Here comes a long one...

WOW...two months since I have updated. That is unacceptable, I am really sorry. A lot has gone on since I was last here. I have been to Helsinki, Finland and London and USC has lost twice. I will address my travels before I start moaning about the state of the football team.

I went to Helsinki for the European Public Health Association Annual Conference. What I saw of the city was nice, but since I was there for work rather than play I did not see a lot of it, and I took even fewer pictures. I will put the pictures I did take into my photo album tomorrow. Anyway, Helsinki was cold and that is something coming from Scotland. Helsinki is even higher in latitude that Glasgow is, so they get colder earlier and longer. Since it was October, it was not really that bad, I don't think I will be going to Lapland (the upper part of the country) anytime during the winter.

Here is what I have learned from the conference and about Finland:

1. The Finish language in one of the most difficult to learn, it is a Finno-Ugric Language and therefore is not similar to English or any of the other Anglo-Frisian or Romance languages. They do not speak in genders and so when they are speaking in English they often mix the two up. They also do not have prepositions and to "make up" for that, they have many (over 35) suffixes that they add to their words. It is quite interesting to see the language because you can start picking up on those suffixes.
2. I attended the pre-conference on migrant health I had to stop and change my frame of mind a bit. I am sorry if I go on a bit of a tangent here, but I find it so interesting. First, research on migrants and minority populations is so new in many parts of Europe, they are facing new issues that the UK and US have faced for decades. Relative to the US, they are also speaking about very small numbers. Finland for example is a country of about 5 million people and they have a migrant population of 2.3% of that or 115,000. The UK has 60 million and about 13.1% are ethnic minorities (~8 million). Now if you compare that to the US those are tiny. I mean, California has more people in the state than most of the EU countries have in their entire population. And 57% ( 21 million) of the population is a member of a minority group! It is really something to think about from a social and research perspective. I really get excited when I think about all the research possibilities out there. Anyway, I am sorry for that tirade, but you should know by know that I love to add a bit of education to my posts.

Earlier this week I went to London for a meeting. I walked around with my boss Monday night and got to see the West End, where they have a lot of theatres (for plays) and then we went to Trafalgar square. Tuesday after my meeting I went to Westminster Abbey and walked around the Parliament buildings and down on the walkway by the river. It was all very interesting and even though I have not been to New York in a while, London really reminded me of New York...lots of people always on the go. I will upload those pictures as well. I look forward to going back to London when I have more time and really getting a feel for the city. Luckily for me it was not raining when I went, so I had a few really beautiful hours to walk around before my trip home. As with every European city I have been to their public transportation is phenomenal. We really need to send our city planners over here to understand what a real subway system is and implement them in the US, especially in the western US.

Finally I will say that for once I am grateful that I am not in the states so that I can only hear the USC games rather than have to watch as well. I know that this year has been really bad and that we are still being investigated for Reggie's stupidity, but I am a Trojan through and through and I still wear my USC sweatshirt to work everyday. I saw someone in the Heathrow airport with a USC hat on, but I was not able to talk to him.

I hope that you all are doing well. Keep me posted on the goings on and I hope to see you all soon.

Until next time:

Sabaid Air (Scottish Gaelic) and beat the Beavers!!

FIGHT ON FOR OLD 'SC....

Hi all,

I know it has been a while since I have updated, but I saw most of you pretty recently and the others I have emailed. There is also not much to share about my life since I got back from LA. I have been working hard and hanging out at home. Not much going out since I have been back.

Life is going well. Nothing really exciting on the personal front. However on the work front, I am going to the European Public Health Association Annual Conference in Helsinki, Finland in October. I am very excited about that. I am not presenting anything, but it will be fun to go to a European conference and see what is happening with public health here.

I am very excited to be going to another country, even if it is only for a couple of days! Finland was not at the top of my list of countries to visit, so it is nice to go and not use up annual leave (vacation days for you Yanks). I will be sure to take lots of pictures and upload them when I get the chance.

Finally, my favorite time of the year is here again and for the second year in a row I am not in the US to fully enjoy it. Yes folks, ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTALL? I know I am. True I can watch a lot of football here, aka soccer, but it really is not the same. I enjoy football (soccer), but I really want to see someone get pancaked or make a beautiful catch. So on Sunday morning at 3:15 am I will be getting up and watching USC start its campaign to the national championship game. Fortunately, most of our other games are earlier so I won't have to interrupt my beauty sleep, even though I will. I have never been happier that the games are on Saturday, that still gives me time to adjust my sleeping schedule so that I can go to work on Monday. I guess that means I will not be watching many NFL games, but that is okay with me.

So here is to the beginning of the best time of the year. I already warned my flatmate that I will be turning into a completely different person when football is on and he has threatened to take all breakable objects out of my reach! I really don't think he knows what he is in for, but it should be fun, maybe I will convert him.

Anyway, enough about that obsession. I miss you all very much and I really had a great time seeing most of you.

Come and visit, but not until at least the spring. We are going into fall/winter here and I have extremely short days to look forward to. I hear that during the shortest days, it will be dark by 3:30pm. What fun! So if that is not a reason to stay away, I am not sure what is. Definitely come out in the Spring, much more fun.

Hope you all are well and I will talk to you after the game.

FIGHT ON and BEAT THE VANDALS!!

Oh Happy Day....

Hi all,

I hope that this 7-7-07 finds you well. For me, I have cleaned my house, taken a shower and now I am going to be lazy for the rest of the weekend!

