The adventure begins...

Well, its official. I'm going to Scotland for a year to get my postgraduate (master's) degree. I'll be studying Environmental Sustainability at the University of Edinburgh. Why there, and why that program? I decided to change careers completely about a year and a half ago after getting suddenly intersted in environmental issues. Suddenly is really an understatement. At the risk of sounding melodramatic, I can pretty definitively say that everything changed for me after reading The Future of Life by E.O. Wilson. After doing lots of research on my own, and starting to volunteer at a nearby community farm, and taking an introductory class on environmental sustainability online, I decided that this wasn't just going to be a hobby or a side interest...this was going to be my life. The logical first step seemed to be to get a degree in the subject. I applied to The University of Michigan, Tufts University, Slippery Rock University, Blekinge Institute of Technology (Sweden), and the University of Edinburgh. I got into all of them (except BIT -- I still haven't heard from them yet!), and really kind of fell in love with the University of Michigan...but just couldn't justify the cost. Edinburgh was my second choice -- half the cost of the other schools, a prestigious university, and hey, I get to spend a year abroad!

So I've spoken with the head of the department, and I've sent in my acceptance letter. The adventure is underway. What now? Now the logistics need to be figured out: a place to live (and really, if anyone has any suggestions for finding an apartment in another country, please let me know), what to do with all the crap I somehow managed to accumulate, quitting my job, getting my finances in order...and much much more.

I started this blog so that my family and friends can see what I've been up to as I pursue this little adventure of mine. Thanks for checking in!