"Triple steps, grave robbing, freezing cold and bibliographies" - an ex-OIB in Edinburgh

(I swear that despite that title, this article is family friendly)
"Exam season, diner to cook, no participation mark... why am I here again? Oh yeah procrastination"

Why hello Charlie, long time no see!

Looks like the blog is still active and the new OIBs are a good article writer, that makes me more happy than you could imagine! I know, I know, it has been a super long time since I actually posted anything here, and it's finally time for me to catch up!

And being an unoriginal Alumni, I figured out that talking about my experience here would be fun. Also sorry in advance: I have almost no pictures cause my phone's camera broke down when I arrived.

Prepare yourselves, for here is the tale of a nostalgic OIB student thrown into the cold and alcoholic wild Scottish lands of Edinburgh for his first semester at UoE...

Part 1: Actually getting there

This might not seem like a big deal for those of you who travel a lot, but for me who has never lived elsewhere than in his comfy forest (no exageration) that was a HUGE deal. Sorting out what to pack, wondering if cheese can pass customs, constantly weighting the luggage, trying to fit in 4 jumpers thinking it would be way too much (spoiler: nope.). I was a stressed out mess for a solid month preparing everything.

Then, the day arrived, September 7th.

After 2 long months, here I was in the airport, waving good bye at my wee brother and going into the plane with my mom and grandma... Little side note: DO NOT embark with your parents if they are afraid of flying, that was a tough experience for me. But after 2 hours of shaking anxiety, we landed at the airport, took me luggage, got lost twice in the airport, and took the bus to Edinburgh...

Unfortunately I do not have many pictures of that moment, but it was purely magical: being seated on the upper floor of the bus, watching "Castle Rock" (for all of you nostalgic of Munro) from a far, going up Prince Street, Haymarket... It was really at that moment that I felt like "This is it, this is a new page of my life".

Anyway, here I was, in Edinburgh. It was freezing for September (by my Provençal standards) but I was more thrilled than ever.

A snapshot one hour after we arrived at a local pub, a pint in hand, eating some proper haggis and mashed potatoes as first Scottish meal!

 Part 2: Man vs Wild - a French wee lad in Scotland

Man I do not know where to start... Ok so first the flat is absolutely awesome, I have been blessed with a cozy room right next to the uni for a cheap rent (typical example of the depressing joys of student life). My flat mate, Declan, is a pure Scot from mighty Dundee, meaning I was unable to have a conversation with him for a solid week because of the accent.

Settling in was a strange experience honestly, having all this stuff to handle: banking, cooking, laundry, meeting people, buying books... Honestly you really feel like an adult at this stage, which is honestly terrifying yet at the same time thrilling (... I guess?)

After that short weekend, finally settled, I waved goodbye to my mom and grandma and was now alone in Edinburgh, the city in which I shall build my future. I'm honestly lucky that it was not as hard as I thought, some people here still feel bad about it, not a pleasant experience to say the least. But now that the weekend has passed, y'all know what that means...

FRESHERS WEEEEEEEEEEEK

Now, everyone has different memories of their freshers’ week, ranging from a depressing time away from your family, to the best week of their life with new friends, to no memories at all due to heavy alcohol poisoning (cause yeah, welcome to uni/Scotland). Although to be fair, clubbing and drinking were faaaaar from being the only options here. With over 400 societies and sports clubs (yep), there were things going on LITERALLY all the time during the week from 8 am to 3 am. It was a bit overwhelming, not gonna lie, but it was so awesome! There are plenty of opportunities to try new sports, have taster sessions of almost all the societies ranging from crafts, to academic ones, to dancing, to cooking, to volunteering... Heck, in one day I learned to cook sushi, learned swing dancing and had a speech by an Amnesty International representative.

Honestly this week was an absolute blast; I met so many new and fascinating people. Even reuniting with the people I've been talking to online on the uni's group chat feels amazing!

Oh yeah, and it was voucher paradise: every shop and restaurants want to get new regular customers, you can basically live for a whole week out of £5 meal deals at restaurants, free pizzas and have complete set of new clothes for dirt cheap.

