Yesterday was 2 months...

So yesterday was the 2 month anniversary of me landing in the UK. On one hand it feels as if we have been here for so much longer, on the other it feels like it's going by so fast.

So a few things have happened to me since I last wrote. The first was that it came to my attention that I had been unlawfully using a certain name in my blog that is not permitted under certain terms and conditions. And to the man in the little room reading this, sorry for any inconvience, I am sincerely apologetic, and slightly embarrassed that you had to read my blog, but I do hope that you enjoyed it. In the future I will be much much more careful, because although I didn't die of embarrassment this time, I know I will next time.

To everyone else, few of you know what I am talking about, so I'm eager to hear the rumours that will be spread!! Ha, just kidding, I know that Dececchi's will already be more informed than I am before they even read this. (Haha just kidding).

Back to my life thus far...

We finally have heat!!! It was getting pretty cold at night and for a little while it looked as though we may never be warm again. But alas when we thought that we could no longer stand it, we got heat. Now we just have to figure out how to use it. I thought I had it figured, but it ended up staying on all night long and I was sweating so bad that I had gone down two sizes over night. (Don't worry I ate a couple deep fried mars bars to get back up there).

As for my social life. I was supposed to have some riveting material but I ended up getting suckered into working instead of meeting up for a rugby game with a bunch of our friends from the hostel. Workaholic as I am I ended up working til 12:50am and then I had to be back at work at 8am the next morning. Don't ask me how I did it. I worked alot these last couple of weeks, which means my pays have been great!! Cheryl and I both have a 3 day weekend this week so we are taking all our hard earned money and going to aberdeen this weekend. By train, nonetheless. I don't know if I'm allowed to tell you who with but it's this fantastic train company!!! No free tickets unfortunately.

So I don't know if I mentioned this before, but it is well worth repeating. My favourite part of the job has got to be 'The running of the bulls'. I worked on Saturday and it was the finest example of it I have ever seen. Humanity at it's best!!! This story is best told in person but since I'm not with you now you have to do your best to imagine the scene on your own without my re-enactment (which I have done many times already this week)..
Setting the scene...
My friend and I are sitting in the restaurant car eating our lunch. Outside on the platform there are some 500 people standing at the gate waiting to board our train. Every seat has been booked on the train, and they always sell more tickets than are reserved.

Suddenly they open the gate. As we watch both in horror and slight amusement, our hopes for mankind fade into the darkness. If you have seen the movie Lion King, just think of the scene where the papa lion is killed. Don't laugh I could see it happening!!
When those gates open it is every man, woman and child for themselves. Everyone is literally running to get a seat. Mothers pulling their children along, screaming at them to run faster while the husbands use their elbows to know the little old ladies out of the way. Backpackers use the backpack to their advantage to knock to people out of the way, or stun them for a moment so they pause to see what hit them and then the backpacker can scurry ahead of them. Little old couples shuffle along with the husband dragging the woman behind shouting at her to hurry up because god forbid they don't get a seat together. Don't even think about using your cane if you have one, unless it is to trip the younger people up. The madness of it is insane, especially because they have 30 minutes until the train leaves!!!! Occassionally one will turn and look our way, and for a brief moment before they fly by you see their face suddenly change as they realize that yes, there are people watching them. We try to sit calmly, but I cannot help but sit and gawk in amazement everytime. I especially enjoy catching that moment of shame in their eyes as they see me watching them. It really is priceless.

I know that I cannot top that but I must soldier on...

After overcoming my loss of faith in the human race, and the feeling that I was working my life away for these people, I had a need to revert back to my tourist skin. So on Monday I dressed up in all of my Canadian gear and hit the streets. There is a German Market in the gardens, as well as a carnival. It is really pretty there and we spent the entire day there. We walked through the market, had some warm German wine that I'm not going to try and pronounce, it was very tasty though. They had some neat stuff there, but I had my money earmarked for another purpose...the Ferris Wheel!! My only regret was that they did not have any Christmas music playing, other than that it was quite enjoyable. We later went ice skating in the gardens on what had to be the best and the worst ice rink I have ever been too. The best because it's in the middle of the Princes Gardens in Edinburgh and very atmosphere, and the worst because there were puddles, it was all slushly and not at all the smooth ice I'm used to. Needless to say I didn't fall once...instead I did a graceful dive across the ice head first through one of the puddles. Oh but it was fabulous!! Later we all went out to eat a a Spanish restaurant, where our server couldn't speak English. That was an interesting meal. I'm not sure what I ate exactly, but it was tasty nonetheless.

Last thing before I leave...what is so hard about the question, "Coffee or tea?" Do people think they will die if they choose the wrong one? One of the managers, who on the outside appears to be a very proper gentleman, does the funniest bit. He walks about the train car at the end of the night going, (**Warning the next part contains off colour language that is extremely offensive**), "Coffee or Tea, Motherfuckers!!????" Sometimes he bends a spoon and puts it over his eye so he looks like the terminator, the best is when Cheryl comes out of the kitchen in our flat and does it. This man also does the best impression of Americans and sometimes talks to them with an American accent, it's almost impossible not to burst out laughing when your standing beside him. You have to keep a straight face though, I usually run to the kitchen. I love the Scottish sense of humour, and either they have it or they don't. Thankfully most of them do. It really makes the job worth it, I've never laughed as hard as I have this past month at work. It really gets interesting when we all go out for drinks!!


(How many words is that? I lost count)