Scotland: Land of Kilts, Bag Pipes, and Whiskey

Hi everyone! I am so very sorry that this has taken me ages to write to you about my past experiences. I know I have a lot to catch you guys up on and I will be writing about my trips in the next couple of weeks as frequently as possible. I will start with my wonderful trip to Scotland. My last “study tour” with DIS was to the land of kilts and whiskey. As a “Psychology of Happiness” class we visited the cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow. I can’t tell you how beautiful Edinburgh was. It remains at the top of my list for my favorite cities within Europe. Throughout the trip I became closer to many fellow students and made new friends. The memories of this trip will forever be a part of my experience abroad.

Glasgow:
It was quite the experience traveling with 60 students to Scotland! I had such a blast on the airplane with my girlfriends. Giggling about our past weekends and excitingly talking about what we are going to do in Scotland. Needless to say, I again had the largest bag out of everyone traveling. I think I am going to claim that title throughout my time here. When we arrived in Scotland we headed to our hotel—yes hotel and not a hostel eek! It was so nice! I roomed with my friend, Chelsea. Ironically enough it was her birthday that first night so that gave us a reason to go out. :) The whole class (which was so cute) went out to celebrate her birthday and we clanked our glasses to the beginning of a great trip!

The next morning we headed to the University of Glasgow for our first academic lecture. The lecture introduced research methods that involved contemporary culture in Scotland and how that has affected positive mental health in the public’s eyes. Statistics were given about the society of Scotland and the work areas that most Scottish individuals participate in. It was great to hear how positive the society of Scotland was and how measures were taken to keep it that way (a bit different than the measures taken in the States). I really enjoyed the lecture, but it was the first day in Scotland and my curiosity distracted me. The lecture ended (yay!) and my girlfriends and I headed out into the sunshine for the rest of the day! It was so nice to wear sunglasses and to walk around without a coat on. We took our time walking back into town and strolled through the many large gardens surrounding the city. It was so wonderful to see flowers and laugh with such wonderful people. The girls and I shopped after strolling through the gardens, took many pictures…oh and got piercings! Yup, you read correctly. I got a piercing. My tounge! No haha, just kidding. I wouldn’t even try coming back to America if I got that pierced. I got my cartilage pierced. It took me a while to say yes I would do it, but it was so much fun and very spontaneous of me. I went with eight girlfriends and we all got various piercings: cartilage, nose, various ear piercings, etc. I mean how many people can say I got a piercing in Scotland with eight girlfriends when we were studying abroad? Probably only eight huh? After that DIS paid for a cute little tea party at The Willows Tea Rooms. It was a little room filled with tables that had two towers of various desserts on each. Not to mention adorable china that was used for coffee and or tea. I tried every dessert and enjoyed the herbal tea! After finishing the tea and showing everyone our piercings, we browsed some more shops and went for a run throughout town. After that, we washed up and headed out for a night on the town. It was one of our friends birthday’s (yup another one!). Again, the whole class came out and we enjoyed playing games and getting to know each other more than just on an academic basis. I made a Scottish friend that night who confirmed to the girls and I, that men do not wear anything under their kilts…It was quite a night!

The following couple of days included academic lectures regarding Scotland. I really enjoyed one academic visit to the “Playfield Institute”. This was a four hour lecture regarding a specific program that is used in Scotland to educate anyone working with children. For example: nurses, social workers, teachers, foster families, etc. The institute provides advice, assistance, and support to these individuals. The goal of the institution is to promote children’s and young people’s mental wellbeing. I thought this was very interesting and a great program for any country. It occurred to me that I do not know many programs like this in the United States. Although, there are many organizations that help the well being of individuals, I cannot recall any programs that specifically target these individuals and work towards this goal. I may be naïve towards the acknowledgement of these organizations but I definitely have not been taught about them. I feel as if this is one reason why I truly love the academic visits within DIS. I have learned about a lot of positive programs and ideas that are specific to certain countries. I hope I can take what I have learned from these programs and their ambitions and bring them back to the US with me!

