It is coming to an end.

The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind, and to be honest, some parts have felt dream-like. After finishing with exams and presentations I celebrated with friends over another barbecue and drinks. We have been living it up the best we can as our time comes to an end. Amber and I made a day trip to the highlands last week. This included Glencoe, Fort William, and Fort Augustus. We took time to wade into the murky waters Loch Ness and have a picnic lunch on the banks while we kept an eye out for Nessie. Allison came to visit on Wednesday last week and we went out with all the Scottish boys Thursday. Some of them were kind enough to wear their kilts for us as a going away present. I had to begin the goodbyes Friday night as Amber departed Saturday. It is the strangest feeling, as I don't really know Edinburgh without her, we have been together since day one. Saturday, Allison, Morgan, my flatmate Bex and I went to the Edinburgh 7s rugby Festival. This has been the cause of what could become a potentially unhealthy addiction. The festival consisted of 16 international teams. Morgan and I were lucky enough to meet most of them while we were out Sunday evening (I'd think it was a dream if I didn't have a few pictures to prove it.). Morgan and I didn't go to sleep Sunday night and got in line for free tickets to see Paolo Nutini. The concert last night was amazing, and I managed to fight my way to the 2nd row of the crowd. Dad arrived today and I will be spending the rest of the week sharing my amazing city. Less than a week left, and it is feeling very surreal.

Last week of work.

This is my last week of work at Napier. I have a paper the coincides with a 20 minute presentation as well as an exam this week. Once that is completed my studies here will be over. I have been spending a lot of time on these as well as the final assessment I had due last week. Last Wednesday I went to Glasgow for the afternoon, and we went for dinner at the Todd's again. Friday and Saturday I celebrated with my friends on their completion of their degrees at the Edinburgh College of Art. The weather last week as beautiful, warm and sunny all week. Some friends of mine and I had a barbeque in the Meadows, a park near my flat. Everyone is busy wrapping up and preparing themselves to come home.
Only 3 more weeks. I am not happy about this.

Paris and Munich

Selected photos from Paris and Munich have been uploaded to webshots. It takes a couple of hours to up load just 30 or so pictures so the others will follow in time.

Sorry it has been a while...

Sorry everyone for the lack of updates. However, I haven't been up to much worth writing about the last week or so. Yesterday, I went on a field trip with my Scottish culture class to St. Andrews, the home of golf. We were only there for a few hours but we saw the Old Course and a few other sites of interest around the city.
I also booked my plane ticket home, and I would be lying if I said that I was happy about it. Nonetheless, I will be back in Asheville on June 8.

Photos

As a side note, there are almost 800 photos. Therefore, it could be a while before many of them are uploaded. But I promise they will come.

Spring Break

The last 17 days were a whirlwind, and the most amazing experience of my life. I won't be able to share all the stories because there are just too many, but I will try my best to include everything I did.

Paris: Day 1: We just wandered around for the first day saw the outside of the Louvre and went up the Champs de Elysee, and saw the Eiffel Tower from afar. We used the evening to go see the Moulin Rouge in the red light district before having an early night with a 2euro bottle of wine.
Day 2: We went on a free walking tour and saw Notre Dame, Place St. Michael, had some bridges and stuff explained to us. We also went up in the Eiffel Tower and went to the Louvre where we saw the Mona Lisa and the statue of Aphrodite. We sat in a little cafe for desert where we had creme brulee.
Day 3: We went on a boat tour up and down the Seine and had lunch on the Champs de Mar (the lawn in front of the eiffel tower). Then we went to catch the train to Munich where we ran into two of my roommates from home. This was completely unplanned, and unexpected. We ended up being on the same train, in the same car, in the compartment next to them.

Munich: Day 1: First we went on a free walking tour of the city, later we met up with amber's friend Taylor and everyone went on the Munich beer challenge. This consisted of 3 liters of beer and a shot of jaeger if you drank everything they suggested, I only had 2 liters of beer and the shot -- luckily no hang over.
Day 2: We went Neuschwanstein Castle in the alps with some of the people we met on the beer challenge. This is the castle that is said to be the inspiration for the Disney castles. The castle was about 2 hours from Munich and that is where we spent our whole day. We decided not to go inside, which was fine because we were later told it wasn't worth it. The alps were absolutely beautiful, and everything was exactly how you would picture Bavaria.
Day 3: We just explored the city on our own and had Bavarian stew which was delicious. We also went to a biergarten that evening.
Day 4: We went on a free bike tour around the city which took us to a nude meadow and yet another biergarten. We also went and saw Munich's Olympic Park.

