Trip to the Movies

I know this is a travel blog, but my friend and I went to see The Hunger Games yesterday, and it was so good, I feel that I have to post about it. If you haven't read the book, there might be some spoilers! I wanted to see it right away. I fell in love with the book almost as soon as I started reading it, so I was really, really excited to see what they did with the movie. By the time I got to go see it, I had been hearing from my friends that they did a really good job of sticking to the book and that the movie itself was excellent. So I bought my ticket for a Friday showing at the local cinema and headed out, eager to finally see the movie.

The cinema here seemed very similar to the ones at home--perhaps a bit smaller than the theater I usually go to, but otherwise the same. The only notable differences were that when I bought my ticket online I had to actually choose the seat I wanted to take. The other difference was that in the front of the theatre, they have VIP seats, which are these massive bean bag chairs with what looks like mini tables next to them instead of simple cup-holders.

The movie started, and I was instantly impressed. The way district 12 was pictured was amazing--for me, there was no doubt that it was just as I had pictured district 12 when I was reading the book. When they showed Prim, my first thought was that the actress was perfect for Prim. My second thought was that she looked way too much like my sister did at that age for me to be able to handle. Sure enough, when it came time for the reaping scene, I started crying. A lot. And kept crying for about the next ten minutes. I calmed down in time for the arrival at the capital, and then got all teary-eyed when Peeta and Katniss made their entrance in the Tribute's Parade.

I was very interested in seeing how they were going to film the actual Games--obviously, there's a lot of death and in a movie with a 12A (PG-13 if you're in the States) rating, I knew that they weren't going to be showing too much. Again, I was very impressed. They made it obvious that many of the tributes, who I kept reminding myself are just kids, had died, all without displaying horrible, gory deaths. I'll also say that the Cornucopia in the movie made a lot more sense than the one I had pictured in my head. I had imagined the cornucopias that we see pictures of at Thanksgiving every year--a horn woven from branches and stuff like that. But the metallic cornucopia made way more sense!

When it came to the scene where Rue died, I again cried like a baby. There's a scene in the movie where Katniss is in the forest, basically sobbing and holding her head, and I wasn't too far off from looking like that myself. And then when District 11 started rebelling, I just kept crying. My friend said that at that point, she could even hear me sniffling.

I was impressed with how well the movie was done, from start to finish. It stuck to the book better than most book to film adaptions I've seen. I thought it was emotional in the right places, powerful in the right ways, and all the actors and actresses were perfect for their roles. I can tell this is going to be one of those movies that I'll love to watch again and again. And I certainly can't wait for Catching Fire!

A tout a l'heure!

P.S. I'll return with more travel stories soon, I promise!

A More Successful Hike

The two formations at the summit of Dumyat. I believe the metal cage filled with rocks is just to mark the summit. The concrete pillar used to have carvings on it, but due to the weather, it's no longer legible. The silver, carved monument is a nod to the soldiers who fought in the military in Scotland. 

Shortly after I first got to Stirling, I decided to hike to the top of Dumyat, the closest of the Ochil Hills. If you've been following my blog for a while, you know that that particular trip feel fall short of ideal. This week, when literally all week long it's been sunny and in the 60's (which is not typical Scottish weather, by the way), I decided it was time for a second attempt at the climb. This time I was going to be prepared. I packed my hiking backpack with an extra pair of pants, two extra shirts, my leather jacket for a wind-breaker, a hat and gloves. If you think this is a bit much for 60 degree weather, just keep in mind that the last time I made this hike I ended up at the summit in near-blizzard conditions. In a tribute to just how pale I am, I also had to go to the chemist to buy sunscreen before I left. I had gone out the day before for a run, and ended up slightly burnt (I was out for about 45 minutes). So, yes, in a country where the weather is typically overcast and often looks like it's about to rain, I had to buy sunscreen.

The lambs following their mother! They're so adorable.

