Breaking the Silence!

The past two weeks have been rather uneventful, hence the silence here on our blog. But after several weeks of uneventfulness, I've decided that posting about something, even if it is uneventful, is better than nothing!

Tony continues to enjoy the philosophy program here and has been doing a lot of reading and writing, on top of studying for the GRE which he's scheduled to take on Dec. 17 in London. For those who haven't heard the detailed complexities of the educational pursuit we're on, let me offer a brief explanation. Tony is currently studying for a MSc in Philosophy, which was needed on top of his previous MA in Philosophy Religion to establish a firm foundation in general philosophy before beginning his PhD. This January he will be submitting applications to various PhD programs, several here in the UK and several in the US, with the hope of receiving funding to cover the tuition costs, along with a small stipend towards living expenses. Philosophy is a very competetive field and most programs have 200-300 applicants each year competing for 3-5 funded positions. Depending on the outcome of his applications, we may be staying here in Edinburgh for the PhD program, or relocating once again to a school in the US. As you think of us, we would appreciate your prayers over this complicated process, especially for Tony as he studies and prepares his applications for submission this winter.

The majority of my day is spent looking for and applying for jobs and as of yet, I do not have a job. The economy here was struggling when we arrived and they are now saying that Scotland will be hit the hardest by the economic recession in the UK. The job market is very competetive and there are scores of people applying for each and every job. I've had several interviews, which has been fortunate I hear, and I have another one coming up next week. While most of my day is consumed with the job search, I have enjoyed having time to do more cooking and baking than I did all year in Peru! I've tried my hand at making homemade bread, granola, granola bars and a wide variety of soups. My latest attempt was a butternut squash soup and it was wonderful!

Last Saturday, Tony put the books aside for the day and we took a bus out to the small village of Cramond, which is on the outskirts of Edinburgh and right on the Firth of Forth. We had a great time together and were refreshed by getting out of the city and breaking our intense focus on finding a job, studying, and wondering about the future. Photos from our trip can be seen here, but I had to include this video from our trip.


Edinburgh is apparently known for its cold, strong winter winds and we can certainly attest to that fact!! It took me about 15 minutes to work all the knots out of my hair after we got home - any of you ladies with long hair can sympathize, I'm sure!!

So that's the latest from the Bolos' in Edinburgh. I'll be posting again soon with updates on Peru - stay tuned!