A Christmas Choir

For me, singing has always been a small part of my life that has made a big difference in my happiness. I always enjoyed being "forced" to sing in chorus in elementary school, and never quit the musical in middle school even if I was cast as a background character every year. I sing while showering, while cleaning my room, and while dancing to cheesy music at the club. Even if I'm not the best singer in the whole world (I'd say I'm average at best), and even though I haven't dedicated my entire life to singing, I could never not have singing be a part of my life. 

Female Voice Choir is therefore the perfect club for me. 

FVC, for short, is a non-auditioning choir made up of all-female members (though technically open to males as well) that rehearses once per week for two hours at a time. Everyone is super enthusiastic, but not intimidating at all. And rehearsals are not stressful, but we still get through a lot of music. 

Not to mention, our choir-director is the bomb. I've never met anyone more gut-wrenchingly funny than Vaughn. It's a combination of dry humor and spot-on delivery that has me nearly in tears at every rehearsal. Plus, he's Australian, so his accent is funny to begin with! 

Since I enjoyed being in FVC so much from the start, I decided to run for Freshers Rep at the beginning of the semester. While it was kind of a last minute decision, I was really glad that I ran for it- and ended up being voted in! My job isn't so specific- I'm basically an additional voice on committee that represents the first years. However, simply sitting in on committee meetings has taught me a lot about the makings of organizing social events, running bake sales, and putting on concerts.       

The poster used to advertise for our concert. 

This Sunday we had our first concert of the year where we sang a good mix of Christmas carols, classic tunes, and more modern pieces. I loved getting into the Christmas spirit early on since we started rehearsing far before it was socially acceptable to listen to Christmas tunes.  

Now, while I certainly do love a good Christmas carol, my favorite song that we performed, by far, was "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon and Garfunkle. 

I had heard of the song before, yet had never properly listened to it or sung it. But it quickly became one of my most-searched songs on YouTube once we started practicing it. The version we sang was incredibly powerful, and I think the audience was quite impressed. According to my friends, some people sitting behind them were even moved to tears when we sang it.  

We really struggled to fit into three rows- an accomplishment to say the least!

Speaking of friends, I'm glad so many of them came to support me at the concert! Since I don't have any family here, it means the world to me that I had people that care about me sitting in the audience on Sunday. 

Until next semester, choir rehearsals are over. But I can't wait to start up again after New Years and see what more we can do with our lovely female voices! 

  

Celebrating Thanksgiving Away From Home

Thanksgiving has never been my favorite holiday. Sure, I love spending time with my family and watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, but it pales in comparison to Christmas, and maybe even Easter. And I'm not exactly a fan of the food either. Of course, there's lots of it, but it never seems fresh and tasty to me- no matter who cooks it. Let me have my girl Zooey Deschanel elaborate a bit:

I know what you're thinking: "Enough with the Thanksgiving hating already! How un-American of you." But let me tell you- being away from home for Thanksgiving for the first time makes one especially patriotic and, I'll admit, extremely homesick. 

Getting out of bed on Thanksgiving morning just felt like another day to me. I didn't awaken to the smell of buttermilk pancakes and the sound of sizzling bacon. I didn't run downstairs eager to watch the start of the parade. I didn't eat an entire turkey-shaped chocolate at nine in the morning.

All it was was the last Thursday of the month. 

Not many people wished me a "Happy Thanksgiving!" In fact, most people were completely unaware of it- I blame myself for forgetting that the world doesn't actually revolve around the US. And I felt the constant need to remind practically everyone I saw that it was, indeed, a holiday.  

As the day went on, I felt more and more defeated. The snapchat stories from my home-friends came pouring in. My brothers sent me photos and videos of them having dinner at my grandparents house. 

The FOMO was real. And boy, did it come on strong.

Not only was I not at home for Thanksgiving, but I was in a place that hardly even acknowledged the biggest non-religious holiday that my home-country celebrates. 

People here in the UK, however, are fascinated by Thanksgiving whenever I mention it. They would ask if it's a bigger holiday than Christmas, to which I replied "No, not in my family. But to Jewish people, yes." They would ask what Thanksgiving celebrated, to which I gave a garbled response of "Native Americans... Pilgrims... America?... Football...Food. Definitely food."

