I'm leaving on a jet plane.

The weekend before I left ...

This was spent picking up the last few bits and bobs I needed before going, as well as trying to fit a years full of stuff into 2 suitcases (not the easiest task!!) but eventually by Saturday evening the suitcases were - with a struggle - closed!
So on Saturday evening, as it was a beautiful day, which you don't get often in Scotland, my family decided to have a BBQ. Which was a great way to say 'see you later'. We stuffed ourselves full, then ended up having a water fight with the hose!

On Sunday morning I got up early so I wasn't panicking about forgetting anything. We headed to the airport at 11 o'clock, the journey there was a quiet one, I think the reality of me being away for a year had sunk in with everyone, but we had my sisters little dog lexi with us so she provided a few smiles.

Once we were at the airport it was a long wait in the check in queue but I got checked in and my bags too (just a little over weight!!) then we headed up stairs, had a few drinks then, went to security.
This is where I had to say 'see you later' to everyone, a few tears were shed but I wasn't as bad as I thought I would be. Once I turned around to go, I couldn't look back, I had to just kept walking through.

Security was quick and I only had about 20 minutes to waste then before going to the gate, boarding began when I realised I didn't have my jumper, I hurried back to where I was sitting but couldnt see it, at this point my name was called over the tannoy as a final call, I panicked and sprinted back to the gate. I got there in time and rushed on to the plane, my heart racing. Not something I will do again in the future !!

I settled into my seat and prepared for my journey to Iceland / Boston.
The flight was okay, I don't particularly like flying but the seats were comfy and there was plenty movies and tv programmes to choose from.
I arrived in Iceland and had  two hours to waste as my flight was delayed 30minutes.
As the flight didn't provide food, I stopped at the only cafe there was (the airport was so small) and picked up a sandwich and juice, unfortunately my sandwich was less than appealing so went in the bin.
My flight from Iceland to Boston was much longer so I did get a bit fed up but managed to sleep for a while so wasn't to bad.
Once I landed in Boston I was feeling to great as I hadn't eat since the morning (Scotland time) but got through customs and got my bags fairly quickly.
Then headed out to meet Nicole.
Greeted with a beaming smile I felt so welcomed by her, she helped me with my bags then we headed on our journey via bus and T to Kettys house (my temporary accommodation before moving to Nicole's room when she leaves) with only a minor blip of me not feeling well and having to get some food in me!
Once we arrived at Newton centre I was greeted by another huge smile of Ketty and a shy Korean student, we jumped in her car on a quick journey to her house.
I was shown my room and left me suitcases then welcomed up stairs where I met her husband John and was fed beef kebab after a long day travelling, food and a family were just what I needed.
I was tucked up in bed shortly after, tired from such a long day. 

Almost there.

It was getting closer and closer to me moving to Boston, yet I wasn't getting nervous!

Two weeks before I was due to fly I left my job as a restaurant manager at the Park Bistro, which I had worked at for 4 years, this made reality begin to sink it a bit, it was hard leaving some of my colleagues which had become great friends over the years. However the reality of moving was becoming more exciting.

Over the two weeks I tried to see as many of my friends and family as possible to say 'see you later' (I refused to do goodbyes as I'm not leaving forever !!) 

My birthday celebrations were also within those two weeks. So my boyfriend Scott decided to take me up to Aviemore to spend some time with him before leaving as well as seeing the bonnie highlands of Scotland! We had an amazing time seeing the scenery and spending time together. I also had the wonderful surprise of my sister and her boyfriend coming up to stay for a night and bringing the dogs up with them. So spent two days walking the dogs in the fresh air and dinning at night. 

It was just one week to go now and I still wasn't feeling nervous, it didn't feel real that I would be moving across to America in just one week.

This week I lunched and dinned out every night, it was amazing!

I went out for afternoon tea with my gran and mum one day, which was lovely, freshly made sandwiches and baked warm scones accompanied with a glass of proseco with a little raspberry in it.

I also lunched with my granny and papa which was great to see them, and I was treated to some dollars for my Boston fund.

My university girls were next, I went through to Glasgow to see them, two of them being Amy and Diane, so we were very excited and spent most of the night chatting about what amazing things we wanted to do in the states, whilst enjoying pizzas and cocktails. 

I also had a few nights out with my friends, one at shanghai shuffle in Glasgow (a karaoke bar), a night out at dusk nightclub and one final leaving night which we attempted to dress 'American themed' but it didn't go so well, however we still had an amazing night chatting and laughing and then pulling some terrible dance moves towards the end.

As it came to the Friday before I left, I realised that I really do have amazing friends and family, and I couldn't have asked for a better send off! 

Just touched down in London Town.

We had booked our Visa appointments at the London American Embassy for Thursday the 9th of April. So the other girls and I decided to have an extra day to do some sightseeing. We booked the 'Mega Bus' to take us down through the night to arrive on the wednesday morning.

Tuesday the 7th came and we all headed to Buchanan bus station for 11pm, after boarding the bus we discovered that we had booked the sleeper, so we had mini beds, although they were a bit cramped it was great getting to lie down and get some sleep.

We arrived on the Wednesday morning in London at 6.30am, even so early in the morning London was all hussle and bussle, discovering throughout the day, most Londoners are in a rush! We spent the day seeing the sights of London: Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Parliament along with others, as well as trying to master the tube system. We also made a stop at the Natural History Museum, which I loved, its a gorgeous building and I particularly enjoyed the Dinosaur section, very interesting! We then headed for some dinner, near the tower of London, as we were staying with Amy's cousin Victoria and she was taking part in a 10km for Charity there.

After meeting up with Victoria we headed for her home, after a very long day of sightseeing and walking round London we were ready for a shower and bed. Arriving in Kew Gardens, it was a short walk to Victorias gorgeous 7 bed town house, complete luxury after sleeping in a bus the night before.

We got up early on the Thursday to make sure we weren't late for our appointments, we also had to meet up with Bunty outside the embassy. After putting our electricals in lockers we arrived at the Embassy, our documents were checked outside, we went through the security checks then were directed to the waiting area. After 3 hours and 2 interviews each, we had our visas approved! They would be sent to us the following week.
The rest of the day was spent hiding from the rain, inside cafes and restaurants getting some food in us for the long journey home.
At 8pm we piled on the bus home, this time not the sleeper, and had a rather uncomfortable very long journey home. Finally arriving back in Glasgow at 5am. 


After a successful trip we were all delighted to be one step closer to Boston !