Listen along with us!
Hello all, it’s Matt and Isabella! We decided to spice things up for this week’s blog by interviewing each other! So without further ado, let’s get to it!
Isabella: I’ll start us off! How are your classes going at Edinburgh Napier? Did you have any interesting lectures or assignments this week?
Matt: Classes are going quite well. In my Introduction to Journalism module, I’ve been looking at print media’s coverage of homelessness, while in my Data Analytics course I’ve been practicing data cleaning and preparation using WeKa and OpenRefine.
Speaking of coursework, outside of our Napier classes, we’re also taking Survey of Scottish Issues with Dr. Armstrong. You’ve been pretty active in our class discussions — care to give our readers an overview of what we’ve learned?
Isabella: Well, this class is definitely focused on media in Scotland, but when you take the time to analyze another culture, you tend to reflect back on your own quite a lot. I often find myself comparing and contrasting Scottish media with American media. For example, in America, we tend to get our news through digital content, like on the TV or on social media. In Scotland, many people still read daily newspapers and tabloids to get updates on current events. And this is something that has evolved over history as Edinburgh has been known as the literary center of the UK, while America is generally known as a leader in the entertainment industry.
Matt: I also love our movie classes, they’re a good blend of education, entertainment, and free pizza.
Isabella: For sure! So, you’re interning at QikServe, right? What type of projects have you been working on this week?
Matt: I’ve been looking at digital order receipts from our client’s self-ordering kiosks. I’m performing what’s called a market basket analysis, where I’m looking to see what products the kiosk can recommend to a shopper based on what’s been placed in the cart. It works just like the “suggested items” tab on Amazon.
Isabella: Very cool.
Matt: Thanks––it’s basically a massive formula and it’s kept me pretty busy lately! What about you? What do you do to stay busy outside of work and classes?
Isabella: I’ve done so so much since arriving in Edinburgh. I’ve made friends with other international students at Napier. We’ve gone hiking and seen some movies together. When it’s cold and rainy out, I’ll stay home and watch British TV shows like The Bodyguard and listen to Breaking the News on BBC Scotland Radio. I try to put myself out there as much as I can, so I’ve been trying my hand at stand-up comedy! You should come to open mic one night and check it out!
Isabella spotted at Monkey Barrel Comedy
Matt: Awesome, I definitely should! It’s easy keeping busy with all the traveling we do too.
Isabella: What’s better than exploring Scotland with your closest friends?! What did you think about our trip to the Orkney Islands?
Matt: I didn’t expect the Orkney Islands to have such a varied history with sites like the Ring of Brodgar dating back before 2000 BC. Meanwhile, the Italian Chapel tells the memories of the 550 captured Italian prisoners of war from WWII that were forced to construct the shrine. These two places were definitely highlights to remember. What were some of your highlights from your trip to Orkney this weekend?
Emily Z. and Liz channeling Jamie Fraser at the Ring of Brodgar
An inside view of The Italian Chapel
Isabella: I thought our visit to the Tomb of the Eagles was awesome. Just hearing all about the Neolithic history from Kathleen — the daughter of the man who discovered the tomb– was such a surreal experience. My favorite part though was walking along the South Ronaldsay cliffs on the way back. The rocks were absolutely breathtaking and I got some really good pictures of our classmates there!
An impressive view of The South Ronaldsay Cliffs
Hey I almost forgot! Halloween was last week — want to tell everyone what we did that night?
Matt: To celebrate Halloween this year, we decided to go on a ghost tour around Edinburgh. Learning about the dark secrets of the Blair Street Vaults was equal parts educational and spooky. I was only slightly freaked out after our final stop at the Black Mausoleum in Greyfriars Kirkyard—home of the Mackenzie Poltergeist.
Isabella: I was freaked out the entire time…
Matt and Isabella daring to brush shoulders with the ghosts of Edinburgh
Matt: Ha ha, you definitely were! Okay, last question: Any projects, trips or plans coming up that you’re excited for?
Isabella: I’ve got trips planned to the Netherlands, Ireland, France, and Spain — traveling is so exciting! But I’m also still excited about my classes and my internship. At work, we’ve got some film shoots coming up that I’ll get to help with, and for my TV Scriptwriting course I have to submit an original TV pilot as my final. There’s so much going on here it’s hard to believe how fast this semester is flying by!
Matt: Well that wraps up our interview. Thanks for following along in our journey through Week 8 in Edinburgh.
Also, make sure to check out Isabella’s video about everything we did this weekend!