Back in America... A Year Later

I sat down to write a “Back in America” post more times than I can remember. And here I am, an entire year (to the day) since I returned from my European summer and it feels like the time might finally be right. And if it’s not, I’m forcing it to be.

I found myself unable to write another blog entry time and time again because the words wouldn’t come. The words wouldn’t come because I had no clue what I was feeling. I had no clue what I was feeling because I felt everything; pride for what I’d accomplished, annoyance at being back in classrooms in Indiana for another year, excitement at seeing my friends and family, longing for more adventure and fear that I had set myself out from the crowd but wouldn’t be able to live up to it. And that, my friends, is just the tip of the iceberg of the roller coaster that is reverse culture shock.

What is reverse culture shock, you ask? Well I’m sure you’ve all heard of culture shock – arriving in a new place or environment that is different from your own and experiencing difficulties coping. Reverse culture shock are those feelings of unrest and discomfort, only when you arrive home from whatever new land you found yourself in. I spent the summer exploring ten unique cities in four beautiful countries, living out of a backpack, working with people that made me feel at home and interacting with no one that I knew besides my brother. Then suddenly I was back in the states, forced to re-adapt to painfully normal life.

Things were the same, but things were undeniably different. I would cry for no reason, I wanted to lay in bed and my school load felt like it was consuming me despite only be in twelve credit hours. I was angry and felt shut off. Sure, this sounds like that of someone having a depression-induced crisis! But in reality, I was confused and frustrated and didn’t know how to articulate the things I felt.

Now we add in interaction with other humans. Humans that followed my journey via blog and social media, with nothing but kind words of encouragement and support for which I am eternally grateful.

Disclaimer: this is a generalization of my encounters with people, not an every time occurrence. Keep in mind the internal struggles I just covered when you read my thoughts on interacting with others. Regardless of how a conversation went with someone, I am still so happy people were kind enough to ask and it’s overwhelming to think back on the support.

I would see people and they’d ask “how was your trip?”, I respond with “it was great!” and then they give me that “seriously... that’s it?” look. But going any more in depth would feel like I was dropped into an endless ocean of my own stories that I had yet to even reflect on. I experienced something new every single day for three months – it’s hard to sum up in a fleeting conversation.

Or perhaps, I would dive into further detail, but here’s the kicker: they don’t care. Which is completely fine, and not surprising. From what I’ve found, if someone hasn’t been out of the country or doesn’t have the overwhelming desire to do something similar, then they have nothing to relate it to and your stories will go in one ear and out the other. Again, a very understandable response to me babbling on about a Renaissance mime-actor with black makeup all over his body, approaching Quinton and I as we ate sushi on the edge of the Seine. I’d change the subject on me too.

Somewhere, there’s a middle ground of telling someone more than “it was really dope” but still not dragging them into a play-by-play accompanied by an iPhone slideshow, complete with upbeat, inspirational background music. I never found that middle ground.

Although I understand people’s inability to communicate with me about my trip, (and in retrospect, my issues were making it harder than it needed to be) it made the reverse culture shock all the more difficult. I felt trapped with all my experiences with no way to express them. Luckily, Quinton and I have a knack for taking ugly pictures (ok, I just make really ugly faces in pictures... sorry, Mom) and family and friends get a kick out of looking at those. Humor makes it all better.

*If you’re traveling abroad, I suggest taking strange, somewhat tragic photos of yourself because it’s a good segue into a story! Jealousy will run rampant when you’re at a world renowned destination AND you look fierce.

I can’t say how I finally coped with the reverse culture shock because it still has a hand in my life, although it’s far less severe. That summer changed me, as it would change anyone who traveled alone for six weeks then spent another five attached to the hip of their big brother. People are enthusiastically impressed when they learn I spent a summer abroad, working and traveling. And still others toss a stinky face my way when I relate a situation to a story from Europe. You can’t please everyone, but I do hope that in some way, the summer I had might light a fire under someone else’s butt and they’ll think “I can do that”. ****if you’re thinking this right now then HELL YES YOU CAN.

So without trudging through the entirety of the 2014-2015 school year, we’ll skip ahead.

I graduated from the University of Southern Indiana in May with a degree in Public Relations and Advertising and I have no hesitation in saying that the program that led me to the internship in New Lanark, Scotland was the greatest decision I’ve ever made. Although this summer was not spent Anthony Bourdain-ing around foreign countries, I did manage to land another internship (because who wants to fully join the real world, am I right?), working full time in the Communications Department at SABIC Innovative Plastics in Southern Indiana.

