My Easter Break - Part I: Hiking the West Highland Way

I was better with the sound of the sea
      Than with the voices of men
And in desolate and desert places
      I found myself again.
For the whole of the world came from these
And he who returns to the source
May gauge the worth of the outcome
And approve and perhaps reinforce
Or disapprove and perhaps change its course.

Now I deal with the hills at their roots
      And the streams at their springs
And am to the land that I love
      As he who brings
His bride home, and they know each other
Not as erst, like their friends, they have done,
But carnally, casually, knowing that only
By life nigh undone can life be begun,
      And accept and are one.

- from The War with England, by Hugh
MacDiarmid

Easter Break was magical. I saved the European galavanting for the summer and spent my three week break enjoying the raw beauty of Scotland. After a quiet weekend in Aberdeen my Connecticut comrade Corey and I jumped on a 6:30am bus ride to Glasgow, with the intention of conquering the most famous long distance hiking trail in Scotland: The West Highland Way.

For those of you not in the know, the West Highland Way is a 95 mile long hiking trail running through some of Scotland's most beautiful and rugged landscapes. The trail begins in a tiny suburb of Glasgow and ends at Fort William, in the shadow of the UK's highest mountain. The trail is a combination of old cattle trails, railway lines, and roadways.

Corey and I hiked it together in 7 days. I could write thousands and thousands of words on everything we experienced, but I haven't the energy and I'm sure you haven't the patience. So I'll just give you a few glimpses into the best moments of the trip.

Day One: The first day was mostly long and uneventful. One memory worth noting: about 100 meters into the trail a small, white-haired old man smiled to us and said, "Only a bit further now, lads!" The trail took us through lots of farmers' fields and we had a few close encounters with the livestock. We made a tiny stopoff in Drymen and picked up some supplies from a lovely outdoors store with an incredibly friendly owner. At the very end of the day we climbed a massive hill and it completely wore us out, but it did give us our first sight of the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond. Lomond was captivating. We camped a little past the summit of the hill with our $30 tent. It was really cold, and we didn't get much sleep.

Day Two: Another long day, but much more eventful. It was foggy in the morning but cleared in the afternoon, just as we had lunch on a pier jutting out into the Loch. The sun smiled on us as we chose the more difficult, rambling path beside the Loch. It was well worth it. This was probably the most primitive part of the path, running along the thickly wooded banks. It was absolutely stunning. Deep in the woods we stumbled upon old ruins of homes and prisons and an old mountain bothy. Lomond continued to impress. We hoped to stay at a bunkhouse in a town but it was too expensive, so instead we pushed on to a free mountain bothy where we met a Canadian girl also hiking the way. We collapsed with exhaustion.

Day Three: We left the bothy early and said our goodbyes to Loch Lomond. It rained on us briefly in the morning, but very light and only for an hour or so. This was a short day and mostly uneventful, as we passed through some of the flatter parts of the way. For the evening we stayed in a wigwham just north of Crainlarich. It was warm and cozy, and Corey and I took advantage of the kitchen and made a huge meal to appease our appetites. The wigwham place was run by a friendly Aberdeen University grad. Probably my favorite accomadation on the WHW.

Day Four: By this time we were pretty sore and so we had another easy day, hiking along to Bridge of Orchy. It was very windy, but the scenery was improving and slowly turning more mountainous. We got to get up close and personal with some Highland Coos. We stayed in a bunkhouse at a hotel for the night and we both got to take much need showers.

Day Five: We left really early this day, sometime around 7 :00 before the sun had risen. We got some great views of the sunrise on the way. This was one of the more remote parts of the trail, where we felt the most isolated. Mountains peaked on each horizon and we saw a herd of deer grazing in the morning sun. We reached our day's end point before 1:00pm, but we couldn't stay there for the night, so instead we tried hitchhiking to the next town. We got a ride after thiry minutes from a friendly Scot named Jillian. We made fast friends and she invited us to a shinty match her boyfriend was playing in. We had time to kill so we went and thoroughly enjoyed it. Afterwards Corey and I walked on through another beautiful small town before hoping on a bus to the nearest accomodation in Kinlochleven. We got a tiny cabin for a great price and stayed there for the night. One of my favorite days.

Day Six: We hitched with a wonderful Welsh couple from Kinlochleven back to where we had left the trail the previous day. Today was our shortest day but the terrain was suppose to be the most difficult. We climbed the ineptly named Devil's Staircase to an elevation of 700 meters and got a great view of the surrounding countryside. By this point we were surrounded by snowcapped mountains. It was unreal. We made a slight side trip up to a higher peak before rambling back down the trail to Kinlochleven, where we stayed again in our small cabin. Perhaps the most scenic day on the WHW.

Day Seven: We set off early from Kinlochleven for our final day of hiking. We immediately climbed high above the small town and made our way through a beautiful mountain pass littered with sheep and old ruins. The last bit of the trail wound through beautiful green hills and thick pine forests before we descended to our endpoint. We walked through Glen Nevis with the mountain towering over us, and soon we had arrived in Fort William. At the final signpost we took a break and shook hands at a long hike well done. We stayed in a youth hostel for the night and ate a massive spaghetti dinner to celebrate. For dessert we split a delicious carrot cake.

To see the best photos of the trip, check out my album by clicking here. Tune in next time when I summarize the rest of my Easter Holidays, including my hike of the Great Glen Way.

