My Field Trip to Scotland... haha

After waiting for what feels like forever, I set off from Dublin for Scotland. I was so excited to meet up with my class. Each core class for the semester abroad goes on a week study tour through a country that possesses information regarding their class topic. I am in Positive Psychology, and we began our journey in Glasgow, Scotland. I wondered around the city that was just right around our hotel for a while alone, while I waited for my class to get in from Denmark. I was really looking forward to getting the week started! It started getting dark so I went back to the hotel to wait and ordered room service. Finally everyone got in and we went to the bar in the hotel for a drink to kick off our week!

After an early wake up, we headed out for our first academic visit to the University of Glasgow to hear about a research project being funded by the National Program for Improving Mental Health and Well-being in Scotland. This project is going to use influence of ‘modern’ culture on positive mental health and emotional well-being. This is all due to the fact that the World Health Organization predicts that mental illness will become the greatest global health burden during the 21st century, affecting one in four people. The reason Scotland has such strong focus on this is because in the UK there are more mentally ill people on incapacity benefits than the total number of people on unemployment benefits. One in six people suffer from depression or chronic anxiety, which affects one in three families throughout the UK.

After our academic visit a group of friends and I wandered around the university. It is so much different from Mizzou, and any other college that I have ever seen. This school had so much history. The buildings were so old and so beautiful. After exploring the school, we headed to an art museum that was very close to campus. They had paintings and sculptures from some of the most well known artists. I was looking at artwork from Henri Matisse, Vincent Van Gogh, and many more.

After exploring the museum we met up with our class again for afternoon tea at The Willow Tea Rooms. This is a world famous tea room that was created in 1904. We sat around at little tables with little sandwiches and cups of tea! It was so fun and so cute. I absolutely loved this. After tea we headed back to the hotel to rest, but soon after I got a knock at my door from my friend Katie who told me to get ready because we were going to try to get Lady GaGa tickets. Everyone had been talking about the concert prior to our trip, but I didn’t actually think it would happen. We caught a cab to the venue and waited in line for what felt like hours. Finally the box office opened with their leftover tickets and we got great seats for the show. All I have to say is that GaGa is even more ridiculous in person.

The next day we headed to Fife, which is a town between Glasgow and Edinburgh in the countryside, and went to the Playfield Institute. This is a place that can be used as a resource for anyone working with children and young adults. The main focus of this organization is to promote these people to focus on the importance of positive mental health and well-being of children. After a full day and a great traditional Scottish lunch, we set off toward Edinburgh. After checking into the hotel, I wondered the city in search of a pair of boots, because my boots are so worn out from walking the snow covered cobblestone streets of Copenhagen. They had enough! The fact that there are holes in the back of both shoes was definitely a reason to shop! After having no luck, I went to dinner with some girls at a little restaurant then headed back to the hotel. It was a very long day, so I called it a night.
The next morning, my class attended a lecture given by the Scottish Deputy Director of Mental Health. He spoke to us about the current state of Scottish mental health, and what the government and other organizations are working on in order to make mental health less of an issue throughout Scotland. I found it very interesting to hear his point of view as well as the studies and plans they have put into action in order to save Scotland from the public health issue of mental illness.

After the lecture, we walked around Edinburgh. We ended up at the ruins and they were so beautiful. It was on top of a hill overlooking the entire city of Edinburgh. We had a lot of fun taking pictures on top of the columns and enjoying the scenery. Later in the afternoon, we headed to a workshop called the Confidence and Creativity Workshop. This visit spent a lot of time focusing on using your creative skills to get in touch with yourself. Unfortunately, the visit did not have a ton to do with positive psychology, so to me it was like Kindergarten! Lots of crayons lying around, we got to play with clay, and put on a skit. Not exactly what our professor had in mind, but it was still fun to get in touch with the “child” within! That evening we went straight to a nice restaurant where we were served a stew made with venison, vegetables, and some kind of chocolate… I know it seems weird, but it was delicious. We had a really good time just hanging out with each other. The dynamic of my class is unlike any other. Everyone is so different yet when it comes down to the academics and our thoughts and feelings, we all mesh so well. The conversation and arguments are always so interesting and they make me excited to get involved. We got pretty lucky!

