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Tag: Nicole Butler

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By nmbutler3

The end has finally come…Most of my fellow abroad students have made their way back to the States by now. I cannot look at Facebook without seeing statuses about leaving various countries and returning home for Christmas, and I cannot help but be reminded that I only have a week left before I too have to make my way back across the pond. It sounds incredibly cliché, but the thought of returning home is an immensely bittersweet feeling. On the one hand knowing that I’ll be coming home to a warm Christmas-y welcome from family and friends that I have not seen or really talked to in ages, is a nice thought and I cannot help but look forward to it. It also means I’ll finally be able to catch up with friends that have also been abroad and hear all about their stories and adventures. On the other hand though, going home means leaving Edinburgh, and to be entirely honest, I don’t quite think I am ready to do that yet. Leaving means saying goodbye to good friends and fond memories, challenges and struggles, adventures and exciting experiences. It means I have to say goodbye to a new life I’ve established and return to the familiar grind of regular life.

Coming here was in many ways, like starting college all over again. I knew no one, had no idea how the system worked, but thought I knew myself and understood at least my own outlook on life. And just like freshman year, I am leaving behind wonderful new friends and taking with me a much refined perspective on the world around me, along with a much improved understanding of myself. Knowing no one and not having a program of fellow American students to fall back on for support forced me to reach out of my comfort zone and open up to new people almost immediately, which is admittedly not one of my strong suits, but I eventually managed and in addition to making close friendships with people from all over the world, I was reminded how to relate to people, especially people who come from very different backgrounds from what I am normally accustomed to. In reflection, this was probably my biggest challenge while abroad. The similarities of British and Scottish cultures to American culture, as well has my personality, made most other adjustments relatively easy, especially compared to the adjustments other study abroad students had to make; however, remembering how to make new friends and relate to diverse individuals, with whom you often have to navigate between the cultural similarities and differences, can be incredibly difficult. That being said, it can also be incredibly telling of yourself and a, albeit slightly forced, perfect opportunity to connect and relate to others.

More importantly though, studying abroad, flipped and twisted and confused, a lot of what I thought I knew about the world and myself. Living in Edinburgh reminded me how beautiful and exciting cities could be, an appreciation I had started to lose in DC, and traveling throughout the UK and Europe rehydrated my thirst for adventure and taught me to not be a traveler, rather than a tourist. Actually taking challenging classes outside of my usual focal areas led me to new academic interests and made me reconsider my future academic and career plans. Most importantly though, studying abroad has taught me to see everything as an adventure, to see even the familiar through the eyes of someone who is experiencing it for the very first time, to allow life to unfold before you rather than set expectations that constrain and limit your future, and to appreciate even the small details as something wonderful. When I think of my fondest memories here, most are of experiences I had set no expectations for or had not anticipated. From the Scottish national anthem at the national rugby matches to adventures in Belgium to traditional Swedish Christmas carols sung by friends as a St. Lucia Day surprise this past weekend, the unexpected unprecedented moments have been among the best. This is probably because when you approach a situation, not with expectations, but instead with an open mind, everything comes as a pleasant surprise and you can actually genuinely experience and engage with what’s going on around you. Looking at the world in such a way, also taught me to appreciate the smaller details. Back in DC, I walk past famous monuments, national agencies, and international institutions on a daily basis and rarely bat an eye. In Edinburgh though, since everything is this new, exciting experience abroad, every little statue, street sign, painted door and bird are each unique and beautiful details that you cannot help but notice. I have learned to look at the world around me, not has this static imposition of concrete and stone around me, but as a dynamic integration of color, history, culture and art that flow together to create an ever changing, multidimensional picture. I’ve been reminded how to see the beauty in what’s around me and not just see that beauty with my eyes but as an actual tangible experience. I suppose it can’t get much cheesier than that, but then again, that might be the point. I’ve learning this past semester, that when you are traveling, whether it be across the world, or just around the corner to the store, if you are open to the experience, the world has to much more to offer than you could possibly imagine to expect. And with that, I bid adieu to Edinburgh, at least for now.

