In the past week, rather than be productive and pack, I have done… anything else (i.e. this blog post).  Now, 48 hours from departure, my ITunes has been reorganized, I’ve finished writing a few fellowship applications, and I have perused several travelers’ guides to Edinburgh.  All in all, my unproductiveness has been more productive than usual.

A few things I have learned about Scotland in the past few days: the Scots have eleven different words for rain; Edinburgh is along the same latitude as Juneau, Alaska; the national drink is whiskey. Two things resound in whatever I read: weather and alcohol.  They appear to be inherently interconnected.  It’s too cold or it’s too dark or it’s raining.  Solution?  A trip to the Pub.

Even the University of Edinburgh Student Association website has a list of all the student societies, followed by which local pub sponsors post-meeting members’ nights out.  I wonder if that’s ever a point of contention among executive boards when planning how to attract new members?  I can imagine the President of the French Club complaining to her VP that she is “a wee put off that the darn Salsa Soc gits O’Riley’s ‘n Thursdays while we git stuck wit Murphy’s ‘n Mondays…”

Okay, that was a horrible impression of a Scottish accent.  Hopefully I can improve that in the months to come.

As one more example, the official University of Edinburgh website has kindly printed a guide for international students.  They list several helpful facts for daily living in Edinburgh.

“Official language:  English.  Currency: British Pounds.  Beer: Served in pints.”

Can’t wait to put all of my productive research to good use when I arrive on Tuesday.  Assuming I’ve packed by then.