New Year. May God bring you much joy and peace and many blessings.

We were on our to get groceries after church when we heard some bagpipers and we also noticed a Chinese dragon in front of the theater. So we stopped to watch. They didn't appear to have a regular programme, just a dragon dancing to Auld Lang Syne played by Scottish bagpipers. Something you would typically find in China, ya? :)

Congratulations, Tom and Amanda!

After years of playing the waiting game with adoption agencies, they were finally notified that they would be the proud parents of a new baby. They met with the mother before she gave birth, they were there for the birth, they even named the baby. After months of visiting the foster home Baby "C" was placed in, waiting for the biological father to sign over his rights, something happened that turned their world upside down. The mother took the baby back out of foster care. This was just before Christmas. They lost their baby.

No, the story does not end there. God had a plan.

Just this week the father signed his rights over and the mother reconsidered and signed her rights over again.

As I am writing this they are probably filled with excitement as they are on their way to pick up their baby.

Wait, it doesn't end there. God had something else in store...

The day after they got the call about the mother and father signing over their rights, they got a call from another adoption agency saying they had a baby girl for them! As an adoption can be a costly thing, and of course there are other factors involved in adopting 2 children at once, they wondered if they could do it. They had one hour to decide. Well, they figured it must be all in God's plan and called the adoption agency back to say 'yes.'

What an amazing story! Congratulations, guys.

Chicago Style Deep-Dish Pizza!

I had a friend over last night and decided it would be fun to allow her to experience a little bit of Chicago. I had never made a deep-dish pizza before, so it was going against my rules to experiment on friends. I did some research and found some recipes. I never knew that they used cornmeal in the crust! I also never knew that corn meal would be rather tricky to find here.

So, I went at it. Of course, like always, I didn't plan very well and we ended up eating really late. Our cooker takes about twice as long to cook anything and for anyone that has been to Giordano's or the like, you know it takes them 50 minutes to cook the pizza. Well, when Sam walked in and saw the uncooked pizza she said, "Wow! Is that the pizza?" And throughout the course of the evening she kept saying, "Wow! This is fab!" It's so funny because after living in Chicago, deep-dish is the only way to go. Sam laughed at me as I took my first bite, sighed deeply, and said, "It's been so long!"

Sam also brought over some ginger beer, which is like ginger ale as I remember it, but a bit more gingery. It is so much fun to exchange a wee bit of our culture with friends.

Stirling Castle

Ta Dah!

The long awaited trip to Stirling. I told some of you that I gave Josh a trip to Stirling for Christmas. Well, he cashed in on his gift last weekend and we took the train out.

Stirling Castle is much like Edinburgh Castle in that it is on a high volcanic rock. It also has a rich history. Many kings had been crowned in Stirling Castle. This is where James VI (son of Mary Queen of Scots) lived during her reign. You can find more history here: http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/stirling/stirlingcastle/
index.html

We also went out to eat! A very welcomed treat for us. We found a cozy lodgy sort of restaurant called Papa Joes and had great paninis for lunch.

Spring Semester

Hiya!

I started my second semester classes last week. It will be a little busier than last time, but I'm doing what I love, so I'm sure it will go by quickly. I'll be reading and discussing works from Ignatius, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Origen, Eusebius, Athenasius, Egeria, Gregory of Nazianzus, John Chrysostom and others in my Early Christian Writers course. This one has been a real delight so far.
In the second half of my core course, we'll be working our way through the Augsburg and Second Helvetic Confessions, Council of Trent and Vatican II, as well as the topics of biblical criticism, industrialisation, science, ecumenism, and BEM; considering the contexts in which they were formulated and how they interacted with and helped shape theology over the centuries.
Also for this semester, I figured I should learn a little about Scotland while I'm here, so I have a course that looks at the position of the church in late medieval Scotland (1400-1550). I've already had to do a fair amount of background reading just to be able to be a part of the discussion. I think I'll pick up a lot of good research techniques from this course. We'll be taking some field trips to some of the local museums and art galleries to familiarise ourselves with the period.
All of my classes have closed circuit blogs that we post on prior to class to try and get discussion going before we arrive. We take turns posting on a topic and then everyone else in the class adds their thoughts or criticisms. It seems to work very well. I also like how in the middle of our 2 hour class, we all break for tea and biscuits (cookies) and chat for ten minutes. It really helps make it a congenial and relaxed atmosphere.
So this is life as a student again. I think it is a little easier this time around getting 8 hours of sleep every night and having a wife who makes sure I eat right. De has been a big support and a wonderful sounding board for my wacky ideas.
I hope I haven't bored you, but just wanted to give you a little idea what this semester is going to look like. Thanks, everyone, for the occasional packages, emails, and cards--we appreciate it!