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By nmbutler3

With only two weeks left here in Scotland, I probably should be writing about preparing for exams while abroad and balancing the travel and academic aspects of studying abroad. However, as a fairly typical exchange student, I am writing instead about what I learned while traveling over the past week instead of studying for my upcoming exams. This past week was the university’s reading week, so naturally two of my flatmates and I took the spare time to make our way through Europe, moving farther southeast and farther from English as we went. We started in Amsterdam for a day and then moved to Brussels for two days. Following Belgium, my other American flatmate and I made our way to Barcelona for two days, and then I headed off on my own to Siena in Tuscany to visit a friend finishing the semester there. I could tell you about all the beautiful buildings and lights, and coastal waves, and songlike languages of the locals, but you can see all those in the movies and postcards. Instead, here are the most important things I learned in each city:

1. Plan your visit, or at least make a bucket list of what you want to do in your destination. Just exploring a city on your own and discovering what it has to offer through your own experience can be exciting, and can often lead you to things you would have never found in a tourist map. That being said, never underestimate the importance of a backup plan or at least some planning at all. I learned this in Amsterdam the hard way. Since we were only there for one night and two half days, we hadn’t planned too much of what to do. As a result, we missed out on a lot of really amazing things the city has to offer because we either didn’t’ know about it until it was too late or because we didn’t plan the travelling and directions ahead of time. Luckily, one of my flatmates had done some research and had looked into an art gallery that featured predominately Dutch painters and artists, including several pieces by Van Gogh, so the day was not wasted. We also learned that Van Gogh is actually pronounced Van “Ouaff” (as though you are hacking up the word). Just a nice little fun fact.

2. Make friends with other travelers, not tourists. Belgium was probably one of the most beautiful and lively cities I have ever visited, and the two nights and days we spent there were some of the most fun my flatmates and I had on our trip. A huge part of the fun was the people we met while there. There is a very distinct difference between people who travel and people who are tourists. If you haven’t already experienced this difference, you will as soon as you travel. It is difficult to understand until you experience it, but the easiest way to describe it is that a tourist sees a city, while a traveler experiences it. Needless to say, you should always aim to be a traveler and surround yourself with the like. The travelers we met in Belgium, two Australians, a Canadian and a Brazilian, helped us to experience the city not through the lens of a camera, but instead through appreciative and open eyes.

3.  Try to understand some history and culture of your destination before you get there. Barcelona certainly put my Spanish to the test, and while I knew enough for us to get by, it was a limiting factor in many regards. What was arguably more limiting though, was our lack of knowledge of the culture and history of the city. While there, in addition to the classic sites, we went on an alternative tour that explored some of the darker aspects of the city, like its anarchist roots, street art, community structures, social issues and various other topics you don’t normally hear about on a typical tour of buildings and dates. While it was fascinating and mind-opening, I was left with so many unanswered questions and lost appreciation that could have been avoided if I had taken the time to familiarize myself more with the history of the city. I’m not saying you have to pull a full research report on everywhere you visit, but a few hits on a google search, or even better, a few pages in a book, will significantly enhance your perspective on, appreciation for, and understanding of your destination.

4. Be prepared to visit friends outside of the normal context. It is fairly standard to visit your other friends studying abroad during your travels, which can be very comforting and help to keep you connected while on across the pond. That being said, it can also be a very strange and in a way mildly isolating experience. It’s difficult to keep in mind, that just like you, your friends have been spending the semester making new friends and sharing experiences with new people, which can be strange to come into from the outside. Of course, seeing your friend is exciting and definitely worth it, and your friend will be excited to see you and their new friends are likely just as excited to meet you. Just be prepared to miss out on some inside jokes and group dynamic things. Don’t worry too much though; the same things will inevitably happen when friends come to visit you, and it’s all just part of the experience.

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By nmbutler3

Christmas, particularly the time leading up to the holiday itself, is without a doubt my favorite time of year. Since I don’t get back to the states until JUST before Christmas, spending the season abroad was initially a bit concerning – no family, no secret santas, no warm house smelling of cookies and pine to come home to, no rush of Black Friday shopping or trying to sneakily hide gifts. But as the holidays draw nearer, I am starting to really appreciate Christmas in Edinburgh and the UK more generally.

