My study abroad adventure to Aberdeen Scotland is going to be something I remember for the rest of my life. In the three glorious months that I lived in Scotland, I took every opportunity to travel and experience life as a Scot from shopping, historical tours, and academic life. It was an amazing experience for me mainly because of the amount of independence it granted me. Nearly every weekend I traveled to a new city via the train or bus systems that run throughout the United Kingdom.
My very first weekend I went to visit the Scottish Pyramid in the Highlands where Queen Victoria built a monument to commemorate the death of her husband, Prince Albert in 1862. It was an amazing hike near Balmoral Castle and our group even saw King Charles III coming out of church just two weeks after he was crowned.
My next major adventure was traveling to the Isle of Skye in the Highlands. It was a very remote place known for its beautiful hiking trails and picturesque landscape. Over my three day tour of the island I climbed the Cuillin Mountains (An Cuiltheann in gaelic), visited the national Scottish War Memorial for those who died in the Jacobite Uprising in 1745 (the plot point in Outlander), and saw the remains of the Eilean Donan Castle on the coast. Along the way, my group’s guide regaled us with history lessons from the Bronze Age all the way to the 1800’s and read us Scottish literature while listening to traditional Scottish ballads composed in the highland region.
The seventh week into my semester, I signed up to go see Inverness and Loch Ness (I didn’t see Nessie, unfortunately). Over the weekend we were able to visit the town and the surrounding lake (or loch in Scots). I took the opportunity to see Six: The Musical (about Henry VIII’s six wives) in Inverness’ world class theater before perusing the town. Their Victorian Market from the 1800’s is full of small businesses, some started in the Victorian Era and passed down through generations. They had bakeries, book shops, clothing boutiques and a chocolatier who, I can attest, is a master of his craft. The final day of the Inverness trip we visited what the Scots called a Faery Glen. The locals used to believe the perfectly conical hills housed faeries that used to give gifts to children on solstice holidays. In return the locals would give gifts of meat, clothing and fruit the next morning.
I went to a few other places including Glasgow, Edinburgh and Loch Lomond. Each place gave me a new appreciation for Scottish history, culture and its wild beauty. I sincerely hope that I will get to visit Scotland again and see more of its wondrous serenity.
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McKayla Jenkins ’24 is majoring in music education with minors in history and psychology.