School's In?

This is a picture of MacEwan Hall at the University of Edinburgh where we began International Student's Day - the start of my official induction into the university. We were piped into this grand historic building to start the day. The picture doesn't do the building justice. It is like a cathedral inside. We heard many inspiring talks about the proud history of this institution which made me feel proud to have been accepted here as a student.

The week proceeded with variety of induction events for all new students and those specifically designed for students starting the Human Cognitive Neuropsychology program. I met a lot of other students, payed my fees (OUCH!) and settled my classes along with some socializing over wine and cheese or tea and biscuits. One thing I enjoyed was spending time in the Mature Student's Lounge. The "immature" students would often peek in by mistake and look in horror at the old students in the lounge! We had a good laugh about this even though it was at our own expense. In our day kids respected their elders - my how times have changed!

More than a week later and I still haven't officially started any classes yet. My first classes start tomorrow starting with a double class of Brain Imaging and then a multivariate statistics class called Psychological Methodology starting in the late morning to early evening! My other classes this semestre will be Working Memory in the Healthy and Damaged Brain and courses on research skills and design. The week is ended each Friday with a research meeting at a local pub - very civalized indeed. I'm both excited and nervous about starting my courses, but mostly excited. My classmates are at different ages and stages of their lives and come from a number of different countries, although I think I'm the only one with young children. It will be a challenge, but I know I'm up to it!