So once I was all ready to go, I added Pooh Bear and my camera to the backpack, filled my water bottle up, and headed out. I headed onto the trail behind Geddes Court. I was headed for the road I'd used to get back to Stirling at the end of my last hike, but I was hoping I could find a hiking trail to follow instead. I ended up hiking for about ten minutes before I switched to the road. I knew where the road went, so I figured I'd be better off following that than wandering through the woods with a vague idea of where I was headed. Within minutes, taking the road was well worth it. It's certainly not as good as a trail through the woods, but I soon came across a field scattered with sheep. And for the first time, I saw a group of tiny, tiny lambs following close to their mother. It was so adorable!!

The River Forth, as seen from Dumyat's summit.

About half an hour after that, I got to the gate that leads to the path that a lot of people travel to the summit. I got there at the same time as a couple, and two friends and their dog. I was trying to keep a faster pace, so I was soon quite a ways ahead of them. I don't know exactly how long it took, but I'd guess it was about an hour, hour and a half before I got to the summit. The views were breathtaking. You really can see for miles from Dumyat's summit. Stirling sprawls far below you to the right, and you can see the River Forth snaking through the scenery in front of you. Off in the distance, you can see the faint outlines of mountains that are surely miles and miles away. Behind you, you can see more of the rolling hills--one of them covered with wind turbines that looks like children's spinners from this distance. Being able to see all of this is simply magical.

The view of Stirling, as well as the hill right next to Dumyat, from Dumyat's summit. It's hard to point it out here, but you can see the Wallace Monument and I believe you can see Airthrey Loch from here. It's a truly incredible view.

Me and Pooh Bear at the summit of Dumyat. Ironically, this
the exact spot where I huddled for protection from the wind
and the snow when I got caught in blizzard-like conditions.

I spent a few minutes at the summit. I met an older couple from the West Coast, around Skye and more in the Scottish highlands. They told me a bit about Skye and asked where I was from and why I was in Scotland. I explained that I was from the United States, here for the semester to study at Stirling University. When I said that I was from Pennsylvania (not far from New York City, since a lot of people don't know the states), the gentleman said "Wow, you've walked quite a way to get here then!" I love some of the Scottish humor like this. They were both very kind, and we talked for a while, and then they went behind a bit of rocks for a picnic. The wind was getting quite strong, so I soon changed out of my t-shirt into one of the long sleeved shirts I'd packed, and I headed back down the mountain. It's amazing how the hike back somehow is both easier and more difficult. Easier because rather than climbing, you're descending, but more difficult because (at least for me) there's a risk of your foot slipping and you falling flat on your bum (some more Scottish terminology for you there!). I made it without falling, although there were a few times where I skidded a few feet. I passed the people I had arrived at the trailhead with, and they were surprised to see that I was already coming back down.

Does anyone else think of the Whomping Willow and the
Forbidden Forest when they see this? Because I really do.

On the way back, I took a different path to campus than I had taken to get to the summit. I was hoping to find a trail that actually went through the woods, rather than walking down the edge of a road. So when the trail came to a fork, I took the path that I had seen people walking on, but had never been on myself. The path meandered through the fields. I soon came to a section of woods, which I'm pretty sure is one of the hills right behind campus. Here, I had another Potterhead moment. I saw this old, gnarled tree and instantly thought of the Whomping Willow. And the tree, standing a short distance from the woods, made me think of the Whomping Willow and the Forbidden Forest. So I of course spent five minutes looking about for a castle, or even Hagrid Hut before finally moving on.

When I first stepped back into the woods, I had this overwhelming sense that I had just walked into a fairytale. Everything about the woods just seemed magical and surreal. I made my way down the trail, which wound through the woods. After a while, I emerged from the woods to find a bunch of students out on the grass enjoying the beautiful weather. I found it funny, them wearing jean shorts and drinking beers, and I was there, emerging from the forest with a hiking backpack strapped to my torso. After that, I went through this tunnel of trees and emerged into more woods. It was a nice walk through the woods, until finally I emerged onto another road. I followed the road for about five minutes until I came onto the gardens behind Airthrey Castle, which sits right at the edge of campus.

