Scotland | | Page 3

The Story that Changed Everything

April 1, 2015

It’s true that study abroad changes you. It’s also true that a good book will do the same. Put these two things together and kaboom! I feel like I’ve recently gained a piece of Yoda-inspired wisdom. I initially picked up a book as an easy, fun read to do on those rainy days; but it somehow tied into my abroad experience, my internship at Parliament, my major, and even my future…

It wasn’t a philosophy book. It’s called “The Monk and the Riddle” and it’s actually about an entrepreneur pitching to an investor. Then something in the middle caught me. Komisar defined it perfectly when he said that passion is what pulls you toward something while drive is what pushes you toward something. At first when I read this I was dumbstruck. Reading about the difference suddenly gave me clarity. Which made me kind of angry. Not at him, but at myself.

How long have I been pushing myself toward the “perfect” major? Toward getting good grades? Toward seizing every opportunity and getting leadership positions? Versus, how long did I spend actually being pulled toward something? I’ve always had a great drive and work ethic, but was rarely pulled by what I learned. Except global health. Looking back, learning about health inequalities, the poverty cycle, and lack of economic opportunities are the things that have pulled me toward the major I’m at now.

What stop me from acting is thinking that I can’t make a difference. But then I think of my mom. She’s one person but makes an impact in my life every day.

My timing could have been slightly better. It’s awful to think that I’ve spent a majority of my college career developing my drive rather than my passion. The truth is, I’ve only recently discovered my “pull”. When I first encountered global health, I knew I was drawn toward it, but there weren’t avenues for me to pursue it further. So it got pushed ahead of me as a long-term goal that I would run towards…eventually.

The main reason why I applied for the Scottish Parliament internship was to dive back into global health issues again. So far, it’s been the best decision I’ve made. I get work with people who are also passionate about making sure that every person has better access to healthcare. I see this as “global health” because the NHS is vastly different than our cocktail of private/public healthcare systems back at home. Making these comparisons have helped me better understand the complicated and difficult process of delivering policies. But it’s also shown me the dedication, and drive that stems from pursuing what you believe in (passion!). Will I continue to work with health issues in government? I’m not entirely sure. We’ll see what the rest of this year brings. Maybe another book and some new experiences will help me figure it out.

A copy of the Alcohol Bill my MSP just passed!

Can’t believe I only have two weeks left!

The Scottish Parliament

Senior year is fast approaching. I can finally describe and describe with confidence that my passion is engaging with people – to learn about their passions, what they want to do, but more than that, work with them – pool our resources together – to help build up other people. But why health? It’s an issue that I’ve had a personal relationship with during college. During finals season of my freshman year, I was struck with an illness that never fully left. But I found strength by connecting with other people (which isn’t easy to do when you’re dealing with an illness), and I wanted to help others do the same.

This upcoming fall, I am determined to find a way to bring people together. I feel like people may care about social causes but are never connected enough with the issue to invest their time into it. My goal is to find a way to bridge that gap through marketing. I just finalized my classes for this upcoming semester which is a combination of marketing, healthcare, and politics. For once, choosing my classes was easy. The hard part will be the 6 units worth of upper-level classes + everything else. But I will push forward and this time, push forward with a blossoming passion.

Senior year here we come!

3 Comments | KyungSun in Scotland, Spring 2015 | Tagged: Academics, Internship, Reflection, Scotland | Permalink
Posted by Klee

KyungSun in Scotland: Scattered

March 26, 2015

Things that have been on my mind lately: homesickness, booking flights, buying Edinburgh concert tickets, prescription waste, Harry Potter Pub Quiz, and what I’m having for lunch today. These are a reflection of the many things I am juggling this week. If there was a way to see my thoughts, it would certainly look like a scribbly 2 year-old doodle. So perhaps the best way to give you a better picture of my thoughts is to sketch them out separately. Here goes:

When you’re trying to move on…

Homesickness is like the cold that refuses to go away. It gives you a headache, it’s all you think about, and even when you find a distraction, it still lurks underneath. It’s persistent because when you’re dealing with problems, you usually want to do three things: shut down, shut everyone out, or let everyone in to help you. I think the best place to do all three is at home with your family. I’ve mostly been missing the ease and comfort of home. Being abroad means you have to make a lot of decisions on your own, and lately, I’ve had to make some headache-inducing money decisions. Numbers already stress me out (social sciences all the way!) and after a stressful number-crunching session, takeout and staying in bed become very attractive options.

