Twilight of Twenty

I write this post in the last eight hours of my twentieth year of age, and I've gotta say- it has been one heck of a year. Sitting here I don't think I can really remember everything that has happened, which when you think of it is kind of sad because, well every moment I have had this past year changed and shaped me into the person I am today sitting here in my flat. This is my last night as a 20 year old.

But oddly I'm okay with turning a new chapter in my life- I have survived another entire year of life. Basically what I'm saying is that I am invincible. Well, not really but a girl can dream. I feel like year twenty of my life has had a lot going on, a lot of life in twelve months. I've finished my second year of college and started another, I've travelled to foreign countries, and have had a taste of what it is to live on my own, and I have learned the importance of good friends and family. I'd say that's pretty bang on. Turning 21 in the States is a huge mile stone, it means you can swagger up to a bar and say:

But over here I've been legal since I boarded the plane, so the magical allure of waltzing into a bar for the first time legally is a wee bit tainted. BUT listen to this: I will be watching the Edinburgh National team play against Australia, and then I'll be going out to celebrate in proper Scottish style that night. I am so so so excited. I have met amazingly wonderful people while being here, and I consider myself to be one of the luckiest people, because without them I think my birthday would be a little less, I don't know, well I suppose I do- it would be less fun. But because I'm going to be surrounded by fantastic people my vision for tomorrow is something along the lines of:

MIDNIGHT!!!! As I write this now, I am officially 21- whaaaaaaaaaaaatttt?!! Carla (the sweet angel of wonderfulness) stayed up with me watching "I'm a Celebrity, get me out of Here!" which my the way my American friends is amazing and wonderful- watch it, love it. And at midnight as I entered into a new chapter she was there with a huge hug and a festive balloon announcing that it was my birthday.

Things I learned in my 20th year of life:

1. All nighters are never a good idea, you either know the material or you don't. Accept whichever is true and go to bed.

2. It is totally and more than utterly okay to make a royal mess out of something that might have gone smoother. It is not in the mistake that we are defined but how we recover from it.

3. Don't let small things build up into something bigger than they actually are, it's not worth it and you can spend your time doing something way way more worth while.

4. For me family is everything, without them I wouldn't be as strong and confident as I am today- they also know how to keep a girl humble.

5. If you can't laugh at yourself, you're not doing it right.

6. There are many different kinds of friends, they won't all be your best friend, and that is okay.

7. I can't fix other peoples problems, it's not my job or my responsibility, nor is it my responsibility to make people happy all the time.

8. Taking care of yourself is SUPER IMPORTANT, this comes in many forms but it's well worth the while.

9. There should be a balance in my life between academics and non academics. Fully one or the other is not healthy for anyone, you need the two to keep sane. (Honestly I'm still working this balance but the first step is knowing there is one)

10. A cup of tea will fix anything. Literally anything.

Well, that's all for now, until the next post

xxoo

E

Healthy. Happy. Comfortable

Let's talk about healthy living. This comes in three parts as perfectly and brilliantly spoken by one of my favorite Youtubers (subscribe to her channel it's well worth it) in her video here:

Happy. Healthy. Comfortable. I'll admit it, I definitely nursed my way through the first couple of weeks here with comfort food, but then it hit me that just because it tasted good didn't mean it was good for me. At my home university I am on the meal plan which is included in the tuition and entitles me to unlimited trips inside to get whatever my wee heart fancies/whatever is being offered. It was easy to make a wrap, or throw together a salad, pick up some chicken or an apple and be on my way. Here I am self catered, which means exactly what you might think it means. Grocery shopping for the first couple of trips was really intimidating and I'm pretty sure that I looked something like this:

this

a little bit of this

But I eventually learned my way around the store, and now I am pretty happy to say that I know where and when to do my shopping. LOOK AT ME GO. Now when I go to the store I look something like this:

The fresh veg and fruits expire really quickly, so I had to dispose of my once a week shopping trips and go for a twice or three times a week quick shop. Now this isn't to say that I don't still eat junk food, Tesco does this really nice chocolate cheesecake. OR eating guacamole with cheesy Doritos- my American friends- we have been missing out- try this immediately.

