Classes have started! I enjoy them all, one is with phd students which is rather intimidating especially because there are only 13 people in that class. For my art history class we've met for one session in the national gallery of scotland (Edinburgh's art museum), which was amazing. I don't have classes on Wednesday but already I have a busy schedule and loads of work.
I've gone out every night since I've been here and now it's starting to hit me as I'm definitely getting a cold 
The other night my friends took me to an upscale nightclub which was rather fun but quite different from American clubs. The biggest difference was the way in which people danced. Most of the music they played was house(similar to techno) and they're obsessed with glowsticks. Guys travel in groups but mostly just dance together rather than with other girls which was a surprise. Upon arriving i felt intimidated by the way people were dressing...all designer clothes and what looked like hours spent on hair and makeup. As my friends from England explained...the bigger the hair and the bigger the purse the more 'posh' girls think they are. I already feel that my wardrobe needs some updating since being here. People don't really wear jeans, mostly stockings, dresses, shorts, etc. everyone is always wearing a scarf and boots, and no one goes out at night without high heels. That can be annoying considering the 900 different types of cobblestone pathways that line the streets.
The other morning I was rather excited to wake up at 5 am due to the first of many fire alarms. Only about half of the building came out, the rest assumed it was nothing and just continued to sleep. Apparently the fire alarms are very sensitive here and anything from boiling a pot of water without the fan on, to spraying hairspray in the wrong direction can set them off. Apparently fire scares the hell out of Brits, as every door slams shut behind you and fire exits are more abundant than people.
I know that there aren't any pictures still, but tomorrow I'm being a complete tourist so they'll be up soon. I have a pass to get into all historic locations in Scotland also, so i'll be taking advantage of that in the near future. I wanted to climb arthur's seat (which is a huge hill in edinburgh) but I'e been advised against it until springtime when it's not so cold. In February I'm going on a trip to the highlands to go hiking, kayaking, etc. and to experience a traditional scottish Burn's supper. They're obsessed here with the poet Robert Burns, and considering it's his 250th birthday, it's kind of a big deal. A traditional supper consists of haggis, tatties, and bashed neeps (haggis is oats and meet in a cow stomache, tatties are potatoes, and bashed neeps are mashed turnips). Aside from this the food here is quite similar to the states. They don't have a lot of Mexican food but otherwise they have lots of mcdonalds, kfc's, starbucks, etc. Something that is extremely popular here is kebabs...there are about two restaurants with them on either side of my apartment building alone. Turkish, Indian, and Middle Eastern are some of the popular restaurants here. Otherwise they seem to love meat, and deep-fried food.
I shall definitely post pictures soon and will also be visiting Charlie in London in February, so I should have some good updates with that. I finally have internet so try and skype me whenever!
ciao
xo cousin Erica