Annabelle's Highland Adventure

Location: GP Hall, Hillhead Student Village, Aberdeen Date: October 27th, 2018 "Learn and practice a traditional craft, then share and/or teach the craft."            Having fun at the dance practice I attending at the beginning of the year and then participating in a ceilidh made me realize how enjoyable Scottish country dancing was. I've never been a dancer; my only experience was an exceptionally painful year in ballet when I was about four years old. However, something during the ceilidh really connected to me and made me want to learn more. After recognizing this connection, I decided to learn more country dances.           Ceilidhs in Scotland are equivalent to dinner parties or BBQs in America. The gatherings did not originally begin as dances but were simply used to celebrate weddings or other important events. Dancing became more popularized by 1945, as it was featured in media and television shows more oft...

Location: Stonehaven Time: October 16th, 2018 Map of Stonehaven, UK Analysis:            The small village of Stonehaven may appear to quite, but there are plenty of the sight-seeing points of interest around the town, as well as the most praised fish and chips shop in Scotland. To make this map, I talked to a couple of the locals walking around as a well as explored the streets to try and discover how much of the town was residential and how much was used for business purposes.             To begin the process of discovering the village, I started off with a few simple questions. These sample questions are outlined below: Are you a visitor or a resident? What is your favorite part of the town?  Do you shop around Stonehaven or outside of town? Photo of The Bay Fish and Chips shop (My photo, taken for Viva Trips) The purpose of these questions were to establish a basis of how well the per...

"Identify 10 symbols in the culture. Describe the symbol and write a sentence or two about its meaning and significance. Symbols may range from an actual object in the culture to the significance of facial expressions or the meaning of wearing one’s hair down, etc." Kilts: One of the most famous pieces of outerwear is the Scottish kilt. Their rise in popularity was due to it being used to make farming and fighting easier and to lessen sweat from these activities. Now, it signifies patriotism and loyalty to both family and country.  Thistles: Thistles are the national flower of Scotland and a point of pride for local businesses, and citizens. While no one truly knows the origin or reason as to why it became the national flower, the plant represents the people; its exterior is prickly but the flower is also quite humble and beautiful when in bloom, just like the residents. Bagpipes: Bagpipes in Edinburgh (My photo) Another traditionally Scottish i...

Location: The Bobbin Pub, Aberdeen Date: October 4th, 2018          A friendly hug, kiss on the cheek, and "xxx" at the end of the a text message are all acts of affection that have very different meanings. University students in the UK, whether they are residents of the country or people from around the globe, have adopted certain unspoken rules of how someone should show affection or amiability to one another.            During my club meetings or hanging out at The Bobbin with friends, I was able to feel my way around the social rules that dictate how someone can appropriately express friendliness or love to someone else. One rule that I learned is that a recipient of a text should always leave at least two or three kisses (i.e. "xxx") at the end of a message to show that it was well-meaning and in good intentions. If more is sent, then the recipient of the message should match the number of x's. If someone sends a message w...

"Attend a traditional dance event and discover the meaning of the dance, music, or narrative being told by the dance."           At the beginning of the semester, I had the opportunity to attend a ceilidh dance on September 8th, at about 8:00pm. What is little known about Scotland is that the people here are always down for a rowdy get-together where they can dance to traditional music. The modernization of the country had left some aspects untouched, such as the ceilidh, which is a dance mainly used for large groups, such as weddings, corporate events, and welcoming in the new freshman at the University.          What piqued my interest in the dance was that my flatmates had seen a flyer advertising the event and had begun to talk about all the ceilidhs that they had gone to when they were younger. They made it seem really fun and a relaxed traditional event to use to submerse myself in the culture. When I got to the dance, I w...

Location: Union Square/Union Street/Port, Aberdeen Date: September 19th, 2018           Chances are that the image of a ruined castle standing stoically out on the edge of a cliff immediately comes to mind when the country of Scotland is mentioned. Although this image is justified through the vast number of ruins scattered throughout the landscape, the image has shaped the cities of Scotland. Contemporary art movements have threatened Modern architecture has provided to be a sore thumb in an otherwise cohesively styled city due to the style of the previously standing structures.           Gothic architecture presents many interesting and desired qualities in buildings compared to contemporary styles. The style utilizes flying buttresses, flourishing spirals, and steep arches integrated in the stonework. What sets the style apart is the use of these factors in the use of curves in A day at Culzean Castle (My photo) structural int...

Location: Union Square, Aberdeen Date: September 12th, 2018         The inevitable questions will hit me when I return to the United States: How was Scotland? What was your most memorable experience? Did you make any friends? How does it compare to home? One question that tends to fall to the background is about being homesick. Being truly "away" from my home for the first time has forced me to understand what it's like to feel the loneliness as well as to figure out how to overcome it in a productive manner.           First, I've had to come to terms with what it is. I've had the feeling since the moment I stepped onto foreign soil. Homesickness is a dark black dog that follows me around on a tight leash. No matter how much I feed it, it always lingers. It follows me when I explore the city but the crowds and laughter of my friends make me blind to it and sometimes I drop the leash. The dog will wander off but never truly leaves as it a...