Peyton Perez- Blog Abroad
Blog #1
Thursday July 9, 2026 12:40am
It is currently 12:40am and my third full day abroad at the University of Stirling is coming to a
close. I arrived in Scotland just before 11am on Sunday after a very long and very dreadful 44
hours spent flying and in airports. Originally, I was supposed to fly from ABQ to Atlanta and
have a six hour layover before flying eight hours to Edinburgh. The Atlanta airport had
something else in mind, however. My flight changed gates 10 minutes before boarding was
supposed to start and was further delayed by two hours because they had to pick a plane from the
hangar and get it cleaned before the flight attendants could even board. After finally boarding at
one in the morning, a system error was discovered by the pilots, leaving us stuck on the plane at
the gate for 3.5 hours. At 4:30 Saturday morning we were finally let off the plane as our flight
was cancelled. This was my first time ever travelling alone so I was lowkey freaking out because
I wasn’t sure how this would affect my trip. Fortunately my flight was rebooked and the airline
provided a hotel room, some meal vouchers, and an Uber, and the University was aware of the
situation and would still provide transportation to campus whenever I made it (even though it
was a day late). I managed to get about 4.5 hours of sleep before having to check out of the hotel
and head back to the airport. From Atlanta I flew to Orlando (on another flight delayed by an
hour and a half) where apparently I had to go through TSA again? even though I had literally just
gotten off of the plane. I made it to my gate 10 minutes before boarding started just to find out
that there was a ticketing issue and the system said I wasn’t even supposed to be on the flight
even though I had a boarding pass and an assigned seat. It was “resolved” until I went to board
the plane and it still said I wasn’t supposed to be on that flight. I was quite literally the last
person to board the plane. But after that point there were no extra flight issues. I slept about four
hours on the plane totaling eight hours of sleep in like 52 hours. From Edinburgh I took a taxi to
the University of Stirling campus.
Fortunately, I wasn’t the only person who came late. Three other girls also came late (among
some others) who I was able to bond with, two of which had the exact same Atlanta flight
problems as I did. We went to the pub together after doing our University orientation that
evening. The pub is just a 12 minute walk from campus. Since day one these are the girls I have
done everything with. We have explored the Stirling city center (which isn’t very big) and have
gotten almost all of our meals together, as well as some drinks ;). We have planned an overnight
trip to Glasgow, a Highlands tour, and some other day trips together! My number one worry
when I was leaving was that I wasn’t going to make any friends and that I would sit in my room
all of the time, bedrotting. I am a very introverted person so that is my first instinct. But I have
spent almost all day everyday since arriving in Stirling with these girls, out and about,
adventuring campus and the city. It’s crazy to think that I’ve only known them for three days
because I feel so close to them already. I couldn’t be more grateful.
Stirling itself is absolutely beautiful. Today was the first sunny day we’ve had since arriving and
it even reached 80°F. It is just all green everywhere, the campus is in the middle of a forest. We
have a loch in the middle of campus as well. There are seagulls literally everywhere, the same
way pigeons are in the city, as well as plenty of bunnies; I’ve even seen a deer on campus. The
city center is also very attractive with its gothic style buildings. There are vape shops, barber
shops, and cafes EVERYWHERE, and of course a bunch of pubs. We’ve been to the pubs quite a
bit as they are the main restaurants in town as well. The only unpleasant experience we’ve had
was a man vomiting three times at the pub this evening. It was 6:30pm on a Wednesday and bro
casually threw up because he drank too much and left with his friends, taking the cocktail pitcher
with them. But the people in town have all been very nice, their accents can be difficult to
understand though. It’s such a culture shock that drivers are so conscious and aware of
pedestrians. In the US you have to wait for the cars to be willing to stop for you but here, they
automatically stop if you’re at the crosswalk. They never go through when someone is waiting so
you could pretty much just walk out into the road right in front of them and they will still stop.
It’s so nice to never have to wait for the road to be clear because they will make room for you to
cross.
