Our morning consisted of a series of lectures about the institution. One thing that was mentioned, somewhat casually, was that they were celebrating 10 years as Scotland's 1st Fair Trade University. Everywhere we have gone there has been a huge emphasis on fair trade products. In fact, at Sterling they baked us fresh cookies and put out a sign noting that they were "Not Fair Trade Cookies" in case we were conscientious objectors. I do hope this is a peek into the future and that the social responsibility wave makes its way to North America with the same fervor. I decided to look more into the concept of a Fair Trade University and found this website: www.scottishfairtradeforum.org.uk
After lunch we had the opportunity to tour Holyrood Palace, the Queen's official residence in Scotland (vs. Balmoral Castle, which is a private home~ It's good to be Queen!) This was a nice treat and a first for me. I enjoyed seeing some of the portraits and personal items.
Afterward we toured Scottish Parliament. You would imagine this to be housed in a fancy old building but it is extremely modern. I didn't even take a picture. (sorry!) At the time of the visit they had a wonderful, but somewhat heart-wrenching, photography exhibit that captured most of my interest. You can see them online, but fair warning. It is a very real depiction of our world, including war and some other emotional triggers www.worldpressphoto.org/awards/2013
In just a bit we are headed out for dinner. They are giving us some time to explore the city and the Festival from 8pm onward. I thought I'd blog a bit earlier today to make sure I have time to pack up my ever-growing suitcase after dinner. Tomorrow I'll be leaving Edinburgh to fly down to London with a few other of the Fulbrighters. We opted to buy our own flights for 100 GBP rather than take the 8+ hour bus ride tomorrow night with everyone else. Instead of getting into London at 2 am, we fly out around 8:30 and arrive at our Heathrow hotel around 10 pm for a good last night of sleep. I hope this leaves me in better shape to arrive back to Indy in a reasonable condition. The constant moving, packing and lugging bags has me ready for a massage and a sleep in my own bed.