The Devils Pulpit

Not having class on Friday, as well as about 7 other CNU people being in that same boat, let's just say that spontaneous adventures are bound to happen. A bunch of us had always wanted to go to a beautiful, obscure place known as the Devils Pulpit, which wasn't that far from Glasgow. We got two Ubers to take us to the Google maps location, which ended up being this little dirt patch on the side of the road without a sign or without any indication that this place existed. We eventually found a well-trodden path along the side of the road, and decided that it was the best option since we couldn't do anything else. All of this was after Johnny forgot his backpack with his camera and laptop in the uber car.

We had to cross over a bridge that went over the giant 100 foot gorge, and we could see all the way down, but it was REALLY far. This picture does not do it justice (honestly none of the pictures really help you understand the still beauty of the place).

We climbed over the wall right after the bridge, because we found where the dirt path picked back up. The trail wound alongside the gorge, but it was really muddy in some spots, so we had to find new ways a few times so that we didn't get stuck. We finally got to the steps that I had read about, and they were the steepest, most slippery, and uneven things I had ever walked down. We took a good 15 minutes to go down 100 feet, but if we screwed up, we would have had a really rough time going down.

We finally reached the bottom and I kind of had to stop myself, rub my eyes, and pick my jaw up off the cold rocks. This place exhibited a magic that I can only try to explain. Everything was so still, so old, so full of stories that only nature could tell. Moss was covering everything, the soft sound of the waterfall around the corner could be heard, and the air and water was so clean and pure. It had never been a place we had ever gone before, and honestly I could understand why there wasn't much fuss about it... who would want to give up such a special secret like this?

At one point, Johnny decided to go barefoot toward the waterfall, which I tried to do, but the water was way to cold. Like hypothermia, frostbite cold. I don't know how (or why) he did it. We finally decided to head back up to reality, and once we got there we had to figure out how to get a ride back, since we figured out that Ubers don't come out that far, and buses don't either. So we were stuck together trying to figure it out, and a water truck pulled off to the side of the road to figure our his route. Johnny, Ellie, and Christine went to go talk to him about how to get out of this place, and he called us a cab, went to go meet them, and directed them to us and out of the place with us. Whoever that nice Scottish man was, we will most definitely remember him forever, because if he hadn't been so nice and willing to help, we really don't know how we would have gotten home. We almost flagged down a police car to see if they could help us, but luckily it didn't come to that.

We were on our way back, and all I could do was look at the pictures I had taken on my camera. I couldn't believe we had been there... it was a fantasy land (that apparently had been a filming scene for the show Outlander) that I never wanted to leave. Time seemed to slow down there. I really want to go back when it is warmer, so that I can explore more!!

Oh, and by the way, school is going great! I have all my classes figured out. I have an anatomy test Monday, so I better go study.

The Isle of Arran

I must say, I did not know that so much went into planning a trip. Before I decided to come to the Isle of Arran, I had to figure out how to even get there. Subway, train, ferry, on foot. In that order. I looked at times for the ferry, which were limited, but since I didn’t have any classes on Friday, I figured that a midday ferry ride would get me there with enough time to explore the area a bit before it got dark. So I planned my train ride and subway ride in respect to that ferry ride. Ended up leaving my room at 9:45 in the morning so that I could be early to where I needed to be. No use being late. I also needed a place to stay for the night, so I found the cheapest place that still looked fairly clean and homey, and I found the Strathwhillan House, which was only 50 pounds for the night.

So I got to the subway that morning and it dropped me off right in front of Glasgow Central Station. I had walked by it a couple times when I went to City Centre, but it looked intimidating so I didn’t go in. It also happened to be the closest train station to where I was, so I was backed into an uncomfortable corner yet again. I was going to conquer it.

Doing that with someone is difficult, but doing it by yourself is even more so. I felt like a lost puppy all the time who just managed to find where he was going by accident. But, nonetheless, I got on the train in the nick of time. As soon as I sat down, the doors closed and we were pulling away from the station. I got to Ardrossan Harbour, which is where I would board the ferry, at about 12:00. This was perfect, since the ferry was supposed to leave at 12:30. Unfortunately, I was told by someone who worked on the train that the 12:30 ferry was cancelled for a reason I do not remember. The next ferry out was 3:something. Ok. No problem. At least I don’t have to wait that long. After what felt like forever, they made an announcement, which I couldn’t hear because I’m still riding the struggle bus on figuring out their accents. I went up to the ticket office and asked what the announcement was, and they said the ferry was delayed until 4:15.

Looks like I missed the boat (LOOK A PUN) on getting there before dark.

