2005-01-10 - 11:05 a.m.
Every time I hear/read words from loved ones far away (and let's face it, all my loved ones are far away currently...well, actually, I am the one who is far away), my eyes fill up with tears. Forcing myself to do this on my own, to live in a foreign country without anyone to lean upon...will it make me more adult? Will it help me to figure stuff out? Will I develop a spine of steel and a calm center of existence deep within my heart? Will I be able to function? Will I love the city--the doubled expense of living in �pounds, the ever-present reality of being a foreigner (and a looked down upon American at that! it's true everyone, America baffles Europe!), being isolated by the way I talk, the way I dress, the things I believe, the drinks I don't drink etc. etc. etc.
Edinburgh was beautiful. We don't have cities like that in the U.S. of A.
Glasgow is different. A mix. The University looks like something out of Harry Potter. Harry Potter would have never worked in the U.S. strip malls and bland architecture would have made the magic impossible.
The weather is my biggest complaint. Every time I enter my flat, I am soaking wet and freezing. Moss grows on the sidewalks! The sun is scarce. It's the shadow world. The misty world. The sky is lower here. The sheep in the countryside look like wet cottonballs. There's art everywhere. There is Indian food everywhere. There is deep-fried food everywhere. People dress well. Have bad teeth. Have more 'alternative' hairdos. The shops are smaller.
My room is a quiet cell. My flatmates are from all over the world--except Scotland or the U.S. I am still getting adjusted. I like to be in a city though.
