"You Only [Study Abroad] Once, But if You Do it Right, Once is Enough."

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"You Only [Study Abroad] Once, But if You Do it Right, Once is Enough."

So I've been here a little under a month, now what?

I've finally reached the point where the culture shock has subsided, my classes are starting to make sense, and I have comfortably settled into somewhat of a routine. It's getting easier for me here and that's a good feeling.

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Because Even in Scotland, it Can't Rain Forever.

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Because Even in Scotland, it Can't Rain Forever.

They warn you that this feeling is coming. "It isn't just a vacation in Europe for a semester", they say, "you will experience a time when the fun stops and the culture-shock sets in" (pfft, what do they know anyway, right? I know myself and I'll be having too much fun to notice... or so I've been telling myself for months now).

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Magic is Real and It Begins and Ends In Edinburgh, Scotland.

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Magic is Real and It Begins and Ends In Edinburgh, Scotland.

"I predict that this experience will undoubtedly change my life for the better, if I let it."

I wrote that sentence yesterday and not even 24 hours later, I can already see signs of my prophecy being fulfilled. When I woke up this morning, I could tell it was going to be a good day, but I never would have predicted how magical it actually ended up being. Magical - that is absolutely the word I would use to describe it.

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"Travel is More Than The Seeing of Sights..."

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"Travel is More Than The Seeing of Sights..."

From the very moment that I stepped off of that plane, I knew I made the right choice in choosing Scotland for #studyabroad adventure. I can't explain the feeling, but something about this place just feels right. Maybe it's the overwhelmingly sweet, kind and helpful people (an absolute 360-degree flip from what I'm used to). Or maybe it's the utterly breathtaking scenery in every direction all around me.

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I Never Knew that I Could Feel Homesick Before I Have Even Left, Especially for a Place that Isn't Actually My Home.

/ roger williams un/
I Never Knew that I Could Feel Homesick Before I Have Even Left, Especially for a Place that Isn't Actually My Home.

It's after 3 A.M. during finals week. When you consider the amount of hours I've dedicated to completing work over the last 14 days and the lack of proper nutrition or sleep I've gotten lately (things not unfamiliar to any college student this time of year), it'd be expected that I'd be passed out from a crippling combo of exhaustion, stress, dehydration and caffeine withdrawal by now, but alas I'm wide awake.

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