Birthday Weekend

Firday night was the big finale. A big dance party called a Ceilidh (kay-LEE) . After the welcome and music, we got to the dancing. I was feeling a bit mopey and only danced one, but it was nice to see the kids having such a great time. Even some of the Scotland students commented on how brilliant a Ceilidh it was.

All of the guys looked smart in their kilts. I decided against buying one. It was one of those times when my rational overtook my emotional self. Sometimes I wish the rational would just shut up and let me have fun, but I could not justify the expense (a cheep kilt would cost £20 which is about $40). I think it was the right decision, but it would have been fun! That night I rode back to Chris' place and he went to Glasgow to be with his girfriend. Exactly why she needed him so bad I don't know. So the first half of my birthday was spent alone playing X-Box. Eventually, I was able to hook up with Alec (my friend from my first trip here) and he came and got me in his new camper van (a converted ambulance).

You know someone is a good friend when they say, "How are you?" You say "good", and they respond, "not very convincing".

It was at that point when I realized how down I felt. So as we drove to the beach we talked, and laughed and I began to feel better. Of course beach should probably be in quote marks for those from the U.S. It was a rocky kinda sandy sort of thing, but very beautiful.

Then the strangest thing happened. Two cows wandered onto the beach!
We all agreed that none of us had ever seen such a thing before. It was cold, so we didn't stay long. I took some pics of the jellyfish and cows, picked up some rocks for Carl and we headed back to their place.

It was good to be able to hang out with Alec and Aisa on my birthday (again). Their little boy Inake (in-YAH-kee) is very cute and along with everything else I see and hear the last few days made me miss my family. The trip has been fun, but I am ready to go home.

Alec and Aisa were their usual thoughtful selves and after a dinner of fish and chips, surprised me with a birthday cake! That put a smile on my face and helped me end my birthday on a good note.

Tomorrow is set to be an easy day and then home Monday morning. It has been a great trip, but I will be glad to see Rebecca and Carl again.

Boogie Night

Tuesday, I got to rest all day. That evening we took a driving tour of the area, where I was given the finger.

Yesterday, I spent some more time at the school and then take a tour around town. It is a nice town and the building on the hill is a castle connected with Robert the Bruce.
Later, I had dinner with Christine, one of the teachers who was on the exchange last year. So here is a good dinner idea:

Stuff chicken breasts with a mixture of Creme Fresh and Sharp Cheddar and then top with bacon (it was english style bacon, so maybe ham?). Awesome!

She has a cute little house with a great view (see below).

That night was a disco fundraiser for the exchange. Chris was the DJ and he did a great job of getting the kids going. We all had a great time and stayed up too late.

Today I got to sleep in and then went into town for souvenier shopping. At lunch I met the kids and we went to a local place called "The Snugg". Good food, pool and trivia. Then back to Mr. McPake's for some for some games and dinner. We figured it was inexpensive and all the kids want to do is hang out anyway. We were right and they had a great time.

A little cleaning up tonight, some rest and tomorrow a trip to Inverary and the Ceidleigh.

Haunted Weekend

Back from the Edinburgh trip. Family day today, but Chris has to work so a free and easy day for me. So what better time to update?
I started by meeting the kids on a bus bound for Glasgow. Upon arriving, our first task was to stow our luggage at the Glasgow train station. Next step, food! We stopped off at a "chippie" and I got some fish and chips. They also had deep fried burgers (breaded and fried), haggis (breaded and fried), chicken (breaded and fried). I thought "am I in Scotland or Georgia". One of the students got one of the burgers it was actually pretty good. The fish was great and fortified me for our hike around town.

We took an open top bus tour around town and then took the train to nearby Paisley where we stayed with a student's family.

We were treated to a huge dinner where our hosts tried to provide us with as many traditional dishes as possible. Haggis, tatties and neeps, sausages, and lentil soup.
Then some trifle and cake. I then promptly laid down and passed out for a 12 hour sleep.

After breakfast, we got a cab, met up with Chris in Glasgow, and bussed it over to Edinburgh where we stayed in a youth hostel. The next day, we took another open top bus tour, and saw the castle (of course). AMAZING!!

That was followed by more sightseeing and shopping for souvenirs

After dinner at Jimmy Chang's, we hiked up the hill back to the castle for our ghost tour. Our guide regaled us with scary but true stories, startling gags and lewd jokes. Here you see him putting the thumb screws to Carla one of our students. The next day, we bussed back to Glasgow and visited the University of Glasgow. They had a nice museum there. However, we were all exhausted and ready to get back to Tarbert.