I cannot wait to do everything else I’ve planned over the month that I am here. All of my nerves
have disappeared, I no longer feel stressed or worried about what will happen, I’ve finally caught
up on sleep, so now I can just focus on what’s ahead of me. I can’t wait to experience what’s to
come.
Blog #2
It is honestly crazy how busy I have been, pretty much every day since arriving in Stirling has been go, go, go! There is so much to do in Scotland and what feels like so little time to do it. But when I think about it, I have done so, so much. I have completely mastered the small city of Stirling, hiking up to the Wallace Monument, touring Stirling Castle (the home of Mary, Queen of Scots), walking everywhere, and doing so very much shopping; my first full weekend here was spent in Glasgow visiting the Glasgow Cathedral (the oldest cathedral in mainland Scotland and first building in the city), botanic gardens, and the art history museum; I have also been on a three day tour of the Highlands, getting to hike the Fairy Pools on the Isle of Skye among many other hikes, and visiting the infamous Loch Ness (apparently Loch Ness is so big that all of the water in England and Wales combined couldn’t fill the lake two-thirds of the way). The extensive Scottish lore and great many legends I have learned while here are so interesting to me. Thursday July 23, 2026 9:21pm
I can definitely feel the non-stop activity in my body and mind. I am quite exhausted. My sleep schedule hasn’t fully adjusted to the time zone and the amount of sun here (the sun starts rising at 4am and doesn’t set until 11pm), so I’ve been falling asleep at 2am regularly. On top of the lack of sleep, I am also dehydrated. I almost exclusively drink ice water at home and it is difficult to even get cold water here, so I definitely haven’t been drinking enough. I think the combination of sleep deprivation and dehydration has affected my body’s ability to recover after activity so I am sore and stiff pretty much all of the time. And my social battery is DEFINITELY drained and I am SO homesick. As bad as it may be to push myself, I have just over a week before I leave and I want to take advantage of every single second of it.
I feel so lucky to have met so many great people while here. This experience would be so entirely different if it weren’t for the people I am here with. No matter how tired and exhausted I am, I look forward to spending time with them, experiencing this wonderful country together. It is sad to think that in a week and a half I won’t be able to see them every day anymore. The friendships I have built here are irreplaceable.
Blog #3
I just finished my second-to-last day in Stirling and it honestly hasn’t hit me that in two days I won’t be in Scotland anymore. It makes me so sad to think that after Saturday morning, I won’t be able to see the people that I’ve been spending every day with. I just can’t process that I will be leaving this place. Thursday July 30, 2026 11:46pm
Tonight we had our farewell ceilidh, a traditional Scottish gathering, where everyone from the International Summer School (ISS) program got together for food and drinks and did traditional group dances. It was honestly one of the most fun nights I’ve had. Everyone had so much fun with each other and it made me feel even more grateful to have experienced this with them.
Since I am about to leave Scotland, I thought it would be fun to go through and highlight all of the places I went to and fun things that I did!
Weekend trip to Glasgow:
The first full weekend I spent in Scotland was spent in Glasgow with the two girls that I grew the closest with during my trip. We booked a hotel room and spent the weekend exploring the city. On day one we walked all throughout the city, getting to see the art museum and the botanic gardens; we walked 28k steps that day. We also got to watch a couple of the World Cup games while we were there. Glasgow is exactly what you would expect from a big city, but it still holds a place in my heart.
Three day Highlands tour:
The following weekend I had the opportunity to go on a three day long Highlands tour with other ISS students. We drove all through the Highlands getting to see Loch Ness and the Harry Potter bridge as well as other places that inspired the series. The highlight of the trip was the day that we spent in the Isle of Skye hiking from place to place and seeing things that I couldn’t even dream of. The entire group stayed in a hostel in a small town called Plockton which was a great way for us all to bond.
Watching Emma at the Glasgow botanic garden:
Every course for the International Summer School had a planned field trip and for the Adapting Jane Austen class, we went to see a live performance of Emma in the botanic gardens in Glasgow. I absolutely love live performances and I thought the cast did sooo well, it was a very fun experience. It also contributed to my learning of adaptation theory.
