Weekend in the Highlands!

Hey everybody,

I'm going out of order but here's a post about my weekend in the Highlands! For my Scottish Culture class we have to blog about our semester on an academic page so here's the post I recently wrote!

A couple of weeks ago I spent an incredible weekend driving through and exploring the Highlands. What an experience! To see all the natural beauty that Scotland has to offer is truly a gift. Studying in Edinburgh is fanatastic. Only a short bus ride away you have the historic, bustling city and a couple hour drive brings you to magnificent lochs, glens, bens, state parks, and more. 

I remember a couple years ago, as I embarked on a cruise, I realized that you never know you get seasick until you've been on a boat. Well, you never know if you get carsick until you drive through the Highlands! The roads were windy and twisted and turned around beautiful lakes and between mountains. I think the drive itself could be an amusement park ride, only much more beautiful.

A majority of Scotland's population lives in the main cities which leaves the natural scenery practically untouched, with a few small towns scattered about. I went on this tour with a tour group and guide so I would really be able to see many things in only two short days. My two favorite stops were Glencoe and Loch Ness. Glencoe was simply spectacular. I was torn between wanting to take as many photos as possible and just leaving my camera in my pocket and breathing in the fresh air and taking in the nature around me. Edinburgh is a magnificent city, but quietness is a rarity. Standing before these massive mountains and valleys the only sound was nature, and the occasional click of a camera. I spent this moment considering the great tragedy that took place in this beautiful area so long ago. The beauty is astonishing, but also haunting when you stop and think.

Loch Ness was pretty amazing. Because I'm a student here and feel so at home here in Edinburgh, I absolutely hate labelling myself as a tourist. But let's be honest, the moment I stepped out of the van at this massive, incredible body of water, my camera was out and we were posing with the Nessie stuffed animal our tour guide brought along. While there are many beautiful lakes in Scotland, this is definitely the most well-known so I was so excited to be able to see it in person instead of pictures! 

This tour, among others I've been on, taught me that Scotland truly has it all when it comes to nature, and even better, it is all so accessible. Scotland has historic cities with beautiful architecture, incredible mountains, valleys, and lakes, coastal towns along its borders, magnificent islands up north, and herds and herds of sheep visible on any drive outside the city. Really, what more could you ask for?

We stopped at so many lochs, I cannot remember which one this one was. It was our first stop and absolutely beautiful.

Glencoe

Nessie!

Loch Ness

PLEASE READ! It's currently 7:30 in the morning and I planned to go through and edit this post and add pictures. I'm about to leave for a trip to the Highlands, but I wanted to get a blog post up before I left. Sorry for any errors and the lack of pictures! Check back next week for some more edits and photos!

So sorry for the delay in postings! Between a wonderful visit from Mom and Dad, and the increasing amount of classwork and traveling, it's been hard to find the time! Next post will be about my weekend in Ireland, but this one will just fill in these past few weeks for you all!

Here's what I've been up to!

Loch Lomond trip:
A few weeks ago I went on a day trip with the Edinburgh Napier Senic Club (trips for International Students) to Loch Lomond, Aberfoyle, and Stirling. Loch Lomond is the largest loch (meaning "lake") by surface area in Scotland and sits at the southern edge of the Highlands. It was absolutely stunning. It's hard to describe its beauty and pictures simply do not do it justice, but here are a few anyway.

We stopped in Aberfoyle for lunch. It's a small little town with a main road of a few shops and restaurants. There was a big yard of sheep near where we ate. They were really fun to watch. In New York, when you're driving through the country side, you're likely going to see some cows and horses. Here, you're going to see large herds of sheep grazing in the fields. It's pretty cool.

The last stop was Stirling, where Stirling Castle is located. The castle had some spectacular views, but was very empty inside. There were also many renovations, so it didn't have that medieval feeling.

Edinburgh Castle:
At the beginning of the month, my Scottish Culture and Society class went to Edinburgh Castle! I was super excited for this, especially since the castle can be seen from many points around city centre, but I've yet to see the inside! It is easy to see from all over Edinburgh because it was built on a cliff, in order to use as a fortress and protect itself from any potential attacks. It was a fun combination of castle rooms as they once were long ago and museums. My favorite part was the 1pm cannon. A long time ago, a cannon was set off from the castle, overlooking the city. This cannon, which goes off every day exactly at 1pm, would alert people all over the city and fishermen out in the sea. They'd set their watches to this cannon so it was crucial that it was done precisely at the same time each day.