Rome:Day 1: We went to the Vatican first which took about 3 hours to see. This included St. Peters Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. Then we had our first serving of gelato which is AMAZING, American ice cream will no longer do. Then we worked our way to the Spanish Steps. Here we unexpectedly ran into some guys we know who are studying in Glasgow and made plans to meet up later to go out. Then we went to the Trevi Fountain, where I made several wishes. We met up with guys for a pub crawl later- I think this is self explanatory.
Day 2: We went to the Colosseum, Palitine Hill, and the Forum. We went back later that night to see the Colosseum lit up and had gelato at the Trevi Fountai.
Day 3: We explored some parts of the city that had been recommended to us by girls we met in Munich. We happened upon a really cool little market and some other interesting sites we wouldn't have seen otherwise.

Florence: Day 1: We arrived in Florence around dinner time, and met up with again for gelato. The first full day we went to a market with the girls before their train and then went to Pisa for the afternoon. In Pisa we took the typical cliche pictures holding up the tower and looked around at more markets. That night we just relaxed in the hostel with another 2 euro bottle of wine made in Tuscany.
Day 2: We went to a park on the edge of the city that offered great views of the city and then caught our train for a connection in Milan before going to Barcelona

Barcelona: Day 1: We spent our morning exploring Barcelona's Olympic Park before meeting up with Taylor and Lena, who we stayed with. They took us to a couple of cathedrals and the city center. We went to a market, a couple of vintage shops and we had a sort of random dinner and went out that night to a bar where we had mojito's.
Day 2: We went to the beach for a couple of hours and then went to Segrada Familia, which is a cathedral designed by Gaudi that has been being built since the late 1800 and still is not finished. That evening we mostly just relaxed because Taylor and Lena both had exams the next day.
Day 3: We went to the beach again and then up to Park Gual, a park designed by Gaudi. That night i had paella for dinner with sangria, later we went out on a bit of a pub crawl with some of Taylor and Lena's friends.

Madrid: Day 1: We spent our afternoon in Madrid visiting an art gallery and saw the Guernica by Picasso, along with a lot of other works by him and works by Dali. That evening we went to a little sangria bar someone we met in Rome told us about and it was very delicious.
Day 2: Our full day in Madrid we explored the city and saw the palace, main cathedral, a few famous squares, the oldest restaurant in the world, the only statue the exists of Satan and some other sites. That evening/afternoon we went on a tapas experience-- we went to 4 tapas bars where we tried traditional foods and more sangria. After that we went with the people on our tour to the sangria bar from the night before, before heading to the airport for the night.

We got back to Edinburgh around 1 on Sunday, and I plan on catching up on munch needed rest for the next few days. Our trip was an absolutely amazing experience and I hope I have the chance to go back to some of these cities and spend more time enjoying what they have to offer.

Spring Break

I leave for spring break in less than 12 hours. Internet access will be very limited so look for updates sometime after April 26 when I get back. Our itinerary is Paris(9-11), Munich(12-15), Rome(16-18), Florence(19-20), Barcelona(21-23), and Madrid(24-26). We have a really busy schedule but it will be extremely worth it!


See you guys in 2 1/2 weeks!!

Newcastle

I spent the day Saturday in Newcastle, England...home to the brown ale. We took an early train and arrived there at about 9:30. In Gateshead, an adjacent town, is the Angle of the North. This is a massive steel sculpture the height of 4 double-deck-er buses, and with a wing span of a jumbo jet. The best thing I can compare it to is the statue of liberty. When you see it, you know its big, but your mind just cannot process the immense size.
After visiting the statue we just spent time wandering around the city and looking at shops, until time for the Newcastle United vs. Chelsea football (soccer) match. This was my first European football match and it was crazy, something I will never forget. The atmosphere is similar to that of an American football game...on steroids. Everyone in the stadium knew about 10-15 different chants, don't ask me what any of them were I have no clue what they were saying. The only words I could make out were the cuss words. Chelsea won 2-0.
We ended up sitting in a pub for a few hours after the game waiting for our train home, where we met some very interesting characters. Football hooligans! These guys were Chelsea fans, and they were steamin (drunk). One of them was chanting the entire ride home, and the others were slurring their words so much I had a hard time understanding what they were saying. They talked to us for a bit about America and argued with us over which country is better.