St. Andrews day trip:
The program organized a day trip to St. Andrews, a coastal town best known for the Old Course, the first ever golf course. It was an absolutely beautiful town with so much visible history. While I was there, I did the Islander bag making workshop with my friends. It was definitely the most touristy thing I could have done but it was so fun and so worth it, my bag is so cute!
Edinburgh day trips:
Last weekend we spent two full days in Edinburgh. The first day we went to the main tourist attractions, the Edinburgh castle, Victoria Street, Greyfriars Bobby, all of the main spots. It was another day of extensive walking, we hit over 25k steps. The second day was a bit slower, we went to the zoo and I got a tattoo. Edinburgh is very very busy but it doesn’t take away from the beauty of the city whatsoever. 
Blog #4
I am currently writing from the Edinburgh airport while I wait for my flight home to board. I’m not ready to leave. While I do miss my friends and family from home and all of the amenities I have grown accustomed to, I am not ready to leave Stirling. I’m going to miss walking around all of the beautiful Scottish streets and hiking paths. I’m gonna miss the amazing Scottish weather. Most of all I’m going to miss the people. I didn’t know you could grow so close to people so quickly, but I’ve been here for just four weeks and have made some amazing friends. I cried with one of my closest friends on the bus ride to the airport. It’s hard because I know we’ll keep in touch but nothing compares to spending almost every moment together for four weeks straight. Even the people I wasn’t as close with, the people in my program have all made a difference in my life that I will never forget. The relationships that I have built during my time in Scotland have genuinely been the best part of my time abroad. Saturday August 1, 2026 7:43am
To those who are reading this blog post who are thinking about studying abroad but are worried about not making friends, you will, I promise. That was the same fear I had going into this. I cried to my mom thinking I would stay in my room by myself the entire time because I thought I would be too introverted to make connections with people. In reality, those who choose to study abroad all have a similar mentality which makes it so easy to make friends. When I heard the tip “say yes to everything,” I thought it was a little ridiculous, but genuinely, say yes to everything (unless it’s sketchy). I indeed said yes to everything, spent pretty much every waking hour doing something, and it allowed me to build some great relationships and create amazing memories. Just last night I decided that I would go out to the pubs with some of the people in my program to celebrate our time in Stirling. I still had to pack but there was no way I was going to miss out. And I had a great time and even did karaoke (something I never thought I would do at the beginning of the trip). I was out until almost 2am and had to pull an all-nighter to pack my stuff. But I have no regrets. I can’t think of a single thing that I wish I had or hadn’t done. I am beyond grateful to have had this experience and wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. 
Blog #5
I have been back home for a week and a half, and it has honestly been a struggle to adjust. I ended up getting sick with a cold as soon as I got back home, leaving me stuck at home in bed for a few days. It’s tough to go from being busy every waking second of the day, spending time with friends, to doing nothing all alone. I did have the opportunity to take a road trip to Denver this past weekend to see a Noah Kahan concert, and that helped me feel a little better. I also started back at work tonight. My coworkers were very excited to see that I was back and hear all about my trip. Having something to keep me busy also helped. I just really miss the friends that I made; the people that I met really shaped my experience abroad.Monday August 10, 2026 10:32pm
The fact that I have been struggling so hard to adjust to being home has made me reflect on why exactly it’s been so difficult and how I can make myself feel the way I did while abroad. When I’m at home, there is no pressure to do as much as I can in the time that I have because no matter what, the same things will be available to me the next day and the day after. Because of this, I tend to push things off since I can do them later. I want to do more to start actively living my life, doing the things that appeal to me when I want to do them instead of waiting for the perfect time or for someone to go with me. I think once I start to live my life at home actively in the same way I did while gone, I will be happier with the situations I am in. I am also going to try to put myself out there more and do more to push myself out of my comfort zone. I was surprised to see how much I pushed myself to do things that I wouldn’t normally do, and I would like to try to extend some of that into my life here.
I really do think that my experience in Scotland not only helped me grow as a person, but has helped me to better understand myself. Studying abroad was truly the experience of a lifetime, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