Cheers,
Jacob

So... I'm pretty bad at this whole "correspondence" thing

Quickly! Before I leave on an 11 day hike about Scotland! Here is the summary of the last three weeks of my life:

I spent my birthday weekend recovering and taking it easy. I don't remember much about the week after; I think I just went to school. Not exactly the most exciting existance, but even in Scotland you've got to have some downtime so the exciting things still seem exciting.

The weekend after that (March 10th and 11th) was a busy one. On Saturday I got up early with my American buddies (Corey, Dave, and Kathy) and we went to a soccer match. The 4th ranked Aberdeen Dons played against the 3rd ranked Edinburgh Harts in Aberdeen. The match was amazing; we sat with the Aberdeen fans and rooted for the home team - andf they WON 1-0! I'm not a huge soccer fan but I really got into it. It's much different than any sporting events in the States... fans actually booed players off the field! It was a rowdy time.

Afterwards my friend Dom, who is a officially an honorary Texan, treated us to some delicious homemade pizza. I went to bed early that night because I had to be up at 9:00 for... SUPERTEAMS!

On Sunday I got together with six of my close friends (Corey, Dave, Amanda, Bronwyn, Hilary, and Denise) to participate in an Aberdeen University tradition: Superteams! What is Superteams, you might ask? Essentially it's a huge competition of physical ability among all the students and faculty on campus. But the fun part is you don't have to be exactly the fittest person in the world to participate - everyone gets in on the fun. So our rag tag group got together and registered as The Seven Deadly Sins, with Amanda as our Superwoman and yours truly as the Superman.

I can't say I started the day on the right foot... I set my alarm wrong and was the only one to wake up late. But never mind that! We started the day with some painful sprints (suicides to those in the know). Being Superman/woman meant only bad things - basically we had to do double what everyone else did. Sprinting in the cold Scotland air for three minutes is not fun, let me tell you.

But it was soon over, and we moved on to other events, including: go cart racing, swimming, pushing a huge van, paintballing, press ups, sit ups, wacky blow up party things, and rock climbing. Yeah, it was just as random as it sounds. It was also a metric ton of fun. We all came home absolutely beat, and a few of the more dedicated members (myself included) went to the Union Bar afterwards for a few drinks and to see if we won. Somehow we got pushed just out of the top finishers (umm... I think we were somewhere in the 40s - out of 60 teams). Oh well. It was still an absolute blast.

The rest of that week I spent frantically writing a 2,000 word easy before I left on Thursday the 15th for DUBLIN! What better time to go to Ireland than St. Patrick's Day weekend, eh? Unfortunately the Bowdens could not accompany me for this massive adventure, but I had Amanda the brave Canuck coming along. We arrived on Thursday with no place to stay for the entire weekend, but luck was on our side and we found a hostel for the night. We roamed the city before going on a pub crawl that evening. This pub crawl included my first karaoke performance ever... and let me say, Amanda and I rocked "Living on a Prayer."

The next day was inexplicably random. We strolled through St. Stephen's Green (beautiful) before bumping into a film crew doing Canada AM (basically the Good Morning America of Canada). Amanda was pretty excited. After hanging around there for a bit we continued on to St. Patricks Cathedral to pay homage to the guy who inspired all this drinking. As we arrived I saw some guys getting off a bus wearing red and black shirts with cardinals on the front.... and in a bizarre turn of events I discovered that it was the TVCC Regiment Marching Band! I had no idea that these Athens folk would be in Dublin that weekend! It truly is a small world.

Well, I have the best travel luck ever, and meeting them meant we got into St. Patrick's for free. Then we tagged along with them to the Guinness Storehouse, where we also got in for free. Not only did we skip the massive line at the Storehouse, but we also got to go up to the VIP room and were treated to a free buffet lunch, including a free pint of the dark nectar! ON TOP OF THAT, they also gave us a free bag of soveigners. So basically, I am forever indebted to the TVCC Band, who also put on an excellent show at the Storehouse and made me proud.

After leaving the band behind Amanda and I walked the streets for a while more, before heading to the Stag's Head and a couple more pubs and clubs. We took it easy on ourselves because we knew that the next day was St. Patrick's. We stayed at the hostel again and slept in a bit. Then we headed to the parade route and got some decent seats (not as good as the sitting on the top of the phonebooths - I hate that cop). The parade was a lot of fun, the theme was legends so mostly that meant fantastic stuff that looked like it had been pulled from the Labyrinth. The TVCC Band marched by, playing "Deep in the Heart of Texas" and holding up pretty Texas signs. I'd be lying if I said I didn't get a little moist around the eyes.

After the parade we played in a fountain that someone had put detergent in before heading over to an Irish dance. We did some of our trademark spinning before working our way to a pub where the rugby match was on. We killed some time there before heading to a carnival close by and riding some of the rides. We ate some dinner before we were truly ready for the pub hopping of St. Patty's.

I'll leave most of that to your imaginations. Needless to say, it was a legendary night. I met some combat engineers from Texas. I had some tequila. Amanda and I did find somewhere to sleep, and I did wake up with a long, unexplainable cut on my face. I drank more Guinness in that weekend that I had before in my entire life. I fell desperately in love with Ireland.

The trip home was long and nauseating. We made it finally and I slept. I wrote another 2,000 word essay the following week and turned it in on Friday. I found out I made an 18 (out of 20) on my first exercise. That brings us almost up to speed. Friday was our last class day before Easter Break, which is our version of Spring Break except it is three times as long. Easter Break > Spring Break by about a million.

