Getting Started

In about 40 days, I will be boarding a Jet Plane to Edinburgh, Scotland. About 30 minutes away by car, or an hour by bus, is where I will be living for the subsequent three months: Haddington. Haddington is a small market town in East Lothian, Scotland. You can see the location on the map below!

Haddington is is nestled in the countryside, but not too far from the city or the beach. Looking on Google Maps, it is pretty much surrounded by farm land and golf courses! Edinburgh, the lively Scottish Capital, offers everything one could possibly want for entertainment, and as I mentioned, is at a perfect distance for day trips. Although a part of me wishes I was living in Edinburgh, with the 40 hour work week I will have at the hospital, I do not think I will have much time aside for the weekends. It will be a big change living in a small town. But part of this experience is for me to break out of my comfort zone. I certainly could use a change of pace from the rush of student life here. 

WHAT I WILL BE DOING

I am going to be interning as a "Assistant Psychologist" at a hospital for Mental Health. From what I know, it is a facility that takes referrals for all mental health issues adults may face. It seems that it is both a residential facility that deals with clients with acute and chronic diagnoses, emergency treatment, and outpatient counseling. In addition to gaining clinical experience in the mental health field and learning about how the health care system in Scotland operates, I will also be involved in a few research projects. I will write another post when I arrive in Scotland that provides a more in depth description of my activities in the hospital!

In Haddington, I will be living in the home of an English family who relocated to Scotland about 15 years ago. It is really neat, because they are primarily vegetarian, have three cats, and enjoy Indian food – It seems like the perfect fit! I am really excited to get to learn first hand what life is like in Scotland by truly immersing myself in the culture. It will be nice to have some of the comforts of family life while I am away too, as I will not be living with other students. I hope that I will get to meet many incredible people, and explore the beauty of the Scottish countryside!