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I Made it Across the Pond

September 20th, 2009 ndnaul11

It took me almost two days to pack, mostly due to procrastination, but I think I did okay. You would be surprised how much you can fit into two large suitcases. I flew out of the Manchester at 4:30 and arrived in Newark about 45 minutes later. That flight was pretty easy. I sat by myself in my own row with plenty of leg room, so I can’t complain. I actually met a Scottish couple in the Newark airport. I figured I should probably chat it up with them seeing as I was going to be living in their country for the next year. They were very friendly. They told me plenty of stories and gave me a lot of advice. Unfortunately, I don’t think I will run in to them again in Scotland.

The flight from Newark to Edinburgh, Scotland was about 6 hours. I was pretty lucky on this flight as well. The person in the seat next to me never showed, so again, I had plenty of room to stretch out. Although the portions were small, the food was pretty good. To top it off, they had free TV and movies, so 6 hours flew by pretty fast.

Arriving in Edinburgh was a little hectic. Customs isn’t exactly the quickest process, but I had no problem getting through, and after about 45 minutes of waiting in line, I was on a bus to the University of St. Andrews. As much as I wanted to sight see on the ride there, I succumbed to exhaustion and fell asleep. On the few occasions I did wake up, I mostly remember seeing fields filled with sheep, lots of sheep..

Yesterday was pretty uneventful. I unpacked for an hour, and then napped for another 5. I had meant to do some shopping, but stores close fairly early here, most by 6:00, and I ended up just walking around, trying not to get lost. Since I ended up missing dinner, I went to eat with some friends at a sandwich and pasta restaurant. My first meal in Scotland was a double cheeseburger.

Today has been much more eventful. We took a tour of the town, and I actually got to see all of the ancient architecture that I had seen in pictures. I also took some time to walk the Old Course at St. Andrews. Turns out it becomes a public park on Sundays, so even if you’re not a golfer, you can still get your picture taken on the 18^th green.

This entire upcoming week is freshman orientation, so hopefully my next post will be a little bit more exciting.

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