When the ferry did arrive, I got on board and they had a large galley area and a kitchen. PERFECT. I hadn’t eaten all day, and this was a perfect opportunity. I sat down at the smallest table I could find, which sat 4, and got my food. I had a woman and her two kids ask if they could sit in the other two seats opposite me, and I said yes.

Mistake #1.

She left the two youngins at the table and waited in line for food. Of course, with mommy gone, they decided to be a pain in the… neck. I guess they didn’t have a concept of personal space yet. I couldn’t say anything, because it wasn’t my kid, but when I finished eating I bolted. I found another seat somewhere else, and I began typing this out because it’s dark outside and I have nothing outside to look at.

I got off the ferry and it was dark, but I had memorized how to get to the Strathwhillan House, which was a little inn that I booked a couple days before. It was a cozy place, and my room had its own bathroom, queen sized bed, and an actual working heater (mine at UofG doesn't work that well). I was able to fall asleep fairly fast, especially since traveling there took longer than I expected. This was also ideal because breakfast (that was part of the money I paid for the room) was at 8:30 and I wanted as much time to explore as I could. So after I ate a really good breakfast and tea, I headed out toward the town and down the road. I saw a large hill (not a mountain) and climbed that, and had an amazing view.

 It was at this time that I also saw a beach near the town, so I trekked back down and went to go see the sun peak over a nearby mountain.

I then saw a castle in the distance, and honestly how can I not go see that? So I figured out a way to get there on the road, which took longer than expected, but I got there and had more amazing views and a cool castle to look at.

It was at this point that I saw a sign that pointed me in the direction of Goatfell Mountain, which is the highest peak on the island. I had also heard that the mountain takes about 5 hours to climb and get back down, and by this time, it was 11:30, and it gets dark at 4, so I knew it wouldn't happen, but I climbed as high as I could, and I must say, that it was incredible. Most parts of the mountain looked like a scene out of Harry Potter, and it was so beautiful. Nature was the only thing around you, and no sound of humans except the breath escaping your lungs could be heard. Little streams, the wind, and even animals could be heard, but that was it. It was so relaxing, cleansing, and fulfilling to be there, and I want to go back later and climb the whole mountain. 

 

I was going to take the 4:40 ferry back to the mainland, but my feet were absolutely killing me, so I got back to town and grabbed a quick lunch, and then waited for the ferry, which arrived not 20 minutes after me. After we got over, I hopped right on the train, then the subway, and I was back in my room by around 6. I was so tired, but I had pictures to edit and upload, and also the blog to write, so I persevered until that was done.

I must say that this trip, although Loch Lomond was amazing, was my favorite because I got to do it by myself. It's not going to be often that I take adventures by myself, and I feel that I will remember those more because they are more personal. So, the preparation for another week of school begins, and the CNU Crew is attending Burns' Night, which is the celebration of the famous poet in the country, on Saturday, and I can't wait to experience the culture and festivities!

School: Week 1

I should preface this by saying that I most definitely prefer the class registration process at CNU. There, we just sit down, type in the classes we want, and if there is a spot available, we get in. Simple, easy, done. Now, as it is with almost everything in Scotland, everything is backward from what I am comfortable with. Of course, I wanted change when I came on this trip, but I was secretly (or maybe not so secretly) hoping that I would not have to change how I handled taking classes, especially since the classes I wanted were unique to UofG.

Registration at UofG is not done by the student. At least not if you’re international. I don’t know about full-time, four-year undergraduates. Don’t really care since it doesn’t apply to me. However, the school seems to have a knack of not telling us vital information for when we register. The classes we preferenced at the beginning of the application process are selected for us after the person at the head of the department of a certain subject approves you. This could mean that you meet all of the pre-requisites, or that you have somehow demonstrated an adequate amount of understanding of a topic. These approvals are then sent to the study abroad people, who then register for you. Now, the only way that you know if you have gotten into the class that you want is if you check your student timetable and it appears. Otherwise, if it is not there, then a couple things could have happened (emphasis on could): (a) you actually weren’t approved and they didn’t tell you, (b) you had time conflicts with another class and they didn’t tell you, or even (c) it is not offered to international students and they didn’t tell you. Bottom line being: they just don’t tell you anything.

So I managed to get into the Functional Anatomy class, where we use real life cadavers (a paradox, I know) to apply what we learn in the classroom. This came a shock to me, since I thought I would have to fight for that one the hardest. I was also put into the Scottish Enlightenment course, which was at the bottom of my list, and I have since dropped, but may need to pick back up again. The two classes I did not see on my timetable were the Drug and Disease biology course and the Theater and Society course. Both of these are necessary for me to get my major and minor, respectively, but they just hadn’t appeared yet.