Almost everyone I know has gone home or traveling already, and I'm going hiking in the highlands for the next 11 days. So if you don't hear from me over the next week and a half, at least I have a good excuse. It's getting late now and I've got to get my beauty sleep if I want to be ready for a long day of travel tomorrow. Please excuse any typos and the lack of pictures. I leave at 6:30 and I haven't got the time. I'll fix it when I get back, promise.

All you Texans better be enjoying the beautiful spring weather for me. August can't get here soon enough. Love to everyone I love.

Cheers,
Jacob

Last Weekend and My 21st! (Now With Photos!)

Sorry about the lack of updates, folks. It's been a busy week-and-a-half for me, so here's the rundown...

I did go to the ceildlh on Wednesday. It was a good time, mainly because almost everyone I know was there: my Scottish flatmates, the Canadians, and my fellow Americans. My only complaint is that it ended too early - 10:00. I want a ceildlh that goes late into the night.

Last Thursday was uneventful, but on Friday I left Aberdeen on a long bus ride to Edinburgh. Kathy, Corey, and I got free tickets to the Scotland VS Italy Rugby match in Edinburgh and we decided to make a weekend of it. When we got to Edinburgh our Canadian friend Amanda met us at the station to complete our quartet.

We were lucky enough to stay with the twenty-something daughters of Corey's host family who live in Edinburgh. Their hospitality knew no bounds (read: they offered us lots of free food and booze). Friday night the four of us went on an exciting jaunt around Edinburgh.


On Saturday young Corey Chapman roused our sleepy heads and we went on a morning hike up Arthur's Seat, a massive ridge that dominates the Edinburgh skyline. It offered some great views of the city. After making our way down we went on a long but rewarding quest for cheap food that ended at a baguette place. It tasted way better than it had any right to.

After chowing down we met up with David, another American, and his family, and made the long walk to Murrayfield Stadium. The streets were flooded with Scots and Italians heading to the game. Walking to the stadium was quite the experience.

We found our seats at the game and enjoyed the piping band that played before kickoff. The game was absolutely horrific: the Italians scored three times in the first 6 minutes. This was especially disappointing considering that Italy is the laughing stock of six nations rugby. At half time some military folk skydived into the stadium and we got some delicious donuts, but it wasn't enough to raise our spirits when Scotland lost the match.

We made the long, quiet walk home, surrounded by saddened Scotland fans. The four of us were pretty beat, so we went straight back to the flat. We all chipped in and bought some things to make an excellent meal of chicken curry. It was one of the most satisfying meals I've had since I've been in Scotland, even more so because I was surrounded by good company.

After eating we watched a bootleg copy of The Departed, and it was just as good as everyone makes it out to be. We turned in early because we knew that Sunday would be jam-packed with adventure.

Sure enough, Sunday did not disappoint. We got up early and made our way to Waverly Train Station in the heart of Edinburgh. Today we were off to Stirling, a small city 45 minutes east of Edinburgh, home of the National William Wallace Monument. We ate some breakfast at the station (I had a delicious steak pastie) and then boarded our train.

The train ride passed quickly and we were soon in Stirling. We left the station and started making our way towards the monument, which lies a couple miles from the city center. After some iffy navigation by yours truly, which basically boiled down to "Lets just walk towards the monument," we ended up in a farmer's field completely surrounded by a river. After some helpful directions from the land owner we found our way to the main road and on to the monument.

Near the monument is a statue of Wallace that looks remarkably similar to Mel Gibson. The statue was erected after the movie. It's highly controversial because of the similarities to the Australian actor, so much so that many people have defaced it in outrage. The young guy working at the tourist shop had this to say, "I absolutely hate it. On my last day working here I'm going to take a chisel to it."

We walked to the base of the monument but opted not to go to the top because it had a hefty admission charge. We were entertained briefly by an actor who played the part of one of Wallace's soldiers. He gave a historical account of the Battle of Stirling, while also swinging his battle axe about. One of the highlights of the day.

We left the monument and made our way back to the city center, where we went on a rambling walk around Stirling. We went across Stirling bridge, up a couple random hills, and through a cemetery before finally arriving at Stirling castle. Along the way we spotted a couple of incredible rainbows as the sun peaked out of the gray clouds.

We walked back to the station and jumped on the 4:00 train to Edinburgh. We had a light dinner at a pub in the city. Then we stopped by a grocery store and picked up a few snacks for the three hour bus ride back to Aberdeen. I got some shortbread and went halfsies on a tub of 16 minimuffins with Amanda. Needless to say, the tub of minimuffins had been demolished by the time we made it back home.

The next couple of days were mostly uneventful. I turned in my first assignment on Tuesday, an 800 word essay. The next big development came on Wednesday. I had been promising my flatmates that I would shave off my beard sometime while I was in Scotland, and I decided that there was no better time than my birthday. So on the eve of my birth I had a bit of fun and shaved most of my beard off, keeping only some massive sideburns and a gloriously tacky trucker mustache. It was a big hit with the flatmates and various others I saw during the day. I shaved it off just before bedtime. It's the first time I've been clean shaven in nine months.

The next day I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing and I realized - WOOT! It's my birthday! I was tired after staying up late watching a movie with Amanda, so after asking Cakes to take a message I immediately called my mom back. During the course of the day I also received a call from my little sister Brittney. It was good to hear from them.

