Signing off from Scotland

So, as you can probably gather from the title of this post, this is my last post from bonnie Scotland. And what is it that I have been doing my last day you ask? Moping mostly. I ran to the bank to make some last minute money exchanges, a wander through Greyfriar's graveyard, a farewell tea with friends and some ukulele playing. But the thing I did most was mope. I apologize in advance for this post, I have no control over the emotions of this post. Brace yourselves.

I when I was preparing for my semester abroad I knew from the beginning that I was going to go to Scotland. Even in my application, acceptance, and packing I had no friggen clue what I was getting myself into. When I first made the jump across the big pond I kind of felt like this dog did in the taxi:

But I settled pretty quickly and learned the way of the world over here, not going to lie there were a few mix ups due to accents and for a brief moment I contemplated the possibility that I was going deaf. However I acclimated, developed a routine, and lo and behold, hold on to your hat, baton down the hatches, the semester was over before it even started and I was staring down finals. Several break down skypes later I had a similar experience to when the ring tumbled down into the fiery pit of Mt. Doom: 

And then my reaction was something along the lines of this (but without the creepy mustache... )

My general attitude towards most things now is:

Which generally induces this reaction in most people when eventually I lead them the wrong way up Arthur's Seat (ya'll know who you are), or when I tried to carry a conversation with a nice Parisian man to only put my foot in my mouth, or when I basically Captain Jack Sparrow (no I don't have a ship yet, well I do but it's complicated) my way into anything:

I digress.

But now it's my time to leave and go back home, but as corny as this sounds I'll be leaving one home for another. Nothing has prepared me for this moment, Global Ed back at my school is brilliant- top notch they really make sure you pick the right place, and they prepare you for the trip over and living there. But what about the trip back?

I have taken the route of emotional eating (I know it's not good for me mum, but it was only for like two days)- all of the chocolate I could get my hands on I did. But there is no time for that anymore as I tuck into my crazily uncomfortable yet oh so comforting uni bed.

I'm not sure what I'm going to be like tomorrow, I might cry the entire time, or I might not cry at all. Perhaps the only time I will cry is when I am tucked into my bed home and alone in my room. Woah. I was really fortunate to have had the most amazing flatmates, 

I don't think I will ever be able to thank my parents enough for helping me financially, emotionally, spiritually, and grammatically (well the last one is just silly but you get the drift) me through the process of applying and studying abroad. If they had not believed in me, I wouldn't have believed in myself enough to do this. I'm not really sure how I will answer the one question most people will ask me in polite conversation, so- how was your semester abroad? 

I think I have to stop writing now because, and I'm going to be completely honest with you, I just can't anymore. So I'm going to go have my last night in Scotland for a wee bit, because a big part of me knows I'll be back sooner then you can sing "Flower of Scotland." 

Signing off from Scotland,

xxoo

E

MISS ALL OF THE THINGS

Twenty things I will miss when I leave:

(these are from the top of my head and in no particular order)

1. The brief moment of endless possibilities when I walk into Tesco
2. Mcvities biscuits- chocolate (dark of course) and plain (with either cheddar or Wensleydale cheese)
3. The sound of rain hitting on my window
4. The sounds of Saturday night during the game at Malone's
5. Having a sit down with a cup of tea, only planning to stay for a little, but actually talking for an hour
6. The top view of Arthur's Seat and from the top of the Craigs
7. Kilimanjaro Coffee
8. Living with such fantastic people
9. The sound of bagpipes emanating from nearly every single shop on the Royal Mile
10. Waving to tourist buses and feeling like a local
11. Having a flat dinner where everyone leaves their phones for a little bit and we chat and catch up with each other
12. The smell of the earth after the rain
13. The sweeping majesty of the Highlands
14. Learning how independent I can be
15. How I take a splash of milk and two spoonfuls of sugar, and make it strong or not at all
16. Being able to walk literally everywhere 
17. Always feeling safe, even in Cowgate 
18. Learning how I work as a person, I know this sounds strange but in the process of living here I have learned a great deal about myself and what kind of person I am and who I want to become
19. The beautiful collection of books in the library
20. Most of all I will miss all of the wonderful people I have met here.

UGH. 

Until my next post

xxoo

E

One Week More

One Week More


One week more!
Another week I'll have to leave my friends.
I suppose that this had to come to an end;
This country that I've come to love
I'll take a plane fly high above.
One week more!

