Swedish Night - 4. Oct

ISC is having our second cultural night on Monday, 4th October. This time we are holding the Swedish Night.

This date coincides with Sweden's national Cinnamon Bun Day, Kanelbullens Dag - and yes, we will have cinnamon buns on the evening! We are having cinnamon buns from Peters Yard along with Swedish coffee and a small talk on Sweden so you can hear a bit about the country while you enjoy yourselves with the treats. The evening will round off with a Swedish movie.

If you like Sweden, want to know more about it, want to eat cinnamon buns or just want to come along to see friendly faces; come over to the ISC on Monday, 4th October @ 20:00!

Tickets cost £3.00 each and 30 are available at the ISC (22b Buccleuch Pl) tomorrow, Tuesday, 28th @ 18:00-19:00.

Please note that we allow a maximum of two tickets to be purchased per person and we appreciate exact change.

This Week with the ISC (27.Sept-2.Oct)

Wow, that was fast! One week down already - 10 weeks to go! Time is flying past, but don't forget to keep up to date with what the ISC is offering this week. ;)

Let us quickly remind you of our Lounge that's open every weekday during the semester - come over anytime for free coffee, tea and some sweet company! We are still looking for volunteers to help us run the lounge, so if you are interested, please contact our Volunteers Coordinator, Emma via email: shorty-munchkin@hotmail.com.

The LOUNGE (ISC, 22b Buccleuch Place) open times are:
Monday-Wednesday 12:00-16:00
Thursday 12:00-18:00
Friday 12:00-15:00


And now, here's a line up on what we plan to do this week:

Monday, 27th

TICKET SALE for the RAFTING TRIP
18:00- @ the ISC
Due to unforeseen circumstances, we had to postpone our Rafting Trip to Saturday, 16th October. We will be selling 48 tickets on Monday from 18:00, each costing £43.00 - please bring cash ONLY as we do not accept cards or cheques. Details can be found at
http://isced.blogspot.com/2010/09/ticket-sale-rafting-trip.html

JAPANESE NIGHT 20:00-23:00 @ the ISC
Come and join us in the lounge for our first nationality-themed event of the year!
You can check the details by the following link:
http://isced.blogspot.com/2010/09/japanese-night-27sept.html


Thursday, 30th

COFFEE EVENING 16:00-18:00 @ the ISC
Pop in for a chat, we will have free coffee/tea along with biscuits and cheese ready for you.

PUB NIGHT 21:00- @ the Greenmantle (44 Westcrosscauseway)
Gather around at the Greenmantle, just 5 min walk away from the ISC. They have some special deals with us including £1.75 for vodka mix, bottled beer, small wine as well as 30 % discounts for any food (served till midnight)! When you are ordering your drinks for these deals, make sure you mention that you are with the "ISC / society" otherwise you won't be benefiting from the deals. See you there!


Saturday, 2nd Oct

TRIP to CULZEAN CASTLE & COUNTRY PARK
Do you want to travel around Scotland/England? Well, we have trips every Saturday of the semester, taking you around the UK. We are taking a day trip to the Culzean Castle - further details will be soon posted.


Have a great Week 2 & hope to see you around the ISC!xx

Ticket Sale - Rafting Trip

Are you up for more extreme kind of fun? Do you think you can beat the cold and the River Tay in its best season? Then you should come along to the ISC White Water Rafting Trip!

You might think it's getting cold, but hey it's Scotland, and winter is actually the best season for rafting if you want to experience a bit of the real thing and not just some peaceful cruising along the river, but when it is still reasonably easy for anyone who'd like a first taster of rafting.

After a major success and a lot of wet fun in March last year, the ISC is having it's second rafting trip on the 16. October, for the bargain price of 43£! You won't find a cheaper chance to try some rafting. This price includes all transportation and equipment provided by Nae Limits, the rafting company we are using. The only thing you will have to bring yourself is a swim suit and a towel. (More details on the trip itself will be coming once you have your ticket.)

