Summertime

Summertime in Scotland is grey and rainy, so far. However, it has been nice and free.

I'm at a bit of a crossroads now. Do I stay here? Try to open a business? How long can I put up with working at £6 per hour data entry jobs? Are these jobs, and the expectation that I should be very thankful I have even those, worth staying in the country for?

This weekend I am going away with some friends on a trip to Islay, a beautiful island off the coast. Whenever I am there, I feel my spirits lifted and my mood improve. However, I frequently wonder if I truly need to be somewhere warm, with sunny days and warm tropical breezes. There was a reason I stayed in Hawai'i as long as I did - and only left because I wanted to live in Scotland as much as I did. Things change, but it is very difficult for me to give up the dream of living here. It has not turned out to be what I had hoped, but in the end, it's still *Scotland*. Plus, I have made some good friends here.

I have also applied, once again, for a PhD. We shall see what comes of that. There are a great many things I would like to do in life, but I am uncertain where to go from here or even where to begin. Magic 8 ball?