The last post from Scotland...

 

 The forth rail bridge © 2012 Megan Chapman

Well, here we are. This will be my last post from Edinburgh, Scotland. My last post sitting at the ikea table on the borrowed laptop in Stewart's flat. I arrived here in early January and I will be leaving to return to Arkansas next Thursday, May 3rd. I probably won't know exactly what this trip meant to me or what I learned or how it changed me until I am back home and looking over my photographs and wondering why there isn't a train or a bus to take me to someplace I have never seen. Today I will try to remember the highlights and just make note of some observations and commemorate this journey.

When I wrote my final post from Arkansas before I arrived in Edinburgh, I wrote that I had no expectations, and after being here, I can say that was pretty much true. I came here for the experience. I came here for art, for love, for adventure, for a challenge and to meet people I had only dreamed of meeting in the past. I am happy to say I did all of that. I said I wanted to walk places I had never seen before and make art and I did that too. I said I wanted to watch Stewart create his latest series of works for his exhibition and that happened as well. I got to sit here at the table and watch him come alive as a painter and produce his best works ever. I turned forty here, I met so many new people here. I even got to see one of my best friends from America/England/Holland here. I had a solo exhibition of all new work here. I met the founders of blipfoto.com here as well.

I went on thirteen regular trains and four tube trains and countless double decker buses and I walked for hundreds of miles while I was here. I traveled to Glasgow, Samuelston, Dunbar, North Berwick, Gullane and Dalmeny, Scotland. I also traveled to Birmingham, London, and Manchester, England.

I dreamt up new ideas, I was inspired and bothered by the art I saw, I was comforted by the artists, photographers and friends I met. I was rained on and the sun shone on me too and there were some rainbows as well. I was welcomed with open arms by many people. I was fed and watered and taken in by many people as I traveled. I was made to feel comfortable and special and at the same time like one of the regulars too. I found a favorite pub and I will never forget what chips with salt and sauce taste like while looking at the sea.

To everyone I have met on this journey, thank you. You are beautiful, brilliant people and you are my friends and I know we will meet again. To everyone back home and in the states that has followed my facebook status updates, my photographs, my little quips and posts about this place, thank you for following along and for being excited for me, for helping support me by buying my work and donating to my travel fund. I loved sharing my experience with you. I loved taking photographs knowing I could share them with you at the end of the day, it kept me from feeling homesick to know you were all traveling along with me.

There are a lot of exciting things coming up when I return to Arkansas. Exhibitions to be a had, new work to create and show with Stewart. You name it and it's happening. It is an exciting time and I am glad to be living this life as an artist. Thank you for believing in me. There is so much more I could say about Scotland and my experience here, but I think I want to just hold it inside my heart for awhile and let it rattle around and become a part of me before I give it all away. But, I know Scotland will not leave me for long and I know it will filter through me and find its way into my work and then that work will hopefully find its way into your life.

See you next week Arkansas. See you again soon Scotland.

All my love,
Megan