After the snow chaos in the end of February, spring is finally on its way. Yesterday, I took the afternoon off from studying at the library and hiked up Arthur’s Seat, a volcanic mountain (or hill) overlooking the city. It was beautiful to enjoy some sunshine at last and I sat down for a while, looking at the city and reflecting on the last few months I have spent here. The semester is coming to an end and so is my time in Scotland. Reason enough to think about what I will take home with me. I strongly believe that your personality is a mixture of the people you spend time with and the places you have visited. So here are a few of my take home lesson from having lived in Scotland for the last two semesters:
- any place in the world can become your home as long as you have the right people around you
- openness and friendliness opens doors
- new experiences make your day richer
- being out of your comfort zone is challenging, but eventually helps you to grow
- a place of refuge is necessary to have in times which are emotionally difficult
- studying in the UK can be intense
- it’s up to you how intense you make it though. Often 80% effort leads to the same result as giving 100% but you’re generally in a better mood, because it leaves time for other things to enjoy
- if you don’t like the weather in Scotland, wait half an hour. It might change that quickly
- generally speaking, it is quite wet and cold though. And also dark in the winter
- the university owns the best gym I’ve ever been to
- Edinburgh offers great cafés and restaurants
- mountain biking in Scotland is a whole different story, but once you put yourself into it, it’s a lot of fun
- and finally: people drive on the left side of the street, but they walk all over the place. Never before in my life have I had so many almost-collisions, no matter if I walk on the left or on the right side of the sidewalk…
I will write my dissertation on a football project for refugees in Freiburg, Germany. But I’m sure I’ll be back in Edinburgh and Scotland sooner or later. :)