Deep-Fried Bagpipes began as an endeavour to support the many Indian students who come to Edinburgh every year to start a new life as a uni student. Over the two years this blog was live, it reached hundreds of students, and it brought me a lot of joy to be able to ease this stressful and often lonely transition for so many. As I settled into my life in Edinburgh more, though, I started to lose touch with what it feels like to be a new immigrant and a new student, which meant

I was raised by two people who loved to travel. Back when I was a child, my family would go on the most spontaneous road trips every other weekend. I may not remember too much of those trips, but it’s safe to say the travel bug has certainly made its way down a generation. Scotland is a gorgeous, gorgeous country. Its mountains, villages and national parks bring to it a sense of charm and mystique like no other - it’s no wonder that so many fantasy movies and series have foun

If you’ve been a student in Edinburgh for any length of time, you’re no stranger to strikes. The 2022/23 academic year saw students being welcomed into the city by a 12-day bin strike around the time of the Fringe festival. In October, the Gordon Aikman Lecture Theatre was ‘reclaimed’ by a group of students to stand against the “colonial capitalist and heterosexist institutions at the root of global oppression.” In May 2022, the UCU had announced a marking boycott which was l

If you’re under 22, you can’t be grateful enough for Scotland’s free buses. Scotrail too doesn’t cost a fortune and takes you through all those scenic routes. Even so, nothing compares to that epic road trip through the Scottish Highlands, giving you the freedom to take as many pit-stops as you want, pause to admire the scenery every few metres, play your favourite playlist and belt your lungs out to some road-trip classics. Our EuropCar rental van in the Isle of Skye I final

If you’re an Indian student studying in the UK, you have at some point dreamed of that European vacation. That ZNMD road trip across Spain. You have looked up flights to Paris, or Prague, or Berlin, and refused to believe how cheap they were (let’s face it, flying to London is more expensive than Prague). But, of course, all of those dreams rest crucially on the tiny hiccup of having an Indian passport. Helsinki Christmas Market '22 I always found the idea of applying for a

If you’ve spent any length of time in the UK, you’ll realise just how high cost of living is. So many (mostly international) students picked Edinburgh over London solely because of the cost, only to be slyly handed out the lesser-known info that Edinburgh is one of the most expensive cities in the UK, not too far behind London. The saving grace, then, comes down to part-time jobs and thankfully jobs there are aplenty. If you know where and when to look, part-time jobs can be

Welcome Week 2022 (and the weeks leading up to it) truly showed me a side of Edinburgh I’d never seen before. Blaming my lack of exploration and general 2021 laziness on Covid (because why not), I decided to do all those touristy things that I was embarrassed to not have done so far. Whether you’re new to the city or are in a similarly awkward boat (or are a wee tourist to Edinburgh), here’s a list of 10 undeniably Scottish things for you to do in Edinburgh. 1. Try Deep-Fried

We’re sometimes so caught up in the physical shift across continents (talk about student visas) that we forget to worry about the real reason behind the shift – the study part. Irrespective of what stage of academics you’re in, the switch to a different study is major. You could feel right at home or you could be as unsettled as Elon Musk on Mars (wait, that’s not a good analogy) – you know what I’m talking about. If you’d like to unpack the surprise of what awaits you at the

Half my knowledge about moving to uni abroad came from movies – you get an offer letter, pack your bags, head off to move-in day and attend classes in grand lecture halls. If only there was a movie talking about an international student’s much more complicated version of the same process (BRB, pitching this idea to the uni’s filmmaking society); it would hands-down be much more helpful than the sweet little list of “6 essential tasks” the uni lists out on its website that cle

On popular demand (pardon me, I’ve always wanted to use this phrase) – here’s a quick(ish) update on the India-Edinburgh journey as of August ’22 (the 19th, to be exact). Unless you’ve been living under a rock, I can spare you the schpiel of news articles – airport staff strike, unclaimed baggage, cancelled flights – you know how it goes. This was back in July so I can first-hand claim that’s now ancient history (sorta). Does this mean you can stop worrying? No! Let’s dig in.

It’s that time of the year. You’re waiting for your visa, all done with your accommodation, a bundle of nerves but excited to move in and begin a new adventure. There’s a thousand packing lists on the Internet – here’s that info filtered down to what really worked for me. Full disclosure – this info is fresh from the oven, I’m literally posting from Heathrow on my way to Edinburgh, less than 24 hours since I finished stuffing my TSA-equipped (important stuff) bags to their ab

I learned about the distinction between campus and city universities in the early days of college hunting. I always thought I’d be more of a campus uni person, but Edinburgh is as much of a city uni as it gets. The University is beautifully integrated with the city in terms of the architecture and the vibe (with the exception of two buildings that we’ll come to shortly). There are different campuses in different parts of the city, each with its own department, café, library,

If there was anything I binge-watched more than move-in vlogs in the months before I moved to uni, it was Welcome Week videos. The entire concept appeared fascinating and seemed to be the epitome of the Great University Experience. Other universities would have a single move-in day or a couple days of welcome events, but our uni goes all out with a whole week of activities, fun and socialising with freshers from across the world. A week with complete freedom, no academic pres

Moving to uni abroad is not easy in any way – least of all on the pocket. I eternally live in envy of domestic students who pay barely a fraction of the amount we do as internationals and gallivant around the city like they own the world. While I’m constantly gratified to be able to live and study in Edinburgh, we can’t really help feeling like young, dumb, broke uni students every once in a while – have one look at our tuition fees and really, can you blame us? For many of u

Want a quick version? See the tl;dr here ;) I’ll never get tired of how gorgeous Edinburgh is. The clean streets, raw nature, stunning architecture still leaves me feeling amazed at the fact that I live here now, in officially the best city in the world. I’ll also never get over how tiny Edinburgh is (at least, the part of Edinburgh we actually visit). Coming from Indian metro cities, it’s impossible to understand just how easily accessible everything is. I spent my life bein

Much like you would expect from an Indian, the first thing I worried about when I considered moving abroad was the food. How could a spice-loving street-food addicted Delhiite make peace with a city with bland, never-properly-salted food? I stayed in catered accommodation and, partially because I didn’t have any expectations, I didn’t mind the food there. For a whole month after I moved in, much to the surprise of my friends, I would only eat from the restaurant at my accommo

Living in Pollock was the closest thing to having a collegiate experience in student accommodation. You live in a bubble with first-years (mostly) from around the world, go to meals at a fixed time, are snobby about your house when you secretly love another one. PC - Ibadat Gill When I applied to Pollock, that experience was definitely on my mind, but so was the fact that I didn’t know if I’d have time to cook in my first year (and that I didn’t actually know how to cook. Ye

There’s something that sets student accommodation apart from any other accommodations - the vibe, the common rooms, the seemingly-endless parties (pardon me, gaffs), the horde of clueless first-years. Whether you stay in uni or private student accommodation, catered or self-catered, odds are you will end up having strong opinions about your first-year housing - one way or another. Most student accommodations have a flat system and all of them, apart from Pollock, are self-ca

Your guide to travelling to Edinburgh for the first time. The thought of finally leaving for university abroad always played out as a movie scene in my head, a crossover between an American coming-of-age movie and a typical Hindi film. Fully aware that reality would be different, I let myself live that dream for just a little longer. When I firmed Edinburgh, I spent a solid week deliberating how to get there. It was a big step – I’d never travelled alone before. Flights were