Joshua

Edinburgh Castle

Josh and I used some Christmas money that was given to us to buy a Historic Scotland pass today. It will grant us free entry to all Historic Scotland sites for one year. We went to the castle to purchase the pass with no intention of entering the castle. The lady gave us passes anyway, so while Josh had to leave to study, I did a little exploring! This was just a brief visit, so we will have more pictures when we actually take a day to visit. As always, more pics on the flickr site...

Midnight Alarm

We were jerked out of our sleep last night by some ungodly noise. I jolted up in bed to find Josh already up and rummaging around. I said, "What in the world is that?!" I looked at the clock which said 12:something, but it could have been nine or noon for all I knew. Nothing was clicking. Josh said I think it's an alarm. I lay back down as I thought he was going to check it out, but I realized he was getting ready to go outside, and I should go, too. The noise kept on so we found some warm clothes incase we had to stand outside for an hour.

I was suprised and how slowly everyone was heading down the stairs, but some of them were just waking up like us. I was also suprised how casually everyone was standing around on the building steps and in the courtyard. We had to push our way out. The fire brigade appeared and wasn't sure which building to enter. Our security guy took them into our building.

It still did not click that it was only midnight and some of these kids had not gone to bed yet. I walked out to see some girls with their hair done up and though, "What, did they do their hair for this?" Then we spotted some of Josh's classmates who said they were just returning from a midnight chippie run. It was then that I realized, we are old!

It must have just been smoke from someone's burnt cooking or something. A few minutes after the fire brigade entered the building they came out and allowed us back in. It was such a jolt out of sleep that it was hard to get back to sleep and it made Josh and I feel rather sick.

Ah! Dorm living...

Chinese New Year Ball

Just something I found funny. University of Edinburgh is having a student festival, showcasing a bunch of student groups while providing services for the students (dance classes, film and debates, etc.). One thing I found humerous was the description for an event put on by the Asian Friends Society for Chinese New Year: "The evening features a 3-course chinese dinner, ceilidh*, kung fu and much more!" If you don't get it, you can e-mail me. :)

*Ceilidh, pronounced 'kay-lee' is a traditional Irish or Scottish gathering where there is music and dancing (much like square dancing or country dance).

How Things are Different, cont.

I think this should be my last installment of my "Differences" series. :) They are sort of random, so I will just get through them quickly. I apologize if I repeat anything I already said. I just don't feel like going back to look at my other posts. Lazy me...

A band-aid is called a 'plaster'. Took me a while to figure that one out ('And WHY do you want me to put a plaster on my finger?')
Dessert is 'pudding,' but they don't really know what pudding is as we know it.
Eggs are left out of the fridge.
TV tax. I can't remember exactly, but it costs roughly $300/year/TV.
Grocery delivery. YEAH!!!
Universal health care.
A dumpster is a skip. So I guess rather than 'dumpster diving' one would go 'skip skipping'?
The windows don't have screens.
Write the date backwards. So today is 18/01/06 or 18 January.
A daily planner is a diary.
The cashiers at the grocery store get to sit.
Suspenders are braces.
Workout pants are joggies.
Tennis shoes are trainers.
The burner on the stove is a hob or gasser (even if it is electric).
Maybe texting has become more popular in the States, but anyone with a mobile phone does much of their communication through texting.
Boxing Day is a bigger holiday than Christmas Eve.
Most enjoy a big meal with family on New Year's Day. Everything is closed and going out for brunch is rather foreign.
There is only one store I can find Monteray Jack cheese, and it specializes in Mexican and American foods.

I have a friend who is getting married soon. Maybe I will have a list for different British wedding customs to come!

I meant to tell you, when you look at our pictures on the flickr site, you can leave comments for each pictures. Just click the comments button. It could help me in deciding if I should make cards out of any of them, though lots of the pictures are just for fun...

Arthur's Seat Again

We had another trip up to Arthur's Seat yesterday. Josh was excited because he just got his binoculars which he has dearly missed every time we go somewhere scenic. We were fortunate enough to have good weather for our hike, though it did look like some storm cloud were coming in! Don't forget to look at our photos link for more pictures.

How Rude!

Amidst all of the wonderful customers we get at Starbucks, there are always bound to be a couple of rotten ones. Just one such customer came in today.