Newcastle was an awesome time, and I will never forget my first football match in Europe.

Cramond, and spring break

First I must say the weather here has been absolutely beautiful the past couple of days. It has been sunny and between 50-65 degrees all week.

Tuesday, Amber and I took advantage of this beautiful weather and went to a village, on the Firth of Forth, called Cramond. This is a small fishing village where the River Almond joins with the forth. There is also an island (Cramond Island) just off the shore. When the tide is out there is a mile long causeway you can walk down to access the island which was used during the first and second world wars. The island has many remains from the former base including, barracks, and artillary and amunition store houses. Unfortunatly, many teens have taken out their teenage angst on the buildings covering them in graffiti. Once safely back ashore we got ice cream at a small cafe along the river promenade. We followed a nature trail along the river for about a mile before ending up back in civilization a mile from the closest bus stop.

Today, Amber and I booked all the travel for our spring break trip. We will be taking mostly night trains throughout Europe for 2 1/2 weeks. Our itenerary includes Paris, Munich, Rome, Florence, Barcelona, and Madrid. I am extremely excited and feel so lucky that I have this opportunity.

Scottish Naitonal Galleries

Today, Amber and I visited the Scottish National Galleries. We set off on an adventure to find the gallery of modern art just outside of city center. We have taken to no longer carrying maps around with us in Edinburgh, so it was a bit of an adventure. However the two of us have a sense for walking around cities and finding interesting things, typically exactly what we are in search of, without the use of a map. This was the case today. At the gallery of modern art we saw some Andy Warhol, Salvador Dali, Alex Katz, and Damien Hirst. We then made our way back to the National Gallery at the Mound in city center. Here we saw Monet, Van Gogh, Raphael, Picasso, among others. And it was all free!

So it has been a while

Sorry to have not updated recently, but there has not been much of great interest going on since Ireland. I went out on St. Paddy's day with some friends to our favorite pub, where I acquired a lovely Guinness hat. Friday I saw an operetta at the theater a couple of blocks from me, unfortunately I can't recall the name. I enjoyed it, however, it was difficult to understand what they were singing in several of the songs. I am not sure if this is due to the accent, or the way in which the music was sung. For the last week I have been working on 2 very long papers. Yes, I occasionally actually have to do work here. Sadly, they assign their papers by word count, not pages, which makes them seem like much more daunting tasks. In celebration of finishing my papers yesterday, Amber and I baked some delicious chocolate chip cookies, and ate a lot of sweets.
Over the next few days I will probably be taking it easy, maybe do a little shopping because everyone is having mid-season sales, and I have a few coupons (gotta have my coups!). I've already accumulated a lot of stuff, it is going to be interesting trying to get everything home.

Other future plans: A group of us have gotten tickets to the Newcastle vs. Chelsea football match next weekend, so that should be really exciting. Also, we are still in the process of booking everything for spring break and securing transportation, I will keep you posted as we finalize our itinerary.

photos

IRELAND PICTURES UP NOW the link is on the left side of the page!

IRELAND

4 days and 200 Euros later, I have returned from Ireland.

We arrived Thursday evening in Dublin and spent 1 night there. We met up with friends we had made at the hostel who live nearby and they took us out for a night on the town. Everything here is SO expensive compared to Edinburgh (and the US as well). I enjoyed my first pint of Guiness, which took me an hour or more to drink because it's so heavy. When we left the bar, which was in the Temple Bar area of town (where U2 got their start) we witnessed 2 heroine addicts getting arrested. The girl was kicking and spitting on the cop and calling him a wankey bastard. This is what they call street theater. We then went to a heavy metal club, this wasn't really my scene but an interesting experience nonetheless.

Friday morning we took a free 3 hour walking tour of Dublin. We crossed the Haypenny and O'Connell bridges. The O'Connell bridge is wider than it is long, and one of the few like this in the world. We saw the Dublin Castle, which looks more like a palace these days due to the original burning down. We saw viking remains, gardens, protesters.

