Week 1 (January 4th to January 9th)

While I was packing my bags, I was very anxious and excited at the same time. I had no idea what was waiting me for on the other side and there were no relatives to guide me. It was exciting yet nerve wracking as it was an adventure to a very beautiful country. 


The  first day was a blur as I had so many things running in my head. I woke up and went to Ryerson to deal with OSAP, and rushed home to fix up my luggage and then headed to the airport, where I had my family and friends wish me off. While waiting for the plan with my friend and adventure partner Stephania, I realized that we would be touching base in 3 capital cities within 24 hours. That was and still is quite the accomplishment. The cities were Ottawa (Canada), London (England), Edinburgh (Scotland). Although it felt like a long journey through Air Canada, we were relieved to be in Edinburgh. We first went to Cairn Hotel on Windsor Street and stayed there for 2 days. The first night, we were extremely tired and definitely in our honeymoon stage because we explored the city a little bit and jet lag got to us. On our second day, we did the same but were more productive as we explored more into the city and walked a lot. The third day, I moved into my own residence and met my 3 other flat mates. I was on the 4th floor (56 stairs) and had to drag my suitcases, but lucky for me my flat mates helped me, and I was truly grateful.Unfortunately I realized that night that my laptop's screen was cracked. I was extremely shocked as I did not now how it had happened. Luckily, I had just got a new phone, so I was able to contact my parents...this shows that we can't entirely depend on 1 type of technology. I went out to have dinner at my first pub in Edinburgh, but I was not in a good mood as I was upset. The next day, my emotions got to me and I started becoming homesick as I felt paralyzed without my laptop. I found a place to fix the screen, which I appreciated, although it cost a lot. I was upset and was worried if I had made a mistake, but with my friends, flat mates and Steph's help I got over it and was ecstatic about spending my time  in the UK. That weekend, I started feeling better because I hung out with the rest of the Canadians and we were quite the collected group. It felt good to share similar thoughts and experiences. We went to the National Gallery of Scotland and it was really cool with various paintings and artifacts.