I don’t collect souvenirs.
They ask, “What can I take home?” I’d rather ask, “What deserves to stay here?”
Instead, I come home with photographs, short films, and a journal. Photographs remember places. Videos remember their sounds: the clang of a tram, rain against sandstone, laughter escaping a cafe doorway. My journal remembers the people. Before leaving for Edinburgh, an empty journal slips into the front pocket of my backpack.
Photograph – Departure
7:10 a.m., Vancouver International Airport
The departure board glows beyond the glass. The wing of my plane catches the first light of morning.
My flight will leave the largest footprint of my exchange. Before takeoff, Google Flights and Carbonzero help me choose the most direct route, calculate my journey’s 2.55 tCO₂e, and offset what I can’t avoid. I know offsets are only a bandage. The quieter work begins after I land: trading boarding passes for ScotRail tickets whenever practical and walking Edinburgh’s compact streets until I know them by foot. That’s how I hope to practice Climate Action (UN SDG 13).
Photograph – Dog-eared
University of Edinburgh Library
Rain trails down the windows. A borrowed copy of One Day lies open beside a steaming mug. A wool sweater, found in a charity shop, dries over the back of a chair.
Before Edinburgh became a destination on my map, it lived in David Nicholls’ novel. I’ll borrow it from the library or find a second-hand copy already carrying someone else’s notes. My coat doesn’t need to be new. Neither does my saucepan. Vinted, Scotland’s tap water, and Too Good To Go become routine. Extending the life of what already exists feels like the everyday practice of Responsible Consumption and Production (UN SDG 12).
Photograph – The Long Way Home
Royal Mile, Edinburgh
Fresh bread cools in the bakery window. Rain glistens on the cobblestones. Edinburgh Castle lingers softly out of focus.
Europe makes it dangerously easy to confuse movement with meaning.
Instead of counting passport stamps, I’ll let ScotRail carry me through Scotland, allowing the landscape between destinations to become part of the journey. Guided by VisitScotland, I’ll choose neighbourhood cafés, bookshops, and markets over souvenir stores, learning local customs before assumptions. That’s how I hope to honour Sustainable Cities and Communities (UN SDG 11).
Photograph – Home
December
A train ticket rests between coffee-stained journal pages. Different inks fill the margins.
“Take the scenic route.”
“See you somewhere else in the world.”
Before saying goodbye, I ask classmates, hosts, fellow travellers, and sometimes strangers whose kindness lasted only an afternoon, to leave a handwritten note. By December, my journal barely closes.
When I return to UBC, I’ll share these photographs, stories, and the resources that shaped them with future exchange students. I don’t know which photograph will become my favourite.
It’ll be the one that reminds me to slow down.
References & Resources
United Nations. (n.d.) Sustainable Development Goals.
https://sdgs.un.org/goals
VisitScotland.
https://www.visitscotland.org/supporting-tourism/responsible-tourism
Google Flights.
https://www.google.com/travel/flights
Carbonzero.
https://carbonzero.ca
ScotRail.
https://www.scotrail.co.uk
Vinted.
https://www.vinted.co.uk
Too Good To Go.
https://www.toogoodtogo.com/en-gb
