Well, it's now less than two weeks to go until I meet up with the other Jabil Circuit interns at Edinburgh Airport for our mammoth 10 hour journey to Tampa, Florida. As of yet, I'm not sure the adventure on which I'm about to embark has properly sunk in, and I don't expect it to do so until I'm at that boarding gate handing over my boarding pass. Having said that, I have been experiencing a strange mixture of emotions over the last few weeks - ranging from uncontrollable excitement and anticipation, to slight nervousness and apprehension from not knowing quite what to expect. Nevertheless, I have been reassured by family, friends, and colleagues alike that this is normal, and that I wouldn't be human if I didn't feel any of the above. Does anyone agree?

Receiving the phonecall from Melissa Dickson on my 21st birthday really was the icing on the cake of an already celebratory day, and was the best birthday present I could have ever asked for! I seem to remember running around my flat, shouting "oh my God!" like some sort of crazed animal, and feeling the need to call everyone I know to tell them I'd got it! However, at the same time I was filled with incredible guilt and sorrow for those that had fallen at the final hurdle, and felt somewhat responsible for denying them the chance of a lifetime. Sound familiar?

Getting to meet my fellow Floridian-bound interns (Tanya Fletcher, Chris White, Kirsty Flett, Martyn Jones, and Louise Hamill) at the Saltire Foundation networking event helped immensely in laying to rest any doubts I may have had over the kind of people I would be living and working with. I honestly couldn't have asked for a better bunch to be spending my 8 weeks with, and I can't wait to get to know them better! I will be working in Jabil's Supply Chain Management department in their St Petersburg HQ along with Tanya and Kirsty, and I really do look forward to meeting everyone in their team. I was lucky enough to have met up with Chris whilst down in London last week for our U.S. Embassy appointments, and I must say, I was grateful to have him there. It went a lot smoother than I was expecting, though the female security guard at the front gate was a tad brutal. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed my time down in London, where the hussle and bussle of the city centre felt a million miles away from the small seaside town in which I grew up.

I suppose now is as good a time as any to finally introduce myself. My name is Jack Savory, and I'm a student studying Mathematics & Statistics at the University of Strathclyde, due to enter my fourth and final year upon my return in September. I'd like to finish by wishing all the other interns involved with the Saltire Foundation the very best of luck in their internships this summer, and hope you all have a truly amazing experience! One final thank you to the Saltire Foundation team for making this all possible and for being with us every step of the way - much appreciated!

Jack