The Travles:
I left my house for the airport on Thursday, July 2nd & arrived at my layover destination, Reykjavik Iceland, early the next morning. Due to the flight pattern and time of my flight, it never became night, but stayed at a constant sunset/sunrise state that was very beautiful. After the layover I flew to Glasgow Scotland and made my way to the apartment in Newmilns.
While in Iceland I wasn’t able to leave the terminal because I would have to go through customs. I instead searched for food since I had not gotten any on the flight, though I was a bit disappointed that my only options were premade fridge sandwiches I could get at a gas station, an American diner, and NY pizza (which I went with). I got a latte and did my morning Bible reading & writing, after which I did some shopping. Apparently Iceland is big into trolls, at least I’m guessing based on things you could buy there & the giant troll in the store.
After an attempt at a nap that was not successful, my flight to Glasgow was an hour shorter than expected at only 1 hr 45 min. By the time I landed I had not slept in over 24 hours so getting to the apartment 1.5 hours away was quite taxing. From carrying 70lbs worth of luggage to figuring out the bus system I was very stressed. To add on top of that, when I arrived in Kilmarnock there was a situation with someone on the ground either severely injured or no longer with us. When I finally made it to the apartment, I was very tired and didn’t do much besides get some curry and go to bed.
My First Weekend:
After getting some rest, Saturday was significantly better. I was able to try out the cafe & ask the workers the best places to do grocery shopping. I was informed that the best shopping would be in Kilmarnock so I headed there next. Did some shopping at Aldi & definitely did not get everything I needed. Because of this I have had to get creative, using rubber spatulas for flipping eggs & folding paper towels into makeshift coffee tea bags. Along the same lines I’ve had to use a lot of google to determine how appliances & the heating works at my apartment since they are very different from home.
Sunday was a long but good day. I went to a church in Kilmarnock and got to meet several people there along with sitting in on a sermon on Zechariah 10 & 11. There I was set up with a ride back to Newmilns with a very kind couple who invited me to tea at their house. I ended up spending the rest of the day with them, hearing suggestions on where to visit & a lot of Scottish history, including how Newmilns used to be a weaving town. They also had me stay for dinner & go with them to evening service on Ruth 2 at a church in Newmilns.
