Day One: Monday October 14th

It’s always an interesting experience the first time you enter a new city. In my experience there is a sort of four step process: the arrival/first impression, the entry, the assimilation, and the departure; all four contribute to the memory I take away from the travel.The first impression, when traveling by airplane, is the airport. It’s that first taste of the culture in a condensed area. “Welcome to Edinburgh” read the signs as I entered the airport from the runway. Immediately we filed ourselves according to our passports and waited patiently and excitedly to get our stamps; a type of badge that I can add to my ever growing “places visited” list. The first interaction I had with someone in Scotland was with the lady at the passport counter who was exceptionally friendly and even asked what I was studying (although she did have to repeat her question because I didn’t understand her accent the first time around)! 

Phase two, the entry, was our bus ride into Edinburgh from the airport. I was able to get a feel for the city, what there was, the atmosphere, the people. I saw many things that made me feel close to home in the States like a Subway or a Pizza Hut, but there were many things that were also very different like the cars, and the abundance of Indian and Chinese restaurants. 

Phase three, the assimilation really started with our bus tour of the city. I was able to position myself in the city, understand it’s layout, and understand what was important for me to know. The World Heritage tour was actually very interesting and the tour guide was fun, even though I didn’t quite find some of her humor so humorous. Overall she pointed out the important things about Edinburgh and provided some good information to help me “assimilate” to the city. I figured out all the places I wanted to visit later as well, like the Scottish Parliament and Edinburgh Castle, and of course shops! This first day was tiring but fulfilling, and thankfully the weather was a perfect welcome to the Scotland and the city of Edinburgh! The last part of this four step process will come later, in the last entry,

 with my departure from Edinburgh and Scotland!