This doesn't even capture the magic of those woods, but this is where I felt I had walked straight into a fairytale.

More of the incredible woods. I love the woods here!
They're really, truly awesome.

The creek near the end of my hike. I was actually sitting
on a log above the creek when I took this.

Even though this wasn't the 'authentic Scottish experience,' it was really, truly a great day. I got to experience some amazing views, as well as a good hike. I got to see a lot of really awesome things, and I'm still half-convinced I found the Whomping Willow, which mean Hogwarts is nearby. And trust me, if it is, I'll find it! (For those that know me, my obsession with all things isn't surprising, but for those who don't, I hope you don't mind!).

A tout a l'heure!

The Little Things

Sometimes, I get used to being here, and I have to stop and remind myself....I'm in Scotland!!! This week was a perfect example of this. I had a macroeconomics test on Wednesday and a French test on Thursday. Then for the weekend, I had no plans except working on my sociology paper. I spent the first half of the week stressing out about the macroeconomics test, and then the test itself was an hour of freaking out a bit. I felt like I had studied far too much, but when it came time to take the test, I felt I didn't know nearly enough. And the way grades are done here, that test will be 50% of my final grade. So, just a little stressful. But, even though it's a stressful economics test, it's a stressful economic test in Scotland. Somehow just being in Scotland makes everything that much better!

It was so foggy on Saturday night that when I tried to get a
picture of AK Davidson, all that turned out was the water
droplets reflected in the light of the camera's flash.

Then the weekend came. Most of the FYSAE students went on the Arcadia Borders trip, but I got the impression that the Borders trip was just going to see a bunch of churches throughout Scotland, and I wasn't particularly intrigued. It sounds like it was a pretty good trip, but I'm glad that I had the day to concentrate on the sociology paper. That night, I went into the kitchen to find that Megan, Mike, and Ian were back from the Borders trip. They told me about the trip, we laughed at the sounds of people partying in their kitchens, and then we decided that since it was incredibly foggy out, we would go for a walk around the loch. It seemed like a brilliant idea--walking around the loch at one in the morning in the rather creepy fog.

We set off around the loch. Between the fog and how dark it was already, there were a few points where we couldn't see more than twenty feet in front of us. At one point, Mike and Ian took off, and Megan and I knew that they were going to somehow try to scare us. But we couldn't see anything, and it only took a few seconds for them to disappear too. A minute later, they doubled back to sneak up behind us. Next, we came to a fork in the path. Ian went off on the one path, and Megan, Mike, and I continued around the loch. We realized that Ian, on the path on the hill, was silhouetted by the street lights behind him. It was a really cool effect, and Mike joined Ian and I got some pretty cool shots.

This was my favorite picture of Mike and Ian making
silhouettes against the street lights. And it kind of reminds
me of the fight scene from the third Star Wars movie!

We made it the rest of the way around the loch without incident--until we came to the swans. Ian had brought a bag of cheese puffs, and we knew they weren't the healthiest option for the swans, but we wanted to feed them, so we tossed a few puffs out. Sure enough, the swans were interested. They swam out of the loch and waddled up onto the land. As we sprinkled cheese puffs, two of the swans followed us all the way up to the path. Ian named one Frank, and when the second swan came onto the path to, I name it Natalie Portman (thinking of the movie, Black Swan). Natalie abandoned Ian and I pretty quickly, but Frank kept following us, hoping for more cheese puffs. Ian and I managed to coax Frank halfway to AK Davidson (the residence hall we live in). Then, and I'm not proud of this, but in my defense it was nearly two in the morning, Ian and I figured out how to heard Frank. One of us walked behind him, and the other of us walked to his side. Doing this, we managed to herd Frank down to our friend Brianna's window. (She lives at on the ground floor, so we basically had a swan right outside her room at this point.) At that point, we realized just how stupid it was to herd a swan across campus.

