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In the middle of the summer of my seventeen, in the French countryside, I received an offer to study musical theatre at the Telford college of Edinburgh. I felt fear and excitement : finally a chance to visit the country of R.L.Stevenson. But was I ready to study far from home ? No, I just needed a little bit of adventure. It was the second time I was going to travel by myself, the first being a trip to Pisa where I had such an incredible experience with others travelers, that I could go anywhere now. After praying my mother to let me go and calling a girl who was renting her share-room with another student in the city, I was finally on my way to Edinburgh. Martine-the Chinese student who rented me the room- waited for me at the bus station, on Waverley Bridge. I could not tell I was not afraid. I was afraid, even if I knew that my supposed « two years abroad » will be a « few days abroad ». Martine smiled at me, and gave me a bottle of water she just bought for me. « I thought you could be thirsty ». I was surprised by her kindness and thanked her warmly. « I am just trying to be a good friend » she responds. We were at the end of August and the weather was cold. The Scottish wind froze me to the bones and kept me from lighting my cigarette. After a twenty minutes trip in those famous British red bus, where I had problem paying the ticket because I couldn’t read the punds (why do they put the Queen’s face instead of a number ?) we finally arrived in the residential area. The houses were charming: they were little, red brick ones, with roses on their gates, little barriers, and doors you wanted to open to meet the people who were living in. I kept looking while Martine opened one of those doors, and we arrived in an empty hall. A smell of Asiatic food should have given me a clue of the place I was in. But my attention was focused on the sound of people talking in an unfamiliar language upstairs. « I show you your room. You will share it with another girl » said Martine. In the stairs, there were two Chinese girls talking, and in the first floor too. «Where am I ?»I asked myself . She opened a door - my door’s room- and five Chinese students were talking on the beds. I felt quite confused. « Actually » said Martine later to me « if someone asks you, you’re a friend of mine and you are just staying for few days... Legally, you don’t have the right to stay here» . The house was the Edinburgh University property, reserved for students from China, during their applications entry-test. My trip lasted four days. They were wonderful. I will always remember the scottish wind : powerful like the call of freedom, freezing like the land’s mysteries. One day, I was trying to go back to the city centre and got lost. Those houses, beautiful as they are, look similar. I finally saw an old woman who was cutting roses in her little garden. « Excuse-me » I said quite loud. She looked at me and smile. A smile so nice that I didn’t felt lost any more. She explained to me the way with a delicious Scottish accent. I thanked her and followed her advices, a smile on my face too. I took the Northern bridge to go back to the centre and turned around to see my favourite view. At the top of the Flodden wall, is a part of a green hill, visible from the bridge. Like a call from the Scottish countryside, which wants to push you to visit these famous "moors" full of mystery. After attending one musical theatre class, which was very distracting, I announced to Martin and Helene that I was leaving. Martine was disappointed, I think, but Helen organized a farewell dinner with other students. They spent the whole afternoon preparing it. I've never eaten such good Asian food in my life.