No, I can’t tell you what’s next, so don’t ask me. (Yes, I’m still in the post-grad attitude.)

But I would like to close with, despite the frustrations I felt when talking to others about the trip or the battles I felt with re-adjusting to real life, I am beyond grateful for every person who supported me before, during and after this trip. It’s intimidating to consider the possibilities and places that I’ve yet to come upon, but I’m grounded and less fearful knowing that I have an incredible foundation of support from people in southern Illinois, Indiana and wherever in the world all my travel buddies may be today.

Here's to the next adventure.

Cheers,
TGT

 

 

#EuroSledge2014 Part I

I'm still here! Or alive... or something... What I'm trying to say is that these big European cities have a lot to offer and it's extremely easy to put off any kind of responsibility so you can get up early, spend your days doing as much as possible, then fall asleep the second your head hits the fluffy hostel pillow (I kid about the fluff part).
Since I've put off posting, an attempt at a recap for the entirety of our time in the UK would leave you reading this until the fall so I'll spare you every detail. Plus I know you all would rather hear me babble on and on about it in person upon my return, right?
So I present to you now, an overview of the trip so far including city highlights and weather disappointments. I will spare you my musings of plots to kill my brother.
After the completion of my internship in Scotland (which I still can't believe has come and gone!) Quinton arrived and we started the journey with a quick hop up to Inverness in the Highlands of Scotland. We only stayed a total of 22 hours but we were really just there to successfully check the Loch Ness tour off our bucket lists. We didn't find Nessie (I'm still recovering from that painful blow) but the loch is incredible and pictures really don't do it justice.

 

 

In fact, I gave up taking pictures from the boat at a certain point because I was angry that it wasn't really capturing what I was looking at.
Inverness was a nice small town and I think it was good for us to start there to get our bearings as travelers before skipping off to the larger cities.
I said goodbye to Scotland after 43 days with one desire in mind; heat. Our next stop was England so I knew I wasn't in for anything tropical but Bath didn't disappoint. We had good weather and plenty of sunshine which meant I finally busted out my shorts. This also meant I offended the kind people of Bath with my exceptionally pale legs that had just spent six weeks in Scotland. Sorry, Bath. I'll look better next time.
Bath has always been high on my list of places to visit since Samantha Brown first introduced me to the city on Passport to Europe. The entire city, full of Georgian elegance and Palladian architecture was everything I thought it would be; grand and awe-inspiring in it's symmetrical, cohesive style, yet welcoming and friendly despite the aristocratic feel.
We picnicked in parks, took tours both historic and comedic and enjoyed the beauty of the city (which is often a backdrop of major Hollywood films).

Bath also introduced me to the WORST hostel roommate (except maybe the person from the movie Hostel? I haven't seen it, but I assume whatever happens in the movie trumps the story I'm about to share). We were in a 12 bed mixed dorm room - which really is not a bad set up - and there was an old man who was in bed by 8pm every night and not only did he fill the room with the beautiful sound of his loud snoring, but he talked.. no no, he had full conversations in his sleep. It might have been more entertaining if I knew what he was saying, but he shouted in another language throughout the night. Thank goodness for headphones and Netflix.
After too little time, we said goodbye to Bath, stopped by Stonehenge (along with the entire Asian population) then headed on to London.
Our first full day in London was ironically the 4th of July. I subtly represented the holiday in the country we gained independence from by donning my red, white and blue...

 

