I'm not sure what to tell about being in school in Scotland. It was just everyday life. The uniforms were a pain and teachers were quite a bit stricter than in Finland. Students don't get almost any freedoms, trust or sometimes just human value given to them. I was quite literary hated by the vice principle and the rest of the administration since I wouldn't take my piercings off. If this would've been a rule, I would have taken them off but since it wasn't and there were other girls with piercings I didn't see the point. That isn't really the reason they hated me, I just like to think so. The real reason was that I had to drop a subject because of health problems and for some reason they decided that I was just being lazy and trying to trick the system. So I ended up fighting with them about it and winning, this in turn making the school look bad and thus they started hating me.

With the students, it was like I said earlier. In small town no one gives a fuck. Us exchange students were welcomed with a cold  shoulder and a lot of whispers. No one cared to talk to us and just continued their lives as if we weren't there. Thankfully a couple did welcome us nicely and they became my best friends for the year and the following years to come.

All and all the school was horrible, easy to get good grades but  a huge pain in the arse to actually attend.

New year, new vikings?

On new years in Edinburgh there's a viking parade with vikings, torches, bands and fireworks. It all ends on top of a hill where they burn down a vikings ship. I was never really told why this happens, or well everyone I asked there gave different answers. Never minding that everyone had a blast and all of Edinburgh seemed to be in the best mood ever.

O Holy night

Christmas was lovely  in Scotland, though no snow it was almost just as beautiful as Christmas in Finland. We spent Christmas in the house with just the family and then I visited Edinburgh's Christmas market with my friends.
This time of the year is probably the hardest for an exchange student. You're in a different country and though with a family, quite alone and you don't get to see your real family during the holidays. With me not being too fond of my host family and not really fitting in it was made that bit harder. Edinburgh being such a wintry and lovely city during the holidays did help and my friends being extremely kind and understanding, almost made it all better.

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A lot of dances

 In Scottish schools you're going to have to learn to dance! During my year there was at least 6 or 7 different dances that I went to. In the pictures are shown The final dance, Burn's supper, Christmas dance and Halloween dance. The dances were all ceilidhs, which are traditional Scottish dances. It was amazing learning the dances and actually seeing young people get really exited for them. Once I return back to Scotland, I'm totally going to go ceilidh dancing again. Finland should take some tips on how to make trad dances exciting.

Wee Peebles

 I lived in a town called Peebles near Edinburgh. Well near-ish, it was an 45min drive to Edinburgh. It was quite the ordinary wee farmer town with almost nothing but sheep and fields. The towns center was just one road with about 30 shops, of what mostly all where tourist shops. You had a key store, butchers, bakers and that's it really.

The town was lovely and for some probably ideal, but I didn't quite fit in and always escaped to Edinburgh's hustle and bustle. As in all small countryside towns, outsiders aren't really taken in, not hated or bullied, but no one will make the effort to get to know you or welcome you.
All and all it was a pretty place and if on vacation I wouldn't mind staying there for a couple of hours but I will not be returning there any time soon. 

A year in Scotland

In the autumn of 2013 I decided that I'd make my long time dream of an exchange year true. So I applied to Explorius and next spring I was told I have a place. I was moving to Scotland.
I was extremely excited and thrilled to be going to Scotland, since I knew very little about the culture and the ways of life. I didn't have expectations, because it seems to be the case that every year students are let down by the country they stay in. So it's better to have an open mind. I ended up falling in love with the country, scoring an university placement to return to after I finish school in Finland and making new lifelong friends. It wasn't all good though, I wasn't liked by the school administrators, my host mum was quite an unpleasant person making me feel utterly worthless and I got ill very often. Still after all the horrible things happening to me, I'm planning on moving back to Scotland for good and if that doesn't tell you what a wonderful place Scotland is I don't know what will.

There's going to be mostly pictures of different holidays and explanations for them. I'll also just write about what it was like living in Scotland.