I can’t wait for Uni.
So when we got to Pollock Halls on Sunday and got settled in to our rooms a bunch of decided it would be a good idea to walk up to the top of Arthurs Seat and trust me it wasn’t. I was not made aware that it would be sooo far, I was freaking knackered by the time we got to the top. When we got back we just settled down and watched a movie in the common room.
Who knew Arthurs Seat was so high?
Monday was our first official Kickstart Day, after breakfast we all walked to UoE Central Campus for the Welcome Seminar with the Day pupils from the Lothians [unlike us they didn't stay in Pollock Halls]. After that I went to an Engineering workshop in King’s Buildings, I was a bit worried about it because I didn’t know anyone there but it turned out to be really fun. After the presentation on mechanical engineering we were told to get into groups and build a robot which could move and lift objects. This is how I met Chloe, we were in a team with four other people and built B.O.B, the best robot in the history of robots [I'm serious!] he didn’t win the end race but he did come second and he was champion of Robot Wars, nothing could take him down. Ha ha! Anyway, after class we had lunch in KB House and later went to bowling which apparentlyI’m awful at. I lost by a long shot! When we got back to Pollock Halls we ended the night with a pub quiz which i know sounds kinda dull but it helped us all get to know each other, plus it turned out to be really fun, although my team didn’t win. Does that seem to be a recurring theme, or is it just me?
I miss B.O.B
On Tuesday everyone went to QMU for the mandatory Study Skills seminar which was awful! Each session began with an hour lecture; the first critical thinking and the second referencing. Critical thinking was extremely patronising for everyone involved because shockingly enough we all know how to think and referencing was simply boring. Each lecture was followed by a tutorial with one of the group leaders, our group had Cole who made the whole day much more bearable as he was less interested in the work which was set and more interested in getting to know us and gossiping. After the torture of “Study Skills” we went to Pizza Hut for dinner and then to the cinema, I chose to see The Hangover which was hysterically funny [I really do recommend you see it].
Wednesday began with a Maths lecture at KB which normally I’d be fine with but the Grad student who talked about her research into braids [Yeah you heard me. Braids!] was without a doubt the dullest person I have ever met. She went on and on about how mathematicians are cool and have loads of friends, also she kept saying things like Cool and Funky and I’m sorry but she was just the kind of person you know without a doubt has no life to speak of. However the day got better with Radiography at QMU which was great, we had to learn how to read x-rays and we built a skeleton out of real bones. Later on we all went on the Witchery Tours Ghost Walk, I don’t know if it was the bad acting or the bad weather but it really was awful; the only highlight being when the tour guide slipped on the cobbles. Luckily we were all friends by this point so we had a laugh anyway or else there may have been a few more ghosts on the tour.
I made friends in Radiography!
After breakfast on Thursday I went to QMU for a physiotherapy workshop which was kind of boring, I mean it wasn’t terrible it just seemed to drag on for ages. We learnt about motion cameras, respiratory physiotherapy and physical physiotherapy it was interesting up to a point but as I said it dragged on. After lunch I went to KB for Biology, this class was one of the highlights of the week, it began with a lecture on GFP research which I know sound boring but it was actually really interesting. It was about using GFP [the glow in jelly fish] to track processes in the body and the development of cancer, we then went into the lab to make our own GFP which was quite funny as ours didn’t work but it did look really cool under UV light since it was all green and glowy. Wow, how simple do I sound? After class everyone went and did their own thing, we went to The Dungeons others went to Camera Obscura or shopping. The Dungeons were amazing, the boat part was really funny since were all freaking out in the dark as was the judge part since as usual the actor picked on Rach, calling her “Peroxide” and saying she couldn’t get a man! Bless her she knew it would happen to her again.After we got back to Turner we had a surprise Birthday Party for four people, we played party games, danced and ate cake for a while after which we all went up to the fifth floor pantry where there would be no teachers after curfew and hung out for a bit, later on me and a couple of the guys went to Craig’s and ended up staying till 3:30 am. A really bad idea considering we had to be packed and out of our rooms by 8 am. I hadn’t even begun packing!