In the evening the incredibly thoughtful Canadians prepared me an amazing potluck supper. I was thoroughly spoiled by them. Bronwyn made some wonderful homemade mac and cheese, Denise contributed some very tasty salad, and Amanda, knowing me so well, made some simply amazing tacos. I contributed a little cornbred (thanks mom!). Not only that, but we also had chocolate cake and apple crumble for dessert, topped with the traditional birthday candles. I really couldn't have asked for a better birthday supper. And to spoil me even further, Hilary (who wasn't there unfortunately) game me a 4 pack of Tennents for my birthday, and Amanda made my night by giving my a Scotland scarf.

After dining with the Canadians, I ran back to my flat to begin the age old ceremony of drinking on the 21st birthday. I'll leave the details to your imagination. It was a wonderful night, with every friend I've made in Scotland crowded around a small table in our kitchen. It was one of the best birthdays in recent memory.

Thanks to everyone back in Texas who also made my birthday special. All the cards, facebook messages, and blog comments were not forgotten. I love you all, and I look forward to seeing you in August. Until next time.

Cheers,
Jacob

Sunday in Stonehaven and Pancake Tuesday

Time for another sporadic update from your's truly. This weekend we were again blessed with amazing weather. Everyone I talk to complains about Scottish weather, but thusfar I've been entirely pleased with it. My only complaint: NO SNOW! But I have faith that Scotland won't let me down.

Friday and Saturday my flatmate Tommy had a couple friends visiting from back home, so I spent most of my time hanging out with them. On Sunday Corey, Kathy, Jillian, Lindsay, and I decided to take advantage of the nice weather by going on a trip to nearby Stonehaven. Stonehaven is a small coastal village about 20 minutes south of Aberdeen.

We strolled from the Stonehave train station, through downtown and to the coast. From there we made our way past the harbor and up the steep tourist path that follows the cliffs. Our first stop was the Black Hill War Memorial, a monument to the Stonehaven soldiers who died in World War I. Along the top of the monument it read: "One by one Death challenged them, one by one they smiled in his grim visage, and refused to be dismayed."

We continued along the coast to Stonehaven's main claim to fame: the ruins of Dunnottar Castle. Dunnottar is a massive castle built on a highly defensible outcrop of rock. The castle is also steeped in Scottish history. During one period the Scottish crown jewels were hidden away from the English there. There's more to this story, but I'll let you do the research if you're really interested.

After the long walk back to Stonehaven we stopped at a takeaway and had some fish and chips. We killed time by exploring the town before we caught the 4:00 train back to Aberdeen.

Monday was mostly uneventful. We did play some intense games of Jenga at the flat, followed by a couple of pints at the Watering Hole. Today I was invited to partake in Pancake Tuesday with my Canadian friends. In Canada, I've discovered, the populace celebrates Fat Tuesday by eating tons of pancakes and maple strup. I really couldn't turn that down. So I made my way over to their flat and had some wonderful pancakes of all varieties. Cheers to Bronwyn, Amanda, and Denise for doing all the cooking, and to Hilarys One and Two for the clean up effort.

Tomorrow I have no class and a cielidh in the evening. Should be a good one, I'll let you all know how it goes...

Cheers,
Jacob

Reflections on Valentine's Day...

Another uneventful Valentine's Day has come and gone. I personally have no strong feelings about Valentine’s. I know many who do. Most of them are not pleasant feelings. As an impartial spectator, I've noticed that the amount of negative feelings aroused by the Day of Love far outnumber the positive.

First let's examine the male side of St. Valentine's. I'd wager that at least 90% of the male population harbours some dislike for the holiday, varying from minor annoyance to fiery hatred. Let’s further breakdown the males into two groups: the single and the taken. The single males are usually only slightly annoyed; mostly because of the reminder that they are single and won't be gettin’ any lovin’ on V-Day. But this tiny annoyance is nothing compared to the full-blown resentment harboured in their taken brothers.

The majority of Valentine's hate comes from the population of taken males. I've heard the lament of the Valentine's Day boyfriend dozens of times. It begins a few days before, during the period leading up to the Day which I like to call "The Gnashing of the Teeth." Suddenly the non-single males are hit with a full-on anxiety attack as they realize Valentine's is only days away and they haven't yet worked out the flowers/chocolates/misc gifts. They’ve also not planned out the romantic night on the town, the responsibility of which almost always falls solely on the male, both organizationally and fiscally. There are two main reactions to this: complete resentment towards the holiday or, in some extreme cases, a complete rebellion against it.

That's not to say that all females are safe from Cupid's poison-tipped arrow. Although the pink-and-red resentment is far less extreme in the female gender as a whole, the single female population often feels the “singlehood sadness” of Valentine's much more than that of their single male counterparts. And if you’re a taken female, you're usually the cannon-fodder that absorbs the male’s passive-aggressive barrage against the blatant commercialism of St. Valentine's Day.

That’s not to say that Valentine’s Day is an unholy terror that must be stopped at all costs. In theory, a day celebrating love is a much needed day, now more than ever. There just needs to be a major overhaul of the public perception and expectation of the holiday.

As for me, Valentine’s serves its purpose as a signpost of the years. Like most holidays, I can remember something about each of the last few Valentine’s. Last year’s holiday in Austin still lives on in my memory, and much of my discussion with my roommates then inspired this post. I can still taste the pink frosted cupcakes I ate with my fellow RAs in San Antonio two years ago. And I can still see the melting snow of February 14, 2004. Holidays make time seem shorter, the distant past less distant, the near future more near. In years to come I’ll look back and remember that one quiet Valentine’s Day in Scotland.

Cheers,
Jacob

Why You No Post, Jacob Steddum?

