Hiking? A New Passion

Dumyat. This is the rather high hill positioned behind our campus. At the very top there is a rusted basket filled with rocks from the hillside and a large silver plaque to commemorate local armies.

I began this journey clad in a headband, work out attire, tennis shoes, several long-sleeved shirts, a sweatshirt, and a purple fleece. Joining me on my journey was Nicole Reicks. She is a fellow UNI student who has traveled to Scotland as well to study for the semester.

We started out walking through the woods directly behind my flat acquiring fallen timber as walking sticks. Have just recently recovered from a very terrible cold we stopped several times to allow time for me to blow my ever running nose. We walked along, talking of idle things, trying to walk around large stretches of mud, and wondering about the most direct route to the summit of the neighboring hill. After finding a doorway through a tall rock boundary wall, we continued on a small road.

Taking many pictures along the way, we captured scene after scene of never ending green slopes of grass. We even captured the head shot of a very unwilling goat.

On to the main event!

We finally reached the base of Dumyat and started heading up the hill. We saw clear over the town below including the campus and watched with general splendor as we stood in awe and the world seemed to continue on as it always has at our feet. The air was crisp and cold blowing more ferociously as we climbed higher still. About three-quarters of the way to the top we stopped to observe the hills further north of us that already displayed snow capped peaks.

Finally, we reached our destination! The wind was strong enough to chill your hands in a minute, yet all I could think was the amazement of my blessing to be able to see this land that many of my ancestors have walked on in history. To say that the raging wind was calming is almost the words of a mind crazed. Maybe that is the beauty of this land and all others that one explores. The newness or sentimentality seem to capture our hearts and leave a lasting impression making us forever think on the adventure with fondness.

The slippy climb down, emphasized by our muddy shoes, was too short, leaving me with the feeling that I should quickly climb back up to allow things to slow back to a normal pace and enjoy the scenery again.

I will return to the summit once again someday, that I know for sure. The question that remains till then is whether I will still feel the way I did upon my maiden voyage to discover its mysteries or if I will view it through different eyes.


Click Here to see a video of me pronouncing the hills name wrong and the beauty which we viewed:

(Beware - I go sideways with the camera lol ... I didn't realize it wouldn't come out well. woops)

Scotland Catchup!

To start this post I state that being motivated to update the blog has been rather hard.

We shall take a quick glance at events since the beginning of my journey and I will attempt to remain diligent in regards to weekly updates. Here goes!
             I began my journey on a sunny day in Iowa on the 9th of September 2011. As I had unpacked and repacked my suitcase multiple times, I was rushing to get out the door. The car ride proved almost unsettling as I waited in anticipation for our vehicle to stop and somehow propel me into the world I had so long pained to see. Upon arrival at the airport in Moline, I discovered that we may have been a little too aware of our expected departure time and we were forced to put off a goodbye that was going to be hard in the first place.

Waiting in the lobby with my parents as well as Nicole and hers I couldn't help but wonder if this was really a good idea. I was, in essence, putting my life on hold to bounce around Scotland and Europe for three months. To mention the reality that this would be the second time I had ever flown in my life and the first time to ever leave my home country only added to my jumbled nerves and excitement. HOLY CANOLLE... Here goes nothing!!!

Our flights went well and I slept for only a few minutes on my final flight. To believe I would get any rest on the six hour flight was a dream. The slightly fabulous, southern, male flight attendant had elbowed me in the head while passing by with the cart. Needless to say I slept no more on the rest of the journey.

Upon arrival in Scotland I discovered my first customs officer, and though I passed through with ease, I was less than impressed with his generally gloomy attitude. This encounter still had no effect on my mood as I was in SCOTLAND, and was beyond ecstatic to be shown my flat where I would live for the semester. A very nice student from the University of Stirling was awaiting our arrival and helped to escort us to our van.

The driver of our van was late forties or early fifties and very agreeable. Him and I spoke easily through the whole ride discussing the land, general travel prospects, and even the similarities in stubborn teenage behavior across continents. How we ended on each subject I cannot now know. All that remains is the happy feeling of making nice conversation with the first Scottish person I have ever met.

Our driver took us to our flat and even helped move our luggage around the parking lot as it was heavy. When I unlocked the door to my flat I discovered a new definition to "there has been some minor construction in the building, let us know of the minor issues and we will take care of them..." My assigned flat was wrapped in construction plastic, missing floors, had a broken toilet in the kitchen, and neighboring rooms had mismatched pieces of the shower strung about. I was informed the flat had flooded which was why it was under construction. I was moved to temporary housing on campus (Geddes Court), and lived out of suitcases for about two weeks until I accepted the inevitable and made it my permanent residence for the semester.


I am currently in the universities choir and am studying history and english. I have traveled a bit to neighboring towns and have seen some amazing sites, including: The Wallace Monuement, Kellvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, The Robert the Bruce Statue, the old Stirling grave, the Dunblane Cathedral, and the hill Dumyat. I have also attended the Edinburgh Farmers Market as well as the Arches fair. I have MANY things left on my list to visit and they will be seen.

I have met many interesting and kind people here that I now call my friends and can not believe how fast this semester is moving. I don't know if I will be ready to leave when the time comes.

Stirling Castle Grave

Aithrey Castle on Campus - Law Building

Wallace Monument