Some things are a bit different of course. The most apparent is probably the lack of holiday buffer. Now I realize that this may sound strange, but allow me to explain. The buffer time that Thanksgiving provides between Halloween and the winter holidays is key to making the season such a magical time. In the UK though, with no Thanksgiving to impede the oncoming headlights of Christmas, garland and ornaments and Santas start appearing just after Halloween-that's an entire extra month of Christmas prep! Not that I am complaining, a little extra holiday cheer never hurt anyone, but it does take some adjustment to get used to not hearing people gripe about decorations in shops in November. There are some benefits though to not having Thanksgiving though, mainly the appreciation for pumpkin pie. I cannot count the number of British people I've met that have never had real pumpkin pie before. Needless to say, I racked up some serious friendship points last Thursday. Now that the Thanksgiving buffer has officially passed, I'm finally able to appreciate all that Scotland has to offer during the holidays. There have been two experiences in particular that have really upped my holiday cheer. The first is the scenery of the snowcapped highlands in the winter. Although the middle and southern belts of Scotland don't really see any snow until late December-January, the highlands up north are already a winter wonderland, with snowy mountains and twinkling lights and little villages full of cottages, all with smoke rising from the chimney. It's just like falling into a Christmas card. Not to mention, up in the Cairngorms National Park, there is an actual reindeer center where you can see an entire herd of reindeer. The other holiday experience was right here in Edinburgh at the city's Christmas Village festival. With so much extra time for prep and anticipation, Edinburgh spares no expense when it comes to the holiday. The entire central Princes Street Gardens are transformed into a Christmas village to rival the north pole, complete with ice skating, a slew of hot beverages, holiday bakery and other foods galore, Christmas crafts and gifts, and a Christmas theatre where the show a different play each week. There is even a giant Ferris wheel that overlooks all the lights and sights of the city. It's literally like being a kid at Christmas again! Of course, even with such magical experiences, being away from friends and family at the holidays is still very difficult, but you just have to make the most of it and enjoy the holiday traditions with a new twist.

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By nmbutler3

When you tell someone you’re studying abroad in the UK one of the first questions you hear is “oh, have you been to London yet?” London – with the queen and Big Ben and the Thames – is one of the quintessential European cities that everyone seems to want to visit. So naturally, it was near the top of my list of places I wanted to visit while abroad and this past weekend I was finally able to check the iconic city off my bucket list. To be entirely honest though, I didn’t fall in love with it like I had expected to. Now before I write anything else, London IS a wonderful city. It’s bustling with a lively energy and bursting with a rich history, and there is never a shortage of things to do and see. That being said, after visiting, I felt there was something lacking in the impact the city had on me.  Up until now, most of my traveling has been to more rural and lesser-known locations, like Galway, Glencoe and Perthshire, which although all beautiful, at the time had me worried that I was somehow missing some necessary abroad experience. After this weekend though, I realized just how wrong I was.

For me, studying abroad is about trying new things and experiencing new cultures and ways of life, and while big cities like London are exciting and new, they are often highly international, and in many cases Americanized, so you tend to miss out on getting a unique experience. Again, please don’t get me wrong. There were so many things to do in London that couldn’t happen anywhere else. We saw the Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, St. John’s Cathedral, Abbey Road, 221 Baker Street, Tower Bridge, the Tower of London and the Eye. We went to the London Food Festival and the local markets and took the underground and, even took a train out of King’s Cross Station – all things you can only do in London. But, these attractions are not what define a culture or even an experience for that matter. Sure they were all very interesting and beautiful and exciting, but none gave me that unimaginable new view or unexpected cultural understanding. To be honest, it seemed like the sights of big buildings and lots of people were all I was really getting out of my time. I interacted with few actual locals, and there were no instances of surprise or shock or bettered perspective, not to mention, most of my experiences were rushed along either by other tourists or our goal to see and do everything in such a short time frame. As a result, when I compare London to the other places I’ve been, I view the more rural areas much more fondly. With other places I have visited, I was able to really immerse myself into the local culture and environment. With “smaller locations” you can easily lose yourself within the city or town or village and actual enjoy the experience without rushing. People in these more lesser-traveled locations also tend to be much more open, friendly and personably accommodating, so you are able to better experience and embrace the local culture and actually learn or try something entirely new. Personally, I’d take experiencing a new culture like that over fighting other tourists to see an impressive building any day.

So, don’t stress about jet-setting across Europe to see all the major cities. Instead take the time to explore what’s around you. Trust me; it’ll pay off more than you know. And again, just for the record, I’m not saying to skip out on London or some other major city. I’m just warning you that not loving London (or whatever other city) is a very real possibility, especially if you’re looking for more than just another city.