If you spend all of your time writing life down then you'll soon find that you've run out of time to actually live it.

That's total rubbish. It sounded better in my journal. Really it's just my pitiful excuse for not posting the last week. I apologize to my handful of faithful readers. Most of you probably know that I have a bad habit of falling off the face of the earth at random times. I'm working on it.

The truth is, I haven't been too busy to post. In fact it's probably the total opposite. Things have settled down considerably since the last post. Yesterday marked the end of my third week in Scotland, and it was significantly less eventful than the first two. I think it's just because I'm finally settled in, the newness of Scotland has worn off (slightly), and I'm actually doing what I supposedly came here to do: going to school.

Not that school here isn't enlightening, it just isn't all that interesting. There are more exciting things to talk about. I don't want to bore you with an analysis of Scots language in John Galt's Annals of the Parish. Really. It's boring, even for me.

So instead I'll cram all of the interesting things that have happened since the last post into one semi-interesting post:

Tuesday: Can’t remember. I think I slept a lot this day?

Wednesday: No class. I went into town with Tommy and Matt. We shopped and planned for a rave party we were going to throw on Saturday.

Thursday: Rain started. I came in second in a game of Monopoly with the flatmates.

Friday: Rain continued. Most eventful day during non-posting. Attended another Burn’s Supper with the International Students. It was held by the Scottish National Party. Partook in more haggis, loved it even more the second time. Partook in more Glenfiddick Whiskey, same outcome. A céilidh followed afterwards (pronounced “kay-lee,” essentially a Scottish square dance).

Saturday: Rain continued for third day. Rave postponed due to circumstances surrounding strobe light. Tried out Lambrini, a notoriously girlish drink. Then went pubbing and clubbing with flatmates. Discovered Garth Marenghi's Darkplace afterwards. Went to bed sometime around 5:00am.

Sunday: Rain continues for fourth day. Honorary flatmate Ewan “Robo” Robertson brought visiting sister Katrina “Robo, Jr.” Robertson to the flat for night of card games. Canadian girls made brief appearance. Male flatmates all stood in chairs, banged on ceiling, sung rousing renditions of “The Flower of Scotland” and “The Bonnie Banks O’ Loch Lomond.” Wardens came by because of noise complaint and night officially concluded. Went to bed sometime around 5:00am.

Monday: Rain depressingly continues for fifth day. Flatmates and I took the Robo siblings out to a pub. Briefly went to a club before walking home.

Today: Rain finally subsided, sun makes reappearance. I came in second in a game of Monopoly with the flatmates.

There it is. I suppose it doesn’t sound as uneventful in retrospect, especially Friday and Sunday. Those were classics.

That’s all I’ve got for now. I’ll post again soon, I promise, but in the meantime I’ve got something to ask from you, loyal reader. Something of a “roll call.” If you read these posts, leave me a comment by clicking on “comments” below. You don’t have to register or anything. It’s relatively painless, I swear. This way I know how many are reading. It should encourage me to post more often. Do it, for me.

Cheers,
Jacob

My Weekend at Glen Etive and Superbowl Monday

The trip to Glen Etive was magical. I'm very glad that the folks at Lairig convinced me to go on Thursday night. It'll be one of the weekends I look back on fondly.

We left Aberdeen at 6:00pm on Friday night. It was a five hour drive to the western coast of Scotland, including a brief stop at a discount supermarket to pick up a weekend's worth of food. We stayed at a cozy little bothy (Scot-speak for cottage) surrounded by majestic Scottish "hills". It should be understood that in Scotland, the term "hill" generally applies to what we call mountains in the States... and everything else, by comparison, is flat ground.

After arriving at the bothy we formulated our plans for the next day. About half of the group had come up for ice climbing on Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in all of Britain. The other half had come for hill walking. Due to my lack equipment and experience I stuck with the hillwalkers.


The ice climbers left at 4:00am, but us hillwalkers got up at a leisurely 7:00am. The day was uncharacteristically sunny and dry. We really couldn't have asked for better weather from Scotland. We left the bothy around 8:00am and made our way up the Buachaille Etive Mòr, a famous local ridgeline of four peaks. After a few hours of ascent, most of which was very steep rock scrambling, the seven of us made it to the top. The view was breathtaking, and we spent the next few hours walking along the ridgeline to the other three peaks, each equally impressive and majestic.


Our descent was a little less planned, but we found a popular route and, despite massive amounts of ice and frozen snow, we made our way down. With all the ice about I got to try some very basic ice climbing skills. We made it to the bottom sometime in the late afternoon, and we spent the rest of the day walking through the muddy bog of the valley. We made it to the road just as it got dark. It was a strenuous but rewarding ten hour hike.


The evening was spent around a nice fire at the bothy, with the ice climbers and hillwalkers trading stories and showing off photos. Sunday morning everyone was worn out and the weather was less favorable, so we split into two groups again, one group going on a harder hike up another hill and the other going on an easier hike to the Lost Valley. I chose to go on the easier hike, and afterwards we all packed up and made the drive back to Aberdeen.


I got back to Hillhead Halls at 10:30pm, dropped off my things, and made it to the Watering Hole. I met up with Tommy, Mark, Sandy, and Matt to watch the Superbowl. Because of the time difference the game didn't start until 11:30pm and it ended around 3:30am. I helped explained wacky American football to my flatmates and we all had a good time. I was personally cheering for the Bears, but in the end Grossman surprised no one and played just as everyone expected: horrifically.

