Greetings from Edinburgh!!!

So I FINALLY have time to start my blog!!! I have been in Scotland for five days now but it feels like half a year!!! I'm almost caught up on sleep, however its hard to acclimate my body to my new time clock because the sun does not come up until about 830 and sets around 330!! It's very strange, but luckily this is a beautiful city, both during the day and especially at night! I'm going to go day by day and give y'all a little update...

Day 1: Wednesday, 6th January
Arriving in Edinburgh, Scotland
Well, we barely made it in around noon before all the airports shut down from the snow and ice! I guess this is the most snow they have seen in years! It was absolutely beautiful. I think I was the only person excited about the snow, though. I am one of the few students on this program who is not from the northeast! So everyone else thought it was warm outside compared to what they are used to but I thought it was quite chilly! Good thing I brought enough jackets, mom :)

I was so nervous going to my gate at JFK where I was to meet the rest of the group to fly to London. There I found the group and thankfully I was not the only person who did not know anybody else. So we were all trying to make friends desperately!! We flew on Virgin Atlantic which is the best airline ever. I got to choose from about 100 movies to watch on my personal tv! We were all sitting together so we all got to know each other very fast.

While we were deliriously going through customs at Heathrow, I met some great girls (Natalie, Morgan, Sara, and Carolyn) who I already feel like I've known for years now even though it's only been five days!!! Just the other night we were laughing about how we met. So weird. After arriving on Wednesday, we went to our Hotel which had an amazing view of the castle. A group of us went exploring our new home!! After some yummy Italian for dinner, we passed out. Here is a picture of the view from the street outside our hotel on grassmarket with the castle.



Day 2 & 3
The next couple of days in Edinburgh, we had orientation through the Butler program. The three girls that head up the Scotland office are so adorable and helpful. I can't imagine not having their guidance. They gave us so much great information about Scotland, classes, culture shock, traveling Europe, etc. They took us on a tour of the city where we went on top of one of the hills where we had the most amazing view of the city on one side and the Firth of Forth on the other. Here are some pictures...









Thursday night, me and five other girls went to this Italian place, Vittorio's, for dinner. There, we had probably the most memorable waiter I'll ever have. His name was Vincenzo and he was from Napoli. We were laughing hysterically the entire time. You just had to be there, but it was so funny. He like went to the store and got these candy bars and like flung one on the table and said "Oh, I went to the store and got these" then started eating one and flung what he didn't eat on the table. It was just incredibly odd. There's a picture of him, also. It was a great bonding experience :) After we went to The Last Drop, a pub across the street from our hotel, where Ewan McGregor used to work as a bartender!!





Friday was our last night in the hotel!! After a fancy dinner at The Outsiders, we started planning our european adventures!!! Here is us in front of the hotel.



Day 4
On Saturday we moved into our flats!!! Thank God several of my friends--Morgan, Rebecca and other butler students-- were in my building!! I did not get the flat I wanted, however it has turned out great. It's so centrally located. I'm just a block of the royal mile (one of the most famous streets in Europe!) and just a couple blocks from the glamourous Princes and Georges Street that make up the New Town. I have my very own room and 3 other flat mates. They are from Malaysia, France, and LA! Other butler students are in flats right below me. I am on the seventh floor so I am getting my workout on the stairs. Accommodations here are a little rougher than they are at SMU. However, the challenge of making my room homey and cute has been really fun. I just have to look at everything as an adventure! I have to say I am quite proud of how it looks. There will be pictures! It's fun to figure out how to live in another country. In Dallas I have all the same stores I have in Greenville really and when I need stuff I know exactly where to go. Here, there are no Targets or Bed, Bath, & Beyond's! So you have to figure it out yourself and maybe go to a few stores to find it, but once you find what you are looking for you are so proud of yourself! I'm gaining so many life skills! When I moved into my dorm in Dallas, I had help from my parents and my car to put my stuff in, but here that is not the case! I have just myself. I'm becoming incredibly independent very fast. Not only do I have to do it myself, I have to carry whatever I buy home!! That was quite interesting lugging bedding, pillows, rugs, lamps, etc around the city.

