I Made it Across the Pond
Only in Scotland
It took me almost two days to pack, mostly due to procrastination, but I think I did okay. You would be surprised how much you can fit into two large suitcases. I flew out of the Manchester at 4:30 and arrived in Newark about 45 minutes later. That flight was pretty easy. I sat by myself in my own row with plenty of leg room, so I can’t complain. I actually met a Scottish couple in the Newark airport. I figured I should probably chat it up with them seeing as I was going to be living in their country for the next year. They were very friendly. They told me plenty of stories and gave me a lot of advice. Unfortunately, I don’t think I will run in to them again in Scotland.
The flight from Newark to Edinburgh, Scotland was about 6 hours. I was pretty lucky on this flight as well. The person in the seat next to me never showed, so again, I had plenty of room to stretch out. Although the portions were small, the food was pretty good. To top it off, they had free TV and movies, so 6 hours flew by pretty fast.
Arriving in Edinburgh was a little hectic. Customs isn’t exactly the quickest process, but I had no problem getting through, and after about 45 minutes of waiting in line, I was on a bus to the University of St. Andrews. As much as I wanted to sight see on the ride there, I succumbed to exhaustion and fell asleep. On the few occasions I did wake up, I mostly remember seeing fields filled with sheep, lots of sheep.
Yesterday was pretty uneventful. I unpacked for an hour, and then napped for another 5. I had meant to do some shopping, but stores close fairly early here, most by 6:00, and I ended up just walking around, trying not to get lost. Since I ended up missing dinner, I went to eat with some friends at a sandwich and pasta restaurant. My first meal in Scotland was a double cheeseburger.
Today has been much more eventful. We took a tour of the town, and I actually got to see all of the ancient architecture that I had seen in pictures. I also took some time to walk the Old Course at St. Andrews. Turns out it becomes a public park on Sundays, so even if you’re not a golfer, you can still get your picture taken on the 18th green.
This entire upcoming week is freshman orientation, so hopefully my next post will be a little bit more exciting.
I'm a 23 year old college grad, and during my junior year abroad in Scotland, I came to the realization that it's hard to know what you want to do in this world if you've never seen it. With that in mind, I decided to study abroad again during the 2011-12 academic year, this time in Beijing, China. Read more