And thus, after a week of settling in, discoveries, fun, parties and waaaaayyy too much pizza, it was finally time to actually start studying.

I have been quite dramatic so far, but honestly nothing could have prepared me for what is to come

Part 3: There is a reason why "dying" is in Studying.

Now I think every Alumni in the UK can back me up on that one, but you never realise how useful the OIB is until that point. Everything from workload to essay writing is easier thanks to the OIB.

I'm currently on board for a 4 years degree in Archaeology and Ancient History, ie. a double degree. The way it functions is:

- You get core subjects you need to take to have your degree (in my case: Archaeology, Roman and Greek History)

- With the credits left, you get to pick a subject you want, related to your degree or not (I chose Islamic History).

- You specialise yourself during the 3rd and 4th year.

And boy oh boy, that semester has been a delight. University is really all about studying on your own, reading, watching interviews, going to meetings and special lectures... Some find it overwhelming but I loved it. The lecturers are fascinating and real walking encyclopedias, the uni staff and older students are willing to help and super accessible. Really there is everything to help you in your study and to foster your interest in your degree. I was ecstatic, having never done Archaeology before I was kinda scared of what the course would be; now it's probably my favourite subject ever. Best thing is, the university offers a lot of opportunity to the students to invest themselves. In my case, I had the occasion to go thrice on a dig at the Dunfermline Abbey site in the North of Edinburgh. As grim as it may sound, digging up dead people and playing a massive jigsaw puzzle with smashed baby bones is actually funnier than expected! Here are some sneak pics of some of our finds!

Some of us at work, slightly freezing though

What we dug up in a day with 3 of my friends. Most likely related burials of wealthy children who died of tuberculosis.

Part of the upper jaw of one of the oldest children burried

All our finds after a day: human and animal bones, ceramic, glass... even clay pipes and parts of rich coffins!

A (late) disclaimer though, you better be passionate about what you do, because the workload is MASSIVE, no exaggeration. In my case, I work every day from 8am to 9pm. Even though it's mostly reading and preparing lectures, this is an unprecedented amount of work and knowledge coming straight at you since day 1.

This is why you need to relax if you don't want to go into a burnout (looking at you Terminales)!

Part 4: Swing your problems away!

Without hesitation, swing dancing has to be my favourite discovery of this semester. I never thought I would like it and yet... here I am! Sports (and any activity really) you do at university quickly becomes a beacon, something you look forward to in order to relax. Swing dancing gave me the opportunity to try something completely new that I probably wouldn't have done at home. I can't express how glad I am that I started to dance. I have never been much of an extrovert, yet this gave me so much more confidence in myself, my body, and what I can achieve. 

In itself, it is not very tiring, but you usually dance it for several hours, and this is what makes it both awesome and a great (jazzy) workout. 

It's a very welcoming world, and I would advise anyone who can attend a taster session to go! You'll meet awesome people and will learn to dance to equally amazing music!

Really, there is so much to do in Edinburgh, from tourist attractions to yearly events like the Military Tattoo or the Fringe... And don't get me started about Christmas! Edinburgh knows how to get you in the mood! Here is a little insight:

CHRISTMAS MARKEEEEET!! That was a mesmerizing experience. The whole atmosphere was just warmth, happiness and lots of great Christmas vibes

Nope this is not some castle, but one of the University's "humble" bars and cafés, Teviot. The lights transcended the Christmas magic. This is probably one of my favourite places in the city.

And this is inside Teviot... fab isn't it?

I love my experience in Edinburgh, and despite all the hardship of work, being away from home and the Scottish weather... well it's a great time. There is a feeling of freedom that I have never experienced before which is pumping in my veins since September. It can be scary sometimes to feel thrown into this new and wild environment, but it really is a great push to try new things.

Anyway, I hope this article motivated some of you to see what experience awaits you abroad. If you want more information about it all, check Judith's articles, another Alumnus who has been more prolific in terms of writing. I know a lot of you think studying abroad is scary, expensive or haven't even considered it, but trust me: if you want it and you work for it, you can do it!

See you later Charlie, and good luck to all the new OIB lads & lassies!

- Kellian