I'd like to share that on our Independence Day, the part of London we were in was having "independent's day" for the independent store owners.......... clever. And their marketing scheme used red, white and blue with a familiar "I want you" theme.
Our hostel was about as centrally located as we could have hoped. We stayed in Waterloo borough and they just so happened to be having a month long summer festival so we were lucky enough to run into some parades, drink specials, and some spectacular street food.
My favorite activity in London was the midnight performance of Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus at The Globe Theatre. The standing tickets were sold out by the time we got there but by combining my radar for cute guys and talent for eavesdropping I found some boys with extra tickets and snagged two for free. I've never seen anything as incredible as that performance of Titus and clearly other people were moved by it too as three people passed out and one person vomited.
As we left the theatre and walked home along the wharf at four in the morning, I was that creep that recognized an ABC Family TV star and approached her to make sure I was right. Nothing like some Shakespeare to bring peasants and actors together!
A close second was the free 2.5 hour bike tour we took from  a new company which got my cardio in for the day and allowed us to see more than we would have on our own. Plus we stopped at a pub half way through and our adorable Irish guide was really informative.
And to round out the "Best of London" list: Quinton and I enjoyed walking to nearly every sight and frequently walked while exercising our right to carry open beer down the streets of London. Usually just because we thought it was awesome that we could. (Or while standing in the rain for 2 hours waiting to see the Tour de France come through town).
London is such a unique blend of neighborhoods and it's easy to find a place to hang out depending on what you're feeling each day.
We said goodbye to the United Kingdom and have been in Paris for a few days now. Right now, I am just a little angry with Paris because it's been rainy and cloudy so I'll wait to share my thoughts about the city until after our next few days of sun. I'm extremely affected by the weather and can't help that it alters my mood!!! Rest assured we're having tons of fun and Paris is as beautiful as you think it would be.
I didn't exactly hold true to my attempt at keeping this under novel-length. Sorry! I vow to get my next post up sooner rather than three cities later. Perhaps on the five hour train ride to the French Riviera. Watch for picture posts on my Facebook and pray that Quinton keeps on this exciting streak of not losing anything major like phone or glasses! yay!

Cheers!
TGT

Goodbye New Lanark

I've written and re-written this post at least ten times now. The past week or so has been nuts between finalizing brochure content, setting up an entire new exhibition plus fetching my brother from the airport and stashing him in my hostel room for a few days. Now that I have OFFICIALLY completed my internship with the New Lanark Trust (!!!!), I have time for half a breath while I repack to set off on my travels with Quinton .

As I'm writing this "goodbye" post I'm simultaneously starting the reflection process for this part of the journey. This means that my thoughts are jumbled and range everywhere from being completely humbled and grateful for the many wonderful people that have helped me along the way, to giving myself three hundred pats on the back for adapting and thriving in a foreign country.

There's no doubt in my mind that I couldn't have had a better supervisor for this internship. My boss, Jane, went above and beyond my expectations for this journey. She entrusted a lot of responsibility in me and didn't hesitate to give me multiple projects - which for someone who loves the rush of working on things and tweaking details down to the last second, was perfect. But it was the hospitality she showed me outside of work that really made this special. She included me in community and family events that really provided me with the opportunity to experience and understand the dynamics and customs of this culture. This, and the fact that she rocks five inch heels on the cobble stones and six flights of stairs at New Lanark, makes her outstanding in her role as a mentor. 

It was strange to say goodbye to the people in the office. Six weeks in a work environment can fly by when there are so many projects afoot and it's just enough time to start feeling settled and in your groove before your time has run out. New Lanark has such an impressive variety of talents working at their site and because of that, this historic mill, over a century old, constantly feels like it's moving forward and growing thanks to the creativity and vision of its employees. 

New Harmony and New Lanark, although their history is intertwined, are so very different. However, learning more in-depth history about New Lanark has given me a better understanding of the material I talk about when I work at the Visitors Center in New Harmony. I was also more than happy to dust off my New Harmony tour guide monologues for guests or even workers at New Lanark that didn't know much about Robert Owen's purchase, vision and time in Indiana. 

I'm sad to leave this place. The people, the atmosphere, the constant presence of carbs and champagne (Scotland's two mascots, I've decided) have been greater than I could have imagined. I'm sure I don't fully comprehend how much I've grown over that past month and a half. It's kind of  "sink or swim" when you head out, alone, to a foreign place, but I'm proud of myself for swimming. I've spent a lot of time alone - traveling, exploring, dining, sightseeing - and at times it can be lonely, but ultimately I think I've learned a lot about adapting and I'm seeing the world in a different way.

Without a doubt, I could babble on and on about the effect this internship has had on me (fair warning to all those that talk to me upon my return home), but the fun isn't over! Quinton and I set out for Inverness in the morning and thus begins the second half of my summer. Packing for a second time was no less stressful than the first time, but at least I'm packing clothes designed for the heat and sun. Love you, Scotland, but I need to catch some rays. (Which won't happen in Inverness but hopefully later destinations like Spain.)

Fear not, I'll still blog while Q and I travel! Although I'm confined to just using my iPhone, which I find has an effect on my writing skills.

Warning: future blogs could be less professional.

Cheers!
TGT

Lanimers

I survived Lanimer Week!

