Friday, June 29, 2012

Off to Ireland

Yesterday we spent the day in Glasgow and then traveled to Belfast, Northern Ireland in the evening.  We're spending the weekend in Northern Ireland and Ireland.  Today was spent walking around the city, just soaking up the culture.  Tomorrow we are going to work our way towards Dublin and see what's there.  There's definitely a different feel here compared to Scotland.  But I plan on my next post to be on the differences between the two cultures (and yes, I will be applying at least one leadership model).  I'm hoping to gain some more insight from our travels tomorrow before I write that post, however.

Belfast, Northern Ireland


In other news, I'm almost halfway done my study abroad now.  It's going by so quickly! It has been an amazing experience.  I can't believe how much I've gotten to learn from the different people and cultures.  At the same time, though, there's still so much left to do.  We're traveling to Edinburgh next Thursday.  I still have a list of things to do; I want to climb to the top of the Wallace National Monument, go back to Stirling Castle, and just talk to locals a little more.  It's easy to become tired between the anxiety of a new country and just schoolwork in general, but I have to keep going strong to keep getting the most from this trip.  

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Almost Halfway Done

I'm almost halfway done my study abroad.  Already.  Time seriously flies by.  I'm starting to get the realization that I can't do everything I thought I could before I go, which is depressing.  But I've had some amazing experiences so I can't complain.  Like this past weekend I took a three day trip around the Highlands and the Isle of Skye.  It was unbelievably beautiful! Here's just a few photos to catch a glimpse:




I've started picking up small habits from living here, too.  They're just small things, like calling apartment flats, budgeting in pounds, and using military time.  That was something interesting that I didn't really know I would face.  Everyone here uses 24 hour time, like 2PM is 1400.  It's kind of a necessity though.  Since Scotland has such a high latitude there is almost twenty hours of daylight.  So sometimes 8PM can be just as bright as 8AM.  
I really do enjoy it in the United Kingdom.  I'm so excited; this Thursday some flatmates and I will be going to Northern Ireland and Ireland for the weekend.  I'm so glad I'll get to see other countries and cultures while I'm here.  And fingers crossed that we'll be back in time on Sunday to go watch the Euro Cup Final.  There's such an atmosphere during the games, it's really incredible.  Hopefully we'll make it back in time.  

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

I Walk Past a Castle Everyday on My Way to Class



     Today is the last day of classes for my first week.  So far I've found the courses to be very enjoyable.  The work doesn't seem too overwhelming, just a lot of reading to do.  The rain has finally eased up, and now the sun stays up for nineteen hours in a day.  There are so many animals here; swans, rabbits, squirrels, ducks, and birds that I don't even know the names for, all with little babies.  Stirling University is situated in a valley, so on one side the Wallace National Monument watches over the city while on the other side of the horizon is a Munroe, a large mountain.  It is amazing how much I'm gaining from outside the classroom.
      The people are very friendly.  There are about one hundred students from  the United States studying here, and most have been very open to getting to know others.  Even local Scottish people will stop and  talk to you.  In the dorm across the quad there were some German students who arrived the same day as us.  They were on campus for a different reason than us, and then left this morning.  They became good friends with myself and my other flatmates even in this short time, however.  We shared meals, went to town, and even spent an afternoon golfing together.
      There's so much to gain from here, whether it's learning to cook for yourself and your flatmates, taking a glimpse into the Scottish take on philosophy, being taught new languages from patient Germans, or even just appreciating all the beautiful things that are around you.

Friday, June 15, 2012

The Last Leg

I'm at Newark now, and writing this from my iPhone. The mobile version to write blog posts is difficult to use, so I'll keep this short (and excuse my typos). NYC is visible outside my terminal. It's so beautiful. I walked in a circle around terminal A before I found the bus to terminal C. Then I had to take two buses to get here. I tried finding other students but instead found a lady who's from Stirling and going back for a family reunion. After talking to her quite a bit (and some shameless self-promotion for MC), I tried a young man who was also on my Columbus flight. He's going to Edinburgh for a golf trip and he's from OSU. So far I haven't met any University of Stirling students, but people seem friendly. I guess I'll find out who the students are when we land. And seeing NYC lit up at night is the perfect goodbye to the USA.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Just the Beginning...

I'd like to start off by giving a small background of myself, what this blog will be about, and lastly, what's been going on so far.

To begin with, my name is Dani and I'm going to be a Junior at Marietta College this coming fall.  I'm a double major in International Leadership Studies and Business Management, with a minor in Human Resource Management.  I stay pretty busy; I'm involved in Greek Life, play trumpet in the Jazz Band, serve as treasurer of Tau Pi Phi (the Business and Economics Honorary), acted as a Teaching Assistant in the McDonough Leadership Program, took part in the 2011-2012 EIR Program, and will be part of the 2012-2013 EIR Program as well.

Part of the requirement for my Leadership major is an international experience, which can mean studying abroad, taking an international internship, or performing a service project in another country.  This summer I will be studying at the University of Stirling in Scotland, and this experience is what this blog's topic will be.  This will be my second time out of the country; I got the chance to go to London last October for a conference and academic competition.  During my time at the University of Stirling I will be taking a class in Moral Philosophy and another dealing with Religion and Conflict.

Now to what's been happening so far.  Let me begin by saying this: study abroad is hard.  I'm not even there yet but the road to this point has been slightly difficult.  Don't get me wrong, it's not impossible.  Just rather stressful.  There's so much paperwork to finish, so many offices to camp outside of, emails that aren't responded to... At my home school's study abroad office, they set up appointments depending on what step you are at in the process.  I'm pretty sure I haven't gone in order once yet.  I think the form I was supposed to submit first was actually the last one I was able to complete.

But I should add that I stress.  A lot.  So as I'm writing this, I'm surrounded by a mess of visa papers, things to pack, and just other things that need to get done for one reason or another before I leave.  I leave in less than a week.  And I'm a little anxious.  So please, don't get discouraged about studying abroad by what I'm saying now.  If you study or have studied abroad, you'll know this feeling that I'm having right now.  I'll try to describe it by saying is a cocktail of excitement, nervousness, some anxiety, and just a dash of that "I-know-I'm-forgetting-something" feeling.  Just learn to breathe before you start and throughout the process.  Nothing will go exactly like you plan it will.  And that's okay.  Sometimes that leads to new discoveries.  There's always a will left somewhere underneath that huge pile of stress, so there's always a way.

-Dani