New Adventures and Struggles:
If anyone is still bothering to follow this blog I commend you. I haven't posted in so long and I only feel drawn to it now because I'm so far from everyone it has become a comfort to me.
If you've been keeping up with me in real life you will know that I've moved to Scotland for graduate school. I start September 12th! I'm excited and nervous, like I was when I started at Spring Arbor. I was so happy to finally be done with high school and make lasting friends, but I was also scared that no one would like me. Apparently, old insecurities remain. But I miss being in a classroom. I miss learning new things and applying the knowledge I have learned. I miss watching my fellow students figure out problems with me, or we help each other solve these problems. I love classrooms and school. I know that makes me a huge nerd, but I've always been like that and its a hard thing not to embrace.
If you've been keeping up with me in real life you will know that I've moved to Scotland for graduate school. I start September 12th! I'm excited and nervous, like I was when I started at Spring Arbor. I was so happy to finally be done with high school and make lasting friends, but I was also scared that no one would like me. Apparently, old insecurities remain. But I miss being in a classroom. I miss learning new things and applying the knowledge I have learned. I miss watching my fellow students figure out problems with me, or we help each other solve these problems. I love classrooms and school. I know that makes me a huge nerd, but I've always been like that and its a hard thing not to embrace.
I know that while, academically, I will probably do well, I am concerned that socially I will falter. I am loud, and blunt, and opinionated, but I am kind (mostly), loyal, and caring. Usually, my latter traits outweigh the former. Historically, yes, I have little problem making friends, but I still worry about new environments and new people.
We have been in Scotland for only a few days and already I am seeing what my father meant when he told us to "be aware of your surroundings" before we left. We managed to read our info wrong and almost got sent back to the States as soon as we arrived. We made several instant decisions without really thinking them through and we ended up paying for it (literally). However, after some deep breaths, some careful thought, and a few hundred dollars, we arrived at our destination and finally tried to start to build a life here.
Let me tell you something about moving abroad: its not easy. Even in an English speaking country, its hard. I can't imagine what it would be like if we had to do this with a language barrier. Everything here is circular, so you can't get a bank account without an address, and you can't get an address without a cell phone, and you can't get a cell phone without a bank account. And on and on it goes. Thank goodness for "pay as you go phones", without them I hardly think we could have made it this far.
Despite the struggles and the stress of the last few days, I am happy to say that Shott and I are leaning more on each other and on God, and I feel like we have grown as a couple so much more in the last few day, in not only our marriage, but in our faith. Much more than in our previous 3 years. Living where you are comfortable and familiar is easy, especially in the U.S. America is the land of convenience, everything is right there, everything is easy to obtain, But living where everything is new is hard, for anyone. I might be making this sound melodramatic but a few days ago it felt real. I had never doubted that this is where we should be until we were actually here. I remember standing in the airport thinking "Maybe we made a mistake, I just want to go home." But we were here and it seemed like such a short amount of time for me to be giving up already. And after a few days the feeling left and I know this is where we belong.
Overall I am excited for this! I want to learn and I want to see the world. Because I know that when we finally return home, whenever and where ever that may be, I will be so happy that I have this experience.
Let me tell you something about moving abroad: its not easy. Even in an English speaking country, its hard. I can't imagine what it would be like if we had to do this with a language barrier. Everything here is circular, so you can't get a bank account without an address, and you can't get an address without a cell phone, and you can't get a cell phone without a bank account. And on and on it goes. Thank goodness for "pay as you go phones", without them I hardly think we could have made it this far.
Despite the struggles and the stress of the last few days, I am happy to say that Shott and I are leaning more on each other and on God, and I feel like we have grown as a couple so much more in the last few day, in not only our marriage, but in our faith. Much more than in our previous 3 years. Living where you are comfortable and familiar is easy, especially in the U.S. America is the land of convenience, everything is right there, everything is easy to obtain, But living where everything is new is hard, for anyone. I might be making this sound melodramatic but a few days ago it felt real. I had never doubted that this is where we should be until we were actually here. I remember standing in the airport thinking "Maybe we made a mistake, I just want to go home." But we were here and it seemed like such a short amount of time for me to be giving up already. And after a few days the feeling left and I know this is where we belong.
Overall I am excited for this! I want to learn and I want to see the world. Because I know that when we finally return home, whenever and where ever that may be, I will be so happy that I have this experience.
Enjoying a short trip to see Hadrian's Wall
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