Not sure what Lanimers is? Me either. I don’t know the whole history but I’ll do my best to briefly describe it and the week of celebrations that took place.
I knew that Lanimer Day was going to be a big deal in the weeks leading up to it for a few reasons.
 1. Every single person I’ve met asked if I would be here for it.
2. There were laundry lists of events going on for the duration of the week.
3. They started hanging flags and banners a good week and a half before the actual celebration.
4. My boss gave me Lanimers (Thursday), the day before and day after (Wednesday and Friday) off of work.
5. The celebration stems from a charter granted in 1140. People don’t just let traditions, with that longevity, just fall by the wayside.

Many communities in Scotland have Gala Days, but since Lanark is a Royal Burgh, it has Lanimer Day. And don’t you dare say “Happy Gala Day!” because someone will correct your disgusting, heartless mistake. There is pride in that Royal Burgh title. I’m not completely positive who or what a Lanimer is but I saw a man in a slightly terrifying horse costume with a sash that read “Larry Lanimer” - he could just like horses though. Regardless, Lanimer Day and many of the rituals and traditions that go along with it are held in very high esteem by Lanark natives and it turned out to be an extremely impressive community event.

By Sunday, nearly every house in Lanark was decorated with colourful flags and their gardens in prime, show-worthy condition. Even if you weren’t hosting anyone at your house for a Lanimer party, the garden still got tended to. Restaurants and pubs along High Street (equivalent of a ‘Main Street’) got fresh coats of paint, while the shops and other businesses of Lanark prepared to close their doors so they could join the day full of events.

Monday kicked off the week with The Marches; a tradition dating back to when Lanark was granted the charter of a Royal Burgh. To carry on with this title, each year the elected Lord Cornet rides with the ex-Cornets to check the boundary stones of the town to ensure that intruders have not breeched the lines or taken any land. It sounds farcical, but tradition is tradition, folks! Hoards of townspeople fill the streets to follow the Cornets on The Marches. I’m told I was in the presence of some 1,000 people and together we trudged through fields and mud and private lands until we came to a large open field. Here, we symbolically rested, just before the finish, to open the snacks and booze we’d all been carrying in backpacks for the entire trek. And I don’t mean “we”, as in the people I was with and I, snuck wine along. I’m talking the whole flock of marching citizens, pausing to consume Pringles and spirits before finishing the jaunt. And what do you do at the conclusion of such a journey? You head to the pubs covered in mud and grass, of course! Perhaps the fun of drinking in a field is the draw for some people, but whatever the reason, I was extremely impressed with the amount of Lanarkians – young, old and four legged – that gave up their evening to join the customary hike. It says a lot for the esteem these folks have for their traditions.

The first picture below is the beginning of The Marches. Not my best photography moment but I was attempting to not trample dogs and children. You still get an idea of how many people there were (I was stationed near the middle of the pack so there’s loads more behind).

This photo is the only one snapped during the “rest” in the field. My mouth is conveniently full of chips – but at least I managed a smile! I was tempted to leave it out, but I’m standing in a field in Scotland, drinking wine out of a plastic cup with muddy strangers. It needed to be documented. The branch I’m so proudly displaying also has a purpose; it’s birch and has some symbolic meaning but I was told three different stories and I’m sure I wouldn’t relay any of them properly.

Another (less exiting) march was held on Tuesday as the Cornets rode to New Lanark to check the boundary stones on this edge of the Royal Burgh.

Wednesday was a day full of preparation and gorgeous weather that I spent in town, basking in the anticipation and getting assaulted by old women in the super market (yes that happens in Scotland too, unfortunately). The weather was so nice that I, once again, skipped the bus and walked back to New Lanark with four bags of groceries, cosmetics and wine. I think it speaks for itself that I miss the sun and don’t intend on wasting it when it makes an appearance here, even if my arms fall off.

Thursday… The day you’ve been waiting for… Lanimer Day! It was an early day that started off with beaming sunlight that forced me to break a sweat during my 8am journey up to town. By 10am, the parade had started and I was shivering. Good ol’ Scotland weather. The never-ending festivities were full of bagpipes, drinks, lorries (floats), schoolchildren dressed up for the parade, meals in the garden, the procession of the Lanimer Queen and her court and socializing at pubs.

