Two Weeks In Country

It is hard to believe that I have been in Scotland for officially two weeks now. Truly it feels like two months. I struggle to harken back to the flight I took under the cover of darkness out of Boston on Sept. 2nd. I do vividly recall how brightly the lights in London were once I landed. Following some running around I got onto a plane destined for Edinburgh. From there, my adventure began.

It is still hitting me that I am actually here in Scotland. For I am certainly learning a lot about adjusting to a new place, especially when you are going to live there for an expanded period of time. For example, I did travel last year to California for a service trip through Stonehill, aka HOPE, but we were there for just a week. I never had to grapple with the fact that Coachella Valley was now my home. Effectively, I never had to unpack. Here it is not only unpacking, but adding. I have picked up a few things in my travels. Resting on the bookcase in my room is a vinyl copy of Born In The USA by Bruce Springsteen. I bought it in one of the several charity shops around town. Truly they are an awesome facet of St. Andrews. Also, on my corkboard are little flyers and items I have acquired. It should also be noted that a poster of Bob Dylan sitting at a piano hovers above my desk. He is turned away from the piano and lost in thought. I gaze upon Dylan when I need a word or a thought. If in realy dire straits for inspiration I will assume the same position he is in. Alas, my closet does not hold within it a highly coveted brown tweed jacket I have yet to find in a charity shop.

But adjusting is more than adding a personal flavour to a room or buying clothing; it is embracing. It is being as porous as a sponge. It is hard to put into words how much comfort in a new place can simply be acquired by walking around it. By exploring it. By getting lost in it. Now, St. Andrews boils down to three streets, but there is still plently to explore. Every day I hear of a new shop, cafe, or pub. It is as if a map is filling out in my head. Areas unknown go from being fuzzy to coloured in once I learn of a place and visit it.

And I have been doing this for two weeks now, one in St. Andrews. It used to be quite daunting that I was going to be here for four months, but now it is nothing but exciting. Just imagine how my mental map shall look then.