I'm Back in the U.S.A.

Hello!

It has definitely been a long while since I've updated - like over a year.  I'm so sorry!  There's really no excuse, but I'll try to defend myself by saying that life got hectic so fast.  I continued to make videos on my YouTube channel, but even then I didn't update as much as I should have.

I was able to spend 15 months (September 4, 2014 - February 1, 2016) in Scotland.  I miss it every day.  Scotland quickly became a home I had never really had before for many reasons I'll talk about in another update.  In general, I have based my feeling of home based on where my family was.  Locations may change, but family is always the factor which I have considered home.  My opinions were challenged, though, when Scotland quickly felt like a place I wanted to stay in forever.  I remember living in Scotland for only a few weeks and being in awe.  It felt like I had lived there for forever.  Scotland will always be my regional home, and I plan on going back one day when the time is right.

So, as stated in the title of this post, I am officially back in the United States.  I tried finding a proper visa in the UK that would allow me to stay, but it was a lot more complicated than I had anticipated as an American.  I was forced to go back to the United States due to my visa expiring.  It's not like I don't want to be back in the U.S., so please try not to get offended by me saying this.  I just knew that Scotland was where my heart lied and it was saddening when I could not stay. Now I am making lemonade out of lemons and applying for jobs while I am here and knowing that I will go back to Scotland sometime in the future when the time is right.

~

What I plan to do now with this blog is to take you back through time with my trips and a few tricks I learned along the way.  Maybe this is the better option because I have perspective on everything and I can give a broader range of tips and tricks to make sure you get the most out of your study abroad from the things I wish that I did and the things that I wish I knew before hand.

Below is a video I created not long ago about my 15 months abroad and all the things I did.  Hopefully this whets your appetite to come back and check my blog which will be updated more regularly.

First Days in Edinburgh!

I'm finally here!  I've now been in Scotland for 5 days, and it's an amazing city.  For me, there is a city feel without it being too overwhelming like in New York City.  I already know my way around (for the most part), and love traveling new ways and roads to discover shops and streets.  I have already found quite a few book shops this way! ;)

Edinburgh is a city with the perfect combination of new and old with so much to do.  I do not think I will be able to see it all in the year that I am here!  The people in this area are also very kind and are able to point me in the right direction if I am ever lost.  Believe me, this was quite often the first couple of days.

Public transportation is very convenient here and the buses are of great quality.  They are clean, double-decker (sitting on top is my favorite and gives me the best view of the city), and pretty easy to navigate once you ride it once or twice.  The only mildly annoying aspect is that you have exact change in order to receive a ticket.  This inconvenience will be fixed in a couple of days, however, once I get my student ID and can buy a yearly bus pass with a student discount.

Truly, I will probably only be using my bus pass to and from my main campus of Sighthill.  It's approximately a 20 minute bus ride - not something I want to walk in the winter time.  Even though I have not been to Sighthill yet, I am already in love with it.  The gym is located on this campus and the food market is on my way back home!  Talk about a win/win situation!

I have barely begun to explore Edinburgh, but I can tell that I am already falling in love with the history, traditions, and people.  Here is a video of the beginning of many more adventures to come!

P.S. I am obviously in love with the castle.
P.P.S. Feel free to subscribe to my YouTube channel  ;p