The next day we headed out to what we believed was going to be a hike through Sterling. Little did we know, DIS accidently booked us with a tour guide and a bus to drive us from place to place. It was really fun roaming Sterling Castle, going to the Trossachs, and Loch Lomond. When we finished with the exploration part of our day we all loaded back onto the bus and headed to Glengoyne Distillery. I was so tired, so I fell asleep in the back. When we arrived everyone seemed so discombobulated and rushed… I didn’t find out until after the distillery, that our bus driver got lost and took us to the wrong distillery, and it took us 2 hours to find the right one. Shows you how well everyone handled the situation! I didn’t even know! After the distillery, we went back into the city for dinner and a ghost walk of Edinburgh. We were supposed to have dinner on our own, but due to the mishap with the bus, DIS bought us dinner and we had to eat it in about 2 minutes in order to be on time. It sounds like it would be a terrible experience, but it was sooo much fun! When we finally made it to the Ghost Walk, it was totally worth it. Our tour guide was so funny, and took us on a tour of the underground chambers beneath the south bridge along the Royal Mile. These vaults were once used as storage, and then rented out for trades and legal businesses from the people that worked above them, and then when those people realized that the structure was not waterproofed, these vaults became the center of crime, violence, and drug tradethroughout Scotland. The stories were definitely pretty scary, but it was fun to be there with the whole group. After the tour, some of the group went to a pub that was situated in one of the vaults. It was cold and weird, but kind of cool to be a part of that.

After a good night sleep, we headed to Edinburgh Castle. It was very beautiful, and it overlooked the entire city. Definitely a great photo opportunity! I was not really interested in the recorded tour, so I looked around on my own for a while and headed to the Elephant Café with some friends. This is the place the J.K. Rowling sat and wrote Harry Potter. After two delicious bowls of soup, I headed out with a friend to explore a little more then went back to the hotel to catch the transfer to the airport. This was definitely an incredible trip that I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world. I learned so much and really enjoyed the bonding time with my class. It really is a group of amazing individuals. I am so happy that I get to be a part of the dynamic.

After a short flight I was back in my temporary home and met Benedicte at the train station and went to her house for 2 nights of fun and relaxation with her and Martin. They cooked for me and took me around their town. They live right near the water, so it is absolutely beautiful! Now I am back in the city trying to finish all my work before the rest of the Bikshorn’s invade Copenhagen. Seriously… WATCH OUT! This city won’t know what hit it! Luckily writing this is a good way to start my Psychology reflection that is due on Thursday! I am definitely looking forward to it all being done, and exploring this city along with Paris and London with my crazy family!

Hope all is well with everyone! Sorry it takes so long to write these, but as you can see, I am a busy girl!!!

All my love,
Alli

I have become a world traveler...

Hello everyone…



Sorry for the delay in blog posts. Also, I couldnt get my picturess to upload,  so check back in a day and i will hopefully have them up! Things have been very crazy over the past few weeks from illness to a crazy night on the town to a beautiful and exciting journey through Prague.


My illness just kept getting worse… very disappointing. It kept me inside for a while, but as soon as I was feeling better I was right back to running! A couple weeks ago was Copenhagen Fashion Week here in Copenhagen. There were models everywhere. The fashion shows were all over the city along with crazy private parties thrown for the designers, models, and other special guests. One night a group of friends and I went out on the town and myself and 2 others decided to take a detour to this club where all the “pretty people” go. Its one of those pretty exclusive places that always has a very long line. As we walked by, we decided to stop and check how much the cover would be… The bouncers just let us in. After dancing to the raging techno music, a man came up and started talking to my guy friend and we find out that he is the manager! So after a long conversation with him, we discovered we were at a private party for fashion week! It was sooo fun! I had been wondering why all the women were SOOOO tall!


Before my experience at the club, I met with Rebecca (the first au pair) for a really nice dinner in a café right next to my apartment. She was in Copenhagen for the week to buy all of the shoes for next winter for her shoe store in Hornslet, DK. I hardly recognized her! She is absolutely beautiful and I was so happy that even just being with me for one year when I was 5 years old, that she could know me as well as she did. It was pretty amazing to see how much of an impact being an au pair has had on her life, as well as the lives of the other au pairs I have seen. Rebecca and I sat together for a few hours and looked through a photo album from when she was my au pair. It was so funny to see us all from when we were so young. The next evening, I met Becca at the metro, and we went to dinner at a Chinese restaurant, and then headed to her brothers apartment in Copenhagen where she was staying. I met one of his sons, and we all sat around and talked about everything and everyone and ate candy! It was such a relaxing and wonderful night. It really made me feel happy to know that I had a place and people to be with that could make me feel so at home in such a different place. I also met with Christina Lindquist at a café after she finished with work. It was amazing to see her as well. She and Rebecca are both very happy. Christina is living just over the bridge in Sweden. It was so fun to reminisce with both of them.