Glasgow:
A couple weeks ago we (Kat, Quynh, and I) spent a Saturday in Glasgow! Bus fare back and forth between there and Edinburgh is extremely inexpensive, 8 pounds (around 13 dollars). Glasgow has the largest population in Scotland, Edinburgh has the second largest. Glasgow reminded me much more of a city back home, though not as large and crazy as New York. It was much more metropolitan. The buildings were very modern and similar to Edinburgh, there were some areas that are specifically for pedestrians, except this city is not nearly as beautiful. Shopping is very popular. The malls are incredibly fancy and there are plenty of stores along the streets. We ate lunch at a neat little place called WokWay. I had a chicken and peanut noodle dish with sauce. Yum!

A funny thing about Glasgow is that despite its modernity, there are an incredible amount of men walking around in kilts and the full Scottish outfit than in Edinburgh. Since Edinburgh is an older city, I would have expected more traditional kilts there! The Scottish accent is also much stronger than in Edinburgh. We could definitely tell there was a bit of a difference.

Mom and Dad came to Edinburgh!
I loved showing them around this beautiful city! It was fun seeing them have the same reactions to this incredible city and all the sights that I had when I first got here. We spent a day in St. Andrews with stops in Fife, Falkland, and the Forth Bridge. It was neat to see all of these coastal towns in Scotland. St. Andrews is the oldest university in Scotland, founded in 1413! This is also where Prince William and Kate met! It was neat being in what felt very much like a college town! We also visited ruins of the castle and the St. Andrew's Cathedral. It was mind-blowing to consider how old all of these places are.
I was definitely excited to have them try haggis but the next day we all tried black pudding, another dish considered a Scottish delicacy. If you would like the description, feel free to google it. But I promise you, it's most definitely not related to chocolate pudding.
A few days before their arrival, I had climbed up Calton Hill, a beautiful hill at the end of Princes Street that is home to multiple monuments and spectacular views of all angles of the city. I went up there for the sunset and I can't imagine being there any other time, though I'm sure it's always beautiful. After returning from our day trip I brought them to see the views. After climbing Arthur's Seat and then also going to the top of this hill, I realized that these were the moments where I could take in the entire city from above, where there were no bus or taxi horns and other city noises. The peacefulness of these two hilltops allowed me the breathe it all in and be truly thankful to be in such a beautiful place. So, of course, I had to make sure Mom and Dad had this experience as well.
We had a fantastic few days and I was so happy to play tour guide for a few days!

Revelations, Realizations, and Sore Feet

It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves. - Sir Edmund Hillary

They say when you enter a new country, you will experience culture shock. Everything is new and different, your body is adjusting to the new time zone and your mind is taking in the new surroundings. When I arrived in Edinburgh, I definitely experienced some of these things. But it never really hit me that I was in a foreign country. Sure, I was a little jet lagged and of course the difference in the architecture was absolutely stunning, and the obvious difference in accents, currency, and driving, but I never had that shattering moment of realization that I was thousands of miles away from the security of my home, family, and school.

But then there are the moments where I'm hit with that full force of that realization. I am in a foreign country.

Because if I wasn't in a foreign country, I wouldn't have left the security of my flat and wandered through the streets on my own looking for new things, I wouldn't have had to use a map to find my way around, and I most certainly would not have climbed up rocks, dangerous steps and hiked up a steep mountain to see the view at the top. 

But I did do all of these things. I leave my flat which is slowly turning into home and venture out on my own to see what new things I can discover. The amount of walking I've been doing is incredible. Usually it's with friends, but there are some afternoons where I like to explore on my own. When I'm by myself, I tend to be more aware of things around me. I can focus solely on my surroundings, instead of the chatter of the company I'm usually with. I walked along a street called Bruntsfield Place, a pedestrian filled street lined with little shops, cafes, and bakeries. My favorite part about this particular street is that it is close to my flat complex and there is minimal touristy activity, unlike the streets of Old Town. In fact, I saw very few souvenir shops and more places where you can buy fine items made in Scotland and other parts of the UK. I'll definitely be coming back here to do some gift shopping. Because this is not a touristy area, shopkeepers and cashiers were more interested in talking to me and finding out where I was from than the cashiers in the typical souvenir shops of Old Town. There was one lady who asked where I was from. When I told her the U.S., she said "Oh you must really not want to leave here then!" At first I was taken aback, what did she just say? But then I slowly started to realize how I am in fact dreading leaving this place in two short months. I love the differences between here and the U.S., and I've become accustomed to the new accents, instead of my ears rejecting them, and I love the friendliness of this city. It's a different vibe than big cities in the U.S.. One of the most heartwarming things about Edinburgh is that while it is pretty common to see a number of homeless people on the main streets in the city, it is even more common to see people who stop and sit with them, sometimes play music, or offer some company. Homelessness is a problem here, but instead of rejecting it, people stop and offer a friendly smile or conversation.

