Daniel Gittelman- Edinburgh (Student’s Choice)

Edinburgh is a beautiful place, and I have some great pictures from there. However, I will not be arguing that it is a sacred place for me because despite how astonishing it is, I felt no true connection to it. Instead, I will be comparing my experience in Edinburgh with Rumi’s story “In Baghdad, Dreaming of Cairo; In Cairo, Dreaming of Baghdad”.

These experiences are vastly different because of the religious and goal components of Rumi’s story. However, the massive factor that draws me to relate the two is found when Rumi states that “It may be that the satisfaction I need depends on my going away so that when I’ve gone and come back, I’ll find it at home” (6). I had a similar experience with my Edinburgh trip. I was looking forward to traveling to this beautiful place. Exhausted from the repetition of every day, I was certain that this trip would be the answer to me finding peace and relaxation. When I first arrived, I was convinced I’d found it. 

However, being in Edinburgh and running up Arthur’s seat turned out to be more of a chore than an experience. The extended family that I stayed with weren’t too interested in exploring, leading to the trip being duller than expected. While I had dreamed of visiting Edinburgh, I spent the trip dreaming of returning home.

I had left in mid-late December and returned on January 8th. The descending plane actually felt more sacred than Edinburgh had for me. I wasn’t moving, but my eyes were. I was subconsciously reflecting upon the land we were quickly passing over. Looking beneath us, I felt that peace and relaxation I had been unable to find in Edinburgh.

Although my trip is vastly different than the one described in Rumi’s story, I feel that this main point is shared between the two. For both, the journey was important for recognizing that what was being sought was actually at home.