Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Sun Giant

"What a life I lead in the summer
What a life I lead in the spring
What a life I lead when the wind, it breathes
What a life I lead in the spring"
                           - Sun Giant by Fleet Foxes

I have recently fallen in love with this band, Fleet Foxes. I am going to see them play in Edinburgh on June 29th! So excited!

This particular song is very short and to the point, dedicated to the undeniable fact of how great life is. I wanted to use this one for my post today because I am very pleased with my life right now.

This thought came to me a few days ago, as my friend Natalie drove me to a train station in the south of France (I'll get to that trip in a minute). She said, "We lead such crazy lives! Next time we see each other we will be in Germany!" (I'll get to that later too.)

As you may have noticed, I haven't been keeping up on my blogging. I apologize for not providing you readers with the riveting tales of my life but the truth is, the past couple of months haven't really been all too exciting. I didn't want to write posts just for the sake of writing when I really didn't have anything of value to talk about. That's why I am glad I had those people dedication posts to write, it kept the focus off the fact that I had nothing to talk about in my present life.

But, things are a-changin'!

Firstly, let me tell you about my traveling plans!

"What a life I lead when the sun breaks free
As a giant torn from the clouds"

Eiffel Tower and Sunset!
Natalia and I at the base of the Eiffel Tower
So last week I went to France. I left Edinburgh at around 2:00pm on Wednesday and arrived in Paris at around 6:00pm. I then had all of that night and the majority of the day on Thursday to see as much of Paris as I could.  I was there to see my lovely friend Natalia who is doing an exchange in Paris and also meet up with my friend Steph who was finishing a three-week backpacking trip on the night I arrived. It was kind of fun being on such a tight schedule - running around the city, snapping photographs and taking in as much of the Parisian lifestyle as possible (ie: eating crepes for every meal haha).
At around 7:00pm on Thursday I got on a train headed south to the city of Montpelier. There, I met up with my friend Natalie who is currently an Au pair for a little French family. I had a full day on Friday to hang out on a white sandy beach and catch up with Natalie (after not seeing her since Christmas in London). But before I knew it, I was back at the airport headed back to Scotland.

Natalie and I in Grande-Motte, France
It was a very short trip but I am really glad I did it. After living a relatively uneventful life for the past couple months, I needed something to look forward to as well as a reminder of what I am doing here. It has taken me quite a while but I am finally starting to focus more on the positive results of this whole life decision. Although March and April were a tad bit boring - basically just going from work to home and back again, I haven't been as unsure of everything as

I had been a while back. I am always trying to keep myself occupied with going for walks around this beautiful city, going for runs, and one time I went on a little adventure to a small coastal town and wandered around in a castle. Sometimes I wish I would just be more happy to sleep in on my day off and not be so keen on getting out and doing things. But alas, I demand myself to enjoy my time in Scotland because even though sometimes the present Becca is content in staying under the covers, I know the future Becca is going to be kicking herself for not living more while I am in such a beautiful country.
Me in Dirleton Castle

"What a life I lead when the wind, it breathes"

It's funny how much I have realized about myself since having moved here and finding myself on my own a lot. Recently, I have recognized this constant need for variety in life, and quite frankly I am sort of annoyed with myself about it. I have always believed that I am not one for living a structured lifestyle - you know, with a 9-5 job. I've had this vision of being a bit more nomadic and free of routine. So when I do find myself in anything resembling structured I try to find a way to hold on to this vision. If I don't have something to look forward to, or I am not in the middle of a project I am passionate about, or I am not completely satisfied with what's going on in my everyday life, I need change immediately. I think the reason why I have never really taken notice of this trait is because, prior to this year, I have always been in school. Living the structured lifestyle of a student doesn't really accommodate to a strong desire to change; and I guess I always had graduation to look forward to. But now, I have so much freedom I feel the need to use it in any and every way that I want to. So, I have come to conclusion that I am too obsessed with being happy in the present that it distracts me from actually doing so... if that makes any sense at all. This realization has also made me come to the conclusion that I can indulge in this constant need for variety while simultaneously living a structured lifestyle. As long as I have little things like projects or organizing trips or gatherings I can live in a routine with work and other everyday things. For now anyways (I still think my career is going to tend to my free-bird and nomadic needs).

Okay, so I just went on a bit of tangent there, that was supposed to be a kind of side note acting as a segue into my exciting news about my future...

"What a life I lead in the spring"

So, I'm moving!! I am super excited for this move because it's getting me out of this not so aesthetically pleasing flat with a tad-bit dysfunctional flat-share system, some disrespectful flatmates, and a crummy landlord to a beautiful, homey flat with one very cool young woman. I am so so so excited to get settled into my new flat! It's going to make a world of difference in my whole Scottish experience. So that is something I am very much looking forward to. Another great thing happening in the near future is my friend Chance's visit! After having her stay with me for a few days I will have reunited with all of my closest university friends on this side of the Atlantic! How exciting! AND I am going home to Canada for a short visit at the end of this month too! So incredibly thrilled to see my family and friends soon!

"What a life I lead in the summer"

In June, my friends Gillian and Courtney are also planning visits to see me. So I am super pumped for the great times we will share! NYE in NYC 2008 does Scotland 2011!
I am also looking forward to my trip in July. As I briefly mentioned before, me and Natalie are meeting up to do some backpacking throughout all of Germany and the Netherlands. I am not quite sure how long this trip will be yet but some of the planning has already been set in motion and it's going to be awesome!

Then it's the famous Fringe Festival in August here in Edinburgh which I am also so intrigued about after hearing so much about it.

Then sometime in September I am moving back to Canada!

So, as I said, things are a-changin' and I couldn't be happier!

1 comment:

  1. so excited to see you becca! xo

    - chance

    ReplyDelete