I tried emailing the study abroad people at the school, and they took forever to get back to me. And I mean, like, forever. I also emailed the head of the theater department and the Biology department, and I heard from them sooner than the study abroad people. The theater people made sure I was enrolled on the timetable, and that’s when I saw why it didn’t pop up. I had a Monday and Wednesday lecture, along with a Wednesday seminar, but the Wednesday lecture interfered with my anatomy class. I emailed the professor about being able to get the notes off of the online system so I didn’t fall behind, but he said he wanted to talk to me about it in person first. I tried relaying this to the study abroad people (who finally got back to me) but they said that I needed to choose. I figured if I got written permission from the professor to be able to miss one lecture, then it would be ok. I have a meeting scheduled with the lady in study abroad Tuesday, so we will hopefully have it figured out by then.

Still no word on Drug and Disease. Details to come.

All while I am trying to get the registration hell figured out, I was actually attending classes. My favorite, as predicted, was the anatomy class. We began dissection on the first day!! A lot of what we have been learning thus far has been a review of IB Bio and Anatomy in high school, but I have not had the opportunity to take that information and be able to use it so literally. It was a little shocking to see an actual human who had once been alive laying there on the table, but as it had happened before in high school, once you start focusing on your work, you kind of forget what you are working on. It is supposed to be a really difficult class, which I guarantee it is, but since this is what I am passionate about and this is what I love (and I mean LOVE) to learn about, I think with hard work and persistence, I will thrive.

Oh, and I don’t have Friday classes.

For right now.

That being said, I have planned a trip to the Isle of Arran for two days!! I look forward to another adventure. This one is going to be by myself, which is pushing the boundaries of my comfort zone, but I needed to do it, and I think I will thank myself later once it’s all said and done.

Loch Lomond: The Underrated and Beautiful Gem of Scotland

My first trip outside of the main city of Glasgow was definitely one to remember. Chalon, Melissa, and Betty (from Iowa) decided to take a short weekend trip to Loch Lomond, one of the biggest, and yet one of the more underrated lakes in Scotland. Loch Ness overshadows most other areas because of its infamy, but I had heard so many amazing things about Loch Lomond that we thought it was most definitely worth the trip. We took an Uber to the lodging place we had paid for, which took about 45 minutes, but our driver was really fast and it was STILL on the wrong side of the road, so we were all gripping the seat with white knuckles the whole ride.

The place that we rented was a little pod that fit four, which was perfect. There were beds lining the wall with a little counter space in one corner, and that was it. It was really cozy, a little hot, but nonetheless what we needed to get through the night. We dropped our stuff off and walked to the first attraction, which was the local aquarium.

After a great walk through the aquarium, it was time to hit the trails. There were many paved/gravel/boardwalk style walkways for people to walk on, and even though it was raining slightly, the scenery and nature made it better. The lake was amazing! Watching the clouds roll over the mountains, seeing wildlife, and smelling clean air was both refreshing and incredible. I remember when I was back on WiFi, Grandma tagged me in a link with a song about the lake ("loch"), and it perfectly embodied the beauty, stillness, and wonder of the place.

We explored one side of the lake, which felt like a lot, but in reality we barely even touched a quarter of the shoreline. We saw a large building in the distance on the other shore, so we decided to retrace our steps and walk along the other side to find it. On our way, we found an information center, which where we bought tickets to the bird of prey exhibit (really freaking cool) and also got info on what and where the building was. It was Balloch Castle, and even thought it was closed to the public, the scenery and park around it was worth a trip. We trekked for quite some time to get there, and just as it was getting darker, we reached the top of the hill where the castle rested. The view was amazing, and it felt like we didn't want to leave. It was getting too dark to take pictures, and our feet hurt, so we walked all the way into town, got food, and then resorted to the pod for the rest of the night.

The next day, we entered the bird of prey exhibit, got one last look at the beautiful lake, and got a train back to Glasgow. Though our time there was short, and the exploration to find one of the many waterfalls on the lake proved fruitless, we knew we would be going back there to explore more, as we left much of the terrain undiscovered. This trip was a perfect way to introduce the first week of school, which was (and is) an adventure all of its own.

Orientation and More Exploring!

To start off the day, first-year students went to orientation. Obviously, I'm a sophomore, or a "second year", but it is my first time attending UofG, so I'm back to floor 1. There was a lot of good information, mostly about how class registration worked, and also a lot where people asked the same questions multiple times, proving that none of them were actually listening. After the orientation, a small group of CNU students decided to go out and explore the wonderful city a bit more.

City Center (or Centre, depending on your preference) is amazing. There is so much life in the city, and it is obvious this is the hub of it all. There are so many cool shops and friendly people. It took a while to actually get there from the main campus of the university, and it made me realized exactly how big the biggest city in Scotland really was. After a good morning in the "centre", we decided to find an authentic pub-style restaurant for lunch. It was time to try haggis. Now, I have been extremely skeptical about haggis ever since I found out about it. I wanted to go into trying it with an open mind. I ended up loving it. It had the same texture as ground beef, but it was a very hearty and heavy meat that filled you up fast. I will most definitely be eating it again.

