It occurred to me that I never mentioned that since studying abroad, I've actually returned to Scotland not once, but twice. The first time was in August, when I was invited to a Scottish wedding out in the countryside and took the opportunity to visit all the places I missed on my first trip. It was nice, because there were a few things that I'd really been upset about not getting around to. My boyfriend ended up renting a car, so to and from the wedding we were able to visit the Borders, Hadrian's Wall, etc. The wedding ceremony itself was restricted to family and close friends, so I ended up attending just the reception, which was pretty much the same as receptions in the U.S. except that there was golf in the backyard.
The second time I returned was in September. My intent was to surprise my boyfriend for his birthday: I'd gone through a good deal of planning with his friends, and had managed to keep it a secret despite my extreme excitement. The idea was that his friend would meet him at a coffee shop, or some other place, where I would also casually happen to be. The reality was that it was raining, I was excited, and I'd left my wallet in the airport parking lot. I had my luggage (a few days clothing, toiletries, passport and camera), my UK phone (with 10GBP worth of service left), and 21GBP in cash, most of which I ended up spending before I realized my wallet was missing.
Oops.
I tried contacting his friend and there was no answer (my flight was early, and he was not awake). Long story short, I ended up deviating from the plan and texting my boyfriend to meet me at Queen Street Station. He was still surprised, of course, but I was a bit sad the original plan didn't work out.
Either way, being broke in a foreign country is super difficult! Those forty-five minutes when I didn't have any money, no where to sleep, and no one I knew nearby made me realize that I could probably never be one of those people who just get up and backpack across the continent.
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