Scotland

Before I tell you all about my weekend in Scotland I must write about my week. This could be a long one, but I need to get caught up! Last Monday I went to the Museum of London. I have started a routine of Museum Monday's. The Museum of London basically tells the entire history of the city through artifacts, pictures, story boards, and city models. Visiting this museum was an assignment for my British Experience class. It was interesting to learn all about the city. I enjoyed gaining knowledge about the royal family. There were some very corrupt things that took place long ago when the Royal Family ruled as a sole monarchy. For example, a princess was killed because she could not bear children. It was also interesting to learn about the Great Fire of London in 1666, where over half the city burnt and the Great Plague. This museum was not as impressive as the British Museum, but I learned a lot. On the way home from the museum I was riding on the Tube when a girl maybe a little older than me sat down beside me. I didn't look right at her, but I noticed that she kept bringing a Kleenex up to her face as to wipe her nose or tears. She was sniffling as well. Again I didn't want to turn and look right at her because she was sitting right next to me and not many people make eye contact on the Tube. A little later a gentlemen sitting across from us handed her a piece of paper. It read, "Don't Cry. Everything will be alright. Do you need anything?" Of course sitting so close, I was able to read this and then I couldn't help to turn to look at her and she was crying. She managed to smile at him and say "I'm ok." I was so surprised by this gesture. People in London often get a bad reputation for being unfriendly, but this was a true, genuine act. It also made me feel bad that I didn't ask the girl if I could help at all. This also shows just how reserved the people are here. We were all sitting literally a couple feet from each other, but the man still wrote a note instead of just asking out loud.

On Tuesdays I have my internship. This day was an exciting day of work. Hoxton Trust offers English as a Second Language classes for women in the area. I think I explained before that the area I work in has a lot of Turkish immigrants. Well the problem is that many of the women come to London from Turkey with their husbands, but never learn to speak English. My supervisor, the director of the organization, wanted to preform these interviews to find out if the English classes were helpful. So I had written up about 20 questions to ask each woman about the class, the language, their future, etc. I interviewed 6 women from ages 17 to 54. One woman had been in London for 18 years, but could barely answer my questions. Some of the women were very good at English, while others still were at a beginner's level. My supervisor explained later that many of the women were here against their husbands will. Apparently the husbands don't want their wives to learn English; they only want them to cook and take care of the household. When I asked the women why they wanted to learn English almost all of the answers were because they wanted to get a job, be able to speak in the community and make friends. Imagine only being able to talk to your family and having no friends. The women also find that their children speak English because that is what language is used in the schools so they want to be able to speak to them in English as well. One woman told me that she can do so much more know that she knows English. She can understand the doctor at the hospital, go shopping in the supermarket, talk to her son's teacher and go to the job center to apply for a job. I really couldn't believe that people live so secluded. These women basically are slaves to their house and family. Even if they wanted out of their situation it would be nearly impossible because they can't speak the language of the country they live in. They have to rely on their husbands for everything, providing that the husbands speak English! One lady told me her husband speaks very little English too. The women were very friendly and were so happy to talk to me, even when they couldn't understand some things I said. They said that my accent was much easier to understand than British accents! These women had really big dreams and aspirations for the future also. The youngest girl wanted to be a doctor, one woman wanted to open a women and children center, many just wanted a job. The thing I found crazy was that many of these women were really well educated and had really great jobs in Turkey. One was a certified accountant in Turkey, while another was a teacher, and one was a certified nurse. However, when they come here and can't speak the language, none of that matters. I asked one woman why she moved to London. She couldn't tell me why. I asked her if it was because her husband got a job, but she just shook her head and said no we don't have jobs. It was sad to learn that people live like that, but the benefits are very good in the U.K so I am sure that is why they come here. Maybe it is better than living in Turkey. One woman told me all the stuff she has done since she learned English, such as, the cinema, the tube, talking to her children's teachers at school, and museums. One woman was so pleased to have learned English because now she can go to the doctor and doesn't need a translator to communicate. Another lady told me that her classmates were the only friends she has. I don't want you to get the impression that these women don't love their families. They are absolutely faithful to them; they just want to be able to communicate more. One woman told me that her eyes are for her son, her heart is for her daughter, and her body is for her husband. I was holding back some serious laughter and giggles! After the interviews I joined the women for some tea. They were thrilled! 3 of them ran up to me and offered me some Turkish bread. I really didn't want any, but I gave it a try. It was actually not too bad. Then a woman I had interviewed came up to me with a picture of her family. She was so proud of them. They were so happy when I told them that their English was very good. Most of them had plans to continue taking English classes. I found it interesting that they were all very good at reading and writing English, but not good at speaking it. This is because they read it all over on the place, but never get any practice or lessons on how to speak it. After the interviews my supervisor let me leave early because she had a meeting across town. I was glad to leave early as it was such a nice day out. It was the nicest weather since I have been here (10 degrees Celsius = about 50 degrees Fahrenheit). I took a stroll in the park when I got home. There were people spread all over the park enjoying the day. It was like something you would see in a painting. The neighborhood where I live feels like it is years away from Hoxton where the Turkish women live. I tried to think of something I could do for these ladies, or what could improve their situation. However, there just aren't a whole lot of options. It is similar to trying to help the homeless. It doesn't matter if I put my pennies in the lady's cup down the street everyday; she will still be there tomorrow.

