When I first arrived at the Atlanta International airport, I grabbed my last American cheeseburger from Burger King and made my way to my gate. As I finally attempted to start scrolling through my phone, I wedged my hand in my bag – in search of my AirPods headphones.
But they weren’t there. I had forgotten them.
I’ve always had my AirPods in college. I couldn’t remember the last time I actually walked around in silence, or did anything in silence for that matter. I started to panic.
Finally, once I realized that there was nothing I could do, I boarded the plane – my resolution was to find out how to buy some later. Except, I never did.
I will tell you why.
As soon as I dropped off my bags in my new dorm at the University of Edinburgh, I sped on straight for the Royal Mile to take in the sights. It was a walk without my headphones, and the most beautiful and fully present walk of my entire life. Listening to everything was exhilarating – including the bagpipes. I could hear my footsteps and my own gasps at seeing something new down every whimsical close.
More importantly, I had space in my mind and not a constant feeding buzz. I’ve walked around every day here without listening to anything. I’ve finally had space to really listen, to truly adventure, to pray sincerely and for longer durations of time, and to be in awe of my surroundings in the beautiful city of Edinburgh.
You don’t have to go somewhere new to escape noise – in your AirPods or not. Forgetting my AirPods was the best thing that could have happened to me on my abroad experience so far. I’ve discovered that removing the noise is the foundation for growth, and more importantly during this season, adventure!
Emma Rhodes
Fall 2024
GW Exchange - University of Edinburgh
GW School of Business
Business Major