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By nmbutler3

When people think of UK and European sports, football (or soccer for us Americans) tends to be the first, if not only thing to come to mind, and while I am by instinct an avid soccer fan, I've learned that here in Scotland, it’s rugby that holds the hearts of the people. Don’t get me wrong, football matches are still very much an integral part of Scottish recreation, but that being said, nothing seems to unify people together quite like a rugby match.

The Scottish National Rugby team is currently in the middle of their autumn tests, and living in Edinburgh means I am able to see a few matches. So far I’ve been able to go to the Scotland v. Japan and the Scotland v. South Africa games, and I have to say that watching a rugby match in Murrayfield Stadium is one of the must-dos of Edinburgh. The opening of the match alone is one of the most inspiring experiences I’ve ever encountered. Youtube Flower of Scotland at Murrayfield Stadium and you’ll get a hint of what I mean. Flower of Scotland is the unofficial national anthem of Scotland (God Save the Queen is the British anthem) and to hear the stadium resound with the prideful verses sung by every Scottish person present is unlike anything you would ever encounter in the States. Sure, Americans will hum and quietly sing along with the national anthem at sporting events, but never like this. The Scottish auxiliary band plays the first to verses of the song while seemingly every Scotsman in the arena proudly belts out the words as though they were the ones standing down on the pitch at the microphone, which in and of itself is beautiful, but then when the third and final verse rolls around, the band cuts out and the continued resounding sound of the proudly sung words literally reverberates through your entire body despite the fact that there are no loud speakers echoing the song, just the voices of the rugby fans. It is absolutely amazing. Just look it up, trust me, or better yet, go to a match because I cannot even begin to convey the awe and powerfulness of the experience. Not to mention, the tangible united pride aside, the fact that you can tell just by looking that every Scottish person there not only believes the words they are singing, but actually feel them. In any other circumstance, a group of professional rugby players and gruff fans, all with the glimmer of a tear in their eyes would be a strange sight to see, but at Murrayfield it would be hard to imagine it any other way. The song is actually that powerful.

Anyway, moving past the opening, the match itself is an amazing experience. Fans are incredibly dedicated, but not in an obnoxious or oppositional, trash-talking way that you sometimes see with American sports. Rather, Scottish rugby fans seem to be almost exclusively supportive and never, and I do mean NEVER, give up on their team. The score of the South Africa game was Scotland: 0 and South Africa: 28 and the fans never dwindled or lost faith. People also seemed so much more interested in the plays and details of the game than you see in a many American sporting events.

The entire experience was positively inspiring, which sounds a bit exaggerated, seeing as it was just a rugby match, but trust me, it is unlike anything else. The energy, the unity, the pride; it is like experiencing one of those inspirational sports movies in real life. Absolutely a must-do for any bucket list.

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By nmbutler3

I've written a lot about the new experiences and opportunities I've had thus far, which are definitely the more exciting and interesting aspects of the study abroad experience. Admittedly though, they don’t include the majority of what I've actually been doing while abroad. When people think of studying abroad, they usually imagine tasty foods and exotic places, lots of travelling and unique experiences, but that doesn't really capture the “real” abroad experience. So, in honor of the first relaxed weekend I've had since arriving in Edinburgh, I figured I would write about the day-to-day life of studying abroad.

First thing’s first, as I've mentioned in other posts, studying abroad actually involves a lot of well, studying. So naturally, most of my day is occupied by studying and course work. I’m taking four upper-level classes here, all ecology or plant biology focused, which take up quite a bit of time. I usually start the day fairly early in the morning with classes, which are about a half hour walk from my dorm, and am occupied with lectures, labs and coursework until mid-afternoon or early evening. The nice thing about the studying culture here is that while it is common, and almost standard, to study during the day and between classes, studying during the evenings is not usually the norm. So, most afternoons are occupied by study sessions in the library or a nearby café, leaving the evenings generally study-free.  Instead, evenings are usually spent at meetings or outings with various student organizations. Personally, I have joined the Hill Walking Club, which is actually a hiking/mountaineering club, and the Beer and Cider Society for the semester. As an exchange student, societies (student organizations) are definitely the best way to meet people, and fortunately, the societies here are all very active and usually meet three to four times a week. Other weekday evening activities typically include the weekly flat mate dinner, a quick swing by the pub, a trip to the gym and other regular errands. As you can probably guess, it’s really not the most exciting of times, but nonetheless, it all manages to keep you busy and active throughout the week.

