Escapism

In Canadian history class back in high school we all learned about the rise of the motion picture's popularity as a method of escaping the realities of the Great Depression.  Now I'm wondering if there's currently a rise in movie going (or at least renting) with the recession... but I digress.

At the end of April Derek and I found ourselves seeing going to the cinema with friends twice to see the movies I Love You, Man and Wolverine.  I don't think we'd been to a movie since the summer, so these were our first movie outings since moving to Edinburgh.  I quickly noticed a couple things.  First of all, I/Derek and I laughed at some jokes in the previews that no one else did.  For example, the movie The Proposal has a great premise of Sandra Bullock's character being threatened with deportation from the US because she's Canadian, and therefore decides to marry Ryan Reynolds' character to be allowed to stay in the country.  I was laughing about the fact that Ryan Reynolds actually is Canadian, and the constant confusion we confront from the people we meet who ask if we're American or Canadian before launching into a discussion of how similar our accents are.

The opening scene of Wolverine is set in the Northwest Territories.  Two children run from their home into the woods at bedtime, and it's dark outside but there's no snow, so Derek and I couldn't figure out what time of year it could possibly be.  I know that Derek felt a great sense of pride when Logan shrugged off the American military's request for his help to defend their country with the simple line, 'I'm Canadian.'  I was also very happy to see the beautiful scenes set in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, that is until I watched an interview with one of the stars and found out that it was filmed in New Zealand!  I would have thought it'd be cheaper and more beautiful to film in the actual Rockies...

We've since been to another film, The Hangover, which was excellent (just like the first two, but much funnier than I Love You, Man).  This time we went with some American friends, and so the laughs at some of the more obscure pop culture references were doubled, like the line about Joy Behar from The View, which as one friend pointed out fell on deaf ears on the couple hundred other movie-goers in the room.

While obviously we feel a stronger attachment to certain scenes or characters with a Canadian or even North American connection than the Scots and other international movie-goers in the theatre, I think the most striking element for me is the fact that once the movie starts I completely forget where I am.  Suddenly everything is familiar -- the pop culture references, the phrases and sayings (and how people say them) -- and I don't have to struggle or concentrate to understand what people are saying.  The language thing is probably the biggest deal.  It's all so easy, like we're back home.  We get a break from having to ask people to repeat themselves or explain what they mean.  

But then we step outside and we're back in downtown Edinburgh, with barely-dressed girls and loud drunken guys heading to the clubs because its Saturday night, buildings older than Canada on every corner, and picturesque views as we walk home with the crags and Arthur's Seat on the horizon.  Crazy.  Can't wait to go to another one.

My Six Month Review

Six months ago Derek and I arrived in a foreign land with four suitcases and Google Map directions to the university’s accommodation desk.  We had no idea what our place would look like or contain, where any grocery stores were, or where to find internet access.  Thanks to Google Map’s satellite images, I knew we’d be living in a row of houses or tenements with a large square down the street and the national museum at the other end.  What they didn’t show us of course was what our place actually looked like, even from the street, or the fact that we’d be moving into a construction zone.

 After our cab found a place to stop around the corner outside of the construction zone, we rolled our suitcases to the front door and tried the keys.  Inside we found a dark hallway with a curving staircase that went up 3 floors.  Derek dragged the cases up, and we investigated our new place with some apprehension.  Initial impressions were that it was much larger than expected, spotless, and had a little washer/dryer and a bathtub plus shower.  The colours were odd: cream walls with white trim, navy patterned carpet, blue chairs and jade green doors.  The windows were huge and the ceilings very high, and there seemed to be a good number of heaters (which would take a few days to learn to operate).

 We found our way to a small Sainsbury’s to get some pre-made sandwiches and  juice.  With lunch and supper solved, we went through the accommodation guide and read about other stuff we had to do right away: set up phone and internet access, contact the electricity supplier (which we didn’t know) and give them our readings, and complete the inventory within 24 hours.  We found an internet café a couple blocks away, and after a couple quick emails to parents, we looked up phone, internet and tv packages from a couple companies, city bus information and directions to Ikea.

 Following dad’s advice for conquering jetlag, in the evening we went for a walk along the Royal Mile and forced ourselves to stay up until 9pm before crawling into a bed made of one sheet, one small polarfleece blanket and two pillowcases filled with clothes.  Needless to say, it was a very rough night, for me anyway.  It was cold and uncomfortable, and of course my emotions were getting the best of me.  There was also the problem of street noise, which we eventually conquered two months later by moving the bed.  After a good cry, two Gravols and a lot of hugs, I fell back to sleep.

 Over the next couple days we started to make the place our own.  At Ikea we found the perfect bedding and bathroom linens.  We found the Tescos grocery store with some familiar food as well as simple white dishes and cutlery like my old Ikea set that I loved.  We called BT from a payphone and arranged to get our place wired up, although we were disappointed that it would take almost 3 weeks.  And a letter arrived for the old tenants from Scottish Power, so we now knew who supplied our power.  We went to the Bank of Scotland across the street to start the long process of applying for a bank account as an international student, and headed up to Princes Street to find the right cell phone. 

 Meeting our neighbours helped immensely.   Suddenly there were friends here to talk to, share experiences with and get advice from.  International Day helped too, as it brought the thousands of international students together into one room to meet and connect with.  I met one of my closest friends that day.  Derek’s cousin also stopped by for a couple days as part of his backpacking trip, so we had a familiar face around, and his visit inspired us to go out and explore the city.

 Six months on, when I look back at those few days they seem worlds away from the home we’ve created.  My studies are going really well, and Derek’s are wrapping up quickly.  I’m sure I shared the stress of setting up bank accounts and getting internet access with you all.  Now I have my favourite spots in the library, I’m watching all the British television I can, and I regularly see my family via Skype and our webcams.  I’ve made friends with students from Canada, the US, Germany, the UK, Norway and Japan.  We enjoyed the mildest winter we’ve ever experienced.  And Edinburgh is truly a beautiful, amazing city.  I’m very lucky to live here, and I try to remind myself of that regularly so that I don’t start taking it for granted.  I'm also very lucky that I didn't need to go on this adventure alone.  We've faced it side by side.

 The next few months should be very interesting.  I’ll stay here to work while Derek heads back to Waterloo for a couple weeks to finish his degree.  We’ll be flat-hunting soon and moving in June to a place with double-glazing (I’m tired of the curtains blowing in the wind when the windows are closed!).  And I have to hit the British Library in London this summer to look at some primary sources, particularly anti-abolition pamphlets from the 1790s and early 1800s.  I’m glad so many of you have enjoyed these updates.  Stay tuned!  Who knows what the next six months will bring?