The Real World

It's time for a slightly embarrassing confession: I used to watch "The Real World." Really, I only kept up with it for a season or two, and I know that you have all probably seen it, too...but now, it just makes me cringe to think about. Anyway, can you recall the first episode? Housemates arrive from all different directions and backgrounds to live in an incredibly large, crazy place furnished with ridiculous, awesome decorations. Well...this was a bit like my experience Thursday.

After landing, picking up our bags, and stopping at a church for a light breakfast (so nice!), our group began to divide up to be shuttled to our individual flats. Ours had been pointed out to us from the bus an hour or so earlier - it seemed, from the outside, to be very nice, with an old-world charm and Edinburgh Castle as its nearby neighbor. As it turned out...IT IS MUCH COOLER.

I'm not going to post pictures of the outside of our flat so as to not attract creepers, but I would like to say that I have seen our flat more than once on a POSTCARD. It is truly a dream home that has come already furnished. I'm living with three Kappa sisters - Lindsay, Annie, and Emily - and another girl in our program, Grace. There is more than enough room for the five of us amongst the sprawling three stories of living space here.

Here are a few pictures of the interior. Let me just tell you about our kitchen, for instance: not only is it humongous, not only does it come with a fun breakfast table and two high chairs, but we have a professional coffee maker - like, with a milk steamer and everything (above). Our refrigerator is in a cabinet (right). We have not one, but TWO freezers.

There are four bedrooms here, which means only two of us have to share. I am one of the three girls with her own room, though. I got the smallest room, but I still very much like it. I have an entire wall of cabinets and storage space, a comfortable twin bed, and a night table. I also moved a chair from under the stairs up to my window. Oh, yeah, I have a window...WITH AN INCREDIBLE VIEW OF THE CITY. We're up on a hill (like all of Edinburgh ISN'T hills and valleys!), so pretty much any time of day or night, the view is breathtaking at first and interesting once you hone in on the bustling activity.

Beyond that, there are two and a half bathrooms - one on each floor - so I walk upstairs to shower, sharing a HUGE bathroom with a shower AND tub with Emily, while everyone else on my floor shares that bathroom. Also, the living room is great: size, decorations, everything. I've kind of taken over the chaise in the corner by the window - I'm currently writing this entry from it; I have already racked up many hours staring outside, dozing, and reading over here. Did I mention that I love chaise lounges?

Did I mention that I love this flat?!?