Day Nine/Ten: Tuesday October 22nd and Wednsday October 23rd

The last day of academic travel is always a bitter sweet moment. Phase four begins; the departure. While the comfort of home awaits me I will also miss the new experiences and places that I have seen this past week. I came to Scotland not really knowing what to expect and I leave having found a real treasure. Edinburgh was my favorite place that we visited because it was an old city with a new vibe. It was big but still small and intimate. Glasgow instead was the industrial haven, with less old and more new. I felt like I was in a good old American type city. And then we have Skye, the island off the West coast of Scotland, still alive with tradition and the Gaelic language. 

I spent my last day in Edinburgh in a relaxed manner. I didn't want to try to pack in a day where I saw everything, but instead wanted to truly enjoy, relax, and take in the city. I mostly just walked around the shops on Princess Street and bought a last minute gift at the food shop in Jenner's, and then, with an hour to spare before meeting the group for dinner, I decided to go a bit early to the Cafe Royal and have a little quiet time alone. When I walked in I was surprised to find it bustling with locals with beers in their hands! I was lucky to have found a stool at the bar. For the next hour I just sipped on a glass of red wine, browsed the internet, but also took in the atmosphere, listened to the people's conversations around me, their accents. I felt like a true foreigner, or perhaps a true local! Finally the rest of the group arrived and after a drink we set off for a wonderful seafood dinner. 

Waking up early the next morning to go to the airport and sitting on the bus I realized I was exiting Edinburgh the same way I entered. Passing the Zoo, the Subway, the Co-Op Food, and I thought back to my arrival and what I had experienced in the past nine days. The shops passing by didn't seem so unfamiliar anymore, I could now contextualize my surroundings, felt somewhat a part of them. I left Scotland with a story to tell and memories to keep, and this blog is only a small part of the experiences I took away. I can securely say that Scotland has not seen the last of me yet and I will definitely be back someday (hopefully) soon. 

Mòran Taing! Thank you! 

Day Eight: Monday October 21st

Our last planned day of activities, and we visited the BBC Scotland! I was super excited to visit and I wasn’t disappointed. It was a fantastic experience. I’ve always had a positive relationship with the BBC seeing as I like many of the things that they produce, so it was a great opportunity to actually visit the Scottish headquarters in Glasgow. After watching a video and listening to a small presentation about what the BBC Scotland is all about we were taken on a tour of the building. The building is architecturally magnificent. It is modern, clean, and functional and I liked that there was so much natural light and open space! On our tour we were shown around the building and got to see where people work, where things take place, etc...I really liked that there were no offices and that everyone was working together, never enclosed. It was interesting to hear the director talk about how the BBC, at its heart a news agency, is a storyteller, and when they hire people they hire people who can tell the stories in the best possible way. That doesn’t mean that one must have a degree in journalism, but that a person can come from a variety of fields of expertise. An environmental science major may be hired to write and research the news on a recent oil spill for example. The BBC is just another example of how storytelling is everywhere and comes in all different shapes and sizes. The BBC Scotland even has a Gaelic broadcasting section which is positive for the continuation of the Gaelic language.

After the BBC I returned to the hotel to grab my bags and take the train back to Edinburgh. After arriving in Edinburgh I relaxed a bit and then that evening I ate fantastic vegetarian food at the restaurant next to our hotel and then found a music event to go to at the Royal Mile Tavern. There was a singer song writer type of guy there singing cover songs of pop music. He was fun and got some of us dancing, and although he was quite a horrible singer his guitar skills made up for his lack of vocals. Overall he didn’t really make an impression on me. He was any other guy singing in a bar. 