The shopkeeper was right, I really don't want to leave. How do you leave such a beautiful place that is so quickly becoming your home? Because as I remember more and more bus routes and street names, I am slowly realizing as nervous as I was to be living on my own in a foreign city, I am very much capable of doing so. And I love it.

Last week, I had a startling revelation that I am in a foreign country. I know what you're all thinking, it took you a month?!? No, I've had the realizations before but this was bigger than those.

Last Wednesday afternoon, I joined the International Society, a new club started by a full-time Napier (ENU) student and some of the international students, on a hike up Arthur's Seat. The objective of the club is to do something different in Edinburgh once every week. Last week's event was to climb Arthur's Seat. The REAL Arthur's Seat! Not the small little section that Kat and I climbed a few weeks ago. It took about an hour and a quarter to get to the top, maybe a little less. But it was steep! Yikes!

We started with climbing up rocks to get to the ruins of St. Anthony's Chapel. There wasn't much left of it and I don't know too much about it, but it was really cool seeing something so old. I'll post a photo of the description. There was glass everywhere, old and no longer rough around the edges so we made the joke that instead of sea glass, it's Arthur's Seat glass!

We then began the hike from the ruins up to the very top of Arthur's Seat. Now, I'm not exactly a hiker. In fact, I'm never really inclined to climb anything resembling a large hill or mountain, well except for William Smith Hill. Sure, I love skiing down a mountain, but a ride to the top doesn't hurt.

I'm not exactly sure at which point I started silently praying for a chairlift to magically appear out of nowhere. Or a tow rope, or really anything resembling some sort of mechanism to pull me along. But alas, it was just me and a steep climb to the top. Slowly but surely I made it up. The last section to climb isn't a path like the rest of the hike. It's just a big rock formation with places to climb (with your hands too) to the very tippy top. The views were extraordinary along the way but when that last section of rock was conquered, the view at the top was incomparable. It was a 360 view that even a panorama photograph could not do justice to. I was torn between leaving my camera in my pocket and simply breathing in the fresh air and taking in the incredible views that I would never experience any where else and attempting to capture every angle and snap as many photos as I possibly could.

It was an out of body experience. No, seriously, my legs were so sore I really thought they were no longer there. But this incredible experience was meaningful in more ways than just the views at the top. I went from being the little six year old who wore braces on her ankles to help them develop, to the preteen who wasn't against piggy back rides and shortcuts, to the twenty year old who just climbed the very steep Arthur's Seat while abroad in a foreign country, two things I could not imagine happening to me even four years ago.

That was my revelation. I knew I am in a foreign country because I would never climb a mountain at home. I'd ski down one, sure, but never climb one. I did something that I told myself I probably wouldn't be able to do. And for the record, Arthur's Seat is often described as a large hill. I describe the William Smith hill, up to where I lived at HWS last year, a big hill. Arthur's Seat is a mountain, maybe a small one, but a mountain nonetheless. My feet agree.

So that was my big moment. Conquering that hike and making it to the top. I plan to do this hike a couple more times while I'm here, because it is tough to beat that feeling of pure joy and accomplishment. This is the epitome of the study abroad experience. They tell you, "go and immerse yourself in a brand new culture, meet new people, surprise yourself, and do something you've never done before." And so I did.

Photos from the top. More will be posted soon!

I wish photographs had the ability to capture the absolutely magnificent views, but they simply cannot do them justice.

 Looking down!

Beautiful Scotland.

Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve. - W. Clement Stone

Everything!

Live from Edinburgh, it's Friday night!

Okay, too much, I know. But if you didn't say it with the same enthusiasm as the SNL announcer does, then turn away now.

Here are some of the top things I've done in my three weeks here (can you believe it?!) so far!

