Day 114

Well... It’s over. I am back in California. Thursday was a great last day… I started out by heading to the Royal Gardens with Jordan and Daniel. We talked while we walked through all the different types of trees and plant life… It actually was a huge place with some pretty great scenery. Quite enjoyable. Daniel and I met up with Dave for dinner after that. For my last dinner in Scotland, I decided to go with the traditional Scottish meal of Haggis, Potatoes and Gravy. It was good, but the concept of Haggis itself never failed to protrude in the back of my mind, making the meal less enjoyable then it could have been. Afterwards I began my packing… it didn’t take as long as I thought it was going to. Finished up by 9pm. Dave called me around 8 because he was also taking off back to the highlands, I went out and said my goodbyes to him and we went our separate ways. I can tell this is going to quickly become a depressing day. Everyone is going out to Karaoke tonight, Malcolm and I headed over around 10, the majority of the group was already there. This was great, about 20 of my good friends were at Karaoke. We sang some songs, had a few drinks, and just had an overall great time. When we left at midnight, half went onto a club and half went back to my flat. We just played a few drinking games and talked. Daniel Malcolm and Rob stayed up with me until my cab got there at 3:30am… By then, I have already parted with so many people. But this was especially impacting, leaving my two roommates for the last 4 months and one of my closest friends – and really all of Scotland. I just remember sitting in the cab seconds after it pulled away with such a feeling of isolation. The barrier in between the cabby and I, windows and doors all around me, covered with a veil of rain water… I was all alone in the back seat with essentially all I own. This amazing chapter of my life has come to an end. Even so, the things I have experienced, the culture I have breathed in, the people I met and the growth I went through will perpetuate in the following chapters with an everlasting presence. I can’t help but being a bit sad at the moment, on the other hand, it will be great to be back. I will be giving my Mom, Dad and Brother hugs in about 2 hours… be reunited with all my best friends in San Diego… feel the warmth of the sun upon my skin once again… and just continue growing and learning in myself and in general. I will continue to try and live each day to the fullest, and smile while looking onward. The promise future holds is always uplifting for me, I know great things are in store, I can feel it to a certainty.