If you just booked a budget-flight…

Like me, you’d probably be a bit scared. Germanwings’ latest crash struck my heart for the 150 people that were on board and their families. I pray that they find strength during their time of grief. I can’t even imagine how shocking it is knowing that your loved one is gone unexpectedly and how infuriating it is not knowing the cause of the crash. The pilot was experienced, there was no distress signal, and I pray that they find the other black box soon. It could have been anyone. I recently booked two flights to Athens and Rome from a budget-airline before the crash. It’s nerve-racking and another source of stress, but I’m trying to remind myself to have hope in all things – hope that everything will eventually be okay.

Here is a good summary to the story in case you don’t know about it yet: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-32035121

Finding good music to keep you sane…

Despite the difficulty in managing money, I’m reminding myself what exactly I’m buying. One of those things are concert tickets. My goal is to visit as many theatres and performance venues in Edinburgh as possible. I hear they are beautiful! Some of them are in old churches or historic buildings which will also make it an even more unique experience compared to performances in the States. Now, as much as I love that Usher is coming to Glasgow (Scotland’s biggest city), I’m also a big fan of musicals and classical music. I know, I know. It’s “outdated”. But I instilled a deep appreciation for it by growing up singing classical music. Plus, contemporary and classical instrument fusion is awesome (see link below for proof). I’m also using UR’s cultural reimbursements, which has eased the burden that I may be coming home broke.

When you go against the World Health Organization….

My MSP told me earlier this month about a life-changing health idea: donating unused medicines to developing countries. I was immediately intrigued and he said he wanted me to look into how to set up this program in Scotland. Success! I now found my topic for my 5,000 word internship research paper. After looking more into it, I discovered that there is a lot of prescription waste in both Scotland, the UK, and the US. This is not to say that our countries are inefficient. Less than 50% of this waste is actually unavoidable due to for example, people switching treatments or passing away before finishing their medicines. However, the avoidable waste is what I’m most concerned with, especially if they are caused by inefficiencies in our prescribing practices. Of course, like with all foreign aid, I have to be careful of the unintended consequences that may come from drug donations. Apparently the World Health is not a fan of donating medicines abroad. However, hopefully my research will lead me to discover some safe, sustainable, and legal practices!

When you’re breathing the same air as J.K. Rowling…

I have yet to see Ms. Rowling herself. I haven’t checked if she’s out on tour, but my friend does know where she lives…Despite the fact that J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter in Edinburgh, HP it’s not a big tourist hype here. There is, however, a lot of local and campus-hype for HP. So far I’ve come across an Azkaban ceilidh, the Harry Potter Society, and tonight is the Quizzard (Harry Potter Pub Quiz) hosted at the local pub. I’m hoping the triwizard cup will be the victory prize. Fun fact: Rowling drew inspiration for some of HP’s famous places like Diagon Alley from alleyways and places here in Edinburgh.

Finally, the most important meal of the day….

Today’s special is the pulled pork sandwich. Sold.

My thoughts may seem scattered, but they’re all pieces of my abroad experience. Yes, lately, I’ve mostly been tired, homesick, and stressed. But I like to take these moments to re-focus where I am. I zoom out from how I’m feeling in that particular time and see all the things that’s happened so far. Doing this has made me realize that despite the stress right now, I am also paving the way toward cool and memorable experiences.

And when even this doesn’t work, I always have Leslie Knope and Indian takeout.

Leave a Comment » | KyungSun in Scotland, Spring 2015 | Tagged: Culture, Family, Food, Music, Reflection, Scotland | Permalink
Posted by Klee

KyungSun in Scotland: Getting Plugged In

March 23, 2015

Sometimes I forget that I’m not a typical exchange student.

This past week, my other exchange friends reminded me that essays, tutorials, and societies still existed. These three things about Uni (University) life had far slipped from my mind once I began my internship. Although I do not miss the workload, the one thing I do wish I did was to join more societies. I did do the Music Society, but I unfortunately wasn’t able to attend the concert. I had booked trip to Ireland and realized at the next rehearsal for that concert was that same weekend. #fail

I admit, I do have a lot more free time compared to the other exchange students. But let me dispel your first worry that I probably sit in my room all day. I wrote in my first blog post that if I have spare time, I would spend it going out to explore a new part of the city. I am happy to say that I’ve been keeping up with this promise.

Things I’ve discovered so far on my spontaneous walks in the city include:

Some extreme and strange street performances. Its not uncommon to hear bagpipes on the streets, but my ears perked up when I heard Leonard Cohen’s, “Hallelujah” (one of my favorites). It was played via the flute pipes by a man wearing a Native American headdress. I also saw a man eating fire and another playing the violin while on a suspended line.

