Nearly Goodbye

It's nearly goodbye time. It's my last weekend in Edinburgh already. I'm ready to go home...just not to go home and leave forever. The weather has been pretty great the last couple of weeks but right now we're on a rainy spell and it's been pouring. Perhaps the city is just sad to see me go...

Today my flatmates and I went into town and shopped and finally had tea and cake at a shop we're been wanting to visit. I've been to Accessorize about 5 times this week. I bought a new travel bag (pictured below) and a computer sleeve (which ended up being too small - such a shame because it was so cute!). When I went back today to return the sleeve I ended up getting a really adorable necklace in the shape of an owl. It was something different that I normally wouldn't buy even if I liked it because I wasn't sure if I could pull it off but I'd seen it when I went in with my cousin on Wednesday and again when I went back on Thursday to get the bag I'd seen the day before. My eye kept coming back to it and I would just go stand in front of it forever. We went back today and I whined over it and we went to a different store and it was there too so I finally gave in!

 

He is just so adorable and chubby! I picked one that was extra fluffy and am really happy I got it. His name is Auwl (pretty much Sophie's Northern Irish pronunciation of owl which is awesome and we can't replicate). And the bag is perfect because it's big enough to fit my computer and a few other things (I've lost the space in my backpack due to the duvet I'm bringing home so I don't have to pay to ship it). I just wish my laptop wasn't so huge and I could have kept the laptop sleeve! It looked like a post card. I think making one myself will be something I'll have to explore when I get home...

On Thursday I submitted my dissertation on the ERASMUS programme (a European Union study abroad programme). [pause for cheering] It's quite surreal to hand it in. I hope I did well but no matter what, I know I learned a lot from it and think I could really apply things from it to study abroad/international education organisations (I'm going to have to get used to going back to putting z's in) in the US.

Speaking of which, I've officially begun my job search. I had planned to try and get out of Maryland but it looks like fate could keep me securely there. We'll see... Let's just hope the small issue of our degrees not being awarded until November won't affect anything since I won't officially have my master's degree until then. But my supervisor said he'd write me a letter which is great.

My flight is on Wednesday morning and I've just got to pack and clean. Tomorrow I'm going for drinks with some friends to say goodbye. It'll be hard for sure!