The flight

Hello, everyone! Hayley suggested I try writing a blog about my year in Scotland so I wouldn't have to repeat the same story 50 times, and surprisingly, that sounded like a worthwhile endeavor. Thus, I am starting this blog. I cannot guarantee how long this effort will last, especially since I don't yet know what my schedule will look like, but I thought I'd at least give it a fighting chance. So here goes.

The flight over was surprisingly good, actually. We got started 40 minutes late (thanks American Airlines!), but that meant I got to talk to Geoff for a bit longer, which I was more than happy to accept. Normally I hate long flights, especially when sitting next to a stranger. However, I ended up seated next to the nicest person I've ever had the pleasure to fly with (excepting my family, of course). We never exchanged names, but we talked through a good part of the flight about her son and husband (I believe she's a widow) and Geoff. She could well have been my grandmother. It really calmed me down, because, as Geoff can attest, I became increasingly nervous about moving a few days before the flight. Of course, I didn't really sleep on the plane. Who can, really? I'm the second smallest person I know and even I can't get comfortable in those seats. Any sleep I got occurred about 15 minutes before the food service, as is always the case. God has a really hilarious sense of humor...

The late flight also meant that I didn't have quite as terrible a layover at Heathrow. I looked around at the shops a little bit, but my shoulders were in a pretty bad way from carrying a heavy tote bag each and I wasn't particularly keen on making them worse. I ended up taking out my computer to play a game since I was much too tired to attempt to read, when someone asked me about the Citadel sweatshirt I was wearing. Turns out, he was a friend of one of Geoff's roommates, coincidentally enough. We had a relatively good conversation, which at any rate was preferable to meekly trying to stay awake by myself.

When I finally got on the flight to Edinburgh, I was out before the plane took off. Yes, I was that tired. Both of my suitcases arrived, too, which I'm told is a feat. I was greeted by a few of the International Student Center workers (Cole the philosopher was particularly nice; don't worry, Geoff, he's gay) and then was promptly picked up by Edinburgh direct and taken to my flat, which I'll write about in the next post. Right now, I need to go to the store since I still don't have any groceries and, despite what some might say, a girl's got to eat. I hope you're all doing well and I'll write again soon!