First: Scotland is DARK. I got up my first day to go find food and some little things I needed for my flat (aka apartment). I left my flat right after 8 in the morning and it looked like it could of been the middle of the night. Also, it rains. Which isn’t bad but the rain is always coming down in that drizzle where you don’t realize you’re getting wet until you’re soaked. At one point the wind was so bad that sleet was just striking me in the face. But, that all quickly disappeared to a pretty, yet cold, sunny day.

I discovered that the Aldi’s close to my university was closed and the next closest one was a long walk away. Instead, I decided to walk the 8 minutes to Lidl, something that was somewhat familiar. A big difference between Scotland and the US is that you have to pay to use the plastic bags, otherwise you can just use a reusable bag. However, groceries are very cheap. After shopping at Lidl, I decided to grab breakfast at McDonald’s since it was one of the few places I recognized. The menu was very different from the menu that America has. I was able to get a toasted bagel with cream cheese. The drink machine is actually behind the counter so you cannot serve yourself. As well, there is a charge if you get a bag there too.

Walking back to campus was super pretty. The sun had come out and I was able to actually get a look at all of the amazing architecture that Scotland has to offer. It’s quite odd because there’s all these old, beautiful buildings but sometimes a random, modern building might be thrown in. Also, random businesses are in these old beautiful buildings. The apple store is in a gorgeous, brown building that looks straight out of a fairy tale. The other thing I noticed was that everyone carries a backpack. I watched businessmen rush by with backpakcs on, teenagers and families too. It might have to do with the no bags thing that everyone is constantly carrying something that could be used to carry your items you buy.

Also, Scotland is super hilly. The university resides right at the top of the hill so you have two options to get down from it: a huge set of stairs or a huge hill. Sadly, I have yet to decide which is worse. Since everything is in walking distance we walk everywhere which means the hill and stairs are taken quite often. This is the first half of the staircase back up to my flat:Just a few more shots around Scotland. The first one is a shot from my first night out. There was an international student meet up at the bar and then we went in search of food. This is a pedestrian street with multiple bars on it and restaurants open late. I ordered mozerella sticks and the best way I could describe it is interesting. The cheese was very different from America. It was much more creamier and the breading was less. The second picture is from one of the many streets in Glasgow with tons of shopping. We found a Lush, Nike, Under Armour, Apple store, among other things in this area. Also, if you continue walking up the street you run into their mall which covers a large expanse. Tomorrow’s goal is to explore the mall and see what it is like!Lastly, the amount of steps and stairs I am getting is insane. This is just from my first day and by noon I had hit 10,000 steps. I will definitely be interested to see how my steps pan out for the semester. Who needs a gym when you can just walk the hills of Scotland?

Bon Voyage!

I have safely arrived in Scotland with only a few bumps in the road. The two things I’ve learned while flying by myself is A. I am easily embarassed and B. It’s hard doing it yourself. I had to ask at every flight to make sure I was boarding in the right group and sitting in the right seat. For the most part I have only ever flown on Southwest and I have learned they do flying a lot differently then other airlines. Once on the plane I even had to have people help me put my bags up because I was juggling too much stuff. I’ve only ever flown by myself once when I went to Chicago for a month to stay with my grandparents. Then, I carried only one carry on suitcase and a backpack. This time I added a large suitcase into the mix plus the struggle of going through customs. I kid you not, I got lost in the Ireland airport like five times. It made absolutely no sense. And everyone has such a thick accent that you can only somewhat tell what they’re saying.

Somehow, I made it to Scotland and actually found my bus to Glasgow quite easily. The main issue was trying to get my heavy, large suitcase off the conveyor belt. I also used Uber for the first time! I was on the wrong side of the road and we couldn’t figure out where the building I needed to go was all while it was drizzling rain but I still made it!

My room:

The flat (apartment) is the easy part. I have three keys to keep track off, one letting me into the building, one letting me into the flat, and the other letting me into my room. Although small, my room is pretty nice and the desk is long so I was able to put multiple things out when I sat down. It looks very bland right now but I’m hoping to put up some new polaroid pictures soon. The jet lag has yet to hit (surprisingly) but that could also be because I made myself stay up for the most of my travel, only taking small naps on the plane. Guess we’ll see as the days go on. Hopefully, I will soon learn how to travel better by myself. Tomorrow seems to be a day of information sessions and other international students but I’ll hopefully have more fun adventures soon!!

Bon Voyage!

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton

Today is the day! I will be beginning my study abroad journey today, starting with a flight out of Raleigh, NC. I’m all packed (maybe a little overpacked, oops) and ready for my flight. 12:30 pm tomorrow, Scotland time, I will be in Edinburgh, getting ready to board a bus to my University. Once there I will have my first look at the flat I will be staying in for five months. Dependent on if my flatmates are international students or not I might not meet them for another week.

As a student of the Lloyd International Honors College, I will be bringing my Welsh dragon, Sorcha, with me and documenting her in my travels. The Welsh Dragon is the mascot of the Honors College and each honors student receives one before they travel abroad. Sorcha has her own instagram, @sorchathedragon, for her pictures to be posted there. Later in the semester, Sorcha and I will also have a blog post on the Honors College blog page!

For now, there’s not much to say, seeing as I am still in the States. Keep an eye on this website as well as my Instagram and Facebook to see all my adventures with study abroad. Here’s to hoping for safe, quick travel (and not getting stuck in any airports!).

Bon Voyage for now!