Anyway, this huge digression was meant to just illustrate that you don't always have to eat all organic, but to just be conscious of what you are eating and making sure you get some good stuff in there as well. A healthy diet also includes physical activity, 60 minutes a day- this releases endorphins which also increases your happiness levels, which lets be honest with each other is a must when it is cold, grey and rainy out.

Onto happy- what makes me happy? Good music, books, walking around with no place to go, and a pound coin in my pocket at all times. For most of the semester I would walk to and from my classes listening to music, but these past couple of days I haven't. Instead while I'm walking I find myself paying attention to the actual ritual of walking to class, and the beauty of this city as it's waking up. So now I listen to music with a cup of tea, and not when I'm half running to class. Suddenly the music is relaxing once more. Nooks are just flippin' fantastic and I will leave it at that because books are the worlds deadliest weapon, the greatest forger of peace and the ultimate teleportation device. Walking around with no place in particular to go is an art form in my opinion, I bring my camera around with me most of the time to take pictures. In the beginning of the semester I was afraid of loosing the sense of wonder Edinburgh seems to possess, and through these walks I find I'm able to find something new and breathtaking every time- like last night on my way to the cinema (okay I had a destination but I was walking, so I'm batting at 50%, work with me) and my friend grabbed my arm and said something along the lines of "look at how beautiful it is here." She was so right. Edinburgh at night is one of the most beautiful things I have seen in my 20 years of life, so if you ever find yourself here, make sure to have a stroll once the sun has set.

And as for the pound coin... it makes me feel like I have a gold galleon in my pocket... and if you have a gold galleon in your pocket nothing can go wrong. SCIENCE.

Comfortable. One of the best things about Edinburgh is that no one gives one care what you wear or what you look like. The outfits I have worn here have ranged from comfort clothes to some pretty odd color and pattern combos that really didn't but I wanted them to so badly...

 ANYWAY my point is comfort is obtained in many different ways- it could be found in pushing boundaries or doing what you already know. No matter what you should always feel like this:

Until the next post

xxoo

E

Dear God, She Was Serious?!

Yep. I was totally serious, one post per day all this week.

During my time here I have come up with a sidewalk code of conduct:

1. If they are your senior by 15 years MOVE YO SELF.

2. If they are is disabled in any way, MOVE YO SELF.

3. If they are a new mother, first make a face at their baby that communicates how friggen adorable it is, then smile at the mum because by now you've probably creeped her out, then move out of her way because prams are heavy.

4. If you are confronted by a gaggle of school girls (a gaggle is 3 or more) between the ages of 13- 17 RUN THEY ARE VICIOUS JUDGY CREATURES- THROW WHATEVER MONEY YOU HAVE AND FIND SANCTUARY. If you make it out alive, thank whatever God you have and call it a day.

5. If you are confronted by a gaggle of school boys between the ages of 13- 17, do not make eye contact. Just keep walking. 

6. Don't be that person who texts and walks. I have done it, we all have done it. TEXTING WHILE WALKING DOES NOT MAKE YOU EXEMPT FROM MOVING. If you and I are walking and we make eye contact and then you don't move I will wish explosive diarrhea on you.  And I will not be sorry. I'm not even joking.

This is all I have for you all right now, as I come up with them I'll let you all know. Right now I'm off to go see the Hunger Games, and I am so excited!! I leave you with the two most alarming things I have seen/ heard since coming here:

1. As I was walking home today there was a woman STANDING STILL and reading off her credit card information, as well as her social security number. LIKE WHAT THE ACTUAL ASS- CRACK. I'm just saying. Her life choices are a wee bit wonky.

