International Edinburgh

I have 48 days left in Edinburgh before I go home to the USA where I will complete my dissertation. I say, "home to the USA" like "home" is a totally clear-cut concept. Edinburgh has begun to feel like my home just in time for me to move on.

Luckily, I'm not the only person in my course getting ready to travel. Many of us will visit different countries during the dissertation section of the degree. Edinburgh is extremely international and many of my friends here lived in multiple countries and continents before moving here. Most of us plan to continue traveling after completing our degrees. It is lovely to be surrounded by people who grew up as global citizens.We all have specific places that are part of us, but we don't have very simple answers to the question, "Where are you from?"

My response, "England/Wales and all the culturally distinct parts of Virginia, USA" is less interesting than hearing about all of the places that my friends call home. Now, Scotland feels like home even though it is surprisingly different than anywhere I've lived before. 

While I'm thinking about how Edinburgh has come to feel like my home, I'll share a few things that I love about living in this city. 

• There are a lot of rainbows here: 

• It snows just enough for it to be beautiful:
  

• Edinburgh is full of ground-breaking scientific research:

• There are many amazing events involving fire:

• The buildings are beautiful:

There are far too many wonderful things about this city to count. I am very thankful for my time here and for everything that I have learned. I especially appreciate the insight I have gained from discussing global issues with people from all over the world and learning about international animal welfare legislation during lectures.

Living in the Birthplace of the Enlightenment has been quite enlightening. :)