I am really bad at posting here at the moment. This week has gone by so fast. I have an essay due at the end of next week and I am on my third rewrite, from the beginning. I am so nervous about this essay because it will be my first one here in Scotland and I want a good grade.
These last couple of days I have been to my lectures and all my free time is being spent studying. And all I want is to eat cookies and sleep. Not so fun for you to read, but its the truth. I have 5 essays to write before April is here.
I love my courses at Campus and I love Edinburgh. I am looking forward to Spring Break when I will have more opportunities to go exploring. Right now my priorities are: Study and take care of my self. To keep my self healthy.
I am going to watch The Voice UK tonight with my husband and just take it easy. That is something I am looking forward to. I love this tv-show and I love the blind auditions. One of my favourite auditions from last week is down below if you want to watch it. Now I am going to study. Have a fantastic Saturday!
Today is a really good day. I had a really good day at campus and I feel so happy about that. I had some minor panic attacks and anxiety, but nothing that affected me in any major way. I just worked through it.
When I woke up this morning I was exhausted, after a night of very little sleep, and this because when I had gotten to sleep last night I woke up because there was a really high crashing sound. Both my husband and I investigated but could not find anything in the apartment. And this made me anxious, which is why I slept poorly. This morning we got the answer to what the noise had been. A roofing tile had come loose and crashed down right outside our front door.
Today I had a tutorial this morning, then two hours free and then 2 hours lecture. It was quite an interesting lecture and I think I have learnt something new at least.
Before we got home from campus I had a meetup with my study partner for an assignment and I think we will be able to do a fantastic assignment together.
Now I am going to continue working on my essay that is due in 11 days. I hope you have a magical week.
January is finally over. And I welcome February with open arms. Yesterday we had the coldest day since we moved her to Edinburgh. I was freezing so much when we stood waiting for the bus in the morning. But I know they have it so much colder in Sweden so I should not complain. And that other places are even colder.
Yesterday it was exactly 4 weeks since we moved here. And it feels strange. It feels like we haven’t been living here for so long. And I realised this week that now I have done 1/3 of by studying before I have Spring Break. 8 weeks left of lectures and tutorials. And 5 essays to write. Then I have 3 weeks of Spring break where I can study for my two exams.
This week we have taken it easy because I am still sick. I want this cold to disappear. There are so many things I want to do here in Edinburgh, and staying in the apartment with a fever is not one of them. Hopefully, I will have the energy to take a walk this afternoon.
Now I am going to study some before Lunch. I wish you all a fantastic Friday.
It’s Friday and I am sick. I have a cold and all I want to do is to sleep, but I have so much schoolwork to do. The plan for this weekend was to study, do some shopping and to meet up with an old friend that also lives here in Edinburgh, but now it will be a weekend of trying to get well and to study.
I have tried to make a study schedule to keep track of all my classes and all the essays I need to write before April. I am still feeling a little overwhelmed but I know that I can do this.
This week has been a bit hard because I have been feeling the cold all week, and yesterday I actually only made it to one of my lectures, and I feel really bad about it. I was sleeping and trying to get rid of my fever instead.
There has not happened a lot of fun things this week. Mostly been studying and going to campus. But I have also been thinking about all the places I want to see here in Scotland. There are a lot of wonderful places and I think I need to make a list because my Google Map is full of places tagged that I want to visit.
Now I am going to start on my workload for Mondays mornings tutorial. Hopefully, I can finish it today so can start working on Monday’s lecture readings, Tuesday’s tutorial work and my essay that’s due in the middle of February.
It’s just a couple of hours until the first lecture of the day. And this is the first lecture I will have in this course here in Edinburgh. I am a little nervous. I missed last Monday’s lecture because I was enrolling and I was told that there were no lectures at all that Monday, but there where.
I have been reading up for this lecture and I hope it’s as interesting as I believe it to be. I hope I get a great Professor that is easy to listen to.
I have been spending the morning reading and trying to get a good look at this week’s schoolwork. I believe that I really need to stay focused on the work ahead of me. In Sweden, we only read one subject at a time. But here in Edinburgh, I read four at the same time. I have 5 papers that are all due before the first of April and then two exams at the end of April beginning of May.
I have now completed my first week at University in Edinburgh. And it feels kind of strange. I still miss home, but mostly my dogs. It’s hard not seeing them every day and yesterday was one of the hardest days because Oracle turned 6 years old yesterday. I hated not being there. Not taking her to her favourite pet-store where she would have picked out her favourite chews that I would have bought for her. But I know that she has had a wonderful day with my parents. And that they gave her the chews that she loves.
This week has been full of fun things to do, some a little harder than the rest. I can’t believe that we have been living here in Edinburgh for over a week. I know I have written about my first two days at University but I want to tell you about the rest of my week.
On Wednesday we got up quite early and ate breakfast. I had a headache, but when it had become light outside we walked to our nearest Tesco, about 24-30 minute walk away and did some shopping. Then we walked back to our apartment.
In the afternoon I had an International Student Welcome at Campus so I went there. It was a lot of information and I learned things that I think will be useful in the future here in Edinburgh for me.