Lots and lots of swans were pretty eager to get their beaks on some cheese puffs! Hopefully the cheese puffs don't have an adverse effect on the swans, because apparently they're the property of the Queen, and I would not want to mess with the Queen's swans. Although I do wonder if that would be considered a crime against the Queen, since they're her property...

It's the little things like this--tests, writing papers, and going for walks with friends--that make me appreciate being in Scotland even more. I've realized that I don't need to have some amazing adventure every weekend to experience the country. It's the little things that make me feel like I'm really part of the country; the little things that map me fully appreciate the opportunity I have in being here.

A tout a l'heure!

Dining and Dancing

On Wednesday, President Tobey (Arcadia's president) came to Stirling as part of his trip to the United Kingdom to visit some of the many schools Arcadia students are studying at. For his trip to Stirling, Tobey visited with the FYSAE students, asking each of us what we liked best about the FYSAE program and being in Scotland. After we talked, Tobey and Hamish (the Arcadia liaison for Scottish students) took us all out for lunch in Bridge of Allan. It was nice to have a good meal (without having to cook!!) While we were there, we introduced Tobey to IRN-BRU, a Scottish soda. I personally think it's horribly sweet and sugary, but since it's so popular in Scotland, you have to at least try it. It was nice to get out for lunch, get to talk to Tobey, and help introduce him to a small piece of Scottish culture.

The next day was the ceilidh for Arcadia students. Students studying through Arcadia came from all over Scotland. It was the FYSAE students, Preview students, students from Glasgow, and some students from other universities who were partnered with Arcadia to send their students abroad. There was a dinner first. (Again, I was thrilled to not have to cook!!) It was a simple buffet style dinner, but it was pretty cool to just sit at the table, have some good food, and just talk to  everyone at the table.

Certainly not the most flattering of
pictures, but it's proof that I did, in
fact, do some dancing. 

After dinner, it was time for the ceilidh. A ceilidh is a traditional Gaelic gathering which basically involves a lot of traditional Gaelic dances. There were several Scottish dancers there to show us how to do the dances, as well as to demonstrate some of the more complicated dances that we wouldn't be dancing. It was a lot of fun, dancing to traditional Gaelic folk music. Most of the dances are high energy dances that are all about footwork. Since the girls significantly outnumbered the guys, most of the time I ended up patterned with a girl, which almost always led to questions of "Am I a guy or a girl for this dance?" Almost all the dances are dependent on male-female couples, so it was important to try to remember who was being the gentleman for each dance. I think one of the funniest things is seeing a bunch of girls saying "I think I'm the man this time."

Megan, Mike, Ian and I after the ceilidh. We always seem to
end up hanging out in our kitchen, usually until well past
ten or eleven. And these are the friends that I went frolicking
through Edinburgh with. 

The ceilidh was a lot of fun. I was glad I had done the ceilidh at Firbush, because this time around I felt like  I knew what I was doing (Kind of. I still can't really dance). We had one of the Scottish men play the bagpipes. I think he looked like my uncle Alan, so it was kind of weird seeing him play the bagpipes. But he played the more common bagpipes, and then he played the lowland bagpipes,  which are pumped full of air using a pump operated by using your arm to inflate and deflate the bag. The more common bagpipes are played simply by blowing into one of the pipes to fill up the bag. One of the girls that I assumed was part of the Arcadia program is actually a very accomplished Scottish dancer, so she did several dances and showed us all how to do one of the solo dances. All in all, we had a blast. When it was time to leave, it was eleven, and I felt I should have been tired from all the dancing, but instead I felt so alive and I just wanted to run and jump. Luckily, my friends are a lot like I am, so we 'frolicked' through the square, and then literally started running to the train station. It was awesome. We're all legally adults now, but it felt so good to just run through the streets of Edinburgh like we were little kids again. In short, another incredible night in Scotland.