But even if the team I was rooting for lost the game, the weekend itself was an absolute success. I walked some of the most picturesque mountains in western Scotland, I met tons of fun, new people, and I topped it all off with a beer at the pub with my mates. It was a perfect weekend in Scotland.


Until next time.

Cheers,
Jacob

Off to Glen Etive!

I'm embarking on my first weekend trip tonight. I'm off to Glen Etive in western Scotland with the Lairig Mountaineering Club, which I joined last night. Lairig goes on various weekend trips about Scotland to hike and climb. I'm sure I'll be going on plenty of trips with them since it's much cheaper than traveling alone. When I get back I'll post pictures.

I also met with the Creative Writing Society last night, and although they seem a bit oddball I maybe joining soon in an effort to keep myself writing. Classes continue to go fine. I think they'll actually be much easier than back home.

One of my favorite parts about being in Scotland is the different way they use the English language. I love some of the words they use here, words that have either died out in America or were never used at all. Saying "aye" for "yes" is very common among the Scots, and it sounds much more charming than "yeah". Saying "fortnight" might seem antiquated, but it's far superior to "every other week". Another of my favorites is "knicked", which they use in place of "stolen". It's got a rough sound that fits the definition. But my all time favorite has to be "cheers". It means a variety of things, usually thank you, well done, or well wishes. It is absolutely beautiful to say.

And it's not only the vocabulary that's different, but also the phrasing and rhythm of speech. It's difficult to describe, but it's a much more varied sound than American English. Maybe it's just the exotic accent influencing me.

I'm off to class. I'll be without internet for the weekend, so I'll update you all on the Glen Etive trip on Monday.

Cheers,
Jacob

RECAP: Everything Else

Alrighty, I'm going to speed it up and cover the rest of Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday all in one compact post. Wish me luck.

Sunday they took all the international students on a walking tour of the University and on a bus tour of the city of Aberdeen. The university was founded in 1492, and it's one of the six ancient universities of Great Britain, among the likes of Oxford and Cambridge. The city of Aberdeen is a bustling metropolis of 200,000 people, set on the northeastern cost of Scotland, with a primarily oil-based economy. All of the old buildings in downtown Aberdeen are made out of a type of granite that was mined from the surrounding area. The granite is embedded with tiny pieces of mica, and rumor has it that on a sunny day the mica makes the granite buildings all sparkle. When we finally get a sunny day I promise to go downtown and take some photos.

After the tour I rested a while before heading over to a friend's flat to play a few hands of Texas Hold'em with a variety of Americans, Germans, Scots, and English. I upheld the Texas reputation by winning the first hand. I met an Englishman named Dominic who lived in San Antonio and is absolutely enamored with Texas. We made fast friends.

Monday we began our first day of classes and I only had one, Modernism. It was a brief introductory lecture, and although it was overwhelming at first, I don't think the class will be a major problem. Afterwards I attended a traditional Scottish dinner thrown at the University Chaplaincy. Much to my disappointment they did not serve haggis, but they did serve a tasty shepherd's pie. I took it easy for the rest of the day and turned in early to recover from the rather frantic pace of my first week in Scotland.

Tuesday I went to my second (and only other) class, Scottish Literature. I enjoyed the lecture much more than my first Modernism lecture. Tuesday night is the quietest night at the dormitories, and I ended up going to the Watering Hole for a pint with the Americans, Dominic, and Hendrik. Corey and I wandered about the complex for a while before calling it a night.

Wednesdays I have no class, so I generally was just plain lazy yesterday and I spent most of it dozing in my bed and trying my hand at writing sonnets (which is very difficult, by the way). In the evening I darted over to Dominic's flat, where he served us some very tasty, homemade pizza. I left our little get together about midnight and went home. I chatted with the Scots at home before calling it a night.

At least I thought I had called it a night. Sometime around 3:00am I was awakened by a loud screeching sound. after ignoring it for the first few minutes I came to the sleepy realization that it was the fire alarm, and so I threw on some pants and went out into the hallway to see what was up. It was full of smoke, so I grabbed a hoodie and came sauntering out of the flat to stand in the street with the rest of the building. I was disappointed to find that nothing was actually on fire. Turns out it was all our apartment's fault. Dormitory staff went in and cleared out the smoke, and after being accused of leaving our grill turned on, the apartment maintenance staff went in and found out it was a simple malfunction. They blamed it on the cleaners, which is good enough for us as long as we don't end up with the fine. My flatmates Tommy, Mark, Adri, Cakes, and I all went back to our beds and sweet, sweet sleep.

So there it is, we're all caught up on the major events that transpired while I was without the glorious internet. I hope you enjoyed it. More interesting posts on Scottish culture and life are coming soon, I promise.

Cheers,
Jacob

RECAP: Friday and Saturday

If you haven't read the last post then you should scroll down and check it out, because Thursday was one of my favorite days in Scotland thus far. You can't beat a tour of a whisky distillery, a hike up a hill/mountain, and Robbie Burns Night all in one day. I'll continue now with another summary of how things went during the time I was without the internet.

Friday morning I woke up, a bit saddened by the fact that I would be leaving Inverurie. We'd only been together since Wednesday night, but already I'd made strong bonds with my Scottish family. At the same time I was excited to finally go to Aberdeen, move into my dormitory, and meet my flatmates. It was very bittersweet.

After eating breakfast, I said goodbye to Emma, who was walking to school, and then I rode with Allison and Michael to Peter's house, were the four of us were meeting to go to Aberdeen via taxi. I gave my little buddy Michael a handshake, wished him well in football, and told him I would be back to visit soon. Alison walked me to the door and gave me a hug and an open invitation to come visit anytime. I told her I would be taking her up on that offer very soon.

