Aberdeen, a city layered in grey granite tucked away at the North East end of one of the most beautiful countries one could lay eyes on, Scotland.
Once Home and now a memory I pull out when the urge to pack bags and hail the next airplane to anywhere a new adventure awaits starts to stir.
The difficulty lies in trying to place letters together to depict my time spent living in the stone-encased city by the sea. Even after you read my words you will never gain the experience I had, stumbling over cobblestones and learning my way around the narrow streets; and you will never quite grasp how many times the accent escaped me or how I learned that being ‘fit’ had nothing to do with physical appearance but everything to do with how I felt that day (fit-like?), or that being ‘on your Todd’ did in fact have nothing to do with a guy named Todd, but being on one’s own.
I managed to immerse myself in a culture once foreign, which slowly became familiar and now seems so distant to where I find myself at present.
I have never lived so close to the sea but did enjoy the 45 min walk from my flat-share to watch the waves dance across the sand and the sun rise early in the morning. I gazed at ships that came into the harbor and sat with all their might at the dock awaiting their cargo, while dodging sketchy Scottish sailors and hiding my food from the malicious seagulls.
As I strolled through Fittie admiring the wee lodging that had held many a story through the North Sea’s life span I snapped photos and longed to share the memories with family and friends who eventually did come from near and far to experience the places I had set foot and had soon become home.
I navigated my way to and from college or work in the sometimes atrocious Scottish downpours by foot; a memory I will hold at bay and I hope to never again have my jeans so soaked and my skin so cold from the elements. Yes, it’s true you should not bother with an umbrella whilst living there, for the rain and wind will tear it to shreds and wont allow for you to keep dry. They say that the weather isn’t bad, you just need proper clothing and this is true, yet many a day was spent looking out the window at the dreich weather and longing for a season change.
My whole time there, did in fact, feel like the longest season of ‘Spring’ one could have, (a rainy spring, a winter spring, a sunny spring, no other season felt like it came while I lived in Aberdeen).
The purpose of my time was to learn photography, but as you do, I ended up learning a lot more about myself as I took in the new culture around me and embraced all the challenges that came from living abroad and being on an adventure.
I miss seeing castles at the top of the street or walking home late in the evening and seeing the ludicrous night scene the city holds, or the contoured faces of girls trying to impress all the lads while stumbling home from night out.
There are no double decker buses where I live now or lochs to explore where misty climates make for the best moody photos, sheep don’t call out to lead you along the way while hiking a Munroe and highland coos don’t get in your way on the road here.
The folk I met at college and work are missed and the wee chimneys will always have a special place in my heart.
And one day I’d love to return and retrace my steps, walk along union street and past my flat and wonder at who lives inside there now or who has my corner office window at work, or see what my lecturers are getting up to and who they are currently inspiring now to take epic photos. Until that day I am beholden to my time away and cherish Aberdeen in my mind and it will always be Once Home.