Following the tour we got on a 3 1/2 hour bus ride headed for Galway. Our bus broke down 3 times a long the way, so it ended up being 4 1/2. Upon arrival we checked into Nimmos hostel. If you have ever seen the hostel scene during the credits of Eurotrip, that's exactly what this place was like. The little old man in charge was adorable, but had no records of reservations, how much you owed, or even how many beds were left in each room. The dorm rooms didn't lock, there was no hot water, and we are pretty sure the sheets hadn't been washed in a while either.
We went out to a few pubs but called it an early night so that we could make the most of Saturday.
Galway is what you most likely picture a seaside Irish town to look like. We made our own walking tour based on where the tour bus went. We saw a few smaller cathedrals, a local farmers market, the birth place of Claddagh (ring), and a mess of cute tourist shops.
Sunday we went on a day tour of the Burren, a huge limestone area, and the Cliffs of Moher. It was so beautiful on the Irish country side
We caught a midnight bus back to the Dublin airport, arriving a little after 3am, and sat around until our 6:25 flight back to Edinburgh.
It was a long, expensive weekend, but worth every bit of it!

Uneventful week

The past week has been largely uneventful.
Tuesday Amber and I went to the Museum of Childhood. They have a bunch of really old toys from the past...but you don't get to play with any of them. We also went to the Museum of Edinburgh where we saw the dog bowl and collar of Greyfriar's Bobby.
Wednesday we went Edinburgh Castle for a second time with out Scottish culture class. This time audio guides were included in our tour so we learned a lot more about what we were seeing than we did the previous trip.
Last night it was my friend Johns birthday. We went to a place called Ricks Bar for dinner (which was all paid for). This was possibly the fanciest meal I have ever been to. For an appetizer I had crab cakes with a mayonnaise dressing and small salad, and for the main course I had a ribeye steak with cheese sauce and homemade chips(fries). Then we all headed to a club.

I leave Thursday afternoon for Ireland! I will be spending Thursday evening and Friday in Dublin. Friday evening I will take a bus to Galway and stay there until late Sunday evening. We will fly back from Dublin at 6:45 Monday morning. Unfortunatly we won't be there for St. Pattys Day, but we have been told by multiple Irishmen that it's a weeklong party.

An adventure in Stirling

For those of you who were wondering, the pancakes are not as good.

Thursday, Amber and I went to the beach. We took a bus for about 15 minutes and ended up at Portobello Beach. It wasn't what you are all likely picturing. The waves were nearly non-existent and the beach itself was pretty dirty. But nonetheless its still the beach, and still gives you that same euphoric feeling. We have since been informed that there are much nicer beaches, and hopefully we will get to visit them when it gets a bit warmer here.

Friday, Amber and I went to Stirling. We went to see the William Wallace (Braveheart) monument and Stirling Castle. We barely made it to the bus station in time to catch our bus, and then promptly fell asleep before we even made it out of Edinburgh (it was 8:30 in the morning and we went out the night before) Once we got to Stirling we chose to take a bus out to the monument because it is a bit of a way out of the city. Their bus fares are based on where you are going, no on a flat fare. We then missed our bus stop and ended up a bit lost. Luckily the monument sits up on top of a hill so we used it as a beacon to figure out where to go. After walking for about 30 minutes we made it to the base of the monument. We knew there was a shuttle to the top, but what we didn't realize was that it was free, so we walked, a very steep, muddy, winding path. The real reason we went to the monument, and all of Stirling for that matter was to see the statue of William Wallace, that appeared to be Mel Gibson. What everyone failed to tell us is that this statue was removed nearly a year ago. To say the least Stirling was an adventure. It was frustrating and slightly disappointing. But had everything gone perfectly, the story would be far less amusing.

Fat Tuesday = Pancake day

They don't celebrate Fat Tuesday here. Instead they have pancake day. There is no maple syrup and the pancakes don't come out the same because the flour is different. Who knew?

This is going to be a long one....

Sorry guys, I know I am way behind on this. But, wouldn't you rather me be out experiencing things than sitting in my room writing a blog?

So far uni is going really well. Honestly, it seems like a bit of a joke in comparison to what I am used to at home. I only spend 7 hours a week in actual class and there isn't really any homework. I'm definitely not complaining, I want to do well in my classes, but thats not why I am here.

On Friday the 13, a big group of us went on a haunted tour. They took us into the underground vaults that are supposedly haunted. Unfortunately there were about 40 people on the tour so the likely hood of anything too creepy happening wasn't very good. The guide told us about this circle which supposedly had some kind of poltergeist trapped in it (thanks to a wicken who worships in the vault), so of course I hopped in, in the hopes of leaving with unexplained scratches or something. No such luck. There was another room said to be haunted by the Mackenzie poltergeist, this is where they pulled the cheap shot on us with a lady running down the corridor screaming. Not funny.