I chatted with Peter while we waited for the others. Soon Corey and Kathy had arrived, and David woke up and came down from his bedroom. The taxi pulled up at 9:00am, and after we thanked Peter for everything we were off to the Granite City of Aberdeen.

We arrived at the dormitory and checked in before splitting up and going to our own flats. Upon first entering my own I was greeted by the sight of a completely destroyed kitchen. Noticing the pint glasses littered about, I assumed that there must have been a party Thursday night and I hoped that the current condition was an exception and not the norm. The apartment was dead quiet and I passed the time by moving into my room.

A few hours passed and finally a flatmate peeked out his rather hungover head. Mark immediately apologized for the messy kitchen. Soon the apartment was stirring with life, and I met two more of my flatmates, Tommy and Adrian. I was pleased to discover that all of them are Scotsmen. There's also a few others who come and go in the flat, mostly their Scottish friends. They all welcomed me with open arms.

I went with Corey, David, and Kathy to meet our international advisor at a local coffee shop at 3:00. Colleen was nice and helpful, and afterwards she showed Corey and I where the athletic complex was while the other two went home. Corey then came up with the brilliant idea to walk to the beach. By this time it was dark (here the sun sets at 4:30 in winter), and after about an hour of walking east we found the bitterly cold North Atlantic Sea. We made our way back, darting across a major highway and a golf course. It was quite the adventure.

When I got home my flatmates were preparing for a night out, and I did the same, and we ended up going to the pub for a couple pints before heading to a house party. I didn't stay long because I had to be at school at 9:00am for orientation. So I said goodnight to my flatmates, found my way home, and collapsed on my bed.

Saturday morning I woke on time, somehow, and made my way to campus. After a rather boring orientation, I killed some time by going shopping at the local discount grocery store, Lidl's. At the Uni, Lidl's has a rather notorious reputation for food that is both rock-bottom cheap and rock-bottom horrible. But because the conversion rate is so strong here ($2 = £1... meaning my money is pretty much split in half), I really needed some cheap food. So I wandered over and saw that it wasn't quite as bad ad people make it out to be. I picked up some bare necessities.

Afterwards I wandered over to the Hub, the local student hangout spot, and I met some more Americans that were sitting with Kathy. Then I went to my class registration appointment, and although things didn't quite go as planned, I ended up in two good English classes (Modernism and Scottish Literature:1800-1940). I wandered home and killed some time before taking part in a welcome back party my flatmates were throwing. It mostly involved me teaching them some interesting card games, a very large bottle of Frosty Jack's, and me not feeling too well the next morning. That's all I'll say about that here.

That seems like as good of a point to stop as any. We're almost caught up on the major events, and when we are that'll free me up for more fun posts on local Scottish life and culture. Until next time.

Cheers,
Jacob

RECAP: Thursday

My University of Aberdeen computer account is now active! I cannot tell you how stressful it's been for the international students who couldn't access the internet. So much nowadays gets done on the internet, it's such a big part of our lives, that being without it, even for a few days, put us all out of the loop. Now that it's fixed everything should go back to normal and I can update you guys on everything that's happened since Wednesday. It's a lot, so buckle down and get ready for a few massive posts.

On Thursday I woke up at 7:00am and had breakfast with my host family. Afterwards I said goodbye to David, who was heading to Glasgow for business and wouldn't be back before I left. I then headed to the primary school with Alison and Michael. We got there early and Michael gave me the grand tour of the school. Soon Corey and Kathryn arrived, and after we were introduced to a group of wide-eyed fifth graders we left with David and his host dad, Peter, for a day of exploration in northeast Scotland.

Peter took the four of us out of Inverurie and into the foothills of the highlands. After a short but beautiful drive past dozens and dozens of sheep fields we arrived in Duffton. Duffton is the home to Glenfiddick Whisky Distillery, among other things. We went on a tour of the distillery, lead by a native Scot wearing a formal kilt, and after the rather informative tour we got to sample a bit of the product. It was quite nice, if I do say so.

We left Duffton and Peter continued the drive into the foothills. Peter was quite an interesting character. He hailed from the North of England, in the Cornwall region, and he seemed to have a story for just about anything. We continued through the winding back roads and Scottish villages before stopping on a deserted roadside for lunch. Alison, my Scottish mum, had packed me a wonderful feast of sandwiches, fruit, and hotcross buns. After our stop we continued to Bennachie.

Bennachie is one of the most scenic hills of northeast Scotland, and Peter had brought us so that we might make the trek upwards and take in the view. By this time we had increased our elevation quite a bit, and now the ground was covered in hard, white, icy snow. Peter hung back as the four of us youngsters pressed forward up the steep hillside. Once we passed the treeline the hike became much more difficult, and we made our way slowly up the icy steps of Bennachie. But it was all worth it in the long run, because at the top Corey, David, Kathryn, and I were rewarded with a spectacular view of the Scottish countryside as far as the eye could see.

After we made our descent we drove back to Inverurie and we all went back to our host families. I helped Michael build a ferris wheel with some KNEX before heading upstairs for a shower. I dressed myself and played a bit of Smackdown on the Playstation with Michael before Alison and I left the kids with a sitter to go out for Burns Supper.