Luckily, the weekends tend to make up for the normalcy of the weeks and remind you that you are actually in a new country surrounded by a different culture and exciting opportunities. Even quiet or relaxed weekend can be a refreshing reminder of how exciting the experience you’re having is. Take for example this past weekend. I mentioned it was my first relaxed weekend, no trips or excursions out of the city or country, just a trip to the local Portobello beach and a few café study sessions. It all sounds fairly boring, but in addition to just giving myself a chance to recharge, it was a pleasant reminder of the fact that even the small, seemingly insignificant features around you, such as a short beach strip and pier, the local pub, or a small café, are part of a unique and exciting new culture and landscape that you can constantly be soaking in.

 

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It’s happened. I have crossed over to the dark side and officially become a tea drinker. I wasn’t expecting to, and to be entirely honest, was in many ways hoping I wouldn’t, but the conversion has happened. I now regularly drink more tea than coffee, even in the mornings – what has my life come to? Of course I realize how overly dramatic and bizarre I sound with all this, but as I’ve mentioned before, I am a fairly avid coffee drinker and usually a hesitant tea consumer, so the realization that I now drink more tea than coffee in a day came as quite a shock.

So, as I sat there the other morning drinking my cup of lemon ginger clippings tea, reveling in my new realization and listening to my flatmate joke about how British I’ve become, it occurred to me just how many little British and Scottish habits and practices I had picked up over the last few weeks. A lot of people assume the cultural exchange when studying abroad is limited to new foods, dress, and popular culture references, but there are so many more subtle habits and cultural aspects that crossover without you realizing it. These are especially apparent when you participate in a direct exchange program like this where you predominately interact with local students rather than other Americans.

So here are the top four unexpected cultural habits I’ve picked up over thus far:

1. Tea over coffee

This is probably the most generic and stereotypical example, but it’s happened and I’m still coping.

2. Question Inflection

Now I haven’t started to speak with a Scottish accent, but it has been pointed out to me several times that I phrase questions with a British inflection. I’m not quite sure how to describe it, but if you visit or study in the UK, or watch enough British television, you’ll know exactly what I am talking about.

3. Saying “trousers” or “jeans” but avoiding “pants” at all costs

Now I realize that this is another rather strange sounding cultural habit or practice, but it is definitely one that will happen to you if you study or visit here. The term “pants” refers to a very different article of clothing than it does in the States, so you learn quickly that not all statements about your pants are socially acceptable. Like most other Scottish and British slang phrases like “clever” or “bloody,” most people tend to pick up on this one rather quickly.

4. Thinking like a Brit or a Scot

This is another one that is a bit more difficult to properly describe, but over the past few weeks, I have definitely noticed a difference in my normal mindset. For example, I am much more sarcastic and my sense of humor is getting dryer by the day. I also find myself a bit more reserved in social interactions, a characteristic I’ve realized is quite normal and common for many Brits. I’ve also started to notice the differences between North and South regions of the UK and make reference to them on a fairly regular basis. Now of course these are minor details, but it seems that almost everyday I am seeing more and more of the Scottish perspective and more exciting yet, actually understanding and internalizing them.

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Galway Bay, Ireland

Before I get started, I wanted to apologize for my typo last week. The UK consists of several countries including Wales, not Whales. (Very BIG difference – get it? Whales are big, so punny!)Anyways, I should probably apologize for the lateness of my post this week too. I’ve been travelling for the past few days in Ireland, which means I’ll take a break from Scotland this week for the other Gaelic/Celtic nation.

Ireland is absolutely beautiful! I spent most of my time visiting a friend in Galway, but also got in a bit of time in Dublin and other parts of the west coast near Galway. It was my first time traveling outside the UK and I was traveling on my own until I got to Galway, so admittedly, I was feeling a bit nervous. But, luckily, it was a smooth journey, with no hiccups. I flew into Dublin early on Friday morning and after a few hours to explore, I took a three hour bus to Galway, which is a seaside city on the western coast.  As I mentioned, I was visiting a friend who is studying aboard this semester at NUI Galway. In addition to my excitement to be in a new place and see an old friend, I was also really interested to see how other study abroad experiences were.

