Monday Progress Report: One Week Down

We’ve officially been in Aberdeen for a week, and oh what a busy first week it was. My head is spinning from all the new skills I’ve had to learn. It’s just been a frenzy of activity and new experiences which can be daunting after a long day. I’m ready for life to settle down, and for routines to find their way back into my life. I’m ready to do away with these progress reports and just move forward. I’m not ashamed to admit that Jon and I sought comfort in the arms of the golden arches, and it was truly comfort food in that moment.

So just to give you a rundown of everything we accomplished this week, here is a list: We opened a Scottish bank account with HSBC. We moved into our new house. We bought a car and car insurance. We joined a gym. We signed a cell phone contract. We bought a TV license and arranged for our cable, Internet and phone to be set up. When I write it out like that, it doesn’t seem like that much. But ask yourself: How do you buy a car in Scotland? How do you join a gym? Buy a cell phone? Set up a bank account? When each task is met with the realization that you have no idea what you’re doing, you get weary.

But I’m happy to announce that one week in, we’re finally getting the hang of things. I’m even getting better at driving, or at least, I’m able to stay in my lane 90% of the time. I’m still anxious about driving without Jonathan in the car, so I have a feeling it might be another week or two before I venture out on my own. Luckily we have a great park, grocery store, and pet store within walking distance, so if I need anything I can peacefully walk instead of stressfully driving.

I better get over my fear quickly though because like it or not, I have to return the rental car to the airport today. I’ll be following Jonathan who’ll be driving our new BMW X1 (!), so at least I won’t have to think too much about where I’m going. But still, how am I going to manage driving without somebody constantly barking at me from the passenger seat that I’m about to hit a curb or that I’m driving in the middle of the street? It’s scary to think about. 

I feel like so many milestones happened last week that they each deserve a separate post. Since this one is already getting a little long winded, I’ll go ahead and close for the day, but if you check back tomorrow, I’ll give you the home tour.

By the way, my Internet problem was solved via my new I-phone 4 and its fancy hotspot application. Since Vodafone (the mobile company we chose) offers unlimited wifi for the first 2 months, I can unabashedly tether my PC to my i-phone and Voila- Internet service! It’s pretty cool, but I’m still a bit disappointed that it deemed the ‘dongle’ purchase unnecessary.