On Thursday I had two lectures. On in the morning and then one in the afternoon. The first one in the morning was a Business Class with about 300 students in the class. We had the lecture in a really big lecture hall. The Professor was really interesting to listen to and I think I will enjoy this class a lot. Even if I think that it can be challenging at times.
Heriot Watt University
After the lecture I had four hours before my next lecture began, so I met up with my husband and had some lunch. Then we went to the pop-up bookstore that is on campus for two weeks to buy some course literature, but they didn’t have one of the books. The staff was so nice so they called their bookstore in the city centrum a have them put a copy aside for me.
With more than two hours left before my lecture, my husband and I explored the Campus area and just spent some time together. My last lecture of the day was amazing. It was interesting and fun, and I am already looking forward to the next Thursday so I can go to the lecture again.
On Friday we took the bus into Princes Street in the morning. We went shopping in Primark on Princes Street and I found some really nice things. After that, we went to Lothian Buse’s office and bought bus cards, so we no longer need to have change for every bus ride. And then we went to the bookstore and got the book that was set aside for me and some other things.
I was really tired when we got home, but after lunch, I set out to sort out the reading I had to do for my lectures and make a schedule for my classes. And then I noticed that I had missed buying one book. So we decided to go to the city centre again on Saturday.
Our new favorite walks.
On Saturday I woke up not feeling my best, I think my nerves got the best of me. So instead of hopping on a bus into the city centre, we decided to take a small walk in the area around our apartment. The small walk became a 70 minutes walk. Then when we got back to the apartment we ate some lunch and then we took a bus into the city. It was a bit cold and windy. We hopped off the bus and walked a new way to the bookstore. At the bookstore, we bought the book that was missing for my class and then we walked to Princess Street. We walked into TK Maxx, but it was so crowded so we left almost directly. Instead, we walked to Primark here I bought some things again.. I am wondering if I should make a post about what I have bought. We will see. Then we took the tram out to Gyle Shopping Center because here they have the Disney Store. As some of you might know I love Disney. We bought a blanket and a Christmas ornament and then we walked around some in the shopping centre before we did some shopping at Morrison. Then we took the next bus home and had a nice evening eating some good food, talking and finally watching the Voice UK on the telly.
Today I am going to study and get ready for the week. I wish you all a wonderful Sunday!
Yesterday I had my last day at campus, here in Sweden before I go to Edinburgh. It has been a hard week so far. And I am so thankful for my friends at campus for helping me through this tough week. I think that it’s more real now that we are moving. Moving away from my dogs, my family and my friends. It has always been like months away, and now its just a couple of weeks. I am looking forward to studying abroad, but I know I will miss everyone at home.
I have always dreamed about studying in another country. But with my depression, anxiety and panic attacks I never thought I would be possible. Now, thanks to my wonderful husband’s support and the help from my family I am finally going.
I know that I am stronger than I think. I know I can do anything I want to do and I also know that my dogs are going to be well taken care of while I am gone. And this is a quote that I try to remember.
Picture taken buy me and the quote is by: H. Jackson Brown Jr.
I missed posting a few of my planned Christmas Countdown post this week, just because I have had these bad days. But I will post them soon.
It’s a cloudy Saturday here in Sweden and I am still not over my cold, but it’s time for this week’s Self-Care post.
There are so many ways to take care of yourself. And I have already cared some with you. One thing I like to do is take walks, short or long. You get out in the fresh air and you can think. Also, you get exercise which is important and good for you.
I usually walk with my dogs. And my husband is with me at least one walk a day. For me is the walking a way to relax. Not see the things that I need to do at home, or with my studying. Just to walk and think about whatever comes to my mind. Yesterday when my husband and I took the last walk of the days with the dogs, I thought about the moon. And that was relaxing for me.
Oracle and Zelda on a walk.
Walking also gives me perspective over things. For example, when I got stuck on an assignment for school I can take a walk and relax, and I usually get a new idea when I am out in the fresh air.
Do you take a walk every day? Have an amazing Saturday and if you can try taking a walk today. Alone or in the company with dogs, friends and/or family.
So I remember that I never wrote yesterday to tell you what the status with my husband’s health is. He does not have thrombus. We got the news 3 o’clock in the morning and he was sent home to rest and with the orders to take fever-lowering medicine and to contact the hospital if the fever hasn’t gone in a few days.
I am thankful that he doesn’t have thrombus, but it would have been nice to know what’s wrong with him. The doctors think he might have pains in his arms because of his fever. We just have to wait and see.
I was home all day yesterday with him. I was too tired to drive to campus and go on my lectures. Two hours of driving is not a good idea if you can’t even stay awake when you sit on the sofa studying.
Well, I am not moody, but my dogs are. They are coming in to heat soon and they are being really bitchy. And when they’re not bitching at each other they are sleeping. Or in Zelda’s case howling at the dogs that pass on our street.
I am studying from home today, which I find really nice. I am also planning the coming posts here on the blog. If you have any requests please let me know.
My husband got home early from work because he got sick. I hope he gets better soon.
The Not So Secret Diary of Nea 