For years now, my ultimate goal in life has been to visit Scotland. 

Now that I am here and have officially had my “Oh my god, I’m actually living in Scotland” moment, I can’t help but think of what this means for me now. 

A few weeks before I left to go abroad, I was talking to my dad about how insane it was that I was going to actually be living my dream. Something that seemed impossible for so long was now within my grasp. 

It wasn’t until the other day when I hit the one-month mark that I truly sat with the fact that this is my home for the semester. The seasons are changing, and that was all the difference for me since my favorite season is fall. I told my dad specifically that my dream was to experience fall in Scotland. While walking to class the other day, I got a picture of all the leaves falling, and that was the moment I realized I am living my dream. 

I created a Pinterest board a few years ago when I first got accepted to DU called “My Scotland Dreams,” where I collected dozens of photos of places I wanted to see and stores I wanted to go to. Most of them, of course, were fall-related and now my camera roll is starting to look exactly like that Pinterest board. 

So now, I keep thinking back to that conversation with my dad where I’ll never forget him saying, “Now you’re going to have to find a new dream.” He’s right. After I experience the rest of fall and even winter here, that means I will have officially accomplished my dream. 

What a beautiful feeling it is to be able to say that I am currently living the exact life past me wanted. If freshman year me could see the photo I took the other day, she wouldn’t believe I was the one behind that camera. 

So here’s to more pictures for past me and maybe even for someone else’s Pinterest board. As I continue to fill my camera roll with yellow leaves and cloudy skies, I’ll keep in mind that every day spent here is another day of living my dream. 

To quote my mom’s favorite Disney movie of all time, Tangled, “Well, that’s the good part, I guess. You get to go find a new dream.”

I can’t wait to do just that.