48 tickets will go on sale on Monday, 27.10.2010 at 6pm @ the ISC!

Remember, you can get strictly two tickets per person, and if you can't make it yourself to the ticket sale, send a friend.

IMPORTANT: we have not confirmed the exact time of departure yet. We will be noting down your contact details to keep you informed.

xx

Japanese Night - 27.Sept

ISC's first nationality themed night!

We will have several evenings covering different cultures throughout the semester - the details will be disclosed soon.

This year we will start off with the Japanese Night, taking place on Monday, 27th September at 20:00.

There will be some sake (Japanese alcoholic beverage made from rice) and a variety of teas for you to try, along with maki-zushi or rolled sushi made by our Japanese host. You can also try speaking some phrases in Japanese, as well as learn a bit more about the country in general.

At the end of the evening, feelfree to stay for a Japanese movie from Studio Ghibli.

We will have a vote to watch one of the following: Kiki's Delivery Service, Spirited Away or Howl's Moving Castle.

Whether you know a lot about Japan or not, we bet you'll learn something new!

So come on over to the ISC @ 20:00 on Monday, 27th September.

Tickets are sold for £3 each and 30 are available from the ISC on Friday, 24th from 18:00.

See you there!xx

Lounge Volunteers

If you joined us at the Volunteers Evening last Thursday and still haven't contacted our Volunteer Coordinator, Emma, please get in touch with her with your timetable ASAP.

If you missed our meeting last Thursday but are still interested in helping us out - we are still looking for more lounge volunteers, so please get in touch with Emma.

The ISC is entirely run by student volunteers, so we really appreciate anyone who is willing to give us support. For helping out at the lounge, we simply ask that you sign up for an hour of your week to come to the lounge, ensure there's coffee and tea ready and chat with people around you to make sure everyone is happy and comfortable :)

We can guarantee that you will enjoy working with people from all over the world & get a warm feeling inside for doing something money can't buy.

If you are interested in helping us out, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Emma: shorty-munchkin@hotmail.com

Thank you!! xx

ISC rafting trip "sign-up" - PLEASE READ DESCRIPTION CAREFULLY

Are you up for the more extreme kind of fun? Do you think you can beat the cold and the River Tay in its best season? Then you should come along to the ISC White Water Rafting Trip!




You might think it's getting cold, but hey it's Scotland, and winter is actually the best season for rafting if you want to experience a bit of the real thing and not just some peaceful cruising along the river, but when it is still reasonably easy for anyone who'd like a first taster of rafting.

The ISC is planning a rafting trip for the 9th of October, and we would like to know how many people we can expect to come along.price would be around £ 35-40 for a couple of hours fun and transport, and we'll try to arrange something to go for a meal afterwards.



If you are interested, please leave a comment on this blog. However, please make sure you ONLY leave a note if you know for sure you'd definitely like to come along. Any "maybe attending" will be dismissed as not attending. We have posted the equivalent message on Facebook, and anyone interested are asked to click on "attending". Please only do one or the other - comment on this blog or click on attend on the Facebook event.



Please note that your leaving a comment on the blog does not guarantee you a ticket yet - ticket sale will be arranged later on in the year. This sign-up is open until Thrsday (30th)evening this week, so please make sure you make up your mind whether you'd like to come along by then :)


Thank you!

This Week at the ISC

Hi, hope you all had a great Freshers' Week and are all ready for the start of term! :)

Well, Freshers' Week is over, but the ISC definitely isn't! We are functioning throughout the semester, organising exciting trips and events.

Also, please note that the International Cafe at William Robertson building is not open during term time. However, we have a lounge that is open every weekday of the semester where we have free coffee and tea available at all times. Feel free to come over for a chat any time!

