Sara Morrow • Scotland
This past Saturday a group of us headed up to the Highlands of Scotland! One word sums it up: gorgeous. Ok, maybe more than one, fun and gorgeous. We bought a package deal where we got a whole day of touring in a bus with a bus driver who acted as our tour guide as well. He wore a kilt and told us stories about the areas we were driving through: some sad, such as the Massacre at Glencoe in 1692, and some funny (his lame jokes). Of course there were stories about Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster as well. Because what tour of the highlands would be complete without a visit to Loch Ness? We got to do a half hour boat cruise along the loch, and explored Urquhart Castle that sits on Loch Ness. It’s in ruins now because the inhabitants of the Castle wanted to prevent it from becoming a Jacobite fort during the 1600’s. Loch Ness itself is 37km long, and all the water in the loch could cover the whole of England and Wales with a good amount of water if it was all dumped out. But why would anyone do that? It’s beautiful where it is!
So did I see Nessie? No, I did not. Let’s just say she’s mysterious. Or perhaps camera shy. The first sighting of the Monster was by St. Columba in the 500’s. Nobody can say whether she exists or not…personally I think everyone should come to Scotland and find out for themselves.
I also fell in love during this expedition. His name is Hamish: he’s furry, muddy and likes to scratch his head. He’s a highland cow, or Highland Coo as they say here. That would be who you’re looking at in the picture above. Isn’t he cute??? He’s apparently a little celebrity too, and he acted like one as well: hogged the cameras the whole time. Hard to get a shot with him. So adorable. I think we all wanted to steal him. One of my purchases during the day was a stuffed animal of a highland coo because I knew I’d miss Hamish too much otherwise.
And there you have it: another weekend exploration of Scotland! Stay tuned for more next week!
Another weekend gone by, and almost another week: time is flying by! I’m having so much fun. Last Saturday some of my friends and I headed out to Stirling. It was a 40-50 minute train ride, not bad at all for all the sites we got to see.
The town of Stirling is built around the magnificent Stirling Castle, which was an important fortification for the town throughout Scottish history. Mary Queen of Scots was crowned at the castle. We explored the sites of the stronghold: a statue of Robert the Bruce at the entrance, the Chapel Royal, the Great Hall, and a tapestry exhibition where real weavers were busy working on a tapestry of the famous medieval unicorn themed paintings. It takes them four years to complete one tapestry! We also had fun looking at the mannequins in the old kitchens. Not too glamorous down there.
We also saw Argyll’s Lodging, an old house/mansion belonging to the Duke of Argyll, one of the most famous and powerful men of his time in Scotland. His house was, of course, massive and very pretty. There, we found the first wooden staircase of its kind in Scotland, which I didn’t think was all that extraordinary until our lovely tour guide pointed out how special it actually was at the time. They’re so common now that we just take them for granted. We got a chance to sit on the Duke’s bed: not at all comfortable.
After lunch at a supposedly haunted pub, where some guys tried to get us to join in on a “special” Scottish drinking game, we headed up to the William Wallace Monument. William Wallace was (and is) a national hero in Scotland: he led the wars against the English for Scottish independence in the 1200’s. He was hanged and gutted under the orders of Edward I (thanks Wikipedia). The monument is a very well known Scottish site, and consists of a tower that you climb up (with exhibition stops every so often along the way). Those with a fear of heights, beware. But once up at the top there are gorgeous views to take pictures of. And boy did we take pictures. Lots and lots of them. I will be torturing my family with slideshows upon slideshows this summer (jag vet att du läser mamma!).
This coming weekend we’re heading over to have some fun with Nessie at Loch Ness! Until then, cheers!
That’s Glasgow in Scots. At 8:30am (so early!) this past Saturday a group of fourteen of us headed out to Edinburgh’s Waverley Station and boarded a train bound for Glasgow. Surprisingly, getting up early on a weekend wasn’t too hard because I was really looking forward to seeing another major Scottish city. In my British History class we learned about how Glasgow was one of the major British industrial/economic centers during the 1800’s. Indeed the city gained worldwide fame as the “second city of the empire” due to her production of major export goods. By 1880 Scotland produced 1/3 of all British ships, which is a pretty important contribution considering that Britain really was a naval empire. Thanks to my history professor for that info! But, enough history for now, here’s what we did:
After leaving our belongings at the hostel that we were spending the night in, we got on a tour bus, and eagerly sat in the outside section up on top. We probably looked like a bunch of cheesy tourists, but it was fun! There was a lot of picture taking involved, of course. The tour bus was great idea too since the bus stopped at various sites, and then allowed us to hop on again to go to the next site. We saw St. Mungo’s Cathedral, which, like most cathedrals was beautiful and grand. It was spooky too though: the trees outside were barren and a huge necropolis overlooked the gardens. Once done at the cathedral, we headed to the People’s Palace, which houses exhibitions about the social history of Glasgow. I love history, particularly social histories, so I would love to go back again and absorb some more. Lunch consisted of some really yummy pizzas and hot chocolate (which was needed since it was so cold and rainy!).
