Page Forrest (C’17) is a junior at Sewanee, studying abroad in Edinburgh, Scotland this semester. She serves as Managing Editor of the Purple, and will be writing a regular column for the paper while she is I have good news and bad news.
The bad news is that this is my last Editor Abroad column. The good news is that this is my last Editor Abroad column because I’m flying home in three weeks! As much as I love Edinburgh and the Scottish Parliament, I am so excited to return to Nashville and then Things have been a little hectic here in the past few weeks. Two SNP Members of Parliament have resigned because of implications in financial scandals; Chancellor George Osborne had a last minute change of heart on tax credit cuts; and Scotland is currently in the process of accepting 1,000 Syrian refugees by Christmas. Not to mention there are some fellows in tents camping outside of the Scottish Parliament in protest, claiming they won’t leave until Scotland becomes independent. Unfortunately for them, I think they might be there awhile; if another Independence Referendum happens, it probably won’t occur until 2017 at the earliest. Most likely, they will be pushed out by the brutal cold before then – this winter is shaping up to be less fun than usual weather-wise, which is saying something for the British climate.
There was a very pleasant eye in the middle of the storm, however. My family flew in to Edinburgh on Thanksgiving, and I was able to spend a few days with them before they had to fly back home. While I don’t normally get too homesick at Sewanee, there’s something a little different about having an entire ocean separating you from your loved ones. Thanksgiving was less than traditional I had duck as opposed to turkey, and there were no Sister Schubert rolls or pie present. I also found out from my flat mates, most of whom are from the Northeast, that Sister Schubert rolls aren’t produced outside of the Southern United States, which is incredibly upsetting. My family and I were able to do all of Edinburgh’s main seasonal attractions, including the castle and the Christmas market. I learned the hard way that spinning rides aren’t very fun when you’re almost 200 feet up in the air and the wind is going at about 20 miles per hour. Studying abroad has been a surreal experience, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t counting down the days until I get to go back to Sewanee (37). Cheers until next semester, YSR, & EQB!