Saturday night we went to one of the student unions on campus for an international students pizza dinner. There, we found The Library Bar! It was such a fun night hanging out with friends in the 2 story pub that is exclusively for University of Edinburgh students. I am so lucky to have ended up going on this program and meeting so many fabulous people! Any doubts I had over my study abroad decision now cease to exist. This is definitely where I am suppose to be. On that note, while I was nervously waiting to leave Charlotte, I started talking to this man next to me and turns out he lived in Edinburgh!! That really gave me the peace of mind that I was doing the right thing. All the signs are pointing in the right direction.

Here are some pictures of us at the library bar...




Day 5
I spent Sunday getting my room together!! It is almost there. I mean, I have a framed picture of michael jackson above my bed, how more complete can it get?

We also had orientation for all the international students at the University. They have really freaked us out over how different classes are here. The emphasize is very strongly on independent study. They think there is too much "hand-holding" going on in America (haha) we will see how it goes I guess!!

Sunday afternoon I went to the grocery store with my friend, Sara. What an experience that was!! Grocery shopping in the city is much different than at home or in Dallas!! First off, you can only get as much as you can hold and second, it was about five times smaller with atleast 8 times as many people jammed in!! The line to check out was wrapping down the aisles so you would be trying to find stuff with people in line. It was chaotic!! But it can only get easier from here on out now that I know what to expect. Some girls came over and we attempted cooking pasta in our kitchen. We handled it very well though and had a fun night!!

Day 6 (Today!)
Classes started today!! Students in Scotland are in class much less than in America, which I am really looking forward to! My schedule isn't totally complete yet, but I will be taking history and/or an economics or business class. Today I went to my British Society in the 20th century class which I will probably stay in. It seems like it will be very interesting! Plus my roommate from orientation, Devyn, was in my class! So it was good to see a familiar face. It was so fun walking to class and stopping at Black Medicine Cafe to get my mocha and stopping at the grocery on my way back to pick up a few things. I'm getting used to city life!! I didn't realize that I would have to adapt to not only the Scottish culture, but city culture. I had lunch on campus with friends and sat in on the Celtic Civilization class that I hope to switch into. When else will I have the chance to take that?! If my schedule works out the way I want, I will have no friday classes which means lots of time to travel around on the weekends! My girlfriends and I are already planning a trip to London in a few weekends. After classes, I got coffee at The Elephant House--where JK Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter book--with my friends Sara and Nora, and did a little damage over on Princes Street!! Topshop is my new obsession. I have a feeling I will be over there quite a lot! Tonight, I grabbed "takeaway," not takeout from Chocolate soup, which is located right around the corner, and ate in my friends flat with some girls!! Rebecca's flatmate is from York and is hysterical. She kept us entertained. After lots of laughs I am back in my room now getting ready for class tomorrow and watching Made of Honor!!

I am so surprised and proud of myself at how I am handling this new experience!! I didn't think I would adapt so well and have so many great friends so fast. I do miss my family and friends back home, but I absolutely love it here and can't wait to get my routine down and travel around. Before I left, all I could think about was "oh my gosh, how am I going to survive out of America away from family and friends for an entire five months??" NOW all I keep thinking is "OMG I only have five months here, I have to make the most of every second!!!" At orientation they showed us the "W" curve which dealt with the fluctuation in emotions as you study abroad. First is the "honeymoon" then it goes downhill with the "distress period" which most of us experienced when we had to separate and move into our flats!--and then it goes back up after you get acclimated which I feel like I am starting to do. The next downhill curve comes AFTER I've arrived back in America. At the time I was hearing this, I was like "No way, I will be so glad to be back in America, I won't have reverse culture shock." However, now I totally get it!! I can already tell that it will be a huge adjustment going back. However, that is still a ways away, thank goodness, so I am just going to focus on enjoying my time now!!!

I know this is incredibly long and I'm sure the only people still reading are my parents, but from now on I am going to write more often so it won't be so long!!! Hope everyone back at home is doing great! Goodluck with rush, Chi O girls!!!

Love you and miss you all!!