Day Seven: Sunday October 20th

Today we visited the Robert Burn’s Cottage and Museum. Robert Burns is considered the national poet of Scotland and is quite known for having written in Scots, as well as English and Scot dialect. He is considered the father of the Romantic movement as well. One of his most famous works is “Auld Lang Syne,” a song now typically sung on New Years Eve or “Hogmanay.” The Burn’s Cottage is the original cottage where Robert Burn’s was born and raised (of course with reconstruction). Inside there is a replication of how the cottage would have been set up in Burns’ time there. We were taken on a guided tour of the cottage and the surrounding area. I thought the cottage was clever and well put together and I could definitely imagine (without the smell) what the cottage was like when the Burns family lived there. After we passed by the bridge where Tam O’ Shanter was caught by the witches when trying to cross over the river, and our tour guide recited, from memory a part of the poem which is written in a mix of English and a Scots dialect. Near the bridge is also the a memorial to Robert Burns. Inside the memorial, which is circular in base, we can see where in the world other memorials to Robert Burns are located. We then find out that Robert Burns is the seconds person with the most memorial dedicated to him in world only after Jesus! I found this fact very surprising. It shows Burns’ prominence on an international level, as well as the migration of Scots around the world. After we walked over to the museum where we saw just the beginning of the exhibition, although I did learn a little bit more about Burns and his romantic love affairs and his family situation. 

Overall I must say that I am not a Robert Burns fan mostly because I find him hard to understand due to language, and partly because I don’t find interest in the things he writes about. I do find interest in what I can learn about Scotland through his writing though. Many of his writings are nature based, inspired by his experience with the land, hard labor, and I think that this has something to say about the people of Scotland. That they are a hard working honest type of folk. I don’t think they would have chosen him as their national bard if it was otherwise. 

Day Six: Saturday October 19th

Today we ended our rendez-vous on Skye and set off for a new location! Glasgow! Of course there were a few stops along the way. We set off early in morning on a ferry to the mainland with the bus taken with us. The weather was quite rainy and windy though, so I decided to stay inside during the ride. After 30 minutes we arrived on the other side and we got on the bus again and set off for Oban. Thanks to our fabulous bus driver, we were able to take a back road and get some awesome pictures of Skye in distance! 

After a couple hours we arrived in Oban and took a tour of the Oban Whisky Distillery. While it was interesting to learn about the process and the craftsmanship that goes into making a perfect single malt whisky, I can still confidently confirm that I strongly “dislike” whisky. It was still fun to try some of this famous whisky though, even if it wasn’t to my palate. After the tour we were free to grab some lunch and then meet back at the bus to continue on to Glasgow. We arrived at Glasgow in the early evening. There is something about long bus rides that just makes me tired, so I called it an early night and grabbed some dinner and went to bed. 

Day Five: Friday October 18th

Today we had some courses at the school in Gaelic and on Scottish music! Sabhal Mòr Ostaig is an entirely Gaelic school of higher education on Skye and so it was the perfect setting to learn more about Gaelic culture. We started off the morning learning some basic Gaelic phrases. Being a linguist myself, I was really looking forward to this part of the day, but in the end was highly disappointed. I was hoping for a real look into how Gaelic works as a language. Maybe an introduction to the alphabet, it’s sounds, and some of its structure, and of course a few phrases and words etc... Instead the lesson was just a bit of throwing around some phrases that no one could remember by the end. We were given a little pamphlet with phrases inside like “Ciamar a tha sibh?” for “How are you?” I felt like the lesson could have been so much more. 

After the lunch break we came back to the classroom to learn more about the Scottish bagpipes. Again I was slightly disappointed that it turned out to be essentially a big demonstration. Maybe it’s just the intellectual in me, but I was hoping to really learn something about the bagpipes. The main thing I got the the demonstration was the different types of bagpipes commonly used in Scotland and how they sound, which in itself was interesting and fun, but in the end left me leaving with little new information. 

The last lesson was by far my favorite as it really piqued my linguistic interest. We learned about the Gaelic language itself. Its language family, how many people speak it, how it is used. We learned that today only around 57,375 people in Scotland speak Gaelic which is less than 1% of the population. About one-half of Gaelic speakers live in the lowlands, and about another half (52%) live in the Western Isles. We also learned that Gaelic arrived in Scotland in the 6th century from Ireland, but that over time it began to lose its prestige and by the 1600’s it began to be actively banned along with the bagpipes, kilts, etc... Gaelic as a language itself is said to be “complex but logical.” It is phonetically spelled, had 68 sounds (in English there are only 44), and has only 18 letters. Gaelic is also the oldest written language in Europe still in use. Gaelic medium education has had its difficulties but efforts continue to further its status. At Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, education is provided only in Gaelic and they support students speaking socially and not only in the classroom. 