On the way back to the room, we got lost, so we asked a local construction worker, and though it was still difficult to understand the accent, we were soon understanding why Glasgow is considered one of the friendliest cities in the world. I also gotten to meet some really cool people from all over the world. One of my room mates is from England, two are from Poland, and one is from New Zealand. I'm already starting to get the hang of navigating through the streets, and I can't wait to continue onto my next journey.

Day 1 - Time to Explore

Right after we jumped off the plane and waited for life plus thirty years for everyone to get their luggage from the baggage claim, we grabbed a cab and drove across the city to our residence check-in office. My cab driver was extremely friendly and told us all about the city, all while driving on the wrong side of the road. It was a little unnerving, especially since they have more round-a-bouts than stoplights, and they were driving on the left side of the road. But our driver made us feel very comfortable, since he didn't drive like he was in Times Square.

We got to the check-in office and immediately were given our room keys. We hefted our bags up to our flats, which consist of a full kitchen, dining area, living space, five individual bedrooms, and a two-part bathroom. One room has a toilet and a sink, and the other has a shower and a sink. And the light switches are backwards from what I'm used to. You have to flip them up to turn them off, and down to turn them on. Still going to have to get used to that one.

I spent a good hour or two unpacking all of the things I managed to cram into my two suitcases and backpack. I also hadn't eaten since right before my flight the day before, so after I got most of the clutter dispersed, a couple of my CNU friends and I went out to explore and find a place to eat. I would have gone out with my flatmates, but they were MIA, and I have still yet to see them. I hear them in their rooms, but if they are the types of roommates that keep to themselves, I'm okay with that.

We found a little sandwich shop that had really cheap but really good food, and then we decided to do what we had wanted to do as soon as we got there - explore the school grounds. On the way there, we passed the enormous and extremely beautiful Glasgow Art Museum, and walked through the park and up the road to the main building of the school.

Exploring the main campus was like a dream come true. All those times that I had looked at the school on Google Maps pailed in comparison to seeing it in real life. It was exquisite, magnificent, and every other possible adjective that could be used to describe something at the same caliber of what this school is. Unfortunately, the doors were closed to the inside, so we could not go exploring the halls, but seeing the grounds of the castle-like school was enough to take in on one day.

Tomorrow, a group of us are going to the art museum and also look at the rest of the campus so that we aren't totally lost on the first day of classes. It's still so unreal that I am even here experiencing this! I'm not even really that dragged down by jet lag, but I already miss home. I know that the more I get myself into, and the longer that I am here, the less that feeling will be, but I'm not going to let that get in the way of me having one of the best adventures of my life.

Takeoff

Today’s the day. Surprisingly, I was able to sleep adequately the night before. It still doesn’t feel real. I’m about to embark on probably the most exciting and amazing adventures of my life and even I don’t believe I’m going on it. However, I am constantly reminded by friends and family that I will not be in the United States for almost half of a year, so I’m brought back to reality fairly fast.

The drive from Ashland to Dulles International was stressful, long, and dreadful. The closer I got to the airport, the more excited I got. It was finally happening. What I had been diligently planning for months was finally coming true and I would be in the air just a few short hours from this time. Once the ticket and check-in kiosk opened at 4:30, I had to do one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I had to look my family in the eye and say goodbye. Dad was able to keep his composure up until this point, but it was really difficult, as it always is, to see him cry. Mom, as I knew, was the hardest to watch and say goodbye to. I knew that my entire family was proud of me, and that they couldn’t be more excited for me to go on this trip, but having to say goodbye to the woman who has been one of my biggest supporters and advocates was extremely difficult. Anna-Marie was able to keep herself together, but I know that I am going to miss her deeply, especially the daily punches she deals out to me. TSA and Security was extremely easy to get through, and baggage check was a breeze. I was able to sit in front of my gate for hours and watch the other CNU students roll up. I could tell we were the most talkative people waiting at the gate. We finally boarded with a slight delay, and now it’s 8:54 pm Eastern Time, and I’m on my way. It’s a weird feeling, leaving the place you call home. I’ve built my life here, I’ve made incredible friends and I have a beautiful family. Leaving that all behind for a while is strange, scary, and exciting all blended up into an emotional smoothie (excuse the word choice). I don’t think I’ll sleep much on the plane ride, but I’ve got my phone charging and playing Sara Bareilles on repeat, so I think I’ll be okay. Goodnight and goodbye America, I’ll see you on my return trip from the other side of the pond.