Making merry

Classes are over!!  I'm very pleased.  :)  I have two weeks, and in those two weeks I need to write two 3000-word essays, study for one exam, and see the rest of Edinburgh that somehow I have managed not to see yet - basically all of the museums, plus Parliament and a couple of other randos.  I've already been to the German Christmas Market twice, but I'll probably also go back to that again at least once.  It's delightful!  There's a "Winter Wonderland" portion as well, with carnival-type rides and an ice skating rink, but the market itself is my favorite part.  It's made of all these really, really cute little wooden huts, half of which sell food - all German-type stuff, sausage and pretzels and strudels and mulled wine/etc. - and the other half with tons of little kitschy trinkety things.  SO CUTE.  The last time I went it was snowing, and it was so nice.  Obviously I've been snowed on before, but this time it was just all this snow falling gently from the sky, not blasting into my face à la Dakota winters.  It was perfect.

Last night I sang in a carol service!  It was put on by the Christian Unions from all the uni's in Edinburgh and held in a beautiful old Church of Scotland parish church.  We were a proper little choir and orchestra - we had two rehearsals beforehand, and I think we actually sounded quite good.  (The audience sang along too, of course.)  It was so much fun.    I knew most of the carols already, but some were different (e.g. "O Little Town of Bethlehem" had an entirely different melody) and some I had never heard (e.g. "Once in Royal David's City", which I now sort of love).  All my flatmates came to watch.  Heart them.  And then we came home and baked Christmas cookies afterwards.  :)

Best luck on everyone's finals and whatever else.  Miss you!

Love,
Melody