Hike to the Top of Arthur’s Seat, a 360 View of Edinburgh!
Author: Rachel Baltz | Major: Biology | Semester: Summer 2023
Visiting the country of Scotland was an exciting, eventful, and eye-opening time. I was able to participate in Arcadia Abroad’s Scottish History program. During this, I took a course on the history of Scotland and a course on museum curation. While neither of these courses are closely related to my biology degree, I was eager to take them and what they had to offer. The history course started from 0 A.D. and worked to present Scotland, all in just four weeks. I learned about the complexity of the Scottish origins, the many countries who have pasts intertwined with them, and the persistence of Scots today as they strive to gain independence from England. After each lecture, we were also taken to a site in the city that directly connected with what we had learned. The second course I took focused on how curation can affect education and the many ways that a museum can choose to present something. I was able to visit over twenty museums, castles, and historic sites and understand not just what was presented, but why. These courses combined every Friday and would take students on day trips throughout Scotland to experience what we learned in lecture, out in the real world. We visited Pictish standing stones, Glasgow Cathedral, Stirling Castle, and much more, all to enhance what we had previously discussed and watch history unfold before our eyes. This idea of observing what I learn is both new and familiar to me. Labs within my STEM degree focus on the same idea: learn the facts and why something happens, then test it in a physical way. However, I never imagined the same could be done so effectively in humanities courses. Lecture would mention the attack on Edinburgh and the death of King James IV at the Battle of Flodden, and then we would visit the exact walls built in retaliation just minutes from our flat. We learned about the Black Dinner, where many nobles were murdered at a dinner during a period of power struggles, and then we would explore the Great Hall of Stirling Castle where it took place. Each moment in class was brought to life by observation and will forever be remembered by me and my classmates.
The culture of Scotland is unique and very welcoming. From the captivating accents to the scenic views of the Highlands, and even the delicious Haggis, there is something for everyone. I explored to places like St. Andrews, a beautiful town on the coast, Douglas, a tiny village that I had familial ties to and happened to crash their county fair, and Loch Lomond, a massive lake that had breathtaking views at every turn. I began to understand a community of people and how different our worlds might be, but how our priorities of family and friends were the same. A visit to the Highland games showed me the rich history that they worked to keep alive in the Highland dancers, Bagpipe competitions, and caber tossing. No matter what, there was always something to experience that they treasured. While I might never get used to driving on the left side of the road, I will gladly visit the country of Scotland anytime I can because it feels like home.
I strongly recommend visiting Scotland. The Scottish History program has a perfect blend of education, field trips, and immersion into the local area. Something like this changes your view on the world. It broadens your ideas of what is happening on Earth and allows you to encounter people that you never would have met otherwise but will change your life. Studying abroad in places like Scotland also bring tremendous moments of growth through learning how to thrive in new places. There is so much beauty in the world to experience, and Scotland has almost anything you could imagine in just a short train ride away.