to the houseless

a prayer for warmth in
the cold, shelter, a filling
hot meal, and a friend.

the last king of scotland

"Do you have monkeys
in Scotland? No, but if we
did we'd deep fry them."

got foam?

milk mustaches were
replaced with foamy upper
lips and fingertips.

bus 31

with adventure and
spontaneity filled days,
i feel most alive.

i don't have class on fridays, so i've made those my adventure days. this friday i woke up with random intentions of hopping on the third bus that came to the stop near my dorm and making the best of wherever it took me. it happened to be bus #31, headed to east craigs. i wish i could say i found a great new town and that i met lots of interesting people, but it didn't turn out that way. at first i was just happy looking out the window. an hour later i started to get a little worried when i looked around and nobody under the age of 70 was left on the bus. we passed a zoo and then went into a tiny retirement neighborhood. luckily, i made friends with the bus driver and he let me stay on until i recognized street names. he asked me where i was going and laughed when i told him i had no idea. in all, i came away with a tour of edinburgh's finest elderly community and a new bus driver friend.

also, i think america should have two-storied buses, sitting up there makes me feel so powerful!

address to a haggis

"but mark the Rustic,
haggis-fed, the trembling earth
resounds his tread." -Burns

yesterday was the famous scottish poet, robert burns, birthday. everyone here celebrates by eating tatties, parsnips, and of course haggis. i tried it for the first time (and most likely the last). i had both vegetarian and the real stuff. i would describe it as something along the lines of a mix between sausage, fat, bacon, dirty shoelaces, and fat. the vegetarian version was much better...i won't lie, i had seconds.

gooey goodness

sticky fingers from
banana, honey, peanut
butter sandwiches.

i eat one of these almost everyday for lunch here and never get tired of them. the recipe above is how i'd make them when i was a kid. i don't know why i never used bread because i'm sure we always had it. i'd like to think i was just creative with what we had, but not the case. delicious nonetheless. some other childhood favorites include:

• maple syrup straight from the bottle
• spoonfuls of peanut butter (smooth)
• frozen grapes
• slices of meunster cheese
• avocadoes with vinegar and salt (sliced cucumbers also good like this)
• black olives on the tips of my fingers, straight from the can

words of a monk

the secret lies in
enjoying each small pleasure
and living simply.

i can now cross #24 off my life list- to meet and have a conversation with a monk. sadly, i forget my new friend's name, but for now i think it's his story that's more important. he's been living as a monk for the past 4 years, but is studying in edinburgh at the moment. he made this decision at the age of 17. i'm 20 and had trouble deciding what i wanted for breakfast this morning. porridge or grapefruit, i still don't know if i made the right choice. i admire people who know what they want and just go for it. there was such a peace and calmness about my new friend.
anyways, this is the cool part of the story. he just got a birthmark/growth that could've turned into a tumor, removed from his head. he really enjoys showing off the scar. the only reason he noticed the growth was because to become a monk he had to shave his head. if he hadn't become a monk he might be walking around with a tumor and not even know it. pretty amazing stuff huh? coincidence, i think not.

other things learned:

• women can become monks too, but also have to shave their heads
• hair is unecessary, just there for beauty (i think i'd be a case to prove otherwise)
• to become a monk you take a vow with their master
• they really do just wear sheets (like one big orange toga party)
• my next question for him is what do they wear under those sheets?!

if anyone has anything to add, i want to know!

ostrich burger

ostrich meat burgers
taste like a slab of cardboard
inbetween two buns.

this weekend matt, ali, and i ventured to the local edinburgh farmer's market. it was smaller than we thought, but worth the 30 minute walk. there were stands selling organic honey, jellies, beer, fish, seafood, hot steamin porridge, cheese, veggies, wild boar sandwiches, and yes...even ostrich burgers. unfortunately, they sound more exciting than they taste and now i just feel bad that i ate one of big bird's cousins. on the bright side, wild boar is delicious! i think next time i'll get the whiskey & honey topped porridge, that should warm me right up.

a letter to the sky

dear indecisive
weather, please make up your mind
soon. yours truly, kim.

my least favorite are the windy days here. i'm considering investing in ankle weights to keep me grounded on my walks to class. or maybe i'll just go mary poppins style and use my umbrella to float to lectures. that sounds more fun. any other ideas?

chocolate society

belly pains and a
headache, sure symptoms of a
chocolate hangover.

i've become an official member of the edinburgh university chocolate society. european chocolate is delicious. on the agenda for next week: chocolate house building....then eating.

can you guess what it is?

thick as a carpet,
pricklier than cacti, like
the fuzz of a peach.

(answer: my legs. going on 2 weeks with no plans of shaving anytime soon. the added warmth is welcomed.)

bad hair week

blow dryers rendered
useless against ferocious
scottish gusts of wind.

edinburgh street scene

outside the window
at elephants and bagels,
this is what i see.

phweewewuew

outside scottish wind
gusts whisper, "kim, take the bus
instead of walking".

(i think the wind here in scotland is worth listening to.)

i'll take it blonde and sweet

as my hands go numb
and my nose grows pink, coffee
is my saving grace.

"strong coffee, much strong coffee is what awakens me. coffee gives me warmth, waking, an unusual force and a pain that is not without very great pleasure." -Napoleon Bonaparte

"ah! how sweet coffee tastes! lovelier than a thousand kisses, sweeter far than muscatel wine!" -J.S. Bach's Coffee Cantana 1732

brisk walker, i am not

i lost count of the
old men who passed me on my
morning walk to class.

not too hot, not too cold

a scottish version
of goldilocks, i enjoy
my bowl of porridge.

hello scotland

from the plane window,
sheep looked like little cotton
balls in the green fields.

(the past week will be made up for, i promise. nasty stomach virus, enough said.)