Street performance on the Royal Mile

Delicious local food. The best food can always be found at farmer’s markets. I found a great one in Stockbridge that had some noteworthy Kenyan Samosas and Spanish paella. Yum.

Stockbridge Farmer’s Market

Celebrity sightings. I only noticed that fame was in our presence when I saw the traffic commotion of…the Irish Rugby team in front of the Balmoral, aka the most expensive/grandest hotel in Edinburgh. I looked them up later and discovered that they are currently 3rd in the World Rugby rankings (as of 3/2/2015).

Irish Rugby Team Sighting on Princes Street

Each time I go out, I see more of why all my friends, professors, and advisors have told me that Edinburgh is one of their favorite cities. There is always music somewhere, the people in general are reserved, but friendly, the buildings are beautifully historic, and the city is so alive in its own Scottish culture, but also in other cultures. Its not uncommon to see an Indian restaurant, Pizza Hut, a Scottish tourist shop, and French pastry shop all in one row.

While it is easier to get plugged into Edinburgh city, it definitely has been more difficult to get plugged in at Edinburgh Uni. There aren’t many social events that unifies the campus like a football game or a Pig Roast would on a given Saturday. Rather, it’s a more common part of the European uni life to be part of the campus by being part of the communities already within the campus. Aka, by joining multiple societies.

One of the many overwhelming pamphlets I recieved during orientation

But joining a society while doing the internship has been semi-difficult. There are interns who are actively part of societies; one of them recently had a show that we attended through the Opera Society and another two are part of the Sports Unions. But for me, the key to getting more involved at school and meeting more Scottish people has been to go to society events.

Just last night, I went to the Improverts Show, an improvise comedy society, and it was one of the best Friday nights I’ve had. My flatmate and I were warned that we probably won’t get tickets unless we bought them ahead of time. But fortunately we got in line early enough before they sold out. And I could see why we were warned. It was packed and hilarious. Its also a very popular Uni event because apparently, they sell out for every Friday show. That’s a pretty good track record.

The Improverts!

Here is a snapshot of what the pre-show looked like:

There is never a shortage of events here at Edinburgh. This week, I’m going to a Harry Potter themed pub quiz, a theatre festival for social change, and my Scottish neighbor invited us to see her play, Candlewasters. I find out about most of these events through friends or my kind Scottish neighbor. There is no convenient “Spiderbytes” equivalent here at Edinburgh and you really have to dig through Facebook and read the posters throughout campus. But despite the sheer number of events, this has also meant that I’ve also been able to find a lot more entertainment/fun things to do that fit me better. It’s definitely one of the things I’ll miss most about Edinburgh.

P.S. If you want to check out the list of Edinburgh’s 240+ awesome societies for anything and everything, check out: https://www.eusa.ed.ac.uk/getinvolved/societies/findasociety/.

Leave a Comment » | KyungSun in Scotland, Spring 2015 | Tagged: Culture, Friends, Host University, Music, Scotland | Permalink
Posted by Klee

KyungSun in Scotland: Storm Warning

March 17, 2015

They say homesickness abroad is inevitable and it finally hit me this past weekend.

I bought a ticket to the Isle of Skye, one of Scotland’s most beautiful islands, where we spent 2 nights and 3 days exploring waterfalls, cliffs, and beautiful lakes/rivers. It was supposed to rain all weekend, but I figured I could tolerate Scotland’s weather by now. Plus, Scotland is notorious for quickly changing weather and I prayed that we would see some flashes of sunshine. Unfortunately, we only saw sun on the last day of the trip.

Going into the weekend, I was burdened with a lot of things going through my head. I was dealing with personal issues from home, figuring out my summer internship, in the midst of planning spring break travels around Scandinavia, and trying to arrange my living situation next year with my roommate. I had hoped that going out to see some of Scotland’s Highlands would help me clear my head. There’s something about being in a spacious landscape that always makes me feel a sense of freedom. It’s like my problems become minuscule when compared to the massiveness of land before me.

Three Sisters Mountains in Glencoe

Crossing the Skye Bridge

Although I saw some amazing views, the weather definitely made it difficult to fully enjoy them. Winds reached about 27 mph and we had continuous rain. Our tour guide said that it was the worst weather he has seen in the island and highlands in all of his 6 years doing the tours. It certainly wasn’t an uplifting fact, but every time we made another stop, I made an effort to brave the storm to see the views. I also got to know a lot of other exchange students simply because of the bad weather. We all suffered the stickiness of wet socks, drenched clothes, and the struggles of taking decent photos amidst freezing, high winds.

Braving the storm!