A Lack of Adventure

Originally, I pictured this blog being all about my adventures abroad. Unfortunately, sometimes these kinds of things give you more of an experience than you had bargained for. In my case, this meant that I got to experience being pretty sick without having access to creature comforts, like staying home from school with my dog, or my mom making me soup to try to make me feel better. This time, I'm living in Scotland, a few thousand miles away from my family, friends, and doggie. So on Friday, when I started to get a sore throat, I figured that I'd be in for quite the un-adventurous weekend.

And right I was. I did absolutely nothing but watch romantic comedies, read some books, and work on a crochet project. Not exactly the exciting, explore Scotland weekend I had envisioned, but it was productive nonetheless. I had finished Catching Fire earlier that week, so now it was time to read Mockingjay. I won't spoil anything for anyone here, but I was really looking forward to finishing the Hunger Games series. I started with The Hunger Games over Christmas break, and instantly fell in love. It's about time that I finish the series! I thought The Hunger Games and Catching Fire were amazing books. Most of Mockingjay lived up to my expectations. But my the end of Mockingjay, I was done. I wanted nothing more to do with the series. I'll put it this way: There's a meme of J. K. Rowling saying "It's hard killing off so many characters." Suzanne Collins does not seem to share this sentiment. Rather, she seems more than happy to pen the deaths of many a beloved character. (Really trying not to ruin anything for anyone, but I needed to rant about that just a bit!)

Now, I'm reading The Help. I've heard only good things about this book, and I'm two chapters in and already I love it. I've also seen the movie, and it doesn't look like the ending of this book is everyone's death, so I'm looking forward to it! But seriously, it does seem like a really good book, and since I really enjoyed the movie, and have yet to watch a movie and thought "You know, that was a lot better than the book," I think The Help will turn out to be an excellent read.

As for my crochet project, I was inspired by a friend from my hall at Arcadia to learn how to crochet. She was in my Harry Potter seminar, and for her final project, she crocheted a Harry Potter doll. So I decided to make my own Harry Potter. (I'm glad I'm starting to feel better now, because if I was still feeling sick, I'd probably have more than one of these lying around!) He doesn't have glasses, but you get the general idea.

Me and Harry. What better place to be a Potterhead than in Scotland? Now he just needs glasses, and Hedwig. 

So, like I said before, not an adventurous weekend, but certainly a productive one. And I was very, very happy to get to the doctor on Monday. I woke up Monday morning and literally could not speak. I tried to talk, and all that happened was a weird kind of breathing sound. On top of that, every time I swallowed, it made me want to cry. The first time it happened, I did cry, only to find that crying somehow made my throat hurt even more. The whole crying thing lasted about five seconds. So I headed to the medical center, wrote out my request to make an appointment, and missed my French class that morning. I really hate missing class, and I really do want to become fluent in French, so this was particularly frustrating. I went to the doctor, she told me I had an infection, told me to what medicine to get from the chemist. When I asked her to write down the name of the medicine, since I'd never heard of it before, she asked where I was from. When I answered "Pennsylvania," she laughed and said she thought I might be foreign, but honestly couldn't tell if I had an accent or if my voice was just that hoarse.

But all that said and done, I can now talk, though I still sound a bit like an elderly person who smokes a lot, I no longer burst into tears if I swallow, and I was able to eat something other than soup for dinner. And, in my opinion, this gives me an even more rounded experience of Scotland. I got to enjoy a simple weekend of doing nothing, and I got to experience a little piece of the United Kingdom's health system. (Dear United States, you could learn a thing or two. A government health system--or even a publicized health system--really isn't such a bad thing. I'm certainly happy to have health insurance!) But again, I digress. I don't mean to compare the politics of the States to those of the United Kingdom. (I like UK politics better! But then again, by American standards, I'm probably considered one of those scary socialists.)

Politics, books, crocheting, romantic comedies, and doctor visits. Not what I envisioned when I thought of studying in Scotland, but I feel like all these experiences are giving me a truly unforgettable experience abroad.

