An international student in Edinburgh - Part 1

Preface

In the midst of a global pandemic, and without realising it, 2020 has entered June. Initially, my graduation ceremony would have been held in 20 days. However, due to the coronavirus, it’s still up in the air.

I started to think back on my degree and even what I might have done differently given the chance. I’ve learned many things and experienced many things. Here I want to share some of the most memorable examples. This is An international student in Edinburgh - Part 1.

One night in McDonald’s

On the 8th of September, 2016, I flew to the UK. It was 9ish in the evening when I arrived at Edinburgh airport. Just after I stepped outside the plane, I felt a chill in the air. Edinburgh evenings in September are cold. The moment when the customs officer stamped my passport, I knew my life of studying abroad had begun.

Since my university accommodation was available for checking in only from the 10th of September, and I was planning to familiarise myself with Edinburgh’s environment earlier than that, I booked a hotel before my departure. Carrying my luggage; a big suitcase, a small suitcase and a backpack, I got in the taxi. I figured taking a taxi would be the safest choice for me, given that I knew nothing about Edinburgh’s buses and it was already dark. I didn’t want to get lost. During the ride, the driver was friendly, introducing the tourist spots as we passed by them, such as this is the castle, this is Prince’s Street (the place for shopping) etc. When we reached the end of our conversation, I arrived at the hotel.

It was late and I was exhausted from my flight, so I was hoping to check in quickly. However, just as I was imagining a soft, warm bed, the reception staff told me that he couldn’t find my booking! How could this be possible?

I took out my phone and showed him my booking confirmation letter, he had a glance at it and then rechecked the list, even turning the computer screen for me to see. Surprisingly, the booking lists on that night genuinely didn’t have my name on it!

After he read the confirmation letter thoroughly, we realised what the problem was. It’s because I took the flight at 9:30 PM Chinese time on the 8th of September. My hotel booking was for the 9th of September. However, I’d forgotten to take into account time going backwards as I flew west, and so I had landed in Edinburgh still on the 8th of September! No wonder my name was not on the booking list…

My first time in the UK (alone!) and this unexpected thing happened; I was stunned into silence for a while. The first thing came to my mind was asking them if they have any rooms available tonight. They said no. Then I thought maybe I could ask them if I could stay in the lobby for tonight and check in tomorrow? Again they said no, probably because other customers might find a strange girl sleeping in the lobby off-putting.

Later on, it might be due to my tiredness or my unfamiliarity with the surroundings, not to mention I wasn’t very experienced, I called a taxi without thinking further. I asked the driver to take me to the nearby hotels and ask each one whether they have rooms available tonight.

One by one the hotels said no. I was wondering why I was so unlucky, why every hotel we visited did not have a room available? But I thought, Edinburgh is surely busy in the tourist season, and the driver is so kind, asking the hotels for me every time. When I look back on it right now, the hotels we visited looked all very fancy, and the travelling times between each hotel were at least 10 minutes, I guess he was just racking up a nice fare.

Since the number in the taximeter was increasing past 40 pounds and the time displayed on the phone was already twelve o’clock, I thought that I couldn’t keep doing this any longer. I decided to stay at a 24-hour McDonald’s. On the way there, I rechecked the booking confirmation letter, surprisingly, I realised it was actually a youth hostel. (There are very few youth hostels in China, so I assumed it was a hotel.) I wasn’t comfortable with the idea of living with strangers in a room, so I cancelled the booking, and booked another hotel for the next day.

From then, my 15-hour stay at McDonald’s started. I felt really sleepy, but I forced myself to stay awake in case my luggage was stolen. I tried to comfort myself by thinking “thankfully I’m not staying on the street, and I still have food”.

In the early morning, around three or four o’clock, I met four Chinese people in the McDonald’s. They had hotel problems too and were in the same boat as me. I felt less lonely and a little comforted. The next day I successfully checked in, and afterwards successfully moved in my student accommodation.

My parents back then were not able to get their visas in time, and I considered myself independent enough, so I decided to come to Edinburgh alone for my first time in the UK. Experiencing this kind of thing at the beginning of my study abroad seems funny to me when I think about it now. I was quite inexperienced, but I had a positive attitude at least. I encouraged myself that I’ve used up all the bad luck, and the rest will all be good luck. That was my first impression of Edinburgh, which I think I’ll never forget.