Kilt Rock

However, our tour guides from Haggis Adventures still made the trip a lot of fun. Our two guides – Heather and Andy – constantly joked back and forth and even had us sing along to our favorite ’90s classics, including “I Want It That Way” by the Backstreet Boys. My favorite part was when they told fun stories about the islands like the story of a river that supposedly makes you more beautiful if you wash your face in it for seven seconds. With them, I felt like I had actually gotten to know Scotland better rather than just seeing pretty views. On the last day when the weather finally cleared, they even took us back to Glencoe (where we were originally supposed to go but had to sacrifice due to the weather) even though it was above and beyond what they were paid to do.

Believe it or not, Andy once lifted a tree 2x his size for a competition!

Andy says he is the living proof of the water’s powers

Passing through Glencoe

The thing is, I didn’t know anyone on the trip. I was both excited and dreading this fact. On one hand, I was excited to get to know the other exchange students. But on the other hand, I just wanted to be in the presence of old friends where we could have comfortable silence. I’m usually a very outgoing person, but with all the things running through my head and the stormy weather, it was difficult having to “be on” all the time. During the moments when we were just riding the bus with nothing to do, I was overcome with sadness. I missed my mom’s cooking and longed for some warm stew. I wished my friends were here to talk through the problems I was having. I just wanted a sense of familiarity. For the past two months, I’ve been constantly been experiencing one new thing after another trying to make most of my time here. As fun as it is, it is also exhausting and I had reached a point where I just wanted to be in the comfort and relaxation of home. I didn’t want to leave Scotland, but I wish there was a way to transport my house here.

So that I don’t dwell in this homesickness for too long, I’ve been skyping friends from back home. I’ve also made sure to have more meaningful conversations through letters and postcards rather than through facebook messaging. On Thursday morning, I leave again for another adventure to Ireland for St. Patrick’s Day weekend. This time I’ll be going with my flatmates who have become my close friends and my sense of familiarity in Scotland. Until then, I plan on taking things slow in this race to make the most out of my abroad experience, enjoying my time at Holyrood (Parliament), and finding downtime like my new favorite animal, the Harry Coo.

Harry Coo otherwise known as the Highland Cows

1 Comment | KyungSun in Scotland, Spring 2015 | Tagged: Adventure, Family, Friends, Nature, Scotland, Sightseeing | Permalink
Posted by Klee

KyungSun in Scotland: Hello, Intern

March 2, 2015

On my first day of Parliament, I got stuck. It was to be expected, but it still made me sheepish when it happened. I walked through security with no problems, made my way past the lobby, and found myself at the entrance of the Labour offices. (Labour is the centre-left political party that my MSP represents). When I scanned my pass, the door wouldn’t open. I pushed and pulled and scanned my pass again and again. But it still wouldn’t budge! Thankfully, a woman saw my struggle and kindly showed me to pull the other handle.

I gave her a smile, silently thanking her for saving me. It was definitely one of these moments:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZLkBznAijk

At first when I was told I’d be a researcher at the Parliament, I was expecting to read through loads of academic articles and journals. But so far, I haven’t opened a single academic article and all of the research I’ve done for my MSP, Dr. Richard, has been really interesting. Every day, I learn about a new health issue in Scotland!

This past week, I’ve conducted research ranging from the prominence of mental health problems in the LGBTQ community to the current progress on the proposal for standardized tobacco packaging (which apparently is already done in Australia, but I could never imagine this happening in the US). Usually, I take the research and prepare a background brief on the topic for Dr. Richard. Recently, I found out that he send these out to other staff members to read or makes speeches based on my notes.

Gulp.

Source: Google Images

The coolest part about being an intern is simply: being an intern at Parliament (which they refer to as Holyrood). I love being at the hub of political activity. I get invites to receptions and meetings with other prominent politicians/media figures (like the BBC!). I also recognize faces from the news while walking down the hall or even have the chance to witness the news being filmed right in the Garden Lobby.

But the best part is when I sat one table away from Nicola Sturgeon, the first Minister of Scotland, in the cafeteria. If the name doesn’t mean anything to you, she is the Barack Obama equivalent for Scotland! But of course, this is an excitement I don’t express when I am in the office. Nicola Sturgeon represents SNP, the rival of the Labour Party.

Every Thursday, the chamber is packed with people to come watch how intense the rivalry can be. Check it out from 2:50 to 5:00. The person speaking first (wearing yellow/gray) is Kezia Dugdale, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party and the one in purple suit is Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister. You are now watching First Minister’s Questions:

I’ll admit. Between being on the learning curve, being excited, researching, and attending committee meetings, I am exhausted by the time work ends at 5pm. It’s not even that I run around all day. I just sit! But the sheer fact of working from 9-5pm is still something I am not used to and now I am even more grateful to my parents for having the energy to make me dinner growing up after their long work days. I’m hoping I’ll build enough stamina soon to get through the day. After all, my weekends are now packed with travels and activities that I no longer get to do during the week. This weekend, I’m going on a hike! Hopefully I’ll have enough energy for it.