Haggis and Kayaks

After a day of hiking, the Firbush centre held a traditional Burns supper for us. The traditional Burns supper is held in honor of the famed poet, Robert Burns. For our supper, we started with a first course of soup. I can't emphasize enough how delicious the soup was. Then, we got to the haggis. Before the haggis is served, the host recites the Address to a Haggis. One of the men walks in with the haggis, and the host recites the Burns' poem. I'll give you the traditional Scottish version here, as that's how we heard it as our Burns supper.

"Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,

Great chieftain o' the puddin-race!

Aboon them a' ye tak your place,

Painch, tripe, or thairm:

Weel are ye wordy o' a grace

As lang's my arm.

The groaning trencher there ye fill,

Your hurdies like a distant hill,

Your pin wad help to men a mill

In time o' need,

While thro' your pores the dews distill

Like amber bead.

His knife see rustic Labour dight,

An' cut you up wi' ready sleight

Trenching your gushing entrails bright,

Like ony ditch;

And then, O what a glorious sight,

Warm-reekin, reich!

Then horn for horn,

they stretch an' strive:

Deil tak the hindmost! on they drive,

Till a' their weel-swall'd kytes belyve,

Are bent like drums;

Then auld Guidman, maist like to rive,

"Bethankit!" 'hums.

Is there that owre his French ragout

Or olio that wad staw a sow,

Or fricassee wad mak her spew

Wi' perfect scanner,

Looks down wi' sneering, scornfu' view

On sic a dinner?

Poor devil! see him ower his trash,

As feckless as a withr'd rash,

His spindle shank, a guid whip-lash,

His niece a nit;

Thro' bloody flood or field to dash,

O how unfit!

But mark the Rustic, haggis fed,

The trembling earth resounds his tread.

Clap in his walie nieve a blade,

He'll mak it whistle;

An' legs an' arms an' heads will send,

Like taps o' thrissle.

Ye Pow'rs wha mak mankind your care,

And dish them out their bill o' fare,

Auld Scotland wants nae skunking ware

That jaups in luggies;

But, if ye wish her grateful' prayer,

Gie her a haggis!"

Now imagine trying to figure out what that means when it's an older man with a thick Scottish accent reciting it. I still don't quite get what it means. After the Address to a Haggis, there was the traditional Toast to the Lassies. In a truly traditional Burns supper, the women have been in the kitchen cooking all night, and the men are the only ones that partake in the supper. The Toast to the Lassies is the mens' way of showing their appreciation for the women. The tradition is that the men can poke fun at the women but it must always end  in a way that acknowledges what the women have done. After this, the lassies toast the lads in return. Here, the lassies are allowed to say pretty much whatever they want. The gentlemen that gave the toast did a very good job, I wish I remembered what they said. The toast from the ladies was also very nice, but again, I don't remember what was said.

Finally, it was time for haggis, turnips, and potatoes. I was a little skeptical about having haggis for the first time, so I only took a tiny spoonful, but it was actually surprisingly good. I don't know quite how to explain it, but I thought it tasted pretty good. One of my friends, who has never eaten meat before in her life, even tried some, and she even thought it was good. Last of all was the dessert, a delicious chocolate cake.

Then, it was time for the ceilidh. This was a bit intimidating for me because ceilidh=dancing, and anyone that knows me will tell you, I'm not a dancer in any sense of the word. One of the Scots who works at Firbush taught us all the steps to the dance, and then everyone would pair up and do the dance. I can't describe any of the dances. I could barely remember them long enough to finish each of the dances! I wasn't looking forward to dancing at first, but by the end of the night, even I was having a blast. There's a ceilidh for Arcadia students next week, so I think I'll be pretty prepared for that one. Towards the end of the ceilidh, one of my friends sang an older Scottish song while one of the Scots played guitar. It was beautiful. I love listening to people sing, and she has a great voice. Again, I wish I had a video to share. For some, the ceilidh continued into the night with an after party. I was dead tired, so I stayed up for a bit, but I went to bed before most.