2. As I am waiting in the line to see the Scottish Crown Jewels, there was a younger boy who asked his mum:

"but why is it written in brail mum? It's not like the blind people can get up here."

Until tomorrow

xxoo


E

A Whole New World, Sans Magic Carpet Unfortunately...

I begin this post with this image:

Because this is how I started my day. Just replace the tea with coffee. I have decided to try to post every day this week as I am post- essay season and still have that small part of me screaming

SO, I am going to channel that left over whatever it is for good and not evil. So here it is, the third post in three days, but what will I write on?? I wasn't sure until my second class of my day. At 1.45pm every Tuesday I make the fifteen minute walk from my flat to Buccleuch St where I enter into number 18, and climb the two flights of windy- twisty stairs to reach my Medieval and Renaissance Scottish Literature class. It's a third year Honors level core course, which means.. well I'm not entirely sure but there you are. There are around 15 other students in my course, and 5 of them are what we would call back in the States 'unconventional' students, here they are 'mature' students. Having gone to a small liberal arts college where everyone is within five years of my age, I wasn't sure how the class dynamic was going to settle or work. Now this seems in hindsight to be a close minded thought- people are people right? Well, yeah it was. These 'mature' students in my course were fantastic, and in many ways the mixture of college students my age and those in their thirties, and in one case, early forties is straight up one of the most eye opening experiences I have had while studying here. They are able to bring in a different perspective to a reading of Henryson or Dunbar and honestly, I think that will be one of the biggest things I will miss most when I go back to my home College. I was going to Greyfrier's for a stroll in the afternoon one day and I ran into one of my classmates, not from this literature course, but from another, and he was there with his seven year old daughter. At first our reactions towards seeing each other was something like this:

Okay- not that dramatic but you get the picture. Then his daughter looked up at me and just started talking to me about her school, her friends, and most importantly how her dad was taking her to the museum. Well that nearly broke my heart into a million tiny teeny pieces

UGH. So friggen cute. But what I took away from this interaction was the students at the University of Edinburgh are not only students, but some are mothers or fathers, some work full time jobs, some work multiple jobs- hell some don't even live in Edinburgh- one girl in my History class commutes 3 HOURS every day to go to her classes, and is happy to do so. It just put everything in perspective. There is something to be said for being in an academic setting where people not only have a different opinion or approach, but are willing to share it with you. I know this post took a serious turn, and normally my posts are filled with sass, hang in there I'm almost done with this part. I've just really enjoyed being with a group of students spanning over twenty years between the oldest and youngest in My English class. It has made me change the way I think about what it means to be a college student, I no longer immediately picture someone in their late teens/ early twenties, I don't really know what I picture anymore... Cheesy I know, but there you have it.

IN OTHER NEWS I am going to the midnight premier of Catching Fire tomorrow night and I am more than pumped for that experience, I am also beyond elated to see the lights go on in Edinburgh this weekend and for the Christmas fair to open- aaaaaaghhhhhhhhhrrrrr alll of the Christmas things!!!!!

And as for turning 21 on Saturday...

That's all I have to say about that for now. 

Until the next post

xxoo

E

Not That I'm Competitive But... Challenge Accepted

Okay, so for those who know me even the tiniest of bits know that I live, eat, and breathe TEA. So I think I've gone through two or three 40 pack of Tetley tea bags which for those who are living in the dark- Tetley is the Scottish gift to the tea world. In order to make a perfect cup you need two sugars, a splash of milk and a strong steep. A properly made cup of tea- as my flatmates will tell you, makes me go like this:

Like seriously... I get way too excited for a cup of tea. I digress. So I ran out of tea bags about a week ago and was thrown into a black spiraling pit of sadness. Okay not really, but it was a real downer having to go off to class in the morning without my regimented two cups of tea. This is pretty much what I looked like for a couple of days before I was able to make my way to the shop.