Here goes to making the most out of being abroad!

1 Comment | KyungSun in Scotland, Spring 2015 | Tagged: Internship, Politics, Scotland | Permalink
Posted by Klee

KyungSun in Scotland: Scotland’s Mini Cities

February 18, 2015

I absolutely love weekends because that’s when I usually take trips around Scotland. I’m very thankful to UR for our cultural reimbursements and to the University of Edinburgh Residence Life for hosting these trips. So far I’ve visited Stirling, St. Andrews, Newcastle (which is in England), Perth, and I’m off to my long awaited trip to the Highlands next week! With the exception of Newcastle, I’ve visited a castle/palace in every city. The pictures of each castle are below – which one is your favorite?

Stirling Castle

St. Andrew’s Castle

Newcastle

Scone Palace

My vote goes to the last building with the plain walls and nice trees surrounding it. It has by far the most beautiful interior. But then again, I guess you can’t really compare the palace with the other castles since the palace is still used as a home by the current Earl of Manchester. Most of the castles, however, don’t have very much left to them.

At first I was growing dejected because Scotland’s castles were not what I had imagined them to be. Stirling Castle was the first castle I went to and it didn’t feel authentic? I say it as a question because I know they tried their best to re-create what it formerly looked like prior to the wars. Most of it is re-modeled very well, but the replicas still felt out of place. I had mixed feelings throughout my visit. On one hand, I was amazed at the grand, ancient feel of the castle exterior, but then immediately hit with the emptiness of the touristy, makeshift feel in the interior. Let me know what you think:

Scone Palace was my favorite because we had a great tour guide (in most of the other ones, we unfortunately did not have a guide) and was treated to shortbread and tea afterward! The palace also gave me a better insight on what the castle interiors would have looked like many, many years ago. Check it out:

The interesting thing about the cities I’ve visited so far is that they’re not like Edinburgh at all. Most of them are pretty quiet compared to Edinburgh (but then again I’ve visited most of these on a Sunday), much more open and scenic, and not as compact (again, Newcastle was an exception). Even though I was only given about 3-4 hours, I thought I got a pretty good feel of the cities in the time span I was given.

Now lets have a second vote: Which of these places do you think has the best views?

My vote is all of them! Every corner, especially near the coasts, is a Kodak moment. As someone who loves to take pictures, it’s very hard for me to contain my excitement. These 5 photos do not fully capture the extent of how beautiful each of these places is, but I hope they give you a snapshot of how beautiful they can be. I currently have over 900 photos in the five weeks I’ve been here (that’s about 180 pictures per week, 25 pictures a day), but I’m trying my best to weed out the best ones just for you guys! Look forward to more pictures and I’ll talk to you all next week!

P.S. Please feel free to give me feedback on any of my posts, especially if there’s things you want me to talk more about or you feel I haven’t explained quite well. I’m open to your thoughts!

1 Comment | KyungSun in Scotland, Spring 2015 | Tagged: Adventure, Scotland, Sightseeing | Permalink
Posted by Klee

KyungSun in Scotland: The Scots, Brits, and Somewhere in Between

February 9, 2015

Most of you are probably wondering who I’ve been hanging out with here in Edinburgh or if I even have friends at all…Anyone that’s studying abroad can tell you that their greatest fear is not making any friends. I certainly felt anxious about the type of people I’d meet. The good news is that like freshmen year, every exchange student has the “new” factor in common. You also strangely feel close to the other exchange students simply because everyone is experiencing the same fears, cultural shocks, and excitement over the little (often touristy) moments like you.

Tess, Kara, me, and Meghan at Burns Night

I’m pretty sure it was for kids, but we really wanted to try the costumes at Stirling Castle

The girls from the Parliamentary Program!

On the other hand, it’s really difficult to meet Scots here in Scotland – how can this be? Here at the University, the best way to get to know other Edinburgh students is to join societies (clubs). So far, I’ve only really joined the Music Society. This is mainly because the societies I’ve wanted to join always seem to conflict with a tour or meeting I have as part of my program. But hopefully I’ll be able to join at least one more society.

I’ve also noticed that 99.9% of the time, societies socialize by going to pubs – even after church! After mass, the President of the Catholic Student Union invited everyone – students and non-students – to join them for wine. I admit, I was caught off guard. But I had to remind myself that the drinking culture is different here; it’s much more common to go out and grab a few drinks with friends.

