1 Month

Well folks, I have officially made it one month in Edinburgh. And let me tell you, what a month it has been! I was sitting on the bus yesterday thinking about how much my life has changed. It really is amazing. But, I would like to put your minds at ease by letting you know that I am still me...I am still the girl that is sarcastic, says inappropriate things, loves Friends, loves BMWs and thinks purses are great. But, I am now also the girl that has learned to lift her feet when she walks (due to the trippage factor), watches for dog poop and human vomit on the sidewalks, enjoys a crisp cold morning (with the proper clothing on), likes riding the bus and enjoys the less stressful life I am now living.

I want to tell you a little bit about Edinburgh that I have come to notice. This is a place very unlike the states. All the buildings are old. Yet oddly enough, all the cars are new (due to car laws they have). People over here care about the environment like no other. Recycling is huge. So is "replacing" what you take from the world. Don't damage the ozone layer. I have also learned that Scotland would LOVE to no longer be ruled by "London". Taggings of this are all over the city. The newspaper discusses how bad London is for them and hopefully Scotland can eventually become their own. News is a big thing over here. People still read newspapers...something I like, because I am old school like that! Also, the news is much less censored. The war in Iraq is on the news every night, usually with some very uncensored photos. I personally think this is good. They show their solders all wounded from the war. They mention the names of those that have died and tell a little bit about them. I like that kind of respect. I wish there could be more of this in the US. These people died for a "good" bigger than themselves and we need to give respect to that. Stores close at about 6pm every night. This makes it very hard to do anything except for on your days off. Pubs are the thing. Everyone hangs out in them...including families. Babies seem to be everywhere...no joke, I think these people breed like rabbits! There seems to be a much larger mix of immigrants here than in the US. For the states being a "melting pot" I don't think they are doing a good job compared to Scotland! It may just be though that there are many more countries much closer together. Either way, they expect people to speak English here. What a novel thought! America should consider this, since English is their official language and all! Okay, enough of my views...

On to my life in Edinburgh. In the past month, Ian and I have moved into our new place, I got a job and I got my insurance number (kind of like a social security number). Our house is starting to come together and feel like home. I think it will much more when our stuff FINALLY arrives from the states...but who knows when that will finally happen (we shipped our stuff at the end of July!). We have rearranged the furniture a little, bought some things for the kitchen and ordered a dining table and chairs. It's just nice to feel like some of the stuff is actually ours. Work is going well. I was lucky enough to be instantly hired as full time. No "working up" to it or anything. That was nice. Except for me getting used to being on my feet all day, it is nice to have a job that is rather stress free. Also, most of the people I work with are really nice. It's fun to actually get to interact with other human beings. There even is a nice customer I met from Auburn, CA! She is a total sweetie...introduced herself and asked my name as well. I consider that a "sweetie" obviously.

I guess that is really it about my "new" life. I am still getting used to this being my life. I feel that at any moment, Ian and I will go home. I will walk back into my house, just as I left it. My car will be sitting there for me and I will use it to drive to work. Everything will be the same. I think I have this feeling because I don't have any of my stuff with me. Normally when one moves, they take everything with them. Obviously, this wasn't an option for me. So, in a sense, I have built a new life. It's a good life, just new and different.

On a side note, during the month of October, I am going to be doing a daily pictorial diary of my life. So many people have asked me for pictures and I never really know what pictures to send. So, I have decided that I will take pictures every day and post them online. Some of you may remember "A month in the life of Jessica". I am virtually doing that again, but this time it will be called "A month in the life of Jessica - Edinburgh style!" Notice the difference?!? Okay, I am a dork...I realize this. These pictures don't start until October...so if you visit the site today, you won't be seeing any pictures! But, be sure to start visiting it this coming week. I know you are on the edge of your seat with anticipation...what exactly does Jessica do with the 24 hours in a day that she has?!? Oh, you will find out!