The evening was spent wandering around the city area near our hostel, and then zonking out at the hostel. I was so tired. It was my first experience at one. It was nice that there was such a big group of us sharing a room, so we didn’t have to worry too much about strangers. The only issue we had, I think, was some club next door playing its music so loudly that the wall next to my bed was practically vibrating. I fell asleep listening to Franz Ferdinand and Jet. The music could have been worse.
On Sunday we checked out, and then some of us headed to the Glasgow Science Center. It was like returning to my primary school days when my school took us to Tom Tits Experiment Center. We saw a show about forces of gravity that involved shooting a potato out of a gun. It was fun! The kids in the audience thought so too. I even petted a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach that a staff member was carrying around.
Successful weekend? I think the answer is a definite yes.
Over the weekend, on Saturday, a bunch of people from my study abroad group braved the icy hills of Arthur’s Seat for some amazing views of Edinburgh. For those of you who don’t know (because I didn’t) Arthur’s Seat is a 250-meter high mountain, or more precisely, an old volcano. Many say the name has some connection to King Arthur, but according to my trusty guidebook, the name really is a variant of “Archer’s Seat”. The connection to King Arthur seems slightly more romantic and adventurous in my opinion, but oh well.
There are some amazing crags to explore, and like I mentioned, the views of the surrounding city are exceptional. Since it is January, the steps up to the top were a little tricky on Saturday, and it was not a trek for individuals with a fear of heights. I was definitely out of breath, but it was so worth it! I got a perfect view of the ocean, Edinburgh Castle, Princes Street, and the snowy mountains beyond the city. I’m definitely repeating the experience in the spring when it’s less icy. We got a couple of group shots in addition to the view and then headed back down (carefully I might add!). All in all it was a 2-3 hour activity, and I for one slept very well that night from all the fresh air and walking.
I arrived in the lovely city of Edinburgh last Thursday, and have since then been through orientation, seen one of my closest friends again, met a ton of new people, moved into my university flat, started classes, and explored the city. That’s a lot! To say the least my head is feeling kind of overwhelmed right now with excitement and a little bit of adjustment confusion still.
Getting here was a chore for my whole Arcadia Abroad group. Due to snowy weather at Heathrow and in Scotland, flights were seriously delayed, and even cancelled in many cases. I was lucky because I managed to get by with a 3-hour delay and nothing more. I got to the start of orientation in the nick of time!
But since then there has been lots of fun and exploring! Here are some highlights:
1) Underground vaults tour: on the second night here, our study abroad group was taken under the vaults of the city where people worked, and lived long ago. It is said that these vaults are haunted, and our tour guide did a really good job of creating some unease in my opinion. He was a great storyteller because I got squeamish. It’s sparked my interest and I’m going back for a proper “haunted tour” of the vaults.
2) Hospitality: I haven’t encountered anyone unfriendly here yet! People are very open to questions and easy to talk to. My good friend from high school who goes to the university opened up her flat for me and fed me the first few nights since I’m in a self-catered flat and didn’t have food yet. So, I’ve felt very welcome! The girls in my Arcadia group are very friendly too.
3) Classes: I am taking Memory and Perception and Psychology of Thinking and Language in the psychology department. In addition to this I am taking British History and Youth Culture, Media and Society. So far so good I think! The only thing that worries me are the huge reading lists that the lecturers hand out…unlike most syllabi at Northwestern, readings aren’t split up for each lecture. I’m going to have to get good at efficient self-planning. But there are plenty of cute cafes for reading in.
Posts will be more frequent from now on since I actually have Internet access/don’t have to be at orientation meetings anymore! So watch out for more. Cheers until then!
My father called me at 7am this morning (he lives in Morocco and forgets that the time difference means I am still sound asleep when he is at work): “I have a bill here for your housing fees at Edinburgh, I’m guessing I should pay this right?” My thoughts are: Of course! Pay it, pay it!