I did not know until this year.
How much I loved this world I lived in.

One week more.

Too soon I will be worlds away
If I could I would do it again and again.

One more week to do it all.

Will we ever meet again?

One more week in Edinburgh.

I was born to be with you.

What a life I might have known.

And I swear I will return!

It feels like I just got here!

One more week before the storm!

Do I follow my travel plans?

Till I take my flight away.

Why can't my family join me here?

When my plane begins to board

Do I stay here, do I dare?

Will I get a window seat?

The time is now, the day is near!

One week more!

One week more to mild heartbreak,
I'll try to nip it in the bud!
I'll be ready for these Feelings
Although they will run deep through my blood!

One week more!

Watch me run amuck,
Catch me as I fall,
Never know my luck
Till I have packed it all,
Here another shirt
There another scarf
Most of them are goners
Oh my god, I might just barf!


One week to a new beginning

Raise the flag of Scotland high!

Are my suitcases underweight?

Lets hope their underweight!

There's a new world for the winning

There's a new world to be won

Hope I hear the alarm ring

My place is here, I want to stay!

One week more!

I did not know until this year.

One more week to do it all!


How can I live when I have parted?


I will join my fellow student
When we all go fly back home

We will share all of our stories

We will share all that we now know.

One week more!

Tomorrow I'll be worlds away

What a life I might have known!

And with this semester my world has started.


One week more to board the airplane

Brace myself for the 6 hour flight

I'll be ready for my jet lag

Cry while I'm up there? I just might.

Watch me run amok
Catch me as I might fall
Never know whats missing
Till I have packed it all!

Tomorrow is not far away,
Tomorrow is the judgement day

Tomorrow I'll discover
What my God in Heaven has in store!
Seven more dawns
One more week
One week more!


I hope you sang that all.

Until my next post

I am Lady Gaga

I'll explain the title later, there is a wee bit of back story to it before though, so just hang in there, I promise the pay off will be good. This past weekend I went to Paris, and oh my word it was beautiful. I know I won't do it justice in this post, so if you want a more comprehensive blog on student living in the beautiful City of Lights then please go check out my friends blog here. She's brilliant. Anyway back to Paris as seen through a person who has been living in Scotland for a wee bit now. I got off the plane and was blown away by how large the airport is. Keep in mind, in Scotland we have our airport (it's a dear little thing), and our bus system (which still baffles me into a terrified stupor), and taxis. So as you can imagine I walk pretty much everywhere I can. Before studying here at the University I used to complain about a five minute walk- now a standard walk for me is around forty minutes. To reach one of my favorite places- Arthur's Seat (which I have climbed five times so far) its a forty- five walk to the beginning f the 2.5 hour hike. So you can imagine that I was blown away by the efficiency of the tube system and the RER which is also a train system but not the same type of train system so you have to buy two different tickets but the look the exact same....

I ended up staying in this great little hotel tucked away down a quiet street in the centre of Paris. It was perfect and the bed was HUGE, and in there were three of us staying in the room and we could all fit comfortably in the bed. After pretty much throwing our bags in the room we ventured out into the night (don't worry mum and pop we were safe) ANYWAY, we went everywhere over the next couple of days, and there were times (like in the Sacre Coeur and Notre Dame) when I was a complete sobbing mess- so I had to:

Paris is one of the most beautiful cities I have been to, it has this color pallet of creme and perry winkle purples and blues. Ugh, c'est belle! And the people I met there were all kind and patient, god bless them for listening to my fractured French babbling. I walked to the top of the Arc de Triumph- and the view was so utterly breathtakingly beautiful, I ate a croissant UNDER (yeah I said it muthahtruckin' UNDER) the Eiffel Tower, and at one point a guy called me Lady Gaga (I don't see the resemblance other than the fact we're both blond... well sometimes we're both blond) REGARDLESS my feelings the entire weekend were along the lines of:

Flying back I had a 10 HOUR LAYOVER IN LUTON AIRPORT. It's actually still too recent to talk about, so heres a couple of gifs, one for each hour I was there.

Hour 1:

Hour 2:

Hour 3:

Hour 4:

Hour 5:

Hour 6:

Hour 7:

Hour 8:

Hour 9: 

Hour 10:

So yep.... those all pretty much happened... Anyway I've been back in Edinburgh for a wee bit now, and I am in the thick of finals, so keep your eyes peeled for a post on that. And as Effie has so famously said:

Until the next post!

xxoo

E

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