So now I'm back and ready for my next adventure. After some rest today!

Bow Before Your New King

Today we went to the ancient site of the crowning of the kings of Scotland. The Scots were an Irish clan that left Ireland and came to what is now Scotland and eventually conquered all the people who were already here. Dunadd is where the kings were crowned.

At the top of the hill is the site. There is a footprint carved in the stone and your foot had to fit in order to be crowned the king of the Scots. As you can see from the picture below, it is time I got my props. BOW BEFORE ME ALL YOU LESSER PEOPLES!

No doubt a perfect fit. However, I must decline my rightful throne to continue my work in America.

We visited some other ancient sites, looked at carvings noone understands and visited some burial sites of Knights Templar (maybe). The tour was great and ended at a local castle where we ate lunch.

Later in the evening, we had a musical night where all the students displayed their talents. I almost got up but chickened out. Mostly because of lack of music to sing to (and lyrics for that matter). The kids were amazing! So much talent on both sides of the Atlantic.

This weekend we are going to Glasgow and then Edinburgh. More updates next week.

Later.

Just Another Day at School :)

Today most of the day was spent at Tarbert school. We started the day with an all school assembly, there are a little over 100 students in the whole school (k-12). It was very nice (never been a guest of honor before). We were presented with some wonderful gifts and treated to music. Later, I spent 2 periods in Chris' math class, and then went around to some other classes and talked with students about the differences between our schools and theirs.

There were also lots of questions about cars, driving, drinking, and strangely enough Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. They were fully convinced that everyone in America ate PB&J all the time! I corrected them on that and some other scores. We talked a lot about sports too. Sports aren't really as connected to the schools in Scotland.

They were particularly horrified to find out that our students had to start at 8:00 (They don't start until 9:00). They also felt sorry for us that we had hour and a half long classes. On the other hand, they would love to not have to wear uniforms, and were jealous that we go 3 weeks less than they do.
Can you pick out the Americans below?

Then we went to a BBQ (cookout) at the home of one of the host families. As we came over a hill on the way there, we were treated with an amazing view. (even the locals were impressed).

It was a bit chilly on the windy hill overlooking the Atlantic. We alternated hanging out outside and moving in to warm up. Our hosts made chicken, burgers and sausages (mmmmm...sausage). We all had a great time.

Tomorrow...the ancient history tour!

Brian has arrived in Scotland!

Greetings! We have arrived in Scotland and we all made it. Not without speed bumps. First, two of our 23 reservations were spelled wrong (they didn't match passports). Good thing we were there early! Then the flight from Philly to Glasgow sat on the runway for an hour before taking off!

But we landed safe and sound and everyone found their hosts (Chris, mine, is above).

The other pics are of our first stop off at the Argyll Forest Park, about half way from the airport to Tarbert. Jet lag is tough, but I am holding up. Too exciting and beautiful to sleep. Chris and I are already laughing our heads off :)

More updates and pictures to follow.

Back to "NKOTB"

Well, Victoria found out that NKOTB was coming back to Atlanta to begin their second/summer tour at the Lakewood Amphitheater. This time, Sarah went with us. The weather was terrible and we were late to the concert. Luckily the rain helped out as NKOTB did not start until we got there (an hour late!!). The concert was a mix of old and new songs, and yes, they do have a new album out. (Check it out on iTunes.) We were suppose to be on the lawn, but they let us move forward into the seats. In fact, we were in a similar location to the stage as last time! We were on the right side towards the back. We were pretty much on the last row of seats. Lucky for us, a bunch of people did not come because of the rain, so we moved ourselves up closer to the stage. We then stood on the seats to get a good view as we were still not that close. I don't know how one of us did not fall off the chairs. What amazed me were the girls in front of us. They were really dancing while standing on the seats and wearing rain boots/goloshes! I also noticed that while most everyone was still mid-thirties women "reliving" their teenage years, there were also younger people there as well. And just like last time, a few guys who looked like they wanted to be anywhere but there!

As we left the concert, there were a bunch of men selling concert T-shirts for $5 on the street! (The same men had been selling umbrella's and poncho's before the concert. We assume the shirts had "fallen off the back of the truck"!!) We each bought one, although Victoria had to buy two because the guy did not have the right change. She tried to exchange with another guy selling a different shirt and he told her she was "tripping". It was so much fun to go to the concert and also to go with my two sisters.

Victoria took the pictures as I did not even bring my camera because of the rain.

(Please exuse the spelling, the spellcheck is not very good. And if you know me well, you know I rely very heavily on spellcheck because I cannot spell anything)