Two weeks after arriving in Scotland, I've decided to actually go through with a blog detailing my time abroad. I can't promise that I'll post often, or that my posts will be interesting, but at least it's something to keep my mom happy between our weekly skype chats ;).
So a lot has happened the past two weeks that- to be completely honest- I'm way too lazy to detail so I'll hit the high points and try to keep up frequent posts from here on out.
The basics: I'm living in a 4 person flat which has a great location in Edinburgh. It is a 5 minute walk to all my classes/the grocery store, but, more importantly, it's the street that all the bars are on! Needless to say I have been woken up on more than one occasion when the bars let out at 3am, but on the plus side I will hopefully have broken my habit of being a light sleeper once this is all over.
Another plus to my flat: It is completely self-catered, which means I should be able to cook once my 4 months are up. Originally I feared that this would mean I would spend 4 months eating pasta and grilled cheese, but I have already successfully defrosted chicken and made stir fry! We will skip over the part where I tell you how many times I’ve made grilled cheese though…
So far, I LOVE Scotland. Truthfully, it has greatly succeeded my expectations. I was told by just about everyone that it was going to be cold, wet and raining all the time- basically I expected a dreary, unhappy place. However, I’ve had many more sunny days than rainy ones- from what I’ve heard I’ve also had many more sunny days than Jersey and DC- so I can’t complain there. And although it is colder than the east coast, I guess I can deal with temperatures between 55-60.
Even though I don’t have the time or the patience to describe everything I’ve been doing- and you don’t have the attention span- I’m going to give you a list of things I’ve done, seen, eaten, or experienced for the first time. I’ll try to keep this running through all my blog posts, and hopefully I’ll continue to do new things every day !
List of Firsts: Brussels, Belgium -- Edinburgh, Scotland --The highlands (gorgeous- I’ll try to include pictures)—Gone grocery shopping by myself—cooked chicken by myself—watched a Scottish premier league ̶s̶o̶c̶c̶e̶r̶ football game (some of the most intense fans I have ever seen)—danced the traditional Scottish dance called Ceilidh (pronounced cailee)- saw S Club ̶7̶ 3 perform live (remember the 90’s?)- spontaneously booked a ticket on ryanair- skyped my parents- had my first legal drink at a bar- taken a dancing class that wasn’t jazz or ballet- cried over the exchange rate
I’m only joking about the last one- well half joking at least. I’m sure there are many more that I can’t think of right now, but I’ll just include them in my next post. I’ve met a lot of great people so far that I am already starting to become friends with- some American, some European, some full-time students, some study abroad- but everyone here is extremely nice and I know I am going to have a great semester.
Coming up in the week ahead- Classes start tomorrow! Almost forgot why I was really here with all the craziness of the past two weeks but I really am ready to start class and get into a routine. I mapped out the distance between two of my buildings though and I have a solid 15 minute walk that I’m going to have to accomplish in 10 minutes every week. Good thing I brought my running shoes!
Also- PARIS next weekend! I’m extremely excited to start my travels and break out the one pair of shorts I brought with me!
I hope this post finds everyone back home in the states well! Sorry about the probably numerous grammar/spelling mistakes but proof-reading is overrated and everyone knows I can’t spell!
L, Natalie
PS- The ratio of references to the Jersey Shore vs Bruce Springsteen after I tell people I’m from New Jersey is 4-1… Truly pathetic.
PPS- Notice that I didn't include eat haggis in my list of firsts. Anyone want to place bets on whether or not it will actually happen?
So a lot has happened the past two weeks that- to be completely honest- I'm way too lazy to detail so I'll hit the high points and try to keep up frequent posts from here on out.
The basics: I'm living in a 4 person flat which has a great location in Edinburgh. It is a 5 minute walk to all my classes/the grocery store, but, more importantly, it's the street that all the bars are on! Needless to say I have been woken up on more than one occasion when the bars let out at 3am, but on the plus side I will hopefully have broken my habit of being a light sleeper once this is all over.
Another plus to my flat: It is completely self-catered, which means I should be able to cook once my 4 months are up. Originally I feared that this would mean I would spend 4 months eating pasta and grilled cheese, but I have already successfully defrosted chicken and made stir fry! We will skip over the part where I tell you how many times I’ve made grilled cheese though…
So far, I LOVE Scotland. Truthfully, it has greatly succeeded my expectations. I was told by just about everyone that it was going to be cold, wet and raining all the time- basically I expected a dreary, unhappy place. However, I’ve had many more sunny days than rainy ones- from what I’ve heard I’ve also had many more sunny days than Jersey and DC- so I can’t complain there. And although it is colder than the east coast, I guess I can deal with temperatures between 55-60.
Even though I don’t have the time or the patience to describe everything I’ve been doing- and you don’t have the attention span- I’m going to give you a list of things I’ve done, seen, eaten, or experienced for the first time. I’ll try to keep this running through all my blog posts, and hopefully I’ll continue to do new things every day !
List of Firsts: Brussels, Belgium -- Edinburgh, Scotland --The highlands (gorgeous- I’ll try to include pictures)—Gone grocery shopping by myself—cooked chicken by myself—watched a Scottish premier league ̶s̶o̶c̶c̶e̶r̶ football game (some of the most intense fans I have ever seen)—danced the traditional Scottish dance called Ceilidh (pronounced cailee)- saw S Club ̶7̶ 3 perform live (remember the 90’s?)- spontaneously booked a ticket on ryanair- skyped my parents- had my first legal drink at a bar- taken a dancing class that wasn’t jazz or ballet- cried over the exchange rate
I’m only joking about the last one- well half joking at least. I’m sure there are many more that I can’t think of right now, but I’ll just include them in my next post. I’ve met a lot of great people so far that I am already starting to become friends with- some American, some European, some full-time students, some study abroad- but everyone here is extremely nice and I know I am going to have a great semester.
Coming up in the week ahead- Classes start tomorrow! Almost forgot why I was really here with all the craziness of the past two weeks but I really am ready to start class and get into a routine. I mapped out the distance between two of my buildings though and I have a solid 15 minute walk that I’m going to have to accomplish in 10 minutes every week. Good thing I brought my running shoes!
Also- PARIS next weekend! I’m extremely excited to start my travels and break out the one pair of shorts I brought with me!
I hope this post finds everyone back home in the states well! Sorry about the probably numerous grammar/spelling mistakes but proof-reading is overrated and everyone knows I can’t spell!
L, Natalie
PS- The ratio of references to the Jersey Shore vs Bruce Springsteen after I tell people I’m from New Jersey is 4-1… Truly pathetic.
PPS- Notice that I didn't include eat haggis in my list of firsts. Anyone want to place bets on whether or not it will actually happen?
Yay! I'm so glad you have a blog!
ReplyDelete