Note to Home

Good Wishes Everyone ~

It is time again, for a greeting and news from the daft American blokes in Scotland. Well it is approaching the Thanksgiving. As you can imagine, it is a holiday not recognized on this side of Atlantic. However, the wee Americans living in Dalkeith House are still going to cook a turkey. Tim and Mary and John are joining culinary forces to cook up a traditional spread for all of us and our guests this Thursday. What is Ryan going to do? He’s just going to look pretty, eat, drink and be merry that day ¬ hey, somebody has too!

Actually, I am going to the airport to pick up Randy, Cam and Stevie K at “half-eleven” in the morning. They are flying over here for a 10 day holiday; they are away on 5 December! We are very excited for the boys to visit. In addition to them, John and Mary have 3 friends from Wisconsin staying at the house, so we’ll have quite a large American contingent to help celebrate the day and be thankful for this great opportunity live abroad! It will be the first Thanksgiving for our Scottish friends joining us as well: Henry, the house chef, his wife Ann, and Richard and Cath, our catering company’s owner.

November in the UK does bring its own holiday, however. November 5 is Guy Fawke’s Day. On the 5th November 1605 Guy Fawkes was caught in the cellars of the Houses of Parliament with several dozen barrels of gunpowder. Guy Fawkes was tried as a traitor for plotting against the government. He was sentenced to death. The form of the execution was one of the most horrendous ever practised –hung, drawn and quartered—which reflected the serious nature of the crime of treason. And, as many people in Scotland like to call it (as you can imagine, the Scots probably didn’t mind seeing the parliament almost burn down!), “Bonfire Day” is a huge national holiday. Actually, to be true to history, the Scots and the English had just merged crowns in 1603 under James VI (James I to the English) so, it did threaten the whole of Britain’s stability. Basically, children build effigies of Guy and their parents burn them on bonfires and let off fire works. Comparable to the 4th of July I suppose, in recognizing one’s national pride and identity. A cute little rhyme that is recited on the day:
Remember, remember the fifth of November,Gunpowder, treason and plot,We see no reason,Why gunpowder treason,Should ever be forgot!

Okay, the history lesson is over.

Scotland approaching winter is brilliant. The sunrises are later and the sunsets are earlier than I have ever experienced, and we are still a month away from the winter solstice; a day where we enjoy just a wee 4 hours of daylight. What difference latitude and location makes. Even at noon on a day like today, the shadows cast off the buildings and trees are long and looming, like something out of an Ian Rankin novel.

The fall 2004 WIS term has come to an end. The students celebrated last Thursday at the local Rugby club on High Street (the equivalent of “Main Street” in the states as EVERY town has a High Street). The party was a hit and Ryan, of course, set up a game to be played, as he does. I am sure you won’t be surprised that I sang karaoke. One of the students begged me to sing with her, so we did Shania Twain’s “Man, I Fell Like a Woman”. I’m sure you can imagine that every g-damn camera in the place came out for a picture of that graceless little moment. Reason number 37 why Ryan shouldn’t have too many pints of Carling with the students!! It was sad to see them go. Equally sad was having to get up at 6 o’clock in the morning to get them on the bus to the airport! Gu.

During the interim of programs, I will be looking for part time employment. I did secure a teaching position with WIS for the spring term though. I will be serving as an adjunct professor and facilitating a cultural colloquium. So, I’ll get a taste of working with college students in the academic arena. I am looking forward to that; it may tell me what my future has in store for teaching. I will also probably try to become a supply (substitute) teacher in the local schools as well, for extra income. (I swear to god, that damn American dollar can’t FALL any further! It’s ridiculous.) Subbing in local Scottish schools would certainly be an invaluable lesson on culture, youth, educational history and much more.

FYI, Tim and I will be travelling home for a few days in December. It will be a busy trip, but we would of course like to see as many people as we can. We will fly into Minneapolis on Monday, 13 December. (Randy, can you pick us up and bring us to our car? Thanks.) Of course we’d love to visit some of the old haunts (maybe Randy can arrange a gathering of people on say, a Thursday night too?) We will swing around to family xmas parties and of course I want to visit RHS!
We fly back to Scotland on Thursday, 23 December and will be spending Christmas and Boxing Day in Northumberland (England) with some friends. Hope life is treating everyone well. I know we’ve already missed some significant birthday parties and births and some special occasions, but we are with you in spirit!

Hope to hear from you soon and we miss you all very much. Take care of yourselves.

Love
Ryan

PS: Just a note, on the web site that I have created is one that allows only so many hits at time (a bandwidth issue I believe) so I apologize if it is not working when you check. Just check it again an hour or two later. Cheers just now!

PSS: I wrote a little poem to commemorate the holiday season! I know, I know, don’t quit your day job. Wait, Ryan doesn’t have a day job right now!?!

Can you figure out what the poem is about? Answers given to those you send me a hello!


It had been a fortnight since we had such a day
Piping hot neeps, tatties and mince
Several cold pints of lager to rinses
A wee dram of Glenkinchey to break up the chill
It was a grand old celidh

Aghast! The bevies kicked in,
Several lost their jumpers to kin
And the eve was a hit
This would not last, and I would soon be morose

As a trip to the loo found a treacherous queue
I stepped outside into nearest close

Suddenly a bin lorry as big a ben
Came rushing down the cobblestone glen
“This close isn’t a superloo and you’ll have to wait in the queue
just like everyone else”
so I pulled up my trousers and headed back in to find an even longer queue!
I searched and dashed and raced around caught in quite a jam
Finally I settled on an empty pram
Consider my chagrin, I moved outside the inn
Never to show my face again.





HAPPY THANKSGIVING
I am thankful that I had and still have all of you in my life. Your friendship and benevolence has been a blessing.