Did periods of slight drizzle halt the celebration? No, this is Scotland. Did the fact that your stomach was about to explode from eating all day keep you from seconds? No, someone slaved over this food and it would be rude not to overindulge. Did your thirst keep you from the excitement on the streets? No, the pubs used plastic cups and for this one day a year, drinking in the streets is allowed. And yet, with all these elements you would think this is the perfect recipe for out of control partying. Again, no. People thoroughly enjoy this day of customary events. Yes, there is drinking that starts early and ends late, but the people in attendance at Lanimers are truly proud of their heritage and have a great time without going overboard and tarnishing the name of their town and it’s most famous day.

Friday was recovery for all. I was told “if you don’t look awful the day after Lanimers, then you didn’t really celebrate Lanimers” and I think I rose to that challenge. 12 hours of sleep was needed to recover from the previous 8am-1am day I’d had.

The closing ceremonies, if you will, for the week was the Lanimer Ball. A posh, black tie event that I got way too excited for because let’s be honest, I miss dressing up for high school dances. There! I said it! Any excuse to wear fake eyelashes and drink champagne is an event I want to be involved in. Unfortunately, there were no more tickets left for the dinner by the time I committed to going. However, my fabulous boss gladly helped me gate crash so I could join in for the dancing and post-meal glamour.

What a week, right? I felt as though I was neglecting my blog but after rattling all that off I’m surprised I remembered to call my mom. The summary for the week: it was a blast. There was clearly a lot going on, so I thank you for sitting through that rundown, my apologies on its lengthiness.

I’ve written about how great the timing was for this internship as far as the projects and opportunities at work go. Now add in that I was able to be present and involved in this eventful week of traditions, and I have seriously got to hug whoever chose the dates for my journey. The work is fantastic and never ceases to be educational, but being immersed in the culture and adapting to the pace and traditions of this community is bringing it full circle.

Less than two weeks left. Where does the time go?

Cheers!
TGT

Learning the Ropes

     I have officially completed my first exhibition set up! And a joint exhibition, at that. Plus I survived a Scottish hen party. I double deserve some fish and chips, right?

      New Lanark's "A Tale of Two Institutes" exhibition with Lanark Library was already in the works and development was pretty far along by the time I arrived in Scotland so I wasn't involved in much informative panel content or picking the archive pieces to include. However, I was able to write and edit captions and choose the stands, displays and plinths for all the material. The real fun started when we spent more than two work days doing set up at the New Lanark site and in the library's display area. We spent hours scrubbing glue off the case windows, staring at and adjusting arrangements, and cleaning up our giant mess in the archive room. Sounds pretty glamorous, right? I guess it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I've never been so heavily involved in that kind of process and the work is rewarding.

      Overall, the coolest part about this exhibition was the material I handled for the displays. For example, the book I'm arranging in the photo below was published in 1708. That's decades older than the Declaration of Independence, my fellow Americans!

      The best part about being an intern is that I don't have to know how to do everything (even though I pretend to). My boss, Jane, has such a meticulous eye for detail and is a wizard at set ups so to be able to shadow her and hover while she works has taught me a lot. Here are some photos during and post set up.

      Now that I have been here for a few weeks and proven that I am a mildly competent human of acceptable intelligence, I've been tasked with greater responsibilities! I am now working with one of the volunteers to create a new brochure about the production and sale of the wool and textiles made on site in New Lanark. I also get to start the planning and development for the next exhibition "Bowls, Books and Bagpipes" which centers around sports and leisure in New Lanark/South Lanarkshire in celebration of the Commonwealth Games being held in Glasgow this year. I know what you're thinking, "you've only got four weeks left there". Right you are! The rest of my time here will be extremely busy so I will just go to sleep now.



Cheers!

TGT

Call of the Wild

On a scale from 1 - 10 of how outdoorsy I am I'd say I'm a 4 or 5 (unless drinks on the patio or laying by a pool counts, in which case I'm a solid 9). It's not that I hate being outside, it's just not often that I'm inspired to get in my car and drive somewhere to hike or climb or parkor on things. Alas, that inspiration has finally struck now that I'm in Scotland! Maybe it's the river, or the hills, or that the sun is up until 10pm so I have all the time in the world. Regardless, I'm spending a surprising amount of time outside.

New Lanark is nestled in the bottom of a gorge next to the River Clyde; this means in order to get to Lanark (i.e. the store, restaurants, shopping) you have to walk about a mile uphill. But it's not a regular uphill. It's like... the highest setting of incline on the treadmill, uphill. The way back down is even difficult because it's so steep that my legs don't know what to do. I've adopted this kind of squat-jog for the worst parts that I'm sure is one of my more attractive talents. I voluntarily climb this to town instead of waiting for the one bus an hour because I feel good once I've completed it, the views are perfect and I know the way back will be less torturous. Except the other day when I walked back to New Lanark with three bags of groceries from the store.

