"You Only [Study Abroad] Once, But if You Do it Right, Once is Enough."

So I've been here a little under a month, now what?

I've finally reached the point where the culture shock has subsided, my classes are starting to make sense, and I have comfortably settled into somewhat of a routine. It's getting easier for me here and that's a good feeling. By now I've seen a great deal of the city and I can manage to find my way around on foot, without a map (which is good, because I still don't know how to use the bus system here, so walking or cabbing are really my only two options). But with all this adjusting, comes a lot of what I'm used to back home...

I'm back to my dismal sleeping habits, which of course means that #Starbucks is once again my one, true best friend. I'm getting a little tired of the 20 minute (or so) trek to class every day (which I can't say is too similar to my situation at Roger Williams considering our campus size, but the lack of motivation is still the same), this I can only hope will get less cumbersome once the weather improves. I've also already been sick - nothing all too surprising there knowing me, except that I'm pretty sure I was the #patientzero that started the plague within my group of friends (sorry guys).

On the brighter side of things, I'm almost over the depression that hit me so hard and fast last week. Admittedly, I've already made some enemies thus far on my journey, but on the other hand, I have made some amazing friends that have really helped me through all the ups and downs of this experience and I can tell they really have my back when I need them. I honestly don't have a clue where I would be without them - all of them. <3

For my friends back home, here's what you've missed in the last month: I've been bar hopping and clubbing a few different times (trust me, I'm just as surprised as you are); I've gotten lost in the city, on my campus, and in my academic buildings a variety of times - even going to places I've already been once or twice before; I've learned about the ancient Celtic peoples of the British Isles and gotten the complete historical background of St. Patrick and some little island called St. Kilda (it's off the coast of Scotland somewhere) in my classes; I've started stress eating which has (pretty much) completely undone all my progress on my diet by bingeing on all the #American junk food and candy I can get my hands on; I did laundry once and didn't realize that my clothes hadn't completely dried and now my entire room smells of mold - even after I re-washed my entire wardrobe; and I may or may not have discovered a new-found fascination with the great nation of #Australia spending every day with all my fabulous Aussie friends that I've made.

Speaking of my classes, I'm getting the hang of the subject matter, finally. However, I just can't seem to jump on board with the teaching style around here. Correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I can tell the Scots don't pay tuition, but I do and I have a real problem with the fact that the majority of the learning that I am to be doing is on my own, outside the classroom. Just #studyingabroad is one thing, but if I were going to a school over here full-time, I would be pretty upset that I am paying so much money to teach myself a great deal of the material. Just a different way of doing things I suppose, but I know for certain that studying here (even just for the short period of time that I have so far) has really made me thankful for my home institution and the personalized way that the professors do things. I really don't ever feel homesick, but I am definitively college-sick, if that's even a thing. #Endrant

Other interesting updates include: it's just about time for me to start traveling, so the blog posts about those wonderful excursions should be going up soon; I've eaten the same thing for breakfast every day since arriving here because both my hotel and my dinning hall have served it (I'm starting to question the meal's significance); my friends from my #ArcadiaUniversity program and I have created a weekly tradition where we attend the #ThreeSisters #PubQuiz each Tuesday night - a tradition that has (so far) only won us a prize for last place, but it's a really good time; and I might have recently met a really nice Scottish boy who I'm really enjoying talking to (but don't tell him that I mentioned it).

Overall things are going pretty well, I'd say. I'm just taking it day by day and trying to soak up each moment of my time here because I know it won't last forever. Let's make the most of #Scotland2k15, shall we? Because…

“You only [study abroad] once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”

— Mae West