For Valentines day, 6 of us girls got together and made dinner, drank wine, and went to see "he's just not that into you." Really good movie, and it makes you realize all the stupid excuses girls make up for guys.

Sunday (15) it was really beautiful out, so I hiked Arthur's Seat with 2 of my friends. This is the highest hill in the city and gives excellent views of town and the ocean from the top. The hill is formed out of an extinct volcano (same stuff that the castle is built on!)

This past weekend, I went with 2 other girls to Glasgow. We stayed with the brother of a boy studying abroad where they go to school. Had this not been the case I don't think I would of had nearly as much fun. We spent the days Friday and Saturday shopping, which was somewhat successful for all of us. Friday night Steven took us to his parents house for a traditional Scottish dinner. We had haggis, mince, neeps (turnips), and tatties (potatoes). This was really delicious, and I will continue to enjoy haggis, so long as no one reminds me of whats in it. Saturday night Steven took us out with a bunch of his friends.
Glasgow was nice, but I am definitely glad I chose to come to Edinburgh, and glad to be "home."

Uni

Saturday we went to the castle. It was not exactly what I was expecting but still really cool. You would expect to walk in and everything look similar on the inside as it does outside, but they have converted the interiors into informative exhibits on various topics. I didn't take many pictures, and the things I would have liked to photograph, ie the Scottish crown jewels. I wasn't allowed to. We did get to see the 1 o'clock gun which is fired everyday but Sunday. The purpose was originally to announce the time for ships to come into the harbor. They chose to do it at 1 instead of 12 because the Scottish are frugal, and it is cheaper to fire only 1 shot.

Yesterday, I watched my first rugby match. The 6 Nations tourney started on Saturday. The nations that take part are Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland, France, and Italy. The match we watch was Scotland v Wales. I am hoping to get Scotland v Italy tickets which will be played Feb 28.

Today was the first day of uni. I will only be taking 3 classes while I am here, this is considered to be a full load. My schedule is as follows: Monday 3-6, Wed 1-3, Thurs 11-1. I know what you're thinking. Is she serious? And my answer is yes. Today's class was Environment, Politics, and Society. I felt right at home. The professor is just as spacey and eccentric as those I've come to know and love at App. We only have 2 assessments, an essay due in 6 weeks and a "seen" exam. This means I get to see the exam before actually having to take it.
Wednesday I will have Scottish Culture and Society and Thursday I will have Political Communication.

Embracing my role as a tourist!

This week hasn't been particularly exciting. I matriculated into uni and possibly registered for classes. Things are much more complicated here than it is at home. For instance: at home you register for classes online, just click a few buttons and you're done. But here you request classes, your advisor has to e-mail the professors who teach them, then get back to you.

Wednesday I went and got a student bus pass to last through May. I promptly used it to take a bus to ASDA and get groceries. It is so hard to buy food here, everything is really different and unlike the Ingles at home, I don't know the store like the back of my hand. That night I went out with Amber, Jason, and some of his friends. We went to a "posh" club, something new for me since I've been sticking with the cheaper pubs in another district of town.

Yesturday, Amber, Kelsi, and I went to eat lunch at The Elephant House. This is where JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter, jotting everything down on napkins. The restuant has spectacular views of the castle and is situated near George Heriots School and Greyfriars Graveyard, which are both said to be sources of inspiration. After lunch we went to the National Museum of Scotland. This is where you can find Dolly the cloned sheep preserved. There is also tons of Scottish history and spectacular rooftop views.

Today, Amber, Kelsi, and I got tour passes and visited the Royal Yacht Britania and the Palace at Holyrood. Tomorrow, we will use it to see Edinburgh Castle and we have unlimited access to the 4 tour buses that run throughout the city. Seeing the yacht and was awesome, thinking about how your standing in the same place as royalty once stood, and still does today. The royal yacht has been decomissoned but is still used for entertaining. The Palace at Holyrood is the royal family's recidence in Edinburgh. This is also where they appoint knights. These sights also provide free audio tours with admission, something I think America should follow suit in. This eliminates signs that detract from the attraction, and can provide a lot more information.