Fresher's Week:
Instead of "Freshmen", first year students in the UK are called "Freshers". As international students, we were sort of thrown into this group and encouraged to participate in the numerous activities that are meant to introduce the freshers to "uni" life. Most of the events included drinking, parties and pub crawls. As you can imagine, this is very different from First Year Orientation at HWS! At the end of fresher's week was the Freshers Fair where you can sign up for various clubs (like sports and religious clubs and such). Whew, finally something that resembles HWS, the club expo (where you can sign up for the above mentioned clubs)! Wrong. At this event you were bombarded with coupons and entry passes and wristbands for nightclubs and drinks. Some club tables sat quietly passing out candy and asking you to sign up for their club (many of which had a membership fee, yikes!) But many students gravitated toward the tables handing out wristbands and coupons for free club entry and cheap drinks. Such a difference in culture!

What a perfect night for a ghost tour! For six pounds we were taken to various locations around the Royal Mile by a tour guide skilled in conducting ghost tours. We were also taken underground into the vaults that are beneath many of the buildings where criminals, poor people, and people sick with the plague once lived long ago. With no electricity and absolute silence (with the occasional beat of the music playing in the above pubs) it was very eery down there. The picture above is a building where many executions took place a long time ago. While it is interesting to live in a city where there is so much history, it is definitely scary to hear these stories.

September is ENU's 50th anniversary! To celebrate, there have been numerous events and one of them was Scottish Dancing! I decided to go and I met Quynh from Germany and Maelys from France. After watching the demonstration, it reminded me a little of the Irish Dancing I've seen a long time ago. I wasn't very good at the actual dancing part but it was fun to meet people and get a feel for the culture! They served cupcakes after the dancing. It was literally one of the best cupcakes I've ever had. 

                                      

Class: Napier has three main campuses, Craiglockhart, Sighthill, and Merchiston. My classes are at Craiglockhart and Sighthill. It's so completely different from HWS where students eat, sleep, and attend class all on the same campus. I'm still getting used to having to take a bus everywhere!

Craiglockhart - This is where I have "Scottish Culture and Society". In fact, see that egg-like thing with the big window? My class is in there!

Sighthill - This is where I have "Applied Psychology for Health and Wellbeing" and "Improving the Health and Wellness of People with Disabilities".

Independence Campaigning around the city:

To the right of this photo was the "campaign hub" so to speak. There were supporters for the yes and no sides talking to people as they walked by. The Scotsman newspaper had a table set up and some news stations were conducting interviews.

The day before the vote and the day of there was a band playing on Princes Street in this open space outside the Scottish Gallery. They were called The Spinning Blowfish and featured a bagpiper! I've included two videos. The first one shows some campaigning taking place. The second was cool because they dedicated this song to anybody who was in Scotland for the first time! You'll probably recognize the classic bagpipe tune.

Referendum Results: As you have already heard, Scotland voted against independence. Interestingly enough, while there was a noticeably larger amount of campaigning for the "Yes" vote, Edinburgh as a whole had a greater majority voting "no" as the final outcome. Some Scottish students recommended staying off the streets when the decision was declared to avoid the possibility of riots and drunk and angry citizens. While it was slightly humorous that this was their advice, it made the situation feel more real and intense. But, in the end, Edinburgh didn't have too much to worry about considering the outcome. Glasgow did, as a majority of that city voted "yes". The news showed riots and police being called in. We walked around Old Town/City Centre to see if anything was going on that night as the polls were closing and votes were being counted.

We didn't come across anything too exciting but we saw this. It was hard to tell exactly what it was but as you can see, a portion of the design these candles made is Scotland's flag. After asking around, we found out this was an event for the "No" vote supporters.

Haggis:

Can't scare me! Kat, Jaime (from Washington), Teiel (from Oregon), and I all ventured to a pub called Albanach's in pursuit of the infamous haggis! It wasn't as bad as we were expecting! In fact, Kat enjoyed it so much she had it for lunch later that week! The haggis is in the front, the neeps (turnips) is the yellow behind the oatcake and the tatties (potatoes) is the white. 

Edinburgh Dungeon:

Quynh and Maelys (from Scottish dancing) and I went to check out the Edinburgh Dungeon which is a popular tourist attraction. Actors and actresses take you on a journey into the past during the time of the plague, executions, witchcraft, and various crimes. It was incredibly freaky but after seeing ads for it on the back of our bus tickets for days, we had to check it out.

