Expect The Unexpected

Halò

again my fellow adventurers!

Yes you are seeing that right, that is a photo of the sun shining in Scotland! It's not just snow and rain all the time!

-Taken on January 16th, 2018

Since the last time you heard from me, I had not yet picked my third University course, so I am here today to say that I have finally found it and it's a good one!

But before I tell you what my third course is, let me explain to you how and why I am only taking three courses, the max amount of courses (when in the United States, a student typically takes up to five courses a semester!) As previously mentioned, here in the UK, the way you choose your courses is based off of a 60 credit hour limit schedule. While most courses equivocate to 20 credits each, there are some that only apply as 10, therefore, as a student you are expected to only take three courses each semester (maybe four if you have two, 10 credit courses), but that you, the student, are expected to do a lot of the reading and work outside of the class lecture. Depending on the school of the university that you are in, your final grade at the end of your course comes down to only two marks, a paper due during the middle of the semester and your final exam, thats its! Scary right?! There are no little assignments here and there that count towards your grade, not all courses require attendance (even though there is a sign in sheet), and most importantly, all of the lectures are recorded and posted to your online class board so just in case you missed class or want to review the day later, you can do so at your own pace, (just make sure your on time with your paper and final exam dates)!

While not all courses follow the exact guidelines I listed above, the one thing that stays the same for each student is the 60 credit hour limit (which will equivocate to me earning 15 credits out of a possible 18 max back in the states).

Now onto the part you have been waiting for, my third and final class! As a replacement to my Reality Check: Art course, I have signed up for Visualizing Scotland, in the Scottish Ethnology department! Visualizing Scotland is a course that seeks to explain the different ways through which an outsider (such as myself) views Scottish history, photography, writing, movies and other symbols/images in the media, contrary to what outsiders view them as, we learn how to interpret Scotland's history through the mediums listed! Whether or not you find my new course interesting, let me just say, I attended my first course lecture for the class today and I already love it, the professor is great, the material is fascinating and best of all it's a course I could not ever take back in the states! So once again, in total I am taking The History of Edinburgh: From Din Eidyn to Festival City, Scandinavian Civilisations and now Visualizing Scotland!

By now you're probably wondering why did I choose to title this post 'expect the unexpected'? Well, everyday I usually stop for about 5 minutes, during the morning, afternoon and evening, to mentally think about what I am grateful for that day. It's kind of like meditating in place, I don't have to go anywhere special to take my moment of reflection, rather I just simply put away any electronics I am using at the moment and look around the room or space I am in, allowing myself to process all of the amazing daily experiences I have already come in contact with! It was today during my mid-afternoon moment of reflection that I realized when I came to Edinburgh, all the things I thought I was sure of (such as my classes), all turned out to be completely different, except for actually attending the university (because yes I still do attend UoE), but everything else from my housing location, to my courses even to the weather being actually warmer then I had expected (but believe me its still cold), was different.

However, just because a lot of the preconceived notions I had in my head upon arrival didn't turn out the way I expected, I am a strong believer in the fact that everything happens for a reason, and as it turns out I am LOVING all of Edinburgh, Scotland!

I am loving all of the new people I have gotten to meet; British, Scottish, America, Australian, Asian, you name it, I have made so many new friends within just the first week, I am so grateful to be able to have this opportunity!

I currently live in a flat style apartment with 3 other roommates (two from Malaysia and one from South Korea) each with our own single bedrooms (which are much larger than what I have back in the states), a full kitchen, living room, one full bathroom with a shower, a half bath with just a toilet and sink, a boiler room and laundry facilities just downstairs, all in a cute little Scottish/British style apartment with a beautiful view of Edinburgh's Arthur's Seat and the street!

With my first week coming to a close, as I have no Friday classes, I know I will spend my 5 minute reflection time thinking about all the amazing opportunities I have had. And it's only been one week, think about all the stories and experiences I have yet to discover now on my study abroad journey, my new year is just beginning!

So without further adieu, my fellow adventurer, thank you for traveling with me again today, I hope you have enjoyed my posts as much as I have enjoyed writing them, and I can't wait to share with you my upcoming weekend adventures, so stay tuned!

Cheers,

Meghan Chayka