A few days ago, I turned in my final assignment. That's right - I am officially done with grad school! Now all I have to do is wait for feedback from my lecturers and I will have my MA in Creative Writing.
My friends and I have been celebrating these past two weeks by taking advantage of Scotland's lockdown lift. Almost everything is open again - the only thing still holding out is my gym, which I am majorly bummed about. Even my church has reopened (with limited seating).
Everywhere we've gone has, of course, been strict about safety precautions. Most places require you to book in advance so they can limit numbers; you must wear a mask and use hand sanitizer upon entry; the host will take your temperature at the door; they require your contact information for a 'track & trace' (if an outbreak is linked to their establishment, they're required to contact you); menus are entirely online, and sometimes ordering is, too. Outdoor seating is definitely available, indoor seating is limited and spaced out. And if the number of cases in Scotland rises, they will shut everything back down.
Life in a country's recovery from coronavirus looks different. But it's still good.
Two weeks ago my friends and I went to a bar called The Outhouse and had a few drinks together to celebrate our programs coming to an end. It was a clear, sunny day, so we walked down to the Princes Street Gardens and sat by the fountain for a bit. My joy at being outside and seeing other people out and about cannot be overstated. Plus, we watched a man toss his ten-year-old daughter into the fountain, and that was hilarious.
A few days later, we hiked up Calton Hill to watch the sunset. It got cold fast, so a few of us ventured out to get chips at a nearby shop called Deep Sea to bring back and warm us up. We stayed there for a while after it got dark, just enjoying the fresh air.
On Sunday we went to a bar called The Pear Tree in the afternoon. The outdoor seating was a little chilly - the days are cooling off the farther into August we go - but it was still delightful. We congratulated each other a whole bunch on 'being masters' and toasted to our general success.
Then we walked across town to Cold Town House. This restaurant sits right under the Castle in Grassmarket, and it's one of my favorites. Leigh booked rooftop seating for us, and I am in love with the atmosphere up there - plants hanging off support beams, vines climbing the walls, benches arranged around tables with a little fire place in the middle. Perfect for a chilly day.
Earlier this week, Pim and Sienna and I finally made our way to a farm that's only a ten minute walk from our dorm. It's called Gorgie Farm, and it's much bigger than I would have thought a farm on the western edge of the city could be. They had goats, pigs, cows, alpacas, birds, lizards, turtles, sheep, and plenty of plants. We made friends with a cow named Ben and the goats loved Sienna. It was a lovely excursion, and we made it back just as it started to rain.
And there are still plenty of exciting things on my calendar! On Friday, our friend group is having dinner out at The Three Sisters. This weekend, Sienna and Pim and I will move into our new flat in Stockbridge (virtual tour coming soon). Next week, we should get feedback from our lecturers. And at the end of September, we're planning a road trip through Scotland.
In the meantime, I am looking for a job. The five-month lease we have on our new flat will end just before our Visas expire in February. Ideally I would like to spend these months working about thirty hours a week so I can keep writing my novel, but I'll take what I can get.
This whole summer, I was wrestling with whether or not I wanted to stay in Scotland once my program ended. Going home for those few weeks in July gave me perspective. The thing is, I love Edinburgh; I love how old and beautiful the city is, how I can walk everywhere, how much there is to explore. This is truly my ideal city. And if I could pick up everyone I love and move them here, I would never leave.
But the people are far more important than the place. Don't get me wrong, I have amazing people here - I expected this year to be a little lonely, and it just hasn't been. I've been blessed with incredible friends who include me in everything, even though I make it hard by sleeping through stuff all the time. These are people I will cherish for the rest of my life.
Even still, most of my friends and my entire family are an ocean away. I can't spend too much longer dropping thousands of dollars and hopping on a six-plus-hour plane ride every time I want to see them. Sadly, I can't stay in Scotland forever.
This is the first time in my life I haven't really known what's next. My year-by-year plans always revolved around school, and when high school ended I knew I wanted to get a four-year degree. It took some deliberation, but after graduating college I had the next two years vaguely planned: spend a year working in Pittsburgh, spend a year getting my Master's in the UK.
That's over now, and all I have mapped out are the next five months.
And I think that's okay. I used to get really anxious about what my future looks like, whether that's a month or a year from now, but right now I'm okay playing it by ear. Living in a foreign country by myself has given me confidence. Wherever I end up, I'll figure things out.
Book recommendation: Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. This book is hilarious - it's the story of an angel and a demon who become too attached to humanity, so when the antichrist is sent to earth, they set out to stop the apocalypse. The writing is so fun! It's also now an Amazon Prime show staring David Tenant and Michael Sheen, and what could be better than that?