Other than pubs, I’ve also met Scots at museums or walking along the beach wall:

Met him at the People’s Story Museum (a museum telling the stories of the ordinary people of Edinburgh)

Met him at Stirling Castle

He was my favorite. I met him at the Regimental Museum

The only Scot I haven’t yet met in a pub is my MSP (Member of the Scottish Parliament), Richard Simpson. I’m really excited to work with him because he’s involved in a lot of healthcare issues ranging from chronic illnesses to healthcare inequalities which are issues that I’m also interested in researching. He also said that I would have a few opportunities to travel to visit his constituency which is going to be a great way to get to know Scotland even better!

The new Parliament building, usually referred to as Holyrood

Something that I didn’t consider before coming here is what it means to be Scottish versus British versus English. I embarrassingly didn’t realize that Scotland is not a country. Rather, it’s called a state because it’s part of the United Kingdom.

Okay so let’s work from a micro to macro level. People in Scotland are Scottish, but they’re also British because they are part of Britain, which consists of the main island including Scotland, England, and Wales. But people in England are English, but also British. People in Wales are Welsh but also British. Then what about people in Northern Ireland?

I met someone from Northern Ireland a few days ago (not surprisingly, at a pub) and he told me this: If they’re Protestant, they’ll generally call themselves British, but if they’re Catholic, they’ll generally call themselves Northern Irish or Irish.

As you can see, it can get very, very confusing. But this confusion has also made me think about the importance of preserving your identity within a union of states like the United Kingdom. For those who don’t know, Scotland recently voted on whether or not they wanted to break away from the United Kingdom. Although it didn’t pass, coming here has made me realize how much Scotland prides itself in its unique history, culture, and independence.

Scotts Momument in the heart of Princes Street, dedicated to Sir Walter Scott.

I’m certainly learning a lot about how Scotland fits within the rest of the UK and likewise, how the UK fits in with the European Union (which is also anticipated to come up to a vote soon!). It’s a great time to be here as a politics student especially as the UK General Election is less than 100 days away!

The diversity in Scotland and the UK is also one of the reasons why I’m falling more in love with the state/city every day. Edinburgh is really a hub of diversity. But I’ve come to realize that being in a diverse place no longer means seeing people simply of different ethnicities/races. Rather, the more modern diversity is defined by people of cross-cultural backgrounds and multiple identities – the Pakistani-British, the Polish-Scottish, or the Asian-Australians. It’s a concept that I think we, as Americans, still have much to explore and I, as an Asian-American, have a lot to learn from.

Til next time, cheers!

My Asian-Australian friend Jackie and I celebrating our (semi) successful nutella cupakes!

My Asian-Australian friend Jackie and I celebrating our (semi) successful nutella cupcakes!

Leave a Comment » | KyungSun in Scotland, Spring 2015 | Tagged: Culture, Friends, Host University, Politics, Religion, Scotland | Permalink
Posted by Klee

KyungSun in Scotland: Midterms Already?!

February 3, 2015

Street art on my walk down Melville Dr.

I empathize with the person who wrote this on the street wall. I just finished week 3 of classes and realized I only have 2 weeks left! As excited as I am start working at the Scottish Parliament, first I have to survive midterms. The workload itself isn’t too bad, but doing midterm essays on top of internship essays has definitely been overwhelming. So far, I’ve done three applications, three papers, and have two presentations due for this upcoming week. I keep telling myself that it’s almost over – I know I can do this!

The best break I had this week was celebrating Burns Night. Technically, Scotland celebrates its famous poet, Robert Burns, on the 25^th, but I celebrated it as close to the date as possible. There were loads of events to choose from, but I decided to go to the Burns Ceilidh with the International Student Centre on the 22nd and the Burns Dinner with the Edinburgh Folk Society on the 28th. As always, I had a great time dancing the ceilidh and this time, it was much more enjoyable because I actually knew some of the dances! Here’s a video in case you missed the first one:

The Burns Dinner was hosted by one of my professors who runs the Edinburgh Folk Society. My entire program went and I also invited two of my friends. When we arrived, I realized that we were the only college students. But strangely, it was better that way; I felt like I got a more authentic experience being surrounded by Scottish people. Of course, to celebrate a Scottish tradition, we had to eat Scotland’s traditional dish: haggis. This time I went with the vegetarian version and it wasn’t too bad. The vegetarian one replaces the organs with oats so it was more edible. In addition to food, I also got a full dose of Scottish culture by (attempting) to sing along to some Burns songs, hearing bagpipes, and taking part in the traditional toast to Burns with a shot of whiskey.

