Argyll

Greetings. :)

Before I departed with my study abroad program for Argyll National Forest in western Scotland on Friday afternoon, I learned some surprising news that I remain excited and quite shocked about. I entered a writing contest at St. Andrews last November called the Dan Hemingway prize. The annual contest awards a £300 prize to the best unpublished short story written by a St. Andrews undergraduate. I didn't attend the ceremony on Thursday as I was finishing up my essay, but I learned on Friday I was a runner-up!

Heading south we departed St. Andrews for Argyll, an hour later drove around Edinburgh then headed west and skirted Glasgow and Greater Glasgow (Scotland's largest city) before boarding a ferry for the peninsula that is Argyll National Park.
The weather had grown drizzly as we entered western Scotland, and very windy as we reached the body of water we would be crossing. About thirty of us were together on the bus (all St. Andrews study abroad students through the same program) and we were to meet ninety other American study abroad students in Argyll coming from the University of Edinburgh, the University of Glasgow, Stirling College and Glasgow School of Art. We approached the water and all noticed how large the waves were. The bus joined the line of cars and buses waiting to board the ferry, and we watched in amazement as one ferry (which had left minutes earlier) struggled over the waves and the boat rocked back and forth with cars parked on the deck. Our study abroad director warned of likely seasickness and nausea at the waves. As I'm quite prone to seasickness...I found my plastic bag packed in preparation for such an event, and prepared to board the ferry. I regretted that I had just eaten half a sandwich and figured I had no control over what was bound to happen. The ferry ride was thirty minutes, maybe I would throw up only once? Maybe twice? I thought about running off the bus and finding my way back to St. Andrews, or alerting everyone sitting around me with the sad words, 'It's alright...I have a bag.' But I ignored both plans and stayed silent. We boarded the ferry and I even took a few photos...

The bus stayed parked and we kept our seatbelts on. It felt a bit strange to be on a bus on the deck of a ferry. As we departed we began to rock back and forth with the waves. I listened to my iPod, held my plastic bag nearby, thought about every way I could avoid the inevitable, stared forward, and counted the minutes. Once I had reached six minutes, something unexpected happened. The waves had stopped and we coasted to shore within fifteen minutes. It was wonderful. We all survived and had reached the peninsula that is Argyll National Park and I ate the other half of my sandwich. :)

After settling in at the hostel to the room I shared with seven other girls in 'the middle tower room',

The hostel we stayed in.

The stairs leading to our room.

we enjoyed a dinner of baked fish, chips and peas, and about eighty of us were led in a Night Hike around Argyll Forest. The forest - even in the darkness - reminded me so much of northern New England's forest. The hike tested teamwork and cooperation, as we were led through puddles, across bridges, under trees and over rocks we couldn't see in the dark. The largest challenge came when we held onto ropes to guide us through the forest. We each helped to guide one another in the trickiest spots and it was a nice challenge.

On Saturday, I was assigned to a group with ten other American study abroad students studying all around Scotland. We were a diverse group from varying geographic regions, and we got along nicely. Our instructor, Scott, had a heavy Scottish accent and led us all day in our two activities. We kayaked in the morning and mountain biked in the afternoon, after breaking for lunch. Both activities were challenging and strenuos, but we all grew together as a group and ended the day feeling such confidence in our abilities. The kayaking occurred in a nearby lake beneath green hills and low clouds. It was windy throughout the morning, and the air temperature was in the high thirties with the water temperature below freezing. I was fortunate I had a small amount of experience in kayaking, but we were each instructed as if it was our first time, which was helpful for all. I wore four layers of clothing on my legs and seven on my top before being fitted for a life jacket. One group of kayakers left before us and when they were off, we hit the water in our boats. We each were in single boats, and at first, the small area we paddled in led to multiple collisions until we paddled across the lake as a group. The wind picked up and was a challenge leading several of us to spin or drift into the waves, but I found when I focused and used as much strength as I could, I was able to guide my kayak in the right direction and I didn't find myself too wet. :)

The group which kayaked before us.

Before we got out of the water, Scott wanted to challenge our team (which he affectionaly called 'Team America') to work together. The eleven of us were challenged to line our kayaks up side by side and hold the kayaks on either side of us by grabbing onto the edge of the opening where the kayaker sits. I was somewhere near the middle in the line of eleven, and anchored together, we didn't drift. Scott challenged each one of us to take turns standing up in our kayak. It was a bit frightening with the waves, and with the weight unbalanced when standing, the kayak sways a bit, and as nerve-wracking as it was for us all, we were each challenged and came out alive and feeling pretty accomplished. Next, half of the group (every other person) was challenged to stand, grab hands, and sway. I was in the first group, and was absolutely terrified of falling into the freezing water or bringing a team member down with me...but our group completed the task and I imagined my fear was finished...until the second group completed the same task and the two men on either side of me stood in their kayaks, grabbed hands, and swayed. I kept their kayaks steady as they stood and it was most certainly the far more challenging job.

After drying off, and a lunch of soup, we were fitted with mountain bikes and rode into the forest. Like kayaking, I had done a bit of biking before, but not too much. We rode mainly in woods trails that were beautiful, but presented a challenge with varying roots, rocks, plywood bridges and streams. Scott also led us in a race through the forest in which we all experienced serious mud splatter, and he taught and encouraged us to complete a variety of jumps off plywood and rocks in the forest. I fell towards the end after going over one jump a bit too slowly, when my front tire came down to the ground, I fell sideways off it very slowly and bruised my leg a little, but it was really sweet when my team applauded as I got up, and encouraged me (even though I reallllllly didn't want to) to do the jump again. I did, and the day's events challenged each of us to work together and get out of our comfort zones. As a plus, I feel 500% more muscular today than I did yesterday!

Myself biking...with 45 layers of clothing.. :)

 

We left Argyll early this morning, and drove four hours back to St. Andrews. We stopped along the shores of Loch Lomond, which is mentioned in the song 'The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond' (I'll take the high road and you'll take the low road, and I'll be in Scotland before you...But me and my true love will never meet again On the bonnie bonnie banks o' Loch Lomond...) It was beautiful, and so surprising to see snow covered mountains in the distance. As we drove from western to eastern Scotland, the mountains shrunk to hills and it began to sleet, then hail, then snow. It continues to hail now, and the temperature is wavering around freezing.

The last of Argyll

The sky turned blue for the beginning of the drive...

and then turned quite white..

Loch Lomond!

Myself at Loch Lomond.

Glasgow earlier today...and a yellow car.

The Firth of Forth Bridge in Edinburgh...a beautiful sight when entering or leaving the city. Only trains cross it, but it's visible at various points. It stretchs much longer than the photo above shows and is made up of ten times more steel than the Eiffel Tower. Also designed by the same designer of the Golden Gate Bridge.