Final Day in Scotland!

Can you feel the excitement and energy of the drummers?


Yassmeen and I clap/dance along with them!

Arthur's Seat and the Great Pyramid come together!

Penguins at the Zoo!

Waiting for the Penguin Parade

The Penguin Walk

Me before the drum show!

On our last full day in Scotland, we wanted to do it all: hike Arthur's seat, a smallish mountain near our dormitory, go to the Edinburgh Zoo to see the Penguins, and attend the Korean drum show. As I learned that day, it is possible to do it all!

After fueling up on a breakfast on eggs, toast, boiled tomatoes, and a daring move to try the haggis, we were ready to take on any challenge! Haggis, quite simply, is sheep intenstines. It sounds disgusting, I know, but it is all chopped up in tiny pieces and mixed together with stuffing. Picture a dark brown/pudding like substance with flecks of white. I tried a bite of it at breakfast and it didn't taste so bad. It resembled VERY salty turkey stuffing. I gave myself kudos for trying it, but I don't think it will be a regular part of my diet.

After the bold haggis move, I attempted an even bolder move: climbing Arthur's Seat. Arthur's Seat is a high mountain, approximately 250 meters to its top. Supposedly, children and young adults in the Scottish school systems were forced to run to the very top of it on occassion. Cruel and unusual punishment. We decided we would climb up on our own pace. Luckily, there were stairs made of rocks built into the side of the mountain, so going up was the easy part--it was like walking up many stories of uneven stairs. The view from the top was spectacular--we could see the entire city of Edinburgh and even a small island off its coast. Coming down the mountain was actually the most difficult part of climbing it!! We literally got off the beaten path, since we climbed down a different side/area than we climbed up. The rocky stairs were nowhere near our reach, so we had to do some mountain climbing down over jagged rocks and slippery paths. I ended up going down the mountain on my butt for most of it.

After our mountain expedition, we grabbed a bus to the zoo to be on time for the 2:00 penguin walk! Before my trip to Scotland, I heard many stories about the penguins there. They are at the Zoo, but at 2pm everyday, about 10-12 are released and walk around the courtyard. I didn't want to miss that! We arrived at the Zoo and had plenty of time to see other animals, including polar bears, painted dogs, koalas, and of course, the penguin walk. We camped out about a half hour before to get a good spot on the edge of the courtyard. Before they released the penguins, I heard this announcement: "Please have young children stand or hold them in your arms, as the penguins are curious about things on their eye level and will peck. Also, please do not feed them and take care of loose objects, since the Penguins will try to eat anything and everything." I had to stand, and waited as the penguins were released. They then walked by, about 11 of them, and were so close I could almost touch them! (But I didn't, thanks to the huge announcement/disclaimer)! Seeing the penguins that close for all of 5 seconds was similar to seeing a flower that blooms every 50 years. It was such a brief glimpse, a tiny second in time. Part of me wondered, "Is that it? I want my money back!!" while the other part of me was thrilled to experience something so unique.

When our group became tired of the smell of maneur and the young children going nuts over the penguins, we left the zoo. We did about 1-2 hours of souvenior shopping/bargain hunting, and then got ready for the last event on our schedule: the Korean drum show. The drum show was only 5 pounds entry, since it was a preview of their performance. It was held in a large, outdoor courtyard by the old Edinburgh University. Before we got there, there were huge drums and different set up on stage, along with colorful ribbons and banners to add to the festive nature of the performance.

When the Korean performers actually came out, they entered from a side entrance, tapping their instruments, drums, and tamborines and weaving through the crowd, encouraging us to clap and sing. Their energy was infectious; the crowd began to clap and dance along with them. Each musical piece they performance was different. One piece was a slow, singing ballad while others involved them drumming and encouraging us to sing, "hey, hey, hey" with them. The BEST part, by far, was the end of the show. At the end, similar to how they all entered, they grabbed their musical instruments and began to weave through the crowd, but this time encouraged us to form a conga line. I grabbed the shoulders of the person in front of me, while another person held onto mine from the back. We probably formed the largest conga line I was a part of, as we all danced and swayed around the courtyard. Then, the conga line became a massive circle, when they invited people to come and dance with them. Yassmeen and I got in the center and begin to dance and clap along with them. It was so much fun--a natural rush!!

Sustained from the euphoric high of the performance, my group went out to dinner for Indian food (chicken bhouna was awesome) and then got back to the dorms around 10:30/11pm. It had been a long and productive day, and overall a wonderful two days in Scotland, but we had to head back early in the morning Sunday to return to Cambridge. Yes sadly, papers and the reality that this is a "study abroad" program hit.

The bus ride coming back was unmemorable--and I'd especially like to block out the rancid smell of garbage and the gross prepackaged sandwich I had for lunch. But overall, my trip to Scotland was wonderful, and I would love to return someday to explore more of this unique part of the UK.