The last part of the day we went to the Clan Donald museum. I liked the museum because it was small with the right amount of information. It wasn’t too overwhelming but was concise and to the point. I learned a bit more about the origins of the Scots, in particular the Clan Donald, and their strong connection to the Nordic countries. The museum offered some good basic information about Scottish culture like the bagpipes, the kilt/tartan, and Scottish history. There was also information about poetry written in Gaelic. After the museum I went and took a look around the property which was very beautiful and nicely kept, and explored the remains of the Clan Donald castle. 

Day Four: Thursday October 17th

Today we left for Syke! The bus ride was long but we did have beautiful scenery of the Scottish Highlands and we made a stop at Glencoe on the way. Glencoe was really beautiful and when I realized it was where Skyfall was filmed I nearly died because I love James Bond. The James Bond film can be used as an example of how stories are not always told with words but also through location and scenery. Film is a visual as well as spoken form of story telling and much of the telling of the story is through the images, the location. It just so happens that Glencoe was the "right" location for James Bond's childhood. 

I was also able to take some really amazing photos at Glencoe and the story about the massacre made me want to learn more about it. The highlands were extremely beautiful and reminded me a lot Southern Oregon, as did the Isle of Skye when we began to see it in the distance and then pass on the bridge to go over to the island. We were also able to make a small stop at Lochness, but without seeing much more than some ducks. After arriving on the island, we had dinner at a small local restaurant, and then we finally arrived to the school and checked into our rooms and went to sleep. 

Day Three: Wednesday October 16th

With our free morning I decided to go to the Scottish Parliament! I really love British politics having studied it years back in a Comparative Government and Politics class. In that we class we discussed, of course, the difference between England and Scotland and how their governments vary. Of all the countries we had studied in that course, I did some of my best work in the British politics section, and so I was really wanting to visit the Parliament here in Scotland. One thing everyone notes about the building is that it is very modern. Some people hate it, and some people love it. Unfortunately I have to say that it is not my favorite building in the world, especially for a Parliament facility. I personally prefer older architecture that is more intricate and grandiose. That is not to say that the building is ugly but it sort of sticks out in the city of Edinburgh as being “different” from everything else. For example across the street from it there is the Palace of Holyrood. Despite the architecture I was still very happy to have visited. I got to see the debating chamber which was very large and modern, and I picked up a couple pamphlets on the Scottish Parliament and how it functions. 

After our free morning, we all met up and ate lunch at the Elephant House Cafe where J.K. Rowling wrote part of Harry Potter, and then we set off on a scavenger hunt of Edinburgh. My group was me, Taylor and Cecilia. We ran about the city like mad women, but it was also really fun. We were forced to talk to locals and explore the city. One man even walked us to where we needed to go when we asked for directions. Although the scavenger hunt was fun, it was also exhausting! But I found it a great way to experience the city. I was fascinated by the the smallest print books in the National Library.

For the evening, we met at the Filmhouse Cafe and then went to the Royal Lyceum Theater to see a new play written by Ian Rankin and Mark Thomson called “Dark Road.” I must admit that I loved it. It started off one way and then changed completely. I never really knew what to expect! It was definitely a thriller but also had a clear message at the end: “You never realize what you have until it’s gone.” The play fit into the subject of our travel as well because plays are also a form of story telling. Looking at the play from this point of view, the story was well told or “acted.” The actors had to use many of the techniques we learned in the workshop as well. The way they spoke, how they pronounced their words, etc...we all a part of the story. Overall the play captured the audiences attention which is important when telling any story.