Not pretty at all. Finally I was able to get to the shop, and as I busted a move down the tea/coffee and biscuit isle (yeah they have a whole ISLE DEVOTED TO THE THREE BEST THINGS IN THE WORLD) I saw it- the holy grail of all holy grails. The treasure probably hidden within the heart of Atlantis. MAH TETLEY!!! Squealing with delight I skid to a stop, but wait, what is this?? There are no 40 tea bag packages. Then I see this massive hulk of a bag. I panic. Only after I get back to my flat, I realize I've made a horrible mistake. I just bought a One Hundred and Sixty bag of Tetley.

It is now my life mission to finish this monstrous package of Tetley tea before making the jump back over the pond. I'm in pretty decent shape, but the fight will be ling and difficult. Many a cup of tea will be consumed, and there may be casualties. But to be honest- I might be just being melodramatic.

In other non- relaTEAded (see what I did there???) I am currently swaddled in a onsie (yeah. I own one. Whaddup) a flannel, spandex, a wool blanket and two pairs of socks on my feet. In other words it is cold now. Oh so very cold.

But that just means I can drink more tea muahahahaha.

Until next post

xxoo

E

There and Back Again

Long time no post eh?

Well, a great deal has happened in the last month, mainly it has been the season of essays. The school system in Scotland is really different from the one back home in the good 'ole US of A. What is the difference you ask? Well let me help you out- in the US students are, for the most part, assessed constantly in the form of tests, quizzes, multiple essays, etc. And I know I have done my fair share of moaning and groaning but then you take the assessment over here which is, if you are lucky, a mid term essay and a final. That's it. Dear. God.

I personally don't do well under stress tests- so knowing the fact that in one of my classes the final is worth 80% of my grade is just a little bit paralyzing. Yeah. Imma let that sink in before I move on. We good? Excellent! Keeping all of that in mind, I've had to write four essays within two weeks of each other. Now, picture this. You walk up to a computer in the library, and are filled with a mixed cocktail of hope and sadness- hope because the library has over 3 million books so there's bound to be at least five on your subject, and sadness because you have to write an essay when all you want to do is grab a cup of tea.

You enter the subject of your essays, and hit submit. Glory be to the library gods because there are over 500 books just on your subject, so you hurriedly write down six titles and push forth into the stacks. PR 1456. 89- It said the book was checked in, but then why isn't it on the shelf?

You proceed to look like a CRAZY person running between the same two book shelves for fifteen minutes, and then it hits you.

Everyone else in your course is writing the same essay and even though you are writing the essay a good three weeks before it is due someone has hidden some of the books in the library which is the size of a small country so that they will be able to use them.

WHY. WHY DO PEOPLE DO THIS?! Just check the book out- at least then I won't get all excited about a potential source!

Ugh- sorry... I just don't understand, okay rant over.

But the essay season is over, and I can finally relax. So having said that, here are some more hints, tips and pieces of wisdom I have collected since jumping over the pond:

1. Making sure you get your veg and fruit every day is not only a good thing to do but it is essential, it is way to easy to just eat easy pre- made foods and carbs all the time. I know, I nursed a comfort food diet for the first couple of weeks, but snap out of it!

2. Let the little things go. Rarely do things go as planned, so just breathe and approach the result with bent knees. Don't do this:

You definitely need more oxygen than that.

3. The maximum number of cups of tea you should have in a day is probably no more than 7....

4. Mark out time during the day to read, or draw or do whatever you love.

5. At the end of the day, your study abroad experience is yours and yours alone. When I am on the plane flying back to Boston, I don't want to have regrets, no shoulda-coulda-woudas. I don't think there is a cookie cutter study abroad experience everyone needs to hold as a standard. Basically what I'm saying is YOU DO YOU BOO.

6. Netflix is the devil.

7. Never leave printing out an essay for the day it's due- I once spent 45 minutes roaming around the library looking for a free computer. Madness.

I guess that's it for this post, another one to follow soon!

xxoo

E