We party like six year olds.
Friday was amazing and sad because we had to leave, my last class was Anatomy in the Old UoE Medical Building. We got gloves and a lab coat and when walked into the main room we saw four body bags, now don’t get me wrong they did say we’d be working with real body parts [the operative word being parts not whole bodies!] but it was a shock to the system, you know. It was definitely one of the most surreal experiences of my life and amazing at the same time, I now cannot wait to do medicine [or if I don't get the grades medical sciences]. At least I can now honestly say “I seen dead people”, although that would be rather morbid. Anyway after class we traveled to Napier University for the Graduation Ceremony, before graduation Chloe, Omar, Paul and I had some coffee in Starbucks then went off to the main lecture hall. After the ceremony we had the opportunity to speak to the University Reps and pick up prospectuses, we then said our goodbyes and headed off home.
Miss you guys!
So that was my week at Edinburgh Uni and it was one of the best weeks ever! I made so many great friends and miss them all so much! Especially Chloe, Anna, Lewis, Fraser, Roy, Paul and Omair; I hope I’ll see you guys soon.
Nicole.
Travels.
Hello people. The last two weeks have been amazing and although I’m sad to be back home, it’s nice to fill you guys in about my travels.
So as you know I went to Turkey a week ago and it was awsome, I actually got a bit of a tan [not as good as usual though]. It was so warm when we were there [like 45º] which meant it was too hot to actually sit in the sun! They had a new Engish bartender this year who made the holiday even better. Me and Heather went with her to Marmaris a couple of times throughout the week both clubbing and shopping which was great fun, hoping she’s there when we go back next year.
Me and Sara
On Friday I went to Edinburgh University, it was amazing! We stayed in Turner House [Pollock Halls] which as far as dorms go were really nice, I loved my room it had a really comfy duvet and a sink. [Yeah you heard me, sink! It clearly doesnt take much to please me.] There were eight people living in each corridor and we had to share two shower rooms between us, shockingly enough that turned out to be quite easy and no one clashed for morning showers [in my corridor anyway], each floor also shared a pantry with the sole use of keeping milk in for our tea and coffee.
Turner 135 - My dorm.
The common room was nice too, it had lots of big bean bags, leather sofas, chairs and barstools to sit on, as well as tables and an LCD tv for our night time movies. As far as food went we ate in the John Macintyre Centre for both Breakfast and Dinner, the food there was really nice and there was also loads of choice [whoever says uni food sucks has never eaten there], but the best part was that since Pollock Halls is catered accommodation the food was all paid for which meant that you could have endless servings of food, which was awsome. However we didn’t have lunch there, we had it on whatever campus we were in for our classes, for example; QMU, Napier or KB House [The best by far!].
I’ll tell you about my classes tomorrow. But for now I need to sleep. Good Night.
No More Retro Glasses !
The plot is simply lifted from the previous movies and therefore consists of the group travelling on a long and dangerous journey. The movie revolves around Sid’s discovery of a world of dinosaurs, complete with volcano’s and streams, living below the ice. Which clearly makes no sense and drops all the previous pretenses of real world topics.
Although as I previously said, I did enjoy it so I would recommend that you go see it, just don’t go expecting it to be any different than its predecessors. Also, whatever happened to the old red and blue 3D glasses? They’re now black and plastic, gone are the days when you had to sit in the cinema and look like a complete idiot. No wonder we’re in a recession when 3D glasses have gone from paper to plastic. Ha ha!
- Miss the red and blue retro coolness ?
Well I guess I’d better get my holiday things ready considering I am leaving tomorrow, God I really should be more organised in future. I mean I get back from Turkey on Saturday and on the Sunday I leave for Edinburgh, I have no idea how I’ll get everything ready in one day. But I’m really excited for the Edinburgh Uni Summer School so I suppose the stress will be worth it.
