Cheers! It's My Scottish Blog!: My First Day

Day 1- 06/01/08

After three flight changes, 9 hours worth of layovers, and a long day of traveling in the city; it feels pretty dang good to be lying in bed with a glass of wine (it's legal here!). It was a pretty monumental moment when I flew into Newark, New Jersey and saw the Statue of Liberty for the first time in my life. It was a pretty great way to remember the states as Lady Liberty waved goodbye.

I arrived in Edinburgh this morning at about 8 A.M. their time (2 A.M. Mississippi time). I fell asleep as soon as I got on the plane to Scotland and didn't wake up until we were flying over Ireland. I didn't get a good look at the city when we were flying in because it was still dark. After going through customs, and claiming my baggage (which came out entirely and immediately), I split a cab with this girl from California I met in the airport who was studying at the University as well.

Finally I got to my check-in and as soon as I got to my room I went ahead and unpacked. It's a pretty decent sized room, considering I'm the only one living in it. It's also a big plus that I have my own bathroom, even if it is the same size as one on a cruise ship. Once I finished in my room, I hit the city.

Unlike most Universities, which have once piece of land dedicated to the school, the building of the University of Edinburgh are spread throughout the city. It took me about 20 minutes to walk from one side of campus to the other. It doesn't bother me though, this city is amazing. It has a historic feel like D.C., but also has an artsy/modern look like Seattle. Just as everything in Madison is brick, everything in Edinburgh is beautiful, aged stone. This city has nearly 1,000 historic buildings.

I met so many people today, but most of them are from the North. I guess since I am in another country, I will have to get along with them! haha. They asked me a lot of stupid questions about the south; so I finally told them that we had an outhouse, I just got my first pair of shoes, and I ride a horse to school. They're pretty cool people, but they are a lot more accustomed to a big city than I am. They are from Maine, New York, L.A., etc. so they think that Edinburgh is a small city. I think it's huge and I haven't even seen 1/3 of it yet.

Anyways, I am rambling now. So check out the pictures and I'll keep y'all updated once everything gets underway!