The LOUNGE (ISC, 22b Buccleuch Place) open times are:
Monday-Wednesday 12:00-16:00
Thursday 12:00-18:00
Friday 12:00-15:00

And now, here's a line up on what we plan to do this week:

Monday, 20th

TICKET SALE to LINDISFARNE & BERWICK u. TWEED
18:00- @ the ISC

We will be holding our ticket sale for the day trip we are organising for Saturday, 25th. Tickets cost £8.00 each including transportation and entrance to the Lindisfarne Castle. Details can be found at:

http://isced.blogspot.com/2010/09/ticket-sale-lindisfarne-berwick-upon.html

POKER NIGHT 19:00-22:00 @ the ISC
Come and join us in the lounge for our first event of the year!
You can check the details by the following link:

http://isced.blogspot.com/2010/09/poker-night.html

Thursday, 23rd

COFFEE EVENING 16:00-18:00 @ the ISC

Pop in for a chat, we will have free coffee/tea along with biscuits and cheese ready for you.

PUB NIGHT 21:00- @ the Greenmantle
We have moved our weekly Pub Night to Thursdays this year and we will be going over to the Greenmantle, just 5 min walk away from the ISC. They have some special deals with us including £1.75 for vodka mix, bottled beer, small wine as well as 30 % discounts for any food (served till midnight)! When you are ordering your drinks for these deals, make sure you mention that you are with the "ISC / society" otherwise you won't be benefiting from the deals. Meet us at the Greenmantle, or at the ISC at 21:00 and we can walk there together. :)

Saturday, 25th

TRIP to LINDISFARNE & BERWICK UPON TWEED

Do you want to travel around Scotland/England? Well, we have trips every Saturday of the semester, taking you around the UK.

We are taking a day trip to the Holy Island and the northernmost town in England this Saturday - tickets are on sale on Monday, 20th.
For further details:

http://isced.blogspot.com/2010/09/ticket-sale-lindisfarne-berwick-upon.html

Have a great start of term & hope to see you around the ISC!xx

Ticket Sale - Lindisfarne + Berwick upon Tweed - Monday 20th, 18:00

As the whiskey distillery we proposed to visit in Aberfeldy is in Silent Season (the whiskey making process hasn't begun yet), we are going instead to north England - to Lindisfarne also known as the Holy Island and Berwick upon Tweed - on the coming Saturday, the 25th (leaving approx @ 8:00, returning in the evening).

Lindisfarne is an island with only 160 inhabitants, known for its nature's beauty, peace and tranquility.

There are several sightseeing opportunities on the island including the Lindisfarne Castle, the priory and the harbour. Also important to note is that the island itself can only be accessed from the mainland when the tide is out.

On our way back from Lindisfarne, we will make a stop at Berwick upon Tweed, the northernmost town in England with a beautiful coastline. It is famous for the town walls which were built to keep the Scots out. Nowadays, the wall can be used to have an outstanding view of the town. The town itself has several tourist attractions including the three bridges, guildhall, Berwick barracks and parish church.

Tickets cost £8.00 each, including transport and free entry to the Lindisfarne Castle.

We will start selling @ 18:00 on Monday, 20th, at the ISC (22b Buccleuch Place, EH8 9LN) so if you want to join the trip, make sure you get there early!

We would also appreciate if you could bring exact change to buy your ticket(s).

For fairness, we only sell a maximum of two tickets per person and do not reserve tickets. We appreciate your understanding.

See you on Monday @ 18:00! xx

Poker Night

Our first event of the year kicks off with a poker night! Whether you're an expert at poker or have no clue how to play it, come along to join the fun. ;)

We will have some crisps and soft drinks available, but feel free to bring some nibbles over.

Everyone is welcome, so just bring yourself over to the ISC! =)

See you on Monday @ the ISC (22b Buccleuch Place, EH8 9LN) @ 19:00! xx

St. Andrews Trip - Tickets Sold Out

Tickets for our first trip to St. Andrews have been sold out, unfortunately. Sorry for those of you who could not buy them, but the 70 tickets were sold out in 40 minutes!

