Marvellous Scotland

Hello, last year, like many students, I applied for a language scholarship. In June, when the call came, I was fortunate enough to be able to go to a summer school outside of Spain. After looking at the many different destinations, I was interested in going to the UK and I finally chose Edinburgh, as I thought there wouldn't be many other Spanish people there. It was as far out of my comfort zone as possible, it was so difficult to find another Spanish person there.

When I arrived late at night, I stayed at the residence, David Horn House, which is owned by the University of Edinburgh and is where many students live during the academic year. The residence was okay, not very luxurious, but not expensive either. The kitchen was pretty good and very well equipped. The only thing was is that people were quite messy and they didn't always clean up after themselves. The internet is cable not WiFi, and you have to pay for it in Pollock Holls. Other than that, you have everything you need apart from towels.

The language school was called the "Randolph School of English" and the teachers were very understanding and helped you in whatever way they could. They were very interested in the Spanish culture (although they can't speak a word of it) and always have interesting things to say about their country and city.

Edinburgh itself is beautiful. It's big and you can find everything you need there. The bus service is very good, not that cheap but not too bad. The castle is wonderful, you have to go and see it. Other places like Arthur's Sit (a big hill), the Botanical Gardens and the National Museum of Edinburgh are all worth seeing. I personally liked Cramond Island most, which is in Edinburgh but quite far out at sea and is only accessible when the tide is low.

The food... well maybe that's what I liked least. Here, the typical food is Huggies (yes, like diapers) which is tripe, lung, heart... every part of the animal made into a burger. It tastes horrible. Otherwise, there is the famous "Fish and Chips" and some other restaurants. Because I was in the residence I didn't try that much food in the city but I don't think I missed out.

The weather, Scotland is the country where you can experience 4 seasons in one day. When you wake up the sun might be shining, but 5 minutes later it is cold, raining and windy again. And then before you know it, it's hot again. My advice is to always have an umbrella in your bag. In the middle of August, it was 18 degrees, so forget about bringing your beach clothes and short sleeves.

As for the language, they only speak English in Scotland. Gaelic is spoken in the northern area (highlands) but only 1% of the population do so. So you will speak and hear English everywhere you go.

As a point of interest, there are several locations in the city where public executions took place. In order to remember this historical fact about the city, there are guided ghost tours at night (there are some in Spanish) where you can visit underground the city.

Last but not least I have to say that I really enjoyed the night-life there. There are pubs and clubs with some great music, but if you like reggaeton, it doesn't exist. Pints of beer are not very expensive, and there is plenty to choose from. Especially in summer when the Edinburgh Festival takes place, which has a great atmosphere.

My experience was wonderful and I can't wait to go back there. I hope this is useful and if you have any questions, you can ask me.

Sláinte!