Edinburgh:
After finishing up at the Playfield Institute, we got back on the charter bus and headed towards Edinburgh. Driving on the other side of the road was quite the experience, although the drive through the countryside of Scotland was one of a kind. I wasn’t aware of how mountainous the country is and how breathtaking the scenery is. After making it to Edinburgh my roommate Chelsea and I headed out to explore the city. Of course the first thing we managed to do was go shopping! I enjoyed all of the shops that displayed kilts, whiskey, bag pipes, and other things that are specific to the Scottish land. We also had a chance to go to specific monuments and museums that were famous to the city. Taking photo after photo led to quite the appetite. We met up with a few other girlfriends and ate at a traditional Scottish restaurant. The food was delicious; however, I am shy to say that I ordered a calzone! :) It was extremely large and yummy. Don’t judge just yet because I did have the traditional dessert of fried Mars/ Snickers bars! This was the highlight of my night. It was absolutely delicious and a million and four calories. But who is counting right?

The following two days were busy with academic visits and lectures. All of the lectures were interesting and each seemed to bring the class closer together. Especially one visit in particular; where we had to participate in a play, as a class, to show our adult creativity. It was…very creative and brought a lot of laughter. Between the academic visits I was able to go to Edinburgh castle and visit the ruins on the top of the city. The ruins were gorgeous and I had a blast taking pictures with the girls. We took jumping pictures on and off the ruins, took scenic outlook photos on the top of the cliff, and I even managed to maintain my gymnast ways and did a handstand on top of the ruins. The castle was beyond beautiful. I wish I knew a thing or two about architecture, because it was extraordinary.

My favorite day was the last day. We took a bus around the Loch Lomond area. This is an area close to everyone’s heart within Scotland. A lot of writers and poets have been inspired by this gorgeous area. It brought warmth to my heart looking out at the boats across the body of water, for it reminded me of home. After walking around the lake and taking pictures (of course), we headed to our next destination; a whiskey distillery called Glengoyne. I have to mention that whiskey is the most disgusting thing I have tasted. It is definitely up there with beets. When I was handed my first tasting, the lady mentioned that you can pour a little bit of water in it so the taste isn’t as strong. So I followed directions, took a sip, and added about half a cup of water into the testing glass! ;) Although it was not my favorite thing in the world, the process of making whiskey was intriguing. I had no idea that whiskey was such a process let alone that it had to sit in barrels for years! I also did not know that the smoky taste of whiskey (as opposed to others) is due to the specific bricks that are used when the whiskey is heated. If you do not use the darker bricks, you will not get a smoky taste. Hmm…since I only tested one, I struggled with purchasing the right whiskey for my father. There were so many to choose from but think I made the right choice. I will find out when I return to the states.

That night my classmates and I went on a Ghost Walk! We learned about the notorious “Body snatchers” of Scotland and visited the 18th century vaults beneath the South Bridge of the town. These vaults included underground chambers or catacombs of the many individuals who were murdered throughout the 18th century. The woman telling the story was quite hilarious but I must say I was a little frightened walking around in the pitch black catacombs with 30 people enclosed in such a tiny space. However, I managed to survive and it was a fun experience. I also visited the "Elephant House". This was where J.K. Rowling sat and wrote the infamous Harry Potter books. It was a small little cafe with tons of elephants. Another reason why I loved it (my "sorority family= elephants)

I was extremely sad that the trip was over. Two days in Glasgow and three in Edinburgh just did not seem like enough time. I fell in love with the sound of bag pipes being played on the streets, the sight of men in kilts, and the clanking of glasses surrounding the Scottish atmosphere. I also did not want to leave Scotland when I had been getting so close to so many wonderful people. Although I knew I would be able to see them in Copenhagen, there is nothing like slumber parties in each other’s rooms, getting ready together for the evening, laughing over memories, dreaming about the future adventures around Europe, and contemplating whether to actually return to the USA or not…I fell in love with the trip, with the people, and the country of the Scottish kilts.

Missing you,

Chelsea