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.
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
