Back in Scotland

I arrived back in Aberdeen at 10 p.m, last Monday night. As soon as I walked in the door I dropped my bag and fell asleep. The night before, Ross and I were wondering the Stansted Airport in London. He slept, I read "East of Eden" and watched the clock. It was an interesting experience. However, this was an experience that Ross and I were both familiar with. At the start of the trip, separately, we did the same thing.

Like I said, I arrived on Monday. I had a paper due on Thursday last week and another one due on Wednesday of this week. My paper this week is my last assignment of the semester. I have 4 weeks until finals. I was able write a lot of things down on my trip. SO, as soon as I have the time (which will be in the next day or so), I will blog like a mad man. PEACE.

Everything is Broken

At first, coming to Scotland was hard to manage. For about a month, I seriously doubted my decision. For the first two weeks I did not have my luggage because I was transferred and rerouted so many times that I am surprised I got it at all. For the first four weeks, the computer that I brought over was not working. Therefore, I had to walk 20 min to the library. You might think that I am complaining but somehow I felt disconnected. I read two books and wrote a paper for school in the time that it took to get my computer fixed. It is amazing how something that simple made me feel cut off from the rest of the world. I wrote one blog during that time. From then on, for some odd reason, I didn't feel like it. With that said, my luggage finally arrived and I was able to get my computer working. I know that doesn't justify almost two months of silence but it will have to do. I have a spring break coming up so be prepared for some heaving reading and amazing photos.

Mr. Spink and Arbroath Abby

Before Edith (the Scotland Program coordinator) left for the States, she took us on a Saturday trip. We left the flats around 9 and traveled by bus for an hour and 1/2. Most of my photos of the Scottish country side were taken on this bus ride. We arrived in Arbroath and went to our first stop. Arbroath is a harbor town with a lot of history. The fishing industry has been a vital part of this small town's economy for many years. So, upon arrival, Edith lead us to Mr. Spink's to view his famous "little smokies." I was expecting a grand operation. It turned out to be quite simple. Mr. Spink led us in the back of his store and said, "This is where I smoke them and that is the wood that I use." The whole tour literally took about 2 min. Edith was nice enough to purchase a smoky for the group. I think I was the only one who was excited to get free food even though it needed to be prepared. We took a group picture and headed toward the Abbey.

Arbroath Abbey, or what is left of it, represents a very important time in Scottish History. During the fight for independence, the Scottish declaration was drafted and sent to Rome. The document is a great sight. The guide was constantly asking us dates and names that correspond to this time period. We were able to answer some questions. Most of the answers we gave were from our experience with "Braveheart." The one thing that I found most interesting deals with the way the monks housed their wealth. Very few rooms still exist today on the grounds. One such room was used as a changing room for the monks before they performed the mass. In this room, about 20 feet up the wall, there is a small doorway. We were told that inside that opening was a large room with no windows or exits. This is where the wealth of the monastery was kept. Each night, A monk would have to guard the room. Using only a rope, the guard would climb up into the room. He would then send the rope back down so that he could not come down and nobody could go up. In the morning, someone would throw a rope up to the monk so that he could climb down. The guide told us that nobody has been up in the room in over 30 years. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I somehow felt directly connected with history. 

Day 1 - The walk of Baggins

Well, I finally arrived in Scotland after countless delays and layovers. I landed in Aberdeen around 2. Of course, my bags were no where to be found. Edith was waiting, so I filled out some paper work and we proceeded to a taxi. I got to my flat and unpacked my carry-on and took a short nap. It was now 3 and I didn't have to be anywhere until 5:30. I decided that I would take a walk around the city.

I thought that I remembered where things were from the last vist (as a freshman at Wabash). I contemplated walking to a pub called "The Bobbin." However, I was feeling a some what daring (it was probably just jetlag) so I decided to just starting walking with no intended destination. I figured that I would walk for an hour or so, then work my way back to the "HUB" (student center) to meet Edith. So, with camera in hand, I began to walk. I found my way to the Sea, took some pics, bought the t-shirt, and kept on walking. An hour had passed and I found my way to the Aberdeen Science and Technology Complex. At this point I was pretty confident that I was still close to my dorm. I assumed that the Complex had something to do with the location of Aberdeen University. In retrospect, they are on opposite ends of town. Hind site is 20/20 my friends. I continued to walk for another 1/2 hour. I could not see any sea gulls, or bus stops. A normal person might panic. Not me, I was daring. My two years worth of cub scout instincts began to kick in. Luckily, I was on a hill (on the edge of town) and could see some land marks. I remembered that there was a Cathedral right beside my dorm. I could barely see the towers in the distance. However, I desided that I would walk in that general direction. It was starting to get dark so stepped up my walking speed. I walked through a sub division, across a river (which came out of nowhere), through a sports park (with live sports and bowling), and down a creepy cobble stone alley before I finally made it back to something familar. I had been walking for a solid 2 hours. It was 5.

Before you start calling a search party...I found the hub. My afternoon did not exactly go accoring to plans. However, there is so much that I know. I found a bowling alley, a huge magical river that appears when you don't expect it, and a possible location for the next horror film that I make (the cobble stone alley).

All in all, it was a good first day in Aberdeen. O, I forgot, it started to rain half way into my adventure. And I was "attacked" by this dog ---------------------------------------------------->