Day Two: Tuesday October 15th

Today was the first real day of activities. We started off early at the Storytelling Centre and Cafe right by our hotel. There we had a three hour workshop with a gentleman who is actually English but has been in Scotland for over 20 years. He started off by introducing himself and then he showed us a picture of a picture he had taken of a lonely grave out by itself along a road (a quite haunting image). He then began to tell us the story about this grave stone and why it was there all by itself. It was interesting to listen to him tell the the story because of the way he told it. At the beginning he paused as if allowing a moment for himself and the others in the room to clear their minds and set their mental state for the story. During the telling of the story he spoke with emotion and confidence. He used his voice and his hands to tell the unwritten parts of the story. When he finished telling the story we analyzed and talked about storytelling. Personally I am very intrigued by the idea of storytelling as an oral tradition. These Scottish stories we are looking at make me wonder if, like The Odyssey, the stories have changed through time, maybe even become quite different than the first time they were told. This is also the beautiful thing about storytelling, that it is also a form of free art with room for movement and change. An example is how we pronounce and emphasize our words, like we had the chance to experiment with in the workshop. It is based on the idea that words have different sounds that put different emphasis on different parts. In other words the word should sound like what it means. Our teacher grouped them into “airy,” “fiery,” “watery”....etc... words. The way that a storyteller emphasizes his words adds to the story itself. When we had the chance to practice saying some words in such a manner I actually was kind of embarrassed. The fact that I was a bit embarrassed showed me that storytelling is also a performance (and I get very nervous when performing)! At the end we each had the chance to read a short story and work on breaking it up into chunks that would help us remember the story. He suggested splitting the story into six parts, drawing six different images of the main action. Some of us then had the chance to tell our story to the class. Like I said, performing makes me nervous so I didn’t volunteer, but I did really like the story that I read. Overall the workshop was a good introduction to storytelling. I would have liked to learn a little more about the history of Scottish storytelling, but the workshop offered me a good insight into storytelling in general and how to tell a story. The interesting thing is that in a way we are all storytellers. We all recount stories about our lives or other peoples lives at some point, even if it is something as trivial as telling your friend about the date you went on last night; you make sure to get everything right, to express how you felt through your voice and your body. Storytelling need not be something you memorize and tell, but can come in many different forms. I like it because it is such a universal and human art and is not culturally specific.

Day One: Monday October 14th

It’s always an interesting experience the first time you enter a new city. In my experience there is a sort of four step process: the arrival/first impression, the entry, the assimilation, and the departure; all four contribute to the memory I take away from the travel.The first impression, when traveling by airplane, is the airport. It’s that first taste of the culture in a condensed area. “Welcome to Edinburgh” read the signs as I entered the airport from the runway. Immediately we filed ourselves according to our passports and waited patiently and excitedly to get our stamps; a type of badge that I can add to my ever growing “places visited” list. The first interaction I had with someone in Scotland was with the lady at the passport counter who was exceptionally friendly and even asked what I was studying (although she did have to repeat her question because I didn’t understand her accent the first time around)! 

Phase two, the entry, was our bus ride into Edinburgh from the airport. I was able to get a feel for the city, what there was, the atmosphere, the people. I saw many things that made me feel close to home in the States like a Subway or a Pizza Hut, but there were many things that were also very different like the cars, and the abundance of Indian and Chinese restaurants. 

Phase three, the assimilation really started with our bus tour of the city. I was able to position myself in the city, understand it’s layout, and understand what was important for me to know. The World Heritage tour was actually very interesting and the tour guide was fun, even though I didn’t quite find some of her humor so humorous. Overall she pointed out the important things about Edinburgh and provided some good information to help me “assimilate” to the city. I figured out all the places I wanted to visit later as well, like the Scottish Parliament and Edinburgh Castle, and of course shops! This first day was tiring but fulfilling, and thankfully the weather was a perfect welcome to the Scotland and the city of Edinburgh! The last part of this four step process will come later, in the last entry,

 with my departure from Edinburgh and Scotland!