On the 25th of January all of the nation celebrates Scot-born poet Robert Burns. Burns was a famous Scottish poet, best known for "My love is Like a Red, Red, Rose" and "To a Mouse, on Turning Her Up in Her Nest, With The Plough." On the evening of the 25th everyone in Scotland gathers round for a traditional Scottish meal to honor the bard. For Burns Night, Alison and I were joining the other three Americans and their host families at Peter's home for supper.

We sat down together for the traditional meal served in three courses. The first course was a tasty lintel soup served with bread. We then moved on to the main course and the heart of the meal. The centerpiece was undoubtedly the haggis. I won't tell you what exactly goes into the making of a haggis, although I will say that it involves offal and let you find out the rest.

Served along with the haggis were the traditional sides of tatties (mashed potatoes) and neeps (mashed turnips). We were also served mince (ground beef in a light gravy) and some suet (I forget, something with oats). I enjoyed it all, requesting seconds on the haggis, tatties, and neeps especially. For our final course we had some oatcakes and cheese, and to wrap it all up we had a bit of shortbread for dessert.

After the lively meal and even livelier conversation we moved to the sitting room and partook in another fine Scottish tradition. We opened up a bottle of Highland Park Scotch and each had a glass. After a bit more chatting we all called it a night and headed back to our host homes. I said goodnight to Alison and went to bed right away because I knew that Friday would be just as busy as Thursday had been.

So that's Thursday, in a rather large nutshell. If you stuck around this long, congratulations. I'll try to update again soon about the weekend, but I have class in an hour and I must be off.

Cheers,
Jacob

Update: I CAN'T USE A COMPUTER!

Sorry I haven't updated everyone. The University has had a major technical error with all the international students and none of us have been able to log on to a computer. Right now I'm on someone else's account and I can't stick around long, but when this problem is fixed I'll update you on all the exciting things that have happened thusfar.

Cheers,
Jacob

My Scottish Family

Scotland continues to smile upon me. Today we took a trip to Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, the royal palace of Scotland. It was amazingly historic. Afterwards we checked out the Scottish parliament building (strange considering I haven't see my own country's legislature...), ate a bit of French cuisine, and then we were put on a three hour train to Inverurie.

So what's there in Inverurie (in-ver-rue-ree)? Our lovely host families of course. Inverurie is a small town of about 12,000 people outside of Aberdeen. After a glorious train ride along the sparkling coast and rolling hills of Scotland we met our host families at the train station. The four of us Americans split ways and went home with our respective families. I look forward to seeing my fellow exchange fellows tomorrow; we've become fast friends over the last few days.

My host family is wonderfully Scottish. David, the father, used to work the oil business in Aberdeen but made a career change so that he could spend more time with his family. He now works with fingerprints for the police department. His wife, Alison, is an administrator at the local primary school, where she makes sure that the school runs smoothly throughout the year. They both grew up in small towns in northern Scotland and they have charming accents. For dinner we had some lovely traditional Scottish soup, named cullen skink.

They also have two children. Emma's twelve and is involved in piano, swimming, field hockey, and just about anything else you can imagine. She's excited about her first year in secondary school and has the typical preteen enthusiasm. Their son Michael is eight and plays football (soccer to you filthy Americans). He's a bit quiet around me but he seems like a smart and funny kid. The remind me a lot of home and my family. It's reassuring to be around them when I know I won't see my real family again for 7 months. I hope we become close enough in the next few days so that I can come visit them when I'm homesick.

Tomorrow we go on a tour of a whisky distillery and eat a bit of haggis! More then.

Cheers,
Jacob

Snow on the Castle Top!

It's snowing in Edinburgh! I woke this morning to grey skies, and by the time we had reached the top of Edinburgh Castle it was really coming down. This is very exciting for a Texas boy who hasn't seen snow fall in three years.

We spent the day exploring the city with Alison, the program coordinator, and then we were set loose on the town. Tonight is our last night in Edinburgh and I want to make the most of it, so I must be off. More to come, along with some photos, when I settle down in Aberdeen.

Cheers,
Jacob

Flyin' First Class

I'm in Edinburgh! The Jewel of Scotland. This city is amazing. For the last few hours I've been wandering the streets and exploring. There's a sense of history everywhere here, more than any other place I've ever been to. More on Edinburgh after I've had some time to better aquaint myself with the city.

The flight over had an interesting twist. After going through the circus of security at DFW and boarding my plane, I found a two year old baby sitting in my precious window seat. So I looked at the woman next to it and said, "Hey, you need to move your baby." This guy next to her explained how he wanted to fly with his family and proceeded to pretty much guilt trip me into switching seats with him.

Except he wouldn't have had to guilt trip me if he had just told me his seat was first-class! I got to ride first-class all the way to Newark! Not only did I get a super-comfortable leather seat, but for lunch they served an excellent gourmet turkey sandwich with a side of potato salad. And when the flight attendent asked if I wanted any complimentary wine with my lunch, I couldn't refuse.

Needless to say, I was a bit spoiled by the experience. I had to go back to coach for my seven hour flight from Newark to Edinburgh, but it wasn't so bad because there were a ton of open seats and I got to stretch out and sleep. We came over Scotland at twilight, just before the break of dawn, and it was breathtaking. I'm going to love it here.

Ten Hours Til Takeoff

I hop on a 737 in a few hours and begin my next great adventure: five months of living in bonnie Scotland. Sometime around noon I'll step onto a plane for the first time in my life and make my way towards Edinburgh. After orientation I'll travel north, into the highlands and on to the granite city of Aberdeen. I'll live there until June, attending school at the University of Aberdeen.