But being away from home has made me realize that Thanksgiving celebrates a lot more than America's contested history and our deep passion for eating. Thanksgiving is simply about celebrating the time you get to spend with those you care about, even if those you care about most aren't with you at the time. I know that sounds ridiculously cheesy, but once I came to terms with the fact that Thanksgiving wouldn't be the same without my family, I found other ways to celebrate being around good people. 

On Wednesday, my running club (the Haries) had a Christmas meal (funnily enough, at an "American" restaurant) to celebrate the end of the semester. On Thursday, I was invited to a Thanksgiving dinner at the home of the only family I know in Edinburgh. And on Friday, I attended the Edinburgh University North American Society's Charity Thanksgiving Ball with my friend from high school, a friend of hers, and a friend from halls. 

I cannot even express how incredibly thankful I am for the fact that although I was approximately 3,075 miles away from my family, I was still able to celebrate a truly American holiday surrounded by many of my friends (American or not). And while I may continue to think that turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes aren't exactly the most exciting and delicious foods, this year, I've realized that Thanksgiving means a lot more to me than I had originally thought. 

P.S. Here are some photos from the ball for you all to enjoy! 

I'm so fancy. 

Wouldn't be Thanksgiving without a few crafts.

A solid Thanksgiving dinner. 

This kettlecorn may have been the highlight of the night.

Drawing our own hand-turkeys. We didn't win...

The table setting was just too pretty (and totally matched my purse). 

           

Dating My Mom

My mom always says "You'll never find a better date than me." And no offense to those (very few) of you who have ever taken me on a date, but she's totally right.

This weekend, my mom visited me here in Edinburgh, and so we were able to go on countless "Mom and Leda dates," as we like to call them. There was lots of food, walking, and even some relaxation over the three days that she spent with me.

The best part about going out with my mom? The fact that she's a travel writer. She mostly writes books about Massachusetts and New England, but also writes articles about the many different places we've visited over the years. This means that she often gets perks when she goes abroad- complimentary hotel rooms, free dinners, and loads of unique experiences. I am so incredibly grateful for all that her job has been able to give my family in terms of travel opportunities.

While the perks are nice- and I mean really nice- it's easy to forget that the life of a travel writer isn't all that glamorous. When my mom is trying to make a deadline, she spends night after night working- writing and rewriting, editing, and spellchecking- until everything is absolutely perfect. Oh, and she walks 7 miles a day, cooks the best meals around, and raises four kids while she's at it. In the end, I think she really does deserve all of the free wine and cheese she could ever want.

Now, onto our fabulous weekend. It was a bit weird for me to stay in a hotel in the city that I've been living in for the past three months. But Visit Scotland booked us in one of the swankiest spots in the city- the Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa. Call me crazy, but I think it was at least a smidge better than good ol' Pollock Halls.

When my mom arrived, the first thing we did was take advantage of the spa at the hotel. The "Escape at One" experience was definitely something different for the two of us. Usually when we go to spas (which isn't that often), we'll just get our nails done or have a facial. But this was an 11 step process that included multiple saunas, showers, and pools. While it was certainly calming, this kind of spa day wasn't exactly my cup of tea. I kept laughing at how awkwardly quiet it was and making sarcastic comments while other people attempted to enjoy the peace and quiet. The whole process was supposed to take up to three hours, but we rushed it and spent only an hour there- we clearly had lunch on the brain.

The hotel also provided us with a lovely lunch at their restaurant, One Square. I had a flavorful crab cake to start, a tender steak for my main, and a warm brownie for dessert. To say I took advantage of the fact that I wasn't eating in the dining hall is an extreme understatement. Let's be real, though. I don't eat like this every day.

This dish contained avocados so I just had to order it. 

Not the dining hall for sure. 

Another highlight of the trip? Our visit to the Edinburgh Christmas Fair on Saturday *cue "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year"*. I am a huge Christmas lover. While I grew up in a very Jewish town and did appreciate Hanukkah, no holiday (not even my birthday) will ever beat the joy that Christmas brings me. And to now live in a city that takes Christmas as seriously as I do? Now that's a dream come true.

The St. Andrew's Square Monument transformed into a bar and ice-rink. 

First, my mom and I made our way to the ice skating rink. It was quite the disaster for me as I have the coordination of a toddler, but enjoyable nonetheless. After a few loops around the rink we warmed up with a hot apple toddy, which is basically a fancy (and alcoholic) version of hot apple cider.