We do have trips coming up every Saturday during term time, so we hope you can join us for these tours. Our next trip, coming on the 25th of September, will be a trip to a Whiskey Distillery in Aberfeldy. We will be updating you on all our upcoming trips as well as their ticket sales details, so please keep up with our posts!

Additional Ticket Sale for the St. Andrews' Trip

Due to the high demand for more tickets for our trip to St. Andrews on Saturday, the 18th, we have booked another coach now - and we have more tickets available for you!

We are selling the ticket at the International Cafe in William Robertson at the ISC stand from 10:00-16:00.

If you want to buy a ticket, make sure you don't miss this chance!

For more information about this trip, please follow the link below:

http://isced.blogspot.com/2010/09/trip-to-st-andrews-18-sept.html

See you tomorrow! xx

Arthur's Seat? Free Coffee? Want to Volunteer?

ISC has a packed schedule on Thursday, 16th just so that you can make the best out of your stay in Edinburgh!

@ 14:00

we have a walk up the ARTHUR'S SEAT,

which is Edinburgh's highest hill and an extinct volcano. Once you are at the top, you'll get a stunning view of the city, whichever direction you look at! Don't forget your cameras =)

Meet us outside William Robertson Building 5 min before, or at the ISC.

@ 16:00-18:00

is the COFFEE EVENING at the ISC Lounge, where we will have free coffee and tea along with cheese and biscuits available for you. A very good opportunity to meet friendly people.

@ 18:00

we will begin the VOLUNTEERS MEETING.

If you want to work with people from different backgrounds, get a good feeling that you are dedicating yourself to something meaningful, then this is where you should be! We will appreciate everyone interested in helping us run the ISC, whether to run the lounge or organise our weekly trips or events. We will tell you more about it at the meeting (at the ISC) where you can sign up for the one you are most interested in helping out with!

See you on Thursday!

Potluck (food evening) at the ISC

Come along to the ISC's lounge - everyone is welcome as long as you bring some food to share with others!

Enjoy a relaxed evening in a friendly, international atmosphere. It's a good time to rest from the buzz of Freshers' Week, but you'll be making new friends at the same time! It's all for free, but we ask that you bring some food to share. :)

See you on Wednesday @ 19:30 in the ISC (22b Buccleuch Place)!

1st Pub Night of the Year

Here is also an update on the ISC's first Pub Night on Tuesday! It's time to meet the current and new members of the ISC :)

We will be going to the Greenmantle, where they are offering several great deals for us including:
- food served until midnight - with a 30% discount from 12-24
- £1.75 for vodka mix, bottled beer, small wine
- 50p dash with every spirit

and being the home of the buffalo burger - the only place in Edinburgh where you can get one - you can try one (or more, of course!) for a 30 % discount.

We will then move on to the bar at Pleasance to enjoy the rest of our night.

Meet us at the Greenmantle (www.greenmantlepub.co.uk) at 19:00, or meet us in front of the ISC (Buccleuch Pl) at 19:00 to go there.

Or, if you are joining us after 21:00, you can meet us directly at Pleasance, or in front of the ISC so we can have a walk together there.

See you on Tuesday night! xx

Trip to St. Andrews 18 Sept

Join the ISC Freshers Week Trip on our first trip of the new academic year to St Andrews, the home of Golf and the oldest University of Scotland, famously attended by Prince William!
Take the opportunity to visit the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, founded in 1754, which still has legislative authority over this game worldwide,
Stroll along the coastline at the North Sea and explore the ruins of the Cathedral built in the XII hundreds, once the largest one of Scotland but partly destroyed during the civil war. While you’re there, why not go on the Saint Rule’s Tower? Equally go and see the romantic ruins of the castle, and to round of your day, relax at the West Sands beach, said to be one of the most beautiful ones of Scotland!