A little bit of background information first. First off, the Starbucks I work in is in a pretty wealthy neighborhood. It is not uncommon that we see a Rolls Royce or Porche parked outside while the owner runs in for their daily fix. Secondly, Starbucks (as many other cafes here) charges a slightly higher price to eat in. It is for VAT tax. Like for a muffin, it is 15p more to eat in as opposed to taking away.

Ok, so this lady comes in. She is looking at the pastry case, fidgeting through her coin purse, and huffing and puffing. She finally come up and says that she will have a fruity bagel bar. I ask if she will be sitting in or taking away. She says, "Well, I can't afford to sit in with THESE prices! This is really ridiculous!" I smile and say, "Well, you can phone Starbucks about that if you like." She goes on and on and finally says, "Well, it cuts into YOUR tips by charging so much!" I am standing there with my mouth open and my manager comes over and says in his booming, thick Glaswegian accent, "Thus us qualutay!" I agree that Starbucks is expensive, and it is twice as much here as it is in the States, but whoever takes out their frustrations with prices on the server is a fool! Really! And I don't think I am being to harsh. Here I am working a job below my means and qualifications, serving you with a smile and an enthusiastic, "hiya!" You do not even acknowledge my greeting, then you accuse me of personally charging you too much for a fruity bagel bar, which I would have to work about 20 minutes to pay for, and you, maybe 20 seconds. I continue to smile and make light of things while you proceed to tell me you will not be leaving ME a tip because I charge too much. And with a stunned smile on my face I say, "Bye, now."

Gold Coast: A Little Taste of Home

I was so excited yesterday when my manager asked if there was a certain kind of coffee I wanted for my partner markout. 'Do we have anymore Gold Coast?' I quickly asked. 'No' she said, then, 'Oh, wait. Yes, we do.' Yeah! I made it today and was in heaven! Yes, this is coffee Chicago style. I also realized the Brits habit of putting milk in their coffee was not cutting it. I started putting double cream in it and noticed a dramatic difference.

Some drinks I miss that our Starbucks doesn't carry:
Raspberry Mocha
Valencia Mocha
Malt Mocha Frappaccino
Pumpkin Spice Latte
Iced Chai Latte

Scarves Galore!

I have been getting so much wonderful yarn from mom to keep me busy. Hmmm...maybe e-bay would come in handy now.

Look What We Got!

ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE THINGS YOU FORGOT YOU MISSED

A New Wish List

I feel funny doing this, but I have had a few requests for things we would like.

Just a reminder. If you can manage to fit it in an envelope it should be cheaper than sending a box. We can wait the 4-6 weeks if you want to send it by boat. :) If you want to air mail it, don't bother with Global Priority. Mark it as a gift and don't mark the value over $30 or we could get charge VAT.

Jelly Bellies (esp sour)
pudding mix
Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce (not sure how well that will actually mail)
zip lock bags (I still have some from home which I am savoring)
taco seasoning
Quaker granola bars
instant oatmeal (I can make this, so not a must)
small bottle of hand sanitizer
cherry Andies mints
chili cheese Fritos (haven't found any crisps here we like)
dried berry fruit mix (mom sent a lovely one with rasp, blue, cherry, straw)
beef jerky
cookies and mint Hershey bars

As we have been adjusting we find that some of those foods we desired in the beginning can be replaced by other foods, or we can just do without. New things come up that we realized we miss (like those flavored coffee creamers!) or mom sends something and gets us hooked (like Jelly Bellies and cherry Andies). A couple of items have stood the test of time, like the Fritos and pudding.

Of course, one thing we would love more than anything is letters. It is funny how I miss getting junk mail!

Happy New Year!

We made our attempt to experience Hogmanay. As we approached Prince's Street the crowd was so thick we could not move forward but the crowd behind was pushing heavily against us. We decided to turn and head back up the Mound and wait to enjoy the fireworks. We saw a nice display coming from the Castle mound as well as from Calton Hill and somewhere in the west. It is now 1am and we can still hear the celebration going on.

Torchlight Procession

Tonight was the kickoff for the Hogmanay celebrations. There was a torchlight procession which started at St. Gile's Cathedral, then headed down the Mound and on up to Calton Hill. Torches were £4 and all proceeds went to charity. We had planned to participate in the procession, but forgot about it until today at dinnertime when we heard thunderous explosions that would make one think the castle was being bombed! These were the fireworks that began the procession. We put dinner on hold and ran outside to watch. Josh forgot his torch, though (flashlight = torch).

We had snow today...