Quynh is on the left and Maelys is on the right

Portobello Beach:

Portobello Beach is a beautiful shore to the North Sea just outside of Edinburgh. While we still had semi-warm weather and it was a rare sunny day, we decided to check it out! We weren't disappointed! The water was chilly but feeling the sand between my toes and looking for shells brought me back to spring break in Venice, so I wasn't complaining. There was also a professional volleyball game going on, so there was entertainment as well!

Jenna - This photo is for you! "It's so nautical!"

Arthur's Seat:

Arthur's seat is a giant "hill" formation in Edinburgh that looks over the city. It's a hike, but the views are spectacular. Since I'm such an avid hiker and all (ha.) I decided I was going to make it my mission  to get to the top. I wanted to watch the sunset from there on a clear night, so last Sunday, after Portobello Beach, I decided to brave the hike and check it out. Kat and I made it to the top of what we thought was Arthur's Seat, but we think the bigger "hill" (I mean, I'd call it a small mountain, but okay.) behind where we were was the actual landmark. It was hard to tell but we didn't want to sound like complete tourists and ask our fellow sunset watchers.

This was the hill that we climbed. Again, it was a little high up to call it a hill!

A little steep!

Whew! Made it back to the bottom!

Definitely looking forward to going back and doing the hike to the "real" top but seeing the sunset over the city was absolutely magical.

Rosh Hashanah:

I celebrated the Jewish New Year with Sukkat Shalom. Sukkat Shalom is a liberal (basically reform) Jewish community in Edinburgh. It was really cool to experience a Rosh Hashanah service in a different country and fun to see the similarities! I met Jenna who was born in the U.S. but has lived in Ireland since she was young. She's a nursing student at Napier and it was awesome to not only meet another student, but one who attends the same university!

Cooking Endeavors:

I'm sure you've all been wondering how I've been fending for myself in the kitchen. Let's just say toast, cereal, and leftovers have become my new best friends. But I've been trying my best at making healthy and appetizing (most of the time) dinners!

Jenna and I went to a nearby grocery store called Lidl (pronounced "Little") earlier today. I was in desperate need of fresh produce and milk! I usually do my shopping at the main supermarkets Asda and Sainsbury's so I was happy to check out someplace new. Lidl had a wide variety of incredibly inexpensive produce! I was very happy walking home with an abundance of fruits and vegetables, ready to take on dinner in the kitchen.

Penne with garlic roasted squash and a spinach salad! Yum!

If you're still with me at this point, good for you! I know I've owed you all a good update and I hope this sufficed! Happy weekend, everybody! In the U.K., "Cheers" is basically Shalom. It means everything from goodbye, thanks, you're welcome, good luck, and so on. People say it all the time. When they're leaving class, getting off the bus, or saying hello to someone.

So, cheers!

But I'm still used to saying it with a drink in my hand.

50/50 and So Am I

It's super late considering I have a class tomorrow morning, but I figured it was important to share my two cents (excuse me, "two pence") worth on the Scottish Independence Referendum. Obviously, I am not eligible to vote, but I felt that it was important to form my own opinion within my first week and a half here before tomorrow's decision is announced. I spent a lot of time talking to different people here, some students and many citizens who I've met on the streets at campaign events. The number one thing they have in common despite their different views? Their love for this country. It's so obvious that every person who is hardcore campaigning or simply sharing their views loves Scotland with all their heart.
Based on the recent newscasts, Scotland was split almost 50/50 before today's voting began. I believe the last numbers were 48 for Yes and 52 for No. I'm in the middle. I'm not a citizen and I haven't been here nearly long enough to understand everything that's at stake with either a yes or no vote. I don't fully understand this culture yet and it would be wrong to say that a week is sufficient time to form a solid opinion.
Main argument for the "No, thanks"/"Better Together" side: Scotland can't survive on their own as an independent country. The economy wouldn't be strong enough. People, students especially, want to have all the resources and opportunities that being a part of the UK comes with.
Main argument for the "Yes" side: Obviously, these supporters feel Scotland would be fine on their own. A man who I spoke to at a "Yes" campaign on Princes Street said he believes they have a strong food and drink export and renewable resources which will stay with them forever. He also believes they have the same access to oil and gas resources per head as the rest of the UK. He also said Scotland wants the opportunity to be able to change economic, employment and fiscal policy. I'm not going to lie, I didn't fully understand a lot of what he was talking about since understanding the economy is not my forte. But he was passionate and he was willing to talk to me with full awareness that I was unable to vote and speaking to me would not change any outcome, no matter how small. That was the best part about listening to him.
So, where do I stand? I don't! My opinion is that whatever happens, this is a turning point in history. I think people of both views have enough passion to better this country no matter the outcome. I think a "no" vote would be very safe and probably wouldn't have too many negative outcomes in the long run. I think a "yes" vote would be extremely exciting and it would be interesting to see how Scotland fares on its own. Both sides have extremely valid arguments. Half and half. That's my answer. I don't feel qualified to state a formal opinion but I can't wait for the outcome tomorrow! Sorry if this is just a ton of rambling! It's pretty late but I wanted to post this before the final outcome first thing in the morning! See you all on the flip side!

