About a month ago I embarked on a solo journey to Edinburgh, Scotland to study for a semester. Before this I spent three months in Everson, Washington doing a wildlife rehabilitation internship, one of the most empowering and humbling experiences I've ever had.
| ||
Prior to leaving for Edinburgh, I stopped in Glen Gardner, New Jersey, a small town where I'm from. I hadn't been home for seven months. I could feel a shift in my family, like an opening that hadn't been there before. All that time away a change had happened in myself, along with a push forward in my family.
On September 5th, my dad dropped me off at Newark airport, and we hugged goodbye. While waiting for my flight I could feel my stomach churning, nerves I suppose. Funny thing was my flight was delayed for lavatory issues..
While sitting in the airport I could not quite grasp that I was leaving. I had known this day was coming for a while but it still felt so surreal. I had traveled alone to Costa Rica, but I met other Americans at the airport. This time I was going to be switching flights and going through customs alone, not knowing anyone ahead of time. But that was one of the best parts, starting somewhere with no attachments.
I couldn't sleep very much on the plane, feeling a mix of excitement, nerves, and anticipation. Soon enough I arrived in Paris and made my connection to Edinburgh.
My luggage didn't make it to Edinburgh. Before I left America I donated a bunch of stuff, feeling lighter. At this point it was mostly just stuff to me. Yet, it is a comfort to have your luggage with you. Anyways, it made it to me eventually. Shortly after I took a shuttle organized by my program to my student accommodation. Turns out six of my flat mates are American and one Scottish. We quickly all got on very well.
 |
| Bainfield Place, home sweet home |
Together we hiked Arthur's seat, explored the city, and hit the pubs. The week we arrived was "freshers week" which consisted of pub crawls, night clubs, and other events. Not anything like a typical fresher week in America, I mean we can't even legally drink until 21!
 |
| Flatmate fun |
 |
| Oktoberfest in Edinburgh, 2pint German beer |
 |
| Getting ready for the next pub, sporting our "fresher" shirts |
In the weeks to come I did some exploring of the city on my own and hiked up Calton Hill. You can find this at the end of Princes street. The Nelson monument can be seen from Princes street, situated on top on the grassy hill. It serves as a memorial for Admiral Horatio Nelson who died in the battle of Trafalgar. The monument played a big role in helping captain's navigate their ships. It contained a time ball that dropped at precisely one o'clock each day. The gun
I still had a yearning to do something bigger and to push myself further out of my comfort zone. I pondered a few trips in my mind.
 |
| Nelson Monument |
No comments:
Post a Comment