Study Abroad in Scotland

Posted by Kathy Miller on

    This was my first study abroad experience, which was unique compared to traditional programs that last a few weeks to a year. I was able to participate in a weeklong faculty-led study abroad program in Scotland. I was excited and a little apprehensive as the time to travel came near. I knew that I would enjoy this new learning experience, so I decided to stay positive and focus on the adventure ahead. I am very happy I did just that!

     Travelling alone to Scotland gave me the chance to do what I wanted with extra time in the airport during my layovers. I explored London Heathrow airport and spent some time working on a pre-course assignment. On the return flight I had time to work on my post-course assignment so when I returned home, I did not have quite as much work to do, and everything was fresh in my mind.

     I was a little concerned that people there would have a heavy accent, but I was able to understand almost everyone. There was one person who was cleaning some beautiful steps who was very friendly, but I could only understand a word or two. I had a good idea of what he was saying by his friendly demeanor and body language which was a great way to see the universal ways of communication in action. 

This picture is of a cotton mill company called Lanark Mills which has been in operation since 1785. It was an amazing thing to see a place with so much history still in operation. 

  My study abroad course consisted of a group of 13 students, plus our instructor, who travelled together throughout Scotland. We visited six businesses to learn about work/life balance, and one was a tour of a salmon and trout factory. The tour was amazing and nothing that I had done before. The tour started with changing into boots and wearing hair coverings, and protective jackets. We were taken to the loading dock where the fish first entered the building and we saw each step in their process from seasoning, smoking and packaging. They were willing to answer all our questions and even gave us the chance to sample their product when our tour was over. This was the first time I tried smoked salmon and it was delicious! It was a great experience unlike anything I have done before.

In this picture our group is learning about business practices to attain work/life balance for employees. The company was very welcoming and happily answered our questions. I learned there are many differences from the United States in employment in Scotland. This company focus on employees needs to create a good work/life balance for everyone in their company. I also heard familiar stories of struggles to find workers from every place we visited. 

One thing that was different from home was longer days than what I am used to in Michigan. I did not realize Scotland has over 17 hours of daylight which was quite noticeable when my roommate and I woke up at 3 a.m. and it was getting light out every night! This is only about a 2-hour difference than Michigan, but it sure made an impact. I also had to get accustomed to having no shower curtain in the bathroom in the hotels we stayed at. They only have a thick plastic half door which was just different from what I am used to but was easy to adapt to.

     Scotland is a beautiful place to see. Everything was green and lush. The weather was great with little rain which is unusual for that region. I saw many sheep along the road, even more than cows in Michigan. They have cows too and ones with long hair they call “hairy coos”. The history of the country made me awestruck as we saw old castles in the middle of the city and in the countryside. As I looked at many beautiful sights in Scotland I was reminded of Michigan at times and would see some similarities and differences in our landscapes which made me appreciate Michigan with our unique landscapes too. 

     I am very glad I decided to participate in Western Michigan University’s study abroad program. If another chance arises for me to participate in a study abroad program again, I will do it. I would suggest to anyone in college to investigate study abroad programs that are available and take advantage of the chance to learn and advance your cultural experience.