Tickets are 8£ can be bought throughout Freshers Week at designated times in the International Café and on the International Day (11:0--16:00 in the Writing Room in Teviot).
First chance to grab some will be from 10-12am on Saturday, 11th September!
Keep an eye on the event for more ticket sale times to be announced.

The ticket includes transport to and from St Andrews as well as a flyer with information on what to see, fees and maps, handed out by the volunteers on the day itself.
Please make sure you bring your student ID and some money to the trip!

Freshers' Week

It's this time of the year again - some of you may be packing for your journey back to Edinburgh, you may be busy moving into a new flat, and others may be just arriving at Edinburgh for the first time. It's definitely a busy time of the year for students, especially those who are just arriving - what's Edinburgh like? Will I settle in? Will I actually make friends with the tons of people I'll be seeing over the next few weeks? How should I get around the university and the city?

The ISC is a student run organisation and we will try and help you make the best out of your stay in Edinburgh. As well as having a lounge open to students during the semester, we organise weekly events and day trips around Scotland along with Coffee/Tea Evenings and Pub Nights. To add to what will be your memorable Freshers' Week, we are organising several events during the week so you can get a feeling of what are services are like.

There are paper copies of our programme available from the airport staff and in the pack you receive upon your arrival over the weekend, but we will have copies at our events as well, so feel free to come and pick one up.

International Day [Sunday, 12th]

Come to the Writing Room in Teviot Row House (George Square) to find out what we do when or for a little chat.

We will be available between 11:00-16:00.

Guided Tours of the University [Monday, 13th and Tuesday, 14th]

Do you want to know way around the campus? Some historical background behind the university buildings? Meet outside the William Robertson Building 5 minutes before, or at the ISC on Buccleuch Place on time to join the tour for FREE.

See you on:

Monday @ 11:00, 14:00 or 16:00

Tuesday @ 11:00 or 16:00

Pub Night [Tuesday, 14th]

Our first of the weekly visits to Edinburgh's local pubs! Enjoying your evening with a pint and new company...what more can you wish? We will meet you outside the ISC on Tuesday at 21:00.

Historical Tours of Edinburgh [Wednesday, 15th and Friday, 17th]

Bring your cameras as we will be walking around the city, registered under the UNESCO World Heritage list. You will be hearing a short history of the things you see and of Scotland - a great introduction to Edinburgh for FREE. Meet outside the William Robertson Building 5 minutes before, or at the ISC on Buccleuch Place on time to join us.

See you on:

Wednesday @ 14:00

Friday @ 13:00 or 16:00

Potluck [Wednesday, 15th]

Why not gather for an evening with our own food to share with others? Chat over your food and drinks and make new friends! Please bring something along to join us at 19:30 at the ISC.

Arthur's Seat [Thursday, 16th]

Come for a climb up Arthur's Seat, an extinct volcano just 10 minutes away from George Square. You might want to take your camera along as you will get a great view of the city from above and make sure you're in good walking shoes! Meet outside the William Robertson Building 5 minutes before, or at the ISC on Buccleuch Place on time. See you at 14:00!

Coffee Evening [Thursday, 16th]

Would you like to visit the ISC for some coffee/tea with cheese and biscuits? Take a look at our lounge and meet so many others for a relaxing evening. It's all for FREE at the ISC - see you at 16:00-18:00.

Volunteers' Evening [Thursday, 16th]

Are you interested in becoming a volunteer at the ISC? Your help will be much appreciated and you will gain a lot of experience working with students from all over the world. We are looking for volunteers in the lounge and in the Trips and Events Committees. If you are interested, come over to the ISC at 18:00 and we will tell you more about it.

Trip to St.Andrews [Saturday, 18th]

Our first trip of the year! Do you want to visit Edinburgh's neighbour, famous for golf and its history? Tickets are available throughout the week at our events listed above - please bare in mind that there is a limit to the number we can take on the tour, so if you are desperate to join the trip, get your ticket early!

Have a great Freshers' Week & hope to see you around!