East End Park

Will and I made our way down to East End Park tonight to see Dunfermline Athletic Football Club (the "Pars") take on Raith Rovers. This was not a Scottish Premier League game, but a Fife Cup contest with another local team. It was fun to finally get to a game, although to be honest, I think the biggest thrill for Will was hearing the "f-word" about 700 times.

                                                Here are a few picture during warms ups.

"Prince Charming, fight the Dark Horseman......or just run away"

We didn't actually spend much time at the Bruce Festival today, having traveled to Glasgow for a welcome lunch with Scottish exchange teachers. The reception was held at the Burrell Collection in Pollock Park and we had a wonderful visit with our American Fulbright friends, Australian exchanges, and of course the teacher support clubs in Scotland.

We did get back in Dunfermline in time for the Equestrian Fairytale show in "the Glen", as Pittencrief Park is known. The show was very entertaining, I think slightly more like the movie Role Models than life in Medieval Scotland. Any time spent in Pittencrief Park is a good thing though, as it is a beautiful place to visit and has a great playground for the kids. The Bruce Festival itself was a bit underwhelming, but flaming swords, horses and trampolines make for a fun evening.

                                                                Dunfermline Abbey

                                                    Pittencrief Park gardens

                                                          The scary Dark Horseman

                                            The evil witch and her flame-juggling henchman.

                                                       The evil witch breathing fire!

                                    Prince Charming has re-ignited his flaming sword and does
                                    battle with the Dark Horseman. Beware o' young ones of
                                    the bouncy house and fun slide!

                                                   

                                              Surely some type of Medieval torture devices.

The Bruce Festival (History Walk)

Tonight we went down to Dunfermline Abbey for the Historical Walk of Robert the Bruce. This weekend is the Bruce Festival and we kicked things off by taking a nighttime walk with key figures from Scotland's independence period of the 14th century. It was a lot of fun and we learned a lot about the history of Scotland, Fife, and Dunfermline.

                                                                 Abbot House

                                                              Dunfermline Abbey

                                                           Dunfermline Abbey

                                                    Robert the Bruce and Jimmy Douglass

                                            "none shall pass" (they really said that)

                    Robert the Bruce is about to murder someone (Ainsley says is John "something")

We can't remember who she was either. Maybe we didn't learn as much as I thought. We'll go back this weekend and figure it all out. I know she was angry though.

Irn Bru

I recently asked my students on the first day of school, "what is the one thing I need to do/try/visit during my year in Scotland". The answer given the most was "drink Irn Bru". Hard to imagine that so many teenagers thought this was the single most important thing to do in Scotland, but what the heck. So, since Irn Bru seems to be the national drink of Scottish teenagers, I went and bought a bottle at the local Tesco market.

How to describe Irn Bru? My first thought was that it was a mix of semi-flat diet orange soda, liquid bubblegum, and paint thinner. I have heard its an acquired taste, but I'm not sure my teeth or stomach have the strength to take on this challenge. In case you're wondering, trying haggis was also a popular response, and I have yet to try it.

First week of school

Its been a flurry of activity this week. Both the kids and I have started back to school and we're all "shattered" (exhausted). The staff at St. Columba's have been very kind and I'm slowly adapting to all the new terminology and routines. Its funny (maybe not at the time) how difficult it can be to navigate through routines and situations that are so simple at home, but require so much thought overseas. The students accents have been a bit tricky, especially since the local "Fife" accent seems to be a bit thicker.
 (My classroom is the top, right corner with white blinds)

Will and Ainsley have jumped into life at their school, and the "sorting hat" has placed them in their houses. In the spirit of Harry Potter, the school has four distinct "houses" that students belong to. Ainsley is in Carnegie House (in honor of Dunfermline-born industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie), and Will is in Wallace House (William Wallace of "Braveheart" fame). Not sure about when the first Quidditch match is, but we'll keep you posted.

We also have a few pictures from our second visit to the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh. We saw "Potted Potter", a one hour parody of all seven Harry Potter books. It was very funny and we all had a great time. As we were leaving for the day a balloon artist was calling it quits and gave the kids some balloon creations. How fitting that Ainsley got a monkey balloon.

Football Saturday

Will had his first football game today as the Duloch Juniors Yellows took on Cairneyhill Athletic. Duloch took control of the game early and held off a late Cairneyhill rally. Will scored a goal and had an assist in his first game of the season. Next week the Yellows take on the Blacks of Duloch, which could be interesting since they both have the same uniforms. Below are the only two pictures I could take, as I was told taking photographs is not allowed during games. He looks good though, doesn't he?

The Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Tattoo

Today we took the train into Edinburgh for the Festival and Tattoo. We fad a fantastic time watching street performers and walking the Royal Mile in front of Edinburgh Castle. The Tattoo was so much fun, I don't know how many times I heard Will and Ainsley say "this is awesome!". Military bands from all around the world perform underneath the castle, which is lit in different colors and displays projected images. A Tornado Naval Jet flew over to get the show started, and then it was one great group after another. We had so much fun we're going right back tomorrow for street performers and some plays.