 

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View of Galway Bay, Ireland

Much more interesting though were the differences I noticed between the cultures. Before going, most of the people I had spoken to had mentioned that Scotland and Ireland were quite similar, and perhaps living here has just made me more attuned to the subtleties of Scottish culture, but I thought there were several very distinctive differences between the two. Namely, Irish people were much more open and approachably friendly. Don’t get me wrong, people in Scotland are incredibly nice and welcoming, but that is usually when you engage with them. But in Ireland, people will just come up and have a full on conversation with you in the pub or even on the street. It was certainly a shift from the more reserved principles of British interactions. Galway was also a bit more lively than Edinburgh, which is definitely fun, but admittedly, people in Edinburgh do tend to have more of a serious professional or studious approach or attitude about them, whereas Galway seemed much more laid back and carefree.

At the end of the day, the trip was a refreshing change of pace and helped me to better reflect and refocus on my experience thus far. The differences that make your study abroad experience are not just the differences between your location and GW or America, but also the differences that make your location or program or school unique from any other experience out there.

So on that note, I’ll leave you with my top 5 highlights from Ireland, in case you get the chance to visit:

1. Cliffs of Moher: We went to visit for an afternoon as part of a tour and they are AMAZING. You will literally feel like you are walking around in front of a green screen because it just seems too beautiful to be real.

2. The Tour Guide (Des aka “The King of the Burren”): He was not only an awesome tour guide who seemed to know everything about the area, but also the epitome of Irish friendliness.

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Cliffs of Moher

3. Live music in the pubs: Galway had some of the best live music I’ve heard since being abroad, and that’s saying a lot because Edinburgh has great music. But something about Galway’s blend of traditional Irish folk, bluegrass and modern covers was just so impressive.

4. Getting a tour of Galway from my friend: It is always nice to see a friend, but it is even better when they can share their experience with you. It offers such a great perspective to your engagement with a new place.

5. The soup: So probably not the most exotic food source in the world, but let me tell you, the Irish know how to make soup and the traditional brown bread definitely does not hurt. I probably shouldn’t admit it, but while I was there, I ate almost exclusively soup. Travel Hint of the Week: Soup is the secret to eating out on a budget. At least in this part of the world, it is usually pretty hearty and filling and almost always one of the cheapest things on the menu, and the very best part, it never seems to let you down in terms of flavor.

Until next week!

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By nmbutler3

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With all the political uproar about the government shutdown occupying the news both back home in the States and even here in the UK, I figured it’d be a good time to finally familiarize myself with the current state of political affairs here Scotland, especially since Edinburgh is the capital. I also figured it was about time I find out what all the “Independent Socialist Scotland” and unionist posters that coat telephone booths, news boxes and alley walls throughout the city meant. So, here is what I’ve found out in my week of on-the-ground research:

Basic Set-up of UK v. Scottish Political Structure:

1. Scotland, although its own country, is part of the UK and Great Britain.

1a. Great Britain includes England, Scotland, Whales and Northern Ireland.

1b. British does NOT equate to English, but rather anyone from Great Britain. In fact, a lot of people, especially younger generations, identify as British over a specific country ethnicity, like Scottish or Welsh, because there is so much overlap and movement of people across borders within the UK.

2. Although much of Scottish policy comes from the British parliament in London, Scotland also has its own devolved parliament that operates here in Edinburgh in an iconic building.

2a. The Parliamentary building does not contain a single right angle, interior and exterior structure included.

3. Despite a semi-independent government, Scotland still receives a significant portion of its funding from the British government.

Current Affairs & The Referendum:

1. The message behind the posters, is the coming referendum for independence that Scotland is in the process of deciding upon. This is easily the biggest issue on the political plate here and a topic of heated debate almost anywhere you go.

1a. The referendum would declare Scotland an independent state from the United Kingdom and Great Britain, similar to Ireland.

1b. Talks of the referendum first seriously began in 2007, and the actual vote for independence will take place on September 18, 2014.

1c. The Referendum Bill is possible because “Royal Assent” will be given, meaning essentially that it is the decision of the Scottish Parliament, rather than the British Parliament.

2. In November, the official White Paper, as well as the unionist proposals will be published.

3. The vote is split, but it’s very difficult to determine just how evenly it is split.

3a. The young vote will be key for both sides, similar to the importance of the young vote in the 2008 presidential election.

3b. Because of this, residents need only be 16 to vote.

3c. Not all young Scots want independence. Take my flatmate for example. She is very much against it, both economically and nationalistically, as she considers herself British more than Scottish.