I try to go back to sleep for another two hours or so, but immediately the thought hits me that I only have three more weeks at Northwestern before I head home for winter vacation. Then on January 7th, 2010 I head off to the capital of Scotland to start six months of study at the University of Edinburgh. I have so much to do before I leave and so little time to do it: pack up all my belongings in my dorm room and store it somewhere, finalize my airline ticket booking, and the biggest challenge of all is figuring out how to squeeze my mountain of absolutely necessary clothing items into a bag weighing no more than 23kg (pesky airline rules).
But the real reason I can’t go back to sleep is because I am getting so excited: this is the first time my study abroad experience feels completely upcoming and real to me. Before it was an interesting idea existing on the pages of applications and housing forms (a lot of them!).
When some people find out I’m studying abroad the next two quarters they look confused and ask: “Why are you studying abroad? Haven’t you traveled enough already?” Because they know I am from Sweden, grew up in Asia and now am in the US, it is as if I’ve depleted my travel card in their minds. I see it this way: my parents gave me the chance to live in different parts of the world, and I have therefore cultivated different tools to deal with living abroad, as well as a need to always expose myself to different environments and people. I can’t waste another opportunity to live in another unknown place when it is offered to me! It’s an awesome adrenaline rush.
So why Scotland? Although my home base is in Sweden, I haven’t really traveled much in Europe. So my first criterion when exploring the different options available for study abroad was that it had to be in Europe. The UK was of particular interest to me because I attended a British school for five years and was exposed to history and culture of the British Isles through that experience. Edinburgh became my final choice because it was one of the universities I considered along with Northwestern for my undergraduate studies. Their psychology department is excellent. I can’t wait to see what life will be like there; it feels as if I get the best of both worlds in that, by the time I graduate, I will have studied at two institutions I applied to during my senior year of High School.
Here are some things I am looking forward to doing when I get there. First of all, Edinburgh, as a historic city, is known for its underground vaults that are allegedly haunted. I am definitely booking myself in on one of the ghost tours done at night in the vaults. I’ll be terrified but something tells me it will be worth it. In addition, the Scots have one very famous dish: Haggis. Made from minced sheep liver and heart, many people are squeamish to try it.
I say: Bring on the Haggis!
Ten days to go before I arrive in Edinburgh! And as you can see, from the picture above, I’m certainly excited to get started with things over there. This little guidebook was a Christmas present from my parents (I think they wanted to make sure that I have a tour book so that I’m not completely clueless when they come and visit me sometime this spring).
The first thing I did when all the presents were opened was to open the book to the page with a map of the city, and find the area where many classes are held (Georges Square), and locate the area that I will be living in (it’s called Cowgate). I got my first choice accommodation-wise: a student flat owned by the University of Edinburgh called Kincaid’s Court. It is “self-catered” meaning that I need to get used to cooking for myself, which should be interesting for my flat mates to behold since I manage to burn my simple meal of scrambled eggs in the mornings.
So what am I most excited about? Well, one thing for sure is to see one of my best friends from High School again who is a full-time, third year student at the University of Edinburgh. That will be a fun reunion! I’m hoping that she can help me find my way around the first few weeks, and give me tips on what to do, etc. I’m also looking forward to my first lecture at the university (yes, I am that nerdy). Here’s why: Edinburgh was one of the schools I was interested in going to for college during High School. It’ll be interesting to compare a large European university to Northwestern, and to start living the life of an Edinburgh student. I’m wondering if my schedule will be similar to the typical student schedule at NU: in other words, busy-busy all the time. Or, will things be more relaxed? Or hectic in a different way? We’ll see in a week and a half! Until then I plan to enjoy my holidays at home in snowy Göteborg, Sweden, and wish everyone a Happy New Year!
My name is Anna Sara, call me Sara. My parents were going to call me Anna on a first name basis but when a typhoon called “Sara” hit the island of Taiwan on the same day that I was born, Sara seemed a more appropriate choice. Thus I have a double name, but am only called Sara, confusing many professors and administrators. You’re probably thinking, “wait…none of those names sound very Taiwanese”. You’re right: I was born in Taipei, Taiwan. To complicate the story some more I am from Stockholm, Sweden and have also lived in Tokyo and Seoul. And now I’m pursuing a degree in Psychology with a minor in Spanish at Northwestern. Let’s just say that international travel is my life, literally. I know no other way of living, and this is why I am spending winter/spring in yet another city: Edinburgh, Scotland.
When I’m not sitting on an airplane or booking flight tickets, I occupy my time with plenty of other things: I’m a complete psychology nerd, especially when it comes to psychopathology. As any typical psych. undergrad at NU I volunteer in a lab, hoping that I will make it into a graduate school program to ultimately become a clinical psychologist. I love to volunteer, run, and call friends who live halfway across the globe. I’ve made good friends with Skype!
