Life in the Land of Kings and Kilts...

Although I have now been in Scotland for about a week, I have yet to gather my thoughts to write anything more than mini-blurbs in e-mails and the random message...This city is many things...In fact, it IS more than it is NOT...

Beautiful

Alive

Ancient

Dynamic

Friendly

Intimate

Cold

Contradictory

Adaptive

Traditional

Expensive

Inspiring

Young at heart

and that is only a small sample of the things I see, feel, hear, smell, taste whenever I step out my door or look out my window onto Nicholson Street, Midlothian. 

After arriving sans luggage, walking the city, meeting many freshers and International students, bonding over beers and accents, tours, school-sponsored events, and realizing just how cool Anthropologists are all over the world, I can honestly say that I am SO unbelievably happy that I chose to come here...Edinburgh already is feeling like my third home (the first two being Simi and Seattle, respectively). 

I love walking here, just walking...you can do it for hours and never see an ugly part of this town...although my love of Classic, Victorian, Medieval, and Georgian architecture may make me a tad biased...Put on your I-pod, a good pair of shoes, and grab an umbrella and you can literally wander forever (I say umbrella as this really is a necessity here...I was literally soaked when a storm snuck up on me yesterday). Everyday can bring a new pub, new friends, new experiences. I'm sure I sound like I'm romanticizing the place, but I can't help it, I'm in love with this city!

Beyond that, I've met people from all over the world...South Africa, Lebanon, Belgium, Protugal, Croatia, Canada, China, Taiwan, India, Costa Rica, and of course the manifold Americans (even two from Ventura and Moorpark....weird!). 

Overall, this may be the beginning of the greatest love affair of my life...And I'm quite ok with that!