Going to Sweden… Who would have thought? Certainly not me, always complaining about how cold it is in Edinburgh and missing the warm Mediterranean sun.  But here I am, submitting my last couple of bureaucratic engagements and booking my flights for there and back.

I really wanted to go on exchange. Staying in one place for too long can make you blind to so many things, and every time you go somewhere else you think ‘Wow, there’s so much here that I hadn’t even imagined.’ This is what happened when I came to Edinburgh. Everything seemed so strange when I first came in, a suitcase in one hand, and a map in the other, trying to figure out where the campus is, losing my way in the ancient windy streets with buildings only a few stories high after leaving home city of 1.5 million. And now I think of it as a home. I like the hills, and the kilts, and the ceilidhs!, and the cool breeze that reminds me how far north I am in my walks.

It’s hard to imagine what life would have been if I had stayed where I had been, so many people I would not have grown to love, so many adventures I would not have undertaken.

And now I find myself on the step of another journey. Of course I think about all the things I would miss here, but the ones that really matter will stick around and I will sink in the exciting Scottish world once again after this adventure.

So what do I know about Sweden? Not a lot, I know they have nice music, lots of indie going on, I hope to find people that actually listen to it and get some recommendations. I guess I am not the most prepared person, but I like picking up pieces that would form my view of the place on my own, from scratch. This is my way of justifying my laziness.

So these are my last couple of weeks in Edinburgh; I’m trying to live them to the fullest. After that amazing storm in May the clouds and the rain have got a bit too consistent, so the sunny days are few and I am taking advantage of each and every one of them. I managed to find a bike for the summer: saw friend of mine on the queue for the airport bus, and he have me a shiny key, a promise for many new opportunities. Having discovered the power of bicycles, it’s hard to imagine living without one, how and why have I been missing this? Cycling every day is amazing, going to the beach and discovering places in town that I never knew existed, along with organizing a bike trip to Roslin with all of my bike-possessing friends has been truly amazing.

I guess you can say I am one of those people who are trying to take in as much as possible of what life has presented to them. That’s why I will try my best to learn Swedish. I think that would be really cool. So I’m going for the orientation program, starting on the 28^th of July. Not too long now. Fingers crossed I get a place in the campus with the saunas on every floor!

Edinburgh, 20 June 2011