So on Thursday Carissa, Allison and I left for Scotland. We decided to try and save time and money by taking an overnight coach (bus) which left at 11:00 p.m. on Thursday night and was due to arrive in Edinburgh, Scotland at 8 the next morning. We figured 8 hours on an overnight bus would be easy because we would just sleep the whole time. Wow were we wrong! For starters the bus was freezing. I am always cold, but this was ridiculous. The bus was also very uncomfortable. I was crammed into a little seat next to some guy that had serious body odor. I definitely wasn't going to lean my head on him to get some sleep! At 2:30 a.m. the bus stopped at a rest stop. We went in to use the restroom so we wouldn't have to use the toilets on the bus. When we got back to the bus the driver was gone, but he left the door wide open. He didn't return for another 30 minutes and by this time the bus was basically a refrigerator. Once we got back on the road I did fall asleep for most of the remainder of the journey. I woke up feeling pretty stiff and not very rested. However, seeing the Scotland country side and the outskirts of Edinburgh turned my crabby mood right around. I was really excited to explore the city.

When we got to the coach station we freshened up in the bathrooms, which cost us 20 pence. I wasn't looking that great, but then again who would after spending the night on a bus. Edinburgh, Scotland is an amazing little town. I absolutely loved it. They are not exaggerating when they say men playing bag pipes in kilts. It really happens! The city felt very old-fashioned. It seemed like every single building was made out of bricks. It was very chilly in Edinburgh, but no rain! We decided to take a city bus tour to learn more about the town and see what it had to offer. It was an excellent little tour and I also learned a lot of Scottish history. We saw some very impressive things, like the Edinburgh Castle, the Palace of Holyroodhouse (Queen's home in Edinburgh), Scottish Parliament, and the Royal Mile.

After the tour we went back to the Edinburgh Castle to get a closer look. The castle stands high on an extinct volcano with remarkable views of Edinburgh. I was amazed by how well everything was preserved in the castle. It felt like I was living hundreds of years ago. I couldn't believe how huge the castle was. The United States cannot compare with Europe when it come to historic sites. We are just too young of a country. If you want to see new, modern, and big then the US is the place. However, if you want history, detail, and extraordinary pieces of the past then Europe is the place to be. Pictures below of the Edinburgh Castle.

After viewing the castle we walked down the Royal Mile to see the Palace of Holyroodhouse, which is the official residence in Scotland of her majesty the Queen. We were told on the bus tour that the Queen spends one week in Edinburgh every year. We did not go inside the palace, but let me just say this was a pretty impressive palace to only use one week out of the year. It definitely couldn't compare to Buckingham Palace, but still amazing. There was a very beautiful park around the palace as well. Pictures below of the Palace.

We also explored the Royal Mile. This is the stretch of road that leads from the Edinburgh Castle to the Queen's palace. It was just lined with specialty shops, businesses, and restaurants. We did a bit of souvenir shopping on the Royal Mile. There were hundreds of stores that sold plaid kilts and other Scottish garments. Cashmere is a very popular fabric in Scotland. There were a ton of cashmere scarf shops on this road too. Of course I couldn't resist; I got a 100% cashmere scarf for only 10 pounds. I was very pleased with myself and the best part about the scarf is that it was made right in Scotland. Now that is my kind of souvenir. For lunch we went to the Filling Station. My meal was very good, but I thought it was weird that my chicken Alfredo had bits of ham in it. We had some wonderful fudge for dessert at a local shop. The people of Scotland were very friendly. At one gift shop Carissa said “thank you, Sir” after paying for a postcard and the man replied, “Only my banker calls me sir, and that is because he takes all my money.” We all laughed of course. Prior to leaving London for Scotland, one of the French students in our program told us to check if the Scottish men wore anything under their kilts. We were pretty sure he was just messing with us, but we soon found out that this is just a big joke. Apparently nothing is worn under the kilts as we saw a lot of pictures, postcards and funny little sayings about going commando when wearing a kilt. We managed to get a picture with a Scot dressed in full Scottish attire, playing a bag pipe. Picture Below.

Overall I really enjoyed my trip to Edinburgh, Scotland. It was fun to be immersed in the Scottish culture. Luckily we took a train home and it was much nicer and faster than the coach, although it was more expensive. I checked out the chef section of the train on the way home. It was basically like a concession stand. The food was reasonably priced and my deli sandwich tasted good. I couldn't believe how much snow was on the ground as the train chugged through the country side of Scotland. There was probably a foot of snow, but it was very picturesque. However, I was glad to arrive back home in London, where it was a little bit warmer and no snow!