Finally in Edinburgh!

After a 6.5 hour drive from Biddeford to Newark, a 4 hour wait in the airport, and a 6.75 hour flight, I am finally in Edinburgh! My first two days here have been eventful yet exhausting, and I'm still feeling the effects of jet lag. The fact that I will be going to school here and spending the next three and a half months living in Scotland still hasn't sunk in, but I'm so excited to spend time here.

Edinburgh is an unbelievably gorgeous city, with tons of medieval buildings, a castle, a palace, and so much to offer. Right now, I'm at the Apex International Hotel for orientation, and I have an amazing view of the castle from my window (pictures will come soon). The hotel is located in the Grassmarket section of the city in Old Town, so there are lots of pubs, shops, and restaurants around the area, and exploring has been fun.

Yesterday, after driving from the airport, we had a few hours of free time to explore before lunch. Even with a map, we got confused and lost several times, but exploring was definitely cool.  After lunch, checking into our rooms, and dinner, a big group of students from my group went out to try a few of the local pubs.  I've heard that no matter what time of day you go to these pubs, people will always be there drinking, and it's completely socially acceptable. The pubs were really fun, and it was great to socialize with people from my program and start to make friends!

Today, orientation has been pretty long and overwhelming. The morning consisted of a series of lectures regarding safety, healthcare, banking, etc, so the information was pretty dry. However, this afternoon we took a bus tour of the city. I had no idea how huge the city was, but it seems like everyone walks everywhere. We were able to stop at Calton Hill, a huge hill overlooking the city. The views were gorgeous, and it was a beautiful day so the hike was nice.

Tonight a group of us plan on buying phones, going out to dinner, and exploring some more. It's strange living in a big city, where the nightlife is always exciting, but everything is so expensive! Internet service has been pretty spotty in the hotel, so I'll continue my orientation update when I move into my flat on Saturday!