Twenty- five days in Scotland.. how did that happen? It seems like the plane landed yesterday (I'll probably say that until the day I leave).
I can honestly say that I love every moment here, even the loud nights and long days. The public transportation here beats SEPTA by a long shot, the food is held to a higher quality, and it's absolutely beautiful. I am not the only Arcadia student considering transferring to the University of Stirling or other UK schools. We got together and crunched the numbers, and with the recent Arcadia tuition increase (and the fact that our scholarships don't increase at an equal rate) it would be significantly cheaper to go to school here. With tuition, housing, about 4 flights a year, visa costs (tier 4 so we'd have the right to work) and living expenses, it is approximately $20,000 less to go to school at the University of Stirling, which of course makes you think what's so special about AU? Although I'll probably never go through with it, it truly makes me think about the education I am receiving and how willing I am to be 22 years old and over $100,000 in debt. If anything, this trip has opened my eyes. It has opened my eyes not only to the cost of education, but to things I have long forgotten.
Growing up I loved the outdoors. I would spend every moment of daylight in my backyard digging "golf courses", making mud pies, reading, and playing fetch with my cat (yeah, he thought he was a dog). Some of my greatest memories take place in the neighborhood park and camping with my family. Somewhere along the line, I lost that love. I would rather read my books in my bedroom, I hated the bugs that I once used to catch, and the development of allergies did not help the situation. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't a hermit- the great outdoors just wasn't my first choice for amusement. Scotland has reunited Mother Nature and I. I'm sure the beautiful weather in late February and early March has helped that. I now eat almost every lunch on a blanket near the loch on campus, walk around the woods behind campus during my down time, and spend most weekends hiking. I purposely take time to admire the beauty around me because I know that I may not ever get an opportunity like this again.
I have also realized how little I know about the day to day functions of countries other than the United States. I understand that this is something that may seem impossible without actually being immersed in the actual culture, but the people I have met here so far seem to have a good grasp on how the government and politics in general work, but all I know is the very little that was explained to me at orientation. I thought I was well rounded and I watch CNN everyday to stay informed, but I actually know very little about the world outside of my small bubble, which I plan to change.
The final thing that Scotland has opened my eyes how grateful I am for my mother. I have always been extremely thankful for my mother and all that she does for me, but now that I have to cook every meal for myself, it is especially hitting me. My mother cooks dinner for my family every night after long days at work. If she has to work late or bad weather is expected (working at a hospital gets unpredictable with inclement weather) she has dinner prepared to the point where it just needs to be heated. I never realized how much I would not want to do this after a day of classes, let alone a day of work. It would be easy to just eat out every night, but that would be financially and nutritionally irresponsible. So thanks, mom!
These are two photos that are important to my experience here in Scotland- they are the people I traveled here with. Not one of us is from the same place, we all have different goals, we all have different views and beliefs, but somehow we have been brought together on the adventure of a lifetime to learn about the world and ourselves.
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