The interview with Sykes didn't go at all well yesterday. Eglinton youth hostel, Haymarket station and the call centre were all in one direction really, so getting there was easy enough. But the interview with the woman there didn't go so well. I adhered to the truth too much I think, saying I had no telephone experience, felt confident, but couldn't guarantee I'd do well immediately. Too much of a risk for them. Of what was left of the day, I spent most of the time in the youth hostel. If that sounds pathetic, actually it isn't. It's filled to the brim with memories from the student exchanges that led me here in 1993, and my holiday with Marjo in 1999.

Today, I wanted to see more of the city, so I walked down the Royal Mile all the way this time, re-acquainted myself with Holyrood Castle, and for the first time, went up Arthur’s Seat. It's quite bizarre to find a beautiful nature resort in the middle of a city, and to almost see Holland from the top! I had another job interview near the Eglinton hostel though (Rosebery Crescent), so in the end I had to hurry back down the hill and across town. I met with Patrick de Gruyter, a really nice German guy with a Dutch surname, team leader at IntroNet. He explained to me what the company does, why they need a Dutch administrator, and I declared my love for Edinburgh, that I had my talents, and he said he'd give the agency a call. Afterwards I walked back to the hostel via the Water of Leith, which actually cuts quite a deep valley, and got the call from my agency: "you're hired". All that was left to do was get back to the agency before 5pm and get things signed. Had dinner at the PizzaHut again and went to sleep very peacefully.