Student Bloggers
Settling In
Date
January 19, 2017
Fàilte gu Alba!
It is exactly one week since I moved into accommodation and officially began my life in Edinburgh, and I have loved every minute of it so far. I was initially hesitant about my room’s bright red curtains, red striped carpet and bright blue door, but a trip to IKEA helped a great deal (a fluffy rug, cozy lamp and pot of daffodils).
I have learned once again an important lesson I had momentarily forgotten: moving to a new country is exhausting. I had been having such a nice time during orientation and moving in that the culture shift caught up to me on my first weekend in town. I was so exhausted I stayed in bed for most of Sunday. And although it is tempting to lounge around, living in central Edinburgh means I have a duty to get out and see the city by foot, which I have been thoroughly enjoying! My residence hall is only ten minutes from great food and shopping, fifteen minutes from Edinburgh Castle, and twenty minutes to Holyrood Park (I have yet to climb to the top of Arthur’s Seat but I have promised myself that I will do it!)
There have been times when I felt clueless and found myself wandering around town with my Maps app open, but I keep reminding myself that this is totally normal, and an important part of the experience. Hopefully in a few months I can look back and realize just how much I’ve come to feel at home in Edinburgh.
I thought it might be nice to include a few ‘to-do’ items for the next couple of weeks, so that next time I post I can see what I can tick off. So, my first list:
- Climb up to the top of Arthur’s Seat
- Visit a few quaint local bookstores
- Watch Trainspotting (a classic, so I’ve been told numerous times over the last week)
Until next time…