Another week gone by

So another week of classes has passed. This week was pretty good in terms of pace. All the classes we had seemed to go at the right pace, and Wednesday we had pretty much completely off. We had a meeting with our DoS (Director of Studies--kind of like an advisor), and then an address by the president of the BVA (British Veterinary Association). Thursday and Friday we had more classes, and today (Friday) we even started late at 11:10, so we got to sleep in a wee bit!

We also met some amazing teachers this week. We have a wide range of professors at this school, from ones that you just want to hug because they're adorable, to ones that scare you, to ones that have you almost wetting yourself from laughing so hard, and we met at least one teacher from each category this week.

The first was the professor who gave us a lecture on communication skills, and he made the stupidest jokes that only vet students would understand, that were, nonetheless, adorable, and we all agreed that we hope he teaches us more.

The second category I'll not go into, but suffice it to say that professors here like to start lectures 5 minutes early, and yet they will also consistently get angry at people who walk in after they've started, even if technically you are still early by any normal standards. Go figure.

The last category's professor is one David Argyle, who is the funniest professor I think I've ever had. I like him because not only is he funny, but he calls out people who are BSing him in the middle of class. The strategy with him is that if you don't know the answer, don't guess, just say you don't know and he'll move on and pick on someone else. Give a wrong/stupid answer and he'll never leave you alone. This is also good though because it motivates me to actually pay attention learn what he's lecturing us about so that if he does call on me I can answer his questions. He's a little un-PC, but I think we need a bit more of that in this day and age. If you can't laugh at life, what's the point? I think we've got him for a few more lectures, which I am looking forward to!

Also, on Wednesdays in the UK, students typically get out around 1pm in order to pursue extracurriculars, so on Wednesday I went to football (soccer) practice, cause I joined the Dick Vet Ladies Football Club! So far it's very fun and the girls are all quite nice, even though I am complete rubbish at the sport. It is quite fun despite that I don't like running at all. I even went to the meadows with Anik, Adrian, and Alan Poon and kicked the ball back and forth for awhile today. So perhaps it'll motivate me to get at least somewhat in shape. But we'll see.

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Me in my football gear, looking like a total nerd, but that's ok!
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On the way to get our football gear on Princes Street we spotted a Scientology tent.. and I was just starting to like it here too... (apologies to any cult members who happen to read this)
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So despite the fact that this week was low-key in terms of classes, I feel like I've been busier than ever. In between classes we usually have lunch, study, or run errands, and then after classes on Monday and Wednesday Anik and I go to football practice, and then each of our group of friends has a dinner night where we all go over and eat at each other's flats. Jessica's night is Wednesday, Anik's is Thursday, Pookish's is Sunday, and mine is floating between Friday and Saturday, depending on everyone's weekend plans.

So because of all this it is rare that I get back to my flat until dinner or afterwards, because I don't see the point of trekking all the way back to my flat during the short breaks we have between classes. This wouldn't be so much of a problem if it weren't for the hot water situation. In the UK apparently they don't believe in keeping water heaters running all the time, and instead they opperate on timers. Now, while I see this as beneficial in terms of energy saving, the timers are set in such a way that we cannot change the settings. So our flat is stuck forever on hot water in the mornings only. Again, wouldn't be such a bad thing except that I am not a morning person and I refuse to get up any earlier than I have to, to do something so silly as showering.

Now, to counteract this problem, the boiler timer has a button called a 'Boost Button,' that you can press to temporarily boost the water heater. Again, this would be fine and dandy in a flat like Jessica's, where the boost button takes approximately 15 minutes to heat the water. In my flat, however, it takes 1-2 hours. Uncool. I have had 2 hot showers since I've been here. The rest have been ice cold. Again, uncool, because normally I love showering. It's one of the highlights of my day and it relaxes my muscles and is comforting before I go to bed. Ice cold water, on the other hand, does not really make one sleepy, and usually means that I'm not really getting clean because I'm just trying to hurry up so I can spend as little time in the cold water as possible.. Brr.

Anyway, enough ranting. Moving on.

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Dinner at Anik's flat. She made something Cuban that I don't remember, but it was made with pork and beans and rice and olives. Very yummy, despite the olives ;-P
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Other than that not much excitement has been going on. We got our exam results back, and while I passed my oral exam (8/10) with flying colors, I was 1.5 points away from passing the written (you need a 50/100 to pass, you do the math)!

But, on the other hand, I did better than a lot of people who didn't have a family crisis and have to miss a week. And while I didn't really want to have to use that as an excuse, it is a legit one, and I figure if I can get that close without studying and with being an emotional wreck, I'm sure that had I actually put the effort in, I would have been fine.

Fortunately the test didn't count anyway, so come December's exam I should be golden!

That's all really, but I'll end with some pictures highlighting this week's events!

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In other news, our Pegifunticorn has been immortalised in Elephants and Bagels. We have officially taken our place in Edinburgh society.
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Closeup! I also think that of the money I've spent here, most of it has gone to this cafe (not seriously, but it feels like it), so it is only fitting that my name be on the wall.
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We also visited the Elephant House (sister shop to Elephants and Bagels), which is renowned for being the birthplace of Harry Potter. J.K.Rowling actually wrote the first book here!
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Inside of the Elephant House
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Anyway, it's late, and I should go to bed. Goodnight!