Vegetarian haggis, nips (turnips), and tatties (potatoes)

This past week, I also had a chance to go to Scotland’s National Gallery with the other interns! Normally, I am not a huge fan of art museums. I was once at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC and saw a work that had a definition of the word definition. Maybe it’s art? I just didn’t get it. But I do like paintings and the Gallery certainly had the most intricate pieces. When I first saw them, I was amazed at how big they were. However, I was even more surprised that we had the freedom to come right up to the painting and see the fine details. I’m not sure if I was allowed to take pictures (I may have seen the no photographs sign too late) but here are some of my favorite pieces:

Flowers in a White Stone Vase (1671) by Dirck de Bray. One of my favorite pieces in the gallery.

Art cabinet with Anthony van Dyck’s ‘Mystic Marriage of St. Catherine’. The details in this were amazing.

James Mayhew draws his character, Katie, into famous paintings!

This upcoming week is my second and final wave of deadlines. I can’t wait to be done! But like this past week, I also have some exciting things to look forward to including a trip to St. Andrews and my first meeting with my Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP)! I’ll let you know how it goes! Stay tuned!

1 Comment | KyungSun in Scotland, Spring 2015 | Tagged: Culture, Food, Host University, Scotland, Sightseeing | Permalink
Posted by Klee

KyungSun in Scotland: Living a Double Life

January 22, 2015

Since classes started, I’ve been trying to acclimate to the local lifestyle. I stopped randomly taking pictures of picturesque streets, do my work at the local cafes, and even gave someone directions! But I admit: I can’t call myself a local quite yet. I’ve also gone on tours to the Parliament Building with the other interns, taken photos from every angle on Calton’s Hill, and still can’t figure out how much each coin is worth (the size is nowhere indicative of the amount! See below).

Can you guess the amount? From left to right it’s 2 pence, 2 pounds, 1 pound, 20 pence, 1 pence, and 5 pence.

Thankfully, I’ve been able to get my dose of local culture through the University’s International Buddy Program. They invited me to my first pub quiz at a place called Frankenstein’s Pub last Thursday night. And yes, the outside was as cheesy as it sounded. When I arrived, I was greeted with a loud muhahaha!! sound effect that blast from a tall Frankenstein figure.

I am not particularly good at trivia, but I discovered a new love for pub quizzes. Everyone and by everyone, I mean the entire pub, participates. Each table forms a team, the MC asks trivia questions throughout the evening, plays music while teams answer the questions, and everyone grabs drinks in between. It was a very casual hangout and I got to meet a lot of local Edinburgh students. We didn’t talk about anything special, but simply understanding what they meant by things like “timetabling” (schedule) and “in queue” (in line) made me feel more like a local.

Of course, I still had to get my tourist fix a few days later. We finally got a sunny day and it was a perfect day to climb! My flatmate and I were too excited to be outside that we did Calton’s Hill and Arthur’s Seat on the same day. Let’s just say I didn’t wake up until 2pm the following day.

Arthur’s Seat was by far my favorite place to climb. When I first arrived at the base of the volcano, I was happy to see lots of locals on the trails. I played it casual, hoping I didn’t stand out as a tourist until…I got closer. The locals were not only running the trails, but wearing shorts and sweatshirts! Meanwhile, I arrived looking like a marshmallow. I didn’t regret it though. The sun was misleading because it was still very, very cold outside.

We asked someone coming toward us which trail was the best to take. He said that if we took the left one, we’d get to the top in thirty minutes! Woo! My flatmate and I were itching to get to the top. The way up was quite steep and we had to stop more than we anticipated. But I took these moments to turn around and see how far I’ve come. Doing a “look back” is one of my favorite things to do while climbing. I also looked up and I was excited to see how high I would be:

The “look back”

The “look up”

Once we got to the top, I was in awe. The view is absolutely breathtaking! The sun was just setting, the landscape was beautiful, and I was very ready to capture the moment. The problem was I couldn’t move. The wind kept knocking me over and it was so cold that my eyes were tearing up. I blindly snapped some pictures but my hands paid a price. You may think I’m exaggerating, but see for yourself. Here is a video when I tried to climb Arthur’s Seat on a good day versus a bad day:

Here is also a picture of my flatmate and me:

My flatmate Lindy and me!

My pictures don’t fully capture what it feels like to be on top of this great inactive volcano, but I wasn’t too disappointed. I realized that part of living and becoming part of Edinburgh means soaking in the beautiful views with my own eyes rather than trying to capture it on camera.

