My closet. Er, I mean room.

This is not quite what the single photo on the university website advertised... My room is rather small. I'd say probably about a third the size of my room at home and half the size of the one in my old apartment. Honestly. I'm including photos for proof. What's interesting is not that my room is so small, but that it's smaller even than those of my flatmates. I went into one of their rooms and it was about twice this size. No joke. I'm a bit miffed, but it's okay. Hopefully it won't feel too cramped. I only brought two suitcases and two small tote bags and the room is already full...

I do share the flat with four other girls. Two of them are from California (Monica and Sarah) and went to UCLA for their undergraduate degrees together. I haven't met Beth yet, the other one from the U.S., but my fourth roommate is Viola, from Taiwan. She seems very nice. She's studying psycholinguistics. Don't ask me. Monica studies international business, Beth studies comparative literature, and I don't know about Sarah. Finance, perhaps? At any rate, the ones I have met seem nice. I think we'll get along fine.

The people here are generally amiable, which is a plus. The driver that brought me to my apartment for the first time was sweet and funny, which eased a little of my anxiety. I was given my room key and bedding pack when I got there and found out, much to my chagrin, that it did not in fact include a towel as I had previously thought. So, lucky me, I had to wait until the next day to buy a towel and shower since stores here close around 6. Late night shopping is on Thursday (until 8! hot dog!).

I do have a very nice view of the Firth of Forth from my window, and I can see Princes Street and several beautiful buildings I have yet to identify. And yes, the castle is a two minute walk from my flat. If that. I have good neighbors.

The biggest and most noticeable downside to this flat right now is the lack of heat. Lack of A/C is not an issue. It's pretty nice outside, but it is freezing cold indoors, and unfortunately that just isn't cold enough for the Scots to start running water through the radiators. Thus, I'm sleeping in sweatpants, a long sleeve shirt, and thick socks under a fleece blanket, a duvet, and the knit blanket Jessica gave me. It's a bit miserable for a Texas girl who sleeps under a down comforter when it's 75 degrees in the house. I can hardly be in here without wearing a jacket. Anyway, the next post will be a little more about my meager explorations of the city (aka my two jaunts to the store). Love you all!