I don't have a lot to say today. I haven't been doing much, just working and relaxing. I have gotten a flatmate and that has been good. His name is Dukali and he is from Libya. He has been here in Scotland for 5 years, so he is able to tell me what the good places are to visit and we have gone shopping and last night we went to go see a movie. While it is weird living with someone after having lived alone for so long, but so far so good.

Other than that, I am well. I am not sure if you all heard what happened at the airport last weekend, but there was an attempted terrorist attack. That was strange and a bit scary. But I am fine and the city and country are doing well.

Other than that I miss you all and I will be in LA from the 2nd through the 12 of August, so I expect to see as many of you as I can. I have a few obligations, but other than that, I am free all day and night!

I think that is it for now, stay safe and until next time...

Cheers,

Cara

Weather Obsessed Scots

I am back! Sorry for the delay, I would try to come up with an excuse like I didn't have internet access at home, but the truth is that I am just lazy. To make up for that, this may be a long post.

What have I been up to...Well I moved into my flat. Which is very nice. It is a 2 bedroom and it is in a great neighborhood. The building is on the top of a hill (what a workout, I can now make it up without stopping or breathing too hard) and in a really residential area. The flat itself is pretty far from the road, so I don't hear any cars and there is a large grassy area in front.

The two windows to the far left are the windows to my flat. I have met a few of my neighbors and they have all been very nice to me and have helped me out on occasion. I think that I am one of the younger tenants, but that is okay. Before I go into more about the area, here are some pictures of the inside. I did not post one of my bedroom because it is a bit messy at the moment!

Walking in...

Kitchen...

Living/Dining Room...


So that is basically it. Right now I am in the process of finding a flatmate. I have a few prospects, so keep your fingers crossed.

I went to the opening parade of the Glasgow Festival which was a lot of fun. There were all sorts of people there. Click on the pictures link to see them.

So now that I have been here for 3 weeks here are my first (?) impressions. They are all over the place so bear with me.

1. I have no idea how car registration goes here, but the license plates usually have ads for the car dealer.
   
2. There are about 5-10 different suppliers of electricity and gas and it is very confusing to switch over. I may have two suppliers at the moment, I won't know until I start getting bills!
3. You can turn the plugs on and off! All the plugs have a switch that you can flip that will allow electricity to flow. I think this is brilliant, cuts down on the baby-proofing and accidental electrocution.
4. You have to pay a license for the TV. Instead of having a telethon to raise money for the station like most PBS stations do, you have to pay the BBC. It would be like sending money to the four big networks. You can still get TV, but I hear they will come after you if you don't pay.
   
5. Finally, people here are obsessed with talking about the weather. A day has not gone by where someone has failed to bring up the weather. It has not been horrible yet so I am waiting for the other foot to drop. The weather has been fairly warm, there are days when it rains, but I have not had non-stop rain yet. When that happens, I will be back bitching about how the weather sucks, but until then, LET'S STOP TALKING ABOUT IT! (sorry)

Okay, so that is my life so far. I miss you all so much and I cannot wait to see all of you in LA when I come in August. I hope that all of you are doing well and email me when you get the chance.

Until next time...

Cheers

Stardate: -316414.07

Okay, So I am a geek to the Nth degree and if you really want to know what the title means I will tell you.

Now onto the real news...

I have completed 1 week at work and it is great. I am really going to enjoy it here. I am currently doing literature searches, so what I am doing is not the most fun I have ever had, but I really like the people that I am working with and the environment is great.

Glasgow is really a great city. I have spent 3 of the last 4 nights walking around different parts of the city with my boss. We went into the city center (downtown) on Wednesday and it is very pretty. I am attaching pictures so that you know that I am really here in Glasgow and not off on some covert mission. Not the best picture, but then again, what one is?

Don't be confused, "Galleries" mean shops, not art.

I hope to make it here often in the future.

The first Prime Minister of Scotland...

I look forward to exploring more on my own. There is a large museum here with connecting gardens and it is all FREE!! I cannot wait to go and scope it out. I think I may go this weekend. I am also moving into my new flat today and I am very excited about that. It has been nice staying with my boss, but I am looking forward to unpacking my suitcases and settling into my own space.

So one week down 77 more to go.

I hope you all are well and until next time,

Cheers

And So It Begins...

Hi All,

I am here in my temporary office at my new job and all is well! I have arrived in Glasgow, safe and sound and I am ready to go. Yesterday was a bit blurry. I got in and came straight to the office so that I could be shown where I am going to stay until I can move into my new flat (Yes, I am already picking up some of the language!). I am currently staying with my boss in her flat. It is not that far away from work, walking distance. It is a beautiful place. This weekend, I will walk around the West End, where I am staying and hopefully take a look at my new place. Monday is a holiday, so we also have a long weekend. I will make sure to take some pictures while I am out and upload them in my next entry.

I hope that all of you are doing well and I miss you lots.

Until next time...

Cheers

Cara

Happy New Year!!!

Hi,

Well I have come to the end of my journey...for now at least. I am currently at my mom's house and all is well. I want to wish each and every one of you a very Happy and Healthy New Year. I hope that all of you will obtain your goals and get all that you want.

For myself, I am working on getting a job. I have applied for 5 statistician jobs, mostly on the East Coast. Keep your fingers crossed that I will get at least one of them! I will keep you posted on the job front.

Please keep in touch and let me know how you all are doing. I will be emailing you as well, or posting here to let you know what is going on and how I am doing.

I will be watching the Rose Bowl parade live, for the first time in about 15 years, since I will probably just stay up all night. After that it is onto the Rose Bowl game, here is hoping that we play better than we did our last game. For those of you who are bruins...congrats on your wonderful win although how did your bowl game go?

Until next time,

Au revoir, and BEAT THE WOLVERINES!!!