Well, if that's what you want to call it. It was little more than frost to me! :)

Charlie Brown Christmas

For those who have asked, here is our Christmas Twee. Thanks to Grandma for the lights and Chris and Sarah for the scented pine cones.


We hope you all have a merry Christmas. Thank you for the cards and calls.



Why do you celebrate?

'Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.'
'Lift up your voice with a shout...say to the towns of Judah, "Here is your God!"
'Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Chrst the Lord.'


And our Lord says, "Come unto me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Some Christmas Sights

We went to see Narnia today. I liked it, but Josh said he was disappointed. On our way back from the theater we got to see Santa's reindeer! They were all just standing (or laying) around. I guess they are storing up energy for the weekend.



After visiting the reindeer we stopped by the nativity at the other end of Prince's Street Gardens.

To Brenda's House We Go

A dear lady from St. Augustine invited us as well as some of the other newer 'young folk' over to her house last night. When we arrived she took us to her parlor to sit by the fireside and chat. She then stuffed us with a wonderful 3 course meal of smoked mackerel with salad, 'spanish loaf' (a tomatoey lamb and pork dish) with veg (potatoes, carrots, and green beans), and strawberry and raspberry fools. She then took us back to the parlor for coffee and chocolates. It was a lovely night, but we all felt that Ms. Brenda was just beginning at 11pm while we were all ready for our beds!
Brenda told us delightful stories of her experience as a librarian at the University of Edinburgh and her world travels. She also just finished a book and expects it to be published in the new year! We are looking forward to visiting with her again when she can show us slides of her coming trip to Australia and have tea in her garden.
The pictures above were taken just as we were about to leave, if you will notice the sleep in our eyes. The boys include Andy (also a student at U of E) Josh, and Peter (working for the Scotsman newspaper). The girls are Sam (the other half of Peter, working in admissions at a university), Emma (Australian, working in social services), and De. Of course, Ms. Brenda is the little lady in the front.

Christmas Carols

Being in the 3rd week of Advent and going to some carols services, we have been able to hear some of the carols that are commonly sung hear that we did not grow up with. Many of the songs are familiar, with only some slight changes in the words. A couple of the songs, we found, are commonly sung with different tunes. O Little Town of Bethlehem is one that I have come to enjoy. Here is a link to the tune we have been singing here in Scotland: http://www.christmas-carol-music.org/Lead_Sheets/OLittleTown_Forest.html The tune is called 'Forest Green.' You can listen to the music by clicking on the little play button below the picture of the people playing strings. I hope you enjoy it, too.

A Chicagoan's Dream Turned Nightmare

The dream: Costco and Ikea...same parking lot!
The nightmare: no car!!!

I felt adventurous today (I was also craving good clementines). I packed my backpack with a shoulder bag as well as a wheeled carrier and filled up my waterbottle. Yes, I bussed it to Costkea Way...solo. My first stop was Costco, in hopes that they would do my 2x3 reprints that no one else seems to do. Costco, you let me down. Where can a person go to get something other than a 4x6 done?

So I ran to Ikea to pick up a couple of things in hopes of solving some storage problems, then back over to Costco, the problem maker. Costco is such a dangerous place to be in with no car and little money. I had my mind made up on the clementines, so I picked up 2 boxes. The tomatoes are so much cheaper, and good cheese for a good price. I said no to many things, but ended up loading my backpack with the clementines, and filling my wheeled carrier and shoulder bag with other things. Riding home at 1:30 I thought the bus would be empty, but I get on to find it is filled with school kids. Ah, well. I guess I will rest after lug my baggage up the mound to our little flat. And have fun finding space for it all!

Yes, we do have friends now who have a car, and they have already graciously taken us to Costco (they were like kids wowing over the huge pies and the 5 kilo block of cheese!), but I did want those clementines (they have become synonamous to the holiday season for me) and we do not want to take advantage of their kindness.

Well, we hope you are enjoying the snow and cold. We have had pretty mild weather today. Nearly 50 degrees, and it looks like mid-50's tomorrow. It certainly doesn't feel like Christmas weather, but it is not bad considering how much I have to be outdoors.

What are you doing to celebrate this Advent season?

Expats Get-together

I had the opportunity to meet some of the American expats on my forum today. We met at Starbucks (where I was able to utilize my discount!) and spent a couple of hours chatting; getting to know eachother and venting about some of our frustrations with customer service and other things we have had to get accustomed to here. Erin is in the picture with me. She is the one I met on the forum before we came who has helped me so much pre- and post-arrival!