It's been a month now since I got back to the US. I stepped into my childhood home around noon, luggage in the trunk of the car, Chick-Fil-A in hand. Right away, it felt like I had never been gone.
I had so many plans for my last few days in Edinburgh - climb up Arthur's Seat at sunrise, bike to Portobello beach, hike at Pentland Hills - but I didn't do any of those things. Between getting my Covid test, going on one last walk with Kat, and re-packing my suitcases, there just wasn't time.
Though it is kind of nice to have left with an incomplete to-do list - it means I'll have to go back to finish it!
My flight from Edinburgh to London was pretty full. It was snowing when we landed, hard enough that my next flight was delayed by two hours. We sat on the tarmac, behind ten other planes that also needed to be de-iced, and I alternated between reading and walking up and down the aisles.
That was the most deserted flight I've ever been on. It was a huge plane, ten seats across in economy, fit for international travel, and it was practically empty. There were a handful of people in first class, nobody in the club cabin, four people in the first economy section, and maybe ten or fifteen in the section behind that. I was alone in World Travelers Select, which I didn't even know was a thing. It was very nice once we took off and the flight attendants closed the curtains between sections - it was like having a room to myself!
We landed in Chicago late, of course, but thankfully my connecting flight wasn't until the next morning. Once I was out of the airport, the very first thing I did was order Chipotle. Nothing says "Welcome back to American soil" quite like a burrito bowl.
The next day I got on my last flight, and finally I was back in the familiar comfort of the Pittsburgh airport. My mom picked me up from there and brought me home.
I miss Edinburgh and all the friends I made there, but it is good to be back! When my quarantine was over, I went to Target every day for a week. My friend Karen spent a weekend with me watching movies and eating Pittsburgh food and arguing over our top five Marvel movies. I have plans to see all of my siblings in the coming months, and I'm slowly reaching out to local friends to see them in person, too.
And in the meantime, I get to hang out with my parents! Homemade dinners, walks in North Park, watching shows together in the evenings - it is so, so good to see them again. When I first got back, my mom spent a few days rearranging my brother's old room to make it a 'home office' for me. That's what all these pictures are of - it's such a creative and fun space, and I've loved writing there.
That's really all I've been doing this past month. Along with unpacking, walking around Target (I cannot overstate how much time I've spent in Target), and trying to get into pilates, I spend most of my time reading books and writing my novel.
Now that I'm back, everyone has been asking me: "What's next?"
My response has been, "Great question! I have no idea."
And I guess that's not entirely true. I don't think I want to live in Pittsburgh long-term; living in Edinburgh made me realize I need to be near mountains. And after moving around so much since college, I would really like to settle somewhere for more than a year.
The good news is, I can work on my book from anywhere! The bad news is, sitting in my little office and tapping away at my computer does not come with a paycheck. So while I'm searching for somewhere to live for the next chunk of my life, I'm also searching for a job. That's a long-term thing, too - even if I do get published, any author who isn't George R.R. Martin or J.K. Rowling doesn't make enough money to live on just from writing. Luckily, I live with a career counselor (hi, Mom) and two StrengthsFinder consultants (hi Dad [and Mom again]). If I unload the dishwasher and clean my room, I might be able to convince them to give me a discount.
I can't say I'm happy that the Edinburgh chapter of my life has closed, but I am excited for whatever's next. And I'll go back to visit, someday (probably when both America and Scotland achieve herd immunity). Until then, a small group of my classmates and friends have formed a writing group! We'll meet every few weeks to encourage each other, read each others' work, and do writing exercises together. We may be on several different continents, but that won't stop us from helping each other achieve our dreams.
Thanks for coming on this journey with me! This will likely be my last blog post - I might do one more, detailing everything I needed to do to live abroad (applying for a visa, opening a bank account, finding a GP, etc.), but otherwise the purpose of this blog has been fulfilled. I've been reading back through some of my posts and I am so glad I have these memories preserved here. This is a time in my life that I will look back on fondly.
Book recommendation: Circe by Madeline Miller. I am only partway through this book and I already love it! The narrator is Circe, daughter of the titan Helios. She tells the story of her life, growing up as a strange and powerless child around gods and titans and all the most powerful beings in the world. Without any friends among her own kind, Circe turns to the mortal world for companionship and eventually discovers her own magic. Unfortunately, the gods and titans don't celebrate her power - they fear it. It is beautifully written and I can't wait to read more!