Sunday: Singing and a New Language

I woke up late today again. It was 9 when I dragged my tush from my blankets and I was not a happy camper (yes, this is becoming a trend). Edi made a phone call last night – at 1AM – to his brother. How do I know it was at 1? Because he was shouting in Portuguese and it woke me up. So, I drag my keister from bed, put on a shirt because I wasn’t willing to inflict that unpleasant sight upon others who are not family, and knocked on his door. I asked him, politely, to be more soft spoken in his conversations. He apologized, promised to lower the volume, and closed his door. I went back to bed and was awoken ten minutes later when the volume picked up again. The call lasted until about half past 2 and I was not at all thrilled with my flat mate. When I was coherent in the morning I checked in with Sam that he was still up for a trip into the city centre to look for some clothes at Primark (the UK Walmart). We left around noon and got back at half three (3:30). We hit Primark – where I bought another campy shirt (it reads “Je suis la party” – I had to get the horridly awful French shirt… it’s really comfy though, and only cost 3 pounds!). then we hit some shoe stores, a few other clothes stores and a host of tech stores. On the way back, we stopped in Morrison’s to see if there was anything Sam needed. We bought enough food to last at least half a week, so this was good news. Sam, much like Ernest and Edi, complained about the speed at which I walk (way too fast, even though I did start off walking much slower than I normally do). He then channeled Edi in complaining of the distance he had to walk. Only Ernest and Z seem pretty fine with the walk to the city, and only Z can keep up with me when I go ¾ of my normal speed. Ernest made some awesome food – it involved fried plantain (always awesome!) and a black eyed bean dish. LOVED it, even when it was reheated because I couldn’t stay to eat it when it was first served. The reason I missed the meal was because I was at this Polish/Scottish singing circle. It’s a project spearheaded by the Elphinstone Institute (the institute I’m a part of) and involves a bunch of Polish immigrants to Aberdeen and learning some Scottish ballads. In return, they teach the Scots Polish songs. We (the first year MLitters) were strongly encouraged to participate, and Natalie and I did. We sang a few songs and had a blast. It involved the song Jeannie Jenkins (which you can find here: http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/en/fullrecord/43654/2;jsessionid=5956BDDD17EE81B94F227ECE29D22C90 click on the ‘Play’ button to hear it). I also ended up singing in Polish… thankfully I wasn’t required to know what the words meant, but I can sort of read Polish phonetically now. At the end of the group, Grace, the Scottish lady who leads the group, told a story, which was a version of Cinderella before Disney got their hands on it and prettied it up – no magic Fairy Godmother, no mice, no pumpkins, but some gruesomeness nonetheless. It was a grand time, and I foresee myself returning for that group.