Note how close I am to the railing in this picture. 

Once we managed to take off our ice skates (yes, mom did need my assistance with hers), we met up with the head of press for the entire Christmas Fair production named Fraser. Fraser showed us around the market portion of the fair, and we got to try out some tasty treats from the different vendors. This included organic mutton soup from Whitmuir Farms , some divine Scottish cheddar cheese, and the meaty delicacies from Macsween Haggis. Oh, the haggis. Now I've had this lovely stuff before, but never in the form of haggis spring rolls or haggis pakora. While I love haggis on its own, I think these fried finger foods were just heavenly (they even sell haggis nachos!). It was fair-food on a totally different level. I promise that anyone who tries haggis from Macsween will immediately be converted.

I've never seen so many different flavors of fudge in my life. 

Gin and beer wrapped up all pretty for Christmas. 

Any flavor of cheddar you could possibly want. 

How adorable are these handmade chocolates?

Our day ended on the best note possible as we watched the incredible acrobatics of the Scotch & Soda Show. While I generally don't enjoy circuses, this one was far different from anything I've ever seen before. Not only do the performers play live music, but they do high-flying tricks all in a unique fashion. It was edgy, intimate, and one-of a kind.

The unmistakably cool musicians of Scotch & Soda. 

There are certainly more Christmas Fair adventures to be had. But since this was the first weekend it was open for this year, my mom and I only got a taste of it.

While I was sad to see my mom go on Sunday morning, I look forward to seeing her and the rest of my family in December. I know that being away from each other is going to be hard on the both of us this week come Thanksgiving, but I am ever so thankful that she was able to spend a few days with me here in Edinburgh and take me on so many wonderful dates.         

  

Ceilidh Culture

One of the best parts about living in another country is being able to experience a different culture. Many people (myself included) assume that Scottish culture is pretty similar to American culture- we do speak the same language, after all. And while that is partially true, there are certain aspects of life here that are traditionally Scottish- and some that I had never even heard of before coming to Edinburgh.

And what's my favorite Scottish tradition? Ceilidh dancing!

A ceilidh, pronounced "KAY-lee," (just to save you the effort of Googling how to say it) is a Gaelic social gathering that entails folk music and lots of dancing. It also may or may not involve kilts (aka man-skirts).

Let me be honest, here: I am not exactly what many would call a "good" dancer. In fact, I think my dancing skills are pretty downright embarrassing. But, if I'm being told what the steps are (and they're simple enough), then I'm totally game. Throwback to the Sophomore Square-Off in high school- that was my prime.

Like American square dancing, ceilidhs involve partner dancing with a series of steps and patterns. Sometimes, you may even be dancing in groups or switching off partners. Unlike square dancing, however, the general notion among both teenagers and University students is that this form of traditional dancing is not lame in the slightest. When we were "forced" to square dance in high school, there were always groans and moans coming from the boys in particular. Let me tell you- that's not the case with ceilidhs!

With all of the high energy twirling and whirling, there's no way you can't have fun at a ceilidh. And not to say that it's the only contributing factor, but a little bit of alcohol in your system can loosen you up as you make your way to the dance floor.

Attending a ceilidh is also a great way to make new friends or bond with existing friends. This weekend, I went to a ceilidh hosted by my running club after our big race here in Edinburgh. It was an incredible way to bring together all the different running teams from across the entire UK- from Manchester to St. Andrews and all the way to Swansea (in Wales!). Obviously, not everyone was Scottish or had been to a ceilidh before, so the callers were quite helpful in directing us. Oh, and props to my Welsh dance partner who put up with my immense lack of knowledge!

Not the most appetizing-looking food, but I promise you it tasted glorious.

To make this weekend's happenings that much more Scottish, I'm happy to announce that I did, indeed, try haggis for the first time. Honestly, it seems that most people are freaked out by the idea of it rather than the taste. Yes, it is a mix of sheep heart, liver, and lungs combined with oats, but it tastes very pleasant- like spicy ground beef, I'd say. And the addition of neeps and tatties (turnips and potatoes) makes it all the more amazing.

I think it's safe to say that after this weekend's ceilidh and haggis-eating, I am officially initiated into the wonderful world of the Scottish people.