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Settling Back In to Scotland
Well, now I've been back more than a day and I'm settling back in here in
Scotland. Part of that has involved reflecting on my trip and part of
that has been making comparisons between the rest of Europe and this
place, and between all of Europe and the U.S.
Unfortunately, part of it has also involved *AGAIN* hitting my head on the
various low structures (ceilings, door frames, metal door hinges, that
cupboard above my sink, etc.) and again getting used to a comparitively
short society (or at least architects). Headaches-a-plenty.
I think the most reoccuring observation is that I'm no longer afraid to
communicate or stand out here in Aberdeen. Now that I have had the
experience of walking around various cities with a large pack and camera
bag strapped on and the word "Tourist" tattooed on my forehead, spending
frustrating episodes trying to communicate with hand gestures rather than
words what it is I want to order at a restaurant, and generally having to
fend for myself fueled by instincts, intuition, and the generosity of
english-speaking others rather than by common knowledge, language, and
familiarity, the hesitation at moving forward at my own unhindered pace
here in the english-speaking world is no longer present.
I've also observed how much it is I enjoy (require) communication with
others. I literally spent almost 7 hours yesterday in front of a computer
responding to e-mail, writing new e-mails, and catching up on the various
(all too numerous) projects I work on. It's funny because the time passed
faster than any 7 hour car/train ride, and I never once got tired or
restless or overwhelmed. I know that if I were to repeat the process
daily I would volutarily hit my ahead against various door frames, but
the one time showed me what high (and generally subconscious) value I
place on being in touch with others.
So now I have 4 weeks of classes ahead of me (I had my first this morning
with the relatively lifeless history lecturer), 1 week of study time and 3
weeks of exams. I plan to make excursions to Glasgow, Edinburgh, and
possibly Inverness during that time, with a trip to the Highlands planned
through the program I'm on. I have several books to finish and a number
that I want to start, as well as some sites left here in Aberdeen that I
haven't gotten around to seeing yet. Everything's running on schedule but
with the next landmark date being my return to the states, it feels like
I'd better be careful about blinking or I'll find myself on a plane home
with Scotland fading behind me.
Chris
P.S. If anyone can give me U.S. currency for several hundred kilograms of
German, Italian, French, Spanish, and Portugese coins, I'll give you a 4%
commission.
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