The next day, there were several options for us to choose from. I decided to go kayaking. I can honestly say I've never been so ridiculously suited up to do anything. Ever. I had to pull on a wetsuit, which isn't necessarily the easiest thing to do. I borrowed shoes from the centre so that mine wouldn't get wet. The wetsuit went over my shirt, but then over that went a water-proof jacket. The wrists were tight to keep water out. Over that, went the life-jacket. To keep my hands warm, I was given pogies. They're gloves that are velcro-ed around the handle of the oar, and then you put your hands into the pogies to hold the oar. And last, but certainly not least, I had to put on the water-proof seal that fits tight around my waist and then gets sealed over the rim around the seat of the kayak so that as much water as possible stays out of the kayak. I don't think I've ever looked so ridiculous in my life. It was awesome.

Out on the water, two of the people in charge of the Firbush centre taught us how to control the boats. With so many of us in such a small space (we didn't go out onto the loch right away. Firbush has a mostly enclosed area to practice in before going onto the loch.), there was a lot of kayaks bumping into other kayaks. Finally we made it out to the loch. It's an awesome feeling, gliding across the water. At first, it felt effortless...until I had been kayaking for about an hour and my arms started to feel sore, and the oar started to feel quite heavy. We stayed close to the shore for a while, but then our group circled an island out in the middle of the loch before heading back to the Firbush centre. We had a small lunch, and then we were free to choose other activities to do. I was pretty tired from hiking, dancing and kayaking, and I had Catching Fire waiting for me in the room, so I decided to stay at Firbush and read until it was time for tea and scones. 

Overall, it was a wonderful weekend. I got to explore some amazing scenery, eat some amazing food, and learn some pretty cool Scottish dances. And I even got to read a good book. 

A Tale of Two Summits

The wonderful sheep of Scotland. And here, I'll include a truly awful joke from my really sweet, vegetarian friend: "Why
did the sheep cross the road? So we could have them for haggis at supper!" (Disclaimer: None of these sheep were harmed in the making of that night's dinner. They're just too cute!)

One of the things I really love about Scotland is the scenery. On the university grounds, there's a loch, swans and rabbits all over the place, and the grounds look amazing. From the grounds, you can see the beginnings of the Ochil Hills. I've been looking up at these mountains since I first arrived on campus, wanting to climb them. Finally one Saturday, I decided to wake up early and head out to climb Dumyat, part of the Ochil Hills range. I checked the weather forecast, dressed appropriately, packed a lunch and headed out.

I intended to do more of a vlog-style post for my trip to Dumyat's summit, but the weather worked against me. It's pretty obvious from the second clip, but the wind was quite strong--and that was at the base of the climb! (P.S., In that section of the video, I only said that the weather report about the wind was quite accurate, I noted that it was snowing, and I tried to point out the landmarks in Stirling's skyline.) Anyway, I was doing well with the whole vlog idea. I was pretty excited to take a video from the top, get some good footage of the views. I was also looking forward to eating lunch.

As I got closer to the summit, it started to get colder, but I was expecting that. I pressed on, my hands shoved deep into my pockets to keep them warm. As I neared the summit, it started to snow. I was only about a fifty-foot climb from the top, and though I knew my clothes wouldn't be enough if the weather worsened, I also knew I would be very disappointed if I made it that close to the top, only to turn back before I got there. So I decided to climb the fifty or so feet to the top. Bad idea.

Almost as soon as I got to the top of Dumyat, the wind and snow worsened into near-blizzard conditions. I couldn't see anything other than the other hikers taking shelter behind the rocks, pulling on extra gear from their backpacks. The wind was so strong that I struggled to stay upright as I staggered towards a small rock formation I could use as shelter. As I had no extra gear, I huddled behind a rock, pulled by hood over my face, pulled the drawstring tight, shoved my hands into my pockets, and hoped the storm would clear quickly.