Trying to hide my touristy moments and integrate myself as a local is certainly a challenge. But I think being able to play both identities is the best part about being an exchange student. I have had moments where I know I’m being judged and labeled as I quickly try to snap photos for friends and family back home, but I’ve also used it as an excuse to strike up a conversation with locals and other exchange students. It’s all about perspective, and I’m definitely taking advantage of playing both a tourist and local while I’m here.

Simon Cowell was in town!

Leave a Comment » | KyungSun in Scotland, Spring 2015 | Tagged: Adventure, Friends, Scotland, Sightseeing | Permalink
Posted by Klee

KyungSun in Scotland: Ready or Not

January 13, 2015

Sometimes we’re not ready for everything. When I arrived in Edinburgh, I came in with an open mind ready to be filled with new experiences. Yet I quickly learned that being mentally and physically prepared are two different things.

Here is what I wasn’t ready for:

Source: Google Images

The first night of orientation was a welcome dinner that promised good haggis. Haggis is one of Scotland’s traditional dishes and made from sheep heart, liver, and lung. Yum? The meal didn’t sound or look very appealing. However, I decided to just dive into the cultural experience on day one. I was ready. I slowly took a bite and thought, Hm, this isn’t too bad.

It wasn’t until the other exchange students finished their cup that I realized I had only eaten a quarter of mine. The tatties, or mashed potatoes, were gone, but the haggis remained. In the end I couldn’t fully push the image of eating sheep organs out of my head. One of the exchange students chuckled and said, “Are you done already?” He was going back for seconds. I told him I hadn’t warmed up to haggis quite yet.

Here is what I was ready for:

Ceilidh was my favorite event during orientation. I highly recommend it to anyone whether you like to dance or not. I promise this is a great dance to learn for people who especially don’t like to groove. You just need to be able to do three moves: forming circles, skipping, and cheering. It’s very simple!

The best part was messing up the rhythms because you saw how eager everyone was to make the formation work. I also saw the rush of proud satisfaction from our group once we finally got the dance right. I love that dancing is a way to communicate without words. I didn’t talk much that night, but I got a good sense of who everyone was even without the usual introductions. I slept for 13 hours that night and woke up feeling sore. This was enough to convince me that my body needed time to catch up with my eagerness to try everything.

What I was definitely ready for:

Nicholson Street

City life in Edinburgh is too cool. At first, I would walk down a street thinking everything looked the same as the States. Then further on ahead, I would suddenly come across these dark historical churches, cobblestone streets, or Arthur’s Seat peaking behind the skyline. I am constantly in awe of how the city changes before my eyes.

The spirit of the city is also very visible here. Just the other day, I explored Princes Street. I felt like I was walking in NYC as I passed this long row of commercial stores. Cars were honking as people J-walked, double decker buses sped by, and lights lit the way ahead. I almost forgot I was abroad. But then I looked towards my right and saw the Edinburgh Castle standing high above. To me, the castle was like an authoritative figure, reminding everyone below never to forget the history that had shaped the country. I love that I can see the cross between history and modernization, Scottish culture and diversity of other cultures present everywhere.

What I don’t think I’ll ever be ready for:

View from the castle entrance

I now understand the true meaning of being cold. Yes, it’s definitely cold when temperatures are freezing and the chilly air seeps into your bones. But now also imagine the rain pouring on you, constantly dampening the little warmth you’re trying to kindle. Then gusts of wind fan the cold flame already spreading throughout your body. My usual attire is four layers, a down jacket, thick socks, rain-poof boots, scarf, and gloves. Even then I’m never warm enough.

Mainly, I keep reminding myself that I need to rest. Even though I want to tackle everything – exploring the city, trying new foods, going to all the social events – I’m often more tired than I realize. It’s more than the jet lag. The cold, the constant walking, and living adjustment adds onto the tiredness I get after meeting so many new people in one day. However, I’m enjoying soaking in the city day by day. The cold is certainly uninviting, but it doesn’t stop me or anyone else living here from parading the streets every day.

1 Comment | KyungSun in Scotland, Spring 2015 | Tagged: Food, Music, Scotland, Sightseeing | Permalink
Posted by Klee

The Story that Changed Everything

KyungSun in Scotland: Scattered

KyungSun in Scotland: Getting Plugged In

KyungSun in Scotland: Storm Warning

KyungSun in Scotland: Hello, Intern

KyungSun in Scotland: Scotland’s Mini Cities

KyungSun in Scotland: The Scots, Brits, and Somewhere in Between

KyungSun in Scotland: Midterms Already?!

KyungSun in Scotland: Living a Double Life

KyungSun in Scotland: Ready or Not

Blogs by Semester

Tags

Like us on Facebook

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Blogs by Semester

Tags