The Plan for the Last 22 Days

Term officially ends on 31st May, and it's possible I'll go home to Singapore after that due in part to popular request (yes Jaesson, you are the sum of the "popular requests").

Whatever the case, it's certain that I only have 22 days left in Edinburgh before I get evicted from my dorm. I have been thinking about how to occupy my time in those precious 22 days - thinking very hard indeed, oh yeesss.

So as it stands, I've more or less exhausted the 'tourist attractions' in Edinburgh - those I'm interested in anyway - and I don't think I want to visit the remainder which don't appeal to me like erh...the Edinburgh Dungeons (tacky, anyone?) Travelling out of Scotland is an option, but frankly I'm getting tired of planning trips, spending hours checking out the cheapest flights, sleeping in crappy hostels and eating equally blah food to save on a couple of Euros :( Yes, I'm spoilt that way.

Don't get me wrong, I loved my spring break, I loved my random day trips and I like exploring new places in general. But sometimes I privately wonder if I'm shortchanging my experience because I don't have enough money and time to fully take in and enjoy a place.

And then there was that whole pseudo-nihilistic moment in Madrid, which was...well a bit of a dampener.

But! In any case, I have made it my unofficial mission in the next 22 days to try and know Edinburgh beyond Frommers, Lonely Planet and Rough Guides.

I want to get into all those kooky stores I've seen on the way to school, but never had the chance to look in.

I want to sample those funky boutique cafes I've heard about, but never got around to visiting. I want to stop hanging around Nicolson Street/the Royal Mile/Princes Street and explore those little side roads and neighbourhoods I've yet to set foot in.

I want to try and glimpse a real, living culture (whatever that may be) as opposed to The 'Culture' with a capital C - the officially managed kind you find in Castles, Churches and yes, as much as I like them, public museums.

Coming from Singapore, I think the curse of settling down too comfortably in a place is that you think about it in two ways: (a) you've lived there all your life, you know everything there is to know about it, or (b) you're going to be there for the rest of your life, you'll eventually get down to checking out this place, or that place...and you never do eventually.

So in the end, you live in a place, but you never step beyond your comfort zone to truly know it inside-out. And I guess that is an ironic result of having to live there - because it's 'home,' you can never see it as something new, shiny and exotic to explore. These qualities all get projected outward, to far distant lands you have yet to encounter...

I am determined to redress this mentality in the time I still have here! So watch out Edinburgh, Jeanne's coming for you.