Yes, I have been MIA the past two weeks. Do I have an excuse, other than the one I have consistently used throughout my time abroad? No. Does that make my excuse any less relevant? In my opinion, no.

Either way, I do give my apologies for not being the most consistent content provider throughout this experience. The only way I can think to make it up to you, dear reader, is to give a fast and hard update of what has been going on in the daily musings of this travelsmith.

The first weekend of December, my high school friend Katie, who I also visited in Finland, came to stay for the weekend. It was so lovely seeing her again. I had been starting to feel homesick again, so having a familiar face that I could banter with provided the perfect remedy. We originally planned to take a Highland tour the weekend she visited, however as Scotland proved to be in the midst of a storm, our tour was cancelled and we found ourselves plan less: so atypical of me, I know. We opted to take our refund and have a more affordable excursion in St Andrews, which I was all too happy to go forward with. When I first visited St Andrews, I fell in love, and I was all too eager to return to the land of my goddess, Kate Middleton.

Katie and I did just about all there is to do in the tiny, three street town of St Andrews. We toured the castle, climbed the cathedral, ate in a café where Kate and Will had a date, went shopping, and survived the rain slapping us in the face. It was a perfect day, and even more so since I got to share it with one of my good friends.

Saying goodbye to Katie at the airport the next morning was so sad, much more so than when we parted in Finland. I do not know when the next time I will see her will be. She lives in Finland, I live in California; whole oceans and massive amounts of land separate us. But, with our friendship fire still roaring strong and modern technology more powerful than ever before, I am sure we can make it work.

The second week of December unfortunately was not as eventful. It was filled with preparing for presentations for my classes, doing random work at the internship, and becoming sad at the realization that my time in Scotland was coming to an end. Despite the ups and downs I have had, the emotional roller coaster that has been my study abroad is still wonderful, glorious, and one of the best things I have ever done. I cannot imagine what my life would be without this experience, and I am nowhere near ready to consider what it will be like once it is over. My little internship office has become a family to me, and I will miss them terribly when the time comes to say goodbye.

Cheers,

The Travelsmith