4. You can vote as on the referendum as long as you are a current resident of Scotland, which includes 366, 755 English-born citizens, as well as 32,049 Northern Irish and 15,120 Welsh-born citizens.

4a. If you were born in Scotland, but currently live elsewhere in the UK, you cannot vote. That includes nearly 800,000 Scottish-born individuals.

5. The bill only needs more than 50% of the vote to pass. There is no turnout requirement.

I still haven’t figured out all the details, so I can’t make much of an opinion on the matter, but it is definitely one of the more difficult aspects of everyday Scottish life to relate to. The referendum is a daily conversation for a lot of people here, even if they are not very political, but it is difficult to relate anything similar actually happening in the US; just imagine a state voting to remove itself from the country. Sure, there are petitions and jokes that Texas and other states will succeed, but to take those notions as a serious option is somehow unfathomable.

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Rural village in Scotland
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A mountain view
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Not a bad place to spend a few hours

I took my first personally-planned visit out of the city this weekend to Glencoe, also known as the location of many of the scenes from Skyfall, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Braveheart, as well as the sight of the seventeenth century Glencoe Massacre of the MacDonald clan. Needless to say, it’s a very historical and scenic area. The trip was a last minute decision by my flatmate and me so we didn’t plan much beforehand beyond the bus tickets to get there. As a result, we ran into a few surprises once we got there. Since neither of us had been to the area before, or any part of the Highlands for that matter, we didn’t really know what to expect once we got there and after a four hour bus ride when we finally did arrive, what we found was not quite what we had imagined.

First off, we hadn’t expected such a pleasant drive. Unlike the US, in Britain, experiences with the bus systems are generally quite reliable and enjoyable. Word of advice, taking the bus or the train is probably one of the best ways to actually see Scotland and the rest of the UK, and it’s usually both the cheapest and easiest modes of transport. Bus drivers are generally incredibly friendly and really helpful, especially when you’re lost and not sure which line to connect to. That being said, you do have to be a bit more aggressive when catching the buses. On our way back to Edinburgh, we literally had to stand on the side of the road and flag down a bus speeding by. No, we weren’t lost, nor were we being obnoxious tourists. It just so happens that the bus stops (and apparently this is quite standard in a lot of areas) are an unmarked patch of grass on the side of the road that work by request only. Of course in order to “request” a speeding bus to stop, you have to jump up and down and wave incessantly like a crazy person for a few minutes while it drives along the bend, which is exactly what we did, much to the amusement of the park ranger who was also passing by at the time.  Yet despite having to act like a nutter on the side of an almost empty country road, we were able to make it to and from without so much as a hiccup.

Anyways, despite our luck with a smooth journey out of the city, once we finally arrived in Glencoe, we realized that a bit more prior planning would have been a good idea. You see, Scotland is known for its scenery, rural greenery and quaint villages, which in my opinion, couldn’t be more perfect. There are lots of trees and streams and munros (the tallest of Scotland’s mountains, all above 3000 ft), picturesque village streets, and little B&B cafes with homemade soup and fresh bread. The downside:  there are a lot of rural little villages without easy transport between them and not all that much to do once you’re there. Don’t get me wrong, Glencoe Village was absolutely beautiful and I could not have asked for a better place to visit, but within about two hours, my flatmate and I had seen the entire village, which consisted of 54 buildings including houses (yes, we counted), three times over and had lunch and coffee at the single village café. (Unfortunately, the Glencoe Folk Museum, which wasn’t much bigger than a one bedroom flat, was closed for renovations, so we lost at least an hour of touristy exploration.)Regardless, there were still six hours until our bus back to Edinburgh and the next closest village was over a three and a half hour long walk away. Luckily for us though, we had planned on spending the rest of the day hiking in the mountains, but it occurred to us that had we not been the outdoorsy types that we are, we would have been very bored for next six hours, seeing as we had no way of getting to anywhere else in the area, and had just about exhausted the sights and activities of the village. As I mentioned, we were fortunate in that this wasn’t an issue, this time at least, and were able to pass by the time climbing three of the nearby munros and exploring the glen.

So moral of this week’s adventures: if you’re traveling to Scottish countryside (which I highly recommend you do!), make sure you’ve checked up on what you’ll be doing ahead of time, and if you aren’t into the great outdoors, make sure you get a multi-trip bus pass for the day so you don’t get stuck in a tiny village staring up at the munros all day. Although, there are certainly worse fates in the world!

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