Hi from Edinburgh! This first week has flown by and I find it hard to believe that it'll be a week tomorrow that we were on our way to the airport! Edinburgh is an absolutely beautiful city. It's a delightful combination of new and old, with modern stores making homes in historic buildings with beautiful architecture. Instead of talking about it, I've included some photos from some of my many walks around Old Town, what they call the section of Edinburgh where Edinburgh Castle, Princes Street, Royal Mile and other streets are located. Princes Street is a popular street that is home to many pubs and shops and the Royal Mile is a street filled with shops and bagpipers that leads up to the stunning Edinburgh Castle. While the whole city is beautiful, this section of Edinburgh is particularly magical. 

I live in a very nice and almost brand new complex called Bainfield Place. Each of the seven buildings within the complex are named after a famous hill in Scotland. I live in Blackford Hill House, but I have yet to actually see or hear of this famous Blackford Hill :) The flats are very new and modern and I have my own room and bathroom! I will post pictures soon! 

There are very distinct reminders that I'm in a foreign country, thousands of miles from home, like the driving on the left side of the road, and the driver's seat and steering wheel being positioned on the right side of the car instead of the left. I think the funniest thing has been seeing all these people in what I would believe to be the driver's seat of the cars. It's especially funny when it's a six year old girl with a bag of chips ("crisps" as they're referred to here!) in her lap. It was my first day here when I saw that and I nearly had a heart attack. Even as I feel as though I'm starting to become acclimated to the differences, I still look twice at passing cars when I see someone out of place sitting on the "driver's side". 

I'm slowly becoming acquainted with the bus system, which is good news considering that besides walking, it is my main mode of transportation here. Old Town is just a five minute bus ride away which makes seeing the beautiful sights very easy to do every day! The bus is also how I'll be getting to the two campuses where I'll be taking my classes and how I get to the grocery store. 

I'll be updating again within the next few days with more details about what I did my first week here but this is it for now, as I have to wake up bright and early to meet one of my professors tomorrow morning! Enjoy the pictures below! Bye for now!

Edinburgh Castle can be seen from all angles from different parts of Old Town. This is one of my favorite views because of the gorgeous green grass and the cliff.

Friendly street reminders in the more touristy parts of Old Town!

First real bagpiper we saw!

The architecture is absolutely stunning.

Fáilte!

Fáilte is Scottish Gaelic for "Welcome!"

Welcome to Good Girl Gone Plaid, where I will chronicle my journey studying abroad for the next four months at Edinburgh Napier University (ENU) in Edinburgh, Scotland! While the primary language spoken in Edinburgh is English, I hope to learn some key phrases in Scottish Gaelic.

I am a junior at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in the small city of Geneva, NY. HWS is a liberal arts college where I am studying to become a Child Life Specialist, doing therapeutic work with families and children in hospitals. HWS is a beautiful but small campus. One of the reasons I am both incredibly excited and nervous to be studying abroad in Scotland's capital is that I will no longer have the luxury of rolling out of bed and having a five minute walk to class. I will need to become familiar with Edinburgh's bus transportation system very quickly as it will be my primary mode of transportation between my flat and the campuses where I will be taking my classes. I will be living in a flat with other ENU students and some of my fellow HWS abroad students. The flat is self-catering meaning, well, no Saga. I will either come out of this with newfound independence in the kitchen, or I will become even more skilled at making pb and j than I already am! Wish me luck! 

I don't have any overseas international travel experience, so every part of this trip will be new to me. The nerves are kicking in but the buzz of excitement is ever so present. They're definitely balancing each other out! Having a sense of caution is good, but I hope once I arrive and start to become acquainted with Scottish culture and life in Edinburgh, caution will turn into curiosity. I cannot wait to take it all in. 

With less than two days until departure, packing is becoming more and more stressful. There's a lot to do between now and Friday afternoon! Look out for my first post from Edinburgh sometime next week!