On Friday, I left Copenhagen for a trip to Prague. All I can say is WOW! This is a very beautiful city with so much history behind every beautiful building that I saw. We stayed in a disgusting hostel in the very center of the city, and saw so many things. It was a very large group, but it still worked out very well. The first full day was spent sightseeing. We went to the castle, the incredible cathedral, and saw the most amazing view. In order to get to the castle, you have to climb tons of stairs, but you end up looking over the entire city. Every building is unique, yet beautiful in some way. The most amazing part of Prague, was the fact that the sun was shining! Not really used to the Vitamin D in Denmark, so I was instantly feeling energized and wanted to see everything. One of my favorite sights was the Lennon Wall. It is an incredible graffiti wall that began as a tribute to John Lennon after he was killed. Today, the wall is still standing, as colorful as ever.


The nightlife in Prague is out of this world. We went to this amazing sky bar on top of the Hilton in Prague. This place was clearly a very exclusive venue. Everything about it was phenomenal. The drinks that they served were known around the world. They have been talked about in the New York Times, and have won awards for being the most amazing drinks in the world. They were good, and beautiful with all of the interesting garnish, but the best part was how cheap it was. They were only about $8 USD… In Copenhagen, I probably would have cleared out my bank account for one! We also went to a 5-story club, which is the largest club in Europe. It was really fun with all of my friends. We stuck together, and felt like we were taking the place over. Us DIS people travel in packs… On the last day in Prague we climbed the clock tower in the center of the city. The view was fantastic. You could see the beauty from a whole different level (literally). This was a trip that I will never forget.






The next week, I met with Benedicte in the city, after she finished at the library for the day. We went to a café that is pretty much Denmark’s version of Starbucks, and just sat and talked for a long time about my plans for the rest of my Danish experience. The weirdest part is that it made me realize that I don’t have that much longer left here. I am traveling so much and I can hardly believe that it is the end of February. Benedicte and I made some plans to meet up at other times during my time here. I ended up meeting her at the library to do some studying last Tuesday. It was nice to get out of the apartment and have the quiet time to focus. I am now officially registered with the University of Copenhagen Library! Pretty cool!!! After some studying, we had lunch with one of B’s friends and then I had to head back to my area for class. After I finished with class, B came over to my place and I made her dinner. It was so delicious, I can hardly believe I can cook that well :-). I made salmon wellington, green beans, a mozzarella-tomato salad with balsamic dijon vinaigrette, and berry cobbler for dessert… pretty much the best meal I have had since I have been here. Soooo delicious!


After a long week of paper after paper being due for my classes, I finally made it to DUBLIN! This place is unbelievable. It is winter here and everything is still green! The people here are so friendly. Every Irish person just wants to help. Our hotel is connected to a restaurant and someone stands outside in the cold with a huge pot of soup and gives it to people for free to keep them warm! No one would ever do that in the US unless there was a catch! I came here with a very small group and it ended up being the best travel group I could have ever asked for. Everyone had such a great time together! The cherry on top was that my friends from Barcelona came to Dublin and I got to hang out with them. Ashley, Erin, Greer, and their friend Alex stayed in the same hotel as my friends and I and we went out the first night together. I really missed seeing familiar faces. It was so nice to see them, and so fun to hear about their experiences since they have been abroad!


The first day in Dublin, my group and I headed to the Guinness brewery. It was such a fun experience. The best part was at the end, we went up to the top to get a pint of Guinness, and look over all of Dublin. The bar was windows on every side and gave us a panoramic view of the city. After the brewery, we went out to dinner and then began our night on the town. I met up with the Barcelona girls and went to a club called The Palace. After the palace, I dragged Greer with me to meet up with my friends and we went to a place called Dandelion. That was the highlight of my evening. We danced the night away with a much older crowd. No matter the age in Dublin, it seems like they never forget how to party!


Yesterday my friends and I piled onto a hop on hop off tour bus and saw the entire city. We began the tour at St. Stevens Green which is so amazing. It is a huge park with ponds and waterfalls and gazebos. It was so beautiful. I wish I had enough time to just find a bench within the gates and read a good book. The green grass was so vibrant, and even though the weather was cold, it felt like it could be spring time. After the garden, we headed to St. Patricks Cathedral. The inside of this church was amazing. The gothic style was just breathtaking. So much history lies within the walls. It was truly incredible. After leaving the cathedral, we made our way to Kilmainham Gaol, which is an old prison that housed many political figures in Ireland. We took a tour into the jail, and it was really interesting to hear the history and how things worked back then. After a long day of jumping on and off a bus, we headed back to our hotel for dinner at the restaurant inside, and got to see some Irish dancing. Now I am sitting in my hotel room alone at about 6am Ireland time, because all of my friends had to catch an early flight to their study tour in London. I am going to go back to sleep and when I wake up I will be getting on a plan to my next exciting adventure in Scotland.


Hope all is well with everyone back in the States. Sorry it took so long to post again, but from the information, you can probably see why! Love and miss you!


-Alli