I've also hiked the 5km trail up to the Falls of Clyde a few times, and it's spectacular each time. On my first trip, there were all those dandelion puffs floating around in the air, which can be obnoxious if you tend to walk around with your mouth ajar like I do, but when I finally got up to the viewpoint and stood in awe of the falls it seemed like they were suspended in mid-air. It was magical. Sort of like in Avatar when all those bouncy sea urchins swirled around Jake and ceremoniously landed on him. Only I wasn't blue or naked.

The Falls of Clyde attract visitors just as much as the historical site does and they offer a pretty good photo op too! Enjoy!

And a hiking selfie just to prove I was there.
Note: When you travel alone, you selfie alone. This can be awkward, but the woods aren't here to judge.

My arrival was a bit like "Welcome to Scotland, now get to work" which I'm happy about. Six weeks isn't long to really get involved and have a grasp on the numerous projects that are going on. I've been pretty busy already and I haven't even finished week two! Today I helped install part of an exhibit for a joint exhibition we're doing with the Lanark Library for their centenary. I'll be posting more about it next week when we finish the New Lanark portion.

Tomorrow I'm attending my first "hen-do" (the equivalent of a bachelorette party). But for now, I'm hearing a live band outside my room which probably means a reception at the hotel, which definitely means there's cake. And I just so happen to need some dessert.

Cheers!
TGT

Welcome to Scotland!

Let me start this post out by saying thank you! I've had over 100 views on this blog and that makes my palms all sweaty from 4,000 miles away!

As you may have guessed, I arrived safely in Scotland! First things first, I'll get my list of unfortunate mishaps out of the way before I obnoxiously gush about how great things are. So, after my flight delay and not taking off until midnight or so...

1.      I got detained at immigration. I'm not really sure what the lady wanted from me since I had every document, form of ID and proof of being a student/intern, but I didn't have the answers she was searching for. Shoutout to her for doing her job, but the holdup caused me to chase my luggage around Edinburgh airport, nearly miss my contact picking me up, and almost unleash my inner Jason Bourne.

2.     After getting out of the shower, prepared to look fabulous for my first day of work, I realized that although my phone charger fits the adapter, my hair dryer does not (a tragic case where one of the little prongs is bigger than the other). Needless to say, I looked very adorable for day one in New Lanark... Also, I have bought another hairdryer, I know that was the pressing issue on your mind.

3.     I was service and wifi-less for over 24 hours. Recall my last post where I predicted I may get mad at my lack of phone capabilities? I checked that off the list right away. I mostly just wanted to get word to my family that I made it off the flight and broke out of custody at immigration. I now have wifi access in my room and have FaceTimed with Bella for her birthday, but that was a rough day and a half!

Enough tragedy.

The people in Scotland are magnificent. I have to stay focused or I have no clue what anyone is saying, but everyone I encounter seems to gladly go out of their way to chat, help or include me. I've been thrown right in to the mix at work; day one I helped conduct a workshop at a primary school where a little boy asked me what language I was speaking, and day two was spent doing archive work in Lanark's library. I'm noticing how perfect the timing of my internship is because there is so much happening at the site right now that I get to be a part of.

I have already experienced some frustration with trying to write or proof content. The sentence structure, acceptable lingo and grammar style is far different here and it's difficult to shy away from the ever-looming AP Stylebook that is the Holy Grail in so much of my coursework at school. It'll take some getting used to, but I'm already learning that training doesn't necessarily cross boarders that well.

I'll end with a little Scotland weather. I was welcomed to the UK with...

...this perfect weather! (I'm staying in one of the far houses) After work, we raced to the store, along with the rest of Lanark, to buy grilling necessities. I'm told that you can't plan for a barbeque in Scotland so when the weather is perfect you drop everything to take the opportunity to spend the evening in the garden - which we did.

However, I was warned that it was just a trick and the sun wouldn't stay around like that for long. They were right. Every day since then has looked a little something like...

...this. A bit dreary, but with the River Clyde right outside your window and hills in the other direction, you can't really complain.

I’m headed to Glasgow tomorrow for exploring and perhaps casually kidnapping a member of One Direction since they’ll be in town.

Cheers!
TGT