The storm probably only lasted for about fifteen minutes, but given that I was inadequately dressed, and tend to overreact to dangerous situations, it seemed much longer. Deep down, I knew I was going to be fine--a complete stranger offered me her extra fleece--but, going into full panic mode, I started flashing back to episodes of I Shouldn't Be Alive, where the person telling the story nearly froze to death on a mountain. I was literally sitting on top of a mountain, huddled behind a rock, listening to Tina Fey's audiobook, muttering "I'm too young to die!" Not my proudest moment.

When the wind and snow died down a bit, I decided it was time for me to try to head back down. It was slow going at first--my shoes were not snow appropriate, so I kept slipping, and the wind was so strong that the snow felt like it was cutting my face and hands. Finally, I made it further down the mountain, where the winds weren't so strong, and the snow was no longer coating the mountain around me. From there, I made it down the mountain almost without incident. Since my shoes were not hiking shoes, I had some trouble on the mud. I didn't fall once--until I was right in front of a family stopped for lunch. I wiped out. My foot slid out from under me and I landed flat on my ass. But other than that, the return journey went without any problems, and I was soon back at AK Davidson with a hot chocolate, curled up under my delightfully warm duvet.

Me, Ruth and Aashika in our lovely matching hiking suits.

And now the story of the second summit... One of the many Arcadia-sponsored events of the semester is the Firbush activity weekend, where all sorts of outdoors activities are available. As soon as I saw kayaking and mountain-biking on the list, I signed up. On Friday, the Firbush staff picked the Stirling students up at the train station, and we were off! (A fun fact for the Monty Python fans--the Firbush activity center is only a few miles from the site of the attack of the killer rabbit.)

The first night was just dinner--I can't even describe how much I enjoyed having a delicious dinner without having to do any cooking! Saturday was when the adventures began. For the Arcadia group, Firbush always runs a 'hill walk' on Saturday. If you ask me, this term in no way captures the essence of the experience. To prepare for the hill walk, we were all outfitted with hiking boots, extra socks, waterproof pants, a waterproof jacket, a hat and gloves, and a rucksack. All the jackets and pants were either red or blue, so we looked like a band of surfs heading up the mountain!

The ice on blades of grass caused by all the wind. 

Once we got to the base of the trail, our guide explained that we would be climbing a 'Munro,' which is the term given to mountains with a summit higher than 3,000 feet. The weather was so foggy, that it was impossible to tell where we were headed. In fact, from the base of the trail, I couldn't even tell that there was a mountain nearby! The hike was a pretty good workout. It took somewhere between two and three hours to get to the top, and we stopped for lunch along the way. (I might add that it's not easy to eat lunch with frozen fingers, but it's also not easy to eat with thick mittens on. I tried.)

Just an idea of how thick the fog was...there's
ten people walking in line there.

By the time we reached the summit of the Munro, we were at the snow-capped peaks of the mountain range. The wind at the summit is so strong so often that ice freezes to blades of grass, freezing in large chunks formed by the wind. As our group makes its way to the very top, the fog is so thick that it's difficult to see more than fifteen feet in front of you--I stop hiking at one point to take a few pictures, and when I look up, my small group has disappeared into the fog and mist ahead. I feel as if I'm walking through a cloud.

The descent goes much quicker than the climb--and we get lucky. A strong wind comes through the valley, clearing the fog, and suddenly I can see for what must be miles. The land is beautiful, and when the fog rolls in again, I think that I must have imagined the scenery that is again obscured. Here, I will let the pictures do the talking, for a picture is worth a thousand words. And I'm far to tired to write a thousand words. I will just add that the hiking trip ended perfectly when we got back to the car park to find a group of sheep crossing the road. Apparently the grass is indeed greener on the other side!

The breath-taking views of the valley. I'm so glad the fog cleared out, because this landscape is truly stunning.

A tout a l'heure mes amis!