Induction Week Continues!

The week has continued to be full.

We had a great presentation by the Careers team on Tuesday, who seem very involved and engaged. Edinburgh is currently trying to up it's ranking in the world (currently 83, aiming for top 50) and AACSB accreditation and higher graduate wages will help do that, so they are very focused on that area of the program. The School also has a new Director, so he chatted to us for a little bit. Tony Kinder, the Program Director, also gave a nice presentation on cross cultural learning.

Tuesday night was pretty laid back. After class I ran to Argos to get bedding. It is a shop very different than anything I have seen. There are no products out on the floor. Everything is in a catalog, and you check stock on items in little machines before placing an order. Once your order is ready, you pick it up and are on your way. They sell a huge array of items, similar to Sears. I was able to get all my bedding for a very reasonable 40 quid. After Argos I was able to Skype with Travis (finally!) then went out to dinner with Cassie (SC) and one of her neighbors. We tried to go to a little Japanese restaurant on the Royal Mile but it was closed. We settled for a Turkish cafe instead with delicious food. I had chicken with cous cous and salad. It was amazing!

On Wednesday we did a practice case study and had a really great presentation on networking from Rock the Boat Consulting. It was very informative and interesting. After the presentation, I attempted to get my student ID. Unfortunately, somehow all the IDs for Sugarhouse Close (my residence) were lost. Luckily, they use Datacard printers and were able to get me a new one right there. I told them my mom worked for Datacard; I was for more excited about that than they were. After getting IDs, I chatted with a few other MBAs. We were getting on so well they kicked us out of the room! We stopped over to a bar for a pint and to continue chatting.

Later that night there was a welcome party for the Business School. All of the MBAs, MScs and staff were invited. There were quite a few people there! There were acrobats and shirtless Highland drummers for entertainment. Sadly, I did not get good photos. On the bright side, the drummers were much more "rugged" than I prefer anyhow. Once the party winded down, the MBAs went to Teviot House, a Student Union building. The University subsidies food and drink there (yes, booze too!) which is amazing. I chatted mostly with a Swiss about hockey and made plans to see the Edinburgh team play this winter. A Scot also explained the rules of rugby to me, and hopefully we will make it to a Six Nations game this Spring. Overall it was a really great night! I also finally got my check card sorted out with the bank so I have access to funds again.

Today we had a really good lecture about teams from the Executive Development Manager. I was part of a group demonstration where we had to work together to organize cards. We did 1:04 the first time, but only 30 seconds the second time around! I was chosen for a demonstration yesterday as well, so I must just look like I want to participate. This afternoon we had a presentation about citation and forgery. I also got a ton of errands done! I opened a UK bank account so I can deposit my loan check, got some school supplies and most importantly, went to IKEA! I almost bought a calculator, but didn't because I thought 9 pounds was too cheap when they are sold for $40 in the US. Turns out Texas Instruments is running a racket back home, and they aren't expensive at all.

IKEA was definitely a highlight. I got a ton of stuff like hangers, dishes, kitchen stuff and just things I needed. I can finally get my flat sorted out! Pics to come hopefully this weekend! Cassie was a great sport. We were at IKEA for about two hours and she only needed a few items. She also helped my pack away the stuff after ringing out so I wasn't That Guy in line.

I haven't really taken all that many pictures, but I will share the few I have. Some are repeats from Facebook!

 Potato chips, or crisps, are in the craziest flavors here (I saw Flame Grilled Steak at Tesco today) but I had these last time I was here and LOVED them. They are still great!

 This is a picture from the square in front of my building. That is Arthur's Seat in the background. Leah and I climbed it before, but I will do it again soon. Hopefully it will be a bit quicker this time around!

 I had to stop by the registry today and get my loan check. This is Old College, and is actually a square with grass in the middle. Some University offices are here, along with a gallery and the Law School. It is very beautiful and was built in 1827. Back then, it was called New College because it replaced even older buildings!

 These are my dishes! They were 80p for each set of 6. I feel a little silly, but they are microwave safe, so it was a heck of a deal. My favorite part, a "key feature" of the utensil sets: "The knife blade has a serrated edge to be easy for the child to cut and divide food with." Should be simple enough for me to use, then!

This is Cassie, who is an MBA also in the 16 month program. She is from South Carolina. We live in the same residence, but different buildings. She has been a great person to get to know!

These are my absolute favorite Scottish treats. They are a little sponge cake topped with orange marmalade, then dipped in dark chocolate. I shared them with my peers to get them on board. They sell them at Cub, but no guarantees that they are the same. I recommend giving them a try!