I get to go in the castle tomorrow!

parties, cars, and American football

Friday, Amber's flatmates threw a party. This was really different from the parties at home. Everyone is all about sharing their drinks and being very friendly. At the party I met a few people who seem really cool. One of the guys, Jason(Scottish) and his flatmate John(English) picked us up Sunday morning and drove us to their football (soccer) match. Yes, you read right, they picked us up. I have officially ridden in a car going the wrong way. The pitch (field) had really great views of Arthur's Seat and other surrounding hills. Last night some of us went to Jason's flat to watch the super bowl. It was one of the most bizarre experiences yet. THERE WEREN'T ANY COMMERCIALS! Anytime NBC went to commercial break BBC went to their commentators who explained what was happening. During halftime, John made us one of the most unhealthy and delicious snacks I think I've ever had. Toast with peanut butter and sprinkles(the chocolate and vanilla kind). I highly recommend giving it a try. Today I begin my matriculation (orientation) at Napier, and will be picking out courses. Did I mention its snowing outside?

bus rides, my favorite pub thus far, and some strange things

I have been here for 5 days now, and learning my way around the city pretty quickly. Well at least from Princes St south. I am beginning to learn the bus routes and the shortest ways to get from my flat to my friends, and of course the pubs. Yesterday I rode on a double decker bus. This is really different from riding buses in the states. We sat at the front and the vantage point is great, however, it always feels like you are going to run over the car in front of you and hit multiple buildings while turning. I went the ASDA (super Wal-mart) pronounced as a word not an acronym, if you say A-S-D-A they will look at you like your crazy. Things are realitively cheap and cost surprisingly less than I had expected. I also had to get a new phone (it was only £4.85!).

Last night I went out with David and Amber. We met up with some other international students at a pub called the Golf Tavern. From there we took them to several of the pubs that we have been going to. One place called Nicol Edwards is this little basement pub with a great atmosphere and has live acoustic music every night. I got carded here. The guy playing is called Acoustic David, and he plays there 3 nights a week. He was really good, played a lot of really popular songs. I'm hoping to become a bit of a regular here.

Some strange things about Scotland: There is a switch on the electrical outlet that if you don't flip it wont work. This even includes the plugs for things like ovens. You have to turn showers on with a button or cord, you can't just turn nobs. Sinks have 2 heads, one for hot and one for cold. All the doors in flats are fire doors. They close automatically behind you and you aren't supposed to prop them open. So my flat has 1 hallway with about 8 doors. 1 for each bedroom, 2 bathrooms, and the kitchen/living room. This leaves you feeling isolated and/or like you are seriously disturbing someone whenever you have to knock on their door. Police cars are neon blue and yellow. They say cheers instead of thanks. The mustard is seriously spicy.

I HAVE ARRIVED

Today is my 3rd day in Edinburgh. I arrived Monday at about 10am (5 US). I met up with a girl, Amber, at the airport and we traveled to our hostel together. This is where spent the last 2 nights, it was really nice and called the budget backpackers. Amber and I went on the pub crawl they offer, the last 2 nights. In the process we met several other students from our same program as well as people from all over just traveling. I've also managed to try fish and chips, and haggis already! We also took a walking tour. On the tour we visited Greyfriars Kirk (you may have heard of Greyfriars Bobby, the dog who at his masters grave in the church yard for 14 years). We saw where JK Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter book, as well as the school that inspired Hogwarts. We visited the Midlothian Heart. The heart used to be a part of the tax collection booth, today it is in the ground and you are supposed to spit on it for good luck. We went to St. Giles Cathedral where the Queen and her knights meet once a year(there won't be pictures of this they charge 2£ to take pictures). So far Monday and today have both been sunny, I am considering myself very lucky for this. I just moved into my flat about an hour ago. None of my roommates are around yet but I hope to meet them later today.

I'm not going to be homeless!!

I just found out that I have been given university housing!! What a weight off my shoulders. It's been a bit of a fiasco, but everything seems to be falling into place.

The countdown begins...

I leave for Scotland in 3 days. Despite having looked forward to this day for months, it has managed to sneak up on me. My suitcase is sitting half packed on my bedroom floor, and I wonder how I will ever fit everything in it. The past few days have been filled with picking up last minute needs, and taking care of any paper work left to be done. The three days I have left will be all about packing, and enjoying the company of my family before I leave. Studying abroad is something I have always wanted to do, and my time is finally here. While I am extremely excited, I am also very nervous. (As some of you may know, I don't have anywhere to live) Some people think I'm crazy for diving into this without any guarantee of housing, but I know that this will make it all the more rewarding in the end.