Six months ago Derek and I arrived in a foreign land with four suitcases and Google Map directions to the university’s accommodation desk. We had no idea what our place would look like or contain, where any grocery stores were, or where to find internet access. Thanks to Google Map’s satellite images, I knew we’d be living in a row of houses or tenements with a large square down the street and the national museum at the other end. What they didn’t show us of course was what our place actually looked like, even from the street, or the fact that we’d be moving into a construction zone.
After our cab found a place to stop around the corner outside of the construction zone, we rolled our suitcases to the front door and tried the keys. Inside we found a dark hallway with a curving staircase that went up 3 floors. Derek dragged the cases up, and we investigated our new place with some apprehension. Initial impressions were that it was much larger than expected, spotless, and had a little washer/dryer and a bathtub plus shower. The colours were odd: cream walls with white trim, navy patterned carpet, blue chairs and jade green doors. The windows were huge and the ceilings very high, and there seemed to be a good number of heaters (which would take a few days to learn to operate).
We found our way to a small Sainsbury’s to get some pre-made sandwiches and juice. With lunch and supper solved, we went through the accommodation guide and read about other stuff we had to do right away: set up phone and internet access, contact the electricity supplier (which we didn’t know) and give them our readings, and complete the inventory within 24 hours. We found an internet café a couple blocks away, and after a couple quick emails to parents, we looked up phone, internet and tv packages from a couple companies, city bus information and directions to Ikea.
Following dad’s advice for conquering jetlag, in the evening we went for a walk along the Royal Mile and forced ourselves to stay up until 9pm before crawling into a bed made of one sheet, one small polarfleece blanket and two pillowcases filled with clothes. Needless to say, it was a very rough night, for me anyway. It was cold and uncomfortable, and of course my emotions were getting the best of me. There was also the problem of street noise, which we eventually conquered two months later by moving the bed. After a good cry, two Gravols and a lot of hugs, I fell back to sleep.
Over the next couple days we started to make the place our own. At Ikea we found the perfect bedding and bathroom linens. We found the Tescos grocery store with some familiar food as well as simple white dishes and cutlery like my old Ikea set that I loved. We called BT from a payphone and arranged to get our place wired up, although we were disappointed that it would take almost 3 weeks. And a letter arrived for the old tenants from Scottish Power, so we now knew who supplied our power. We went to the Bank of Scotland across the street to start the long process of applying for a bank account as an international student, and headed up to Princes Street to find the right cell phone.
Meeting our neighbours helped immensely. Suddenly there were friends here to talk to, share experiences with and get advice from. International Day helped too, as it brought the thousands of international students together into one room to meet and connect with. I met one of my closest friends that day. Derek’s cousin also stopped by for a couple days as part of his backpacking trip, so we had a familiar face around, and his visit inspired us to go out and explore the city.
Six months on, when I look back at those few days they seem worlds away from the home we’ve created. My studies are going really well, and Derek’s are wrapping up quickly. I’m sure I shared the stress of setting up bank accounts and getting internet access with you all. Now I have my favourite spots in the library, I’m watching all the British television I can, and I regularly see my family via Skype and our webcams. I’ve made friends with students from Canada, the US, Germany, the UK, Norway and Japan. We enjoyed the mildest winter we’ve ever experienced. And Edinburgh is truly a beautiful, amazing city. I’m very lucky to live here, and I try to remind myself of that regularly so that I don’t start taking it for granted. I'm also very lucky that I didn't need to go on this adventure alone. We've faced it side by side.
The next few months should be very interesting. I’ll stay here to work while Derek heads back to Waterloo for a couple weeks to finish his degree. We’ll be flat-hunting soon and moving in June to a place with double-glazing (I’m tired of the curtains blowing in the wind when the windows are closed!). And I have to hit the British Library in London this summer to look at some primary sources, particularly anti-abolition pamphlets from the 1790s and early 1800s. I’m glad so many of you have enjoyed these updates. Stay tuned! Who knows what the next six months will bring?
