One Week In.

View from Calton Hill.

So now that I've been here for a week, I feel like it's time for an update.

Last week was an adjustment period. I didn't know anyone until day 2 (last Tuesday) when some of the girls on my flat decided to go out for dinner. We went to a place called Nando's across the street and it was pretty good! Definitely not Scottish food, but hey, it was cheap and filling.

My luggage was lost somewhere between London and Edinburgh, and didn't get delivered until Wednesday night at almost 11pm, so I washed my one pair of jeans in the shower and bought a new sweater at H&M to get by until then. In case you were wondering, waiting on all of your stuff to arrive after moving across the ocean alone is not a fun time. Luckily my flatmates made my first few days fun as we walked the city Wednesday and Thursday, learned to navigate the bus system, and got some much needed coffee. We joked about me not having my luggage, Erin lost her wallet at some point, and we were *that* group of Americans at every restaurant we went to because we could be heard over everyone else (Yes mom, I have friends!). Here's to always having someone to go to the grocery store with!

Craiglockhart Campus

Pictured above is my campus, Craiglockhart. Classes started today with my first one being Business Strategy and Sustainable Development. My main lecturer is extremely intelligent on the topic and some of his first questions after learning I was an American were "How does a government shut down?" and "What will it take to get you on board with sustainability?" Little did he know that I chose to take this class because sustainability and environmental protection are two of my biggest passions. After explaining that, he then wanted to know why not all Americans are choosing to live more sustainably and why we elect certain officials (from both parties).

The class structure here is very interesting. We have lecture once a week with approximately 200+ students in each. Then, we also have a corresponding tutorial (similar to a lab) for each course where we break off into groups of 10-20 students and can have discussions and learn more in-depth about our assignments.

I'm looking forward to what all this semester hopes to bring, and stay tuned for what this week (and especially this coming weekend) brings!